The Weekly Press Week of Dec 20, 2012

baton

THURSDAY, December 20, 2012

rouge,

louisiana

Vol. 37 • No. 27 • FREE

a people’s publication

Baton Rouge Police Department Graduates 33 New Officers

Obama to Press for Policy Changes After Shooting

President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he speaks about the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Friday, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington.

The 78th Baton Rouge Police Department Basic Training Academy students were sworn on Monday, Dec. 17.

The class consisted of 28 men and 5 women.

It’s Kwanzaa Time Come And Celebrate With Us

Family members got the chance to pin on their new officers badges.

The new officers spent 20 weeks training, but they’re not done yet. Now, they will spend an additional 16 weeks

partnered with a senior officer to finish learning the ropes.

This is the first new class of officers to graduate from the training academy since 2001.

LABI Donates Funds to Teach for America and Northdale Magnet Academy

By Sadie Roberts-Joseph Join the Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American History Museum Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 at1:00 PM for food, music, art, dance and an educational speaker.

Tour the history columns, the Trolley and the Muse.

The museum is located at 538 South Boulevard.

See kwanzaa, on page 2

Baker Alters Overdue Water Bill Rules BAKER - The Baker City Council has voted to give residents more time to pay their municipal utility bills while also reducing the penalty for paying their bills late.

The new policy approved Tuesday reduces the late penalty from $60 to $30 per late bill. The See rules, on page 2

From left to right: Bobbi and Lane Grigsby; Danisha Brumfield, Northdale student; Megan Thompson, Northdale student; and Leroy Helire, Northdale Principal.

BATON ROUGE, LA - The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), donated $10,000 to both Teach for America and the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System’s Northdale Magnet Academy. LABI donated the $20,000 from its annual golf tournament net revenues.

Northdale Principal, Leroy Helire, and Teach for America’s Executive Director, Michael Tipton accepted the donations at a small gathering held at LABI’s headquarters on Friday, December 7.

“LABI has a longstanding relationship with Northdale. We support educational alternatives for Louisiana’s children and Northdale delivers. The South Louisiana Chapter of Teach for America makes a positive impact on the lives

Youngest SU Graduate

of children. LABI supports them wherever we can,” said Dan Juneau, LABI President.

In addition to the funds, LABI also donated coffee, creamer, sugar and other coffee supplies to the teachers at Northdale Magnet Academy.

LABI has donated $125,715 to Northdale Magnet Academy and $102,737 to Teach for America’s South Louisiana Chapter since 2001.

LABI, the statewide chamber of commerce and Louisiana’s manufacturing association, is the champion of economic growth and free enterprise for better business in Louisiana. For nearly 40 years, LABI is improving Louisiana’s See LABI, on page 3

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is launching an administration-wide effort to curb gun violence, underscoring the growing political consensus over tightening gun restrictions following the horrific massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.

Obama is tasking Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime gun control advocate, with spearheading the effort.

In remarks from the White House on Wednesday, Obama will outline a process for pursuing policy changes following the school shooting, though he is not expected to call for specific measures.

The president has vowed

Business News

See shooting, on page 3

Baton Rouge Council Kills Sewer Buyout BATON ROUGE - A deal to relocate at least 44 Scotlandville families living next to a foul-smelling sewage treatment plant has been rejected.

The Advocate reports the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council failed Wednesday to muster the seven votes required for approval.

Outgoing Councilman Ulysses Addison, who represents University Place residents affected by the sewage plant and who also resides in the same subdivision, was among the three council members who voted against the deal to relocate residents at an estimated cost of $6 million.

In April 2011, Addison initiated the council action asking the city-parish to craft a buyout plan for residents. But on Wednesday, at Addison’s last meeting as a council member, he said he couldn’t support the plan because, once it was approved, residents would be forced to relocate even if they wanted to stay.

“My vote was based on what I hear from my community,” he said. “If I thought it was in their best interest, I’d be the first to vote for it. No one wants them out of this

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/btrbb-renaissance-baton-rouge-hotel/

state & local News

to use “whatever power this office holds” to safeguard the nation’s children after Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

Twenty children and six adults were killed at the school by a gunman carrying an arsenal of ammunition and a highpowered, military-style rifle.

The White House sees some urgency in formulating a policy response to the shooting, even as Obama and his top aides are consumed with averting the “fiscal cliff” before tax hikes and spending cuts take effect in January. The incident has prompted several

Health News

condition more than I do.”

At the end of the meeting, Addison ended up in a heated verbal argument with a handful of his constituents who were upset about his vote.

“Why would you bring it up if you were going to vote against it?” asked Shontelle Mitchell, a University Place resident, who accused Addison of “playing politics.”

“Well I’m not your councilman anymore,” Addison responded.

In addition to Addison, council members Joel Boà and Scott Wilson voted against the buyout proposal.

Council members Trae Welch, Mike Walker, Ronnie Edwards, Alison Gary, Rodney Bourgeois and Tara Wicker supported the deal. Council members Chandler Loupe, Donna Collins-Lewis and C. Denise Marcelle were absent from the meeting.

An item requires seven votes on the 12-member council to pass.

After the deal failed, an attempt to defer the item for 60 days also failed by again falling one vote short. Addison abstained on that vote instead of voting no.

Sports News Jabari Greer made a leaping, twisting interception of Josh Freeman’s short pass to the right flat, stalling a firstquarter drive deep into New Orleans Saints territory...See Page 8

INDEX

Delta Celebrates 50th Anniversary Polite Stewart, Jr. received his degree in physics Friday at the ripe old age of 18.

Stewart entered Southern four years ago to enormous fanfare. He was under a microscope as his classmates learned of the student on campus who was too young to get a driver’s license and actually too young to live on campus alone. ...See Page 2

The Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International celebrated its 50th Anniversary in conjunction with its Annual Initiation Banquet on December 1, at the Holiday Inn South Hotel. ...See Page 3

IRS Offers Tax Tips

December is traditionally a month for giving generously to charities, friends and family. But it’s also a time that can have a major impact on the tax return you’ll file in the New Year....See Page 5

Agreements for LSU Hospitals

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals held events in three regions of the state to announce that agreements have been reached to form public-private partnerships involving three LSU hospitals....See Page 7

Local & State............................2 Commentary.............................4 Business....................................5 Religion....................................6 Health.......................................7 Sports.......................................8

Classified Buying or selling a service, looking for for a good job? Check out the classifeds .

THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 37 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002

we can’t out.

on must free our ological among ts ahead

s protect enough: ess had cil Cones of 80 of those percent.

0 percent rom our

ongress or modlican or ed all of for and to listen ates say nd famin office, untable. s of Conrcent or cores of you are rmance. me mesndidate. leaders ondition

is Presinse Fund se Leave on is to hy Start, t, a Safe life and ulthood amilies

ss-thanarding a ar with harlem? ise over to other restau-

erson in aming, d tea,’’’

t’s robMSNBC n go by ns. And ngs that o me.’’ nything fall? of n’t take to get a

outlets orm for l speech t kind of our chilworld? on year, d allow irwaves ive and if you nds you,

nditions g there. most of ed, from school tion for ead to a That is

Americans that by managing their • having high cholesterol increases cardiovascular risk, they may also the risk for stroke and may increase strengthen their cognitive health. the risk for Alzheimer’s.

“What’s good for your heart is good 2for yourWeekly brain,” says Jennifer Page • The Press • Thursday, December 20, 2012 Manage Your Risks Manly, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Associa• Watch the numbers. remember tion spokesperson. “every healthy that desirable blood pressure is less heartbeat pumps about one-fifth of than 120/80 mmhg. Keep your body your blood to your brain to carry on weight in the recommended range the daily processes of thinking, proband make sure that the total choleslem solving and remembering.” terol is less than 200mg/dL. “By the year 2030, the number of • healthy lifestyle choices include African Americans age 65 or older is staying mentally and physically acexpected to more than double to 6.9 tive, staying socially involved, reducmillion,” said emil Matarese, M.D., ing your intake of fat and cholesterol American heart Association spokesand not smoking. person. “Although Alzheimer’s is Visit www.alz.org/heartbrain or not part of normal aging, age is the call the American Stroke AssociaNewspaper is a published weekly in Baton Rouge and greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s tion, a division of the American heart distributed every Thursday with a circulation of 7,500. disease.

