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LSU stars Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews selected 1st and 2nd overall in MLB Draft!

Bossier Term Limits Coalition notified Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler and Bossier City Council members on July 10, that the Bossier Parish Registrar of Voters accepted and certified 2,977 Bossier City voters' signatures calling for term limits for Bossier City mayor and Bossier City Council.

The Louisiana Legislative Session ended with a big win for downtowns and the preservation of commercial historic buildings statewide. By overwhelming votes in the House and Senate, the important State Historic Tax Credit (HTC), House Bill 483, was extended until Jan. 1, 2029, and the amount of the credit was increased from 20 to 25% of the so-called 'qualified costs' of building rehab. The bill was signed into law Wednesday, June 28, by Governor John Bel Edwards. This particular credit is hugely important for downtowns across the state because almost all of them have neglected historic properties that have been sitting vacant or underutilized for too long. Many of these properties pay little in the way of taxes, create no jobs or business opportunities and have become safety issues. Buildings with caved in roofs and other deferred maintenance are riskier to rehab, and there are fewer developers willing to take on the cost of the projects. Historic Tax Credits, which can be used to save money on state taxes, or sold for cash at the end of a rehab project, can help mitigate those financial risks enough to make a project feasible. Over the years, HTCs have played an outsized role in the rehabs of such properties in downtown Shreveport as the Andress Artist and Entrepreneur Center at 717 Crockett St., the Lofts at 624 at 624 Texas St., The Standard at 509 Market St., the Ogilvie Hardware Lofts at 217 Jones St., Artspace at 708 Texas St., the Municipal Auditorium, Lee Hardware and United Jewelers apartments, and other projects. Currently, HTCs are playing a role in work at the Uneeda Biscuit Lofts on Milam St., a historic garage conversion on Cotton St., Cooper’s Corner at 700 Texas St., and City Center Lofts in the 400 block of Crockett Street. Other projects like the former Creswell Hotel in the 700 block of Milam are looking to apply for the credits, too. All of these are properties that were once vacant, blighted or in serious need of upgrades are now or will soon be housing businesses, apartments, and events. They are 'good neighbors' and are making their blocks and neighborhoods better and safer.

This is the third class since the fellowship was launched in fall 2021. It includes 10 veterans, representing four branches of the U.S. armed services. Veterans were selected based on demonstrated leadership qualities, success in their professional careers, the viability of their proposed capstone projects, and their shared values with the Hoover Institution, especially the commitment to advancing freedom. The program is designed for military veterans who are motivated to effect meaningful change in their communities. During their time in the program, veteran fellows will have the opportunity to leverage the resources and expertise of Hoover and Stanford scholars, expand their networks and advance efforts to find actionable solutions to policy challenges through their capstone projects. In the last two years of the program, veteran fellows’ capstones have proposed solutions to various pressing issues including mitigating fire risks in California through insurance markets, expanding housing for homeless veterans, making permanent the special immigration visa program for foreign nationals who are employed by the U.S. government worldwide, developing technology apprenticeship programs for low income high school students, and others that are critical to the nation’s well-being and competitiveness. In each case, individual fellows have built up networks to support and raise awareness for their respective capstone solutions. The fellowship program will involve various gatherings during the academic year at the Stanford University campus and Hoover’s Washington, D.C., office. These included a program launch in June 2023; a presentation of the fellows’ capstone project proposals to the VFP advisory council in September 2023; and three modules, in which they can work on their capstone projects and connect with other members of their cohort and the broader Hoover and Stanford communities. At the end of their one-year fellowship, members of the cohort are invited to attend Hoover’s Spring 2023 Retreat, which will provide them with an opportunity to engage with Hoover leadership and donors about their experience in the Veteran Fellowship Program.

Shreve Memorial Library is encouraging the public to stay cool this summer and take a break from the summer heat by taking advantage of air-conditioned branches. As temperatures continue to climb, Shreve Memorial Library branches, located conveniently throughout Caddo Parish, are cool places to take a break from the summer heat. With comfortable seating areas, water fountains and a variety of library programs and services, Shreve Memorial Library encourages patrons to read, relax and rest during hot summer days. In addition, bottled water will be available to patrons at no cost beginning Friday, July 14.

Tony’s Liquors has been a staple business in Shreveport for many years. Begun by Tony Cordaro in 1964, the liquor store on Line Avenue is now managed and operated by his son, Joseph “Bubba” Cordaro.

Mayor Arceneaux was excited to have 27 interns throughout the City of Shreveport for the mayor’s Summer Internship Program. This program is designed for college students, recent graduate college students and/or first semester graduate students.

In “The Lesson,” directed by Alice Troughton from a screenplay written by Alex MacKeath, aspiring writer Liam Somers (Daryl McCormack) leaps at the opportunity to tutor the son (Stephen McMillan) of his idol, acclaimed author J. M. Sinclair (Richard Grant). Shortly after arriving at his assigned position, Liam senses that all is not as it appears to be at the stately bucolic estate. The pristine English countryside that surrounds the elegant English manor belies the horrific secrets that lie beneath the surface secrets that surround the tragic death of Bertie’s brother Felix. An icy coldness, dark shadows and an air of mystery lend a Gothic feel to the story and slowly draws the audience into the suspense. From the outset of the film, the family dynamics seem to focus on the stifling of an underlying rage simmering just below the surface of each of the characters, which manifests in different ways with each of them. An air of mystery surrounds Helene (Julie Delpy), Sinclair’s wife and son Bertie’s mother, as she floats through the house and family with a cool detachment, dropping little information bombs to Liam that point to the causes of the dark family dynamics. Sinclair is a control freak ready to explode at the least provocation, barely able to contain his own volcanic emotions. Bertie is quiet and withdrawn, his body language a full expression of his chronically depressed state. The setting of the film becomes an important character in and of itself. As Bertie slowly opens up to Liam, he reveals that the breathtaking rhododendrum (rose tree) is intoxicatingly gorgeous but poisonous if ingested. He hints that his late brother Felix was obsessed with the plant, but not because of its beauty which leaves a big question mark hovering in the air. The use of the rhododendrum bush in the film is an apt metaphor for Sinclair, as it is slowly revealed that his toxic abuse ends up destroying everyone around him, in one way or another. The placid lake on the property is yet another symbol for the secrets and sins that lie beneath its dark waters.