WWW. TIME SSW. C O M • jun e 1 1 , 2 0 0 9 / V O L. 1 4 , NO. 11
D e Angelo’s! The Landmark Restaurant Rebuilds
Northrop Grumman Financial Advice Q and A with Local Banking Experts
Is Our Water Safe?
Thanks for voting Dairy Barn Best Local Hamburger
2251 Maplewood Drive Sulphur, LA 70663 533-1007 • 533-1008 Call-In’s Welcome Burgers & Sandwiches Hamburger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.95 (Extra Meat Patty) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25 Cheeseburger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.25 Bacon Burger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.35 Shrimp Burger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.49 Catfish Sandwich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.25 Pierre Special . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.95 Chicken Sandwich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.99 Grilled Chicken Sandwich . . . . . . . . . . 3.49 Grilled Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.95 B-L-T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.49 Poboys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Half . . . . 5.99 Whole . . . . 7.99 Shrimp Poboys . . . . . . . . . . . Half . . . . 6.99 Whole . . . . 8.99 Poboys Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . Half . . . . 7.99 Whole . . . . 9.99 Roast Beef, Catfish, and Hamburger Shrimp Dinner Poboy add 1.00
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Green Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.50 Grilled Chicken Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.75 Grilled Shrimp Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.99
Try out our drive-thru pickup window for your convenience! 2
June 25, 2009
June 25, 2009 Volume 14, Number 12
C ontents
617 Drew St., Lake Charles, LA 70601 Phone: 337-439-0995 Fax: 337-439-0418
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PUBLISHER
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Patrick Marcantel
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EDITOR Nancy Correro Assistant Editor Jessica Ferguson
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Assignments Chaney Ferguson 4 15
Contributors Mike Allen Terry Backhaus J. Shirleen Cooper D.B. Grady Matt Jones Garrett Lumpkin Katie Penny Terri Schlichenmeyer
A D VE R T ISING
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Sales Manager Andy Jacobson Account executive Katy Corbello
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Account executive Brian Chriceol
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G R A P H IC S Art/Production Director Natalie Clark
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The Times of Southwest Louisiana is published every two weeks by Patsco Publishing, 617 Drew Street, Lake Charles Louisiana 70601. Phone (337) 439-0995. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $30 per year. Bulk mailing permit #9 paid at Lake Charles, La. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Times of Southwest Louisiana, 617 Drew Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601. FAX to (337) 439-0418. The Times of Southwest Louisiana cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. Copyright 2009 The Times of Southwest Louisiana all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited. DISTRIBUTION: The Times of Southwest Louisiana is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. The Times of Southwest Louisiana may be distributed only by The Times of Southwest Louisiana authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of The Times of Southwest Louisiana, take more than one copy of each monthly issue from its racks.
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Enterprise boulevard Is Our Water Safe? Columns Home Grown: Jimmy’s Hair We Are Legal Eagle: The Rights of Step Parents 337 Sports: LSU Baseball is Back Baby! Geeks & Gadgets: Rekindling the Publishing Industry Cover story Deangelo’s Restaurant Features Up and Coming Awards Banquet Northrop Grumman Waits For Contract Announcement, Names Teammates Banking: Q and A with CSE Federal Credit Union Banking: Q and A with Jeff Davis Bank and Trust Finance: Don’t Let Your Investments Take a Vacation Finance: Are you Recession Ready? Industry Carefully Monitors Ozone Levels as Hot Days of Summer Begin Finance: Financial Solutions for the Sandwich Generation How Two Schools Benefit Our Community: What You May Not Know Entertainment Times Picks Times Band Stand The Shadow: Gallery By The Lake’s Wild About Art Exhibition, A Midsummer White Linen Night Coffee Break Crossword: “Clean Cinema” Book Beat: The Secret Lives of Boys
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The Times of Southwest Louisiana/ Fusion Five Up And Coming & Under 40 Awards Banquet In our June 11 issue, The Times of Southwest Louisiana announced the 2009 annual Up and Coming and Under 40 honorees. Each year, we take the opportunity to tell our readers about 10 local young adults that are making a positive impact on the community. We use criteria that focus on several points. Those points are: being expert and having specialized knowledge in the field in which they practice, excellent practical and literary skills in relation to their profession, and a high standard of ethics, behavior, and work activities. As always, participation with Fusion Five is special to us. The young adults of Fusion Five came together through a desire to create an organization that would allow them to educate, facilitate, and illuminate the voice of young professionals. They are the perfect partner for the Up and Coming and Under 40 search. On June 15 at The Isle of Capri, the recipients, their friends, and families gathered to celebrate with a dinner and awards presentation. We were honored to present Mr. Ray Shoemaker, CEO of Rural Healthcare Developers as our speaker. We took the opportunity to tweet the entire event. Oran Parker was our tweeter. Go to twitter and search for lc_tweets and look for #under40 entries. The event was said to have been a prime opportunity to network with future leaders of our community. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR RECIPIENTS FOR 2009 Dr. Lisa A. Vaughn – Doctor at SWLA Center for Health Services Beau Hearod – Owner and President of Jeff Davis Insurance Agency Heath Allen – Executive Director of Lake Charles Regional Airport Angela Tezeno – Life Coach For Women, Author, Singer, Songwriter Judd Bares – TV Producer/Director, Owner of Sweet Spot Telemedia, Nashville Recording Artist Brooks Donald Williams – Head Coach for McNeese State Women’s Basketball Nicholas (Nic) Edward Hunter – Owner and Operator of Harlequin Steaks and Seafood Cassondra Savoy Guilbeau – Regional Director for the American Heart Association Richard Cole – Assessor for Calcasieu Parish Faith Thomas – Accounting Administrator with Texas Industries Anacoco Aggregates Division
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N e w s
A b o u t
S o u t h w e s t
L o u i s i a n a
E nterprise B oulevard Is Our Water Safe?