So it is important that AfAssociation, at (888) 478-7653 or Subscription rates are $65.00 per year for Louisiana rican Americans take steps now to residents; $72.00 for one year for out-of-state residents; the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) decrease risk of heart half price for their six months subscription: anddisease, $1.00 per 272-3900 and you’ll receive a browhich single copy.research has shown could showsROUGE a link between heart and brain health, which means impaired chure with heart and brain health BATON - Polite also decrease the risk of cognitive Research information and a free pedometer, All money orders or checks should be made payable heart function could lead to impaired Stewart, Jr. received his degree brain function. decline.” while supplies last. to The Weekly Press, P.O. Box 74485, Baton Rouge, in physics Friday at the ripe old La. 70874 age of 18.

Stewart entered Southern four years ago to enormous fanfare. He was under a microscope 1283 Rosenwald Road as his classmates learned of the Baton Rouge, La. 70807-41 student on campus who was too increased physical activity can help able in english and Spanish by call(NAPSi)-here’s an alert worth ness of diabetes, particularly when Phone: (225) 775-2002 to get a driver’s license delay or prevent the onset of type 2 ing the ADA at 1-800-DiABeteS paying attention to: According to young it is left undiagnosed and untreated.

Fax: (225) 775-4216 theE-Mail American Diabetes Association and the day is held on theyoung fourth tuesday (1-800-342-2383) or online at www. actually too to live diabetes. theweeklypress@yahoo.com (ADA),thewpres@bellsouth.net learning your risk for type 2 on of every March.

Among the primary risk factors diabetes.org/alert. campus alone. diabetes could save your life. on that day, people encourthough the Alert is a one-day Office Hours: Monday-Friday He had offers are from col- for type 2 diabetes are being over9:00isAM - 5:00 PM Diabetes a serious disease that leges aged toacross take thethe Diabetes riskWho test, weight, sedentary, over the age of call to action, awareness about type country.

Saturday, Sunday strikesClosed nearly 21 million children didn’t either with paper and pencil or online. want a child prodigy on 45 and having a family history of 2 diabetes is important anytime of the and in all Major Holidays and adults the U.S. it is named the risk test requires users to answer diabetes. African Americans, Latinos, year, so free Diabetes risk tests are their campus? But, it would have the “silent killer” because one-third seven simple questions about age, Native Americans, Asians and Pacific available online and by calling ADA difficult parents to islanders Polite Stewart, of those with the disease--more than 6 been weight, lifestyle for and his family history-are atJr. an increased risk, as all year long. send him across the for country at are women who have babies weighing million--do not know they have it. all potential risk factors diabetes.

A free Diabetes risk test is availyoung10age.

For many, diagnosis may come such Peopleascoring points or more are more than 9 pounds at birth. able all year long to determine the risk Instead, he 2enrolled at Carolina State University, years old watching him progseven to 10 years after the onset of at a high risk for type diabetes and the Diabetes risk test iswhere avail- for developing type 2 diabetes. where he was type 2 diabetes. early diagnosis is Southern are encouraged to talk withfamiliar a health he worked on developing self- ress academically and socially the campus, where he had cleaning, anti-glare glass coated over the last six years. He said critical for successful treatment and with care professional. can delay or prevent some of the taken An estimated 54 millioncourses Ameri- with anti-reflective material Stewart is destined for great high school-level complications such as heart diseases, at cans pre-diabetes. with and designed to repel oils and things. thehave school’s famousthose Timbuktu blindness, kidney disease, stroke and Academy, pre-diabetesand havemore bloodimportantly, glucose lev- water.

“He is a very brilliant amputation. els higher normal not high he wouldthan only be a but 10-minute After continuing his re- young man lucky to have had How to Reach Us that’s one reason the ADA holds drive enoughfrom to becampus. diagnosed with type General Information . . 225-775-2002 search in a post-grad program highly responsible parents,” the Alert® Day, 2 diabetes.

FaxAmerican . . . . . . . . . .Diabetes . . . . . . 225-775-4216 But with all of the local Address aEmail one-day wake-up call to inform the early intervention via lifestyle next summer, Stewart said he Bagayoko said. “Because of media first steps on would start graduate school at his capability and his focus, I . . . . . . theweeklypress@yahoo.com American public about the serious- changestracing such ashis weight loss and . . . . . . . . . . thewpres@bellsouth.net campus, Stewart was an unwill- one of a number of colleges that believe he’s set to do great things The office is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 ing celebrity. He just wanted to have shown interest. in science, technology and enNo appointment required for most screenings. p.m. Monday - Friday and located at get down to doing his school His mother, Ava Stewart, gineering.”

1283 Rosenwald Road, Baton Rouge, work and getting to fit in with isn’tIfsurprised by her son’s at SouthLouisiana. you do not have a sucdoctor and Stewart’s have notstay been his classmates. “The attention I cess. ern has included him Correction Policy screened in the last 12 months, these cancer presentgot died down pretty quickly,” The Baton Rouge Weekly Press strives “His father and I could tell ing scientific papers, conducting are available you forand free. to be fair and accurate. The newspaper he said. earlyscreenings on that he wanted informa- toresearch being part of physcorrects any significant errors of fact

He traces his love for acation.

There was intensity in his ics-related programs brought to the attention of the editor.

Presented as part of the comprehensive Cancer Programacross the demics to the dinosaur books his focus. He started reading when country and in Italy. He spent If you think an error has been made, of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins. Screenings Land Line (225) 356-0703 call 225-775-2002 father bought him as a young he was three,” she said. the past summer conducting remade

by Stewart donor gifts.

Cell Phone (225) 235-6955 child. Later, as a toddler, Stewart Avapossible and Polite Sr. search at North Carolina State GSRASAC E-mail: Goodshepherdbapt@bellsouth. said he began watching scientific began home schooling their son University.

(225) 215-1234 (888) 616-4687 Stewart said he is ready net Hours: We Mon-Thurs are just a8am – 8 pm documentaries where his inter- shortly after he left daycare, she est in herpetology, entomology said. The couple enrolled him for the next chapter in his life, click away!

Breast Cancer Screening Colorectal Cancer and paleontology different programs over the Screening which he believes will be in the Substance Abuse Center grew. “I was in Tuesday, Visit UsGood OnlineShepherd @ March 11 much interested in all the years to advance his learning Thursday, field of scientific Intensive Outpatient /pretty Inpatient Therapy March 13research. But, it 10am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm sciences,” he said. and to let him be around other 10am might–2pm take another course if his For Drugs, Alcohol, Anger Management LSUHSC Mid City Clinic Now, barely an adult, kids, she added. interests change, he said.

1401 N. Foster set hisMA, sights on a 2873 Mission Drive Rev.Stewart Donaldhas Britton, LAC “He was Drive doing ninth- Wal-Mart “My parents and my pro2171 O’Neal Lane Baton Rouge careerDirector in biological and physi- grade Baton Rouge, LA 70805 Clinical work at 10 years old, he Baton fessors have prepared me for Rouge www.theweeklypress.com cal engineering.

HeOverseer spent last took college credits at 12,” she whatever happens,” Stewart (225) 315-0740 Bishop Harris Hayes, summer doing research at North said. “I didn’t have any reserva- said.

Breast Screening tions whenCancer he started college. We Colorectal PleaseCancer contact either EdScreening Friday, March 14 had to let him go, we would’ve ward Pratt or Erin Fulbright Monday, 17 10am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm been holding him back.” with theMarch Southern University 10am –2pm physics professor Media Relations office at (225) Leo Southern S. Butler Community Townor Hall Center Diola Bagayoko has mentored Brusly 771-4545 (225) 771-3907 for Vaughan Street 950 E. since Washington Stewart he wasStreet around 12 601 anyS.additional information.

The Weekly Press

state & Local

Polite Stewart, Youngest Student to Graduate from Southern University

Could You Be At Risk?

READER INFORMATION

Have You Been Screened?

Free Cancer Screenings

Visit Us Online @ www.theweeklypress.com

WooDDALe

ChiroPrACtiC CLiNiC Health Care For The Entire Family

Dr Paul Matthews

Indications For Treatment: • Low Back Pain • Pinched Nerves • Pain in Legs • Numbness • Burning Sensation • Muscle Spasms • Nervousness • Arthritis Pains • Scoliosis • Sleepiness • Disc Syndrome

office hours: 9:00 a.m. — 12:00 noon 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday – Friday 6233 harry Drive, Suite C • Baton rouge, Louisiana 70806

(225) 201-0210

Brusly

Baton Rouge

Cancer Screening KBreast wanzaa from page 1Prostate and Colorectal Cancer Screenings Tuesday, March 18 5pm – 7pm (Appt required)

The principle of the day Woman’s Hospital is Umoja, a Kishswali word 9050 Airline Highway meaning unity.

