July 2019

PJ audit reveals ethics violation

A recent audit report revealed some Jeff Davis Police Jurors may have violated a state ethics law.

The auditor’s report expressed an unqualified opinion on the basic financial statements of the Police Jury’s primary government for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2018.

“This is the best result of an audit that you can get,” said independent auditor J. Aaron Cooper, CPA. “You have two years worth of expenditures saved up and this is a really good place to be.”

Book suggestions to get you through the ‘dog days’ of summer

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As we reach the “dog days of summer,” I thought it would be helpful to suggest some book titles that your children might enjoy. These books are all about summer and can be requested from any of our Jefferson Davis Parish Libraries.

Little Ones:

• “F is for Fireflies” by Kathy-jo Wargin. The book presents rhyming sentences for each letter of the alphabet that remind the reader of God’s blessings in summer.

Mire, Zaunbrecher announce plans to wed

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Brooklynn Rena Mire of Branch and Bryce Gregory Zaunbrecher of Lake Arthur will exchange wedding vows at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at The Historic Cash and Carry in Lake Charles. The bride-elect is the daughter of Jackie and Becky Prejean of Branch and Jody and Nancy Mire of Morse. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norris Simon of Crowley, the late Lois Broussard Simon and Herman and Lena Mire of Estherwood. A 2017 graduate of Rayne High School, she graduated from LSUE in 2019 and is continuing her pursuit of a degree in elementary education at UL-Lafayette.

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Fast-growing web of doorbell cams raises privacy fears

The woodsy community of Wolcott, Connecticut, doesn’t see a lot of crime. But when the police chief heard about an opportunity to distribute doorbell cameras to some homes, he didn’t hesitate.

The police who keep watch over the town of 16,000 raffled off free cameras in a partnership with the camera manufacturer. So far, the devices have encountered more bears than criminals, but Chief Ed Stephens is still a fan. “Anything that helps keep the town safe, I’m going to do it,” he said.

New standards aim to improve surgery for the oldest patients

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 92-year-old had a painful tumor on his tongue, and major surgery was his best chance. Doctors called a timeout when he said he lived alone, in a rural farmhouse, and wanted to keep doing so.

“It was ultimately not clear we could get him back there” after such a big operation, said Dr. Tom Robinson, chief of surgery at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System.

Berkeley bans gender-specific words

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — There will be no manholes in Berkeley, California. City workers will drop into “maintenance holes” instead.

Nothing will be manmade in the liberal city but “human-made.” And students at the University of California, Berkeley, will join “collegiate Greek system residences” rather than fraternities and sororities.

Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 genderspecific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms — an effort to be more inclusive that’s drawing both praise and scorn.

July is fig time in Louisiana

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It’s July, and we have a couple of events to celebrate. For one, our nation’s Independence Day. And for the many who grow figs, this date has become synonymous with the harvest season. Figs are one of the most widely planted fruit trees in the Louisiana home landscape because they’re easy to grow and readily available. With little effort, some space in the yard and plenty of sunshine, anyone can grow trees that will produce nutritious figs every July .

Nunn places at State Horse Show

GONZALES — Results have been released from the 49th annual Louisiana 4-H and FFA State Horse Show held July 6 to 9.

Coordinated by the LSU AgCenter, the event was held at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.

In the 13 and under age group, Kennedy S. Nunn of Jeff Davis Parish placed first in pole bending and seventh in stake race.

Shining light on true abuse in the age of #MeToo

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Afew years ago, I wrote a column about Malala Yousafzai, around the time the young Pakistani activist was shot in the head by the Taliban. She was targeted for death simply because she wanted to help give girls the same educational opportunities as boys.

Instead, Malala survived. She became a symbol of fierce and principled defiance in the face of an oppressive regime, a true patriarchy.