Monthly Archives: May 2017

Eight hundred residents on the British-run Ascension Island will not be able to get a regular flight off the island until at least 2019 because of potholes on the only runway, a travel agency has said.

Ascension becomes the second British South Atlantic outpost unable to provide a regular way on and off the island, after plans to open a newly built 250m runway on St Helena were suspended because of strong winds that make landing planes dangerous.

RAF engineers have visited Ascension to examine what are described as significant problems with the runway there. The issue will also disrupt travel between the UK and the Falkland Islands, as those flights have routinely stopped at Ascension.

The fiasco over the new runway on St Helena has already led to virulent criticism by the public accounts committee in Westminster of bungled decision-making and misuse of taxpayers money.

In a statement on its Facebook site, the Ascension Islands Travel Agency (AITA), the islands only travel agency, said it was unable to say when regular flights to and from Ascension Island might resume, or when any interim arrangement might be put in place.

We do not expect South Atlantic Airbridge flights (operating with the Voyager aircraft) to recommence before 2019/20, it said.

AITA added that flights to the Falklands would be rerouted because the Airbus A330 Voyager used on the route was too heavy for the damaged runway. The decision to reroute means the South Atlantic Airbridge will no longer call at Ascension Island en route to the Falkland Islands for the foreseeable future.

It said the Foreign Office was seeking interim options and that until a proper service could be restored only essential personnel and goods were likely to be allowed to travel.

The RAF South Atlantic bridge is now using Dakar, Senegal, as an intermediate stopover to the Falklands.

The volcanic Ascension Island is part of the St Helena British overseas territory and is situated about 1,000 miles from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles from the coast of Brazil. It has been used as a base by the US air force and by UK government communications.

The Ascension Island government is planning for the ageing Royal Mail ship the St Helena to be the main means of transport. The same ship is already earmarked as the main interim means of travel in and out of St Helena, pending resolution of the problems with wind shear on its new runway.

But this month the ship was declared out of order, twice ending up in dry dock in Cape Town, most recently due to the left propeller becoming locked in a forward position.

In the short term the St Helena government has chartered a special British Aerospace plane with 60 seats to fly people into and out of St Helena via Namibia. Passengers are required to pay 850.

In a less than comforting message, the St Helena government posted advice on Tuesday stating: Should the flight not be able to land at St Helena airport upon arrival, it will have two hours of fuel available in which to undertake the landing. The flight could also divert to Ascension Island in the event of an emergency. It said the plane was light enough to land on Ascension Island.

A member of the Falklands Islands legislative assembly, Mike Summer, told the assembly last week: For those who heard that the Ascension runway may be patched within a couple of weeks: sorry, not true. We all wish, but it is going to be closed for a considerable period of time.

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Runway potholes halt regular Ascension Island flights - The Guardian

St. Louis-based Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the country, is ending its sponsorship of the Catholic Health hospital system in Buffalo.

Officials downplayed the significance of the move, saying that the relationship had run its course, and that it would lead to no changes in the identity, mission or day-to-day operations of the hospital system.

We greatly appreciate the support we have received from Ascension since our system formed nearly 20 years ago, Joe McDonald, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health, said in a statement.

Catholic Health formed in 1998 to affiliate five hospitals: Mercy; Kenmore Mercy; Sisters of Charity; the former St. Joseph in Cheektowaga, now considered a satellite of Sisters; and Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, which closed in 2000. One other hospital, Mount St. Mary's in Lewiston, merged into Catholic Health in 2015.

The different hospitals, as well as nursing homes, brought different religious sponsors to the affiliation, including the Daughters of Charity and Sisters of St. Joseph health systems, which later formed Ascension Health, as well as Trinity Health and the Diocese of Buffalo.

As health care continues to evolve, however, so do the relationships we share with our corporate members and sponsors," he said. "This change will have no effect on our patients, associates or physicians, and will in no way diminish our faith-based mission to serve those in need, which will continue under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Buffalo and Trinity Health.

Officials said there was no financial aspect to the decision. However, the new governing structure will give more authority to the remaining sponsors and may simplify decision-making at the corporate level, officials said. Ascension will no longer be represented on the Catholic Health board of directors that oversees the hospital system.

The change does not prevent Catholic Health from purchasing services from Ascension, and officials said Catholic Health will likely continue certain business contracts in the future.

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Ascension ends sponsorship of Catholic Health - Buffalo News

DONALDSONVILLE The Ascension Parish School Board, following a consultant's recommendation, has denied the application of a charter school, for the fifth year in a row.

The organizers of the proposed Rayborn Charter School have applied unsuccessfully with the school district every year since the board's first no vote in January 2013.

GONZALES The Ascension Parish School Board on Tuesday rejected the application of a charte

During that time, they've also applied twice to and been twice denied by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

But, after the Ascension Parish School Board's denial of the Rayborn school's application Tuesday, organizers said they'll turn again to the state.

"The process for the application needs to be clarified" in the school district, Darryl Hambrick, president of the board of directors for the proposed charter school, said after the School Board meeting.

Consultant Kimberly Williams, owner of New Millennium Education of Baton Rouge, recommended that the board deny the school's application because of problems with the application in four areas: how students would be recruited to the school; how an arts integration model would be incorporated into traditional curriculum; how students' progress would be monitored, and how the school board would budget for educational software and for its special education students.

Ascension Parish currently has no charter schools, which are publicly funded independent schools usually run by private organizations.

Groups can submit their charter school proposal directly to BESE if a local school board fails to approve it.

The proposed Rayborn Charter School would serve low-performing students in grades kindergarten through five through a program of arts integration in the classroom, Jevella Williamson, who would serve as its principal, said before Tuesday's meeting.

