Editorial

Trump’s troubling trade tirades

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President Trump has declared victory in his confrontation with Mexico. After he threatened to impose crippling tariffs on $350 billion worth of goods Mexico exports annually to the U.S., that

Debt recovery services essential to parish

One area that financially burdens most municipalities is debt recovery.

Just this week Elton officials reported that a third-party debt collection company recovered over $1,200 in unpaid traffic tickets that were issued between 2007-2019. That might seem like pocket change for a 12-year span. However, the unpaid tickets were only submitted to the collection company May 14. The $1,200 was from the first three weeks of collections alone.

Take heed of the softening

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THE WAY I SEE IT

It’s called “softening up for the kill.” It’s a term familiar to those who’ve been around a feed lot or who have ever raised an animal to be slaughtered for food.

Take a pasture-raised calf and move it to a feed lot where for a chosen period of time it is fed a good corn and grain mixture so that its meat should become tender before the slaughter. Sounds macabre, in a way, but to those who have enjoyed a prime piece of beef, it’s the method by which it is produced.

Impeach, imprison – or bluff?

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Is there any doubt that many Democrats agree with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she says she wants to see President Trump “in prison”? After the Mueller report, House Democrats seem to believe almost unanimously that the president is guilty of obstruction of justice. Their increasingly heated internal debate is whether to impeach Trump now or press for his incarceration after they defeat him next year.

DOTD: Use caution during heavy rainfall

With recent rainfall across the parish exceeding 10 inches just over the last week, motorists should use caution when traveling in wet or severe weather.

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), out of nearly six million vehicular accidents that occur each year in the U.S., approximately 22 percent are weather-related. Also, more accidents occur when the roads are wet following a rainstorm than in any other type of weather.

Nearly 6,000 people are killed and another 445,000 injured due to accidents that occur during bad weather, according to FHA.

No budget woes? Lawmakers create feuds

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LOUISIANA SPOTLIGHT

Freed from the budget problems of prior years, Louisiana lawmakers found other things to bicker about in their just-ended session: abortion, sports betting, and even cauliflower rice and soy milk.

But after years of angry battles over taxes and spending, even the most heated feuds of the 60-day session that ended Thursday seemed pretty low-key by comparison.

Making a standardized testing molehill into a mountain

During my school days, I used to enjoy taking standardized tests the way some people like doing crossword puzzles. To me, they were more rewarding than most of what went on at school. As an avid reader and an indifferent student, tests like the SAT were made for somebody like me — a bookworm who read fast enough to finish the exam early and who knew lots of vocabulary words he’d never heard spoken at home.

Time to talk about ‘Old Town Road’

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Idid not expect an elementary school talent show to bring anything new under the sun. No one played piano, a trumpet, or even vocals that did not sing over of the actual song. It was mostly dancing that reminded me of the halftime shows a Southern University. One lttle girl dressed as an African princess performed what could have been taken as an authentic tribal dance. It was an impressive performance. And then ... there was ... “Old Town Road.”!

Enjoy the great outdoors this month

Mother Nature is being celebrated across the country, including in Louisiana, in June.

Since 1998, June has been recognized as National Great Outdoors Month. Those of us in Sportsman’s Paradise can certainly relate to the passion many share for what is outside the four walls of our homes and offices. The great outdoors are much more than a destination to us. Nature is part of our way of life.

Letters to the Editor

Caring Hands thanks community

Dear Editor,

We at Caring Hands would like to thank everyone involved with the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive.

Caring Hands received much needed supplies for our food pantry. We operate solely from contributions and donations. Thanks to our wonderful community and the hard work of our area letter carriers, our pantry is enjoying a much-appreciated increase in supplies.