W h o ’s
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By Chaney Ferguson Recently residents received a card in the mail informing them of coliforms found in the water. The information card explained the reporting period during the month of May “violated the maximum contaminate level of coliform bacteria.” The regulations are stated in the State and Federal Primary Drinking Water Regulations. “We can have up to four samples test positive for coliform. Which is not out of the ordinary, but anything over four throws us out of compliance,” said Russell Buckels with the City of Lake Charles Water Division. As a result of the violation the water division had thirty days to inform customers through a public notice or direct mail outs. “This time it was unusual because when we took 20 samples in one week 10 came back positive for total coliform. We immediately re-sampled all those sites and upstream and downstream from each site so for the 10 that were positive we picked up 30 plus a house on either side,” said Buckels. When taking samples upstream and downstream the idea is to figure out if the contamination is localized or spread out. “It’s an additional check,” said Buckels. “So if there was contamination we may see what direction it is coming from.” According to Buckels, all the additional samples came back negative. The water division believes contamination occurred either at sampling out in the field or running them back in to the lab. “We think that because all of the additional samples came back negative, but since we went over our limit
the first time we had to send out a public notice,” said Buckels. When taking a water sample Buckels says there must be a good lab procedure and sterile sample bags. Samples are not taken when the weather causes drizzling, high humidity or dew because of how the moisture can get into the sample bags. “When we get back to the lab we are taking that sample and running it through some filter media. There can be contamination there if the glassware isn’t sterilized and lots of other possibilities,” said Buckels. “When the samples come back positive for coliform additional tests are made to look for more harmful bacteria such as fecal coliform,” said Buckels. Coliform is considered an indicator organism for more harmful bacteria. It is a natural bacterium in the environment. “Coliforms are real prevalent in the environment. You have them all over your hands and they are all over my desk,” said Buckels. Two years ago five coliforms within a month were found in the water and a notice was sent out. “Other than that I don’t think we’ve ever had a violation like that, but we do find coliform from time to time; it’s not unheard of,” said Buckels. “We normally don’t find that many because we have chlorine in the water.” According to Buckels most people think that since you have chlorine in the water the water is sterile, but you have organisms that can grow in the water. “I guess the best example I can give is if you have a gallon of milk and you never open it, it goes bad. That’s because the pasteurization process uses an air range of temperature where most of the organisms grow so they pasteurize it at that temperature, but any organisms that can grow on a lower or higher temperature are still in the milk because they are not considered harmful,” said Buckels. Those organisms grow even though the milk is never opened because it goes bad. The same thing is true of water. There are organisms out there not harmful to people but they do produce some odor complaints for the water division and coliforms are found from time to time. “We don’t want our customers to be alarmed because everything was fine. They don’t have to boil the water or do anything. Continued on Page 11
AMNH/R. Mickens: Presenting the award certificate were (from left) Melanie L. J. Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator in the Museum’s Division of Vertebrate Zoology; and Meg McDonald, President of the Alcoa Foundation.
Local Student Receives Young Naturalists Award During a recent ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Taylor Wood, Age 16, Grade 11 of Sam Houston High School, tested the ‘Effectiveness of Botanical Extracts as Repellents Against Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes’ and Could plant extracts be more cost-effective and more environmentally safe than chemical insect repellents? The American Museum of Natural History announced the 12 winners of the 12th Annual Young Naturalist Awards, a nationwide, science-based research contest for students in grades 7 through 12, presented by the American Museum of Natural History and supported by Alcoa Foundation. The 12 students, who demonstrated accuracy in observation and thoroughness in research as well as creativity in writing and drawing, traveled to the Museum from their hometowns in eleven different states and Ontario, Canada on Friday, May 29, 2009, to accept cash awards ranging from $500 to $2,500, meet Museum scientists, take a behind-thescenes tour, and be recognized at an award ceremony. United Way Selects New Director of Disaster Denise Durel, President and CEO, United Way of Southwest Louisiana, has announced the selection of Catherine D. Thomas as the Director of Disaster Catherine effective June 1, 2009. Thomas Thomas will lead the United Way support of communities in the five-parish area by preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters.
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W ho’s News cont. Jeff Davis Bank Announces Appointees to Board of Directors The Board of Directors of Jeff Davis Bank & Trust Company announces the appointment of three new directors: Milton Ray Crochet and Dr. Daryl Burckel of Lake Charles and Dr. Thomas E. Leger of Jennings. Milton Ray Crochet, of Lake Charles, is the owner of Calcasieu Rentals and SWD, Inc. Dr. Daryl Burckel, of Lake Charles, is a professor of accounting at McNeese State University. Dr. Thomas E. Lege practices general dentistry in Jennings.
accountant; Curtis Cochran, a porter; Maria Topete, a table games dealer; and Joseph Williamson, a Le Café food server. Bryan Judice was also designated as the May Employee of the Month.
John Noble, Jr., MD
Milton Ray Crochet
Dr. Daryl Burckel
Noble Reports on FDA Study Results at State Orthopaedic Conference Orthopaedic Surgeon John Noble, Jr., MD, with the Center for Orthopaedics, was a speaker at the recent Louisiana Orthopaedic Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans. Dr. Noble presented early data from an FDA post approval clinical study of BHR (Birmingham Hip Resurfacing). He is one of eight physicians in the United States chosen to serve as a principle investigator in this 10-year outcome study which began two years ago. For more information about BHR, call Center for Orthopaedics at (337) 721-7236.
Dr. Thomas E. Leger
Camp Wi-Ta-Wentin Pest Free Thanks to SWLA Pest Management Members of Southwest Louisiana Pest Management Association helped Camp Fire USA SWLA Council get ready for the 2009 Summer Camp season. The group have donated their services, spraying annually for carpenter bees, and assisting with termite prevention, through an LSU formosan termite study, for many years.
(left to right) Representing Team Le Bocage at The Spring Flowers Horse Show are Trainer: Michael Radich and students: Naomi Smith, Isabelle Boudreau, Victoria Vallier, and Keli Sonnier. The ribbons displayed in this picture were earned by these students and some of the other trainers and students of Le Bocage.
Stables at Le Bocage Ribbon At Spring Flowers Horse Show Five team members of The Stables at Le Bocage rode their way into the ribbons at the Spring Flowers Horse Show in Katy, Texas. The Stables at Le Bocage is a full-service equestrian facility offering group and private lessons, horse training and boarding. For more information call 337-905-JUMP (5867) or visit their web site at www.thestablesatlebocage.com.
First row: Kevin Savoie, Cal-Cam Pest Control; Will Iles, Terminix; Rick Caldwell, McKenzie Pest Control; Keith Dubrock, McKenzie Pest Control; Stephen Reynolds, CalCam Pest Control. Second row: Roland Buller, McGinnis Pest Control; Dean McGinnis, McGinnis Pest Control; Jason Gill, J & J Exterminating. Very Back: Tom Broussard, Performance Pest Control.
L’Auberge du Lac Casino Names Five Star Employees The April Five Stars are: Bryan Judice, a Jack Daniel’s® Bar & Grill lead barback; Chris Landon, an impressment clerk; Tim Verheeck, a staff
WCCH Announces Promotions West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital is pleased to announce the recent promotion of two hospital employees. Christi Kingsley has been promoted from Director of Human Resources Christi Kingsley to Vice President of Human Resources. Karen Lambert has been promoted from Marketing Representative to Marketing Manager.
Karen Lambert
Local Youth Donates to Sulphur Library Reigner Kane, 10, recently won two awards through the Letters About Literature writing contest, sponsored by the Library of Congress. Reigner is the son of Michael and Kimberly Kane of Moss Bluff. He has three sisters. He is thrilled that his love of reading paid off in such big way for both himself, and Hope Christian School. L’Auberge du Lac Casino Five Star Employees
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Reigner Kane and Renee Unsworth, Hope Christian School
business notes
Gulf Coast SWCD Board Member, Dr. Harold Aymond (center) receiving the District’s First Place Award for Soil and Water Stewardship. Gulf Coast SWCD Received LACD Award Gulf Coast SWCD has had a strong information/outreach program for many years and in 2008 the District received the LACD Auxiliary’s State Soil and Water Stewardship First Place award. This award is given to the District with the most exceptional Stewardship Program. There are 44 districts in the state of Louisiana. For information about Stewardship Week and conservation, contact Patti Busby at (337) 436-5020 Extension 3 or visit the District website at www.gulfcoastswcd.la.nacdnet.org. You can also visit www. nacdnet.org to learn more about NACD and Stewardship Week.
