Daily Archives: January 25, 2021

A dog park is coming to Prairieville in May thanks to members of the Leadership Ascension class.

The Prairie Dogs, an Ascension Chamber Leadership Ascension team, are ready to work like dogs to bring the Prairieville area its first dog park at Prairieville Park, 38430 Highway 929, Prairieville. The development will be the first of its kind in the area and is slated for completion by May 2021.

The Prairie Dogs have partnered with Ascension Parish to build the dog park. The team presented the idea of the dog park at the Nov. 10 Ascension Parish Parks and Recreation Council meeting, and received a unanimous vote for approval of the project on parish property. A cooperative agreement has been signed by both parties and the project has surpassed the approval stages and work has begun, according to a news release.

The park plans to feature amenities for both small and large dogs with a double-gated entrance, concrete walking paths, benches, water fountains and more within the 2-acre lot.

Lets stop dogs from being couch potatoes, said Councilman Aaron J. Lawler, representing District 7.

While work is moving ahead, donations and sponsorship opportunities are still available for the public and local businesses wishing to provide additional financial support. Information can be found on The Prairie Dogs Facebook page (@ThePrairieDogs.2021DogPark) or email the team at prairiedogs2021@gmail.com.

The Prairie Dogs team members are Tia Starr, Our Lady of the Lake-Ascension; Monika Arnold, Eatel; Darby Lambert, Ascension public schools; Evan Mativi, OneSource EHS; Jacob Shoemake, Westlake Chemical; and Shontel Stewart, BASF.

The Prairie Dog Park is an approved project of the Leadership Ascension Class of 2021. The Leadership Ascension Foundation is a registered nonprofit corporation in Louisiana and all donations are tax deductible. Leadership Ascension is sponsored by The Ascension Chamber of Commerce to assist in preparing emerging community leaders for leadership positions in local government, business and community affairs. The results-oriented program is directed by a steering committee of community leaders with the assistance of chamber staff.

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Prairievilles first dog park on its way thanks to Leadership Ascension class project. - The Advocate

And if those statistics arent convincing enough, just listen to the comments of 76ers coach Doc Rivers following Fridays game:

Hes just tough, Rivers said. Hes terrific. He makes hard shots, too. Obviously, you give him a three, hes a dead-eye, knockdown 3-point shooter. I dont think he was that when he first came in the league, and now he is. But his biggest improvement and where they really developed, off the dribble hes really tough. Great in-between game, great all the way to the basket, great threes. When you have all of those things youre one of the better offensive players in this league, and he is.

If someone had referred to Brown as a knockdown 3-point shooter as recently as, well, last month, it would have raised some eyebrows. Now, that idea feels more valid by the day. But the fact that Browns 41.6 percent shooting from long range isnt even what has impressed Rivers most speaks volumes about how far Browns offensive game has developed. The key for Brown will be maintaining the rhythm once he is playing alongside both Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker again.

Celtics fans who are eager to see the team hurry up and use its $28.5 million trade exception to acquire a high-level scorer to fix the bench issues should probably sit back down because its unlikely to happen any time soon. The trade deadline is two months away and other teams are still trying to win, too, and will be in no rush to ship out an elite scorer for a draft-heavy package so soon.

The timing of the James Harden trade was an outlier, because that situation had become messy and unfixable. Also, this will be the first trade deadline in which the expanded playoff field is in place. Remember, the ninth- and 10th-place teams will be eligible for a play-in tournament. It will be interesting to see if that leads to fewer sellers at the deadline, with playoff spots still in reach for all but the true bottom-feeders.

But help is on the way. Tatum, who missed the last four games after testing positive for COVID-19, will miss Sundays game against the Cavaliers but is expected to return soon. Also, second-year wing Romeo Langford, who has yet to play this year as he works his way back from offseason wrist surgery, was seen completing shooting drills prior to both games in Philadelphia. Coach Brad Stevens said no return date has been set, but Langford looked comfortable handling and shooting the ball, and Bostons front office remains quite high on his potential.