Baton Rouge Kwanzaa celebration is free and open to the public.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wednesday, March 26 from–2pm Baton Rouge’s only Af10am

rican American Museum: Odell

Ed Price Building Materials S. Williams Now And Then 7835 Airline Highway African-American History Baton Rouge

Museum.

For information, call Sadie Roberts-Joseph 225-343-4431.

In Partnership With:

Our Lady of the Lake Woman’s Hospital YWCA Encore Plus LSU Hospitals Health Care Services Division

marge's

Chit Chat

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: The love of many waxes cold. St. Mathew WILL I SEE YOU TOMORROW? Some have said that this is our last Thursday and that Friday the 22nd is the end of the world.

Some are laughing; some are crying, some are wondering, etc. Whatever you are doing Marge I will see you tomorrow because no man knows the day or the hour the world ends.

Lawrence It is truth that lots of evil does abound, yet we still do not know the time of the end, and this is indeed a good thing. Think about what you would do until the day of the end!! Some would not live righteously but do their thing until the day is over. Then some just might repent. Who know?

It’s just not tomorrow!!

ANOTHER SHOOTING AND THIS TIME IN CONNECTICUT. I cannot fathom why some do not talk out their problems, for this is good therapy, indeed. Why should they take up alms against their loved one and neighbors who are totally innocent of their problems? What a travesty to shoot innocent little children who just want to love draw, play and color? What a sad, sad situation for all families and our nation. If therapy it what is needed, parents should stop denying that their child has problems and get some help. This is not any reflection on their families. It is just good common sense. It only makes things worse when there is denial. There are many programs that are available. Get help!!

A KIND REQUEST TO FELLOW CLERGY: would you please tell children the truth about death? Stop telling them something that just appeases them only for them to find out differently later. One said that the twenty students who were killed are all angels in heaven. While this helps to ease the burden of loss this is opening up the children for some problems later, such as spiritism and séances, etc. When Whitney Houston’s daughter said that her mom turns out the lights and talks to her, etc., this is a contradictory to the Holy Word. The dead knows NOTHING and cannot act human anymore!! Students are asking many questions about death. It makes more sense to tell the truth - our beloved dead loved ones are at rest and are awaiting the call of the LIFEGIVER at the second coming of Christ.

THE EAST BATON ROUGE PUBLIC LIBRARY has a good thing going now until December 31. That is, if you have any overdue books at your home or in your car and owe a fine on them, return them on or before that date without penalty. Fine do add up and if you do not go on line to renew your books, you will be charged. Take your books back to any branch today!!

No penalty, promise!!

KUDOS TO THE TRI-PARISH CHAPTER OF DELTA SIGMA THETA. Their lovely debutante affair was worth attending and beautiful on the eyes. Good planning and great working of those plans made it all possible. Congratulations!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the students of Glasgow Middle whose artwork was on display at a downtown office. According to Teacher Dave, it was well attended and the art pieces were excellent work.

THE KREWES ARE ROLLING THROUGH THE TOWN. This time in Plaquemine as the Krewe of Cypress presented three young women at its annual debutante ball, namely Alexis White, Kathryn Miller and Emelie Barker. Congratulations to these debs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lilie Miller, Bertha Stewart, Frederick Hamilton, Charles Wilson, Maya Zoekayo, Kris McClendon, Sonique Swaggart, Joseph Dixon, Lonnie Dixon, Sr. Shamika Dixon, and Rhonda McFarlin.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to Ms. Claudia Louise Jefferson-Robinson from your Best Friend Walter and love you always.

WITH LOVE AND SYMPATHY to the families of the late Ronald Brown, Dixon, and O’Quinn Families. Our thought and prayers are with you at this time.

DEATH NOTICE - Mrs. Thaddeus Williams who passed recently in Texas. Watch the media for more info.

It’s Christmas!! Have a blessed one with family and friends.

Do not forget to treat yourself (yes, yourself) well. (Smile) Love, Marge

Rules

from page 1

$25 reconnect fee will remain the same.

Residents will also have until 8 a.m. on the eighth day after their bills become overdue to pay before they are put on the “cutoff list.”

Under the old rule, late

payments had to be received before 4:30 p.m. one week after the bill became overdue.

Public Works Director Julie McCulloch explained that payments are overdue the day after the “regular due date” as listed on the bill.

Visit Us Online @ www.theweeklypress.com

Thinking of The Perfect Gift for Your Family Add New Floors to Your Holiday Season List!

Gerard Flooring

COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL FLOORING INSTALLATION SPECIALISTS CERAMIC TILE • MARBLE • HARDWOOD FLOORS • COUNTER TOPS STRIPING AND REFINISHING • MEXICAN AND BRICK FLOORS

BEAUTIFUL FLOORING IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY. SCHEDULE YOUR FREE ESTIMATE TODAY! contact David G. Payne

(225) 302-7782

Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 3

Phi Delta Kappa Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Pictured from left standing next to the Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International 50 Year Charter are Dr. Christopher Hunte, Patricia Witson, Chairwoman Janifer Peters, Chapter President, Mary I. Thomas, and Phi Delta Kappa International President-Elect Dr. Patricia Williams.

The Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International celebrated its 50th Anniversary in conjunction with its Annual Initiation Banquet on December 1, at the Holiday Inn South Hotel. Over 100 Kappans and guests were in attendance. Theme for the event was “Celebrating 50 years of Excellence in Leadership, Research, and Service.”

Speakers for the occasion were Phi Delta Kappa International President-Elect, Dr. Patricia Williams, and East Baton Rouge Parish School Superintendent, Dr. Bernard Taylor. They were introduced by Mary I. Thomas, SU PDK Chapter President, and Dr. Saundra McGuire, respectively. Annette Yancy served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the event. The Shiloh Baptist Church Male Quartet under the direction of Everett Parker

Shooting

provided musical selections.

Joel Jackson, Alcorn State University college freshmen and former Istrouma High School SU PDK FEA Leader also provided musical selections.

Ten outstanding educators were initiated into the Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International during the anniversary celebration and they are: Helen Batiste-Gonzales, Tonya Bethley, Clara Clark-Brooks, Rodney Coates, Charles Etta Coleman, Colleen Eames, Dr. Ken Ford, Melvin Hollins, Eileen Kennedy, and Susie MinorBoudreaux.

Janifer Peters chaired the 50th Anniversary Program with assistance from Juanita Culbert, Mary I. Thomas, Nita Ridley, Patricia Witson, Dr. Tonya Rose, Leroy Washington, and Bernard Williams.

from page 1

congressional gun rights supporters to consider new legislation to control firearms, and there is some fear that their willingness to engage could fade as the shock and sorrow over the Newtown shooting eases.

Biden’s prominent role in the process could be an asset for the White House in getting gun legislation through Congress. The vice president spent decades in the Senate and has been called on by Obama before to use his long-standing relationships with lawmakers to build support for White House measures.

Many pro-gun lawmakers also have called for a greater focus on mental health issues and the impact of violent entertainment. White House aides say stricter gun laws alone are not the answer.

“It’s a complex problem that requires more than one solution,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. “It calls for not only re-examining our gun laws and how well we enforce them, but also for engaging mental health professionals, law enforcement officials, educators, parents and communities to find those solutions.”

Still, much of the immediate focus after the shooting is on gun control, an issue that has been dormant in Washington for years. Obama expended little

political capital on gun issues during his first term, despite several mass shootings, including a movie theater attack in Aurora, Colo., in the midst of this year’s presidential campaign.

The White House has begun to signal that Obama may be more proactive on gun issues following the murders of the elementary school youngsters, ages 6 and 7.

Carney said Obama was “actively supportive” of legislation to reinstate a ban on assaultstyle weapons that expired in 2004. The president long has supported a ban, but exerted little effort to get it passed during his first term. Obama also would support closing a gun show loophole allowing people to buy arms from private dealers without background checks and would be interested in legislation limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines, Carney said.

The policy process Obama was announcing Wednesday was expected to include input from the departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. The heads of those agencies met with Obama at the White House on Monday.

