St. George Leader to Provide News, Advertising for City of St. George

Former Rep. Woody Jenkins served in the Louisiana Legislature for 28 years, representing Baton Rouge longer than anyone in history. He graduated from Istrouma High, the LSU School of Journalism, and the LSU Law School. 

As a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1973, Jenkins succeeded in amending the Constitution to allow the incorporation of new cities in East Baton Rouge Parish. That change made the cities of Central and St. George a legal possibility. 

In the House, he authored constitutional amendments that created the Baker and Zachary school systems. Later, as editor of the Central City News, he helped create the City of Central and the Central Community School System. 

Jenkins said, “Texas has more than 1,000 school systems, each with a high school, a middle school, and two or three elementary schools. For many years, my goal has been to break the East Baton Rouge Parish School System down into seven community school systems, more like those in Texas. Smaller systems are more governable and provide a better education for students.” 

A lifelong journalist, Jenkins is founder and editor of the Central City News. He has covered events surrounding the incorporation of Central and creation of the Central school system for the past 19 years. The Central City News has been named the outstanding community newspaper in Louisiana for six of the past nine years. Jenkins has volunteered to work at his alma mater, Istrouma High, for many years.  He was named the Volunteer of the Year in the EBR Parish School System for 2018.

In 2019, Jenkins launched the St. George Leader as way to provide badly needed, objective news coverage of the St. George community and especially the St. George incorporation movement.  Today, the St. George Leader is the only news organization or advertising medium in St. George. 

Jenkins said, “While The Advocate does provide some coverage of what happens in St. George, it is mostly very negative toward the new City of St. George.  People in St. George simply don’t trust them.”

Since the St. George incorporation movement gained ballot status in 2019, the St. George Leader has been an “occasional publication,” issuing an edition or two a year.

“We have been awaiting a final judgment from the Supreme Court. Now that it has come, the volume of news and information will explode, and the news for a newspaper in St. George will be indisputable.  We are ready to expand our coverage and produce the St. George Leader on a regular basis.  Assuming we get advertising support from businesses in St. George, we plan to be here to serve the St. George community for years to come.”