Do we need all three propositions on the May 2nd ballot?

Proposition Three builds an elementary school, eliminating the need to lease Starkey Academy and many T-Buildings.

Twenty one students are involved in Dyslexic Classes sponsored by the Free and

Accepted Mason of the City of Central and the Blackwater United Methodist Church. The students come from seven public schools: Central Intermediate, Central Middle, Cohn, North Live Oak, McKinley Middle, Sharon Hills, and Tanglewood. There are three parochial schools: Galilee Baptist Academy, St.Alphonsus, St.Francis Xavier. There is one private school: Central Private. There are three students who are home schooled.

Classes are held in the Blackwater United Methodist Church. Currently there are four classes, one of which will graduate from the program on Thursday, May 15^th.  Those students are: Connor Daniel Burns, Christian Alexander Czech, Lauren Gale Hiersche, Erin Pacheco and Joey Douglas Wills. The program involves two years of study and meet after school on the days public schools are in session. One class is composed of students in grades seven through nine. The other classes include grades fourth through six. Sometimes third grade students may be qualified to participate.  The program is fully funded by the Masonic Lodges of  Louisiana

The teachers of the classes are certified public school teachers who function as facilitators who work with an audio visual program that has been in service for over twenty years. The program focuses on helping students in the area of reading and spelling and understanding the English language.

If you have a child who is having difficult in the above areas you may secure a registration form and any of the above schools. If they do not have a registration form, then contact Rev. Brady Forman, the Central Lodge chairman of the program, at 225-261-9010. Applications are available at this time for the formation of another class.

There will be a 30-year reunion of the Central High Class of 1979 on August 29, 2009. Organizers are currently attempting to locate classmates and are asking members of the class to visit www.central-79.com for details and to RSVP.

Propositions two and three on the May 2^nd school tax vote are funded by property taxes.  The propositions each translate into a “millage”, which is the approximate rate that property will be taxed each year to pay off the school improvements and new Elementary School.  These millage rates will begin at approximately 9 mills and 14 mills.

However, as new homes are built and property values increase, the tax base would increase, which would result in lower property tax millages.  A 5% growth rate, which is estimated to be conservative for Central, would result in each of these taxes declining to less than 5 mills by the end of the 20 year debt retirement.

Two graphs which visually present this concept can be seen at this link:  Millage Decreases.

The Central Wildcat baseball team clinched a playoff berth with a wild 48 hour stretch that included eighteen innings of baseball.  The Wildcats started the week in third place in district 5-5A and one game behind Catholic High School.  On Monday, the Wildcats and Bears battled for 10 innings without declaring a winner when darkness suspended the game.  Central then defeated Woodlawn on Tuesday 5-2, while Catholic lost to Denham Springs 10-5.  On Wednesday, the Wildcats and Bears met back at Central High School to complete the suspended game and Central wasted little time in pushing across the winning run in the bottom of the 11^th, the first inning of that day, for a 5-4 victory and sole possession of second place in district 5-5A a game ahead of Catholic High. 

Central is currently riding a five game win streak that includes a win over third ranked and district leading Denham Springs.  During the streak the Wildcats have been led on the mound by Kory Keowen.  He pitched a complete game, three hit gem and Cade Leblanc added a two-run homerun as the Wildcats defeated the Yellow Jackets 5-1 at North Park in Denham Springs.  Then five days later, Keowen threw seven complete innings of two-hit ball against Woodlawn.  The Panthers’ only two runs were unearned in the seventh inning. 

The Monday game with Catholic High started out great for the Bears as they took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the 3^rd inning.  Central’s Cade Leblanc hit a grand slam to tie the game up at 4-4 and set the stage for eight innings of excitement.  Central pitcher Brennan Stelly, who relieved Leblanc in the top of the 3^rd, and Catholic pitcher Aaron Nola proceeded to shut down rally after rally for the rest of the day.  Catholic had two potential winning runs thrown out at the plate in the 7^th and 8^th innings.  The first came on a base hit to right field when Leblanc fired a strike to catcher Austin Bourke for the out.  The second came when Stelly covered home on a wild pitch just in time to tag out the Bear runner from third base.  The Wildcats also had their chances on Monday, but Nola, who pitched nine innings, and reliever Dylan Gregoire both got strike outs to end the 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th innings with at least two Central runners on base in each.  Finally on Wednesday, new Central pitcher Corey Laudermill got the Bears out in order, and the Wildcats pushed a run across.  A two-out single by Jacob Lesage was followed by a hit by pitch to Justin Creel, his sixth time on base in the game.  Leblanc once again provided the big hit with a full count single to centerfield to score Lesage and lock up the playoff berth for the Wildcats.

