Slidell News & Guides Articles

Sheriff Special Election, Congressional Races And Local Contests Will Bring St. Tammany Voters Back To The Polls This Fall ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. Candidate qualifying for Louisiana's November 3 election entered its final day Friday, August 7, as the field continued to take shape for races affecting voters throughout St. Tammany Parish. The Louisiana Secretary of State's Office set the qualifying period for August 5 through August 7. Local and municipal candidates qualify through the clerk of court in the parish where they are registered to vote, while state and congressional candidates file with the Secretary of State. In St. Tammany, the Clerk of Court serves as the parish's chief elections officer and is responsible for qualifying local candidates, overseeing election-day procedures...

Daily Late Fees End at All 12 Branches, but Charges for Lost or Damaged Materials Remain ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — St. Tammany Parish Library has eliminated daily overdue fines across its 12-branch system, giving residents more flexibility when returning books, DVDs, audiobooks and other eligible materials after their due dates. The parishwide policy took effect Aug. 3, 2026. Existing overdue fines will also be removed from patron accounts, according to information released about the change. Library officials are still asking patrons to return borrowed materials promptly. The fine-free policy removes daily late fees, but it does not allow borrowers to keep library property indefinitely or avoid responsibility for missing and damaged items. Replacement charges may still be added when...

Property Sale Supports Textron Systems’ Planned Expansion and Ends the City’s Maintenance Responsibilities Textron Systems has completed its $3.4 million purchase of the city-owned business campus at 1010 Gause Boulevard, securing long-term control of a property where the defense contractor has operated for years. The City of Slidell announced the completed transaction on July 29. City and company representatives signed the final sale documents earlier in the month, according to the announcement. Mayor Randy Fandal said the purchase reflects Textron Systems’ continued confidence in Slidell and removes the cost of maintaining the property from city taxpayers. The city will receive $3.4 million from the sale, although officials have not announced a detailed plan for how all of the proceeds...

Seuzeneau Says He Is Seeking The Job Ahead Of The Parish’s November Special Election Daniel Seuzeneau, the longtime Slidell Police Department spokesman who later served as interim chief, has announced he is running for St. Tammany Parish sheriff. Multiple local media outlets reported the announcement on Tuesday, July 21, as the race continues to take shape ahead of this fall’s special election. Seuzeneau is a familiar figure in Slidell law enforcement. According to the Slidell Police Department, he was appointed interim chief after Randy Fandal left to become mayor, and previously served as the department’s chief administrative officer. The department says Seuzeneau began his law enforcement career nearly 20 years ago, worked as a patrolman, detective and sergeant, served on an FBI task...

Slidell, Pearl River, Lacombe And Other Parish Locations Began Self-Service Distribution Monday St. Tammany Parish has opened five self-service sandbag locations as officials prepare for possible flooding impacts from Tropical Storm Bertha. In a public notice posted Monday, parish government said the sites opened July 20 at noon and will serve residents across the parish, including the Slidell area. The locations are at the Airport Road Public Works Barn in Slidell, Keller Barn in Lacombe, the parish government complex in Mandeville, the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, and the Fritchie Public Works Barn in Pearl River. Parish officials said residents should bring their own shovels. People who need assistance can call 985-898-2557. The move comes as Tropical Storm Bertha...

City Records Show New Headquarters And Jail Facility Planned On City-Owned Site As Work Nears The long-discussed effort to replace Slidell’s aging police headquarters is moving forward, with city records pointing to a new police headquarters and jail facility on Robert Boulevard. Public records from the City of Slidell show the City Council backed construction of a new police headquarters on a city-owned tract along Robert Boulevard, south of the Fountain Estates subdivision. Later planning records identified the project site as 911 Robert Blvd. and described it as a new police headquarters and jail facility. The move would shift police operations from the department’s current headquarters at 2112 Sgt. Alfred St., a site city officials have said no longer fits the department’s long-term...

Rare “Tales Juror” Process Used After Jury Pool Falls Short In Ongoing Proceedings A judge in St. Tammany Parish ordered additional prospective jurors to be summoned Wednesday after the existing jury pool was not large enough to complete selection in an ongoing court proceeding. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said Court Security deputies were assisting with jury selection under an order issued by Judge Ellen Creel at the parish courthouse in Covington. According to the sheriff’s office, the court determined that the available jury pool was insufficient and directed deputies to help procure more prospective jurors. Under Louisiana law, judges in parishes outside Orleans can use what are known as “tales jurors” when a regular petit jury venire is exhausted or is about to be...

