Crime Wave

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LAGNIAPPE MAGAZINE • APRIL 4, 2013 • VOLUME 31 NUMBER 7

Emily Fuselier Photography

contents

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30 17 BATTLE ROYALE • Political guru John Maginnis suggests that doctors and Reps. Cassidy and Fleming may be battling each other for a shot at Sen. Mary Landrieu.

26 ‘PROMOTE HUMAN DIGNITY, OPPOSE HATRED’ • This year’s Lake Charles Yom Hashoah commemoration features the stories of remarkable Holocaust survivors.

30 GANG SIGN OF THE TIMES • A “set” of Houston criminals — the “103s” — who’s affiliated with the “Bloods” out of Los Angeles — is alleged to have robbed a number of upscale South Lake Charles homes. Todd Elliott reports.

35 GOODBYE, NOLA MAE • Karla Wall pens an appreciation of the late local historian Nola Mae Ross; also, in Ross’ own words, a story of her days as a local aviation pioneer.

40 HEALTH CARE REPORT • Lagniappe looks at common food allergies and etiquette for dealing with Alzheimer’s patients.

50 HOME IMPROVEMENT • This section includes ideas for ways to make the porch the perfect oasis and shows how LED lighting is being used in the Lake Area.

26 Lagniappe Magazine Serving SWLA Since 1983 Publishers Bob Hartnett Greg Pavlovich Editor Brad Goins Associate Editor Karla Wall Assistant Laura Landry Layout & Design Mike Manis Advertising Sales Tanya Alsobrook Patty Hebert Chester Rogers Classified Manager Kenny Pierce Distribution Manager Edward Frazer Contributing Writers Jeremy Alford Dr. Dale Archer Duane Bergeron Angie Dilmore Todd Elliott Rocke Fournet Arthur Hebert John Maginnis Nola Mae Ross Rick Sarro Chuck Shepherd Vic Wukovits Office Phone (337) 433-8502 Office Fax (337) 433-8964 Mailing Address PO Box 3292 Lake Charles, LA 70602 Shipping Address 2906 Deaton Street Lake Charles, LA 70601 Editorial e-mail edit@thelanyap.com Advertising e-mail ads@thelanyap.com Classified e-mail class@thelanyap.com Lagniappe Magazine is published the first and third Thursday of each month.

Manuscripts, photographs, comments and queries are invited. Return postage must accompany all materials submitted if return is requested. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Opinions presented by the columnists in this publication do not necessarily express the views ofLagniappe Magazine.

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departments 6 8 10 12 14 16

Up Front Pierre Sez Out & About Tech Bytes Lake Area People Political Briefs

17 19 20 22 24 64

LA Politics News Roundup Weird News Taking Charge File 13 Band Schedule

65 68 69 70 72

What's Happening Reel Talk Mounted Memories Sarro On Sports Classified

COVER PHOTO OF LAUREN MILLER BY EMILY FUSELIER PHOTOGRAPHY. FASHIONS PROVIDED BY FRANKIE & CO. April 4, 2013

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up

front The Accessory Magnifique The Up Fronter sometimes fantasizes about inventing the perfect personal accessory for the Southwest Louisiana resident. What? You don’t believe it? What do you think I would fantasize about? Kristen Wiig? OK, I do. But only when I’m not too tired.

Anyway, I always figured the perfect personal accessory for Southwest Louisiana would have something to do with wearing camouflage, drinking beer, smoking Marlboro Lights, driving around in circles in the mud, keeping mud on one’s truck as long as possible, parking on yards, sitting on front porches, doing dirty dancing and participating in early motherhood.

Well, it’s all a moot point now. Somebody’s beaten me to the punch. If the picture of the “6 Pack Holster Beer-Soda Can Party Belt” runs with this column (as I hope it will), you will see for yourself why this accessory is not going to be topped in the Lake Area.

For starters, it keeps six beers within easy reach. Almost as strong a selling point is that the design is in camo. The only way you could improve the thing is if you could figure out a way to put a boudin warmer in there.

Now some may think it’s a deficit that the product is geared towards men. Well, let me predict that if men wear this product around here — and they will — it’ll be a matter of hours before the women here are wearing it too.

My Internet research reveals that the 6 Pack Holster Beer-Soda Can Party Belt has been marked down drastically all over the country. That’s a sure sign that it’s poised to become the next big thing in the Lake Area.

Cameron Ranking Irks Wagon Rut The normally placid and soft-spoken residents of Wagon Rut and Snake’s Belly, both located in Fourragere Parish, say they’re angry that Cameron Parish was recently ranked the second healthiest parish in Louisiana by a national research group.

Residents throughout Wagon Rut and Snake’s Belly claim no one in Fourragere

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Parish was ever surveyed for the study. And the parish doesn’t appear in the rankings published by the research group.

An especially vocal opponent of the findings is new parish priest and Wagon Rut resident Fr. Birotteau, usually called Pere Birroteau by the residents. “I don’t have anything against the good people of Cameron Parish,” said Mon Pere, as he is affectionately called by his parishioners. “But I think we should at least be heard. We’re people like anyone else, you know.”

Although the Father refused to comment on the matter, Wagon Rut residents are less angry than amused by the study’s findings that 15 percent of the Cameron Parish population drinks excessively. Lovable and popular Wagon Rut town drunk Eric Boulanger, who’s already been arrested five times for public intoxication this year, told the Up Fronter, “I don’t like to go to Cameron Parish too much because I can’t get served, what with the crowd at the bar. I’ve been in bars down there, hanging onto the bar trying to keep from falling down in a drunken stupor. Some Cameron drinker will say to me, ‘Hey, if you’re not going to drink, make room for people who want to. If you want to drink like that, go to Lake Charles.’ I feel like they resent it when I pause a few minutes between drinks.”

Both bar goers and bartenders in Wagon Rut are having fun with the survey results, with many bars offering a “15 percent special.” “It’s 15 beers for the price of 16,” explains Boulanger.

Offering a different perspective on the survey controversy was “English” Billy Boynton, a frequent Wagon Rut visitor. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Cameron Parish,” says Boynton. “It’s an ideal place for my import and export line. I want to meet the operator who told these posh surveyors that 15 percent of the population in Cameron Parish drinks excessively. Why, if I wanted to do it, I could sell enough spirits in Cameron Parish to buy a Bentley a day.

“And what about that finding that 45 percent of the people in Cameron Parish have some college education? Might as well find that because I can say ‘The Ides of March’ I speak some Latin. I’ve enrolled in college several times when my mates bet me I wouldn’t.

Now, when it came to my going to class, I’ll just say ‘not bloody likely.’

“I know they’re upset about the survey in Wagon Rut. But they needn’t be, mate. All it’s saying is that Cameron Parish is the next to least unhealthy parish in the most unhealthy state. You won’t catch me whinging about it.”

Thank You For Helping Us Read In years when I make a good haul, I like to report to Up Front readers what I scored at the annual book sale at the Church of the Good Shepard. This year was above average.

One find was the huge art book The Essential Joseph Beuys. I never expected to find this book at any used book sale, much less at one that priced it at $3. Most of my life, I’ve yearned for a book of Beuys’ art. Who’dve thought I’d find it here?

I also found a gaggle of history books, including Max Hastings’ famous D-Day history Overlord. And on the last day of the sale, when you can buy as many books as you like for $5, I snagged a copy of the Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare that looks brand new. I checked the title on Amazon, which would want me to pay $64 plus postage for it. I figure I paid about a quarter for it at Good Shepherd.

The biggest find of all, though, was another that couldn’t have been anticipated: a

copy of The Political Development of the City of Lake Charles, 1890-1930, by Robert Brantley Cagle, Jr., which was published as a master’s thesis at LSU in 1967. No longer will I have to drag my lazy self over to the Genealogical Library whenever I want to refer to it.

The number of books and book shoppers was impressive. Somebody in Lake Charles is doing some serious reading. The volunteers at Good Shepherd worked hard (as always) to keep the books in order and make shopping easy. (It can be hard to carry around heavy stacks of books.) We can all be thankful that these volunteers make a concerted effort to enable us to read good books.

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The Great Seal Is Really Great The Up Fronter’s reported twice now that in one big survey, 85 percent of Louisiana voters questioned said they didn’t think any state worker should make more than $175,000. Ever. For any reason.

Apparently there are a few fellows who are at least talking about stopping some highlevel state pay raises. One of them is state Rep. Simon Champagne, R-Erath, of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee. In a recent committee hearing, he asked Secretary of State Tom Schedler why he thinks his employees need a 7-percent raise in a time of “fiscal challenge.”

I’m guessing most Louisianans would consider a job in the Secretary of State’s office something that’s decidedly a political appointment. I can’t imagine what a Secretary of State’s office in Louisiana does or would do.

I went to the site of the Louisiana Secretary of State to check it out. There was a selection from the Louisiana Constitution that included this statement: “[The Secretary of state shall] serve as keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana.”

I thought this wasn’t really a big deal until I saw the first sentence of the commentary that followed, which read: “It is well-known that the secretary of state is the official keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana.”

Well, it’s not well-known to me. But I’m now convinced that the Great Seal of Louisiana is a more substantial matter than the Great Pelican or even the Great Wood Duck. Maybe the secretary and his staff are trying to keep alligators away from the Great Seal. They don’t have to worry about manatees, at any rate, as manatees are vegetarians and don’t have sharp teeth or claws.

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We’re Not All On The Bottom One of the statements from the salary scrutinizers on the Appropriations Committee made me roll my eyes. It came from a Democrat: Rep. Jim Fannin of Jonesboro. Fannin said: “These are hard times, and I believe we should all stay at the bottom together, and, when the time comes, we can rise together.”

Now you and I and Rep. Fannin all know that not all of us are down there on the bottom together. There are a certain number of our rich and affluent people who are not only way up on top, but are higher up than they’ve been in generations. They’re the folks who are plopping down $400,000 and $500,000 for those McMansions in South Lake Charles.

And not one of them has asked me for help with the mortgage payments.

How do we resolve the issue of real tax equity? We take it out of the hands of the politician and put it in the hands of the common, thinking man. Yes, I tell you I have found the solution to tax equity. I call it the Goins Doctrine. And you can read all about it in the next section.

The Goins Doctrine I’m sure most Up Front readers are familiar with the Monroe Doctrine, which was established by President James Monroe. That’s the doctrine that allows the U.S. to invade any country in Central America whenever it wants for as many times as it wants. It’s the Monroe Doctrine that’s enabled America to invade Guatemala at least 17 or 18 times.

Because of the doctrine, we can even invade islands like Grenada that are so small they don’t appear on maps.

It’s a way with me that if I know someone else has done a thing I can’t stand it until I do it too. I want to make a doctrine also. And why not? After all, what makes James Monroe such a big tuna? When do you ever hear anyone talking about James Monroe these days? But people around here talk about me all the time. You know it’s true.

I therefore take this opportunity to state the Goins Doctrine. Here is the Doctrine in full:

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The Goins Doctrine Everything will be all right if we just don’t raise taxes on rich people.

Now when I say “everything will be all right,” I’m not just quoting a line from a silly pop song. I mean exactly what I say. If the Goins Doctrine is followed, each problem that arises will be solved.

To be convinced, apply the doctrine. Are your kids giving you a hard time because you won’t let them have another Dr. Pepper? Apply the Goins Doctrine. Have a girlfriend who absolutely hates to listen to talk radio? Apply the Goins Doctrine. Does your cat refuse to come in at night? Apply the Goins Doctrine.

Give it a try — not just with economic problems, but with all problems. The Goins Doctrine. It works.

April 4, 2013

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Political Tours Trewout SWLA When de late Sen. Dudley J. LeBlanc decided to market his cure-all tonic called Hadacol, he formed a caravan and toured de country by train, promotin’ de “medicine” to country folks. Well-known entertainers like Mickey Rooney an’ Cesar Romero were on de train gettin’ folks to buy Hadacol by de case.

In de las’ few weeks, we’ve seen a political caravan in our area dat would make even Coozan Dud scratch hiz head. Over de Easter break, we saw Sens. Vitter and Landrieu appear at functions. Den Lt. Governor and rumored-to-be-candidate-for-governor Jay Dardenne made an appearance at de Republican Women’s meetin’. An’ uf course, Bobby Jindal took hiz “income tax iz bad” tour to our area.

My stockbroker friend Max an’ I went to hear Vitter and Jindal. Dar wuz lots uf hand shakin’ an’ back slappin’ at dem gatherings. Vitter was anxious to tell everyone about all de good he’s doin’ for de state in Washington. An’ uf course, Jindal wuz rattlin’ off at 100 miles a minute about hiz tax plan. Man, dat guy talks fast. If he ever gets outta politics, he can be an auctioneer.

News accounts tell us Landrieu wuz quick to tell everyone money had finally been set aside for a much-needed VA clinic in Southwest Louisiana. Dardenne spent his time tellin’ Republican women how tourism iz funded through a special tax. Den he got on Jindal for takin’ some uf de money outta hiz budget. Do you get de impression somehow dem politicians are a bit territorial?

Cove Lane Money Finally In Place Mayor Randy haz had his own caravan visitin’ various public bodies in our area to get money for de Cove Lane project dat will allow anudder exit off I-210 to let casino traffic move off de interstate an’ onto de new Ameristar and L’Auberge properties.

De Dept. uf Transportation an’ Development sed de project would cos’ $80 million, an’ all day could put up wuz half. Dat’s when Randy got hiz troops togedder an’ went to meetings. He got yes votes from de Port uf Lake Charles, Ameristar, de police jury, de City uf Lake Charles an,’ jus’ recently, de Convention an’ Visitors Bureau. De school boad refused, sayin’ dar money wuz for education an’ day couldn’t see how dis Cove Lane project had anyting to do wit’ education.

Now, de money dat dem political bodies will fork over will come from hotel taxes generated by Ameristar once day iz open. De Port money will come from dar lease agreement wit’ Ameristar.

It should be noted dat uf dat $40 million uf local money, Ameristar put up $20 million. So we should see work beginnin’ on dat highway project pretty soon.

Finally!!!!

For years we’ve been complainin’, along with lots uf udders, about de poor lightin’ on de I-10 bridge. De DOTD set up some test lights to see if day could handle de shakin’ etc. dat goes on on dat bridge. Tests revealed day could, and soon we will have lights on de bridge.

Federal funds along wit’ money from de Police Jury an’ City uf Lake Charles will make dat happen. A safer I-10 bridge is somethin’ we should consider good news for our area.

De Sales Tax On Dat Sofa Iz What???

When de Public Affairs Research Council released a report about Jindal’s proposed “tax swap” recently, day shot holes in it dat made it look like a road sign on de backroads uf Merryville. PAR sed Jindal’s tax wuz $600 million short uf bein’ “revenue neutral.” Dat’s de Jindal buzzword for hiz proposed tax swap.

So Jindal now sez he’s gonna just up de sales tax. We now pay 3 percent in state sales tax. Hiz plan called for it to go to 5.88 percent. But reactin’ quickly to de PAR report, he upped it to 6.25 percent. Add to dat de local sales tax dat we have for schools, public works etc., an’ you are lookin’ at payin’ about a 12-percent sale tax on tings you buy in dis state.

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Jindal’s got no concern for de poor folks uf dis state, uf which dar are many dat are on fixed income who would really be hurt by dis. Also, a lot uf folks are jus’ gonna go to Texas to buy big ticket items. Plus, you gonna see a whole lot uf cash transactions where de state an’ parish will get no tax money at all.

Meanwhile, Secretary uf de Treasury John Kennedy had to put in hiz two cents, az he usually does. He sez dis tax swap should be put to a vote uf de people. Translated, dat means Jindal haz de votes in de Legislature to pass dis horrible tax, but maybe de hard-workin’ folks uf dis state will come to dar senses and vote no if given de chance.

VA Clinic Will Finally Happen Sen. Mary Landrieu wuz quick to announce dat de Congressional Budget Office had finally OKed money for a Veterans Administration Clinic in Lake Charles.

Landrieu pointed out in her press release dat dar are some 20,000 veterans in Southwest Louisiana, an’ de clinic will serve dar needs. Az it iz now, veterans have to go to Lafayette and sometimes Shreveport to get de medical attention day need.

Folks, federal and state politicians have been fightin’ for dis for a long time an’ it haz finally happened. An’ az Martha Stewart would say, “an dat’s a good ting.”

Not Everybody Likes School Test Changes Az it iz now, 4th an’ 8th grade students take a LEAP test to see if day are smart enough to move on. Dat iz changin’ to sometin’ called ILeap dat will test students in de 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th grades. Also, de test seniors were takin’ — de Graduate Exit Exam, az mandated by de state Legislature — dat will be replaced wit’ a national exam dat most say will be “more rigorous.”

In udder words, de 700,000 public school students are bein’ tested to death.

Several legislators say enough iz enough, and will introduce laws to change de amount uf testin’ kids have to do. We’ll see how dat will go in dis year’s legislative session.

We’re No. 1 In Sumtin’ Insure.com recently released a report claimin’ Louisiana haz de highest car insurance rates in de country. De national average iz $1,500 a year. De report sez folks in our state pay an average uf $2,699 a year. Folks, dat’s 1,200 bucks a year more for car insurance … an’ heaven forbid if you should have a claim. Talk about high-dollar den.

Now, de insurance folks are quick to blame de lawyers, and de lawyers are quick to say insurance companies are makin’ too much money. It’s de same argument from both sides dat we’ve heard for years.

Meanwhile, Louisiana drivers are being screwed big time.

Way To Go SHS Back in 1913, a one-room school house opened in Sulphur to provide an education to de children uf de area. One hundred years later, de school iz celebratin’ its anniversary wit’ all sorts uf events planned trewout April.

A lot uf very smart an’ famous people have come out uf dat school. Good teachers and good administrators are de reason for all de success dar.

Dar are now more dan 1,800 students attendin’ on de combined campuses.

Congratulations to de students, faculty an’ administrators for 100 years uf growth and progress in de field uf education.

Dis Can’t Be A buddy uf mine who haz been pretty sick for de las’ few years got some mo bad news las’ week. He got a notice dat hiz driver’s license wuz suspended because he hadn’t paid hiz state income tax.

Now he haz a little job and pays dem a little every month, but looks like dat ain’t enough for dem greedy Guses in Baton Rouge. So now he can’t drive to hiz job where he earns money to pay hiz taxes.

My question iz, what cooyon in Baton Rouge came up wit’ dat law?

Deep Taughts While Eatin’ My Thurd Tray Uf Boiled Crawfish 10) Since dem crawfish came from Jeff Davis Parish, I wonder if day wuz stolen?

9) What kinda nonsense laws are dem legislators gonna come up with in dis session?

8) Iz Jindal gonna tax my ceegars?

7) Why do all dem politicians insist on sendin’ me emails every day axin’ for money?

6) Astros payroll: $18.7 million; Alex Rodriguez’: $29 million. What’s wrong wit’ dis picture?

5) What can be done to stop all dis violent crime in our area?

4) Is de Sulphur, Dequincy, Starks area de new meth capital of the world?

3) How much uf my crawfish bisque will I have to give to my help?

2) How bad would de LSU baseball team beat de Astros?

1) Why didn’t T-Claude pass de physical an’ mental test to be a policeman?

Final Shot Lefty went to an Astros game an’ got on one uf dem bicycle taxis what takes folks around. Now Lefty weighs way north uf 250, an’ he sez de guy peddlin’ de bike wuz so skinny he woulda looked like a thermometer if he woulda drank a red soda. Lefty sez de guy almos’ had a heart attack peddlin’ him back to hiz truck.

Till next time, lache pas la patate.

April 4, 2013

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OUT & ABOUT

arthur hebert

LeBleu’s Landing It’s unusual for me to write a second review of a place I just reviewed a few months ago. However, after giving this venue a second go-round, I believe a second review is merited. A source I trust told me LeBleu’s Landing had done a complete turnaround, especially on some dishes I hadn’t liked. I ordered those and some I hadn’t tried the first go-round.

All were good and tasty.

My first time in, I had to get more of the wonderful gumbo. It did not disappoint. They do a style I truly love, and which I feel represents Southwest Louisiana.

Next, I ordered the shrimp sauce piquante, which had been inedible the last time. To my surprise and delight, it was now a brown sauce dish and quite good. The dish doesn’t have to be tomato-based. Piquante just means the sauce in the dish is spicy. Surrounding an island of wonderful rice was a delicious and spicy brown sauce with loads of small shrimp. It was a hearty meal, and I ate it all, savoring every bite.

Next time, my regular dining companion went in with me. I started with the bacon-wrapped and fried boudin link.

While I find the boudin here a little too moist for my taste, this version proved great (not very lo-cal, but big on flavor).

My companion opted for the fried

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catfish poboy. Two fillets fried to perfection came out fully dressed on good bread. It was crispy on the outside with a soft interior to soak up the juices. The sandwich was so huge that she gave me half of it. The melding of the tartar sauce, catfish and bread created a true comfort food.

I went for the grilled tilapia. The seasoned coating proved tasty with a bit of kick, and the fish was cooked moist and flaky. Tilapia is a bland fish that takes on flavor when it’s applied correct-

202 Henning Drive, Sulphur, 337-528-6900, www.lebleuslanding.com, Monday-Saturday 10 am-9 pm, $2-22

ly. Such was the case here.

My last time in, I retried the creamy crawfish bisque. Again, surprise and delight met me. Loads of tender crawfish tails in a light cream-based soup were zapped with a dose of seafood boil seasoning. I found myself actually enjoying it.

As there is a butcher shop in the building, I figured the way to go was a hamburger. Therefore, I ordered the cheeseburger with bacon and had sautéed onions added. It proved fantastic. A

hand-formed patty, charred, then topped with American cheese, lean bacon and a mound of sautéed onions on a standard bun, greeted me. Each bite was a delight and loaded with flavor. It was a textbook case of the sum of the parts being greater than each individual part.

The last thing I ate was the mini King Cake. This time, the cooks had let it rise properly. The cake was of the cinnamon roll variety and quite good for its genre.

I found the service here good. The servers were friendly and open to questions.

LeBleu’s Landing does a lunch and dinner buffet on Friday and Saturday featuring seafood. While I didn’t partake of it, I trolled it several times and it looked to be decent with a nice selection — a viable option for people on the go.

It may be time to try this venue again.

I ventured into the market side and picked a few items. I came away with some fig syrup, smoked boudin and green onion sausage-stuffed chicken breasts. They all proved wonderful. It was well worth the trip.

Arthur Hebert’s food and restaurant blog is www.swlaeats.blogspot.com

April 4, 2013

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TECH BYTES

vic wukovits

Calibrate Your Home Theater Nowadays, most everyone has a flat screen LCD, LED or Plasma television.

A good portion of you also probably own a home theater receiver, or at least a sound bar to augment the audio of whatever program you watch.

Back in the day, getting the most out of your video and audio home theater system took careful calibration from an expert in that industry, or with a costly do-it-yourself package. Thanks to modern technology, the playing field has been leveled. With an iOS device (iPad, iPhone or iPod) and the THX Tune-Up app, calibrating your home theater system can be quick and easy.

First, you’ll need to connect your iOS device to your home theater system.

This requires either an Apple AV adapter for a direct HDMI connection to your home theater receiver, or an Apple TV so that you can connect via AirPlay on your Wi-Fi network. Granted, the Apple AV Adapter costs $39, and an Apple TV costs $99, but I’m guessing that many of you already have one of these items.

