Columns & Opinions

How often have you heard someone say, 'I wish there was something to do in Shreveport'? It’s a common refrain, but this past weekend showed us that Shreveport is brimming with potential. Thanks to the efforts of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, our city is on the brink of a new era. The Humor and Harmony weekend brought our downtown to life—traffic jammed the streets, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. For the first time in a long time, I felt a deep sense of pride in being from Shreveport.

What's Colvin Thinking?

There is truth in the saying, “It takes a village.” Governments cannot and should not be expected to fill every societal need – not even close. Whenever and wherever tried, failure resulted.

Missed me? Lately, my thoughts have been run amuck with all things sports and some things (gasp!) other than sports. There are countless storylines that deserve some sort of coverage while maybe not grabbing one of the weekly headlines. Here, I’ll ponder some of those tidbits swirling around the sports world.

All NW LA sales tax jurisdictions reported less in receipts vs the same month of 2023. A caveat: the Department of Motor Vehicles hasn't reported its figures. This occurs in July most years due to the close of the state's fiscal year every June 30. Next month, this should get caught up.

I’ve lived in Shreveport for 15 years, and as someone who worked locally in the animation industry, I have seen both the highs and lows of film, TV, animation, and game development in this town. Shreveport-Bossier boasts a legacy of hundreds of short and feature-length films being made right here, featuring industry luminaries such as Kevin Costner, Nicholas Cage, and Nicole Kidman. It also boasts a legacy of being the birthplace of an Oscar, Emmy, Annie, Webby, and Cannes Lion winning studio, co-founded by Shreveport’s own William Joyce. Many television shows were shot here, including three seasons of the supernatural drama Salem.

Missed me? Missed me? Lately, my thoughts have been run amuck with all things sports and some things (gasp!) other than sports. There are countless storylines that deserve some sort of coverage while maybe not grabbing one of the weekly headlines. Here, I’ll ponder some of those tidbits swirling around the sports world.

It is unfortunate that it takes one festival to bring this problem up. We have been plagued by this ever since we first came to downtown as property holders in 2013. Now here we are, four mayoral administrations later, and one huge problem persists. The city government's lack of will to do something about feeding centers within downtown. The Live Well Center (The Hub) is a draw and anchor for these people and others who live in low income housing just blocks from it. Their Cert. of Occ. states that they are an internet cafe and real estate office - while these activities may go on within the building, their primary function is a collection and distribution point for goods and food to be distributed to street dwellers and others (tenants of The Fairmont) who use them as a source for these things. It has caused a stall in the development of properties (including mine) on the southern edge of downtown.