Meeting today on Mandeville DMV

State Rep. Tim Burns will host a Town Hall meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Mandeville Community Center on East Causeway Approach to discuss the possible closing of the Mandeville office of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Burns said this meeting is designed to give residents a venue to express their concerns with Col. Michael Edmonson, superintendent for Louisiana State Police. High water closes Bogue Chitto

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that due to the rising water in the Pearl River, the Bogue Chitto Wildlife Refuge near the town of Pearl River is closed to hunting and camping, at least through the next weekend.

According to officials, the river gauge of the Pearl River is at 15.5 feet, and federal regulations force the park to close to hunting, except for waterfowl, and camping.

Officials said the river should stay at or above 15.5 feet until the end of the weekend.

USFWS officials said that users of the park should monitor water levels during the closure. River levels can be checked by either calling the National Weather Service office in Slidell at 649-0357, or by going online to waterdata.usgs.gov/las/ nwis/curren/?type=flow, or http://ahps.srh.noaa.gov/index.php?wfo=lix and clicking on the Pearl River gauge for more specific information.

For more information on the closure, call the wildlife refuge office at 882-2000.

Scalise will have office hours today

Congressman Steve Scalise said his district staff will continue hosting regular satellite office hours in Slidell on from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. today at the Slidell City Hall, 2055 Second St.

Scalise’s staff will be available to answer questions from constituents and help with casework inquiries dealing with federal programs and federal agencies such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration, Education and more.

In addition to this month’s office hours, Scalise has also announced his staff will hold office hours in Slidell March 10 and April 14.

Exporting/Importing workshop

A workshop on exporting and importing will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10.  Hosted by the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southeastern Louisiana University and the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation, the “Introduction to Exporting and Importing” workshop will run from 9 to 11 a.m. at the St. Tammany Center on Koop Drive in Mandeville.

Ruperto Chavarri, certified global business consultant with Louisiana Small Business Development Center, will conduct the workshop.

        The program will walk participants through the fundamentals of an international transaction, provide an overview of the basic export-import process and instill a sense of confidence about becoming successful in international trade.

        Advance registration is preferred.  Cost to attend is $20.  To register, contact LSBDC Southeastern at lsbdc.slu@lsbdc.org, 985-549-3831 or www.lsbdc.org <http://www.lsbdc.org/> .

Slidell Republican Women to hold candidate forum

The Slidell Republican Women’s Club will hold a forum at 11 a.m. Feb. 26 at the Gallery for all the candidates running in the March 27 election. Invited to the forum will be Slidell Mayor candidates, Freddy Drennan, Rickey Hursey and Jay Trainor; candidates for Slidell Chief of Police, J.J. Jennings, Ben Morris and Randy Smith, and candidates for the Slidell City Council District B, Sam Abney and Richard Reardon; District C, Warren Crockett, and District E, Jay Newcomb and Terry Youngs. The deadline for reservations for the luncheon/forum is Monday Feb. 27. To RSVP contact Terry Farr at 649-7974.

 

St. Tammany Parish Hospital Offering H1N1 Flu Vaccinations to the General Public

St. Tammany Parish Hospital is offering H1N1 flu vaccinations through its Community Wellness Center, St. Tammany Physicians Network offices and Family Medical Center to the general public.  The H1N1 vaccination will be available to anyone requesting it.  

The H1N1 vaccination for the general public is available at the STPH Community Wellness Center (CWC), 1505 North Florida Street, Covington, LA, on Mondays and Wednesdays from  8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Appointments are available for school-age children requiring later appointments.  Appointments can be obtained by calling (985) 871-6030 and selecting option one.

At CWC, vaccinations are free for Medicaid patients 18 years old and younger and persons with Medicare Part B insurance and only $10 (administrative fee) for all others.

 H1N1 flu vaccinations are available to established patients:

 St. Tammany Physicians Network- Covington, 80 Gardenia Drive, Covington, 871-5900, St. Tammany Physicians Network- Mandeville, 201 St. Ann Drive, Mandeville, 626-1717, STPH Family Medical Clinic, 711 Riverside Drive, Franklinton, 839-9895.

 For more information about the H1N1 flu and vaccinations, visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.

Parish taking applications for LIHEAP

The St. Tammany Parish Department of Community Action is now taking applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The LIHEAP helps low-income families with their utility bills. Senior citizens over 60, disabled individuals and households with children less than 5 years old will be given priority for the assistance. Anyone who received help with LIHEAP in 2009 will be ineligible until seven months have passed since the last day of assistance. Residents receiving public housing will have their utility allowance payment deducted from their LIHEAP payment. All applicants seen by appointment only on a first come first serve basis. To make an appointment, call or go to the Department of Community Action either in Covington at 1301 N. Florida St., 893-3923, or in Slidell at 2004 First St., 646-2090.