Doug Gehrig, owner and operator of Calcasieu Parish McDonald’s, Hal McMillin, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and Don Breaux, general manager of Don’s Car Wash. Local Tourist Bureau Supports Children’s Museum The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau recently provided financial assistance of $25,000 for the rebuilding and restoration of exhibits at the Children’s Museum located at 327 Broad St. due to the recent devastating fire. Anne Monlezun, chairman of the bureau’s board of directors, presented the check to Dan Ellender, director of the museum, on Thursday, June 4, at the bureau’s welcome center, 1205 N. Lakeshore Drive. Donations can be made at any Cameron State Bank or Jeff Davis Bank location or sent to the Children’s Museum at 327 Broad St, Lake Charles, LA 70601. For more information on the Children’s Museum, visit www.swlakids.org or call 337433-9420.
Board Member, Dr. Harold Aymond (right) receiving the Guy Caire Memorial Award. Calcasieu Parish McDonald’s and Don’s Car Wash Work with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury to Prevent Litter The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury began 2009 by enacting a no-tolerance policy towards littering. The Police Jury advises citizens, “You can’t afford to be trashy,” because littering will be punished with mandatory fines and multiple offenses will lead to court appearances. Calcasieu Parish McDonald’s and Don’s Car Wash are committed sponsors of the police jury’s anti-litter initiative. Both businesses are official “Litter-Free Zones,” and will distribute litterbags and showcase anti-litter signs and stickers at all of their locations. Hal McMillin, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, said, “Litter is a serious problem in Calcasieu Parish. Not only is it an environmental issue, it defaces our community. We are very appreciative of McDonald’s and Don’s Car Wash’s assistance and thank them for their efforts in combating litter.” For more information on McDonald’s and Don’s Car Wash’s support of the Calcasieu Parish anti-litter campaign, contact Jen Breen at 478-7396 or jbreen@ocarroll.com.
Doug Gehrig, owner and operator of Calcasieu Parish McDonald’s, Hal McMillin, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and Don Breaux, general manager of Don’s Car Wash. Million Dollar Prize Golf Shoot-Out to Benefit Calcasieu Women’s Shelter Contraband Bayou Golf Club at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort is the Presenting Sponsor for the Fourth Annual Golf Classic benefiting the Calcasieu Women’s Shelter on Monday, July 13, 2009. Tee Times are at 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Individuals and teams are welcome. Howell Furniture Company is a Gold Sponsor and Conoco-Phillips is a Silver Sponsor for the tournament. All golfers will be entered into a Hole-in-One Shoot-Out, sponsored by King’s Transmission Service, for one million dollars! The Continued on Page 6
June 25, 2009
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business notes Dwight Law Firm is Sponsoring a $5,000.00 Hole-in-One prize, and Dr. Alan Hinton Orthopedics is sponsoring a 7 day, 6 night trip to Hawaii Hole-in-One prize. Awards will be given for the 1st, 4th, 8th and 12th place low gross teams. Tickets are $125 per person or $500 per team. Lunch from O’Charley’s Restaurant is included and all players receive a golf shirt. Grand Slam tickets may be purchased for $20.00 and include two Mulligans, Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin prize opportunities. To register or to make a donation, please visit www.cwshelter.org/CWSGolfTourney.htm or call the Shelter at 436-4552. The registration form on the web site may be printed and filled out, then faxed to 337-436-8327. Sponsor an Exchange Student STS Foundation is a not-for-profit organization designated by the Department of State, a member of CSIET and has been raising cultural awareness through cultural exchange since 1986. Host families provide room and board, a safe nurturing environment & have a genuine interest in learning about a different culture. Students range in age from 15 years to 18 yrs. Students will have all of the money they could possibly need & their own health insurance. The school that the students will attend is dictated by the host family’s home address. We interview the families in their home to find the best match for the students that we have available. We invite families of all shapes and sizes to host. We welcome Empty Nesters, Single Parents, Newly-weds, and Retired parents, Families with several kids at home or none. Children of families that host will receive a scholarship to study abroad. The students will attend public high school for 1 academic year, which begins this August. For more information please call Brian MarGrave, 800-522-4678 or email: brian@ stsfoundation.org. W. O. Moss Regional Medical Center Receives Quality Award The Silver Level 2008 Award was announced at the second annual Louisiana Health Care Quality Summit hosted by LHCR in Baton Rouge in May. With this award, Moss Regional has been recognized for improving the quality of health care given to their patients, Dr. Mohammed S. Sarwar holding the Silver and Moss Regional is Level Award one of 93 hospitals in the state to receive the 2008 Louisiana Hospital Quality Award. Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Receives Platinum Level Quality Award Lake Charles Memorial Hospital was recently awarded the Platinum Level 2008 Louisiana Hospital Quality Award by the Louisiana Health Care Review, Inc. (LHCR), the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Louisiana. Memorial was one of only 30 healthcare facilities in Louisiana to receive a platinum level award, the highest recognition for improving the quality of healthcare. SWLA Convention and Visitors Bureau Provides Financial Assistance The Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau provided financial assistance for programming through a Sports Warchest Grant in the amount of $10,000 presented to Joey Odom, executive vice-president of USSSA baseball and tournament coordinator. Odom received the grant on behalf of the USSSA Governor’s Games tournament which will utilize fields throughout Lake Charles and Sulphur. This tournament is always a tremendous economic stimulant for the local economy as team members are expected to occupy more than 2,000 total room nights in Calcasieu Parish, throughout the series of weekend tournaments May 23 –
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June 7. For more information, contact the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau at (337) 436-9588 or visit www.visitlakecharles.org.
From L-R: Eric Zartler, Joey Odom and Tico Soto.
L’Auberge Du Lac Awarded Fit-friendly By American Heart Association L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort, a luxury Texas Hill Country-themed resort in Lake Charles, La., has been recognized by the American Heart Association’s Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program for promoting physical activity and health in the workplace. L’Auberge received Gold recognition for its workplace wellness programs, only the second Southwest Louisiana business to earn the honor.
(Left to Right): Larry Lepinski, VP/General Manager, Kristie Evans, L’Auberge Health Educator; Jackie St. Romain, L’Auberge Sr. Director of Human Resources; Cassondra Guilbeau, American Heart Association.
WE BuiLd thE BESt ANd REPAiR thE RESt
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Ellender’s Portable Buildings 3624 E. Napoleon St. Sulphur, LA 70663 337-625-4579 • 800-571-8458
business notes
cont.