The Department of Homeland Security is also expected to play a key role in the effort the president will announce.

First Marine In Three Decades to Commission From Grambling State University BATON ROUGE, LA – Marine Corps Recruiting Station (RS) Baton Rouge is pleased to announce the graduation and commissioning of Officer Candidate Olaolu Oguyemi, who was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps following his commencement at Grambling State University, Grambling La., in the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Officer Candidate Olaolu Oguyemi was the first Marine Officer to commission from Grambling State in more than three decades. In attendance was Major Gen. Ronald Bailey, commanding general of the First Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif., who rendered the oath of office to Oguyemi after he received his degree on stage.

In attendance was U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu’s office.

Oguyemi is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from the college of business, and is a graduate of Simsboro High school in Simsboro, La. After his graduation and commissioning into the Marine Corps, Oguyemi will report to The Basic School (TBS), Quantico, Va., where he will learn the art and science of Marine officer military tactics and planning processes prior to his Military Occupational Specialty

Lt. Gov. Dardenne Appoints Tullos As Museum Chief

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne is appointing Baton Rouge native Mark Tullos to lead the Louisiana State Museum system. Tullos will begin his duties as assistant secretary of the Louisiana State Museum Jan. 21. He has served as Director of the Hilliard University Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 2005. Tullos has worked as a museum executive for more than 27 years. He has been the Director or Executive Director of museums in Waco, Texas; West Pal m Beach, Fla.; Alexandria, La.; Ocean Springs, Miss. and Lufkin, Texas. He has also served the museum community as a member of the honors committee and a peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums, a panelist for the National Museum Service Board and a member of the state arts councils of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Florida.

“Mark brings extensive e experience in museum management and national accolades to the State Museum,” Lt. Governor Dardenne said. “His skill set, man-

LABI

to the submission process for four-year Branch Scholarships.

Executive officers from the 48 recruiting stations across the nation began forwarding packages of regular Marine-option NROTC scholarship prospects to MCRC for consideration.

In 2012 and for the first time since the program began in 2006, Marine Corps Recruiting Command awarded all 34 allotted four-year Frederick C. Branch Leadership Scholarships to qualified men and women who attend or plan on attending participating historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The Marine Corps is committed to making concerted efforts to attract, mentor, and re-

tain the most talented men and women who bring a diversity of background, culture and skill in service to our Nation.

Investing in a diverse and representative officer corps will help generate and sustain a future force that has the cultural expertise, language skill sets and a variety of philosophies needed to meet the operational requirements of the Marine Corps.

Please contact Capt. Barry Morris, Public Affairs 6th Marine Corps District Recruiting Station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at 843-737-2500 or by email at barry.morris@marines. usmc.mil for additional information.

CNA Training School

“Get Certified in ONLY 3 Weeks!”

225-692-7028/or 225-636-8294 24035 Railroad Ave. Plaquemine, La 70764

agement style, energy, enthusiasm and personality will enable him to provide excellent leadership for our museum and to help develop a long term strategic plan for the system.”

Days, Evenings, or Saturday classes available Courses: CNA, CPR, DSW and Phlebotomy Classes

from page 1

business climate. Beginning with passage of Louisiana’s right-towork law in 1976 to spearheading historic education reforms of 2012, LABI is a powerful force for business in Louisiana politics.

Please contact Kristi Williams with Communications at 225-215-6625 for more information.

INJURED IN A CAR WRECK? If this happens to you call Attorney McManus

not a real accident

Call the McManus law office and get all you deserve

Charles C. McManus A T T O R N E Y

(MOS) School.

The Marine Corps Recruiting Command’s enduring relationship with Historically Black Colleges and Universities continues to evolve. For example, the Marine’s enduring commitment to support the Bayou Classic.

Additionally, Marines are raising awareness of the Frederick C. Branch Leadership Scholarship.

The Branch Scholarship, named after the first African-American Marine officer, is a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship available to eligible students, regardless of ethnic background, who attend one of 17 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) participating in the program. While Grambling currently doesn’t participate in the program, some of the schools included are Clark Atlanta, Howard, Hampton, Texas Southern, Tuskegee and Xavier universities.

Since the Frederick C. Branch Leadership Scholarship began in 2006, 68 have been made available each year. Annually, each of the 17 schools has potential to award one twoyear scholarship, one three-year scholarship and two four-year scholarships. However, many of them have gone un-awarded, especially the four-year scholarships.

In 2011 changes were made

A T

Dec. 15 Forest Community Park from 6-8p.m.

225-752-1853 Gus Young Park from 10 a.m.to noon 225-926-5848

L A W

8520 Scotland Ave, Suite C • Baton Rouge, La. 225-774-5771

charlesmcmanus@ mcmanuslawoffice.brcoxmail.com www.charlesmcmanus.com

Dec. 7 Lovett Road Park from 6-8 p.m.

225-261-0126

brec.org

Commentary Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 4

A Short Commentary on Weekly Options Mark D. Wolfinger My general premise – often repeated – is that it is less risky to trade options with longer, rather than shorter lifetimes. True, shorter-term options come with more rapid time decay, and that is very appealing when using strategies in which we earn our money from that time decay. However, shorter-term options are, or may soon become, loaded with negative gamma.

With that increased negative gamma comes an increased chance of losing a lot of money in a hurry. The intelligent and conservative trader does not sell naked options, but even call or put credit spreads can appreciate in value very quickly when the options we sold become ATM or ITM. Call credit spread: A position in which the trader buys one call and sells another. The option sold has the higher delta and the higher option price (premium).

Both options expire at the same time and are on the same underlying asset.

Put credit spread: A position in which the trader buys one put and sells another. The option sold has the higher delta and the higher

option price.

Longer-term options have less gamma, and undergo a more moderate delta change as the underlying stock moves. Thus, when the stock rises or falls, credit spread traders have more time to react (exit or make a risk-reducing adjustment). Profits are earned much more slowly because time decay is far slower for longer-term options.

If Weeklys appeal to you, I recommend trading small position size. These puppies come with higher-than-usual risk, regardless of whether you buy or sell them.

It is the increased rate of loss that makes the short-term position so dangerous to hold.

Of course, we don’t have to sell Weeklys or any other option.

We can opt to purchase them. The risk here is that the options will decay too rapidly, and if the anticipated move in the stock price does not occur quickly, there is little time for recovery. Buying these Weeklys is truly a hit or miss proposition.

Regards, Mark D. Wolfinger http://www.mdwoptions.com/ Premium/home-page

Letter to the Editor: This isn’t an official MoveOn response or anything, but I wanted to personally compliment you on your excellent interview piece. . . that’s really what it was, rather than a standard opinion or analysis column. . . with Louis Reine of the Louisiana AFL-CIO in yesterday’s Advocate. My history of involvement with unions is sketchy at best, including some time as a member of AFGE while working for the Veterans Administration in the late seventies and early eighties. But more instructive was a closely contested unionization vote in 1977 at a Silicon Valley microfilm factory. The union in question, Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers, had been approached by senior workers in this company about the issue of “topping out” wages and benefits.

Many of them had been with the Wunderkind founders of the company from the git-go when they broke off from Memorex with a new coating process that revolutionized the manufacture of Diazo microfilm (how dated that sounds) but also ended up as a key element in the newly burgeoning manufacture of micro processing circuit boards.

They expressed their concern to management one on one, but were told the way out was for promotion within the company’s planned expansion. What they came away with however, was the uncomfortable realization that even within expansion mode, there were only so many positions to promote people up to who had served their time in the company.

The union lost that very narrowly, missing by four votes in a company of about 300 employees. There was later a “lay off” of an entire shift, where many of those senior employees worked, and that was later determined by the NLRB to be a retaliatory action on the part of the company against the cadre they considered the instigators of the unionization campaign.

I was not one of the senior employees by a long shot, but I was a union supporter on that particular shift and the resulting lay off led me into a long string of adventures that you could say continue to this day, but that’s rather beside the point.