Library System Says Robert Boulevard Renovation And Addition Are Paired With A Replacement Branch Planned For Lacombe St. Tammany Parish Library officials are moving forward with long-planned capital projects that would expand and renovate the Slidell Branch on Robert Boulevard while also replacing the much smaller Lacombe branch with a new building nearby. Library planning documents show the Slidell project is expected to include an addition of about 4,000 to 6,000 square feet, along with interior renovations to the existing branch. Library officials have said possible new spaces could include study rooms, a dedicated storytime room and a maker space, though final designs and construction details remain subject to the architectural process. For Lacombe, the library system has identified...

New Administration, City Council And Police Chief Take Oath During Public Ceremony In Olde Towne Randy Fandal was sworn in as mayor of Slidell on Wednesday morning at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium, taking office alongside the city’s newly seated council members and incoming police chief during a public inauguration ceremony that marked the formal start of a new administration at City Hall. The 11 a.m. ceremony in Olde Towne Slidell included the oath of office for Fandal, Council Members-at-Large Leslie D. Denham and Thomas S. Abney, district council members Landon J. Washington, Sean Fadely, Megan S. Haggerty, Nicholas “Nick” DiSanti, Shawn Jones, Thomas “Trey” Brownfield and Tim Rogers, as well as Chief of Police Tommy Williams. After the swearing-in, Fandal was scheduled to deliver...

Sheriff’s Office Says Online Bidding For Delinquent 2024 Property Taxes Is Scheduled For July 29 The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has opened registration for its annual property tax sale, an online auction tied to unpaid 2024 property taxes and related fees across the parish, including properties in Slidell. According to the sheriff’s office, the sale is scheduled for July 29 and will run online from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the parish’s contracted auction platform. Registration for bidders opened June 25 at 8 a.m. and is set to close July 18 at 4 p.m. The sheriff’s office said about 1,690 properties are included in the first published delinquent list for the 2024 tax year. The list covers properties with taxes and or related fees owed to the parish and to the municipalities of...

St. Tammany Parish voters approved at least two closely watched local tax renewals in Saturday’s June 27 election, including the Sheriff’s Office law enforcement millage and the parish wide mosquito abatement renewal, according to public statements and election-night reporting reviewed by Slidell Times. The St. Tammany Parish Registrar of Voters listed a packed local ballot for parish residents, including Democratic and Republican U.S. Senate runoff races, a Republican Public Service Commission runoff, a Republican Board of Elementary and Secondary Education runoff, and several tax propositions. For voters in the City of Slidell, that ballot also included Proposition No. 1 and Proposition No. 2, both described by local election officials as millage continuations. The Sheriff’s Office...

Vendors Are Being Recruited For Indoor, Porch, And Outdoor Spaces As Organizers Also Plan A Magic: The Gathering Giveaway On Opening Day Admission will be free for shoppers when the Elderbrew Cafe Collectibles Market opens in Slidell on Saturday, July 11, 2026. Organizers are also promoting great prices on food and drinks during the event. Elderbrew Cafe in Slidell is preparing to launch the new weekly collectibles market on Saturday, July 11, with organizers seeking vendors for indoor, shaded porch, and outdoor spaces at the cafe’s location on Gause Boulevard. According to event listings and announcements published by Elderbrew Cafe, the market is scheduled to run every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1030 Gause Blvd. W in Slidell. The business is advertising a founding vendor rate of...

Bret Ibert Takes Over As Interim Sheriff Pending A Special Election St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith resigned Wednesday after pleading guilty in connection with a May 29 attack at Keith Young’s Steakhouse in Madisonville, according to the District Attorney’s Office and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. District Attorney Collin Sims said Smith pleaded guilty to one felony count of second-degree battery and one misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace by public intoxication. The DA’s office said the case stemmed from an incident at the restaurant that left Robert “Bobby” Couvillion with a concussion and dental injuries. Under the plea agreement, Smith received a two-year hard labor sentence that was suspended. He was placed on two years of supervised probation and ordered...