Once you’ve connected, the app walks you through the process to “help you get the most out of your TV and sound systems.” An introductory video explains the process and theory behind the adjustments you will be making. You

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can then select the make and model of your display (TV) and your speaker and audio/video receiver (AVR) setup. After that, I recommend you view the adjustment tips to help get the most out of the process you will be following.

Adjustments are broken down into picture and sound categories. The picture adjustments include aspect ratio, brightness, contrast, color and tint. Each

adjustment makes use of a gorgeous photo with stunning details that allow you to fine-tune each setting so that your display provides you with the most accurate representation of the picture.

For audio adjustments, the selection of your speaker setup comes into play.

Either two-channel or five-channel speaker configurations are available, but for the 5.1-channel tests, a direct connec-

tion via HDMI cable is required. This means you’ll need that Apple AV Adapter and a spare HDMI cable, so be ready should this fit your needs. Audio adjustments include speaker assignment, which verifies that the proper sound is coming from the proper speaker by playing a test tone through each, and speaker phase, which will verify that your speakers are properly connected and in-phase.

After configuring each adjustment, your video should be crystal clear, and colors should be strikingly bold and beautiful. Your audio will be accurately projected as the source intended it to be heard, and your home theater calibration will be complete. To test your newly calibrated AV system, the app also provides some of the cool THX trailers and sounds that you often see at the beginning of movies in the theater.

THX Tune-Up is currently available in the App Store for $1.99, which can be considered a bargain by many who are familiar with more expensive alternatives for the video and audio calibration process. An Android version is scheduled for release in Spring 2013, which means it should be out soon.

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lake area

people

Mitchell Named CSB Branch Manager City Savings Bank recently announced that Lori Mitchell has been named vice president and branch manager of the bank’s DeQuincy branch.

Mitchell has worked in the financial industry since 1980, and has experience in branch management, consumer lending, commercial lending, compliance, loan review and appraisal review. She has completed numerous banking courses.

Credeur Joins Imperial Health Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Brian Credeur recently joined the staff of the Imperial Health Heart Associates and Vein Center of SWLA. Credeur, a Lake Charles native, earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of Nursing degree from McNeese State University. He has extensive experience in the outpatient surgical center and hospital critical care unit settings. He is a member of the

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American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Jones Joins IMCAL Jerry W. Jones, Jr., recently joined the Imperial Calcasieu Regional Planning and Development Commission (IMCAL) as an economic development planner.

Jones, from Alexandria, is a graduate of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, where he received a bachelor’s in Political Science.

He has worked in community and economic development, and small business development for several years.

Frick Joins FMP Daniel Frick recently joined Financial Management Professionals as a new advisor in the Lake Charles office.

Prior to joining FMP, Frick worked as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in Houston, where he was responsible for providing investment recommendations to high-net-worth clients. He graduated

summa cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans with a bachelor’s and a double major in finance and international business. He holds the Certified Financial Planner designation, and is a Level III candidate in the CFA Program.

Petty, Waltrip Join Jeff Davis Bank Billie Petty and Hailey Waltrip have recently joined the staff of Jeff Davis Bank and Trust Co.’s mortgage department.

Petty serves as a loan originator and processor. She has 30 years of banking and mortgage experience, and previously worked for First National Bank of Louisiana.

Waltrip also works as a loan originator and processor. She has eight years of banking experience, and previously worked with Lakeside Bank.

Noble Elected LOA Board President Dr. John Noble was recently installed as president of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association, a statewide professional membership organization comprised of 350 board certified and board-eligible orthopaedic surgeons.

Noble, originally from Lake Charles, received his M.D. from Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans, and completed his orthopaedic residency at LSU Medical Center, also in New Orleans. He completed a fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

He’s board certified by the American

Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has over 16 years of private practice experience, the last 11 of which have been at Center for Orthopaedics, an affiliate of Imperial Health. He serves as medical director for McNeese State University’s Athletic Department and as a Clinical Instructor of Orthopaedics for LSU School of Medicine.

Hardesty Earns Career Car Mary Kay independent sales director Helen Hardesty of Lake Charles recently earned the use of a new Chevy Cruze as a result of her achievements in operating her Mary Kay business.

The Mary Kay Career Car Program offers various cars, including the exclusive pearlized pink Cadillac.

Since the program’s inception in 1969, nearly 140,000 independent sales force members have qualified or re-qualified to earn the use of a Mary Kay career car.

“The Career Car Program provides the independent sales force the opportunity to earn the use of a visible symbol of their success,” said Darrell Overcash, president of Mark Kay. Hardesty took delivery of the new Chevy Cruze, her 24th Mary Kay career car, at Billy Navarre Chevrolet.

Methvin Named To St. Louis HS Hall Of Fame Harry Methvin was recently named the newest member of the St. Louis Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

Methvin, a native of Hargrove

Mitchell

Credeur

Settlement, La., began his teaching career at St. Louis in 1972, after completing a Master’s Degree at McNeese State University. He was employed at St. Louis for 17 years, teaching English and Industrial Arts and serving as the head of the Language Arts Department. He later worked at Vinton Northside Middle School, where he taught seventh and eighth grade English. During the five years he taught at Vinton Northside, the school went from one of the lowest performing schools in the parish to one of the highest. Methvin was named Teacher of the Year at Vinton Northside and was also one of seven finalists for Calcasieu Parish Middle School.

Methvin has also taught at the Calcasieu Correctional Center and Vinton High School.

Jones

Frick

recognizing a junior engineering student in the areas of academics, leadership and service; and Jacob France, Lake Charles, Louisiana Engineering Society Award recognizing an outstanding senior.

Brame Joins Jeff Davis Bank Gail Brame has joined Jeff Davis Bank and Trust Co. as a commercial lender and vice president of the

Noble

Methvin

McNeese branch in Lake Charles.

Brame, a Lake Charles native, has 24 years of banking experience. She has completed courses through AIB International’s School of Banking program and previously worked as a commercial lender with IberiaBank.

MSU Foundation Elects New Officers The McNeese State University

Fuller

Brame

Foundation Board of Directors has recently elected new officers for 2013.

Elected were Judy Fuller, president; Patricia Prebula, vice president and president-elect; James E. Taussig, treasurer; and Willie Mount, secretary.

Tom Henning, King, Ben Marriner, Dr. Lee J. Monlezun, Jr., Mount, William E. Rose and Taussig were elected to serve three-year terms on the board.

Baggett Named To SLC All-Tournament Team McNeese senior guard Ashlyn Baggett was named to the Southland Conference All-Tournament team after leading the Cowgirls to victories over Northwestern State and Nicholls before falling to the tournament champions, Oral Roberts, in the semifinals.

The Iota, La., native averaged 18.7 ppg. and 3.7 rebounds, and was credited with five assists. Baggett shot 40.0 percent from both the field and three-point range. She was 18 of 45 from the field, and 10 of 25 from three-point range, and was perfect from the free throw line, going 10 for 10. She scored in double digits in all three games, leading all players with a game high 25 against Nicholls.

She scored 15 against Northwestern State and 16 against Oral Roberts.

The tournament honor is Baggett’s third, and she was the tournament’s MVP in 2011.

Engineering Award Winners Several awards were presented at the 2013 Engineer’s Week Annual Banquet at McNeese State University.

Dr. Pankaj Chandra, professor of mechanical engineering, was presented with the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology Faculty Excellence award.

Student awards were presented to: Kaitlyn Hicks, Hackberry, Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Award recognizing a senior electrical engineering major for leadership position; Jared Fusilier, Eunice, Fugro South Award recognizing a senior civil engineering major for exceptional leadership and service; Seungmin Oh, Korea, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Award recognizing a junior chemical engineering major for academic excellence; Jonathan Bolton, Lake Charles, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Award recognizing a junior mechanical engineering major for academic excellence; Daniel LeJeune, Jennings, Leadership Award April 4, 2013

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15

POLITICAL BRIEFS

jeremy alford

Area Horsemen Guarding Wallets All the movers and shakers over at Delta Downs are beginning to react to a bill that would give the Legislature more authority over the gaming proceeds that are dedicated to associations representing horsemen, racetracks, trainers, breeders and others.

Filed for the upcoming regular session, House Bill 100 would create the Horse Industry Economic Sustainability Fund to temporarily hold the gaming proceeds that are currently sent directly to three groups, including the New Orleansbased Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assoc. (HBPA). HBPA serves as the financial house and bookkeeper for Louisiana’s major racetracks and provides benefits to horsemen.

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Assoc. and Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Assoc. would also be affected.

The money that’s now being paid directly to these three associations by the state come from horse racing, the resulting purses, offtrack wagering, slots at racetracks and video poker at off-track betting facilities.

The bill would force the associations to present a budget to the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees and justify expenses. The percentage of gaming proceeds the associations

receive each year and how the money can be used are not being altered under the proposed legislation.

At the heart of the debate is a federal investigation of three years ago of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assoc. that uncovered wrongdoing ranging

There is a bill that would give the Legislature more authority over gaming proceeds that are dedicated to associations representing horsemen, racetracks, trainers, breeders and others.

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from financial irregularities, such as salary increases and business travel-turned-vacations to money spent on luxury clothing and other charges.

HBPA president Stanley Seelig says those activities transpired under the association’s previous administration. “Those individuals did jail time and paid civil penalties,” he says, before adding that a number of fiscal oversight measures have been adopted since then. “We even switched accounting firms.”

The creation of a new fund to hold gaming proceeds is his biggest problem with the bill, Seelig says, because it creates an opportunity for the current administration or future ones to sweep money from it when there are holes in the state budget. For next year’s budget, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration is taking money from nearly 60 different dedicated funds to prop up health care and education as a $1.3 billion shortfall looms. “That could result in smaller purses and have an adverse affect on the industry,” Seelig says.

Bill Would End Horse Slaughters In the wake of recent news about horse meat being detected in food for human consumption, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has introduced the Safeguard American Food Exports Act. The bill would prohibit horse

slaughter operations in the U.S.; end the current export and slaughter of more than 150,000 American horses abroad each year; and prevent the public from consuming toxic horse meat.

While the proposed policy capitalizes on the headlines, it’s actually an issue Landrieu has been involved with frequently during her time in Washington, D.C. “Horses have been raised for sport, transport, security and companionship, but never for slaughter and consumption,” Landrieu says. “There are very few regulations on the drugs given to horses, and we cannot risk introducing dangerously toxic meat into our food supply here at home or abroad.”

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture recently announced plans to process an application for inspecting horse slaughters at a New Mexico facility. If approved, Valley Meat Co. will be the first facility in the U.S. to slaughter horses for human consumption since 2007, when the few remaining plants closed after Congress chose to eliminate funding for horse meat inspections.

This move to reopen a horse slaughter plant plays out against the scandal unfolding in the European Union, where consumers have been alarmed by the discovery in prepared food products of horse meat mislabeled as beef.

1930 ETHEL 433-5882 16

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LA POLITICS

john maginnis

A Game Of Primary Chicken Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne may well have had the best chance of ousting U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu next year, according to polls. But as those who know him figured, he would rather run for governor in 2015 than go to Washington. So last month, he took himself out of consideration for the Senate race.

With that cleared up, the burning question for Republicans remains: Who will step up to the Landrieu challenge? Better question: Who will stand down?

Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge and John Fleming of Minden, both Medical Doctors, are showing keen interest in running for the Senate, but neither has declared.

It’s an article of faith among Republicans that Landrieu is vulnerable, given the expected lower African-American turnout in the mid-term election and a potentially hostile national political environment for the moderate Democrat. They also agree that one strong GOP candidate is better than two, but that’s as far as the agreement goes.

Instead, what the GOP has going on right now is the chicken primary. The two congressmen are going through all the motions of lining up Senate campaigns without yet forsaking re-election to their safe House seats.

Cassidy pressed hard to add $500,000 to his campaign war chest, now approaching $3 million, by the end-of-quarter reporting deadline. Big Republican donors, in Washington and Louisiana, are watching closely to see how well he does, for they know Landrieu and the national Democrats won’t be short on cash.

GOP congressmen Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge and John Fleming of Minden, both Medical Doctors, are showing keen interest in running for the Senate, but neither has declared.

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Fleming is under less pressure to show big fundraising totals right now, partly because of his own deep pockets, and partly because it won’t cost him as much to get the Republican right wing to know he’s one of them. Instead, he’s concentrating on building up his ideological base among social conservatives. He recently filed his “Health Care Conscience Rights Act,” which would allow businesses to opt out of parts of the Affordable Care Act for religious reasons, such as objecting to cover-

age for certain forms of contraception.

Cassidy has blasted the contraception mandate as well, siding with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Fleming is aggressively making a very public case for himself as the real-deal conservative. He paid for a recent poll that showed he and Cassidy at around 15 percent each, behind Landrieu at 47 percent.

But the pollster stated that Fleming fared better among Republicans and “very conservative white voters.”

When poll respondents were told that Fleming receives higher scores for his voting record from conservative groups than does Cassidy, Fleming’s margin widened.

His consultant concluded that if both run against Landrieu, the more conservative Republican is better positioned to make the runoff.

Cassidy, of course, could pay for a poll that describes both candidates in such a way that would favor himself. A year and a half before the election, poll numbers mean little. But what’s telling is that Fleming is getting in Cassidy’s face, all but daring him to meet in a primary showdown.

Cassidy’s team dismisses the Fleming poll as political bravura. Without making a show of it, Cassidy has been moving around the state to meet with local Republican activists who could form his grass-roots network. His early target area is

the parishes on both sides of Lake Pontchartrain that form the 1st Congressional District. In 2008, Landrieu ran well in this traditional GOP stronghold on her way to beating John Kennedy.

Cassidy is making the case that he is the guy who can stop Landrieu at the Orleans Parish line.

In 2008, the two physicians were in their 50s when they went to Washington after pursuing completely different non-traditional careers in medicine. Cassidy has been a teaching professor at LSU Hospitals, where he has cared primarily for indigent patients. Fleming defies the stereotype of doctors making lousy businessmen with his dozens of Subway restaurants and UPS stores in North Louisiana.

Both accomplished more in their earlier careers than they would likely achieve by staying in the House for another decade, and so are poised for up-or-out electoral moves. Yet if either or both runs for the Senate and loses, how much would they miss the political action of Washington, even from the lower chamber?

Clearly, each wants the other to blink and sacrifice ambition for party unity. Yet many Republicans fear it’s not going to work out that way, again, and the two GOP congressmen could settle their game of chicken by colliding in the primary. It’s worked for Landrieu before.

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Gray, head of Colorado State’s Tropical Meteorology Project, says that only development of an El Nino could slow down the season, and that’s looking less and less likely.

He also says the U.S. has been very lucky — the 16 years since 1995 have been an active period for hurricanes but most years were free of direct hits by storms with winds of 111 mph or more.

He said, “This just defies statistics.”

The hurricane season runs from June through November.

WHOOPING CRANES BUILD NEST IN SWLA LOCAL NEWS STORIES OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS CHENIERE MAKES BRITISH EXPORT DEAL Cheniere Energy Partners recently inked a $5.5 billion deal with Britishbased Centrica, a aupplier of electricity and gas, to sell and export liquefied natural gas from Cheniere’s Sabine Pass facility in Cameron Parish.

The 20-year agreement involves the purchase 91,250,000 million metric British thermal units of LNG. Deliveries will start by 2018.

The deal is contingent on Cheniere obtaining governmental approvals, financing and making the decision to build its LNG export facility, according to company documents.

OFFSHORE RESPONSE TEAM FORMED Houston-based Marine Well Containment Co. recently announced that it will collaborate with Wood Group PSN to put together an offshore reserve response team of about 100 workers from south Louisiana to work on the company’s vessels in the event of a spill.

Last March, officials with MWCC,

based in Houston, said a Lake Charles company, Dynamic Industries, was chosen to build and deliver components for a system that will react to underwater well incidents, such as BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.

MWCC and U.K.-based Wood Group PSN will hire and train the team to operate and maintain equipment onboard a vessel during a response.

lion. Of that, Ameristar will pay $20 million. The local legislative delegation prevailed on the state to pay $40 million of the improvements, and the remaining $20 million will be shared with the CPPJ, the City of Lake Charles, the Port of Lake Charles and the CVB.

CVB TO HELP FUND COVE LANE PROJECT The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors recently approved participation in the funding of the Cove Lane project at the request of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the City of Lake Charles, the Port of Lake Charles and members of the local legislative delegation.

The CVB will dedicate $250,000 per year for five years of the revenue generated from Ameristar Casino’s 700 rooms, commencing from its opening.

The total cost of the Cove Lane project improvements is estimated at $80 mil-

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ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON AHEAD Forecaster William Gray says he expects a very active hurricane season, but he’s not yet giving likely numbers of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes.Gray told hundreds of people at the National Hurricane Conference on Thursday that the first numeric predictions will come out April 10.

For the first time in decades, a pair of whooping cranes in Louisiana has built a nest outside captivity. But biologists say they don’t expect eggs this year because the birds are too young.

The big cranes — some of the world’s rarest and tallest birds — generally don’t mature sexually before age 4, and they lay their first fertile eggs when they’re 4 to 7 years old. This female is 2 and the male is 3, said Bo Boehringer, spokesman for the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

This year’s nest, in the middle of a huge crawfish pond in Southwest Louisiana, is the first biologists have seen for any of the 40 birds released at White Lake since early 2011.

The Louisiana birds are two of 10 hatched in 2010 and released in early 2011; 12 of 16 born and released in 2011, and 13 of 14 released last December.

SULPHUR, LC REACH STATE CLEAN CITY CONTEST Lake Charles and Sulphur have passed the district level and reached the state level of the Clean City Contest.

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19

WEIRD NEWS

chuck shepherd • illustrations by felix falgoust

Burglary 101 — Among the helpful civic classes the city government in Oakland, Calif., set up earlier this year for its residents was one about how to pick locks. This class was supposed to help people who accidentally locked themselves out of their homes.

Lock-picking kits were even offered for sale after class. Some residents were

aghast, as the city had seen burglaries increase by 40 percent in 2012. Asked one complainer, “What’s next? The fundamentals of armed robbery?” In February, Mayor Jean Quan apologized and canceled the class.

The Redneck Chronicles Gary Ericcson, 46, was distraught when he was charged with animal cruelty when he shot his beloved pet snake to death. He told the Charlotte Observer he isn’t guilty. He said the snake had already died and that he shot it only “to get the gas out” so that other animals wouldn’t dig it up after he buried it.

When he was told he might not be able to keep his other pets, he said he became so despondent that he shot up a large cabinet that housed his Dale Earnhardt collectibles.

Holy Handguns!

One of the many decisions that Pope Francis will have to make is whether to officially recognize a Patron Saint of Handgunners. A U.S. organization of activists has been recommending this for more than 20 years. According to legend, St. Gabriel Possenti rescued an Italian village from a small band of pillagers in the 19th century by shooting at a lizard in the road, killing it with one shot. This so terrified the bandits that they fled. No people were harmed, activists now point out.

They say that signified that the handgun was a force for good. The head of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society has noted that, 20

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April 4, 2013

however unusual the “lizard incident” may be, it was rarely questioned until U.S. antigun activists gained strength in the 1980s.

Can’t Possibly Be True — Though Americans may feel safe when the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug only for certain specific uses, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York ruled in December that drug company salespeople have a First Amendment right to claim that drugs approved for only one use can be marketed for unapproved uses, as well. Doctors and bioethicists were outraged, agreeing with a University of Minnesota professor who called the decision “a complete disgrace. What this basically does is destroy drug regulation in the United States.”

— Denials of disability allowances in the town of Basildon, England, near London, are handled at the Acorn House courthouse, on the fourth floor, where afflicted people who believe they were wrongly rejected for benefits must present their appeals. In November 2012, zealous government safety wardens who were concerned about fire-escape dangers closed off the fourth floor to people who use wheelchairs.

One woman who was turned away from the fourth floor asked, “Why are they holding disability tribunals in a building disabled people aren’t allowed in?” (In February 2013, full access resumed.)

— In February, the North Carolina House of Representatives Rules Committee took the unusual step of preemptively burying a bill to legalize prescription marijuana. WRAL-TV (RaleighDurham) reported Rep. Paul Stam’s explanation: Committee members were hearing from so many patients and other constituents (via phone calls and emails) about the importance of medical marijuana to them that the representatives were feeling “harassed.”

allowed him to take a computer class.

Apparently no one made the connection between the class and Webber’s crime.

One prison staff member involved in the class was fired once prison officials realized the obvious.

Readers’ Choice — In a Philadelphia courtroom, alleged assault victim John Huttick took the witness stand and tearfully described how miserable his life had become since he lost his left eye in a barroom fight with the defendant. At that point, his prosthetic eye fell out. The judge, certain that the dropping of the eye was an accident,

Inexplicable — Two teachers and three student teachers at a Windsor, Ontario, elementary school somehow thought it would be a neat prank on their eighth graders to make them think the destination of their class trip would be Florida’s Disney World. They created a video and PowerPoint presentation about the excursion. The kids’ exhilaration lasted a few days.

Then they were informed that plans had changed and they would instead be visiting a local bowling alley.

Furthermore, the teachers captured the students’ shock on video, perhaps to enjoy watching the consequences of their prank. When the principal found out, she apologized; disciplined the teachers, and arranged a class trip to Niagara Falls.

Solutions To Non-Problems Georgia state Rep. Jay Neal introduced legislation to ban the implantation of a human embryo into a nonhuman. Rep. Neal told the Associated Press that this has been a “hot issue” in “other states.”

Unclear On The Concept Imprisoned British computer hacker Nicholas Webber, 21, who is serving time for computer fraud, hacked into the mainframe at his London prison after officials

quickly declared a mistrial. He noted that jurors seated a few feet away appeared sickened by what they had seen.

— Teri James, 29, filed a lawsuit in San Diego against San Diego Christian College because it fired her for being pregnant and unmarried, which is a violation of employee rules. She said the firing was obviously illegal gender discrimination because her job was quickly offered to the next-most-qualified candidate: James’ fiancé, who was openly cohabiting with James all along and is the baby’s father.

First World Products The DogTread Treadmill is a variation on the familiar exercise machine that has special features for dog safety. It could be a helpful invention in a nation where over half of pet dogs are too fat. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention points out that pets can develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis from insufficient exercise and overindulgent owners. The DogTread Treadmills sell for $499 to $899.

TAKING CHARGE

dale archer, MD

He’s Acting Out Dear Dr. Archer, I have a 12-year-old son who started middle school this year, and this is the first year I’ve ever had to go to school for conferences because of his behavior. He’s been getting into fights, was suspended from the bus, and just today was suspended from school for three days.

When he fights it’s because he’s defending himself, and he gets so angry he can’t stop until the point where he could seriously hurt the boys starting the fights.

He tells me he feels like he’s constantly being picked on, and he can’t stop himself when the kids shove or push him. I believe he has so much anger inside, but he refuses to talk about it.

His father and I believe he’s angry because he’s been through many changes in the last three years. We had to close our family business due to the economy, and we had to take him out of private school, which he has attended since pre-K. Two years ago, we lost our home to foreclosure, forcing us into another neighborhood and a public school for him.

It’s been tough for the whole family, but I believe it’s truly changed my son. He will not talk about it. He just

22

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says ‘I’m okay,’ but he has started acting out and doing things he has never done. He went from straight As to Bs, Cs and even some Ds. He told me tonight he doesn’t like himself.