I was struck by Mr. Reine’s thoughts on how people cuss out unions. . . as if they are somehow single-handedly responsible for the hard times some companies or government agencies go through. Even at the time of that election in 1977, I was hearing from an awful lot of rank and file workers at the plant about their misgivings regarding union representation, and I found it difficult to

believe the persistence of a lot of misconceptions. There were some issues in those days related to certain unions’ involvement with organized crime entities, which was a reality being dealt with at the time, but I think that was certainly a red herring in our instance. Others expressed concerns about union leaders and reps feathering their own nests in some fashion or another, focusing on the power exercised over labor decisions by local officers and shop stewards, but I was not ready to swallow that either. I have heard these arguments ever since, in a whole range of situations, from people I think should know better, ascribing to unions as organizations the failings of individuals within particular work environments. I don’t think unions as large bureaucracies are any more or less inclined to that kind of inefficiency than corporations or government agencies are themselves. We can look to works like Parkinson’s Law to understand that, which is a phenomenon that affects companies, educational systems, medical centers, the military, and so on and so forth.

What I do understand is that unions are responsible for safety and health regulation, a reasonable approach to compensation and benefits such as health insurance and retirement, and such niceties as the weekend. I also found the point made about business and industrial groups pooling their resources into representative organizations to negotiate with both commercial and governmental entities to be very salient in this discussion. Why anyone would think labor should not in like fashion look to the interests of their members is beyond me, but it also surprises me how often you hear that from working class folks who somehow think they will be ill used by union organizations, even as they kvetch about how bad their situation is at work.

This issue, and the phenomenon of intense anti-union campaigns by the conservative and industrial elite even as union membership is seemingly in decline, is something that is going to be affecting our political discourse for the next several years. I am glad you could lend Mr. Reine and the union movement the space to put some of the key facts of the matter before the public eye. I suspect you’re gonna catch hell for it, but at the very least it was appreciated in one corner of Baton Rouge. Keep up the good work.

Ed Behan Baton Rouge, Louisiana 225-769-9223

By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist

One Week, Two Sides of Obama the Senate.

Over the span of one week, two different sides of President Obama emerged in different yet unforgettable terms. This first was political, involving Susan Rice’s decision to withdraw her name as a candidate for Secretary of State. The second was deeply personal in the wake of mass murders in a Newtown, Conn. elementary school.

In a column explaining her decision to withdraw her name, Rice said: “ …As it became clear that my potential nomination would spark an enduring partisan battle, I concluded that it would be wrong to allow this debate to continue distracting from urgent national priorities — creating jobs, growing our economy, addressing our deficit, reforming our immigration system and protecting our national security.”

That was the public perception: A loyal UN Ambassador declining to fight for a promotion so that an embattled president could avoid a showdown with Republican hypocrites in

Just as Rice withdrew her name to give Obama a way out, I believe that if the president had insisted, Rice would have kept her name in the ring and ultimately would have been confirmed by the Senate to succeed Hillary Clinton as the next Secretary of State. But evidently Obama would rather switch than fight, to paraphrase an old cigarette commercial.

According to the Washington Post, “When asked if Obama had tried to dissuade her, [Rice] said that he ‘understood that this was the right decision, and that I made it for the right reasons.’”

In his statement accepting Rice’s decision, Obama said, “While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first…”

Obama didn’t demonstrate any strength of character when he abandoned Rice. And this is one of the troubling things about

Obama: He frequently caves in to Republican extremists, even when he has public opinion on his side.

When Obama first defended Rice, we all thought he had finally discovered some political backbone. He said at a news conference, “If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody they should go after me. For them to go after the UN ambassador who had nothing to do with Benghazi…to besmirch her reputation is outrageous.”

Game on. Or so we thought.

Had Obama chosen to fight, it would have set the tone for his second term. Instead, he retreated behind the comfort and safety of Susan Rice’s loyalty rather than standing up to conservative bullies. Republicans not only have Rice as a political trophy, but if Senator John Kerry is the eventual nominee as expected, they will get a chance to replace him with Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

This is not the first case of political timidity by Democrats.

Republicans nominate – and fight for – for extreme ideo-

logues to serve on the Supreme Court. Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and John Roberts are but three examples. But weakkneed Democrats are afraid to fight for liberal justices and instead settle for centrist nominees who will be “accepted” by Republicans. The end result is a more conservative Supreme Court because Republicans nominate far-right conservatives and Democrats don’t have the guts to offer a liberal counter-balance. This was true of both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

While President Obama refused to fight for a Susan Rice nomination to be Secretary of State, he demonstrated in Newtown, Conn. that he is at his best when serving as Comforter-inChief to a bereaved nation.

The president visited the city two days after the massacre of 20 young children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. According to authorities, Adam P. Lanza, a 20-year-old gunman, inflicted the carnage before killing himself.

See obama, on page 5

Dear God! When Will It Stop?

By Marian Wright Edelman NNPA Columnist The horrendous news from Newtown, Conn. has pierced our hearts. A black-clad man in his 20s armed with two semiautomatic handguns, entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School and made an elementary school for kindergartners through fourth graders the scene of the worst mass shooting in a public school in American history. Twenty children were shot and killed. Six adults were shot and killed. We don’t yet know how many were wounded. We do know dozens of parents are experiencing the worst nightmare any parent could imagine. We do know more than 500 young children in the school are traumatized.

Once again we are faced with unspeakable horror from gun violence and once again we are reminded that there is no safe harbor for our children. How young do the victims have to be and how many children need to die before we stop the proliferation of guns in our nation and the killing of innocents? The most recent statistics reveal 2,694 children and teens were killed by gunfire in 2010 – 1,773 of them were victims of homicide and 67 of these were elementary schoolage children. If those children and teens were still alive they would fill 108 classrooms of 25 each. Since 1979 when gun death data were first collected by age,

a shocking 119,079 children and teens have been killed by gun violence. That is more child and youth deaths in America than American battle deaths in World War I (53,402) or in Vietnam (47,434) or in the Korean War (33,739) or in the Iraq War (3,517). Where is our anti-war movement to protect children from pervasive gun violence here at home?

This slaughter of innocents happens because we protect guns, before children and other human beings. Our hearts and prayers go out to the parents and teachers and children and the entire Newtown community that has been ripped apart by each bullet shot this morning. We know from past school shootings and the relentless killing of children every day that Newtown families and the community will never be the same.

The Newtown families who lost children today will never be the same. The families of the teachers who were killed will never be the same. Every child at the Sandy Hook Elementary School this morning will never be the same.

Each of us must do more to stop this intolerable and wanton epidemic of gun violence and demand that our political leaders do more. We can’t just talk about it after every mass shooting and then do nothing until the next mass shooting when we profess shock and talk about it again. The latest terrible trag-

edy at Sandy Hook Elementary School is no fluke. It is a result of the senseless, immoral neglect of all of us as a nation to protect children instead of guns and to speak out against the pervasive culture of violence and proliferation of guns in our nation. It is up to us to stop these preventable tragedies.

We have so much work to do to build safe communities for our children and need leaders at all levels of government who will stand up against the NRA and for every child’s right to live and learn free of gun violence.

But that will not happen until mothers and grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, and neighbors and faith leaders and everybody who believes that children have a right to grow up safely stand up together and make a mighty ruckus as long as necessary to break the gun lobby’s veto on common sense gun policy. Our laws and not the NRA must control who can obtain firearms.

It is way past time to demand enactment of federal gun safety measures, including: •Ending the gun show loophole that allows private dealers to sell guns without a license and avoid required background checks; • Reinstating the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004; and • Requiring consumer

safety standards for all guns.

Why in the world do we regulate teddy bears and toy guns and not real guns that have snuffed out tens of thousands of child lives? Why are leaders capitulating to the powerful gun lobby over the rights of children and all people to life and safety?

I hope these shocking Connecticut child sacrifices in this holy season will force enough of us at last to stand up, speak out, and organize with urgency and persistence until the president, members of Congress, governors and state legislators put child safety ahead of political expediency. And we must aspire and act together to become the world leader in protecting children against gun violence rather than leading the world in child victims of guns. Every child’s life is sacred and it is long past time that we protect all our children.

Albert Camus, Nobel Laureate, speaking at a Dominican monastery in 1948 said: “Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which children are tortured.

But we can reduce the number of tortured children.” He described our responsibility as human beings “if not to reduce evil, at least not to add to it” and “to refuse to consent to conditions which torture innocents.”

It is time for a critical mass of Americans to refuse to consent See dear god!, on page 5

The views expressed in the editiorial columns are not necessarily the veiws of The Weekly Press or its staff. Address all opinions and comments to: Letters to the Editior, P.O. Box 74485 Baton Rouge, La. 70874 or E-mail them to: theweeklypress@yahoo.com

Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 5

IRS Offers Tax Tips for “The Season of Giving” IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2012-15

December is traditionally a month for giving generously to charities, friends and family.

