Celebration Church St. Bernard/9th Ward Celebration Church St.

It was a true celebration of community and education when the Kiwanis organization of St. Bernard hosted its second annual Terrific Teachers ceremony. The brainchild of board member Kevin Hoffman, the event honors Teachers of the Year from across the parish.

From March 23 through March 26, the annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival was held around the Frederick Sigur Center in Chalmette. For four days, residents of St.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has just taken its first step in conducting the environmental analysis of the proposed Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) site in Violet. In a press release sent out on March 22, Port NOLA announced that it began “geotechnical borings” on the LIT site on March 27.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit held its ribbon cutting at the new Chalmette location at 8855 West Judge Perez Drive in the Village Square Shopping Center on Friday, March 17. The Dallas-based barbecue eatery was the fasted growing chain restaurant in 2012 and there are over 450 locations across America and in Asia. Franchisees Robert and Yoshie Dunning own five locations across the New Orleans metro area and decided to open up a Dickey’s in St. Bernard due to the high catering demand they have in the parish. Dickey’s is known for its signature brisket, pulled pork, and ribs that are smoked and cooked in-house along with their mac and cheese and baked potato casserole side items. The Chalmette location is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. Pictured: Parish President Guy McInnis presenting a proclamation along with State Representative Ray Garofalo and members of the St. Bernard Parish Chamber of Commerce to franchisee Robert Dunning and his employees at the new Chalmette location of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.

FishSTOCK, a new, free festival celebrating Plaquemines’ natural resources, will be held March 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Chalmette High School Prostart students won first place in the student division of Cook off for the Coast. This event helps to raise money for the Chadeleur Sound Living Shoreline coastal restoration project. Congratulations to Elena Hodges and her Cook-off Team.

Americans have every reason to be thankful. In comparison to the rest of the world, we live a life of ease. Even those who experience what we consider poverty have no idea what real poverty is throughout the world. None scrounge landfills for food. Many make a choice to live on the streets. This is not to say there are none suffering, because there are… too many. But nothing like in many nations. When we look about us, the blessings we enjoy are not global. We are so fortunate, But this can suddenly change.

Dear Mr. Karlin: Thank you for writing an insightful depiction of the state of Louisiana's Port Authority System.

Do we as a community have a choice for our future? The answer is clearly yes because we live in a democracy not an imperial state. As citizens, we can force our elected officials to do what is corrective to past errors, financially beneficial, environmentally safe, and lifestyle enhancing for our community. We do have a choice with our individual vote and together can determine our destiny. It is critical to question candidates for public office on their stands relative to the community’s future. Platforms and visions of the community’s future must be clear and solid, not doublespeak. A candidate who is elected must be held to their promises made during their campaigns. It is counterproductive to have “jellyfish” as leaders. Positions in the future need careful follow-through and attention so as to maintain what is best for the community. This kind of progress enriches the lifestyle of the residents. Remember, you can support a candidate with your vote as a reward, and it should be a pact for the future performance of the candidate.