BILLEDEAUX’S CAJUN KITCHEN •BOUDIN • SMOKED SAUSAGE
PURE BEEF PURE PORK • MIXED PURE TURKEY
American Eagle Airlines Ribbon Cutting On June 11 there was a ribbon cutting for American Eagle Airlines at Lake Charles Regional Airport. The return of the airline after a 10 year departure comes in time for the finishing touches on the new airport to be finalized. Currently 100,000 people frequent the airport annually. Heath Allen, executive director of the airport, is expecting about a 50% increase with American coming in.
W ho’s News cont.
David Mark
Memorial Hospital Welcomes Vice President of Finance David Mak, a native of Hong Kong, was recently named Vice President of Finance at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. A graduate of Northeast Louisiana University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Mr. Mak has more than 12 years experience managing fiscal affairs for hospitals, most recently serving as Assistant Chief Financial Officer at Women & Children’s Hospital in Lake Charles. For more information, Mr. Mak can be reached at (337) 494-3108.
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New Diocesan Representative Appointed At a recent meeting of the Southeast Lieutenancy of Equestrian order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Sir Bernard R. Beaco was appointed to succeed Sir Buddy Engert as the Diocesan Representative from Lake Charles. Oran Parker has joined Judd Bares at Sweet Spot Telemedia, a Sulphur based video production company, as Creative Services Director. Parker & Bares worked together as ADDY Chair & Co-Chair to produce the 2009 ADDY Awards Gala for the American Advertising Federation’s Lake Charles chapter. Parker is an award winning designer & illustrator, has owned his own business and has served the last two years as Creative Director for an advertising agency in Lake Charles. Parker’s new position allows him to utilize his unique brand of creativity and put his 13+ years of advertising & production Oran Parker experience to work for Sweet Spot’s clientèle. You can stay up-to-date with the Sweet Spot Telemedia team by following them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ sweetspottm.
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Sthe o ubest t h iwn elake s t area L o enter u i s tai i anment n a ’s
H om e G rown B usiness es
By Chaney Ferguson Many people in the lake area who go to Jimmy’s Hair We Are may not know they are getting their hair cut by an awardwinning stylist. Jimmy Fontenot has won thirty-five trophies in different competitions around the country in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Just to name a few. “Every show would send me literature, and I would work and I would practice for that show,” says Fontenot. Fontenot began working as a barber when he was 18 in Beaumont, TX. In 1968, he worked at Rodrigue’s on Kirkman Street. The owner saw talent in Fontenot and decided to groom him for competition. “I didn’t know what he was talking about,” says Fontenot. “Rodrigue was traveling throughout the United States judging so he knew what it took to win.” According to Fontenot, he and Rodrigue picked out male models and Fontenot would work with them every day. “We would color their hair black, put them in tuxes, and make them look perfect,” said Fontenot. “You would compete against forty guys in the competitions.” Participants in the hair competitions would begin cutting hair at the same time. When the time was up five judges would make a decision based on how the haircuts looked, if there was any loose hair around, and the overall perfection From L to R: Delton Bertrand, Jimmy Fontenot, Fred Benoit, of the style. and Jeanette Webster
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“I competed for four years before I became a judge,” said Fontenot. “Judging wasn’t as much fun, but it was the next step.” In 1972, after gaining experience from working at Rodrigue’s, Fontenot decided to open his own barber shop on Prien Lake Road. He was there for twenty years before moving to his current location near McNeese. “Everybody likes to have their own business, run their own shop,” shares Fontenot. “I’m an aggressive person. I like to be up front and make things happen.” Fontenot feels like the competitions prepared him for his future in running his own business. “It helped me get a lot of publicity with customers coming in. There was exposure,” says Fontenot. “TV 7 would come to the shop every time I won and it helped me out with business.” When Fontenot first got started in the business he attended shows, read magazines, and did his homework on the new hairstyles. “As you get older it comes natural; you work on older people and you don’t need to go to shows,” says Fontenot. “The people that come in now have their standard way of getting a haircut.” Years ago, women represented 60% of Fontenot’s client base. He had to keep up with all the latest styles, but now with the older men he says it is much easier. “You don’t need much talent to cut them old men’s hair, just a lot of patience,” teases Fontenot. Ten years ago Fontenot stopped going to the hair shows. He says he doesn’t miss having to keep up with the latest styles. “I’ve been cutting hair for forty-six years. Once you get to this point it is time to slow it down,” says Fontenot. Fontenot is a huge McNeese fan. He used to be president of the Cowboy Club, and still maintains a relationship with the Club, helping them raise money. Plaques cover the shop’s walls as evidence of his love and support. “I attend all the men and women’s basketball games, as well as the football games,” said Fontenot. He moved to his current location hoping to gain business from the university. “When we moved we had a lot of people start coming over from McNeese. That’s why we got that pretty lady back there because the young guys come in and get their hair cut by her,” said Fontenot. Jimmy’s Hair We Are currently employs four workers with 157 years of combined haircutting experience. Three men, including Fontenot, and one woman provide Jimmy’s with a friendly atmosphere where men can gather and shoot the bull. “Each one had their own shop and they got tired of running it themselves,” says Fontenot. “The men are all getting to the age when they want to slow down and retire so they sell and work with someone else.” Fontenot and his colleagues create a warm inviting environment for their customers. The morning begins with Fontenot arriving at eight a.m. He does the bookwork and makes coffee. Continued on Page 11
EnterpriseBoulevard cont. If they have a concern they can give us a call and I can explain it further and give additional information,” said Buckels. Everyone will soon be receiving the water quality report from the water division which covers last year and states where the city gets its water. “It is kind of ironic that I have to send out a notice like this and it is coming at the same time as our report for last year,” said Buckels. The water division is required to test approximately eighty bacteriological samples a month to meet regulations. If any of the additional samples test positive for harmful bacteria Buckels is required to immediately notify the public through radio and television announcements. “I know what is going on with the water system, and I let my family drink the water. I wouldn’t do that if I thought something was wrong with it,” said Buckels. HomeGrown cont. “Customers come in early and drink coffee with us and talk,” said Fontenot. “Don’t come in feeling sorry for yourself because we will pick with you.” Jimmy’s has a jovial mood because of the characters who work there. They like to talk about what’s going on in the world and make jokes. “We’ve been fortunate. Since I’ve been in Lake Charles the business has been very steady. We haven’t been affected by competition especially since we’ve been older. We have more business than we know what to do with,” said Fontenot. “Customers just walk-in, nobody calls and we like it that way.” If you are looking for a good haircut, jokes, and interesting conversation check out Jimmy’s Hair We Are at 112 W. McNeese St. For more information call Jimmy’s at Project9 5/23/08 10:16 AM Page 1 (337) 477-7932.