But it’s also a time that can have a major impact on the tax return you’ll file in the New Year. Here are some “Season of Giving” tips from the IRS covering everything from charity donations to refund planning: · Contribute to Qualified Charities. If you plan to take an itemized charitable deduction on your 2012 tax return, your donation must go to a qualified charity by Dec. 31.

Ask the charity about its taxexempt status. You can also visit IRS.gov and use the Exempt Organizations Select Check tool to check if your favorite charity is a qualified charity.

Donations charged to a credit card by Dec. 31 are deductible for 2012, even if you pay the bill in 2013. A gift by check also counts for 2012 as long as you mail it in December. Gifts

Obama

given to individuals, whether to friends, family or strangers, are not deductible. · What You Can Deduct.

You generally can deduct your cash contributions and the fair market value of most property you donate to a qualified charity. Special rules apply to several types of donated property, including clothing or household items, cars and boats. · Keep Records of All Donations. You need to keep a record of any donations you deduct, regardless of the amount.

You must have a written record of all cash contributions to claim a deduction. This may include a cancelled check, bank or credit card statement or payroll deduction record. You can also ask the charity for a written statement that shows the charity’s name, contribution date and amount.

See tax Tips, on page 7

from page 4

“I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our children tight,” President Obama said. “And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it.”

Obama noted that he has attended similar services in three other cities.

“Since I’ve been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors.

Dear God!

The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims,” he said.

“And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America – victims whose – much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter. com/currygeorge.

from page 4

to the killing of children by gun violence.

Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy

Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.

business

Deadline Approaching for Property Owners to Claim 2008 Citizens Assessment Rebate Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon and Department of Revenue (LDR) Director of Customer Service Kent LaPlace are reminding property insurance policyholders that time is running out to claim a rebate for the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) Assessment charged on their 2008 insurance policy. The option to claim the 2008 assessment expires December 31, 2012.

More than half, 52 percent, or $52 million of the $100 million Citizens Assessment for 2008 remains unclaimed.

Property owners having property and casualty insurance during any of the last four years should also claim the rebate for the Citizens Assessment charged on their property in-

surance policy. Currently, more than $287 million or 61 percent of the total rebate amount available for 2008 through 2012 is unclaimed.

“It’s a simple process,” said Commissioner Donelon.

“Just fill out the Louisiana Department of Revenue R-540INS tax form for the year in which you paid the Citizens Assessment and mail it in with your insurance declaration page showing the assessment has been included in the insurance premium. It takes only a few minutes to fill out the very short form.”

Policyholders can also visit www.revenue.louisiana. gov/fileonline, register as a user, and follow the links to LDR’s new web application designed

to help individuals claim their Citizens rebate. Policyholders can choose to receive the rebate by direct deposit, paper check or a pre-loaded debit card. Individual policyholders may also claim the rebate by amending a prior-year tax return.

Businesses may claim the Citizens Rebate only by filing Department of Revenue Form R620INS or by filing a current-year or amended tax return. A copy of the insurance policy declaration page showing proof of the assessment amount must be attached to any claim form.

You can choose to claim the rebate as soon as you pay the insurance premium that includes the Citizens Assessment or when filing your Louisiana state income tax return. Be careful not to claim

the rebate on both the INS form and the tax return since this will delay your refund. LDR reminds taxpayers not to claim the total insurance premium, only the Citizens Assessment. Claiming the total premium will delay the processing of the refund as well.

LDR recommends that those who pay the Citizens Assessment on more than one property send in a single INS form for all properties each year rather than a separate INS form for each property. An R-INS Supplement form should be used for more than one property. Otherwise the second claim will automatically be delayed for review.

Louisiana Department of Insurance Available Citizens Assessments Unclaimed as of November 1, 2012

Error on Your Credit Report? Here’s Help

By Jason Alderman If you’ve ever tried to remove inaccurate of fraudulent information from your credit report and gotten the runaround, take heart: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now on the case.

In July 2012, the watchdog agency, formed as a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, gained authority to supervise the entire major consumer reporting agencies.

The CFPB now advocates for consumers who have complaints regarding interactions with credit bureaus and identity theft protection services. This adds to the agency’s consumer grievance oversight, which already included mortgages, bank accounts, consumer loans and private student loans.

“Credit reporting companies exert great influence over the lives of consumers,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in announcing his agency’s new responsibility. “They help determine eligibility for loans, housing, and sometimes jobs. Consumers need an avenue of recourse when they

feel they have been wronged.”

You can seek assistance from the CFPB if you have issues with: Incorrect information on your credit report; How a consumer-reporting agency is handling its investigation of your complaint; The improper use of a credit report; Being unable to get a copy of a credit score or file; and Problems with credit monitoring or identity-protection services.

Here’s how the new system works: If you believe your credit report contains incorrect or fraudulent information, you should first file a dispute with and get a response directly from that credit reporting company before contacting the CFPB. The same goes if you have an issue with how the company is handling its investigation of your grievance – for example, if they don’t respond in writing within 30 days.

If, after filing your grievance, you are dissatisfied with the resolution, you may file a complaint with the CFPB using

any of the following methods: File online at www.cfpb.gov/ complaint Call toll-free at 855-4112372 Fax it to 855-237-2392 Mail to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, P.O. Box 4503, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244.

Once your complaint has been logged, you’ll be given a tracking number to check its

status. Each complaint will be processed individually and sent to the credit bureau in question for response. The CFPB expects companies to respond within 15 days with information about the steps they have taken or plan to take. You’ll have the option to dispute the company’s response to your complaint.

Credit reporting compaSee credit Report, on page 7

TRINITY HOUSE LLC RITA J. EDWARDS OPERATOR?OWNER 2531 Airline Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA. 70805 225-356-6063 225-572-9597 trinityhouse1@aol.com AFFORDABLE ROOMS FOR RENT WEEKLY OR MONTHLY

Buying or Selling a service?

Call the Weekly Press to place your advertisment.

225-775-2002

Public Notice Louisiana State Permanent Supportive Housing Program

PSH eligibility and placement on a waiting list do not guarantee that applicants will be offered a unit. PSH vouchers have already been assigned to landlords and property owners for specific units and cannot be transferred.

Applicant households must meet all criteria to be eligible for the waiting list. To qualify for the PSH Program: the household income must be at or below 50% of the Area Median Income with a preference for incomes at or below 30% of AMI; the household must include a household member with a severe, long-term disability; and because of the disability, the household must be in need of supportive services in order to live independently and successfully in the community and must be eligible for Medicaid services.

Applications can be obtained by calling 225-252-9351.

Completed applications and supporting documentation should be submitted by mail to: Permanent Supportive Housing, CAHSD; 4615 Government Street, Building One; Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 or by fax (225-922-2360).

Reasonable accommodations will be made in completing applications. For assistance in completing an application, call 225-252-9351 for an appointment (required).

Ingram Barge Company is accepting applications for Deckhands.

Interested candidates must have a valid Driver’s License and High School Diploma/GED. 18 months of physical heavy labor experience preferred. These are not live-aboard positions. Applicants must live near the Baton Rouge or Reserve, LA area. Generous daily wage plus full benefit package to include Company paid retirement, 401K, medical, dental, etc.

Interested candidates can apply at www.ingrambarge.com. EOE, M/F/V/D

Great Holiday Job Opportunities!

Manage your own seasonal store.

Exciting concepts coming to Mall of Louisiana!

Earn extra $$$ for the Holidays!

Call Kathryn 888-422-5637 x119

Email your News Articles to

REMEMBER TO VOTE

DEC 8TH

thewpres@bellsouth.net

The waiting lists for the Louisiana State Permanent Supportive Housing Program in the Capital Area are now open.

This area includes the following waiting lists: • Ascension • East Feliciana • East Baton Rouge • Iberville • Pointe Coupee • West Baton Rouge • West Feliciana • Capital Area Elderly Only • Capital Area Single-Occupancy

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Hair Replacement Weaving Infusions Braiding Spa Packages Insurance & Medicare Accepted

GROW YOUR HAIR 1 INCH IN 2- 4 WEEKS

Ask about our Rapid Growth Hair System CELEBRITY LACE EXTENSION HAIR EXTENSIONS

(225)924-7007 927-7007 (225) visit us at www.uniquecreationsinc.com spa: www.uniquecrationsspa.com 9444 FLORIDA BLVD

HELP WANTED Controller (Baton Rouge, LA), Duties incl. direct & oversee preparation of financial reports, manage inventory accounting in nail & saloon supplies, etc. Must have a Master’s degree in Accounting + 36 mnths of exp in Accounting. Send resume to Dat Ton, CEO, ALFALFA NAIL SUPPLY, INC., 11488 S. CHOCTAW DRIVE, BATON ROUGE, LA 70815. Please write “Controller-2012” on the bottom right corner of the envelope. No phone calls or emails accepted!

