Hammond Square is buzzing with hammers pounding and saws buzzing. Construction has already begun on a new restaurant, the Santa Fe Cattle Co., a family roadhouse-style steak eatery. Hammond Square will feature seven new restaurants. Raisin Canes will begin construction in about a week. Raisin Canes is hoping to open its doors to patrons by early June.Currently, there are four other restaurants being built at Hammond Square. They are located between the Palace Theatre and J.C. Penney. Also, currently under construction is the new Verizion store.Construction on the new T.J. Maxx will begin this week and the parking lot for Target is almost complete. T.J. Maxx and Target are expected to open for business in late July. Best Buy is scheduled to open its doors at the Square by mid-June.In tot... 01/28/2009

There will be a lot of activity coming soon to the corner of Phoenix Square Avenue and J.W. Davis Drive .  The non-profit Gulf Coast Housing Partnership is ready to begin construction on the Phoenix Square subdivision. A total of 44 homes will be built over time. Eight homes will be built in Phase 1 of the project with immediate construction beginning on two of those eight homes. The land for the Phoenix Square subdivision was donated by the City of Hammond. The water and sewer systems as well as subsurface drainage has already been completed. The new homes will feature 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with square footage ranging from 950 to 1,500 square feet. The homes will be priced between $110,000 and $145,000. The Phoenix Square project is part of Hammond 's initiative to provide affordable ... 01/21/2009

You do not want to miss the January 17th edition of Alley Oop in the comic section of your newspaper. This very special edition will be featuring the art work of one of Hammond 's own! Erin Holloway won the national Alley Oop contest. She will be honored by having her Alley Opp drawing featured in the Daily Star this Sunday. Look for the dinosaur (Tyrannosaur) holding a Happy Birthday sign. This is the drawing submitted by Erin . This is not the first drawing contest Erin has won. She took first place in a Tangipahoa Parish drawing contest about ways to protect our environment. She drew a picture of people with trash bags picking up litter.Erin is 12 years old and is home schooled. She is also a student in the Southeastern Louisiana University Community Music School . Erin loves the art... 01/14/2009

Fire and Ice is the theme, once again, for the Ginger Ford Habitat For Humanity fund-raiser to be held tonight in the old Schwegmann Building . The New Year's Eve gala should prove to be a wonderful evening for all those in attendance. Over 500 guests are expected. Volunteers from all walks of life in our community have hammered and nailed to transform from vacant building to a winter wonderland ballroom. The empty grocery store now features a chandelier, dining area, martini bars and a stage for the band. Decorations include snow and 30 beautiful Christmas tress. Entertainment will be provided by the dance band After 8 and a silent auction will take place from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Chef Tommy Masaracchia of Tope La has prepared a marvelous buffet dinner for the party goers. The Crescent wi... 12/31/2008

Although a little early, it was an almost white Christmas in Hammond on Thursday.  The kids had a great time enjoying their rare snow day. No one can appreciate snow like those who only experience the magic rarely. Adults and children enjoyed a snow fight or two and many built a snowman to show their artistic side. This is not the first time it has snowed in the Tangipahoa Parish; but snow is unusual. The snow was much heavier and lasted much longer than our "normal" snow storms. Even though it was a little early for a white Christmas, the gift of snow Mother Nature sent us was enjoyed and appreciated by most. Snow fell throughout the Tangipahoa Parish, covering it with about six inches of snow. The children of the Tangipahoa Parish experienced a true snow day with the closing of their ... 12/17/2008

Hammond will show its support of safe driving practices this Saturday (December 13) as the host for the AARP Safe Driving Class. The class will be held at the North Oaks Diagnostic Center. The holiday season is the perfect time to attend the class to learn some new driving tips or as a refresher course in driving safely. What better gift to give yourself and your family than knowledge that can keep you safe in the new year. You can also give yourself the gift of savings on your automobile insurance premiums as insurance companies are required to give discounts to those who attend the class. The class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information you can contact Howard Edwards (429-1818) or to register contact Paula Joiner at 345-1952. The cost for the class is a reasonab... 12/10/2008

The Hammond Research Station recently dedicated new facilities, a $1.1 million dollar project. The Hammond Research Station is one of the twenty research stations operated by LSU AgCenter. The new facilities include an office building that houses an office for the manager and six offices for personnel. The 3,900 square-foot building also features a roomy 100-capacity conference room with state-of-the-art telecommunication equipment. A 1,400 square-foot multi-purpose building was also dedicated. The building includes two offices, a lab area, and a room for preparing plant samples. The new buildings replace those built in the 1950's. The new facilities will allow for more research and educational programs for the public and professional growers. The conference room's telecommunication sys... 12/03/2008

The South Tangipahoa Relay For Life   fundraiser is set for November 15, leaving only 10 days to participate. "Relay For Life" is the third largest event in Louisiana . This year will mark the 13th year for the event with a goal of raising $230,000 for the Cancer Society. There is still time to join a team or start your own. The event will be held at  North Oak Park, right here in Hammond . Each team is made up of 10 runners; each team member is committed to raise $100 for the benefit of the Cancer Society. I was surprised to hear that the most common answer to the question "Why didn't you participate?" is "no one asked me". I would like to rectify that problem right now.  I am asking you to contact the event coordinators and find out how you can participate in this fantastic fundraiser... 11/06/2008

This is Yvonne Martin sending a "big hello" to the world of blog. I have decided to become a part of the blogging world so that I may bring you information about the Tangipahoa Parish in the beautiful State of Louisiana .  I will be sharing with you events, news, and coumminty information about our area. As a Realtor®, I will also be updating you on our real estate market from time to time. In addition, I will share with you real estate news on a local and national level as well as offering real estate tips. To get to know me a little better. please see my "Meet Yvonne Martin " page. I have posted a short introduction about myself there. To learn more about the communities I serve and will be sharing with you, you can use the links to the right of this page. I am excited about joining y... 10/29/2008

It finally seems that we are moving away from the duldrums of the winter months and moving into a progressive period in Southern Tangipahoa Parish.  For years politics of the region has kept this area fairly rural and more progressive communities have grabbed hold of the Northshore boom.  It now seems that Hammond and Ponchatoula are now coming into their own.  With the tremendous upswing in Post Katrina population shifts it seems business in not only following the shift, but at this point leading the way.  The number of new businesses in the region are almost uncountable.  The prospects of the Hammond Airport and its expansion with new military contracts, the huge mall renovation, one of the top super sites in the nation, and the now not so distant Nascar tract coming into the Kentwood... 06/25/2007