"Arts integration has been proven to be effective not only for students from a low socio-economic background but for those from a high socio-economic background as well," Williamson said.

The school would be located in a building available on the campus of the Christian Assembly Full Gospel Church in Gonzales.

"I was born in this parish, a poor, poor, poor child with nothing," Eartha Rayborn, the founder of the proposed school, told School Board members before their vote.

"All 10 of us (children) finished college. Maybe this is the thing that makes me want to help children that are not progressing and need some help," said Rayborn, who was an educator for 35 years in the Ascension Parish school district, 19 of those years as a principal.

School Board member Lorraine Wimberly asked the board if there was a mentor available who could "lead and guide" the organizers of the Rayborn Charter School in its application process.

Superintendent David Alexander said there might possibly be a third-party vendor.

"Should the same person be looking at this again and again?" asked board member Julie Blouin, referring to consultant Kimberly Williams, who has handled the charter school's application since its first try before the School Board in January 2013.

"I'm sure the Rayborn organization has the right intentions and their heart is in the right place," board member Troy Gautreau said.

But, he said, "it's up to the charter applicant to provide all the information required."

The board voted 10-1 to deny the charter school's application, with Blouin voting against the recommendation to deny.

Follow Ellyn Couvillion on Twitter, @EllynCouvillion.

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Ascension School Board denies proposed Rayborn Charter School application for the fifth time - The Advocate

Catholic Health loses Ascension link, one of three corporate sponsors Buffalo Business First ... at 144 Genesee St. (file photo) Enlarge. Catholic Health headquarters at 144 Genesee St. (file photo). Catholic Health officials say the withdrawal of Ascension will not have any significant impact on operations at the $1 billion Buffalo-based ... and more »

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Catholic Health loses Ascension link, one of three corporate sponsors - Buffalo Business First

ASCENSION PARISH The Blue Racer snake is common in some parts of Louisiana, however the warm temperature is bringing them out into the open.

The snake is a very aggressive breed.

"They just have a bit of mean streak in them and they are one of few snakes that will chase people," Dr. Mark Mitchell, a veterinarian at LSU, said.

Mitchell says that the snakes are not venomous, however they will attack.

"When they chase you down, they will try to bite, but most avoid them and then they go away," Mitchell said.

Resident Dody Braud says that he often sees them in his neighborhood.

"Blue runners, yea, It's full of them around here. My wife is scared to death of them, but they aren't poisonous. I don't bother them much," Braud said.

Mitchell said that one reason why the snakes are out is due to breeding season and looking for others to mate with.

"This is when people will start to also see them basking just on concrete, asphalt, black tops because that's the way they generate some heat," Mitchell said.

Mitchell suggests removing piles of wood or leaves from your property to help keep the snakes away.

The Blue Racer also shakes its tail like a rattle snake, but they do not have any rattlers.

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Large number of Blue Racer snakes spotted in Ascension Parish - WBRZ

Its been nearly two weeks since Catholic-Pointe Coupee traveled to Ascension Catholic in a final postseason tuneup.

The Bulldogs, behind ace right-hander Landon Clifton, won 6-2.

One game into the Division IV state playoffs they will meet again where the stakes will be amplified when No. 4 Ascension Catholic (20-12) hosts No. 5 Catholic-Pointe Coupee in quarterfinal action at 6 p.m. Tuesday at La La Regira Field in Donaldsonville.

I dont think either team would like to be playing each other again, Ascension Catholic coach Todd Landry said. Were two evenly matched teams and as a coach you never like to play a team more than once. Im looking forward to it. Its going to be an exciting game.

There will be two other local/area state quarterfinals Tuesday with No. 7 Family Christian Academy (3-16) visiting No. 2 Claiborne Christian (15-14) at 4 p.m. in Division V.

No. 8 Ascension Christian (21-9) travels to No. 1 and reigning Class 1A state champion Central Catholic-Morgan City (25-7) at the Amelia Recreation Center in a Division IV game.

First-year Catholic-PC coach Drew Leonard said his teams regular-season finale against Ascension Catholic will serve his team well with another opportunity to face the Bulldogs on their home field.

Theyre an extremely good club and extremely well- coached, Leonard said. Its a pretty good atmosphere. Its going to be a great place to play again with even more people. I think our guys will be up for it.

Landry agreed his six-member senior class, which is participating in its fourth straight state quarterfinal, has designs on reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2009.

Ascension Catholics riding a four-game win streak, including its four-run win over Catholic-PC and last weeks 6-2 opening-round playoff victory over St. Marys.

We havent been fortunate enough to get over that hump, Landry said. Thats kind of been one of our themes this year. This teams been through so many ups and downs. They know they have to take it one game at a time.

Clifton (9-3), an LSU-Eunice signee, will start again with Ascension Catholic looking for offensive support from shortstop Nick Bellina (also an LSU-Eunice signee), third baseman Ross Ponville, center fielder Mason Zeringue, first baseman Charlie Genaloni and Clifton

Catholic-PC snapped a three-game losing streak in dramatic fashion a 4-3 victory in nine innings over Vermilion Catholic in a regional-round playoff game.

The Hornets tied the game at 3-3 with two outs in the seventh when senior first baseman Walker Castle singled home senior Kyle Ramagos.

Catholic-PC, which loaded the bases in the ninth, scored the game-winner on an error off the bat of Colin Grezaffi.

Leonard said he will start either left-hander Samuel Grezaffi or right-hander Cameron Pearis.

The biggest takeaway was the fight our guys showed, said Leonard, whose team is looking for its first state-tournament trip since 2011. It was exciting, and I was proud to see those seniors step up.

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More than a playoff tuneup now; Ascension Catholic hosts Catholic-Pointe Coupee in Division IV quarterfinal - The Advocate