HELP WANTED: AUDITOR III AUDITOR III. Will manage, plan, & perform complex rate case audits of public utilities; testify at public hearings; provide technical assistance to utilities & internally regarding accounting & financial matters; assist audit director &/or audit supervisor in development, recommendation, & implementation of program changes, policies, & general operating procedures. Reqs: Master’s, Accounting. Must possess familiarity with: auditing of water, wastewater, electric & gas utilities, including: accounting policies & practices of public utilities; review & analysis of utility filings & prior audits; analysis of audit findings & preparation of reports; development of nonopposition letters; participation in public hearings. Job Location is Baton Rouge, LA. To apply send résumé & credentials to Judy Whitmire, Louisiana Public Service Commission, 602 North Fifth Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70821. Must refer to Job #11646 to be considered.

Page 6 • The

Weekly Press • Thursday, December 20, 2012

Religion

Saints, It’s Important To Know Your Kingdom Benefits

By Donald Lee Here’s some Good News for you (those who’ll hearken unto the voice of the Lord as He speaks through this column): The Lord wants to reveal to you the mysteries of the kingdom and you will (if you adhere to this Word, His Word) begin to access, or take advantage of, the fringe benefits He’s laid up for you.

The kingdom of God is made up of God’s people, those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Savior.

As Dr. Myles Munroe, televangelist and best-selling author, so eloquently shares in his book “Kingdom Principles: Preparing for Kingdom Experience and Ex-

pansion,” the Kingdom of God means God’s will executed, God’s jurisdiction, heaven’s influence, God’s administration, and God’s impact and influence.

So those of us who are the adopted children of God via the sacrifice of the Lamb Christ Jesus are under the jurisdiction or dominion of the King of kings — the Almighty God. And as our Savior Jesus Christ says in Luke 17:21, “the Kingdom of God is within you” (if you’ve crowned Him as your Lord).

We, as Christians, must understand that the kingdom is not a religion. The kingdom is our culture, our way of living. And it comes with countless benefits.

Even now, with so many ill-informed Christians speaking

against tongues — our heavenly prayer language given by God Himself through the baptism of the Holy Spirit — I’m (right now) writing in a heavenly language or a “tongue” in the sense that anybody who can read English can read this column. But for those who are without true understanding of the kingdom and how it functions here in the earth, I may as well be writing in a non-English language (or a language that the reader of this column does not understand).

I highly recommend that you read: 1st Corinthians (chapter) 2: (verses) 4-7, 9-14 (with a heavy emphasis on verses 12-14).

If you have an Amplified Bible, definitely read the Amplified version, which may break down the Word a tad better than the King James Version. But any version, though, will work (it’s all the Word of God).

What the above scriptures do is explain, right off the top, that it is impossible for a great many of people to understand what I’m about to say next because comprehension comes by

way of the Holy Ghost operating within the believer (see verses 10 and 14). If someone does not have the Holy Ghost, then it is impossible to understand what I’m about to say. But don’t take my word for it, read the scriptures yourself.

Mature saints have got to get back to winning souls for Christ and teaching other saints about the kingdom of God here in the earth and how a complete awareness, or thorough knowledge acted upon, of the kingdom will prevent a lot of the destruction we see on the news daily.

Exodus 12 tells us that God instructs His people how to cover themselves and their families in lamb’s blood (the lambs referred to in Exodus 12 is symbolic of the protective, hedge-forming blood of Jesus), which will spare them (even today) when everyone else around them is being killed (also see Psalm 91 [verses 5-11], which also talks about God’s protection over His people).

What happens in cases where we see people killing other people in fits of rage at a

particular location? Principalities, or the powers of darkness, strongly influenced one human being to go on a killing spree. In other words, demon spirits (in the unseen realm, the spiritual realm) operated through one human being and led him to kill others (Ephesians 6:12 ).

What could’ve happened to prevent such tragic chains of events? (Ephesians 6:13, Amplified) “Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist AND stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”

The “armor” spoken of in this scripture is referring to the Word of God. When acted upon by the believer (or Kingdom citizen), the Word provides protection, a covering, a hedge, divine intervention on the behalf of those who love God AND are knowledgeable of His Word and how the Word works.

Ephesians 6:16 tell us that faith (acted upon) quenches all

the fiery darts of the wicked. In other words, “faith” in God’s Word, when applied, disarms the enemy (Satan) in his attacks.

How can something like this be prevented from happening again (especially to Kingdom citizens)?

To sum up what Jesus says in Matthew 16:13-19: “Revelation” knowledge (also called the “rock”) stops “the gates of hell” (represented by other people being used as Satan’s instruments in the earth) from being successful.

Donald Lee, founder and pastor of Kingdom Living Christian Center in Dallas, is a free-lance journalist and co-author of “Married to Commitment,” the powerful book on building and maintaining godly relationships. He can be reached for comment at pastordonjlee@yahoo.com or [225] 773-2248.

To order your copy of “Married to Commitment,” please call Xulon Press Christian Publishing tollfree at (866) 909-2665 or order online at http://www.xulonpress. com.

So, This Is How The World Ends Dr. James L. Snyder Since the election, there has been a lot of jibber-jabber by the kings and queens of jibber-jabber about some financial cliff we are facing. I have no idea what they are talking about, and I have a suspicion they do not either, but if I am to guess I would say, it is not a great leap of faith.

The great thing about being a jibber-jabber is you do not have to know what you are

jibber-jabbering about. In fact, the less you know the more you can jabber your jib.

As one great American consumer and I only speak for myself, I am tired of all of this nonsense.

In the light of this, I bring good news concerning this ominous financial cliff. I am always happy to bring a little bit of good news in the midst of all of the twaddle and idiotic jibber-jabbing that goes on in our

vistit us online @

www.theweeklypress.com

country. I know good news does not make the front page but I think it helps those of us who are tired of the bad news.

The good news concerning this financial cliff is that we do not have to worry about it at all, thanks to the Mayan’s calendar.

Wherever they are, somebody needs to congratulate them on saving not only our world but also our country from a financial disaster. If we had the time, I would recommend that they be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Mayan’s calendar, the end of the world, whatever that means, is to take place on December 21. How they had the foresight to come to our rescue at such a portentous time we will never know.

Thanks to them, we do not have to worry about any financial cliff that might be looming ahead of

us.

I think this should be enough to silence all of this political jibber-jabber the rest of us are tired of hearing.

As grateful as I am to the Mayan calendar, I do have a little bone to pick with them.

I do not mind people predicting the end of the world.

Really, they have nothing on me.

For years I have predicted the end of the world at the end of every month. Believe me, some months I really came close to the end of the world. At least the end of my world.

If the Mayans were so smart, where in the world are they now?

I am rather suspicious of their disappearance, especially, when we come to the end of the world according to their predicSee world, on page 7

Church Directory

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

vistit us online @

www.theweeklypress.com Email your Church News Articles to

thewpres@bellsouth.net

Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

World

Health

from page 6

tion. If they can predict the end of our world, why were they not able to predict the end of their world?

“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25 KJV).

I do not know how the world is going to end, but

I do know who is really in charge.

Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores.

Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His web site is www.jamessnyderministries.com

Credit Report nies issue more than 3 billion consumer credit reports a year and maintains files on more than 200 million Americans. Among other things, they track the number and types of credit accounts you use, how long they’ve been open and whether you’ve paid your bills on time.

“The consequences of errors in a consumer report can be catastrophic for a consumer, shutting him or her out of credit markets, jeopardizing employment prospects, or significantly increasing the cost of housing,” noted the CFPB’s announcement.

You can order one free

Tax Tips

from page 5

credit report per year from the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. (Order through www. annualcreditreport.com; otherwise you’ll pay a small fee.)

Proactively ordering your reports on a regular basis can help identify bad credit behavior and spot fraudulent activity or errors before they can damage your credit.

To learn more about credit reports and scores, visit the CFPB’s website, www.cfpb.gov.