Is this our fault? And, if so, how can I fix it? Help! What can I say or do to get my son back?

Gloria Dear Gloria, No, this is not your fault. Things happen in life that are beyond our control. You didn’t want to lose your business; you didn’t want to lose your home; you didn’t want to move your son from his old school. Yet these are things that did happen, through no fault of your own, and your son is finding it difficult to cope.

Anger reactions in children are always difficult on the parents. Many times, kids will blame others for this. It’s an excuse that doesn’t hold them accountable for their actions. In their mind, they’re the victim. As his parent, you need to challenge his thinking and behavior, and hold him accountable.

At this age, hormones may be playing a factor, as well. Talk with the principal; pushing and shoving is going to happen in every school, but if your son is targeted by bullies, then authorities

should be alerted. Bullying of any kind should never be tolerated, and you need to check into that.

For your part, always keep the lines of communication open. Let him talk to you, and use the fine art of listening. If he wants your advice, give it, but be sure to listen to what he has to say. Joseph Joubert said “Children need models rather than critics.” Watch what you say not only to him, but to your husband. He may hear the negativity, and this may only frustrate him more.

My advice: Call the school counselor and make an appointment for him.

Discuss what’s going on with your son, and get her input. If therapy is needed, then see to it that he gets it. Often, school counselors will do some individual therapy, so it may not cost anything. Do not delay this; he definitely needs a professional.

The good news is that this is recent onset, and often, in these cases, just adapting to the new environment will bring relief, though it takes time. All the best.

Dear Dr. Archer, Five days ago my wife had what has been referred to as a psychotic episode. Her psychiatrist said it was likely caused by a slimming pill she

has been using for a prolonged period.

It contains 5-HTP to boost serotonin levels, as well as high levels of caffeine.

She has been prescribed Abilify for the psychosis.

One of the symptoms of her illness has been that she has become increasingly obsessed with a pop band, particularly the lead singer. It has become an infatuation bordering on pathological.

As a result, after nearly seven blissfully happy years together, she has informed me she wants to separate. She says she realizes if the opportunity arose, she would leave me for him, even though she accepts the chances of her meeting him are zero.

She says she realizes she cannot love me like she did if she’s so willing to end our marriage for this fantasy.

She says she still loves me, and will always want me to be a part of her life. She’s not leaving me for somebody else. She wants to become and stay single and independent, just in case her fantasy becomes a reality.

I’d like to know how long it will be before she accepts that this is just a vivid fantasy, and throwing our marriage away for this would be the biggest mistake of her life.

Tim

Dear Tim, Many diet pills on the market today include intense doses of caffeine or other stimulants, and they can actually become addictive or cause health problems, whether they’re abused or not. Some adverse effects are increased heart rate, sleeplessness, shortness of breath, anxiety, panic attacks and, yes, psychosis.

Diet pills can affect the mind and body.

How long will it take for your wife to realize this is just a fantasy and drop it? Unfortunately, there is no definite time frame. However, in general, it takes a couple of months — perhaps up to six — after a psychotic episode for normal judgment to return. I fully expect that, with time, this will resolve itself.

In the meantime, be patient, and tell her that after this episode, neither of you should make any major life decisions for six months. Be firm, and then refuse to discuss this until after that time period.

Tell her if that’s what she wants after that point, then you will consider it, but not until then.

Essentially, you are buying time to allow her brain to recover. You’re honoring your commitment to not only your wife, but your marriage, and you are to be commended. It may be difficult at times, but remain strong and focused.

All the best.

Dear Dr. Archer, My boyfriend and I have been dating for four years. We have one child together, and I have two children from a previous relationship. We moved in together six months into our relationship. Two years ago he bought his first house — a three-bedroom home.

About a year ago, he moved his mother into our home without consulting me. She took over my daughter’s room, so now my two children — a boy and a girl — are sharing a room, while our two-year-old son is sleeping not only in our room, but in our bed.

At first, it really bothered me; him having his mother move in with us without discussing it with me first.

Now I’m at the point where I need some privacy. I want to move out, because I can’t take this anymore. My daughter needs her room back, because she’s getting older. My son needs to get out of our room and sleep in another room.

I feel like my boyfriend has

pushed me aside and doesn’t seem to care if I’m happy or not. He seems to care more about his mother, who has no job, which means he has to provide for her. What do I do?

Johanna Dear Johanna, Yes, your boyfriend was very inconsiderate to invite his mother to move in without discussing it. These are tough economic times, and parents moving in with the kids is not uncommon. But it was still thoughtless of him. Did he think he was going to slip dear mom into the house without you noticing?

However, this is his house, and this is his mother. Consider Helen Rebibis Ramos’ words: “A good son will never allow sorrow to befall his mother...”

This has been the living arrangement for a year, so do not jump to conclusions — yet. Is it possible to add a bedroom to the structure? Does he have siblings who could house his mom for a year? Could you guys help pay for an apartment? Talk, talk, talk and explore possibilities. Make sure to let him know that you are very unhappy with the current situation, and tell him why.

Will talking and trying to come up with a compromise help? I don’t know, but it won’t hurt, and it’s definitely worth a try. If he is not willing to work to find a solution, then you must do what’s right for you and your children, and that could mean moving out. Let him know that’s what you are thinking, but do not make it a threat. He has the right to make his choices, just like you have the right to make yours.

If you decide to move out, be sure to file for child support for your son. Your boyfriend may take issue, so discuss it first with an attorney, just in case. Good luck.

Dr. Dale Archer is a board certified psychiatrist who founded the Institute for Neuropsychiatry in Southwest Louisiana.

He’s a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN Headline News and other national TV programs and the author of the New York Times best-selling book Better than Normal. Visit him at DrDaleArcher.com.

Accidents • Wrongful Death • Serious Personal Injury Criminal, Domestic Law Cases

Larry A. Roach (1932-2003) Barry A. Roach • Larry A. Roach, Jr. Fred C. "Bubba" LeBleu • David M. Hudson

2917 Ryan St. • Lake Charles (337) 433-8504 • Fax (337) 433-3196 April 4, 2013

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FILE 13

brad goins

On Poverty Before I moved to Lake Charles in 1999, I often thought that I was a very lucky fellow. In fact, I thought I had extraordinarily good luck. I’d made some awful decisions: decisions that should have knocked me way down. But I always seemed to land on my Birkenstocks.

My only financial worries were a couple of skimpy years when I began graduate school. But I soon figured out how to trick the university computer (which limited students to 67 percent work time), get several jobs at once and live very comfortably — all while being a student.

Things got even better when I worked for the U.S. government as a publications coordinator in the Dept. of Education. I worked relatively little doing a job that was familiar to me, and was paid far more money than I needed.

Then I moved to Louisiana. Now I think of the wheel of fortune. The way the wheel of fortune works is that if you’re on the top, you’re destined to go down to the bottom. It’s just a matter of time.

For the last three days, the only food I’ve bought is candy bars — Three Musketeers to be precise. I’ve bought these because they’re on sale for half price. As I write this, I have four dollars in my pocket. I could go to the bank to

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cash a check for, say, 20 dollars. But I’m afraid that if I did that, there’d be too little in the bank to cover the checks that have already been written. There may be too little as it is.

Because I’m down to four dollars, I can’t, right now, afford to buy the food I’ve been eating the last few years: food that’s usually called “chewy bars.” I get these when they’re on sale at a price of two boxes for $5; sometimes I get them for less. But even when I have the money to buy chewy bars, I can only buy four boxes at most; sometimes just two. I have to pick and choose carefully.

On many days, I have chewy bars for both breakfast and lunch. When I feel that I have a little money to work with, I have cereal for breakfast. I only buy cereal when it’s priced at two boxes for $5. But milk is never on sale.

Things I used to buy without thinking — soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, house cleansers — I now must think about. Do I have the money to get pet food right now? The task of having enough money to purchase laundry detergent seems monumental.

But all of this is inconsequential when it comes to the poverty I experience in relation to health care. And I emphasize that I am one of the lucky ones who has health care.

Last year, I went through a long period when I had extremely low energy and often felt dizzy. I had problems with balance and occasionally fell. I eventually decided I’d better undertake the distasteful task of going to a doctor.

These days, in Lake Charles, doctors charge $250 to $350 for a first visit.

From what I’ve been told, some charge more.

The doctor I visited recommended I take some heart tests. I did. After my health care policy covered whatever it covered, the bill for these tests was $1,500. After a year, I finally borrowed the money to pay the bill. I felt deeply

humiliated. But at least now the bill is paid. At least, I think it is.

And to repeat … I have health insurance. If I hadn’t had it, most of the doctors in the area would have refused to see me as a first-time patient.

As I write all this, I imagine thousands of people in this area reading it and nodding their heads, “Yes, yes.” I imagine them thinking, “This is what I go through.” And, like me, they may also be thinking, “I grew up middle class. Until a few years ago, I always considered myself middle class. I don’t anymore.

How did I fall out of the middle class?

Did I fall out of it, or did it disappear?”

There’s a fancy new term for people like us. We’re called “the working poor.”

I can’t speak for the other working poor, but for me, every single day brings a new concern about money. “Can I afford this?

Can I find a way to get money to pay for that?”

Fortunately, I have the ability not to worry obsessively about such things.

However, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a panic. But for the most part, I’m tranquil about my degraded state.

Crucial to my tranquility is that I rarely associate with my fellow human creatures. I know that in Southwest Louisiana, I’m surrounded by people who espouse the far right doctrine that the way to fix economic problems is to throw more money at rich people. If revenue is needed, the way to get it is to poke people who aren’t rich with a stick: cut state workers’ pensions; eliminate health care positions; get rid of teacher tenure (and if you can, get rid of teachers into the bargain); raise student tuition; close affordable care hospitals.

In the red states, some of the poorest people in the country routinely go out and vote for the politicians who want nothing other than to reward the wealthy.

The question of why working people in red states vote against their own economic interests remains the most vexing (and unanswered) political question of our time.

In his 300-page-long political essay What’s The Matter with Kansas, Thomas Frank, a lifelong Kansas conservative, tried, without much success, to explain the phenomenon. The most commonsense explanation for the popularity of far-right ideology that’s spread from talk radio to everyday discourse is that it explains everything. It leaves no unresolved problems; no gray areas.

Certainty can be comforting, especially

to those who are anxiety-ridden by the uncertainty in their personal lives.

But in a broader sense, red state voting patterns may turn out to be a tangential matter. In the United States, the middle class is dying, and dying rapidly. This isn’t just because rich people aren’t being required to do their share. They

What has any prominent American political figure said since the 2008 crash that would lead one to believe that any improvement is forthcoming?

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will be before too long. Otherwise, we’ll start seeing the kind of rioting in the streets that makes powerful people very uncomfortable. (We saw a tiny bit of it in the usually tranquil Occupy Movement.

Just that minor taste of public unrest got a big reaction.)

But even after the tax levels of the rich return to what they customarily are, will the middle class return with them?

Middle class wages haven’t risen higher than inflation since 1977. Middle class jobs have been sent overseas or automated out of existence. The worker who once breezed through a day doing a single middle class job is now expected to increase productivity by taking on the tasks of two or three other positions that have been “downsized” out of existence.

The U.S. is a now a country of the rich

and the poor. In other words, it’s become a third world country. It will continue down that path. Businessmen will not bring the assembly lines back from Malaysia to Ohio.

Most universities will eventually go out of business when parents finally realize that the general college degree that has become so costly to get is worthless when it comes to establishing a lucrative career. Of course, I’m not talking about a process that’s going to be completed in the next couple of weeks. As always, it’ll be a few years before we finally work up the courage to peek out of our curtains and see what the landscape has become.

Children of the middle class will continue to be asked to figure out a way to remain middle class when they work service jobs and service jobs are their only options for employment. In a generation,

two at the most, the U.S. middle class will have ceased to exist.

These sorts of predictions don’t sit well with Americans. Americans don’t even like to admit that there are classes in the U.S. How will they feel about admitting that their middle class children will not grow up to be middle class?

How will they let go of the essential American notion that one’s children must do better than their parents did?

But the fact is, we’re already seeing a generation that’s quite convinced that it doesn’t and won’t have its parents’ standard of living. The phrase “Generation X” entered the vernacular when Douglas Coupland wrote a novel of that title. The novel is about a group of young adults with college degrees who try to survive by means of service jobs and credit card debt. That book was published 18 years ago.

What has happened to improve that situation?

What is on the horizon that would improve it?

What has any prominent American political figure said since the 2008 crash that would lead one to believe that any improvement is forthcoming?

It’s more than obvious that the slogan “Help is on the way” (used well before 2008) didn’t sway anyone. And it was a damn easy slogan to remember. Could it be that no one believed it?

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W

hen the second annual Lake Charles Yom Hashoah program is held at the Exhibition Hall of the Lake Charles Civic Center on April 18, one of the key speakers will be McNeese professor and biology department head Mark Wygoda.

Although Wygoda will be at the podium, he’ll probably say precious little about himself in spite of his significant academic accomplishments. The reason is that Wygoda will be telling the story of his father — a Polish holocaust survivor who became one of the most prominent leaders in the Italian resistance during World War II. In the six years between Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the Nazis’ surrender, Wygoda’s father, a Polish Jew named Hermann Wygoda, managed to escape from the Nazis and emerge as an Italian resistance hero called “Comandante Enrico.” If you have any doubt that this was a monumental achievement, consider the fact that Hermann Wygoda was one of only 10 Italian resistance leaders to receive the Bronze Star from the United States.

(Wygoda was awarded the medal by U.S. Gen. Mark Clark.)

Although Wygoda was certainly a Holocaust survivor, he managed to avoid being imprisoned in any of the Nazi death camps. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that Wygoda’s hometown was only a few miles from the notorious Nazi death camp in Treblinka, Poland.

Hermann Wygoda may often have wondered why he too didn’t wind up as a casualty in Treblinka. The hardest part of Wygoda’s war experience may have been the knowledge that his son, brother and 26

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The fake identification crafted by Leon Peregal, an artist and smuggler who worked with Wygoda in Poland.

mother all died in Treblinka. It’s likely that his wife died there too, although there was no official record of her death.

Wygoda recounted his wartime experiences in a suspenseful autobiography titled In The Shadow Of The Swastika (University of Illinois Press, 1998; paperback 2003). Early on in the story, as Wygoda regroups after the Nazis’ massive invasion of Warsaw, Poland, he writes that “No handbook has ever been written or ever will be written that could be of use to a man who is hunted like a wild animal just because he was not born an Aryan. There were no rules of safety to follow to save one’s life …”

Still, Wygoda did formulate a provisional plan to survive in Holocaust Poland.

Because he was fluent in German, he determined to pass himself off as a Volksdeutscher — the Nazi term for a German living in Poland.

Because he was familiar with Catholic customs, Wygoda also determined to masquerade as a Catholic. He adapted his speech and appearance to conform to whatever he felt the Nazis expected of him in whatever region of Poland he visited. He could speak formal high German or pass himself off as a Polish peasant who didn’t know a word of the language. “He was very bold,” says Mark Wygoda. “He would bluff his way out of situations.”

It would have been more than enough of a challenge for Wygoda merely to survive as a Jew in Nazi-occupied Poland. To take just one instance of the challenges involved, Jews who were caught riding the train through Warsaw were killed immediately. And Wygoda often took the train because he thought it was the safest course of transportation available to him.

Regardless of the dangers, Wygoda

determined he would smuggle food into the Nazis’ Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw as long as it was possible to do so. (Wygoda eventually concluded the Ghetto had become too dangerous to enter. After its remaining residents revolted against the Nazis, they were exterminated in 1943.)

The dangers of life in Holocaust Poland were prohibitive. Wygoda was arrested by Nazis more than once. He was shot in the leg and the wound developed gangrene. He once bluffed his way through a Nazi bridge checkpoint by pretending to be a German officer.

‘UNDER CONSTANT STRESS’

Wygoda (second from right) receives the Bronze Star from the U.S.

Intensely personal stories like Wygoda’s may provide a useful educational alternative or supplement to the way the holocaust is traditionally portrayed in history textbooks. As a result of the increased emphasis on the Holocaust in U.S. education in recent decades, every American school child is now taught that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. But many students may not be aware of the horrible personal toll that was exacted on those who made it alive through the ordeal, or those who had to make traumatizing choices to avoid death in the camps.

Wygoda eventually left Nazi-occupied Poland, going through and escaping from another Nazi arrest as he made his way to a partisan fighter stronghold in the mouncontinued

A brief summary of the events in Wygoda’s life may make him seem like something of a James Bond figure. But there is little of the elegance of James Bond in his story.

Wygoda wrote eloquently of the overwhelming stress of living as a Jew in Holocaust Poland and of the almost unbearable tension of working as a smuggler within walking distance of Treblinka.

“Like hunted animals,” he wrote, “we were under constant stress.”

He stated that one near arrest exacted “a terrible strain on [his] nervous system …

The pressure on me was so great that I was certain that if I lived through all this, I would surely drop dead afterward like some overripe fruit.”

The most poignant passages in Wygoda’s memoir concern his struggle to find some sort of system or method for survival. He was never able to. At times he acted under intuition, “almost mechanically, as if in a trance, and could find no logical explanation for [his] actions.” At other times, he “came to the inescapable conclusion that the only thing to do was to continue with [his] ad hoc improvisations.”

The baffling puzzle of how to survive and the immense grief of losing his family must have created agonizing emotions and ruminations for Wygoda.

THE HOLOCAUST FROM A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE Like William Styron’s novel Sophie’s Choice and the popular film adaptation, as well as the widely read memoirs of Anne Frank and Elie Weisel, Wygoda’s book presents the Holocaust from the perspective of the individual victim. As such, it presents a marked alternative to the shots of dozens of unidentified corpses or skeletal prisoners that one is used to seeing.

Like Sophie’s Choice, In The Shadow Of The Swastika reveals how the inhuman conditions of the Holocaust forced individuals to deal with terrifying choices and catastrophic loss while at the same time somehow finding the wherewithal to go on with day-to-day survival in hostile conditions. Both are tales of personal experience that may enable others to have a more direct sense of the Holocaust than that created by group shots of victims whose stories one can never know.

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tains of Northern Italy. He learned Italian, one of eight languages he would eventually speak.

“Enrico” worked his way up the hierarchy of the Italian resistance until he became Division Commander of four brigades. Given the assignment to capture a Nazi officer one night, Wygoda sent out his “special squad,” soon brought a Nazi captain back to camp.

With his perfect German, “Comandante Enrico” was able to arrange a tense prisoner exchange with the Nazis. That night, the Nazis attacked Enrico’s partisan camp and were defeated. Within 24 hours, Hitler was dead. The war was drawing to its rapid end.

After the war, Wygoda immigrated to the U.S., where he eventually settled in Chattanooga, Tenn., and remarried. In Chattanooga, he continued to be an active innovator, first establishing himself as a general contractor, then creating the well-

Herman Wygoda's war journal.

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known Wygoda Building Corp., which constructed hundreds of homes in the region. He died in Florida in 1982 at the age of 76.

ANOTHER PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

the nights of November 8 and 9 in 1938. A thousand synagogues were destroyed, and 7,000 Jewish businesses ruined.

Already, at this early date, Jews were placed in concentration camps. The 30,000 Jews arrested during Kristallnacht were eventually released, but not before 2,000 of them had been murdered by Nazis. These killings were reported by the London Times as they occurred. (“Kristallnacht,” or “Crystal Night,” is a reference to the

tremendous amount of broken glass that covered the streets of Germany after Jewish businesses were ransacked.)

‘PROMOTE HUMAN DIGNITY; OPPOSE HATRED’ Yom Hashoah is a term that means “Holocaust Remembrance Day.” It’s observed each year, throughout the world, as a day of commemoration for Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

Local organizers of the event state that the “remembrance not only obligates us to

The Lake Charles Yom Hashoah commemoration will feature at least one other personal story of survival in Holocaust Europe. This is the story of Manny Klepper of the Temple Shalom in Lafayette who was a child in Germany when the Germans unleashed their devastating Kristallnacht attacks on Jews in Germany and Austria in 1938.

Nearly a hundred Jews were killed on

A young Hermann Wygoda in 1908 as he holds his mother Chana’s hand and stands next to his mother’s sister.

Mark Wygoda: Key speaker of Hom Yoshoah and son of war hero Hermann Wygoda.

“Comadante Enrico” (Wygoda; center) holds a Sten gun as he’s flanked by two Italian political commissioners in front of his mountain cave hideout.

Rabbi Barry Weinstein at work after Hurricane Katrina.

memorialize those who were killed during the Holocaust, it also reminds us of the fragility of democracy and the need for citizens to be vigilant in the protection of democratic ideals. We remember because we recognize the importance of preserving freedom, promoting human dignity and confronting hate whenever and wherever it occurs.” The event’s motto is “To promote human dignity and oppose hatred.”

“For a town the size of Lake Charles, this is very progressive,” says Bob Leslie, the volunteer publicity leader of the event.

“The theme is ‘never forget.’”

For those who would like more information about the Yom Hashoah commemoration, Rabbi Barry Weinstein of Temple Sinai will explain the meaning of Yom Hashoah at the event.

(Mayor Randy Roach will be on hand to welcome all speakers.)

Part of the local Yom Hashoah commemoration will be photo exhibits of the Holocaust, which will be on view from 4 to 5 pm on April 18.

Live music will be performed by the MSU Community Clarinet Choir and LaGrange High School and McNeese State University ensembles.

The observance is coordinated by the Yom Hashoah Observance Committee for Community Diversity, whose chairperson is Sylvia Stelly.

The event is set to take place in the Exhibition Hall of the Lake Charles Civic Center (on the exhibit side) on April 18.

Viewing of the photographic exhibit will take place from 4-5 pm.

The speeches, the Remembrance Memorial Program and the Candlelight Vigil will take place from 5-6:45 pm.

For more information about Lake Charles Yom Hashoah, call 491-1440.

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H

OUSTON GANGS MAKING ADVANCES INTO THE LAKE AREA may be a fact of life in Southwest Louisiana if the last four months of reported crimes in Lake Charles, and the surrounding areas, are any indication.

According to a source close to the cases, a Houston gang known as the 103s have been making raids on lavish homes in Lake Charles.

These 103s are affiliated as a “set” of the notorious Los Angeles street gang the Bloods. The Bloods are distinguished by their gang color of red.

The 103s — whose name stands for “100-percent 3rd Ward” — is an organized group that hails from the Third Ward in Houston. It has branched out just as the Bloods have branched out nationwide since their founding.

Often known as, or possibly affiliated with, the “Early 103” gang, the Houston thugs have been involved in a rash of shootings, violent crime and robberies in the city of Houston. One local source close to the case said that the Houston Police Department’s Gang Task Force has been working burglaries involving the 103s since 2009.

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Houston Police have registered 47 members of the 103s in their crime databases. The “top half” of the 47member gang is now behind bars as the result of arrests and conviction in early 2013 in Houston.

However, the arrests and convictions came too late for the Lake Area as the gang members expanded their working territory into Lake Charles, striking south of Interstate 210 on December 17, 2012.

It began with a string of daytime home burglaries in the Lake Charles Country Club area while homeowners were away, possibly caught up in the holiday rush and Christmas shopping, as no burglar alarms in the homes were set, according to the source.

The 103s moved in.

Three houses were hit: one on Portrush Drive, one on Edgewater Drive and one on West Shoal Creek.

According to the source, more than $160,000 worth of guns, jewelry and cash were stolen from those three houses alone.