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By Jessica Ferguson
Richie Gregory, an LSU graduate, will admit his experience in restaurant work is limited to sitting down and eating in them. But that experience served him well when it came to choosing the right franchise—DeAngelo’s Pizzeria, a company founded by Louis DeAngelo in 1991 in Baton Rouge. “I don’t profess to know the restaurant business. I was smart enough to find someone who did,” Gregory said. “He’s learning,” said co-owner Ben Herrera. Richie Gregory and Ben Herrera are two extremely different, yet compatible personalities. Herrera is a chef by trade. Originally from Boulder, Colorado, he grew up in the restaurant business, busing tables, washing dishes, doing whatever needed to be done. Having worked in several high-end restaurants, Herrera became involved in more complicated projects and ended up in culinary school in New York. When that didn’t work out for him, he found himself in Denver at the Emily Griffith School of Opportunity Culinary School, the nation’s oldest and most experienced career and technical college. The two men discovered each other when Richie Gregory, 20 years in the insurance business, sold a health policy to Herrera when Herrera worked at Pujo Street Cafe. Evidently something clicked because a friendship and an eventual partnership grew from that business transaction. They received a lot of advice early on about partnerships and they admit they spent a lot of time discussing how tough partnerships are. According to Herrera, they worked
everything out, discussed exactly what kind of partnership they wanted. When Gregory and Herrera finally decided to become restaurant owners, they trekked over to Baton Rouge so Herrera could taste his very first DeAngelo’s sampling. “I ordered the most simple thing on the menu—a pepperoni pizza.” According to Herrera if they could make a simple pizza good, that was enough for him. “It reminded me of the pizza I grew up on back in Colorado—a simple New York style pizza. I was impressed,” said Herrera. The two men’s friendship is genuine. They actually laugh at each other’s jokes. They share a mutual respect for each other and that’s the core strength of their partnership. More than likely that mutual respect is what helped
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them survive the shock and bitter disappointment when they watched DeAngelo’s burn to the ground—six years of hard work was nothing more than a sooty pile of ashes. Was there ever a moment they considered not rebuilding? Both men gave a resounding, “Yes. And we’re still discussing it.” Of course, the project is well underway and the guys are anxiously awaiting the new DeAngelo’s Pizzeria just like all fans throughout the city. “We couldn’t have done it without Cameron State Bank. They really stepped up to the plate and supported us,” said Gregory. “The trick was designing something we could afford.” According to Gregory, to set the record straight, DeAngelos will not be two story. “The restaurant will be
approximately the same size—maybe a little bigger, but it will actually seat more people,” he said, “with no wasted space.” “The neighborhood bar will be slightly larger,” said Herrera. Herrera is looking forward to the wide open show kitchen. “Anywhere you sit, you can see everything going on—Gas and woodstyle ovens, ceramic ovens—that will be the focal point of the restaurant,” said Herrera. “That’s what’s changed.” According to Herrera, DeAngelo’s will still have their famous salads, the popular pasta dishes everyone loves, and their calzones. “We’ll eliminate large pizzas—the 16” pizzas,” said Herrera. “We’ll add a whole line of proteins: steaks, veal, fish, and we’ll be running a full service ala cart menu.” “We’ll have the fried shrimp,” said Gregory. “Fried zucchini,” said Herrera. Most in Lake Charles can’t wait to walk through the doors of the new DeAngelo’s and once again savor the finest and freshest ingredients available. DeAngelo’s prides itself on being a classic Italian pizzeria and the company is known for hiring highly motivated people committed to their job and their customers. According to Herrera, DeAngelo’s will hire somewhere in the neighborhood of 55 employees. Between the two locations—Ryan Street and their DeAngelo’s Express on Country Club—they’ll employ around 85 people. For anyone who needs that DeAngelo’s fix immediately, the Continued on Page 13
By Katie Penny
The Rights of Step Parents To Step Children What are the rights of step parents to step children? The answer to this is, perhaps unfortunately, not many. At no point short of legal adoption of a step child, which itself requires the relinquishment of parental rights by the other natural parent (i.e., the other biological parent—there are 2 biological parents to every child, called the natural parents, and they are entitled to authority over their child) is a step parent considered a legal parent of a step child. The natural biological parents, unless deemed unfit, retain all legal rights to control of their minor children. Consequently, step parents have very little authority over their step children (at least legally) simply by virtue of marrying a natural parent. A general understanding of how custody and visitation of children is handled in this state can help explain why the rights of non-biological parents are so limited. There are 3 basic custody arrangements into which natural parents who are either divorced or unmarried may enter to control the time each parent will spend with the child and the authority each will have over the child. The 3 arrangements are subject to virtually unlimited variation, however, depending on the specific schedules and needs of the children and parents involved. Sole Custody is when primary legal custody and control is given to only one parent and specific visitation times are given to the other parent. Shared Custody is a relatively rare plan where the parents have dual primary custody and authority and almost equal time with the child. Joint Custody is a plan where one parent is designated the “domiciliary parent,” with whom the child primarily lives, and the other parent, known as the non-domiciliary parent, is granted specific times to exercise his or her custody. In joint custody, the most prevalent custody arrangement, the parents have almost equal rights to contribute to decisions about the child. However, when the natural parents cannot agree, the decision of the domiciliary parent will prevail. In sole custody, the parent who has sole custody is entitled to make all important decisions in the upbringing of the child (for example, in what religion the child will be raised, what school the child will attend, medical decisions about the child, etc.) In all events, the court is concerned only with what arrangement would be in the best interest of the child. In any of these arrangements, the step parent is never given authority over the child, other than perhaps influence or conversation with the natural parent spouse. The step parent is not granted any decision-making rights to the child. This seems bleak, especially to the many excellent step parents who care deeply about their step children’s welfares. As long as both natural parents can agree, the parents can come to any agreement that will work best for the two families. Therefore, if the parents can agree to it, the step parents can have as much time or contact with the child as they want (even visitation with the step parent when the natural parent is absent—if the parents can agree to that.) Ex-spouses are perhaps understandably uncomfortable with the idea of a new step parent and often jealous of the influence of this new “replacement” parent. This often leads to the natural parent trying to keep the child away from the step parent. However, unless the natural parent can show that the other natural parent’s new spouse is somehow harmful to the child, the natural parent cannot force their exspouse to keep the child from the step-parent. The new step parent, by virtue of the marriage to the natural parent, is a part of the child’s life now, and the other natural parent, even if they are unhappy with the ex-spouse’s remarriage, cannot restrict the
relationship with the new step parent. Certainly, a step parent may be authorized by a natural parent to pick up the child from day care or school; no one can be there absolutely every day to pick a child up and the law would certainly permit a natural parent to have such help. However, the authority to make major decisions for the child rests with the natural parent, not with the step parent. The opinion of the step parent as to the decisions made for the child by the natural parents is fairly irrelevant, again except insofar as informal influence on their natural parent spouse. Let me reiterate: the law does not bar associations or relationships with the step child by the step parent (except, of course, if the relationship is found to be harmful to the welfare of the child.) We would love for every child of divorce to have not just 2, but 4 loving, caring parents who have only their best interest in mind. The step parent can act as a parent as much as they are able as far as loving, providing for, and caring for the child. Nevertheless, the authority to authorize medical procedures and courses of treatment for the child rests with the natural parents. The capacity to represent the minor in legal proceedings rests in the natural parents. The right to request (or demand, but let’s pretend everyone is nice enough to simply request) time with the child generally rests with the natural parents, and not with the step parents. However, in some extraordinary circumstances (as when the natural parent has died or is incarcerated), a former step parent or step grandparent may be granted some visitation rights. That is, if the court finds that it is in the best interest of the child and considering many different factors of the individual case. The law does provide for some grandparent or sibling visitation in very limited extraordinary circumstances as well. When both natural parents are present, capable, and not incarcerated, however, the rights of step parents to direct the child and spend time with the child are rather limited to what the natural parents can agree to. The harmony of the situation is always improved for everyone, especially the child, when all of the parties can amicably agree and can allow as many parents to care for the child as would like to.
