On Tuesday Judge Cody Martin summarily denied Parish Councilman Joel Robert’s attempt to have a defamation claim against him dismissed. Relying on Louisiana’s Anti-SLAPP law, Robert filed a Motion to Strike the allegations of defamation lodged against him by Gerry Phillips, spouse to one of Parish President Clint Cointment’s top lieutenants, Infrastructure Division Director Ruth […]

East Ascension Drainage Commission will take up another purchase of land devoted to regional detention at its regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow.  $2.5 million for 128 acres in Geismar, the “land will be utilized for New River Regional detention as outlined in the Parish Floodplain Management Plan….This is the second land acquisition at this location (between Louis […]

City Council votes don’t come much easier than Monday’s agenda item to approve a Community Partnership with Loving Our Community’s Children (LOCC).  With a mission statement to “partner with the community to provide children and families with reliable, no-cost support that meets daily needs and fosters dignity, stability, and healing” and record of success…this was […]

Without a word of discussion last night, Ascension Parish Council approved an amended Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Gonzales to program baseball fields inside the city.  It was accomplished on the first try by the parish governing authority, just in time for AP Baseball to commence operations on schedule Monday.  The parish vote came on […]

Dantin Bruce Development’s Ross Bruce proudly proclaimed that his firm has built over 1,000 homesites in Ascension Parish over the years, hoping to add another 115 to the total at Wednesday’s meeting of the Planning Commission.  It was not to be as five commissioners, with two abstentions, voted to reject Harvest Fields subdivision preliminary plat, oblivious to […]

In late 2024 Gonzales’ interim mayor, Ryland Percy, inked an agreement with Impact Sports (which operates AP Baseball), as did Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment in anticipation of the 2025 season.  Ascension’s Parish Council approved a new agreement with AP Baseball in October, commencing negotiations with the city in lieu of Gonzales doing another deal […]

Three Gonzales City Council members rejected an agreement with Ascension Parish to clear the way for AP Baseball and Gonzales’ Diamond Youth leagues to play ball this year.  It was the third time this council considered the agreement after deferring consideration on December 8 and rejecting the agreement on January 12.  Mayor Tim Riley placed […]

Ascension Parish Councilman Joel Robert was sued yesterday, the Petition for Damages alleging that Robert made “false, scandalous and defamatory” allegations about the petitioner, Gerald Phillips, Jr.  Petitioner is the spouse of Ruth Phillips who happens to be one of Parish President Clint Cointment’s top aides.  The suit stems from a social media back and […]

In a report tonight to the St. Helena Parish Police Jury, a representative of the Amite River Basin Commission (ARBC) highlighted efforts with Congresswoman Julia Letlow to restore areas of the Amite River that will reduce flood risk and improve quality of life. The report also detailed ARBC’s “year of firsts.” ARBC Executive Director Paul Sawyer reported on $2,000,000 secured by Congresswoman Julia Letlow […]

A decade ago, Ascension’s Parish Council began considering wide-ranging changes to the Development Code related to drainage, among them limiting the amount of fill material employed to elevate structures.  Gaining momentum after the disastrous Flood of 2016, the governing authority imposed more severe limitations which have resulted in certain “unintended consequences” impacting small lot owners.  […]