A blue mini-van was spotted in the area and six black males were considered suspects at the time. Witness accounts and surveillance footage couldn’t be used to determine the numbers or the state on a license plate.

On January 10, 2013, three more houses were hit in the same area: on Portrush Drive (again), Essex Street and Gleneagle Drive.

This time the burglaries yielded $95,000 in guns, jewelry and cash for the 103s.

Correlations were made between the pre-Christmas robberies and the January 10, 2013 hits. It was a very specific type of burglary, according to the source, in the way that entry was made into the homes.

Obviously, the 103s practiced the skill of burglary in Houston, but by the time they arrived in Lake Charles, they had mastered it.

The only difference between the two sets of triple burglaries was in minor details. In January, one house alarm was triggered. But the alarm was futile in stopping the thieves.

However, local law enforcement had a new suspect vehicle: a black Tacoma with a Texas license plate.

By this time, four black males were suspects in the rash of home robberies.

By January 16, 2013, law enforcement officials decided to step-up patrols in the area as a result of six houses being robbed of more than a quarter of a million dollars in valuables in less than a month within a five-block area.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when cautious neighbors noticed a black Impala with four black males circulating through the Country Club neighborhood, stopping occasionally to ring doorbells on the upper-market homes. Immediately the men in the car became suspects. As the suspects were approached by one concerned homeowner, the vehicle fled the area,

revealing Texas plates.

The black Impala was spotted and stopped near Prien Lake Park, where the four suspects were identified, along with four pairs of work gloves, mallets and noticeable markings in the form of 103s gang tattoos.

Local law enforcement seized the suspects’ cell phones, noticing that one of the phones revealed a navigation screen with the addresses of Lake Charles golf courses. The thieves were using technology to navigate their way into the exclusive neighborhoods that typically surround golf courses. The would-be thieves had their sights, and continued

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their GPS, set on Gray Plantation and Lake Charles Country Club.

The next day, Thursday, it was reported that four Houston men were taken into custody after being suspected of casing homes.

According to the American Press, Derrick Deshaun Brooks, 23, Shaquille Richards, 19, Corey Raymond Landor, 24, and Joe Roy Cockerham III, 18, were each charged with two counts of simple trespassing and one count of possessing burglary tools.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN H-TOWN

The source said that on February 4, 2013, Houston Police served a narcotics search warrant and raided the home of Derrick Brooks, one of the four men arrested in Lake Charles as a suspect in the burglaries. Brooks’ brother, Terrance, was arrested at the address. But Derrick Brooks wasn’t at his Third Ward Houston home at the time.

As a result of the raid, Houston Police seized 10 guns. Of the 10 guns, six were found to be stolen from mostly a variety of Texas jurisdictions.

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DARIANA BRIDGES

STACEY PARKER

However, one of the guns matched the description of a gun stolen from the Portrush Drive home in Lake Charles, according to the anonymous source.

Of all the items stolen from Lake Charles, only one gun was recovered.

Exactly one month later, on March 4, Brazoria County Sheriff’s officials arrested a man by the name of Michael Rogers in connection with a Pearland, Texas, burglary. Rogers was stopped in his black Toyota Tacoma truck, the same type of vehicle that was spotted during the Portrush Drive burglary on January 10, 2013.

LCPD detectives visited Brazoria County to see Rogers in jail. The detectives got what they were looking for: Rogers confessed to being a participant in the three January 10 home burglaries in Lake Charles.

During the course of the investigation, Rogers also named Derrick Brooks, Terrance Brooks and a Kendrick Warren as accomplices.

Derrick Brooks was considered to be the ringleader of the 103s.

Rogers also confessed to a myriad of burglaries, which spanned from the Houston-Pearland area to East Texas into Southwest Louisiana.

All four of the subjects arrested are currently in jail and awaiting extradition to Louisiana for their involvement in the January burglaries in Lake Charles.

They are part of the same group that was involved in the December

JAMES COOPER

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SEIZED THE SUSPECTS’ CELL PHONES, NOTICING THAT ONE OF THE PHONES REVEALED A NAVIGATION SCREEN WITH THE ADDRESSES OF LAKE CHARLES GOLF COURSES. 2012 burglaries.

However, the video surveillance footage showed six individuals involved in the pre-Christmas hits.

Of all of the arrests made in Houston in connection with the Lake Charles burglaries, only Kendrick Warren is not facing any Texas charges.

Charges have been filed against Warren with the 14th Judicial Office of the District Attorney in Calcasieu Parish, making way for his extradition to Louisiana to account for his part in the home burglaries.

‘HIGH END’ BURGLARS

Various branches of Texas law enforcement began scratching their heads after the same methods of burglary on the same type of profiled

JASON BARNES

CHRISTIAN E. EARVIN homes began to spread from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. According to the source, the “high end” burglars — who plundered guns, jewelry and cash — would travel back from Lake Charles to Houston to contact jewelry dealers who would work with them in buying the jewelry or using smelting on-site, popping out the precious stones and melting the gold down so that reported or stolen jewelry would never be traced.

The source said the Houston Police Department Major Case Division is aware of the rogue jewelers who have the ability to perform smelting on-site and investigations are underway.

RADIO SHACK JACKED

There may be a connection between the Houston 103 gang burglaries in Lake Charles and a series of “Radio Shack-jackings” in Sulphur and Lake Charles that took place on January 24, 2013.

Armed robberies of Radio Shack stores in Sulphur and Lake Charles were part of a spree of crime from Houston to East Texas in which nearly 30 Radio Shack stores were targeted for the retail outlet’s best-selling product to date: cell phones. The smartphones, in particular, are worth a lot of money.

High-level investigations have led members of one unnamed Houston branch of law enforcement to believe that these cell phones, once they’re continued April 4, 2013

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returned to Houston, are then shipped overseas to various countries such as Pakistan where they are sold on the black market. The people who are allegedly buying the cell phones from the armed bandits have some tie to Pakistan, according to the source.

The word was out among law enforcement that Radio Shack was now a hot spot for would-be armed robbers.

The armed bandits didn’t count on the Sulphur Police Department, which had already been given a heads-up by the Lake Charles Police Department.

Sulphur Police gunned down one of the armed Radio Shack thieves.

Armed with shotguns, and freshly adrenalized from their Lake Charles armed robbery earlier, the thieves in the Sulphur Radio Shack looted the store and made their way for the exit.

Outside was the getaway vehicle with a driver poised behind the wheel, ready to speed away to the easily accessed Interstate 10 and then the soothing anonymity of Houston.

Sulphur police pulled up as the thieves, waved shotguns in the air, fled

on foot, leaving the local law braced for a fire fight. Shots were fired in a heated exchange.

As Sulphur police surrounded the store, one alleged thief exited out the back door, where he was ordered by an officer to stop. Allegedly, he did not.

The officer opened fire, wounding the suspect as he fled on foot. The suspect got away, only to be captured in Baytown after he stopped to go a hospital because he was bleeding out.

Nearly two weeks later, on February 8, 2013, KPLC-TV reported that Jason Rashad Barnes, 21, and James Undra Cooper, 21, both of Houston, were charged with three counts of armed robbery and three

counts of robbery with a firearm in the Sulphur case. Also arrested were Stacey Parker, 24, of Highlands, Texas; Christian E. Earvin, 24, of Highlands; and Dariana Bridges, 20, of Spring, Texas.

The news report stated Lake Charles authorities said Cooper and Barnes were also accused of robbing the Radio Shack on Derek Drive in Lake Charles on Jan. 24.

The news out of Houston reported that 14 suspects in total had been arrested in the Radio Shack heists.

HPD were waiting for the travelling bandits to return to Houston — where most of them were arrested.

The source close to the case said that all the individuals have some connection to the Third Ward area of Houston. However, the Radio Shack robbers may not be affiliated with the 103s.

Perhaps word spread through the Third Ward that Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana was ripe for picking in some criminal or some philosophic way. Perhaps word circulated to the neighborhoods in the Third Ward that a robbery attempt was thwarted by area law enforcement and that Southwest Louisiana was either bad luck or off the menu for any would-be gangbangers wanting to make a road trip.

IN 2012, THERE WERE NEARLY 1,800 BURGLARIES IN LAKE CHARLES. All the talk of growth in Southwest Louisiana; of the coming influx of money from industry and development; and municipalities doubling and tripling in size; can give the residents of the Lake Area an idea of what to expect as far as a crime rate associated with growth is concerned.

As any area grows, so grows the crime.

Even if local crime doesn’t grow along with the area, some of the crime will be imported by criminals who seek to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

According to the Lake Charles Police, 2012 saw nearly 1,800 burglaries within the city limits.

The cooperation of law enforcement in the investigation of these acts of crime has put a spotlight on joint efforts between the Sulphur Police Department, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Lake Charles Police Department, Baytown Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department and the diligent work they’ve done on behalf of their citizens.

Branches of law enforcement working together will be a key component in maintaining awareness of crime in the area and on the horizon.

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NOLA MAE ROSS 1926-2013

Nola Mae Ross,

historian, author of numerous books on interesting aspects of SWLA history, author of numerous articles for Lagniappe, and co-owner, with her late husband Douglas, of McFillen Air Park from the late 1940s until 1985, passed away Monday, March 25, at the age of 86.

Born in Lake Charles in 1926, Ross was the daughter of Louis and Esther Nickel Wittler, who had moved to SWLA from Nebraska during the “great migration” prompted by the publicity efforts of Jabez Bunting Watkins.

Ross met her first husband, Doug McFillen, in 1941, and they were soon married. Doug developed a deep love of airplanes, and by 1944 had talked Nola Mae into purchasing a small plane — a 1939 Piper J-3 Cub, with another couple. He was soon licensed to fly.

In 1945, Nola Mae took her first solo flight. She, also, was soon licensed, at the age of 22. The couple bought and built McFillen Air Park, a “grass roots” air park located on what is now Gauthier Rd. on the property that now holds Final Touch Automotive Shop. The air park housed two small hangars, and was the catalyst for the growth of aviation in the Lake Area.

Nola Mae wrote in her largely autobiographical book Airplanes for Breakfast: “The life and growth of McFillen Air Park over the next 40 years was the aviation heritage

Living, Writing History

in Southwest Louisiana. The first of its kind in a pioneer world of aviation, and staying alive into the electronic age, its life during the phenomenal growth of aviation made it an authentic example of airports in the infancy of aviation.”

The following article, “Flying Ain’t The Same Anymore,” written by Ross and published by Lagniappe in July 2012, chronicles the start and growth of McFillen Air Park, and relates some interesting and amusing stories about the air park’s early life and its always-amusing student pilots.

Not that it was all amusing. Along with the excitement, adventure and triumph of a life in the fledgling aviation industry came an unimaginable amount of tragedy. Nola Mae and Doug lost their younger son, Dennis, in an airplane crash in 1965. Just eight months later, Doug himself was killed when his plane crashed in Lake Charles during a flight for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. The couple’s oldest son, Marshall, died of cancer in 1975.

Nola Mae re-married in 1971, to L.C. Ross. The two were married 22 years, and co-owned McFillen Air Park until 1985, when a floundering economy and the demands of L.C.’s escalating Alzhiemer’s forced Nola Mae to lock its doors. She moved to a home within sight of the air park and, at age 60, began the career she’d dreamt of as a young woman — writing.

Perhaps because Nola Mae had been such a part of history in this area — and a pioneer herself both as co-owner of a barely-post-WWII air park and a female pilot in a time when “women’s lib” was still decades away — she turned her writing skills to SWLA history, publishing numerous books on the pioneers, buccaneers, criminals, hurricanes, families, events and traditions that make up SWLA’s history. A list of Nola Mae’s books appears elsewhere in this issue. She published, in all, 26 books. She won the Donald J. Millet Historical Award twice, as well as

numerous other awards for her writing.

She published numerous articles in Lagniappe, on pioneer families of Cameron, holiday traditions and recipes from pioneer SWLA families, Jean Lafitte’s long and interesting relationship to SWLA, the devastation of Hurricane Audrey and the less-deadly-butmore-costly Hurricane Rita, an intriguing murder case involving the “last bootleggers” in SWLA, the dramatic closing of “casinos” during the late 1950s by Sheriff Ham Reid, the Lake Charles Fire of 1910, the great cattle drives of early Cameron Parish, and an indepth profile of Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach, to name but a very few.

One of her most interesting articles was published fairly recently — a detailed account of the survivor of the shipwreck that took the life of Lake Charles businessman Willis Noland. For the first time, the survivor, Jerry Roy, was ready to talk about the sinking of Noland’s boat in the Caribbean in 1990, and Roy’s ordeal after it sank, and he wanted Nola Mae to tell the story.

The result was a riveting account of the sinking, and of Roy’s nearly two days of floating at sea before being rescued — an account that answered many questions Lake Area residents had had for nearly 22 years.

All of Nola Mae’s articles highlighted some aspect of SWLA history, with few exceptions, one of which was an article on the needs of the mentally ill in SWLA. And that was an indicator of Nola Mae’s other post-aviation life: She was heavily involved in many civic organizations, most notably the SWLA chapter of NAMI (the National Association for the Mentally Ill) and was active in the Circle Up group, devoted to helping the mentally ill. She received Family and Youth’s 2008 Samaritan of the Year Award largely due to her efforts for the NAMI organization.

She also served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, the Samaritan Counseling Center and the Children’s Museum, and was active in the Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, Girl and Boy Scouts, Cattlemen’s Association, Farmer’s Market, SWLA historical and genealogical societies. She taught writing courses, and was a frequent guest speaker for school and civic groups. She was a charter member of the University United Methodist Church.

Nola Mae Ross will long be remembered as a part of SWLA history, as a chronicler of that rich history, as a civic activist, friend, mother, stepmother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Enjoy her article “Flying Ain’t The Same Anymore” in the pages of this issue, and if you haven’t already, check out her books on SWLA history.

Nola Mae Ross Played Major Role In SWLA Aviation History, Chronicled Area’s General History

By Karla Wall

April 4, 2013

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NOLA MAE ROSS 1926-2013

Books By Nola Mae Ross The following is a partial bibliography of Nola Mae Ross’ works.

MY NAME IS SHANE This book tells the stories of people diagnosed with mental illness, and explores the avenues of help available locally for those suffering from bipolar disorder, depression, OCD, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.

SWLA VETERANS REMEMBER, VOLS. 1 AND 2 These books highlight local WWII heroes, containing the stories of nearly 3,000 veterans, many of whom were under age 23 when they left for parts unknown to face a very uncertain future.

CRIMES OF THE PAST IN SOUTH LOUISIANA Contains the true stories of 14 famous crimes in south Louisiana from 1896 to 1940. It gives readers a fascinating look not only into the crimes, but also into law enforcement and court procedures of the time.

LOUISIANA HOMES: IF WALLS COULD TALK

VOLS. 1 AND 2 These popular books in include stories and photographs of 90 old homes from the five-parish area, depicting the cultural range of SWLA.

JEAN LAFFITTE, THE LOUISIANA BUCCANEER The truth about Jean Laffitte’s colorful life is perhaps more interesting than the numerous tales that have been told and embellished throughout the centuries. Ross’ book gives a truthful account of Laffitte’s life and his relationship to the waters, land and people of SWLA.

FOOD, FAITH AND FAMILY This book offers a rundown of recipes and traditions from notable SWLA families, including former state Sen. Willie Mount and her late husband, Ben; the Dr. Carl Nabours family; the family of Mayor Randy Roach; the Dickson family; the Palermo family; and many others.

THE DEVASTATION OF HURRICANE RITA Ross offers a pictorial log of Hurricane Rita’s destruction in Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes.

HURRICANE AUDREY Hurricane Audrey, which swept ashore on June 27, 1957, also left behind much devastation and, unlike Rita, for which SWLA was wellprepared, the loss of hundreds of lives. In fact, the hurricane took over 425 lives, 154 of whom were under the age of 9. Ross tells the true story of Audrey, of those who survived her wrath, and those whose loved ones did not.

AIRPLANES FOR BREAKFAST In this largely autobiographical book, Ross tells the story of McFillen Air Park, its role in the early aviation history of SWLA, the crusty old war veterans who taught student pilots, and the amusing students whose antics kept life at the air park interesting.

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NOLA MAE ROSS 1926-2013

Flying Ain't The Same Anymore

M

y granddaughter, Amanda, is always asking me to write about what I did in the olden days.

And since I’ve reached the ripe old age of 86, it’s probably better if I do it sooner rather than later. I spent 35 years of my life operating a grassroots airport, McFillen Air Park. This seems to be the best starting point for my story of what I did in my olden days.

Sixty-six years ago, I flew an airplane by myself and earned my Private Pilot’s License. Two years later, I got my Commercial Pilot License.

It all started at the Country Club airport, so named because it was on Country Club Road, at a spot which now encompasses a furniture store and a group of apartments. For the young generation, it might be a stretch of the imagination to visualize that little country airport with dirt runways, a small shack for an office, and scads of World War II veteran airplane pilots hanging around.

These vets were returning from war

they’d stop at them and teach a few students to fly before moving on.

Bought Yellow J-2 Cub For $600

By Nola Mae Ross — the worst nightmare they’d ever imagined. They found that life had changed so drastically at home that they were lost — wanderers. Where could they go? What could they to do?

Because the activity at small airports slightly resembled their military life,

In the midst of all this, my husband, Doug McFillen, and I, along with another couple, bought an airplane.

We paid $600 for a 1939 Yellow Piper Cub, N22948, and all four of us learned to fly in it.

Our flight instructor was Harry Watson, a crusty, outspoken warrior who’d taught military personnel to fly during the war. Although we were a little afraid of him, we also hallowed the ground he walked on, because we knew he was the best. I don’t think Watson ever called me by name; I was always “Blondie.” He admitted that he was tougher on me than the others, because, he said, “You’ve got two strikes against you. You’re a female, and you’re a blonde. People will expect you to do something giddy or wrong.”

I guess his toughness paid off, because even though I accumulated 1,000 hours, most as a commercial

pilot, I never turned a plane upside down or ran off the runway through a ditch, or had any other so-called accidents. And I spent hundreds of hours taking people up for their first rides.

Those Old Rag-Wing Airplanes Were Safe We were told when we bought our first J-3 Piper Cub that it would float like a kite, land at an extremely low speed, and be easy to repair. Because of those features, people were rarely injured in them. My husband and other flight Instructors taught hundreds of student pilots to fly.

Some mostly humorous incidents took place when the small “kites” we flew did the unexpected — like land and flip over, or run into a fence or ditch. And the pilots walked away without a scratch.

There was the tough old rice farmer who was determined to learn to fly before he died. He had operated tractors, combines and every other piece of farm equipment, but met his match in the little airplane. Flying low over his continued

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NOLA MAE ROSS 1926-2013

Flying Ain't The Same Anymore continued farm, he somehow snagged an airplane wheel on a fence. After he flipped upside down, a bystander who’d been watching him do touchand-go landings rushed up to his plane and found the farmer hanging upside down, held by his seat belt.

The bystander released the seat belt, and the farmer fell on his head on the ground. “Damn,” he yelled angrily, “I survive a plane wreck and you try to kill me by letting me fall on my head.”

Perhaps the funniest incident I remember took place when a young man from Iota, who’d learned to fly at our airport, earned his Pilot’s License. He flew back to Iota to take his family for airplane rides in his J3 Cub. After finding a fairly decent but short landing spot, he took several family members for flights. He even persuaded an old uncle, who’d often repeated, “If God wanted man to fly he’d have given him wings,” to take a ride with him.

They took off into the blue. Just at the end of the farm landing strip, the new pilot hit a fence and flipped over! No one was hurt, but the pilot was so scared of what his reluctant uncle would say that he contemplated running way. The old hardheaded uncle climbed out of the Cub, looked at his nephew and said, “Damn, I haven’t had this much fun since I was a young sprout.”

Flying Was Fun In The Olden Days Because we’d just lived through a horrendous war with no humor in it, we all needed something lighter and less serious. So we sought out a happier and funnier type of existence.

We always seemed to find humor in flying. After work, guys drove out to our airport and just sat around and watched the small planes fly.

At McFillen Air Park, they particularly loved the antics of the six young high school boys who’d

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somehow come up with a $100 each to buy an Aeronca Champ. They formed a club named The Lake City Saints, but Saints they were not.

Their $600 Aeronca Champ was known as Drippy, because no matter which mechanic operated on her, she seemed determined to leak oil.

These young pilots furnished a lot of laughs. Once one of them flew too low over his uncle’s house while he was showing off his new airplane skills. By the time he landed back at McFillen Air Park, there was a sheriff’s deputy waiting for him. What the young pilot hadn’t realized was that his uncle lived right next door to Sheriff Ham Reid.

One day, another of the young pilots had been flying for an hour, practicing for his Private Pilot License. He made a fairly decent landing, but, unfortunately, stopped too quickly. Drippy slowly tilted forward and flipped over on her back.

The young pilot panicked and jumped out of Drippy — right on top of her wing! He ran down the length of Drippy’s rag wing, leaving big footprint holes everywhere he stepped.

Then there was the time when Doug Courville, another of Drippy’s pilots, took off toward the north on McFillen’s runway. By the time he turned Drippy onto the second path in the flight pattern, catastrophe hit!

Doug Courville tells that story: “I knew a bunch of the older pilots were sitting on the ground, watching Drippy’s maiden flight.

Unfortunately during [the time when we’d been] recovering [the plane], we’d forgotten to replace the aluminum fairing above the windshield.

Pulling back sharply on the stick, right over the cheering crowd, I suddenly heard a loud snap as the fabric on top of the fuselage suddenly began flapping wildly back and forth. Soon the whole top of the fuselage was waving like the Mad

NOLA MAE ROSS

Hatter.

“I was scared to death, so I chopped the throttle, and Drippy just continued to fly.

When I realized it wasn’t going to crash, I slowly limped around the flight pattern and landed. I was shaking so much I had to lean on Drippy to keep from falling. All the spectators jumped to their feet and came over to congratulate me. Later, these hangar flying pilots helped us restore Drippy.”

The last of these stories involved a young second lieutenant who, after his military discharge, bought a little twoplace, 65 HP Luscombe Silvaire, 1940 vintage, with metal body, fabric-covered wings and stick controls. It was considered a “hot” airplane.

He’d been practicing short field landings and felt he had conquered them. While he was taking a break, he said to an older pilot, “Want to bet 50 cents I can land on that old, closed off, short runway?” A fence had recently been put across the runway so that no pilot would make the mistake of landing there. The older pilot said, “Sure, I’ll bet you can’t.”

While other bystanders made side bets, the young second lieutenant fired up his Luscombe Silvaire, took off and flew around the flight pattern, slowing for a short field landing. In fact, he was flying so slow the watchers held their breath, afraid he’d stall out. But he landed within 75 feet of the fence. The only problem was, he also hit the fence on the way in and both front wheels were wacked out.

The Luscombe came to a loud stop on its belly! Crawling out of his broken airplane, the young pilot walked over to the guy he’d bet with and handed him 50 cents. Again, all the bystanders pitched in to help him repair the Luscombe.

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MOVING PAST JOINT PAIN

I

t’s difficult to appreciate how much we rely on our joints until the day comes when they ache — so much so that it wakes us up at night or prevents us from walking, lifting or bending over. For millions of Americans, joint pain isn’t just a dull, disappearing pain that comes with overexertion or fatigue. It’s a constant pain that affects the activities of daily living. When the pain surpasses the ability to function properly, sufferers are left with treatment options that range from medication to joint replacement.

