Scotlandville library renovation enters next phase with community support
'We have listened to our patrons,' said Katrina Stokes, executive director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. 'We've conducted surveys and hosted community meetings to ask them: 'What do you want? What do you need from us?'
The renovated library will feature expanded access to technology, new programs and meeting rooms, a community fridge, and a dedicated Black Heritage Room. Its colors — blue and yellow — pay homage to nearby Southern University and the cultural history of the community.
'It's going to be almost like a museum,' Candace Temple said. 'The Black Heritage section in the library is going to be just awesome.'
Temple emphasized that the library system is always looking for ways to better serve its communities.
Among those in attendance was East Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Anthony Kenney, who grew up in the neighborhood and credits the library with shaping his path.
'We want to make sure we're increasing literacy in our communities,' Kenney said. 'As our kids grow up to become the next lawyers, council members, and mayors, we want to ensure the library is part of that foundation.'
Mayor-President Sid Edwards also spoke at the event, reinforcing the shared vision among city and library leaders to make the library a welcoming space for all.
The project is scheduled to be completed by February 2026.
Scotlandville library renovation enters next phase with community support
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Captors tell hostages that two will be released For most of the time, the Horn brothers were held with three other hostages. In early February, their captors came to the group of five and said that two would be released. 'For four days, we're looking at each other and wondering if we can decide or influence the decision,' he said. After four days, the captors arrived with a small plate of snacks and a video camera. They announced that Iair and another hostage would be leaving and filmed the emotional interaction between Iair and Eitan. Hamas later released the video on its social media channels, as it has with other videos of the hostages filmed under duress. Their last night together, Eitan and Iair laid side by side in silence. 'There was no conversation because in your head you don't want to have a conversation as if it's your last conversation,' Iair Horn said. When their mother, Ruty Chmiel Strum, learned that Iair was coming out but not Eitan, she said to anyone who would listen, "Why are you doing this to my sons? They are together and you're separating them?' No one gave her an answer, but Strum clung to hope that Eitan would be released soon. Now she mostly ignores news about the negotiations, tuning out the information to protect herself. She said she raised her three boys 'as a single body,' and their support for each other is unshakable. She clasps Iair's hand as they sit together on the couch in her home and looks forward to the day Eitan returns. 'I will feel the hug of my three sons, enjoying life, each supporting each other," she said. "It will happen.'