The provided information is fact-sensitive and jurisdiction-dependent. Consult an attorney before employing the above legal concepts.
Deangelo’s cont. DeAngelo’s Express is located at 2740 Country Club Road, next to Albertson’s. Call 478-5784 to place your order or just pop in. While there’s limited seating and a fastfood atmosphere, the pizza, calzones and baked lasagna tastes every bit as good as their pre-fire South Ryan Street location, but then that’s the mission of DeAngelo’s: naturally delicious with the finest, freshest ingredients. Ben Herrera and Richie Gregory agree they don’t want to be the best Italian restaurant in the area–they want to be the best restaurant. The partners appreciate all the positive comments and encouragement they’ve received from their DeAngelo’s fans. “In the six short years we were in business,” said Gregory, “it seems we became a landmark restaurant.” Their customer’s support and enthusiasm makes a difference. June 25, 2009
13
CAMERON STATE BANK
Rated
1
# Bank in Louisiana
SE
PRESS RELEA
2009 elease: June 15,
For Immediate R
was named the rles, Louisiana, ha C e ak L k, an B performance Cameron State d on its excellent se ba na ia is ou L ance in na Bank Perform overall best bank ia is ou L e th to g cordin nancial and soundness ac er of 2009, by Fi rt ua Q t 1s e th d d consulting Report publishe , a Kentucky base up ro G ng lti su mber 1 bank Management Con e Bank as the nu at St on er am C uarter of lists nks for the 1st Q firm. The report ba na ia is ou L 3 of all 13 in Louisiana out 2009. on eight banks are based na ia is ou L r fo ings on earnings or Performance rank factors are based e os th erating of x Si s. nents such as op po m financial factor co al on iti rnings. Add on equity are components of ea assets, and return on rn tu re , tio ra ncy overhead, efficie the evaluation. in also included n process are ete the evaluatio pl m co at th s or ct n relative to The remaining fa d reserve positio an , ty ui eq , th ng ality. ’s stre ’s overall asset qu nk related to a bank ba e th as l el assets as w category, with non-performing d ranked in each an ed or sc e ar s nk termined by All Louisiana ba bank’s ranking de e th d an e or sc site an overall compo factors. the accumulated l al of e ag er av e th
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June 25, 2009
ey have ance indicates th m or rf pe or ri pe Bank’s su since many “Cameron State t team, especially en em ag an m e bl es. It is an extremely capa ugh economic tim to e es th in e bl trou nks, but in the top five ba banks are having ed nk ra be to t ishmen nks, Cameron quite an accompl 133 Louisiana ba of t ou 1 r be m The bank’s to be ranked nu financial marks. e th l al ng tti hi be itution in State Bank has to und financial inst so a ch su ve ha ted,” says ate to to be congratula clients are fortun es rv se de nk ba ial , and the ting firm. Financ ul ns their community co e th at l II, a principa Bank W. Timothy Finn been publishing s ha up ro G ng sulti Management Con ts since 1998. or ep R Performance ation, contact: For further inform n, II W. Timothy Fin Group ement Consulting Financial Manag tim@fmcgrp.com 270 866 2566
By Chaney Ferguson What type of plan do you make with members who come in and they have just lost their job? What is the procedure of that plan? The credit union motto is “People helping People.” Life changing events can happen to anyone, at any time. We take the time to sit with our member, listen to their story and their problems, and then we go over what CSE can do to help- from consolidating debt to lowering monthly payments, or extending the loan to give them time to get back on their feet. We try to work out problems, as long as our members are willing to help us help them. Has your advice to members changed with the recession? How has it changed? No, our advice to members has always been in the best interest of the member, whether we are in good times or bad. If we think the member should not borrow money because it might overload them, our advice is to not borrow the money. Credit unions have always promoted thrift, and in times of recession, thrift is the best defense. Have you noticed people becoming more frugal? Yes, our members’ deposits into their share accounts have increased dramatically over the last year or so, probably close to 17%. Lending is still brisk, with members financing and refinancing homes, building new homes, and buying new and used cars. You mentioned saving is the number one principle, but what is the best way to save? There are many ways for our members to save. We’ve seen a steadily increase in direct deposits and payroll deductions. It is the out of sight, out of mind philosophywhat you don’t see, you don’t spend. If a person can put aside $25 each pay period, $625 would be accumulated in one year, and would earn interest on top of that. You would also be surprised at how many people, especially our younger members, save change and utilize our lobby coin counter machines to help them save. Do you have tighter lending restrictions for 2009? CSE experienced phenomenal loan growth in the past year and it hasn’t really shown any signs of slowing. One of the reasons for this is that CSE has not tightened its credit standards. As a matter of fact, right now, in this economy, our members need us more than ever. We have very sound underwriting standards and we have very loyal members. Do you have less availability of cash for lending? No, CSE has money to lend. Our member’s interest is first when it comes to our lending practices. CSE is well-capitalized and financially strong. We’re owned by our members. We are a not-for-profit financial cooperative and our sole purpose is to serve our members. Our earnings are given back to our member-owners in the form of lower rates on loans, lower fees on services, and higher dividends on deposits. What is your outlook on the economy of the area? The economy in Southwest Louisiana is generally better than it is in other parts of the country. Property value has actually increased instead of decreasing as in other areas. Unemployment is much lower here than it is around the rest of the country. It could be that the hurricanes we’ve had over the last four years are still having an effect, creating opportunities for growth and for new businesses to come into the area.
