August 2019

Be cautious of stifling heat

A couple of things you can bet on in southwest Louisiana are the heat and humidity. The winters seem to only get milder as time goes on and during the summer, well, Mother Nature can be somewhat brutal.

Currently, our area is experiencing some high temperatures. The heat index outside is reaching well over 100 degrees on most days, and residents need to take precaution when toiling outside.

Both sides of gun debate should listen

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THE WAY I SEE IT

One day I was hungry and thought of buying some boudin, a tasty and popular Cajun treat, but I didn’t.

I supply this fodder weekly and some of my readers are from foreign places like New Mexico and Colorado so I must explain about boudin. But you can read it or not. If I want to, I can wear a hat that promotes Donald Trump or a t-shirt that promotes Nancy Pelosi, but I can choose not to do either. I can choose to vacation in Richmond, Virginia, or Richmond, Texas. I could go hunting or fishing today, but I don’t want to do that.

I’ll bet on news over views

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Back when I was a rookie editor in ABC’s Manhattan newsroom we used to place bets - actual cash wagers - on how the New York Times would design the next day’s front page.

Rather than wait until morning for results we gathered around a radio to savor the 9 p.m. broadcast on WQXR, which began: “Front Page! Tomorrow’s New York Times! What will it look like?” A fellow named Bill Blair dutifully described every inch of page one, reading each headline and explaining how it was positioned.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Calendar Guidelines

Fenton approves Muni Code

Update to organize village ordinances

FENTON - The Board of Alderwomen approved a motion to allow Muni Code to organize the village’s ordinances.

“Muni Code will take the municipality’s ordinances, organize them and put them into a code,” said town attorney Michael Holmes. “The last time our disc was updated was back in 2008. We passed new ordinances since that time.”

Holmes said Muni Code will be provided all new laws and have them codified into a published record.

Hard copies will be provided and the code will also be published online.

MAKING SPACE

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Funds were approved last October to make updated changes to the library’s basement area, where 21,000 square feet of usable space has been cleared.

After many months of ongoing renovations to the Jennings branch of the Jeff Davis Parish Libraries, the staff has finally been able to move into the brand new space.

“By removing the boiler that once occupied the basement, we have gained space that will be used for better library programs,” said Director of Libraries Clare Coleman.

Housing Authority receives clean audit

A state audit of the Fenton Housing Authority showed healthy finances and no instances of noncompliance for the previous fiscal year.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office recently released an audit report for the entity for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2018. The 34-page independent auditor’s report was completed by certified public accountant William Daniel McCaskill, of Mandeville.

Financial highlights included the authority’s total net position decreasing from by $31,806 from 2017 to 2018. Total assets decreased by 7 percent from the previous year.

FEED THE BIRDS

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Visitors to the Louisiana Oil and Gas I-10 Park can now purchase feed for the ducks at the visitor’s center in lieu of bread, which pollutes the water can make the birds ill. 

City declares surplus equipment, police units

The city voted Tuesday night to declare several items as surplus including three police units that are in need of repair that will be donated to other municipalities.

The Jennings City Council voted Tuesday to adopt a resolution revoking the dedication of surplus equipment, making the unused items available for sale at auction or for disposal when applicable.

The surplus items included outdated computers, monitors and printers, as well as several vehicles, an excavator and other equipment that is no longer in use or functioning.

Flooded Mississippi a threat as hurricane season heats up

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies.

For months now, a massive volume of water has been pushing against the levees keeping a city mostly below sea level from being inundated. The Mississippi River ran past New Orleans at more than 11 feet (3.4 meters) above sea level for more than 200 days, dropping below that height only Monday.