Speaking of the Cavaliers, in recent seasons they would have been the perfect elixir for a three-game losing streak such as Bostons. But this Cleveland team is thriving. It just grabbed back-to-back wins over the Nets and is just a half-game behind the Celtics.

Third-year point guard Collin Sexton, who was drafted by Cleveland with the first-round pick it acquired from Boston in the 2017 Kyrie Irving trade, is averaging 26.8 points per game. The Cavaliers were a bit of a silent facilitator in the deal that sent Harden from Houston to Brooklyn, acquiring rising star Jarrett Allen and reliable veteran Taurean Prince without giving up any of their core pieces. Cleveland could challenge for a playoff spot this year.

The season is still young enough that one big game or two can shift statistics rather dramatically, but the Celtics recent skid can be attributed to their defensive lapses. Boston has had a top-six defensive rating in each of the last three seasons, and it currently sits 20th, allowing 110.8 points per 100 possessions. The four-game absence of Tatum, one of its top defenders, did not help. And some of the new additions are still figuring out the system after an abbreviated training camp. But there have been stretches in which it was clear the effort level was below the standard of a Stevens-coached team.

The Celtics took a knee during the national anthem for four games following the storming of the Capitol by Donald Trumps supporters on Jan. 6. Their statement was centered on what they viewed as a disparate police response, as those protestors appeared to be met with minimal resistance while military force was used to combat protests during the Black Lives Matter movement.

During the two games in Philadelphia, though, the Celtics took a different approach to the anthem. Instead of kneeling, the players gathered in a team huddle/group hug while the anthem was performed. Brown, who has been outspoken about social justice issues during his Celtics tenure, was asked about this latest statement following Fridays game, but he declined to address it, saying simply: Next question.

Ever since the Celtics and Heat kneeled for the anthem on Jan. 6, all of Bostons opponents have stood. Bostons huddle is certainly a unique approach that appears to be a sign of unity and protest.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.

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From the big trade exception to Jaylen Browns ascension, six thoughts on the Celtics - The Boston Globe

Nearly one-quarter of the deputies in the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office have contracted the coronavirus since the outbreak first appeared in the state last year, new data from the sheriff shows.

Just on Thursday, more than 20 employees in the 353-person department were out with the COVID-19 illness the viruscauses, the sheriff added.

Sheriff Bobby Webre said that, while deputies were infected during the earliest wave of the virus last spring and one died in the second wave over the summer, a wave that started in the fall has been the worst.

"The third surge hit me the hardest," he said.

Despite the high numbers, the sheriff said he believes infections in his department have started to ease some in recent days and is hopeful that the department may receive doses of the vaccine starting on Monday.

Had the worst trends in cases continued a little higher, Webre said department officials were discussing enhanced restrictions that would have sent some employees home again to work, as they did last spring.

Law enforcement officers are among several categories of essential workers who, health experts say, bear elevated risks during the viral pandemic because of their regular interactions with the public, often in unpredictable situations.

An Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office deputy died Saturday morning after a weeks-long battle with the coronavirus.

Though statewide or parish-level figures for law enforcement viral cases weren't available from the state health department, the nonprofit Officer Down Memorial Page tracks law enforcement deaths in the line of duty. The national death figures are suggestive of the virus's impact on officers.

Based on Officer Down's tallies for 2020, deaths from the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 hit 208, by far the greatest cause of death for officers in that year. The next highest category in 2020 was non-accidental gunfire, at 45.

COVID-19 deaths alone for law enforcement officers in 2020 exceeded the total of all officer deaths in the line of duty for each of the previous five years, according to Officer Down's annual counts. The average annual death toll between 2015 and 2019 was 173 per year.

Webre's department has lost one officer to COVID-19. Deputy Kyle Melancon, who worked as a correctional officer and in transportation during his seven-year sheriff's career, died Aug. 1 from the viral illness.