“Arthritis treatment has come a long way over the past 20 years — even in just the past 10 years, actually,” says Dr. John Noble, orthopaedic surgeon with Center for Orthopaedics and member of the medical staff at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital. “Years ago, patients would hear the term ‘joint replacement,’ and you could immediately feel their stress and fear. Today, people understand it’s a fairly common procedure with long-term benefits — primarily, the ability to move freely and without pain — that far outweigh the risks.

Advancements of the past decade have made it possible for surgeons to safely and effectively replace shoulders, hips and knees, greatly improving the quality of life for patients.”

Advancements in arthritis treatment have grown, along with the increased prevalence of the condition, according to

Noble. The number of people with arthritis is expected to soar as Baby Boomers age into their 60s and beyond. The Arthritis Foundation predicts that an estimated 67 million Americans will have arthritis by 2030. The condition is the leading cause of disability in the United State.

“Many people don’t understand how greatly chronic joint pain can wear on a person’s emotional, physical and mental well-being over time,” says Noble. To a certain degree, it permeates every facet of your life. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a condition that caus-

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April 4, 2013

es relentless suffering. There are things that can be done. That includes joint replacement, but that’s not the only option. Again, with advances in knowledge and technology, we have more lessinvasive surgical techniques as well as more non-surgical treatment options to offer for arthritis than ever before. For many patients, newer treatments allow us to prevent, or at least delay, the need for joint replacement surgery. Typically, joint replacement is the last resort after less-invasive treatment procedures have been exhausted.”

And although joint replacement is

not uncommon — an estimated 1.5 million Americans have a knee hip or shoulder replacement each year — it is still a significant treatment decision to be made between a the patient and their surgeon, Noble said.

The most important deciding factor in deciding if or when it’s time to have joint replacement surgery? “How much the pain is affecting a person’s daily life,” says Noble. “When you are no longer able to complete daily tasks, such as walking short distances or reaching for something in the cabinet, that is a clear indication that it’s time to take the next step in treatment so that you can get back to doing the things you need and want to do in order to enjoy life again.”

Learn more about advances in arthritis treatment and joint replacement at Movement Improvement, a seminar hosted by West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital at L’Auberge Casino Resort’s Event Center on Thursday, April 25. The seminar begins at 6 pm, and will feature several physicians from Center for Orthopaedics: Dr. John Noble, Dr. Geoffrey Collins, Dr. Steven Hale and Dr. Tyson Green. They will address arthritis treatment options for the hip, shoulder, knee and ankle. The seminar is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is requested. Refreshments will be served. Call 527-5459 for more information, or register online at www.centerforortho.com.

SIMPLE WAYS TO SEE BETTER

I

f you want to see clearly into your future, you may want to change your diet, develop an exercise regimen, buy a new pair of shades and throw out the salt, among other things.

According to ophthalmologist William Iglinsky, MD, with The Eye Clinic, people have more control over their vision than they may think. Although patients hear a steady stream of information about how to keep their hearts, brains and internal systems healthy, they may not realize that there are also several things they can do to keep their eyes clear and free of disease.

“I think that many people assume that whatever happens with their vision is beyond their control. Although there are some aspects of our vision that are results of uncontrollable factors, such as genetics, there are definitely things we can do to keep our eyesight as healthy and effective as possible,” Iglinsky says.

Protect your eyes. Although there are some obvious instances where eyes need to be protected — during certain work-related

tasks, such as welding or carpentry, for example — don’t underestimate the need to protect the eyes from less apparent threats, such as swimming pools and the sun. “Buy sunglasses that block harmful UV rays. If possible, you want to filter as much as 99 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. AntiUV coatings are available not only for sunglasses, but regular glasses as well,” says Iglinsky. “Blocking as many UV rays as possible can prevent an eye condition called agerelated macular degeneration, which can be debilitating to sight as you age. In some cases, macular degeneration causes blindness.”

Quit smoking. It’s a well-known fact that smoking can contribute to cancer, heart disease and stroke, but it also doubles a person’s risk of developing macular degeneration, the leading cause of legal blindness in the country, according to recent research published by the Journal of British

Ophthalmology. A review of 17 other studies suggested that smoking may not just be a contributing factor — it may also cause the adverse eye condition to develop. “This only reiterates the long-held fact that smoking is bad for your health — period,” Iglinsky says.

Remove eye makeup. If your eye makeup isn’t properly removed, it can find its way into the eye, which can damage the cornea — the dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye. As the eye’s outermost layer, the cornea can be sensitive to foreign objects and can become scratched.

Take a break. Every 30 minutes or so, take a break from what you’re doing so you can rest your eyes — especially if you work in front of a computer screen for most of the day. “Look away from the screen and focus on something far away for at least 30 seconds,” Iglinsky advises. “Your eyes

need rest to prevent unnecessary strain.

Studies have shown that, on average, Americans’ eyesight has deteriorated rapidly in recent years, probably because we no longer need to focus on objects that are far away.”

Eat your veggies. If you want to get serious about healthy eyesight, you need to get more serious about eating fruits and veggies that are packed with lutein and zeaxanthin. Where can one find these eyefriendly elements? In foods like corn and dark, leafy greens. You’ll also want to eat foods rich in Vitamin A, like sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, kale, spinach, pumpkin, collard greens, mangoes, papayas, peas and cantaloupe.

“Also, stay away from salt,” says Iglinsky. “Salt has been found to increase a person’s risk of cataracts.” Salt can also have an adverse effect on blood pressure, which can also affect the eyes.

Exercise. Some studies indicate that exercise can reduce the intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

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MOST COMMON FOOD ALLERGIES

B

etween 50 and 90 percent of all severe allergic reactions to foods are caused by only eight foods. The most common food allergies are: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. Each of these “big eight” food allergies has its own unique challenges.

The most common food allergies for adults differs from the most common food allergies for children. Many children outgrow their allergies to milk, eggs or wheat in early childhood. Adults may develop new allergies later in life.

The good news is that these ingredients should be clearly labeled with an allergy warning on all packaged foods made in the United States. For example, a food that contained hydrolyzed vegetable protein derived from soy would be required to have a statement that said “Allergy warning: contains soy” on the ingredient label.

The bad news is that not all foods are

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manufactured in the United States, and products such as shampoo or lotion may contain these foods, but are not required to list them separately as allergens. You still need to be a label detective.

The most common food allergies, in order of frequency, are:

Milk Frequency: Cow’s milk is the most common food allergy in American children; 2.5 percent of children have a cow’s milk allergy. It’s not a major allergen for adults.

Outlook: Up to 80 percent of children will outgrow their allergy to dairy products by the age of six.

Where allergens hide: Deli meats, “non-dairy” creamer, skin and hair care products, canned tuna, and some craft paints.

Other sensitivities: A milk allergy is an immune response to milk proteins, which is different from lactose intolerance,

in which your body lacks the enzyme needed to digest milk sugars. Children with milk allergy must avoid all dairy products, including those that are lactose-free.

allergies have a higher rate of tree nut allergies than the general population, even though peanuts are legumes (beans), not nuts.

Peanuts

Shellfish

Frequency: 1.4 percent of children and 0.6 percent of adults are allergic to peanuts. There is some evidence that the rate of peanut allergies is increasing among children in the United States.

Outlook: Peanut allergies are often very severe, with higher rates of anaphylactic reactions than milk, eggs or wheat.

They also tend to be lifelong allergies.

Only 20 percent of children will outgrow their peanut allergy by the age of six.

Where allergens hide: Peanut butter is sometimes used as a thickener for chili or “glue” for egg rolls. Peanut oil may be found in some skin care products. A common source for accidental exposure in children is bird seed.

Other sensitivities: People with peanut

Frequency: Shellfish allergy is the most common food allergy for adults. Two percent of American adults have a shellfish allergy. 0.1 percent of children have a shellfish allergy.

Outlook: Shellfish and fish are allergies that often develop later in life, unlike many other allergies. They tend to be severe, life long allergies.

Where allergens hide: Vitamins, pet food, fertilizer, fish food. People with shellfish allergies may react if they breathe in airborne particles from sizzling or boiling food.

Other sensitivities: People may be allergic to crustaceans (lobsters, shrimp, crawfish) or mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels) or both.

Tree Nuts Frequency: 1.1 percent of children and 0.5 percent of adults have a tree nut allergy. There is some evidence that the rate of tree nut allergies is increasing in the United States.

Outlook: Tree nuts tend to be life long allergies, and have higher rates of anaphylactic reactions than milk, eggs or wheat.

Only 9 percent of children will outgrow their tree nut allergy by age six.

Where allergens hide: There are so many names for tree nuts that it can be difficult to determine if a product contains nuts. Nut shells are sometimes used to stuff beanbag kick toys, such as hacky sacks.

Other sensitivities: Tree nuts are actually very different from each other, and it’s possible to be allergic to one nut, but not others. It’s also possible to be allergic to multiple nuts as well as peanuts.

Eggs Frequency: Eggs are the second most common food allergy for children. 1.5 percent of children are allergic to hen’s eggs.

Eggs are not a major allergen for adults.

Outlook: Up to 80 percent of children will outgrow their allergy to eggs by the age of six.

Where allergens hide: Many immunizations are created by growing viruses in hen’s eggs. Ask your child’s doctor about which immunizations are safe for him.

Other medications, such as anesthetics, may also contain eggs. “Egg substitutes” such as Egg Beaters contain eggs.

Other sensitivities: It’s possible to be allergic to just egg white, just egg yolk, or both. It’s likely not possible to completely separate a white and a yolk from an egg at home.

Fish Frequency: 0.4 percent of adults and 0.1 percent of children have a fish allergy.

It’s possible to be allergic to just one species of fish and not others.

Outlook: Fish allergies often develop in adulthood. They tend to be severe, life long allergies.

Where allergens hide: Restaurants may fry fish in the same oil as other foods.

Kosher gelatin (found in kosher pudding or marshmallows) is made from fish bones.

Other sensitivities: Fish that is less than fresh can develop high levels of natural histamine. When eaten, it can produce symptoms similar to food allergies, but is called scromboid poisoning. If you have symptoms such as swelling of your mouth or throat, difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting after eating fish, call 911. Taking a piece of the fish with you to the hospital will help doctors determine the cause of your symptoms.

Soy Frequency: 0.4 percent of American children are allergic to soy. It’s not a major allergen for adults.

Outlook: About 50 percent of children will outgrow their soy allergy by the age of seven.

Where allergens hide: Soy is a very common ingredient in packaged foods, hair and skin products, and even gasoline.

Beanbag toss toys are often stuffed with soybeans. Some organic stuffed animals are made from soy fibers. Vitamin E is usually derived from soy, and there may not be a soy allergy warning on the ingredient label.

Other sensitivities: Because of the risk of developing a soy allergy, babies with milk allergy or milk protein intolerance shouldn’t be fed soy-based formula.

Wheat Frequency: 0.4 percent of American children are allergic to wheat.

Outlook: About 80 percent of them will outgrow their wheat allergy by age six.

Where allergens hide: Soy sauce, beer, deli meats, imitation crab meat. Spelt and kamut contain the same proteins as wheat, and shouldn’t be eaten by people with wheat allergies. Non-food items such as glue, Play-Doh, lotions and shampoos can also contain wheat.

Other sensitivities: Wheat allergy is different from Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder in which you can’t digest wheat or other gluten-containing grains, such as barley or rye. Wheat allergies can be difficult to figure out, since sometimes allergy symptoms only appear in combination with exercise (exerciseinduced anaphylaxis).

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KIDNEY STONES: HEAT RAISES RISK

T

emperatures are rising and so is the risk of developing a kidney stone.

“We always see an increase in patients with kidney stones in the summer,” says urologist Eugene Hong, MD, with the Urology Center of Southwest Louisiana. “Our climate in Southwest Louisiana makes us naturally more susceptible to dehydration, which can lead to stones. Many people spend a lot of time outdoors and don’t drink enough water to replace what they are losing by sweating in the summer heat.”

A kidney stone is a collection of crystals that separate from the urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. “Normally, chemicals in urine will prevent these crystals from forming,” explains Dr. Hong. “However, due to dehydration or other causes, there are times when these crystals are allowed to grow and form what is referred to as a ‘stone.’”

Scientists have found evidence of kidney stones in 7,000 year old mum-

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mies – proof that this is a problem humans have battled for centuries.

Every year, almost three million visits are made to health care providers

because of problems associated with kidney stones. For more than 500,000, the problems are enough to take them to the emergency room.

If they remain small enough, Dr. Hong says many times the stone will pass through the urinary tract without notice if you are drinking enough water.

But, when they grow, they can produce pain in the flank or back area. As the stone passes down the ureter, the tube between the kidney and bladder, it causes irritation and spasms, and kidney swelling, which results in additional pain, which can become quite severe.

Common symptoms of a kidney stone include sharp, cramping pain in the back, flank or lower abdomen; nausea and vomiting; pain in the groin; blood in the urine; the need to urinate often; and a burning sensation during urination.

Once you experience symptoms of kidney stones, it’s important to make an appointment with your urologist. If your doctor thinks the stone can pass on its own, and you feel you can deal with the pain, treatment may be limited to pain medication and drinking enough fluids to help move the stone through the urinary system. “You need to drink enough fluid to keep your urine clear – about 8 to 10

glasses a day,” says Dr. Hong. “If the pain is too severe, if you have an infection, or if the stones are blocking the urinary tract, additional medical or surgical treatment may be needed. Fortunately, this is not typically the case.”

A urine sample is typically required for urologists to determine the potential cause of the kidney stone. Once that’s determined, a plan for future prevention can be determined. “We know that the development of kidney stones can be hereditary and that once you’ve had one, you are more likely to develop another one later,” says Dr. Hong. “They are also more common in men, and in Caucasians. Kidney stone formation can also be a side effect of other health conditions, such as urinary tract infections, metabolic disorders or certain kidney diseases.”

Although it can be difficult to provide generalized information on how to prevent kidney stones, Dr. Hong says avoiding foods that contain high levels of oxalate (one of the chemicals that form the crystals), such as beets, wheat germ, peanuts, okra, chocolate, sweet

potatoes or soybean crackers is often recommended for people who are prone to developing stones.

Contrary to popular belief, eating foods with higher calcium doesn’t seem to increase the risk of kidney stones, although researchers have found a relationship between kidney stones and calcium taken in pill form. Other foods that have been found to potentially increase kidney stones include coffee, strawberries, tea and cola.

But before putting yourself on a specialized diet, Dr. Hong says it’s important to talk to your urologist. “Our top recommendation for kidney stone prevention is always going to be drinking plenty of fluids, and by ‘fluids,’ we mean water – not soft drinks or tea,” he stresses. “These can actually cause dehydration in some cases. And in the summer, water is the best fluid for rehydrating your body.”

For more information on kidney stone prevention and treatment, call the Urology Center of Southwest Louisiana at 439-8857 or 1-800-523-9969.

AHA Designates Walking Path In Drew Park The first American Heart Association officially designated Walking Path in Lake Charles opened April 3 at Drew Park.

The AHA program provides safe and accessible walking paths that give the community a resource that can be used to increase heart health.

There are countless physical activities available, but walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all. It’s the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health.

Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day can help you: — Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease — Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels — Improve blood lipid profile — Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity — Enhance mental well being — Reduce the risk of osteoporosis — Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer — Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes.

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337-562-0835 Call Today April 4, 2013

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HAND DISEASE AND MOBILITY

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ur hands are such an integral part of everyday life that it’s hard to imagine a passing hour without having full use of them, whether it’s shaking someone’s hand or picking up a pencil to write a note.

There are numerous health conditions that threaten the mobility of our hands and fingers; among them is a lesser known condition known as Dupuytren’s disease.

Dupuytren’s disease is characterized by abnormal thickening of the tissue just below the skin. This thickening, which appears as pits and nodules, occurs in the

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palm and can extend through the fingers.

The condition can also affect the knuckles.

Although typically painless, Dupuytren’s disease can cause fingers to turn inward to the palm.

“There can be some initial discomfort as the disease develops, but it often fades.

The biggest issue with hand diseases such as Dupuytren’s is the limited mobility it creates in the hands and fingers,” says Andrew Foret, MD, a hand and wrist specialist with Center for Orthopaedics.

“Some patients will only experience minor disruption, and won’t require medical intervention, but others will develop severely contracted fingers, which creates increased difficulty when performing everyday living tasks, such as washing, shaking hands, even buttoning shirts.”

According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, there is no known connection between Dupuytren’s disease and any specific occupation.

Causes of the condition are also unknown, although it appears to be more prevalent in men over age 40 and of Northern European descent. Progression of the disease is individual-specific and difficult to predict, Foret says, although those who develop more severe cases typically experience earlier onset.

Open surgery is one treatment option for Dupuytren’s disease, but there are sev-

eral less invasive options available, Foret said.

“As with any adverse health condition, treatment options depend on the severity of the disease, the age of the patient, lifestyle, skin condition, medical history and general health. When the fingers curl into the palm, the disease is known as Dupuytren’s contracture.

Surgery is usually considered in those with a contracture of at least 30 degrees, but there are certainly other options,” says Foret. Among the newest treatment options is Xiaflex, a collagenase injection treatment.

According to Foret, the Xiaflex injection was approved by the FDA as the first nonsurgical option for the treatment of adult patients with Dupuytren’s contracture. Treatment is considered for patients with contracture at certain joints of at least 20 degrees.

Xiaflex is injected into the affected area in an in-office procedure. The enzymes break down the collagen which creates Dupuytren’s contracture. Treatment can be administered once every four weeks for up to three doses, or until the contracture is released, Foret says.

Common mild side effects include mild pain or tenderness, cracked skin or underarm discomfort.

Nutrition And Oral Health The inclusion of the appropriate foods in one’s diet is important for healthy teeth and good oral hygiene.

Good nutritional habits that are established early on when one is a child can be especially beneficial for oral health and can result in good eating patterns for a lifetime.

Healthy Diet Choices To some, it may sound easy to make healthy diet choices. While it’s easy to understand that carbonated sodas, sweet fruit drinks and sugary snack foods should be limited, it may be more of a challenge to understand the degree to which fruits, milk, cereals, bread and some vegetables contain sugars and starches.

You don’t have to avoid these foods. Just keep in mind that you should eat a balanced diet, brush your teeth twice a day and floss daily.

Healthy Tips • Drink plenty of water.

• Eat a variety of healthy foods from the five major food groups.

• Cut down on snacking between meals.

• Limit snacks and drinks that are high in sugar.

• Brush twice a day.

• Floss daily.

• Visit the dentist regularly.

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ALZHEIMER'S ETIQUETTE

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o you know someone who has Alzheimer’s? If you don’t, it might only be a matter of time before you do.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that approximately 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s. Sooner or later, your path is likely to cross with that of someone battling dementia.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to work with hundreds of people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. I’ve observed many wellmeaning people who just aren’t sure how to respond to those with dementia, or they wonder what to do when the patient is confused and forgetful. Though their intentions are good, the results of their actions might not be. Here are my top 10 pet peeves when it comes to dealing with people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

Don’t ignore them. Sometimes, we tend to look the other way when faced

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with something uncomfortable. If you’re not sure how to interact with someone who has memory loss, the first rule is to actually interact with him. Don’t ignore him. His memory might not work as well as yours, but he’s another human being and deserves attention and respect. Greet him and offer a handshake or a pat on the back.

Don’t talk to them like they’re a young child or a baby. Imagine if someone came up to you and spoke to you in a sing-song voice, putting their face nice and close to yours. What would your reaction be? Would it be to shrink back from that person and withdraw, or laugh at them, or simply not respond? A person with Alzheimer’s is an adult, not a child. They will appreciate being treated as such.

Don’t use terms of endearment instead of names. Terms of endearment should generally be reserved for close family members and friends. (I say “gen-

erally” because there are a few people in the world who can use terms of endearment genuinely and convey caring and respect by doing so.) If you’re a health professional and you walk around calling others “sweetheart,” “honey” and “dear,” you’re often missing an opportunity. Use the person’s name. A name is one of the more precious things people have, and for the person with Alzheimer’s, it conveys that he or she is important enough to remember specifically and by name.

Don’t assume they’re confused all of the time. Even though someone has Alzheimer’s or another dementia, they may still have frequent periods of clarity.

I was recently reminded of that when someone with early Alzheimer’s informed me that a friend of hers had called and said she would be stopping by. I admit to doubting if she really had the information correct, but sure enough, her friend stopped by. Don’t discount everything that’s said by the person with dementia.

Don’t quiz them. “Remember me?

What’s my name? Come on, you know it. When was the last time I was here?

Just think a little harder. What’d you eat for lunch? How old are you, Dad? What day is it?” Please don’t do this. It increases anxiety, and has no benefit.

Don’t ask other people questions about them while they’re right there.

The opposite of quizzing someone is this scenario: “Hi Fred. So Sue, how’s Fred been doing? How’s his memory? Is he having any pain?” Consider this a gentle reminder to be intentional about directly asking the person with Alzheimer’s a few questions. If he is completely unable to answer, you can then check with his family member in a respectful way.

Don’t focus on what they aren’t able to do anymore. Rather than emphasize a patient’s lost job, disorganization or poor memory, direct attention instead to their ability to complete the puzzle they’ve been working on, their nice hairdo, or how well they can walk. Grieving

LCMH Cardiologist Makes History History was made at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital on the morning of Wednesday, March 13. Dr. J. King White, a cardiologist with the Heart and Vascular Center, a part of the Memorial Medical Group, became the first doctor in Louisiana to implant the first drug-coated peripheral artery stent.

The Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent (Zilver PTX Stent) is the first drug-eluting stent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to re-open the femoropopliteal artery in the thigh, when narrowed or blocked as a result of peripheral artery disease (PAD). The stent is coated with the drug paclitaxel, which helps prevent recurrent narrowing of arteries (restenosis).

“It’s the same type of drug used on our coronary artery stents. It prevents the growth of cells and tissue,” White says.

“When you put a stent in a heart artery or leg artery, it causes some injury, because you are stretching the artery. This sets up some scar tissue that can grow through the stent and actually cause restenosis. The drug on this particular stent prevents that.”

White was the principal investigator during a clinical trial for the Zilver PTX Stent. Half of the 440 patients that participated in the trial were chosen at random to receive the Zilver PTX Stent, while the other half received a non-coated stent.

Those who received the Zilver PTX Stent had way fewer re-blockages at yearly evaluations of one, two and three years.

Data on the fourth year evaluations has not yet been published. White is currently completing his five-year follow-ups with patients that participated in trial.

The FDA approved the Zilver PTX Stent use in November of 2012.

what’s lost is understandable and important, but focusing on the skills of the person goes a long way in encouraging them and can change both of your perspectives.

Don’t assume they are choosing to be difficult when they forget certain things or display challenging behaviors. This is a common reaction often displayed by someone who is very close to the person with Alzheimer’s.

Sometimes, subconsciously, it may be easier to believe that your loved one is intentionally doing things to bother or hurt you than to accept that he’s unable to control his actions and that his ability to remember something really is poor.

What results from this, though, are feelings of intense frustration, hurt and impatience, none of which help you or him. You will both benefit if you give him the benefit of the doubt and assume (usually correctly) that his choices are the result of his dementia.

Don’t stop visiting just because you think she won’t remember. Do you sometimes feel like it’s not worth it to spend time visiting your loved one?

