WEEKLY: MON, WED_FRI AND SUN Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step meetings are held in St. Bernard Parish on the following days: • Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 7 p.m.

After a long 14 year process, the St. Bernard Christian Academy (SBCA) finally completed the priority acquisition, design, engineering, and construction needed to officially open the school’s new location at 4300 E. Judge Perez Dr. in Meraux. To commemorate this exciting development, SBCA held a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, July 25, inviting parents, students, faculty, and parish officials to attend. Going forward, the school will offer its pre-k through 12th grade classes from this new location.

At the Port of New Orleans latest board meeting held on July 25, the commissioners approved the signing of another series of contracts to push forward the development of their Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) proposed to be built in the St. Bernard Parish community of Violet.

On June 28, Eni Sustainable Mobility Spa and PBF Energy Inc. announced the closing of a 50-50 joint venture partnership in St. Bernard Renewables LLC (SBR), an operating biorefinery, co-located with PBF’s Chalmette Refinery. On July 18, 2023, Executives from Eni and PBF made it official at a ribbon cutting and celebration with representatives from St. Bernard Parish Government, state officials, and community leaders.

The Knights of Nemesis has scheduled its 18th Annual Jack Bennett Memorial Luau Dance. The dance is open to the public and we invite everyone to attend and help celebrate the 18th anniversary of our club. The highlight of our Luau Dance is the announcement and introduction of the club’s Royal Knight XVIII and Goddess Nemesis XVIII for the 2024 parade. This year’s Royal Knight is Jason Showalter and the Goddess Nemesis is Kathryn Kamlade. The event will be held at the Sigur Center Grand Ballroom, 8245 W. Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette, on Saturday, August 19, from 8 p.m. to Midnight. Tickets are $30 per person and include setups, door prizes and live music by WITNESS. Dress is casual and Luau attire is encouraged. For ticket information, contact Billy Showalter by emailing billyshowalter@aol.com or call 504.583.3998.

I recently read an article on the long wait times to renew passports and the inability to renew them online. While it is a problem for U.S.

Over the past year the column has highlighted the problems associated with locating the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) in St. Bernard Parish. Nearly every conceivable problem has been discussed: Quality of Life, transportation congestion, diminished property values, pollution from ships, trucks, and trains, public health, infrastructure damage, damage to environment and wetlands, destruction of historic places, etc..

Property Owners Begging for Relief Can you afford your property insurance in Louisiana? Rates across the state continue to go up. The legislature just finished its regular session, and no viable solutions were offered.

When you begin building a good structure, you must start with a good foundation. The foundation must be strong to hold the weight and perform when the structure is challenged as in a hurricane. In a good foundation, here in the alluvial soil of southern Louisiana those pilings must run deep to hit firm strata or have a girth to sustain skin friction. Those are the criteria for a structural foundation as a general rule. In society we have different criteria that is good public-school education, public safety free from violent crime, rewarding jobs, well priced housing, and functioning infrastructure including drainage, streets, and utilities. These necessary qualities are a reflection of an influential citizen driven regional government. Good public services equals a desirable community. In St. Bernard, we are really certain we have excellent public education. I have written many times of the merits of the schools and programs as our crown jewel. For young families, this is the number one demand of education for the future of their children. The base of the good foundation begins without a doubt with this component.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) is accepting proposals for the FY 2024 Conservation and Restoration Partnership Fund until October 20th, 2023. This year the Conservation and Restoration Partnership Fund has up to $1,000,000 dedicated for matching fundsforprojectsaddressing coastal conservation and restoration needs. This funding will allow the State, through CPRA, to explore private/public partnership opportunities such as grants and donations to support the implementation of high priority projects and the advancement of coastal restoration goals.