The Slidell Times has released a new obituary feature to help families share memorial notices, service details, and life stories in a clear online format. The Slidell Times new obituary feature gives readers a place to find recent tributes while giving families a way to present meaningful information with care. This release of the Slidell obituaries feature covers local memorial notices, online access, family submissions, funeral service details, legacy storytelling, and digital memorials that will stand the test of time. Families can share service information in one central place. Readers can follow recent memorial notices with less confusion. Funeral homes can point families toward a clearer publishing path. Slidell Times Obituary Feature Slidell Times created the obituary feature to...

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. St. Tammany Parish voters will return to the polls Saturday, June 27, for a ballot that includes party primary races for U.S. Senate, a Republican primary for Public Service Commissioner in District 1, a Republican primary for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in District 1, and several local tax propositions. Slidell voters will also decide two city tax continuations tied to utility and garbage services. For voters in Slidell, the ballot carries additional local weight. According to the St. Tammany Parish Registrar of Voters, city voters will decide Proposition No. 1 and Proposition No. 2, both described as millage continuations. The City of Slidell says those renewals help fund water and sewer services along with residential...

Eden Isle Saw Tree And Home Damage, While Street Flooding And Utility Problems Hit Other Parts Of The City Slidell was hit on multiple fronts as the remnants of Arthur moved across southeast Louisiana, bringing street flooding, wind damage, power outages and continued high water concerns beyond the storm itself. In Eden Isle, crews and residents spent Friday clearing limbs and checking damaged property after strong winds tore through the neighborhood. Elsewhere across Slidell, residents dealt with flooded streets, difficult travel conditions and outages that stretched into the night. Before the worst weather arrived, the City of Slidell warned residents that repeated rounds of storms from Tuesday through Friday could bring heavy rain and flash flooding. The city said most areas could...

Statewide party runoff races and four local tax propositions are scheduled for the Saturday election St. Tammany Parish voters are heading into the Saturday, June 27, 2026 election with a mix of party-primary races and local propositions on the ballot, according to the St. Tammany Parish Registrar of Voters and the Louisiana Secretary of State. Officials list the June 27 election as Louisiana’s 2nd Party Primary and Municipal General Election. In St. Tammany, the ballot includes Democratic and Republican contests for U.S. Senate, a Republican race for Public Service Commissioner District 1, a Republican race for Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1, and four local tax propositions. According to the St. Tammany Parish Registrar of Voters, the June 27 ballot will include:...

June 9 Agenda Includes Ordinance To Call A Special Election On Proposed Home Rule Charter Amendments The Slidell City Council’s June 9 agenda includes an ordinance that would propose amendments to the city’s Home Rule Charter and call a special election for voters to decide them. The agenda packet identifies that measure as Item No. 26-06-3647. City records in the same agenda packet show the Charter Review Committee met May 19 and voted to advance seven proposed changes into ordinance form. The minutes say those items were expected to be introduced at the June 9 council meeting and then scheduled for a council vote on June 23 so they could be prepared in time for a December ballot. Among the changes that can be confirmed from the publicly available minutes are a proposal to change the...

Parish shelter says it has more than 200 dogs in a system built for 120, with a Slidell adoption event scheduled June 20 St. Tammany Parish government is asking residents to adopt, foster, volunteer or donate after the parish animal shelter again moved into emergency overcrowding status. The parish’s Department of Animal Services said its shelter system has exceeded 120-dog capacity and is now caring for more than 200 dogs. A parish news release said the shelter had topped 215 dogs when officials issued a public “Mayday” call, describing the canine population as roughly 70% above designed capacity. Animal Services Director Robert Bremer said in the parish statement that adoptions have slowed, rescue transfers have dropped off and animals continue arriving through owner surrenders and...

Officials are making another case for public safety funding after earlier tax defeats left gaps in the parish criminal justice system. St. Tammany Parish officials are again trying to persuade voters to back law enforcement and criminal justice funding in a political climate that has been shaped by years of tax fatigue. The sheriff’s office has been part of a broader parish conversation over how to fund public safety and court-related operations after earlier revenue measures failed. St. Tammany Parish government said in its 2026 budget rollout that state law requires the parish to fund parts of the criminal justice system, including obligations tied to the district attorney, sheriff, judges and other offices, but that there is no dedicated revenue source to fully meet some of those...