Think again. Even if she isn’t able to remember that you visited her, research shows that the feelings you create remain far longer than the duration of your visit.

Those feelings can shape the rest of her day by influencing how she responds to others, how she feels, even how she eats.

Be encouraged that your visit has more lasting power than you think. Remember that there are times when you will be enriched by your time together as well.

Don’t forget how you would like to be treated. If you’re not sure how to treat someone with Alzheimer’s disease or what to say, simply think about how you would like to be treated. This approach serves well as a guide for how to treat others with the grace, love and respect that they deserve, no matter what their deficits or abilities.

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The LED Difference LED Lighting Can Add Beauty, Drama to Your Home ... And Save You Money, Energy • By Karla Wall

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ar from the pale, bluetinted LED lighting of decades past, today’s LED lights provide strong, warm, clear lighting that can highlight, accent or brighten just about any space in any room.

And not only are LED lights aesthetically pleasing; they’re practical from a financial and environmental perspective.

LEDs can save homeowners a great deal on energy bills. They also use less energy than flourescent or incandescent lighting, and, unlike flourescents or incandescents, contain no hazardous materials such as mercury. And LEDs achieve full brightness immediately, unlike flourescent lights which can take several minutes to become fully bright. An added bonus: LED lights use no UV rays, so they won’t damage artwork or sensitive paper collectibles, as incandescents and flourescents do.

So it makes sense that more and more homeowners are turning to LED lighting for both interior and exterior home lighting. “(LED lighting) is catching on in Southwest Louisiana,” says Jesse Hitefield, owner of HHM (Hitefield Haus Media) and Associates, an audio/visual/lighting design firm in Moss Bluff. Hitefield says that while his busi-

NOT ONLY ARE LED LIGHTS AESTHETICALLY PLEASING; THEY’RE PRACTICAL FROM A FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE. LEDS CAN SAVE HOMEOWNERS A GREAT DEAL ON ENERGY BILLS. SHOWN ABOVE IS THE NEW LED LIGHTING SYSTEM AT THE EMPIRE OF THE SEED OFFICES DOWNTOWN. 50

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ness provides audio and visual design and installation services for churches and businesses throughout the area — theatrical lighting, televisions, sound systems, etc. — he has done quite a few projects in which he designed LED lighting for homes and businesses. HHM has done major projects for Rick Richard, owner of Empire of the Seed, as well as homes in Jennings and Moss Bluff, and on Lake St. and Nelson Rd. in Lake Charles.

LSU's Tiger Stadium debuted a new LED lighting system to rave reviews this past football season.

LED 101 LED (Light Emitting Diodes) first appeared in 1962, and initially, it was red, low-intensity lighting that was used, until just recently, mainly in displays for clocks. Now, LEDs span across the visual, UV and infrared wavelength spectrum, and produce very bright, clear light. LED lights contain no filaments, as incandescent bulbs do, but a light emitting chip encased in clear solid resin.

The chip, explains Hitefield, contains photons that move when the light is turned on. It’s the movement of the photons, he says, that produces the light. The process is called electroluminescence.

Each bulb also contains tiny reflectors, which project a light field of 15 to 90 degrees. This means there are no external reflectors of any kind, which is why LED lights can be so small. In fact, Hitefield says, he’s placed under-cabinet LED strips that are 1/8 of an inch thick.

“They stick right onto the wood, and they’re hidden from view,” says

Hitefield. “They make the cabinets just glow.”

Energy Savings It’s that relatively small size, and the fact that the light is produced more efficontinued

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ciently, without as much heat production as incandescent or flourescent bulbs, that makes them an economical and environment-friendly choice for home lighting, saving you not only energy consumption from lighting, but also from cooling.

“LEDs are 80-85 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs,” Hitefield explains. “A 15-watt LED bulb produces as much light as a 75-watt incandescent bulb; a seven-watt LED produces as much as a 40-watt incandescent.”

In fact, according to the website nhsaves.com, an online catalog for energy-efficient solutions for home and business, LEDs save up to 65 percent of the electricity used by incandescent and flourescent bulbs. The U.S. Dept. of Energy estimates, according to that same website, that widespread use of LED

lighting by the year 2025 will reduce overall electricity demands from lighting by 62 percent; eliminate 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions; reduce the amount of materials being put into landfills; avoid the building of 133 new power plants; and save the U.S. over $280 billion.

Another cost-saving advantage of

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LEDs: They don’t burn out.

“The life span of an LED is about 100,000 hours,” says Hitefield.

“Actually, it’s the electronics that drive the LED process that eventually fail, not the LED chip itself.”

Nhsaves.com estimates that, depending on how many hours a day they’re used, LEDs can burn at full

brightness anywhere from six to seven years up to 20-30 years.

And when they do begin to “age,” says Hitefield, they don’t just burn out the way incandescents or flourescents do. They simply begin to burn less brightly.

So, says Hitefield, while LED lighting might cost a little more than conventional incandescents or flourescents, they actually save you quite a bit of money over time.

Bright, Versatile ...

And Just Plain Fun While the practicality and energyconserving aspects of LED lighting are big bonuses, it’s their clarity and versatility that are making them so popular for household use.

Homeowners normally want to “retrofit,” or replace existing lighting with LED, in one or two rooms — the kitchen and the living room, says Hitefield, although he recommends going ahead and replacing the whole lighting system — a two and a half to three hour process, depending on size of home and complexity of LED design — at once.

“The cost of doing one or two rooms can be offset by the savings you have by doing the remaining rooms,” he says.

In the kitchen, aside from the undercabinet lights, Hitefield says, recessed lighting in the ceiling is popular, as is bright lighting over the stove and work counter area.

“We’ve also put colored lights to accent cabinets or other furnishings,” says Hitefield.

In the living room, LED striplights placed above the wall trim can “make the ceiling glow,” says Hitefield. LED lighting can accent a fireplace with colored lighting. Soft LED spotlights or striplights can highlight art or other collectibles.

LEDs are also perfect for reading lamps in studies and bedrooms, as they don’t produce much heat.

You can even have “star fields” on walls and ceilings, says Hitefield, with LED lighting recessed into walls or ceiling with fiberoptics.

“You can adjust the lights to come on and off at intervals,” says Hitefield, “and it looks just like stars twinkling.”

Landscaping can also be turned into outdoor art with LED lighting. Colored lighting can be placed in shrubbery, flower beds or borders, water features and pools, says Hitefield. He recently completed a project in Oak Crossings on Nelson Rd. in Lake Charles in which he designed exterior walkway lighting. And he installed LED lighting in an exterior divider wall separating the parking lot from the patio area at Empire of the Seed on Ryan St. (the old Calcasieu Marine Bank Building), decorating the wall with lights embedded in the stucco, so that the whole wall lights up, and in whatever colors the owners choose.

“The whole wall glows,” says Hitefield.

“You can literally adjust the color of your yard,” says Hitefield. “You can change the color of your landscape lighting, for example, to pink for cancer awareness month, or purple, green and

gold for Mardi Gras.”

LED lighting has become popular for Christmas decorations, as well, says Hitefield. You can install illuminated snowflakes, or color an exterior door, window or wall in a holiday color.

And that ease of control and adjustability is one of the main reasons the popularity of LEDs will continue to grow: They can quickly and easily be changed in both color and pattern.

The color of the light, explains Hitefield, is determined by the energy gap of the semi-conductor. The optical components of the light (the reflectors) can also change the shape and radiation pattern of the light. You can literally adjust the color and pattern of your lighting to fit any mood or fancy, or any need.

“You can adjust the red, blue and green aspects of the lighting to get certain colors,” says Hitefield.

And you can do it from anywhere in the world.

“You can adjust room lighting to create any mood, and outdoor lighting to highlight any feature, all from your cell phone,” Hitefield says. “You simply

download an app, and you can turn lights on and off, or change their color, from anywhere in the world.”

Right now, Hitefield says, LED lighting is used heavily in restaurants, which require sharp, clear light for food prep and storage areas, and retail stores that want to highlight certain items and provide clear light so shoppers can see exactly what they’re buying, and in what color. But, he says, home installation of LEDs is beginning to pick up, for obvious reasons, both in existing homes and in new home construction.

For more information on LED lighting, visit nhsaves.com. For more information on HHM and Associates, visit hhmdesign.com.

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Planning A Home Addition Start With Paper, Pencil And Ruler Before Turning On The Computer • By Mark J. Donovan

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ver the decades, I’ve been involved in building many home additions. Prior to the start of each project, a tremendous amount of planning is done. My planning always starts with a blank sheet of 8 1/2x 11-inch paper. I write down what the purpose of the addition is and what toplevel features my wife and I want in it, whether we’re adding a family room, garage or kitchen.

Once I fully define the main objectives of my project, I begin to sketch out the basic plans. Initially, I start out with a pencil, graph paper and a ruler. I draw the specific scaled outside dimensions of the addition, along with the various internal wall, door and window locations. In the process, I also determine the

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various sizes of appliances and plumbing fixtures that are required so they can be drawn properly to scale in the plans. This way, I can confirm that the addition and all the various rooms or walls within it are of the right dimensions. By going through this level of planning, I can ensure, for example, that a toilet won’t protrude out so far from a bathroom wall that the bathroom door can’t close.

As part of my planning and sketching, I also make sure to show the exact locations of doors and windows, as well as how the doors swing open. I even go as far as to draw in footprint areas for the expected pieces of furniture to ensure that there will be sufficient walking lanes and open space throughout the addition.

After sketching out the floor plan, I then begin to sketch out exterior drawings of the addition.

One chief concern is ensuring that the addition will meld nicely into the existing home. For example, I focus on the addition’s elevation and where the addition’s roofline will tie into the existing home. More specifically, I develop detailed sketches to find out where the addition will intersect any existing windows or rooflines on the main home. I also determine how the base of the addition will meld into the main part of the home.

BY DOING YOUR PLANNING UP FRONT AND

BY PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL, YOU CAN, IN MANY CASES, PREVENT UNWANTED SURPRISES DOWN THE ROAD. By paying close attention to these particular areas, you can help to ensure that your addition plans will tie in nicely with the rest of the home and, in many cases, prevent unwanted surprises down the road. The last thing you want, for example, is an addition that perpendicularly ties onto the backside of your main home with a roof peak that extends above the roofline of the main home.

I’ve seen a number of these flubs over the years, and they look unsightly from the curb.

After fully fleshing out the paper sketches and drawings, the next stage in my home addition planning is transitioning those drawings to the computer

with a home design software package.

With a home design software package, you can create all types of floor plans, views and elevation drawings. The software also offers the ability to integrate appliances, cabinets and furniture, and it even shows different types of wall and floor coverings in your home addition plans.

I will say, however, it does take some time to come up to speed with these software packages, and that is why I always recommend starting out your home addition planning with pencil, paper and a ruler. This way, you don’t get lost in the technical weeds of a software program while you are initially defining your addition.

This said, home design software packages provide incredible value, as they can produce scaled drawings, various views and material lists. They also offer the flexibility to easily change dimensions and features of the addition so that you can quickly evaluate different options in planning your addition.

Another major part of my home addition planning is to visit the building material stores to check out building products and prices. This way, I can develop a materials list and an accurate cost estimate, at least for the materials.

After completing the plans and printing them out, I visit my local building inspector to review the drawings and pull the permits. In the cases when I contract the work out, I provide the prospective contractors with copies of the plans so that they can quote them. I make sure that the plan provided to the contractors also includes my materials list so that the contractors have no choice but to stick with the materials I specify. This helps ensure that quotes from competing contractors are consistent, at least in construction and materials.

With this process of home addition planning, I’ve been able to avoid costly mistakes. I also have prevented many unwanted surprises, kept building schedules on track, and kept contractor proposals honest. Do your home addition planning upfront, and not during the actual construction.

For more info, visit Mark J. Donovan’s website at HomeAdditionPlus.com.

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Keeping Up Appearances Simple Fixes, Small Changes That Keep Your Home Running At Full Capacity

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— debris-filled gutters and downspouts — loose shingles and siding

— gaps in window caulking, dirty windows and broken windowpanes.

Vacuuming or using spray cleaners

can remove a winter’s worth of dirt and dust accumulating inside your home on continued

hen it comes to spring and summer home maintenance, a little bit of time and elbow grease can translate into big savings, and can also help you avoid costly repairs down the line.

Small tasks, from changing light bulbs to programming thermostats, can be easily done by homeowners, experts say. Replace a simple part on an appliance, such as a burned-out stove element. Install fresh batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Check ground fault circuit interrupters.

A professional may be needed to tackle some repairs, but in most cases, armed with a checklist and a pair of binoculars (to avoid climbing on the roof), you can save time and money by doing the initial inspection yourself.

A PRO MAY BE NEEDED TO TACKLE SOME REPAIRS, BUT IN MOST CASES, ARMED WITH A CHECKLIST AND A PAIR OF BINOCULARS (TO AVOID CLIMBING ON THE ROOF), YOU CAN SAVE TIME AND MONEY

BY DOING INITIAL INSPECTIONS YOURSELF. With a clipboard in hand, you’ll want to eye the exterior of your home, basement or crawlspace for: — sidewalk, driveway, chimney and foundation cracks, mold or mildew — malfunctioning sump pumps — clogged vent caps — loose or cracked deck boards or patio blocks

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registers, return ducts, lampshades, lighting fixtures, windowsills and windowpanes. Also, thoroughly cleanse range hoods and kitchen vents of grease and dirt.

You can make small changes in decor, as well. Think about draping furniture with lightweight slipcovers; taking down heavy winter drapes and replacing them with sheer fabric window treatments; or even applying a fresh coat of paint that captures the feel of a seaside vacation. Such changes can bring that spring-summer mood indoors.

One of the easiest changes involves switching incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient compact fluorescents.

It’s something more and more homeowners are doing.

One of those small but important maintenance tasks, and one homeowners often overlook, is programming the home’s existing thermostat to reflect seasonal changes.

While more than 25 million homeowners have programmable thermostats in their homes, less than 50 percent are actually programming them. If you already have a programmable thermostat installed, the only investment needed is about 15 minutes for the initial programming and setup. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, they are relatively inexpensive and quick to install.

At a minimum, with your existing thermostat, change your set point a few degrees and enjoy the reduced energy consumption.

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Air filters should be changed monthly, but that also depends on many factors, including what type of unit you have and whether people in your home have seasonal allergies, etc. Small things like re-caulking windows and adding insulation, curtains and awnings also can help.

Add refrigerator gaskets to your

spring and summer repair list. It’s recommended to coat the gasket — that plastic strip that forms a seal between the fridge and doors — with a thin film of Vaseline. This will help them stay elastic and form a better seal.

Replacing worn dishwasher racks and non-working stove elements are easy tasks to check off your list. The two most common replacement parts purchased for dishwashers are upper or lower racks.

Lower racks are easier to replace, as they normally just roll out. Replacing the top rack is simple, too, but requires just a few more minutes of your time to remove the rack stops.

And if your stovetop isn’t heating properly, the most common solution is to replace the defective surface element, or burner. Ranges built in the last 30 years or so normally have plug-in surface elements, so the repair is very straightforward. Once you disconnect the power, simply lift and pull the defective element from its receptacle and slide in the new one. Terminals at the end of old elements should be inspected. If they show signs of arcing, overheating or corrosion, then the receptacle should be replaced, as well.

Interior Shutters Beauty And Savings For Your Home

W

hen decorating windows, there are m a n y types of window treatments to consider.

The most common types include shades, blinds, curtains and drapes. However, decorating with interior shutters is one of the better ways, as it adds something more than fabric to the windows. Interior wood shutters, or even vinyl shutters, add color, texture and a unique beauty to your windows. They ensure privacy, and also provide added window insulation.

Finally, they help to block ultraviolet light from entering the home. Blocking out ultraviolet light not only keeps the home cooler during the summer months, it also prevents the fading of carpeting, furniture fabric and wood flooring.

Interior window shutters have been used for centuries for interior decorating; however, in recent decades, they have faded out of style. Part of the reason for this is the cost. In the past, installing these wood shutters was a pricy endeavor. However, with today’s vinyl faux wood, the prices are much more affordable.

Blinds, curtains, drapes and shades can provide elegance and functional purpose to a window. However, decorating with interior shutters also adds depth and texture to a window. They effectively provide window layering and dressing not achieved with other types of window treatments. For the most part, other treatments simply block sunlight and promote privacy. Interior window shutters help to crisply accent windows and complement an entire room’s appearance.

Interior shutters are still available in

wood; however, you can also purchase them in vinyl at a much more affordable cost. Many vinyl shutters are designed to look like various wood species. They can come in a variety of slat sizes; anywhere from 1 to 3 inches. Vinyl interior shutters are also very easy to clean. All they need is a damp cloth and a few minutes of your time.

DECORATING WITH INTERIOR SHUTTERS ADDS DEPTH AND TEXTURE TO A WINDOW. The installation of interior shutters is easy as well. Even a basic do-it-yourself homeowner can install them. They require the most basic tools and can be installed in less than 30 minutes per window. Just be sure to fasten support screws into wall studs, ensuring they don’t pull away from the window or walls. If you’re installing interior shutters that are meant to hang outside the window frame, use drywall anchors if you can’t hit the wall studs.

If you use vinyl shutters, they require no painting. If you are installing wood shutters, I highly recommend priming and painting them before installing them. You’ll do a much better, cleaner and faster job of painting them on the ground than if they’re mounted on the window.

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Porch Perfect Creating The Perfect Porch Oasis

I

f you’re lucky enough to have a front porch — whether it’s a small section next to your door or a grand wraparound — your next decorating project could be a budget-friendly makeover of this space. Rather than have your family and friends simply pass through your porch area, you can have them all gather there in comfy chairs, sipping thirstquenching drinks and whiling away the evening in comfort.

One of the hottest trends in home decorating is to “bring the inside out and the outside in,” so it makes sense to make your front porch cozy and inviting.

From lamps to carpets to curtains, decor items that were once the domain of inside living spaces now find a place in outside design.

Before you begin your porch makeover, take some time to repair any loose railings or floorboards. You want to make sure your space to be safe and sturdy before thinking about decorating.

You might want to paint your porch wall a fresh, new color that matches or coordinates with your house color and works with your porch space’s theme — Southwestern, coastal, Victorian, etc.

Choose a color that fits your overall plan for the space.

With your porch’s raw space ready, go ahead with the real makeover. Here are some tips:

Give Furniture A Spin Rather than have sofas and chairs lined up against the back wall facing outward, rearrange them in an L-shape or face-to-face placement that facilitates conversation. Chairs might be a better choice for seating than sofas, because chairs can be moved around more easily, and you can create two separate sitting areas.

Lay A Carpet Turn your porch space into an outdoor “room” by laying an outdoor carpet made of material that is resistant to water and mold. This doesn’t mean you’re stuck with AstroTurf or sisal rugs; today’s home decor stores offer outside carpets in decorative patterns and colors.

Look at carpets made of 100 percent poly-acrylic yarns, or 100 percent polypropylene or olefin. These carpets are easily hosed off. The result is a space-defining foundation that’s comfier to walk on than barewood floors.

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on your chairs and sofas instantly adds comfort and coziness to the space. Shop your home decor store and catalogs for pretty pillow designs in outdoor-friendly materials that also resist mold growth.

Choose a small, lumbar-support, outdoor pillow for rocking chairs as well. Pet owners might also set out a dog bed made of outdoor material, so Fido can hang out on the porch in comfort.

Light It Up

interest to your porch space. Be sure that the curtain material, thread and hardware, are made for the outdoors. Cotton fabric and thread, for example, will rot if placed outdoors. Lighter fabrics can dance in the breeze, and you can even switch out to new patterns of curtains when fall approaches.

Add Music You don’t need to hire a sound system engineer to install surround sound on your porch, as you might have done with your den. If you have an outdoor power outlet, all you need is your iPod and its dock to play your favorite songs while relaxing on your perfect porch oasis.

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In outdoor living decor catalogs, you’ll find outdoor lamps that look very much like tabletop indoor lamps, only they’re safe to use outdoors, and are often battery-powered. Place one on an end table to glow alongside citronella candles in safe decanters placed around your space.

Go Green Adding green and flowering plants to your porch sitting area is one of the easiest decor tasks. You can place large or groups of tall containers on the porch floor, line up potted plants on a baker’s rack or outdoor shelving unit you’ve set in your space, or hang flowering planters from your porch roof. If your railing is wide and secure enough, you might install window boxes to fill with spring and summer flowers and greenery to surround your new socializing or relaxation haven. If you’re worried about bees, simply put non-flowering green plants in the railing boxes and planters.

Hang Curtains Install a curtain rod, or use powerful springform curtain rods, to hang colorful or neutral-shaded curtains. This will provide some privacy and add extra visual April 4, 2013

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Just Do It Hard-To-Sell Home Improvements

L Are You Planning Some Home Improvements?

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arry Singer and his wife recently sold their 110-year-old two-story frame home after living in it for the past 25 years. They did need to fix the roof, but their Realtor advised them to let certain other old-home things go, such as replacing a few windows that were painted shut.

Otherwise, says Singer, “We did some cleaning to spruce the place up and make it look presentable. We didn’t need to paint.

The walls were already ‘bland,’ whites and eggshells.”

Fresh neutral paint is a seller. But other fix-ups, improvements and remodels don’t generate high return on the investment.

Here are a few tips: “Invest wisely. Experts say the most important rooms in the home when it comes to selling your home are the kitchen, bathrooms and closets.

Kitchens can be expensive. so it’s not advisable to remodel your kitchen if you’re planning on selling within three years.

Home prices will remain flat or decline until the inventory of foreclosed homes is absorbed by the market and the job market recovers and begins adding to demand. So, market conditions will outweigh improvements.

If you’re selling within three years, spruce up your kitchen’s appearance with new counters, sink, faucet and appliances.

Install flooring that makes the kitchen feel spacious. If you know you will be in your home longer than three years, then cabinet replacement or new design can be enjoyed for years, recovering the value of investment through personal use and enjoyment.

Use the same approach when updating bathrooms. Consider installing a new vanity, updating fixtures to what is currently popular in your area and flooring if you will be selling in less than three years.

If you plan on being in the home for an extended period, then consider the complete remodel, and consult a reputable local bath design company.

When contemplating both kitchen and bath updates, keep energy and water efficiency in mind for resale. Make certain the water heater is large enough to accommodate any new demands and is efficient.

Make sure closets are well organized, cleared of all clutter and look spacious.

As far as windows, a window replacement may save you money on your energy bill, but it will seldom save you enough to pay for itself unless you live in the home until the new windows are old. What this type of improvement does for you is to help you sell, and sell faster.

