Columns & Opinions

Listening is a skill that we can all improve upon these days; maybe it’s becoming a “lost art.” Who of us can’t benefit from enriched communication? Communication is not just about sharing our thoughts, but also hearing what the speaker is saying and having real dialogue.

One of my mentors in life once told me, “In most things in life, there is no black or white nor right or wrong, only infinite shades of gray.” I doubt he was the original author of that quote, but there is a lot of truth to that statement. In the world of politics, especially in the Bossier area, there are definitely some shades of gray.

We still had hope for a brighter future in 2006. The film industry had washed out of New Orleans with Katrina and was beginning to filter up here to continue productions that were halted by the storm. The first inklings of Haynesville Shale were being talked about overoptimistically. It was an exciting time. We even got rid of that embarrassing odor coming from the rendering plant in Agurs Business District.

If you have experienced the pain in trying to sit at Riverview Theatre since the new seats were installed last fall, this update may be good news.

The city of Shreveport is not a business per se.

Billy B. and Donald C. are two childhood friends I often communicate with. Though I am older than these guys, I am “obliged” to listen and learn from them. On one occasion we were discussing some things which occurred in our community during my teen years. I sat and listened as both of them described in vivid and in no uncertain terms an incident involving me which I simply could not remember. After a period of about five minutes, Donald C. looked at me and said, “Roy, you were too ‘naïve’ to see what was going on.”

Want a cushy, high-profile job?

Not only does Bossier Parish have some fresh water issues after the polar vortex, but there are ongoing sewage issues as well. In the case of the brown water, though, it is financial. Did you know that for nearly a decade, all the residents under the taxing authority of Bossier Parish have been subsidizing the Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District No. 1 of the Parish of Bossier (CWSD1)? It is not the household consumers’ fault, though. Several people did not run the math.