Another good resource is What’s My Score (www.whatsmyscore. org), a financial literacy program run by Visa Inc.

from page 5

· Gather Records in a Safe Place . As long as you’re gathering those records for your charitable contributions, it’s a good time to start rounding up documents you will need to file your tax return in 2013.

This includes receipts, canceled checks and other documents that support income or deductions you will claim on your tax return. Be sure to store them in a safe place so you can easily access them later when you file your tax return. · Plan Ahead for Major Purchases. If you are making major purchases during the

holiday season, don’t base them solely on the expectation of receiving your tax refund before the bills arrive. Many factors can impact the timing of a tax refund. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days after receiving a tax return. However, if your tax return requires additional review, it may take longer to receive your refund.

For more information about contributions, check out Publication 526, Charitable Contributions. The booklet is available on IRS.gov or order by mail at 800-TAX-FORM (800829-3676).

State Health Officials Announce Landmark Public, Private Partnership Agreements for LSU Hospitals Agreements preserve services, strengthen medical training, and expand specialty care in regions

BATON ROUGE - Today, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein and LSU System Executive Vice President for Health Care and Medical Education Redesign Dr. Frank Opelka held events in three regions of the state to announce that agreements have been reached to form public-private partnerships involving three LSU hospitals. Interim LSU Hospital and its successor University Medical Center in New Orleans will partner with Louisiana Children’s Medical Center; Leonard J. Chabert Hospital in Houma has reached agreements with Ochsner Health System and Terrebonne General Medical Center; and University Medical Center in Lafayette has formed a partnership with its neighbor, Lafayette General Medical Center.

LSU has been working to accelerate a system redesign through public-private partnerships over the past several months due to Congress’s sudden action in July that reduced Louisiana’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rate to the lowest it has been in more than 25 years. The FMAP

reduction eliminated $126.9 million in State General Funds from the LSU Health System’s budget, which amounts to a total reduction of $329.2 million when federal funds that would have been used for match are considered.

This funding loss has prompted immediate and significant reform of the State’s health care programs.

LSU officials in October announced a plan for bringing their budget to balance with these unexpected FMAP reductions that keeps all hospitals operational and maintains critical services, including the medical homemodel clinics that provide much of the care to recipients in the public hospital system today. The final, and most instrumental, part of this plan involved establishing public-private partnerships.

Three of those partnerships are part of today’s announcement.

In the first stage of these partnerships, the partner hospitals will collectively make payments totaling $12.1 million in the LSU system, allowing them to avoid previously planned staff layoffs at the public hospitals and maintain patient services at the existing locations as the partners involved progress toward final agreements. These payments are part of the hospitals investment to strengthen the local health systems and lease the public hospital property from LSU. “Today we are taking a monumental step toward modernizing our public hospital and medical training systems in Louisiana,” Opelka said. “By partner-

ing our responsibilities with local resources and providers, we are able to protect patient care, provide more training opportunities for students, and operate a more efficient and integrated health system.”

“Since Congress unexpectedly reduced Louisiana’s Medicaid funding in July, we have worked with LSU to accelerate a redesign of our public hospital and medical education training programs. These partnerships keep core services intact and offer exciting opportunities to enhance both patient care and medical education,” said Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein. “Thanks to the invaluable contributions of the legislative delegation members in the regions where these hospitals are located, we’ve been able to establish relationships that are home grown and tailored to the dynamics and needs of each region, which puts local leaders in stronger control of the future of health care in their communities.”

The terms of each of the public-private partnerships announced today preserve the patient services and graduate medical education programs already in place at the three public hospitals, while providing opportunities for increased access to specialty care and enhanced medical training through work with the partner hospitals.

The partner hospitals will lease the property of Interim LSU Hospital and its successor Uni-

versity Medical Center - New Orleans, Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma, and University Medical Center Lafayette, including the hospitals and their affiliated outpatient clinics, from LSU. The LSU staff will continue working at these facilities to maintain academic and clinical services, with the partner hospitals assuming responsibility for facility upkeep and operations.

Each of the partners will expand their roles in the clinical care, medical research and education programs provided through the LSU hospitals. The public hospitals will continue serving as the safety-net hospital in their regions for people who are uninsured and high-risk Medicaid recipients, who will continue to have access at the existing LSU hospital locations.

Each partner will make a series of milestone payments, when the memorandum of understanding is formally executed, when the cooperative endeavor agreement is executed and when the partnership is formally enacted. These payments are nonrefundable. Once the Cooperate Endeavor Agreement (CEA) is finalized, the payments can be credited toward the cost of the lease of the public hospitals and their related facilities.

Local officials and hospital leaders from each of the respective regions praised the agreements as a positive step in creating a stronger, more sustainable public hospital and graduate medical education system.

Page 8 • The

Weekly Press • Thursday, December 20, 2012

SPORTS

Saints Defense Shines in 41-0 Win Over Bucs

NEW ORLEANS — Jabari Greer made a leaping, twisting interception of Josh Freeman’s short pass to the right flat, stalling a first-quarter drive deep into New Orleans Saints territory.

In the fourth quarter, Greer outran receiver Tiquan Underwood along the sideline to pick off Freeman’s deep pass to the end zone.

In between, the rest of New Orleans’ defense did about everything right to secure the franchise’s first shutout in 17 years, while Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense made their share of big plays in a 41-0 rout of the Tampa Bay on Sunday, eliminating the Buccaneers from playoff contention.

What was easily New Orleans’ most complete performance of the season probably came too late, with the Saints (6-8) needing to win out and needing four teams to lose their last two games to sneak into the last NFC wild card spot. Yet, for Greer, playoff possibilities were beside the point.

“We are accountable to one another and no matter what situation we’re in, we’re going to band together,” Greer said. “We were going to play for the men in our locker room and the fleur-de-lis on our helmet, and that’s what we did.”

New Orleans’ defense produced five turnovers in all, four on interceptions of Freeman and one on defensive end Cameron Jordan’s strip and

New Orleans Saints strong safety Roman Harper, left, hugs cornerback Jabari Greer (33) after Greer’s second interception in the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012.

recovery on his sack of Freeman.

The fans who stayed in the Superdome until the end got an additional moment to celebrate as the Saints stopped Tampa Bay one last time at the New Orleans 10, preserving the club’s first shutout since a 12-0 win in the 1995 season finale against the Jets in New York.

The shutout meant a lot to a unit that came in ranked last in the league, in large part because of high yardage totals allowed early in the season while adjusting to the scheme of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“We’ve come a long way. Our defense the first four or five games was on pace to be one of the worst defenses ever,” Saints linebacker Jonathan Casillas said. “It’s just good to finally get a game to where we can be like, ‘All right, defense. This is us. This is what we’re really all about.’”

The Saints’ offense also looked more like the unit that set a slew of records last season.

Brees passed for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He avoided an interception for the first time in three games and connected on his scoring passes with tight end David Thomas, running back Darren Sproles and receivers Lance Moore and Joe Morgan. Mark Ingram added an 11-yard touchdown run.

“Even though maybe that Super Bowl trophy

can’t be ours this year, we still have a lot to play for,” Brees said. “We have a very prideful group of guys, but also we have a group of guys that understand the big picture, and that is that we’re going to be together for a long time and we can start building the foundation of something now that will carry over for years to come.”

Freeman by contrast, was pulled in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

“It’s my job to make sure everybody is educated as to what the play is. I’ve got to do a better job,” Freeman said. “Some of those turnovers were really odd. Chalk it up to miscommunication.”

Rafael Bush intercepted a pass thrown directly at him at the New Orleans 9, returning it 40 yards to set up a Saints touchdown drive. Isa Abdul-Quddus intercepted a long pass that Freeman seemingly threw up for grabs.

New Orleans also bottled up standout rookie running back Doug Martin, holding him to 16 yards on nine carries as the Buccaneers lost for the fourth straight time and suffered by far their most lopsided drubbing this season.

“We got our butts whipped, and that’s it,” Bucs guard Donald Penn said. “You can’t sugarcoat it. We didn’t perform today, and it’s really tough and frustrating because we have so much talent.”

Merry christmas a Joyous

New Year

Ivory J. Payne

Publisher/Founder

baton

A

To All of our Advertisers and Readers.

Thank You for Your Support! rouge,

P e o p l e ’ s

louisiana

P u b l i c at i o n

Support Our Advertisers