Repair or replace anything that poses a safety risk before putting your home on the market. But finishing the basement, new siding, roof, mechanical systems or room additions won’t pay for themselves if you sell.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 4 Coushatta Cypress Dharma Open mic Isle of Capri Cory Landry; Ivy & Timmy Dugas L’Auberge Jack After Dark DJ Mata Luna Live TBA

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 Coushatta Bernie Alan L’Auberge Jack After Dark DJ Adriana Luna Live TBA

karaoke Annie's 9pm Friday; Saturday Bourbonz 8pm Tuesdays Chicageaux Bar 8pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday Club 90 8pm Saturday Coolers Thursday Crickets 8:30pm Friday DeQuincy VFW 7-11pm Friday; 6-10pm Sunday

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FRIDAY, APRIL 5 Cigar Club Kory Fontenot Coushatta Platinum Cafe Delta Downs The Classix Isle of Capri Zydecane; Carl Richardson L’Auberge Jack Goes Country Jackson aylor & The Sinners w DJ Eric Scott Luna Live TBA Yesterdays Steel Shot

FRIDAY, APRIL 12 Cigar Club Spanky Coushatta Danica Delta Downs Steel Shot Isle of Capri T-Broussard & The Zydeco Steppers; Paul Gonsoulin L’Auberge Jack Goes Country Jimmy Kaiser w DJ Eric Scott Luna Live The Pwells Yesterdays Steve Riley & Mamou Playboys

Dirty Rice Saloon 7pm Thursday Frosty Factory 9pm Thurs thru Sat Handlebars Club Tuesdays & Thursdays Huddle Up Thursdays Isle Of Capri 8pm-Midnight Wednesday Kaw-Ligas Tuesday thru Saturday Mike's Place 8pm-until M,W,F Linda's Lounge 8:30-11:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 9-1 Saturday Neighborhood Bar 7pm Thursday No Name Lounge 8-Mid Friday, 7-11pm Sunday Old Town Tavern Fri/Sat Nights

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 Cigar Club Second Nature Coushatta Platinum Cafe Delta Downs The Classix Isle of Capri The Coleman Bros.

L'Auberge Jack After Dark DJ Mata Luna Live Large Marge, Downfall Rising, Saturate Yesterdays Krossfyre

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 Cigar Club Paul Gonsoulin Coushatta Crossroads III includes Rockin’ Dopsie, Geno Delafose, Chubby Carrier, Travis Matte, Damon Troy, Jamie Bergeron, Leroy Thomas, Richard LeBeouf & High Performance; in Mikko Lounge: Danica Delta Downs Steel Shot Isle of Capri Derryl Perry L’Auberge DJ Ariana Yesterdays Twangsters Union

R-Bar 8pm Friday Sam's Cove 9pm Thursday Shorty's Ice House 9pm Friday Slim's Yesteryears 9pm Thursday Spot Bar & Grill Fridays Sports Pitt 8pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday Sulphur VFW 9pm-Mid Saturday Tiki Bar 8pm Friday Texas Longhorn Club 9pm Thursdays, 1am Fridays Fax listings to 433-8964 or edit@thelanyap.com

YOUTH SUMMIT AND JOB FAIR

DALI QUARTET BANNERS CONCERT The Dali Quartet will perform for the Banners series on Sunday, April 14 at 7:30 pm at the F.G. Bulber Auditorium.

The Dali Quartet is an ensemble that’s anchored in Venezuela’s El Sistema and the American classical conservatory traditions. The quartet performs traditional classical string quartets as well as popular and traditional Latin-American repertoire.

Adult general admission is $20; for youths 18 and under, general admission is $5. McNeese and Sowela students attend free. All online ticket sales are for pickup at will-call at the event. For more information or to get tickets, visit banners.org.

The Calcasieu Workforce Center will host its annual Youth Summit and Job Fair Wednesday, April 17, 7:45 am-1 pm, in the Mezzanine and Contraband Room at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

This year’s theme is “Get Over YOUrself,” and is designed to motivate the youth of Southwest Louisiana to overcome life’s obstacles and be the best they can be.

Keynote speaker will be TaMarlon Carter, a youth advocate and entrepreneur, who will discuss ways to overcome barriers, and help youth meet their employment and training goals.

Twenty-five employers will be on hand to interview for various job openings. Youth ages 16-24 are encouraged to come dressed for an interview and to bring a resume.

For more information, call Jonnika Boutte or Venus DeJean at 721-4010, ext. 5002 or ext. 5004. To pre-register, visit cppj.net/youthsummit.

BOOGALOO 2013 The Imperial Calcasieu Museum will host its annual Boogaloo fundraiser April 13, 8 pm-midnight, at Cash and Carry on Broad St. This year’s event celebrates 1963, as well as the museum’s 50th anniversary. Tickets are $40 for members, and $50 for non-members. For more information, visit imperialcalcasieumuseum.org.

BANNERS STEEL PAN CONCERT SHANGRI LA SATURDAY ADVENTURE SERIES Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Orange will host several hands-on learning programs in April as part of its Spring Saturday Adventure Series.

These hands-on programs give visitors an opportunity to explore the natural world through informative lessons and activities presented by Shangri La educators. Unless otherwise noted, programs begin at 9:30 am and last about an hour.

Programs for April include: • April 6: Bird Ballet. This program will involve watching the activities of wading birds in Shangri La’s state-of-the-art heronry. Participants will have the opportunity to compare and contrast bird adaptations and behaviors, and watch several species from the bird blind. Ages 10 and older.

• April 13: What’s Jumpin’ at Shangri La. Bring the entire family for a hopping good time to explore the world of the Green Treefrog. This species is prevalent during the spring and summer months at Shangri La. Hunt for frog friends, search for tadpoles, and try to talk and hop like a frog in this interactive outdoor program.

• April 20, 1-2 pm: Butterflies that Flutter By. Celebrate Earth Week and Eco-Fest at Shangri La by viewing and learning about butterflies. Learn about life stages, join in a butterfly search, and make a take-home craft.

• April 27: Have a Cup of Tea, Indeed! Enjoy a tea party, sample some wild teas, and explore the wonderful world of natural teas. Discover secret historical treasures hidden within the gardens of Shangri La. This outdoor program is for participants ages 6 and older.

Programs are free with paid admission to Shangri La. Participants are asked to meet at the admissions window at the scheduled event time. An RSVP is required, as space is limited. For more information, call 409-670-9799.

SAGE ART LECTURE The McNeese SAGE program will present a lecture on art in 20th Century Louisiana April 8, 3:30-4:30 pm, in Room 103 of Hardtner Hall on the McNeese campus. MSU assistant professor of art history Bridget McDaniel will discuss artwork produced in Louisiana during the 20th Century.

For more information, visit mcneese.edu/leisure.

LANDSCAPE PAINTING WORKSHOP Gallery By The Lake, 106 Pryce St., will host a landscape painting workshop April 27-28. Beaumont artist James P. Black will teach participants how to compose from photos and paint a landscape in oils. Register in person at Gallery by the Lake, or call 436-1008.

The McNeese Banners Series will present steel pan musician Andy Narell in concert Friday, April 12, 7:30 pm, in F.G. Bulber Auditorium. Narrel will give a pre-concert talk at 6:45 pm.

Over the course of producing 11 solo albums and two more years as coleader of the Caribbean Jazz Project, Narell has pioneered the role of the steel pan in contemporary music. In 1999, he became the first foreigner to compose for Trinidad’s Panorama Steel Band competition, guiding the 100-player Skiffle Bunch Steel Orchestra to the finals of both the 1999 and 2000 Panoramas.

GULF COAST BIRD CLUB MEETING The Gulf Coast Bird Club will hold its monthly meeting and program Thursday, April 11, 7 pm, in the Frasch Hall Auditorium on the McNeese campus.

Guest speaker will be Cecilia “CC” Richmond, who will speak on gardening for birds and backyard birding.

Richmond is the Louisiana Native Plant Initiative nursery manager at McNeese’s Louisiana Environmental Research Center. She received her B.S. in agriculture from McNeese in 1993, majoring in Wildlife Management. She worked for the Louisiana Department of Ag and Forestry for eight and a half years as the Coastal Revegetation Project manager, restoring coastal marshes using native marsh grasses. She has worked the last five and a half years as a native plant nursery manager.

The Gulf Coast Bird Club is also hosting a Birding 101 class through MSU Leisure Learning on April 10 and 13. For more information, call the McNeese Leisure Learning Office.

For more information about the monthly program or the bird club, contact David Booth at 214-0068 or visit /sites.google.com/site/gulfcoastbirdclub/.

JEREMY DAVIS AND ORCHESTRA Jeremy Davis and The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will perform for the Banners series on Sunday, April 7 at 7 pm in the Burton Complex.

Members of the orchestra were raised in the Louisiana Delta and now hail from Savannah, Ga. The orchestra takes a distinctive approach to the American big band revival.

Adult general admission is $20; for youths 18 and under, general admission is $5. McNeese and Sowela Students attend free. All online ticket sales are for pickup at will-call at the event. For more information or to get tickets, visit banners.org.

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FLEA FEST SET FOR APRIL 13-14

LOUISIANA CROSSROADS CONCERT FEATURING ZACHARY RICHARD The City of Lake Charles will end this season of the Louisiana Crossroads Series with “Zachary Richard — An Acadian Homecoming” Wednesday, April 10, 7 pm, at Central School Theater, 809 Kirby St. Richard — Cajun bard, poet, rocker and activist — returns to Southwest Louisiana with a brand-new recording of original material. Backed by his band, Richard will perform a collection of poetic ballads and fierce two-steps. He will highlight the U.S. release of his new record “Le Fou.” Live broadcasts will be available via 100,000-watt regional National Public Radio affiliate KRVS, with simultaneously streaming audio via krvs.org.

Tickets are $10 in advance, and $12 at the door. Tickets are available at the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana on the second floor of Central School or online at louisianacrossroads.org.

For more information, call 491-9159 or visit cityoflakecharles.com.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PHYSICALS Lake Charles Memorial Sports Medicine will provide sports physicals for high school athletes involved in both spring and fall sports on Saturday, May 18, at the Memorial/LSUHSC Family Medicine Center.

Student athletes will have their blood pressure, pulse, height, weight, upper and lower extremities, and flexibility checked by volunteer nurses, nursing students and athletic trainers prior to their physical examinations, which will be conducted by Memorial physician specialists and resident physicians, who will be volunteering their time for the event.

Cost is $5 per student, and coaches are urged to call and set up an appointment for their teams to come in. Appointment times will be available from approximately 8 am-2 pm. The deadline to schedule your team is Wednesday, May 15. For more information, call 494-4790.

RELAY FOR LIFE The McNeese chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, will hold A Relay for Life event to raise awareness and funds for cancer in the McNeese Quad, on the McNeese State University campus. The event will begin April 13 at 6 pm, and end at 6 am on April 14.

The event will feature food and games, as well as a live “battle of the bands,” which will take place 11 pm to 3 am.

The event is open to individuals as well as teams. All proceeds will benefit cancer research.

Registration is $5 per person. For more information, contact Ariel Caraway at ariel.caraway@cancer.org or 433-5817, ext. 2.

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Flea Fest, a unique flea market festival that will feature nearly four covered acres, is set for 9 am-5 pm on April 13-14 in the Burton Coliseum Livestock Barn. Touted as a bargain hunter’s dream, the show will feature vendors of all types. Shoppers will find antiques, vintage and handcrafted items, toys, collectibles, clothes, art work, and other flea market style goods. Flea Fest will also feature a farmer’s market, a pet section, and “The Lot‚” featuring used and vintage cars, trucks, boats, tractors and ATVs. Flea Fest will also offer wares from locals looking to do a spring de-cluttering amidst a section of affordable garage sale booths. Shoppers can also enjoy refreshments in the Flea Bites Food Court, featuring a smorgasbord of food booths, plus music from area artists.

Tickets are $5 for adults, and children 12 and under are admitted free .

There is a specially priced Early Bird Hour on Saturday, April 13 from 8 am-9 am. For more info or to reserve a space, visit www.FleaFest.com or call 5028584.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY The second annual Lake Charles Yom Hashoah program will be held at the Lake Charles Civic Center Exhibition Hall (Lakefront side) on April 18 from 4-7 pm.

Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is observed each year throughout the world as a day of commemoration for Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out from 1933 to 1945 by the Nazis and their collaborators. World War II proved to be the deadliest military conflict in history; over 60 million — or 2.5 percent — of the World’s 1939 population were killed or died of war related conditions. Of this total, it is estimated that 5.7 million — or 78 percent — of the 7.3 million Jews in German-occupied Europe died as Holocaust victims.

Remembrance reminds us of the fragility of democracy and the need for citizens to be vigilant in the protection of democratic ideals; it reminds us of the importance of preserving freedom, promoting human dignity and confronting hate whenever and wherever it occurs.

Various aspects of the Holocaust will be depicted through photo exhibits and guest speakers, including both a Holocaust survivor and the son of a Holocaust survivor. Mayor Randy Roach will welcome guests. Rabbi Barry Weinstein of Temple Sinai will also explain the meaning of Yom Hashoah.

Music will be provided by the MSU Community Clarinet Choir, LaGrange High School and McNeese State University.

As with last year, this year’s observance is being coordinated by the Yom Hashoah Observance Committee for Community Diversity. Sylvia Stelly is the Chairperson for this year’s event. For more information, call 491-1440.

LOUISIANA RAILROAD DAYS FESTIVAL The Louisiana Railroad Days Festival will take place April 11-13 at the DeQuincy Railroad Museum, located at 400 Lake Charles Ave. in DeQuincy.

There will be carnival rides, food, and arts and crafts booths. Also featured will be a Bows and Barks Doggie Pageant, an eating contest and a Queen and Miss Queen Pageant on Thursday; Gospel Night and an outdoor movie for teens on Friday; and a Cannon Ball 5K Run, Old Timers Reunion Methodist, a recognition of queens, and a barbecue cook-off on Saturday.

Live music will be performed from 1:30 pm-midnight on Saturday.

Featured artists will include: Honey and The Wannabees, Todd Stark and Guilty, Redbone Cookin’, John Anderson, and music by Upscale Productions.

There will be a Children’s Stage from 10-11 am.

Festival hours will be Thursday, April 11, 5-11 pm; Friday, April 12, 3-11 pm; and Saturday, April 13, 8:30 am-midnight.

Admission is free. For more information, contact the museum office at 786-2823.

Kyle Hebert

CYPHACON 2013

CyPhaCon 2013, Southwest Louisiana’s anime, gaming and sci/fi convention, is set for April 19-21 in the Exhibition Hall of the Lake Charles Civic Center.

Since its inception in 2011, CyPhaCon has provided diverse genre entertainment. This year’s special guest will be Lake Charles native Kyle Hebert, the narrator and voice of Teen Gohan on Dragon Ball Z. In addition to Hebert, the convention will feature artists Danny Allain, and Johnny and Jacqueline Segura. CyPhaCon will also welcome authors Rob Cerio and Michael Moreau.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the Suzaku 7 and the Bedlam Bards.

Many fan groups will be on hand to meet and talk during the weekend. Among the new and returning organizations are the Austin Browncoats, Bast Alpha Garrison 501st Legion (Star Wars organization), the Rebel Legion, Red Stick Rebellion, Starfleet International (inclusive of the local chapter, USS Lafitte), Louisiana StarGators and the Hunter’s Den (a Predator organization).

CyPhaCon will offer various forms of board and electronic gaming. These will include a vintage console gaming tournament. Paper Heroes will host a Magic: The Gathering tournament on Sunday, April 21. There will be special appearances by gaming groups the D20 Girls Project, Amtgard, Mind’s Eye Society, Nero and Mech Corps with their gaming pods.

For this year’s Cosplay Contest, Princess Sandy, a member of the Rebel Legion/Dagobah Base (Star Wars organization) will be a special guest judge along with Kyle Hebert. Also appearing over the weekend will be the performing groups Orion’s Envy and Carnival Epsilon.

Friday membership is $10, Saturday is $20 and Sunday is $15. A weekend membership for $25 will cover all three days. Children 7-13 pay $5 to attend for the entire weekend. Children 6 years and younger are admitted free. (Children 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.)

Memberships are sold at Paper Heroes on Ryan Street in Lake Charles and online through Ticket Leap. Deadline for pre-registration ends on April 16. On-site memberships can be purchased at CyPhaCon’s registration table beginning Friday, April 19th, at 6 pm.

For more info, visit cyphacon.org or visit the convention page on Facebook. Search under “CyPhaCon.”

SPRING WATERCOLOR ART SHOW Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church Student Center will host “Spring Watercolor Show” with Nancy Melton and Friends April 19May 12.

An opening reception will be held Friday, April 19, 5-8 pm, at the student center, located at 221 Aqua Dr. in Lake Charles (traveling South on Ryan Street, turn right just past the traffic light at Ryan and Beauregard Streets).

Exhibiting artists include Edith Pavy Beam, Harley Dupuis, Ann Drost, Jill Mertena Ellender, Madeleine Guillory, Susan L. Hebert, Ann Hoffpauir, Jan P. Kalna, Mickey Laborde, Betty C. Langlinais, Camelia Lemne, Sylvia Macallister, Patsy Manuel, Shirley Marshall, H. Dan Mathews, Nancy Melton, Nyhlia Moore, Cookie Phillips, Jena Price, Deborah Self, Sarah Jordan Spiller, Wanda Stanton, Carolyn Thomas, Arlene Ware and Renee C. Wood.

This event will help raise funds for a youth mission trip. It will include a silent auction of original paintings, with all proceeds donated to the center. A percentage of all other sales from paintings and items from the boutique will also benefit the mission trip. A boutique will include original paintings, prints, cards and other handmade gifts.

For more info, email nmelton@ suddenlink.net or visit nancymelton. photoreflect.com.

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REEL TALK

duane bergeron

Olympus Has Fallen Film District, Rated R With the many action-oriented films coming up in 2013, I should have seen this coming. Olympus Has Fallen was released in time for the spring break and Easter crowd, but a movie with a similar storyline will be competing in the summer, along with Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Superman The Man of Steel.

White House Down will be released June 28, featuring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx. The plots of this feature and Olympus are virtually parallel. This is not the first time this has happened. Back in 1998, two asteroid-colliding-with-theEarth films were released close to each other, and both were successes. They were Deep Impact and Armaggedon. And it turned out that Armaggedon, which was panned badly in the press 15 years ago, was the number one film of the year.

White House Down is coming from Roland Emmerich, best known for the likes of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow.

In Washington, D.C., Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is one of the best on the job. He is a member of the personal detail protecting President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). He leaves the detail after a tragic accident involving the First Lady.

Some time later, Banning is working

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at the Treasury Department in an ordinary day on the job when the unexpected happens. Asher is visited by the Prime Minister of South Korea on what is to be a usual diplomatic mission. But when a C130 flies into Washington’s restricted airspace, all that changes. The nation’s capital is attacked both from the air and by land when a large group of terrorists storm the White House.

Though a ragtag fleet of North Koreans, they are successful in breaching the White House defense perimeter and

killing several Secret Service agents. Upon hearing of the attack, Asher, the prime minister, and several members of his cabinet are brought to a large bunker beneath the White House. Speaker of the House Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) becomes the acting president. Despite the bunker’s protection, the terrorist leader Kang (Rick Yune) is able to infiltrate it, and all those hiding inside become hostages.

Upon finding out the White House has been compromised, Banning runs furiously from the Treasury Department, and is caught up immediately in the fight. With his knowledge of the facility, Banning is able to remain one jump ahead of the terrorists, and he launches his own one-man war against Kang and his terrorist group, trying to thwart their plans for killing the president.

Going in, I thought Olympus Has Fallen was going to be another one of those “paint-by-the-numbers” action films that come and go on a regular basis.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see a script that showed both originality and some daring. Though the special effects were not top-notch, they were adequate.

The pacing of the film reminded me of Speed (1994), where the action hardly ever lets up. Though there are some scenes of dramatic interaction among the characters, they are balanced nicely with the ac-

tion shots.

A great cast was assembled for this production. Butler, best known for 300, is able to pull off a credible portrayal of a Secret Service agent, and gives a good imitation of Bruce Willis’ character from Die Hard. Longtime action fans will find the third and fourth act of this movie familiar, since it’s a virtual carbon copy of the first Die Hard film. Despite the similarities, you do not notice it that much, since the extraneous elements in the subsequent scenes keep your attention glued to the screen. Eckhart and Freeman are also in their prime on this production. They had previously worked together on The Dark Knight (2008).

In any industry, competition serves as a great motivator, and the film industry is no exception. It will be interesting to see, later this year, which White-House-introuble movie will come out on top. But as it now stands, Olympus Has Fallen is off to a great start on its theatrical run. And should it wind up as a spring hit, White House Down will have a hard act to follow come June.

For all you big-budget action film lovers who can’t wait for the summer season, Olympus Has Fallen will curb your appetite. This is an exciting feature that keeps audiences hanging until the final act.

MOUNTED MEMORIES

rocke "soybean" fournet

Birthday Bass There was frost on the pumpkin as an early spring cold front blew through.

It may well be the last Arctic push of the year, so let’s enjoy it while we can.

There’s plenty of outdoor activity going on, so let’s get right to it. Spring fishing is heating up and should continue to improve with warming weather.

Some days on the water will forever be etched in our minds. Such was the case for Chris Theriot, who couldn’t wipe this great memory from his mind if he wanted to.

Chris turned 29, and what better way to celebrate his birthday than to go fishing? The weather was funky with a stout wind blowing in a steady, drizzling rain. But the wind and rain couldn’t dampen his spirits on this great day.

Chris was chunking a buzz bait on the Sabine River when a lunker bass attacked, and it was much akin to a monster commode flush. Chris played the 6pounder down, and gave himself the birthday gift that just keeps on giving.

Lacassine Reserve is back. This beautiful impoundment is producing good fish again to the delight of the beacoup anglers who love their marsh fishing.

Mark Monceaux and his son were enjoying a relaxing day when suddenly all hell broke loose. A very subtle strike had Mark thinking he was hung up, but when he applied pressure, a monster marsh hawg made a mighty jump. The fish peeled drag and made the big fish maneuver of darting under the boat.

Although Mark’s equipment held together, by this point he was basically a basket case.

The giant sow bass was spent, and finally rolled over, revealing a 10 pound

Chris Theriot

2 ounce beauty. After a quick picture, Mark released the fish, but it soon bellied up. The stress was too much for this trophy bass. But it will be honored in a very special place on Mark’s wall.

The spring turkey season is on, and we needed a good story. Right on cue, Brent Monceaux walked in the door. He had scored a beautiful, mature gobbler in Longville and along with it came a great story.

By his own admission, Brent isn’t what you would call an avid hunter.

With his work constraints, he slips off when possible, but his hunts are numbered. Opening day found him scrambling to purchase a license in a process that took forever. The sun was well up by the time he got settled in.

He sat back to back with his hunting compadre, Kori Leglue, as she started with some light whelps on a scratch call.

A gobbler answered in the distance, putting both hunters on red alert. As time passed, Kori imitated the turkey’s most realistic series of calls every half hour or so.

The big tom appeared out of nowhere with no signal call to warn Brent. As he moved his hand to tap Kori and warn her of the tom’s presence, the big bird was alerted. The smart old turkey was hightailing it when Brent squeezed off a hurried but deadly shot.

Brent’s big tom had an 11-inch beard and hadn’t been missing many meals. It was high five time as the two celebrated the harvest of this magnificent bird. It was turkey teamwork 101, with some effective calling and a great shot resulting in a trophy bird.

FISHING UPDATE Fishers should be aware that some places listed in the “Closed Areas” section in the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge Regulations story in Lagniappe’s fishing special (March 7 issue) are not in fact in the Lacassine Refuge.

The locations in question are actually in the Sabine Wildlife Refuge.

It’s important to be aware of regulations in both areas as both are national refuges and apply stiff penalties to infractions.

Lagniappe thanks the reader who called in to report the inaccurate information. If you have any questions about refuge regulations, visit the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries at wlf.louisiana.gov or call the Lake Charles office at 491-2580.