Webre said his department has applied masking and social distancing requirements and, during the spring, had some of his deputies work from home. But others, like those in patrol, corrections and dispatch, had to remain at their regular offices or in the field. He said those departments had been hit hard as a result.

In all, 82 of his deputies have contracted the virus since March, for a 23% share of the department, he said.

Webre said it remains difficult to know how deputies are getting the virus, whether from one another at work, in the community, at home or some combination.

Ascension has continued to have double-digit positivity rates and elevated new daily cases per 100,000 people, above the figures for the Baton Rouge area as a whole, an Advocate analysis shows. But the figure has been trending downward since the end of last week.

The seven-day average on Wednesday in Ascension was 29.5 new daily cases per 100,000 people. The regional average was 23 per 100,000.

Webre, a former longtime jail warden in Ascension, said infections in the parish prison have been limited, though figures weren't immediately available.

Webre said that if he can receive 150 vaccine doses, that number would handle giving first rounds to just about all the deputies who haven't already been infected and want a shot.

Some deputies have refused to receive the vaccine, Webre said, and he isn't requiring that they take it.

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Nearly 1 in 4 Ascension sheriff's deputies have gotten coronavirus, showing toll on law enforcement - The Advocate

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ASCENSION PARISH - Highway 42 and Highway 73 will be temporarily closed in northern Ascension Parish for several hours Tuesday.

The parish government said workers will begin repairing parts of the road around 8 a.m. on Jan. 26. The construction is expected to finish by 3 p.m. that same day.

Southbound traffic on LA-73 will be redirected to detour on Ascension Parish Road to Airline Highway. Traffic traveling northbound will be rerouted to Charleston Road and from there, to Ronald Road. On LA-42, the right turn lane from Airline Highway will be closed, then switch traffic over to the right lane later on to patch the straight through lane. A message board will be at the corner of 73 and 42 on Saturday morning to notify drivers of the road closure.

Excerpt from:

LA 42 & LA 73 closed in parts of Ascension Parish Tuesday - WBRZ

Ascension Parish public schools is accepting applications for its Teach Ascension Academy, the district's alternative certification program.

Applications are due by Feb. 1.

"The Teach Ascension Academy provides us with the opportunity to engage our community in supporting our schools. By engaging people from outside education, we provide our kids with many different perspectives that enhance their learning experience," said Dawn Love, supervisor of TAP and teacher development, which oversees the academy.

"Our programs greatest strength is that we provide our community members with the opportunity to shape the future of our community through the ultimate act of service: educating children. Our TAA teachers bring a desire to teach to the classroom, but what they often find is that teaching is the most rewarding experience because of how our students impact them for the better," Love said.

In 2015, Ascension launched the TAA program to recruit, train and hire teachers from alternative professions or academic programs. The one-year program includes four weeks of intensive professional development over the summer, placement as a teacher during the school year with weekly professional development and master, mentor and supervising teacher support.

Tuition for the program is $4,000, but there are no out-of-pocket expenses for candidates as long as they teach in an Ascension Parish public school for two years.

Teach Ascension Academy offers certification in 29 content areas such as Early Childhood; Elementary Education; Middle Grades English, Mathematics, and Science; various High School subjects, as well as Special Education.

MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

TEACHER TRAINING:

Candidates that successfully complete the interview process will complete four weeks of intensive professional development.

Sessions during this training will include:

Candidates will also be given field experience during the summer. Teachers will observe, co-teach, plan, and teach lessons during a summer school program in Ascension Parish. After the initial training and internship are completed, candidates will be evaluated to determine readiness for classroom placement in one of the districts schools.

For more information about TAA, visit http://www.apsb.org/TeachAscension. To submit an application, visit http://www.apsb.org/ApplyNow.

