Columns & Opinions

Questions Being Raised About Blue Line Speeding Tickets in Shreveport SchoolZones

Politics is a dirty business, and it is increasingly becoming a blood sport. That is why it has become par for the course for political mud to be thrown at one’s opponent. Many politicians believe that mudslinging is the only way to win, and so they engage in character assassination and innuendo. Voters are really not interested in mudslinging; they are interested in the positive results someone is going to bring to the table that will affect their lives.

A disappointing budget presentation by the Perkins Administration

Rolled out a lounge chair early one morning onto a patio and was surprised at how many birds passed by -- 'water birds, birds of prey, songbirds' -- and found myself more and more serene. Make time daily to care for your soul in simple ways like watching birds soaring on the wind above you.

Summer has broken in south Louisiana, and none too soon. One more week, even a day more of summer might have whupped us. Our summers run from May through September – interminable, miserable week after crushing, damnable week with daily highs in the 90s, lows in the 80s and humidity unceasingly fit for gills. Sure, we escape to air-conditioned spaces. But refreshing outdoor air remains … what? … not a thing. Afternoon showers bring respite most days, briefly. The sun soon returns to lift visible currents of steam from lawn and pavement.

Four years ago when I was running for city council, one of my main proposals was the extension of LA 3132 from Flournoy Lucas Road to intersect with Youree Drive South/LA1. The problem to be resolved was the traffic along Bert Kouns was increasing and was thought to get even worse in the near future. After attending the Loren C. Scott & Associates' Louisiana Economic Forecast forum, I, like many, was excited about the boom at the Port. Over the next several years, the forecast estimates that there will be 128 new jobs generated through expansion, and that does not include the 400 Louisiana Tech Research Institute opportunities. Many more vehicles, with no new roadways to get to and fro, appear to be the problem the expansion will produce.

“It became necessary to destroy the town in order to save it.” – Peter Arnett, journalist, Vietnam 1968.

What Will Be Focus of Mayoral Campaigns During Last Three Weeks?