April 4, 2013

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SARRO ON SPORTS

rick sarro

Star Power To win in sports nowadays, you need several things going your way. A heavy dose of talent comes to mind, as does great coaching, leadership and enough money to fund all of the above if you are amongst the major college BCS ranks and the professional stratosphere.

You also need a star or, better yet, multiple star performers.

A lot can be said for having a wellrounded team with great role players, chemistry and a diverse mix of skills. But you still need a mega-star to elevate you above the fray, to the upper echelon and into championship contention.

Star players will undoubtedly be your go-to guys in crunch time situations when you need to make a play, and they are expecting to have their number called. Stars will lead in most critical statistical categories, they will lead from the front during game time and practice, lead in the locker room and, if need be, on the team bus.

They are obviously the best players, and they also do the grunt work and the little things not obviously seen. Those are done away from the glare of the media and fans, during the long hours of work and practice. Stars reap the benefits, but not without years of commitment to be the best.

Ashlyn and Caitlyn Baggett were the brightest of stars for the McNeese Cowgirls and the entire Southland Conference for the past three years. The records, championships and two consecutive post-season trips to the NCAA Tournament and a justcompleted run to the Women’s Basketball Invitational championship game speak to the talent of the Baggett twins and what they meant to the Cowgirls basketball program.

Simply stated, they were everything, and they did anything to win. The Baggetts could not and did not do it alone, though; on some nights, it just seemed that way.

They led the team in scoring, assists, steals, minutes played, free throws, three-point shots and, despite being 5 ft. 6 in. guards, topped out with rebounds on occasion.

The Baggetts won state championships while coached by their father at Iota High School. They won back-to-back SLC titles under the tutelage of head coach Brooks

Donald Williams. They will go down as the two greatest players in the program’s history because of who they were as players and are as people. Their will and desire to be the best was unrivaled.

Getting one player of that caliber is rare and difficult. Having two playing sideby-side for four years is a once-in-a-careertype stroke of good fortune. The ponytailed twins not only carried the program on their shoulders, but set the benchmark for performance and expectations going forward.

The sisters showed how it can be done the last three years. The question is: Can the Cowgirls continue that success without them?

McNeese football, and men’s basketball and baseball, have followed similar paths paved by stars.

Joe Dumars packed the Civic Center on his way to NBA titles and a Hall of Fame career. Kerry Joseph, nearly 20 years since gone from McNeese, still has football fans wondering when the Cowboys will find another player like him. They had one in Derrick Fourroux, but didn’t fully realize it, even though he won multiple Southland Conference championships. Ben Broussard’s home runs and Ray Fontenot’s pitching skills, and their ensuing major league careers, stand out from the baseball program.

A team needs that transcendent star to set itself apart from the pack — to always have a chance to win when not expected to; to join the fortunate haves with star players atop the heap.

Micheal Cutright and Anthony Pullard held the star mantle while scaring Illinois in the NCAA Tournament back in 1989. It was many years later before Patrick Richard led the Cowboys to another SLC championship in 2011.

Buford Jordan and Stephen Starring were powerhouse stars who ran up impressive stats and helped build a winning football tradition. But a recent lack of “star quality-players” has meant 10 years without a post-season victory and a three-year absence from the FCS playoffs.

The New Orleans Saints saw their fortunes turn to gold with the hiring of head coach Sean Payton and the subsequent

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signing of quarterback Drew Brees. It led to a trip to the NFC championship game in their first year together, and playoff runs that eventually led to a Super Bowl trophy in 2009.

This star coaching/quarterback tandem is the centerpiece of the franchise and its success, and it’s worth over $110 million in salaries.

The northern version of this partnership is in New England, with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, who had three Super Bowl victories. Pittsburgh’s Ben Rotheliesberger (two Super Bowls), the Giants’ Eli Manning (two Super Bowls) and Peyton Manning (one Super Bowl win) all have the obvious in common: They are future Hall of Fame stars.

A couple of NFL teams believe they have that elusive star power in their midst, and have decided to pay dearly for them.

After leading the Baltimore Ravens to this season’s Super Bowl championship, quarterback Joe Flacco was signed to a new long-term contract worth a league leading $126 million dollars.

Even though he has only won one playoff game and has faltered in critical must-win games, the Dallas Cowboys must believe Tony Romo is their knight in shining silver, or owner Jerry Jones would not have awarded the 32-year-old quarterback with a $55 million dollar contract extension.

Sometimes wishing upon a star doesn’t mean you have one.

Major League Baseball seems to go against the grain at times, as Arizona, Florida, Minnesota and San Francisco will sneak up and win a World Series title without a designated star. Teams will still go

out and spend upwards of $100 million for the likes of Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Justin Verlander and Prince Fielder.

Stars like Brees, Brady, Derek Jeter and Serena Williams are just different.

Some are simply known by one name — LeBron, Kobe, M.J., Wilt, Sweetness and Ali. They carry themselves differently.

They walk and talk differently. They know they are the best at what they do and are expected to excel, and they usually do.

Opponents get highly motivated to compete

against them, and bring maximum effort to do so. Imagine the frustration when they realize that whatever they bring to bear, it’s still not enough against these stars.

I witnessed that star magnetism once again at the Shell Houston Open recently when following the masses attached to Phil Mickleson.

Even though he was struggling to make the cut during his second round, Mickleson had by far the largest gallery of fans in tow. That’s not unusual, of course,

because people want to see and be around one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game.

Mickleson, with his power game and finesse flop shots, has been a fan favorite for 20 years. His easy, polite smile and eye contact with the gallery draws you in and convinces you he is really looking at you and is genuinely happy that you’re there watching him play.

There are many very good but nondescript players on the PGA Tour, as there are in many other sports. The Micklesons, Tiger Woods, Rory McElroys and Bubba Watsons stand apart and draw attention to their world class talents and their aura and presence.

We know them through our television screens, and we admittedly buy into the media hype.

Mickleson stands taller by way of his resume and his status as golfing’s greatest, but also because of his personal story of charity, family and helping both his wife Amy and his mother through battles with breast cancer.

He is a man who walks differently, exudes confidence and convinces you that his next shot may be one of the best you have ever seen, so you keep following him or watching him on television.

Stars have that kind of power over us.

Their rise can be meteoric (see McElroy and Robert Griffin III), and their fall from grace tragic (see Woods, Mike Tyson and Michael Vick).

Make no mistake about it; the stars are why we watch the games, and the stars decide who wins and loses.

April 4, 2013

LAGNIAPPE

71

LEGEND

LANDSCAPES Licensed & Insured

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YACHT CLUB JOIN THE LAKE CHARLES YACHT CLUB! All boats welcome, on water clubhouse, sailboats. Call 337-474-0730 Today!

Ship to Shore k1018 _________________

help wanted NOW HIRING! HELP WANTEDSALES AGENTS needed for new company! 50% commission. Call or e-mail Mrs. Travis Perkins for details at 866-6916499 ext. 902 or travislperkins@ gmail.com k0816 _________________

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Info or Estimates: 526.2533 72

LAGNIAPPE

April 4, 2013

CUSTOM BUILT CABINETS AND FINISH CARPENTRY

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announcements

. Call Pete Leger 337-515-3272

PIANO LESSONS

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announcements

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announcements

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stuff 4 sale

stuff 4 sale

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"Our prices won't shock you, but our quality will" Call 337249-6443 k0906 _________________

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services

DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL HELP

Gaspard's Cleaning We do cleaning and run errands, i.e. grocery shopping, doctor's visits. etc.

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services BOAT & RV STORAGE BOAT & RV STORAGE - 6102 COMMON STREET. SECURED STORAGE! Call 337564-5377 cr _________________

announcements DJ SERVICE N O N - S T O P MUSIQUE- DJ for weddings, birthdays, clubs, reunions. New Year's and Mardi Gras parties, large or small venue.

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Call Ron at 337-3091412 k1004

pets DOG GROOMING NOW AVAILABLE AT BARK PARK Two professional groomers are here to serve you.

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services CONTRACTORS

services CONTRACTORS HOUSE LEVELING, HOUSE LIFTING. CALL ONE STOP CONSTRUCTION. Sill and truss replacement, foundation repair, general remodeling, etc.

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announcements

J O S E P H ’ S LIMESTONE Limestone or Calbase $160 for 2 tons; $250 for 4 tons; and $350 for 6 tons. Also 4 yards of sand or topsoil for only $125, or 14 tons of bottom ash for $300. Ponds dug and excavation work completed.

We do dozer, tractor, and concrete work as well as house pads, culvert installation and even demolition.

Best prices, hauling available every single day. Free estimates! Call 437.1143. n0816

announcements RV PARK/LAKE SPRING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, that means camping season in SWLA! 25 minutes north of Lake Charles, Longville Lake Park110 acre scenic stocked pond with boat launch. Full RV hookups available. Call or come by for your campground reservations! 337-725-3395 7115 Hwy 110 East, Longville, LA. k1220

_________________

HAIR SALON COUNTRY CLUB HAIR - Where a haircut still comes with a lollipop and a smile.

Over 25 years in business. Walk-ins welcome. Located on 1214 Country Club Rd. Open Tuesday-Friday 8:30-5:30, Saturdays 8am-2pm. Call 4744722 k0906 _________________

services BOAT & RV STORAGE BOAT & RV STORAGE - 6102 COMMON STREET. SECURED STORAGE! Call 337564-5377 cr _________________

services A/C & HEATING CONTACT ALL SEASONS AIR & HEAT in Lake Charles.

We offer sales and service for all makes and models of heaters and air conditioners. Our team of contractors provides residential and commercial heating and cooling services. Call today! 337855-1446 k1220

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PLACE YOUR AD CALL KENNY AT 433-8502 TODAY! class@thelanyap.com _________________

FALL LANDSCAPE PACKAGES for every budget! We use state of the art software to show you what your landscape can look like. $100 OFF any new landscape project when you mention Lagniappe! SWLA Lawn and Landscape Licensed, Bonded, Insured 337-625-5625 K1018

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Excalibur ITS.com or call Ivan at 337-912-1490 k1220 _________________

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services LAWN & GARDEN S&S LAWN CARE for your mowing and trimming needs call David at 337-884-0342 or 337-588-4000 k0517 _________________

services FENCING FENCEMAKERS We build chainlink, barbed, privacy, electric, net, wooden, and security fences, free estimates.

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services HOME REPAIR ALL TYPES OF ROOFING, siding, mobile home skirting, licensed and bonded.

Call Jimmy today at 337-499-7807. ph _________________

Mark Pedersen Equipment Co. 337-436-2497 an

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Southwest SW Manufactured HOMES & RV'S Housing, Inc. NEW • USED • REPOS • SALES & SERVICE

LAND/HOME PACKAGES

ZERO DOWN TO QUALIFIED BUYERS Corner of Hwy 90 and Hwy 171

www.swhomeslc.com 436-5593

services LAWN & GARDEN HINTON AND MOSS LAWN SERVICELicensed, bonded, and insured. Residential and commercial. Free estimates, call 337515-5255 k1004 _________________

Tree Removal, Stump Grinding, Land Clearing, Demolition, Crane Work, Debris Hauling.

Bonded. Insured.

License AR 1604 337-884-6881

PERSONAL TRAINING Erick FranklinHead Trainer at The Gym. Offering customized workout plans for Jr. High to College aged athletes looking to improve.

Strength & Conditioning, Wide Receiver Training, Agility & Conditioning classes available, including many more!

AFFORDABLE RATES. 337-660-5717

1998 Ford Transit Van 7.3 Diesel, Handicapped Lift

12007 900 Vulcan Saddlebags, Windshield, 10k Miles

$5995

$5995

2010 Chevy 4-Door 3500 Pickup, Welding Bed, 5 Speed

2012 Skeeter 15' Bass Boat, Trailer & 40hp Yahama Trolling Motor

$3995

$4995

g0502-2012

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services

stuff 4 sale

LAWN SERVICE S & S Lawn Service ~ For mowing and trimming, and all your lawn and garden needs; both commercial and residential. We are licensed and insured, and welcome free estimates. For a yard your neighbors will envy, call David at 884.0342 or 588.4000 k1018 _________________

WOW! 2004 HARLEY DAVIDSON SOFTAIL FATBOY 9000 miles, garage kept, lots of custom and chrome, only $8500. CALL 337302-0016 _________________

Start an Exciting Career in Emergency Communications Entry Level $24,900 year w/benefits Apply at 911 Hodges Street, 2nd floor.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Buy Here - Pay Here The Little Dealer Where Everybody Rides 0% Financing WAC

217-3000 • 794-0765 April 4, 2013

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announcements

MISC. SERVICES

HAIR SALON

Sell that Junk Car for Cash! I will buy your junk car, truck, van, motor home, or trailer. I also buy ATV’s, motorcycles, and even farm equipment. Even if it’s not running, you can make from $400 to $600. Clean your yard up, and decide what you’ll spend your extra money on! HELP WANTED Experienced mechanic needed.

Call now at 526.9533. k1018

NEW! CUSTOM CABINET SHOP Custom Countertops Affordable Pricing Professional Custom Woodwork Entire Lake Charles Area

302-6903 PLACE YOUR AD CALL KENNY AT 433-8502 TODAY! class@thelanyap.com _________________

COUNTRY CLUB HAIR - Where a haircut still comes with a lollipop and a smile.

Over 25 years in business. Walk-ins welcome. Located on 1214 Country Club Rd. Open Tuesday-Friday 8:30-5:30, Saturdays 8am-2pm. Call 4744722 k0816 _________________

3 ACRES ELEVATED LAND GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD $37,500 PER ACRE OR MAKE OFFER

DOWN ON THE BAYOU

RARE COINS Gold & Silver Coins Currency Mint & Proof Sets All Coins Graded w/Photograde I BUY COLLECTIONS

KEMBLE GUILLORY CALL 802-5402

SOUTH LAKE CHARLES 478-2386 884-2386

PLACE YOUR AD CALL KENNY AT 433-8502 TODAY! class@thelanyap.com _________________

services FENCING FENCEMAKERS We build chainlink, barbed, privacy, electric, net, wooden, and security fences, free estimates.

Call David today at 337-375-4747. k0920 _________________

Tree Removal, Stump Grinding, Land Clearing, Bonded. Insured.

License AR 1604 337-884-6881 g0502-2012

real estate MOBILE HOMES

services PLUMBING RAPHAEL BENOIT CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS - Home improvements, Remodeling & Additions. New Home Construction. Serving SWLA since 1993.

Call Raphael Benoit at 337-802-6522 k0816 _________________

MOBILE HOME TO BE MOVED. 3/2, BO over $8,000. Camper for rent. All bills paid. 2 acre lot south of Lake Charles. 477-6243 or 564-5859 gpnmr _________________ PLACE YOUR AD HERE AND START GETTING RESULTS! CALL KENNY AT 433-8502 TODAY class@thelanyap.com _________________

PAPER HEROES Buying U.S. Coins & Currency

Gold, Silver, Coins & Sets

MAGIC THE GATHERING TOURNAMENTS HELD WEEKLY

services CONSTRUCTION

BOUCHER & SON'S CONSTRUCTION ~ YOU’VE FOUND THE RIGHT COMPANY! Give us call for all your construction, carpentry, painting, and damage repairs. Licensed, Bonded, and Insured.

Member of the Better Business Bureau.

Give Tom a call at 337-474-2844 (office) or 337-842-1455 (cell) AND SEE HOW AFFORDABLE UPGRADING YOUR HOME CAN BE! 474.2844. k0313 _________________

services SALES NEED PART-TIME, NEAT, AGGRESSIVE SALESPERSON. Draw plus commission, plus gas. Flexible working hours. Call today 1-800-6345816, ask for Ron Wiggins. ph _________________

478-2143 3941 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

Larry A. Roach, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION

Accidents • Wrongful Death Serious Personal Injury Criminal, Domestic Law Cases

k1220

Laundry W rld Larry A. Roach (1932-2003) Barry A. Roach • Larry A. Roach, Jr. Fred C. "Bubba" LeBleu • David M. Hudson

2917 Ryan St. • Lake Charles (337) 433-8504 • Fax (337) 433-3196 74

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Do Your Laundry in 4 Minutes!

2 minutes to drop off 2 minutes to pick up 4319 Common St. • 474-8748 2501 Hwy 14 • 433-7503

Professional Wash, Dry, Fold/Hang Service Dry Cleaning Available PUT US TO WORK FOR YOU TODAY!

announcements WE WILL BUY! SELL THAT JUNK CAR FOR CASH! I will buy your junk car, truck, van, motor home, or trailer. I also buy ATV’s, motorcycles, and even farm equipment. Even if it’s not running, you can make from $400 to $600. Clean your yard up, and decide what you’ll spend your extra money on! HELP WANTED Experienced mechanic needed.Call now at 526.9533. k1018 _________________

services AUTO REPAIR

YOUR SOURCE LAWN & GARDEN TIRES 477-9850 478-6565 527-6355 "People you trust, products you depend on"

services KNOX FENCE

PERSONAL TRAINING Erick FranklinHead Trainer at The Gym. Offering customized workout plans for Jr. High to College aged athletes looking to improve.

Strength & Conditioning, Wide Receiver Training, Agility & Conditioning classes available, including many more!

AFFORDABLE RATES. 337-660-5717

FLIGHT TRAINING! VISION AVIATION, LLC; LICENSED INSTRUCTOR(S).

Fly to new heights with our one of a kind “Discovery Flight” to see the sights for only $65!

Makes a unique and adventurous gift. Gift Certificates available now. Call and reserve your fun at 478.7722. k2013apr

Don’t blend in, make your home stand out with a customized fence.

Choose your own design or one of ours. We also do chainlink, ornamental, aluminum and iron fencing. Can install electric or solar gate operators. Call for a free estimate. Licensed and insured, 20+ years of experience.

Ask for Steve at 337.540.6973 k0621

JUNK CARS SELL THAT JUNK CAR FOR CASH! I will buy your junk car, truck, van, motor home, or trailer. I also buy ATV’s, motorcycles, and even farm equipment. Even if it’s not running, you can make from $400 to $600. Clean your yard up, and decide what you’ll spend your extra money on! Call now at 526.9533. k1018 _________________ PLACE YOUR AD HERE! CALL KENNY AT 433-8502 TODAY! class@thelanyap.com _________________

classified FULL-TIME SATELLITE TECHNICIANS NEEDED for well-established company.

Paid training, $500 sign on bonus, paid weekly.

Call Josh @ 888-959-9675 or submit resume to careers@satcountry.com

services DOORS

FINANCING AVAILABLE!

WHY PAY MORE FOR DOORS 800 instock Doors Windows & More. 489-4313 csta15 _________________

Cash for Junk Cars Need Extra Cash?

WE ARE NOW BUYING CARS • TRUCKS VANS • ATV’S • MOTORCYCLES

services BOAT & RV STORAGE BOAT & RV STORAGE - 6102 COMMON STREET. SECURED STORAGE! Call 337564-5377 cr _________________

2000 LEXUS ES 300 JUST IN! 4-door, good one, come drive it!

2007 SUZUKI FORENZA Tan, 84k, good one!

2005 KIA OPTIMA Silver, gas saver, runs great, come drive it!

2004 BUICK LESABRE Beige, 94k!

2003 DODGE NEON Red, 100k miles, runs good, come drive it!

5 OTHER VEHICLES WITH 30+ MPG! These and more quality vehicles... call Luke Papania today at 302-2912!

803 E. McNeese • 337-562-9211

Also Motor Homes, Trailers and Farm Equipment. Not running? You can still make $400 and up! Get your yard cleaned up while deciding how you’ll spend your extra money!

CALL 526-9533

classified k0621

HWY 90 CONSIGNMENT STORAGE Cars • Trucks • Boats • RV's Mobile Homes • Vans Safe and Secure Storage forThose Big Items in Your Way! CONSIGNMENT: Your items can be put up for consignment to make that extra money when you decide you no longer need storage for you item. Good prices, and large customer base to purchase any items you store with us.

Call now and make some room OR some cash for your items: 337.526.2533

FULL TIME SATELLITE TECHNICIANS NEEDED for well-established company.

Paid Training, $500 sign on bonus, paid weekly.

Call Josh @ 888-959-9675 or submit resume to careers@satcountry.com April 4, 2013

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HOUSE LEVELING LIFTING AND MOVING GUARANTEED 2-YEAR WARRANTY FOR ALL LABOR AND MATERIALS! Foundation Repair • Concrete Slab Stabilization Licensed, Bonded and Insured • References

classified

CALL ONE STOP www.onestophouseleveling.com

337-309-7301

LEGEND LANDSCAPES Licensed & Insured For ALL your landscaping needs!

Call 337-499-4664 real estate

announcements DINING OUT

SHOP A-LOT DELI NOW SERVING OYSTERS! Drive-Thru Daiquiri Window Longer Dining Hours M-F 10AM-6PM SAT 10AM-4PM

2707 HAZEL 433-2135

MOBILE HOMES MOBILE HOME TO BE MOVED. 3/2, BO over $8,000. Camper for rent. All bills paid. 2 acre lot south of Lake Charles. 477-6243 or 564-5859 gpnmr _________________

services SALES NEED PART-TIME, NEAT, AGGRESSIVE SALESPERSON. Draw plus commission, plus gas. Flexible working hours. Call today 1-800-6345816, ask for Ron Wiggins. ph _________________

Call Samantha @ Rhino Real Estate

337-304-6686 337-433-9434 Our Address: 1027 Enterprise Lake Charles, LA 70601 1010 Enterprise Blvd.-$179,000 3 bed/2 bath. Wood floors, fireplaces, sits on four lots. Great commercial potential with plenty of parking, updated electrical and plumbing.

2 New Lots For Sale-Drive by 709 16th Street for the low price of $9,000 or see the Dovick Rd. lot with more space, only $19,000.

Charming Home In Sulphur-$55,000. 3 bed/1 bath located on close to a full acre. Go by and have a look at this ideal family home at 1301 Sherwood, call for appointment viewing.

738 Kirkman St.-4 bed/3.5 bath around 3500 sq. feet, Bonus 1000 sq. feet on 3rd floor ready to finish out. Features FOUR fireplaces! Wood floors, updated kitchen and baths, pocket doors, walk-in closets, new paint, electrical and plumbing for $269,500.

759 Louisiana Ave-House with 4 apartments which bring in $1600 income sitting on an acre downtown. House has lots of potential, negotiable $249,900. OWNER FINANCING AVAILABLE. 2203 Walker St. Westlake. 3/2 1650 living, 2 big living areas.

New paint throughout, new carpet in bedrooms and wood vinyl in living areas. $145,000 115 Orchard 2/2 1750 living, 1/2 acre in the middle of town.

2 car garage, crown molding, ceramic throughout.

Everything remodeled! This one will go FAST, A MUST SEE! $164,500

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win up to $ 5,000 cash!

Saturdays in April Guests can pick up their free drawing entry at the Fan Club® from 10:00am to 10:30pm.

Drawings will be held every hour from 6:00pm to 11:00pm. We will draw two winners each hour until 10:00pm to walk away with $250 in FanPlay™.

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I-10, Exit 27 Lake Charles, LA • 1-800-THE-ISLE (843-4753) www.isleofcapricasinos.com © 2013 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Fan Club and FanPlay are registered trademarks of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Valid only at Isle of Capri® Casino Hotel Lake Charles.

All promotions subject to change without notice. Must be 21 or older and a Fan Club member. See the Fan Club for details. Isle of Capri employees and their immediate family members are not eligible. Disregard if prohibited from visiting Louisiana casinos.