Northrop Grumman Waits For Contract Announcement, Names Teammates By Nancy Correro Northrop Grumman waits in anticipation to see if they will receive the defense contract to maintain KC 10 aircraft. “We’re especially pleased with the best-in-breed team we’ve assembled to offer the most innovative, technically superior and low-cost solution to our Air Force customer,” said Jim Cameron, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Technical Services. “Together, our team excels in program integration, leveraging the best of our industry partner core competencies while ensuring proactive management and unity of effort to provide comprehensive, responsive and focused support throughout program execution. Such capabilities only mean one thing for our customer—superior service delivered anytime, anywhere.” Northrop Grumman Technical Services is a logistics support, sustainment and technical services powerhouse for the corporation. The sector’s Life Cycle Optimization and Engineering (LCOE) group provides a full spectrum of contractor logistics support including logistics management, depot maintenance, sustaining engineering support and global field management. They announced their teammates for this project and they include: TIMCO Aviation Services Inc., AAR, Chromalloy Gas Turbine LLC, and MTU Maintenance. TIMCO has extensive experience in maintaining, repairing and modifying DC10-type aircraft. AAR is one of the world’s leading aviation support companies and provides the Northrop Grumman KC/KDC-10 program team its supply chain management solution. Chromalloy and MTU Maintenance will provide the engine maintenance and related value-added management solutions for the Northrop Grumman team. “This exceptional Northrop Grumman team will bring the requisite proven capabilities and qualifications to execute the full spectrum of world-class support the Air Force requires for the KC/KDC-10 program: logistics management, depot maintenance, sustaining engineering support and global field deployment,” said Dave Werkheiser, vice president and general manager of the company’s LCOE group. The Northrop Grumman team will leverage its more than 4,300 active suppliers from all 50 states in support of the KC/KDC-10 Program. The team submitted its proposal to the Air Force May 8, 2009. The contract award is expected before the end of June with contract phase-in set to begin July 1, 2009.
June 25, 2009
15
By Chaney Ferguson How has your bank been affected by the economic climate? a. We have seen growth in our deposits as people withdrew from the market at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. They were seeking safer places to house their monies and conservative community banks, such as ours, are a good place to be. b. Also, because of the housing crisis, the government will enforce new legislation upon financial institutions which will further complicate our operations. c. The large number of bank failures across the country have put a strain on the Deposit Insurance Fund. This fund is at a low level and Banks will have to pay additional premiums this year to try to replenish the fund. The general public doesn’t realize that their Bank actually pays for the insurance on their own deposits. And, like any other insurance, when there are many claims, rates must go up. Our premiums paid in 2009 will be 7 fold of those paid in 2008. What is your position on lending in 2009 and how has it changed? We did not participate in any of the high risk lending that caused the housing crisis, so we did not have the loss experience that those institutions did. Loan demand was down during the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 because people were not making as many major purchases or big decisions for their households. We began to see an increase in volume, though, once the Spring season arrived, which is a positive. We have always taken a conservative approach in making loan decisions and will continue to do that in the future. Do you have less availability of cash for lending? No, actually we have more. Because our deposit base has grown, we have plenty of cash available to lend. Are you affected by the softer housing/ business climate? Home construction is slower at the present time than it was one year ago; however, we are still financing new construction. The businesses we serve are very healthy, for the most part. Because we did not have rapid growth and development in our area, we should not feel the pain that other areas of the country that did overbuild are having at this time.
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heavy losses while they bide their time until the market recovers. But if you make a habit out of trying to avoid the market’s bad days, you may end up missing some of its good ones. No one can predict when a bull market will begin, so if you’re out of the market when it starts, your “vacation” from investing could prove expensive. • Don’t rely too much on “lazy” investments. Some investments, by their nature, are going to work harder to help you achieve your long-term goals. To be precise, stocks and stock-based accounts have the potential to help provide the growth you need, though of course the value of these securities can constantly fluctuate. Conversely, “lazy” securities such as certificates of deposit may produce returns that barely keep up with inflation. That’s not to say there’s no place for these types of investments in your portfolio — after all, they provide both current income and a high degree of preservation of principal — but you simply can’t rely on them to offer the long-term returns that can help you retire comfortably or attain other objectives. • Don’t let your portfolio drift. If you buy a few investments here and there, without rhyme or reason, your portfolio may never work as hard for you as it should. And that’s why you need to develop a solid, cohesive, long-term investment strategy — one that accommodates your risk tolerance, time horizon and specific goals. Once you’ve established such a strategy, you can use it to determine the right investment mix for your portfolio. Over time, you may need to adjust that mix in response to changes in the financial world and your own life, but overall it should stay true to your strategy. As you go through life, you’ll find it important to take a vacation now and then, to escape from the pressures of work and to enjoy extra time with family and friends. But there’s no reason to ever give your investments a day off — so do what you can to keep them gainfully employed.
By Mike Allen Summer is almost here. And for many people, summer is synonymous with “vacation.” If you have children or grandchildren, they’re most likely on vacation from school, and if you’ve got the time and motivation, you may take a family vacation over the next few months. But there’s one part of your life that should never go on vacation — and that’s your investment portfolio. How can you keep your investments working for you in all seasons? Here are a few suggestions to consider: • Don’t stop investing. If you want your investment dollars to continue working, you can’t pull them out of the “work force.” Unfortunately, many people try to do just that by jumping out of the financial markets when they’re slumping. By doing so, these investors reason, they can avoid taking
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By Terry Backhaus CFP We read the national headlines that tell us that unemployment is at 8.5% and growing, yet we still see the occasional ‘Help Wanted’ signs in local businesses and we wonder, is the Recession going to miss Southwest Louisiana?—Short answer, probably not. While most experts agree that Louisiana will not see the massive downturn that is occurring, we will see some amount of decreased economic activity. Our local economy has been largely blessed with two things. The first were the storms, Rita and Katrina, government aid and large insurance payments pumped billions of dollars into the economy in the southern part of our state. Obviously, we don’t hope for repeats of those natural disasters, and if, heaven forbid, they occur again, our federal government has already maxed out their credit card. Therefore, we would not see that level of government aid again. The next factor, which is an asset during this economic downturn, is the same factor that was a liability during the 2003 – 2007 time period while our national economy was growing and that is the very low rate of growth of our state economy. If you take a look at the Sunbelt section of our country, Louisiana is the only state that will most likely lose a US Congressman as part of the 2010 census (Civics 101, less people, less US Congressmen). One common denominator of those areas that have been hardest hit by the housing and economic downturn have been areas that had the highest rate of growth in the US during the most recent economic expansion. Since we didn’t have that massive growth, we won’t see a massive pullback in economic activity, but we will see some reduction in employment and business sales. Now, let’s highlight a couple of positives that Louisiana has going for it. The first is oil and other natural resources. While prices of these resources have been depressed, they will again be back in demand, once the world economy gets
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back on its feet. Also, these resources will not spoil waiting on that recovery. Another positive, is that we really learned our lesson after the 80’s recession, when because of our perceived corrupt political system, lackluster schools and roads, we could not effectively compete for good jobs with other regions or states. While we may not lead the nation in as many categories as we would like, we at least can compete for those good jobs that will be created in the next economic expansion. But, what is a person to do, until that happens? First, look at ways to reduce your expenditures to minimize your cash burn rate if things get really bad. Do you have 3-6 months of cash to meet those necessary expenses in your emergency fund? A lot of people have loans from their 401-K’s. If you lose your job, a lot of 401K’s require that you pay back the loan in 30 days, if not, that loan will automatically be repaid (with the funds in your 401K) and it will be considered a taxable distribution by the IRS, also possibly subject to that 10% tax penalty. At a minimum, you should determine if your 401K has that provision (ask for the Plan Document to verify). If your 401K has that provision, you need to try to identify where you might get the funds to repay that loan within 30 days if you lose your job. The next area is health insurance. Thanks to the Obama stimulus, your children might get the opportunity to help pay for your health insurance. For the last 10 years or so, there has been COBRA to provide access to health insurance, but it is very expensive since it is not subsidized by your ex-employer. Thanks to the Obama stimulus plan, this will possibly be subsidized for up to 9 months. Instead of trying to maintain that ‘Cadillac’ policy that you had with your previous employer, you may want to switch to a high deductible plan, coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA). However, if you have substantial health issues, or have small children, you may be better off in the long run, paying for the ‘Cadillac’ policy. Also, if you have children, look at putting your children on LaCHips, the state health insurance program for children. You have been paying for it with your taxes over the years, why not at least see if you qualify. It will reduce the cost of health insurance, since you will only have to pay for you and your spouse, and not your children. Don’t forget about life insurance. Most employers do offer very inexpensive life insurance while you are an employee, but in most cases that goes away, after 30 days of your employment termination. If you’re healthy, it’s not a problem to go out and buy your own policy, but if you’re not healthy, you need to check to see if your group coverage can be converted to an individual policy upon your employment termination. What about robbing the piggy bank, i.e. your 401K to get you thru your temporary period of unemployment? Again, the short answer is no. If you think you will need the money now, I promise you that you will need the money even more when you are 70 or 75. In summary, is the economic world coming to an end? No. As long as people are still willing to come to America, we will again see economic expansion. We are a mature economy, and countries like China and Africa will grow at a rate faster than the US. The indicator that I like to use to determine when the economic end is near is to watch the young people. If they start leaving a region, state, or country then it’s over. At the moment, I don’t see that so focus on getting your house in order, and not the news media telling us that the sky is falling.
