January 2020

Cormier to serve as Lake Arthur Town Magistrate

LAKE ARTHUR - As residents here bring in a new year, they can expect to see a different face serving the town. Welsh native and experienced attorney Ben Cormier was recently named as the new town magistrate.

“I operate my own practice in Lake Charles and I have been the assistant district attorney in Calcasieu Parish under John DeRosier. I left that position last year and went back to private practice full time,” said Cormier. “I have been the magistrate in Welsh for a little over a year now.”

He said he now he is thankful for the opportunity to serve Lake Arthur as well.

The Gift of Life

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Hathaway High School students who donated blood during the recent drive will have now be eligible for an opportunity to receive a scholarship sponsored by LifeShare Blood Center. Below, District 8 School Board member  David Doise, pictured with donor technician Inez Wright, donated plasma, blood and platelets. At right, phlebotomist Edriena Bilbo prepares student Dylan Lavergne to make his donation.

Squeezebox Shootout registration now open

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Accordion players who would like to show off their musical talents are encouraged to sign up for this year’s Squeezebox Shootout. The event is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the historic Strand Theater. Doors will open at 10 a.m. with a pre-show featuring Kegan Navarre and Friends.

“This will be our fifteenth year hosting the accordion contest,” said City Event Coordinator Lin Fake. “We are looking forward to moving on and we would like to see more people participate. If you know anyone who would like to compete, please tell them to come register.”

$1.25M to revise hurricane protection plans, cut cost

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The federal government is reallocating $1.25 million to revise plans for a proposed south Louisiana hurricane protection project, two Republican congressmen from Louisiana said Thursday.

The revision will reflect construction in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes by local and state agencies and will also allow updated and more efficient designs, said a news release from U.S. House Republican Whip Steve Scalise and Rep. Garrett Graves.

Vote delay for updated Louisiana college admission standards

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s top higher education board on Thursday postponed decision-making on a strengthening of its minimum admission standards for public colleges that would include new financial penalties for campuses that violate the policy.

Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed and her staff spent months working on proposed changes to existing admissions standards first put in place 14 years ago. That wholesale review came after LSU sparked criticism for disobeying the requirements and granting more exceptions than allowed.

Maxine Dunphy Black

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Funeral services for Mrs. Maxine Dunphy Black, 97, of Jennings will be held Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, at 11 a.m. in the South Chapel at Miguez Funeral Home, with Rev. Chan Willis officiating.

Visitation for Mrs. Black will be held from 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, until the time of her service at 11 a.m.

Burial will follow in Greenwood Cemetery.

Verified videos show plane in Iran struck before fiery crash

LONDON (AP) — In the pitch black, pre-dawn sky on the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran, a tiny fast-moving light can be seen racing up through the trees, as someone films from the ground. Then there is a flash of light as it seems to collide with something in the air.

It is the ill-fated Ukrainian International airliner which had taken off Wednesday just hours after Iran had fired missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq in retaliation for the slaying of its top military man, Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

US adds 145,000 jobs; unemployment holds at 3.5 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers downshifted on hiring in December, adding 145,000 jobs, with steady spending by Americans continuing to steer economic growth heading into a presidential election year.

The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate held at 3.5% for the second straight month, prolonging a half-century low. Hiring slipped after robust gains of 256,000 in November there were caused in part by the one-off end of a strike at General Motors.

Defining woof

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Down the Rabbit hole

Dogs don’t speak English. This was one of my favorite reminders for former clients during group training classes.

My gentle nudge would usually bring about a few eye rolls and sighs, but it turned on a lightbulb for some people who would then burst into laughter and say something like, “Oh my gosh, it’s true. They don’t!” Frustration levels usually lessen and patience can be restored. Even as a dedicated eye roller myself, of both groups I prefer the latter.

Knights announce poster contest winners

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Grand Knight Carl Benoit (left) of Knights of Columbus Council 2012 from Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Jennings presented awards to Mya Fontenot (center) and Damyia Caesar (right) for competing and finishing first and second, respectively, in the Council’s annual Keep Christ In Christmas Poster Contest. Both students attend Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Elementary School in Jennings.