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Teach Ascension Academy accepting applications for alternative certification program - The Advocate

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At the latest Impact Wrestling PPV, Hard To Kill, Decay made their presence known once again. Rosemary & Crazy Steve were able to beat Kaleb With A K and Tenille Dashwood in the opening match. This was Decays first match since 2018, with the faction having all but died when Abyss left the company in 2017.

Abyss is unlikely to return to Impact Wrestling, having gained a solid backstage job there as part of NXT. However, Decay could easily recruit a tag team of powerhouses who left WWE over a year ago. The Ascension remain free agents, and have continued to work as a tag team on the indies. Is it time for them resurface in Impact Wrestling?

While Ascension have always had the in-ring ability and presence of a potential top tag team, there has always been a missing ingredient. They never had the promo skills to handle the talking part of wrestling, and while they showed character work alongside Breezango, it was more comedic than serious. If anyone can help them feel like a serious threat, its Rosemary.

Shes always been the mastermind behind Decay, and has some of the best character work in the industry today. If shes able to help someone like Crazy Steve be a threatening figure, lord knows what she could do with a team like The Ascension. If Decay is going to become a solid faction again, she needs bodies to wage war, and that could be a perfect role for The Ascension.

Ever since WWE decided to purge their roster in 2020, Impact Wrestling has been picking up names left and right to build up their roster. Heath Miller, Brian Meyers and now Matt Cardona have all signed with Impact Wrestling, and Eric Young returned to become Impact Heavyweight Champion. Impact Wrestling is well known for rehabbing careers, as they focus on the strengths of their talents, and are great at hiding their flaws.

The Ascension are by no means the hottest free agents on the market, but as the Impact Wrestling tag team division gets slimmer, and with Decay back? They just would be an easy fit into the company. Would you want to see Konnor and Viktor join Rosemary & Crazy Steve? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.

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Should The Ascension Debut In Impact Wrestling As Part Of Decay? - The Overtimer

On December 15, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with a mortgage industry data analytics company requiring the implementation of a comprehensive data security program. This settlement underscores the requirement that all financial institutions subject to the FTCs jurisdiction must require service providers to protect customer information as part of a comprehensive information security program.

The FTC Complaint

The FTC alleged that Ascension Data & Analytics, LLC (Ascension Data) violated the Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information Rule (Safeguards Rule), 16 C.F.R. Part 314, issued under Title I of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), 15 U.S.C. 6801, et seq., by failing to ensure that one of its vendors had adequately secured the non-public personal information (customer information) of mortgage holders.

The FTCs authority to enforce the Safeguards Rule covers certain financial institutions that are significantly engaged in providing financial products or services. This definition includes check-cashing businesses, mortgage companies, mortgage brokers, payday lenders, nonbank lenders, personal property or real estate appraisers, and debt collectors but not banks, savings and loan institutions, and federal credit unions.

The Information Security Program Required by the Safeguards Rule

The Safeguards Rule requires financial institutions to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of customer information by developing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive information security program. Of particular relevance is 16 C.F.R. Section 314.4(d):

Assure that contractors or service providers are capable of maintaining appropriate safeguards for [customer information], and require all such third parties, by contract, to implement and maintain an information security program.

According to the FTC Complaint, Ascensions contracts with its service providers did not make those vendors responsible for protecting customer information, state that vendors were subject to the Safeguards Rule, or specify the safeguards that vendors had to implement. As a result, an Ascension vendor hired to conduct Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanning of certain mortgage documents left the sensitive personal information of tens of thousands of consumers unprotected on the internet for more than a year.

Ongoing Risk Management is Critical

Suppose a financial institution is putting customer information into the hands of third parties. In that case, the financial institution must exercise ongoing risk management over the third-party vendor contract lifecycle to include planning, vendor selection, contract negotiation to include specific requirements, and ongoing oversight. As cited often, you can outsource the technology services, but you cannot outsource the risk.

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You Can't Outsource Information Risk: Non-Bank Financial Institutions Must Ensure that Vendors Protect Sensitive Information - Lexology