Columns & Opinions

Several years ago I read the entire vision statement from the Great Expectations Master Plan at a city council meeting. Then as now, I was concerned with why the city would spend good taxpayer money to gather all this information and create the vision and then let it sit on the shelf.

In the upcoming Caddo Parish sheriff election runoff, the choice between two candidates couldn't be starker: John Nickelson, who is someone I know and like, finished first in the recent primary election, ahead of a candidate that most people believed would at least get the most votes because of his extensive experience as a law enforcement professional.

At the Oct. 17 meeting of the city's Citizens' Committee on General Obligation Bond Issue projects, it became apparent that this list is very large. Its grand total of $388,500,000 includes $303,500,000 in specific projects, and it is. Public safety is $34 million; water, $20 million; sewer, $140 million; parks, $17.2 million; public buildings, $22.5 million; streets, $154.5 million; drainage, $9.5 million; and a downtown parking garage, $10.8 million.

Budgets are about priorities. They are about choices. And, once you’ve dealt with those two, only then are they about numbers.

For the last two weekends, the Festival Plaza was the place to be for friends and the entire family as Shreveport celebrated its 47th annual Red River Revel! Food, arts, music and more, this event is an adored Caddo tradition that never disappoints and 2023 was no different! While I enjoyed my favorite chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins and tried Dripp donuts for the first time, Revelers could also pig out on various savory options like gyros from Efe’s Fine Foods, chicken and waffles from Kajun Korner Express, caribbean egg rolls from RNL Authentics or blackened catfish with dirty rice from Inner City Youth Sports; the options were delectably endless! The crafts section supplied the little children with fun activities like the Space Age area decked out with galactic rock-climbing, a ufo bouncy house to the iconic coca-cola sand bottle stations. Several artists showcased their finest paintings and handmade creations while 318 Latino displayed a beautiful booth!

Nestled deep in the pine-covered rolling hills of the far northwest corner of Caddo Parish, just minutes from the Arkansas state line, lies the pristine Village of Ida, La. The bucolic setting makes the town look every bit like a set from a Lifetime movie. Though small in size and population, Ida goes big with its annual Harvest Festival, held on the first Saturday of October at Sid Dean Park, located in the middle of town. This year’s festival, held last Saturday, Oct. 7, ushered in fall with a crisp, cool temperature of 60 degrees on a bright, sunny day.

In the wake of escalating youth crime rates that have gripped the city of Shreveport, a group of concerned and dedicated residents have taken the reins to change the narrative for their community. The newly formed Shreveport Citizens United (SCU) is on a mission to tackle the twin challenges of youth crime and neighborhood blight, with a strategic focus on uplifting at-risk communities in the city.

We live in the so-called “information age.” We intake news and data like we breathe air: everywhere, all the time. And we are subconsciously trained to react to each new (to us, at least) headline: an emotion, an opinion or provocation to action. (Marketers understand this all too well.)