Central will complete it’s regular season on Tuesday, April 28, with a home game against Denham Springs, and then Thursday, April 30, at Catholic High.

Join Greenwell Springs Baptist Church for Illusions of Inspiration: sharing the gospel . . . having fun! It will take place on May 9^th at 6:00 PM in the church sanctuary.

Cost: Adults $6.00 and Youth $4.00. Children age 4 and under free!

All benefits benefit Greenwell Springs Baptist Church Youth Group for Summer Camp.

Greenwell Springs Baptist is located at 19421 Greenwell Springs Road. Contact the church office at 261-2246 for more information.

District rival Centreville opened the playoffs for the Central Private Rebels at home on Tuesday evening.  It was also senior night for the Rebels as they said good-bye to ten seniors. Coach Kinchen expressed gratitude for the passion that these leaders show on and off the field.  The seniors are Thomas Bourgeois, Brennan Courville, Jacob Fryoux, Andy Kinchen, Logan Lewis, Chase Metz, Taylor Ort, Travis Rose, Tyler Schultz, and Gage Wilkinson. In a series that has been close all year, the Rebels were able to use a big 5th inning to gain a victory in the best of three series that is the MPSA playoff system.  Centreville’s Cliff Hurst put the Tigers on the board first with a solo homer in the top of the second inning.  The Rebels were able to answer with a run in the bottom of the inning when a single by Metz sent freshman Seth Stevens scampering home.  The Tigers went ahead again in the third when Hunter Travis, who reached first base on a walk, scored on a wild pitch.  Back to back home runs by MPSA leaders Bourgeois and Courville put the Rebels ahead 4-2 after three innings. The scrappy Tigers climbed back in the fourth with Hurst’s second solo homerun of the night in the fourth, and a Logan Felder sacrifice in the fifth tied the ball game.  A five run fifth inning, however, gave CP a little breathing room.  The Rebels batted around in the inning with hits coming from Stevens, Lewis, Rose, Metz, and Courville,  Metz having the only extra base hit in the inning with a double.  The 9-4 CP lead was able to withstand one last CA rally in the seventh when Logan Felder and Tyler Towes finished the scoring to make the final score CP 9 CA 6.  The series now moves to Centreville on Thursday night for game 2.  The first pitch is scheduled for 6PM.

The Central Private Rebels ended the regular season with a double header sweep of the Silliman Wildcats on Friday night in Clinton.  The win gave the Rebels a 26-3 regular season, an undefeated district season, and the district championship.

The Rebels exploded for 7 runs in the first inning of game 1 on the way to a 16-4 victory.  Brennan Courville and Travis Rose delivered monstrous shots to score 5 of those runs.  The home run barrage continued in the third inning with Courville and Tyler Shultz lifting baseballs into orbit.  It was the first of the year for the senior Schultz.
The Wildcats were able to push 3 runs across in the bottom of the third on a single by Cody Hebert.  A double by Chase Metz opened the 4th inning which saw the Rebels score 4 more runs.  The Rebels would add a run on a bases loaded walk and Hebert finished the scoring with a home run for the Wildcats in the fifth before the game was ended on the mercy rule. Thomas Bourgeois pitched 3 innings for the win and David Arnold and Stephen Tate finished the game on the mound for the Rebels.  Brant David suffered the loss for the Wildcats.

Game 2
The Rebels used big innings again in the second game of the evening to put the Wildcats away and claim a 15-4 victory.  Logan Lewis picked up the win for the Rebels pitching 41/3 innings and striking out 2.  Taylor Ort finished the game for CPS with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief as he struck out 4 Wildcat hitters. A double by Courville scored Bourgeois in the first to open the scoring for CPS.  The Wildcats came back for a run in the bottom of the inning as Hebert scored on a single by Quincy.  A blast by Bourgeois was the key to a 3 run second inning for the Rebels.  The home run gave him the MPSA lead with 9.  The Rebels exploded again in the 4th inning scoring 6 runs.  Schultz’s second homerun of the day was the big blow.  A double by Brant David in the bottom of the inning scored two runs to narrow the gap, however, Courville drilled his 3rd home run of the night to tie Bourgeois for the lead in that category and give the Rebels the cushion they needed to end the game.  The Rebels now await the outcome of a couple of games that will determine their first round opponent in the MPSA playoffs.