As Southwest Louisiana enters into summer with temperatures steadily in the upper 90s, industries, businesses and local government, leaders and local residents are encouraged to consider ways they can reduce emissions that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone. Although ozone in the upper levels of the atmosphere filter the sun’s ultraviolet rays, thus giving us some protection, ozone at lower levels result in a phenomenon commonly referred to as smog, which can affect some people who have acute respiratory health issues. Ozone is not something that is emitted; rather, it is formed in the lower levels of the atmosphere when certain types of emissions are exposed to heat from the sun. The sources of these emissions include industry, cars, human activities, decaying vegetation, trucks, buses, airplanes, boats and ships, farm equipment, and lawn and garden equipment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Local ozone levels are monitored by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality at stations in Vinton, Westlake, and Carlyss. “The EPA sets standards that are the target levels below which these monitors and those like them, in various parts of the country must remain. If any combination of monitors located in a stated area exceeds the standard four or more times in any consecutive three-year period, that area is designated non-attainment,” said Larry DeRoussel of the Lake Area Industry Alliance. “The non-attainment designation results in a host of regulations and mandates that effect business, industry, government and private citizens.” Typical regulations are: • Use of specially formulated gasoline and vapor collection
systems at the pump resulting in higher cost of fuel for cars, trucks, farm equipment, lawn and garden equipment, etc. • Higher cost for establishing and operating new businesses thus reducing the local area’s competitive advantage over other parts of the country when competing for new businesses. This makes economic development more challenging and lower job growth. • Higher cost of expansions for local industry and business due to the increased complexity of regulations and mandates. • Stricter or more detailed annual automobile inspections to insure emission control systems are properly functioning. The categories of emissions that contribute to the formation of ozone are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX), which are often referred to as “criteria pollutants.” The levels of both categories of emissions are monitored by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and local industry. Industry typically accounts for 58 percent of VOC emissions, followed by vehicles (37 percent) and other sources (5 percent). Vehicles comprise about 49 percent of NOX emissions, followed by utilities (28 percent) and industrial, commercial and residential sources (13 percent). “Data collected by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality confirms that the Lake Charles area is below the standard for emissions and is in attainment with the EPA’s current ozone standard and the new soon-tobe-implemented, more strenuous ozone standard,” DeRoussel said. These achievements have come about
by local industry making continuous improvements in their respective facilities to reduce emissions. “As a community we should be proud of these achievements; however, we must not let our guard down. To do so could result in the area slipping into the ‘non-attainment’ category for ozone,” DeRoussel said. “These statistics on the sources of emissions that contribute to the formation of ozone clearly show that everyone in our community has a role to play in maintaining the ‘in attainment’
status. Everyone—industry, small and large businesses, the ports, city and parish governments, transportation companies and private citizens—has a role to play.” The Department of Environmental Quality web site (ldeq.gov) has suggestions on how each individual can contribute to the effort of protecting our area from slipping into non-attainment. A few simple, but effective actions are as follows: • Keep your car properly tuned and maintained, especially the emission control system. • Don’t spill gasoline while filling your car or gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment. • Keep tires on vehicles properly inflated. • Seal containers of household, shop and garden chemicals and solvents. • Fill up car and mow lawn during the cooler parts of the day. “If we work together as a community we can keep Southwest Louisiana in attainment, creating a brighter future for all in the community,” DeRoussel said.
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June 25, 2009
You’re rushing back home from work to pick up a school project your son left on the kitchen counter when you get the call. Your 74-year-old father has had a stroke and is in surgery. Your mom is panicked and you need to fly home right away. Of course you’ll go, but first you’ll have to clear your work schedule and hope your boss will understand. And you’ll have to reschedule the weekend trip to look at dorm rooms with your daughter at the college she’ll hope to attend in the fall. You can’t help but worry about possible healthcare expenses this medical crisis means for your parents, who live on a fixed income. You aren’t sure what type of health insurance or medical supplements they have. You hope you’ll be able to stretch your finances to help them, if needed. “We are seeing more and more of this financial squeeze as baby boomers enter middle age and beyond,” explains Denise Rau, Certified Financial Planner and President of Rau Financial Group. “Adults at mid-life are facing two equally demanding financial needs: supporting teens and young adults, while providing financial assistance for health and longterm care expenses of aging parents. All of this is taking place at a time when career stress is typically at a peak, and when their
financial priorities should also be paying down debt and saving for their own retirement. Baby boomers have been called the sandwich generation, but when it comes to finances, it’s really more like a triple-decker club with all the trimmings.” If you are feeling trapped in the middle of equally important financial obligations, it may comfort you to know you are not alone. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 10 million baby boomers between the ages of 40 and 41 find themselves “sandwiched” between financially dependent parents and
children. Nearly one-third of boomers provided financial assistance to a parent last year, and about half are supporting at least one young or adult child. “Most boomers are definitely feeling a financial squeeze from family obligations, and the unstable economy just adds to the crunch,” says Rau. “While much of this is unavoidable and just part of being a responsible parent and adult child, it doesn’t mean these circumstances have to throw you completely off track of your own financial goals. The key, as always, is having a plan that will allow you to balance your family’s financial needs with your own financial security.” For example, Rau says many boomers are tempted to cut back on their retirement savings to save for the earlier goal of funding their children’s college education. She advises exploring other options before making this financial decision. “You aren’t doing your children any favors if you put them through school only to become financially dependent on them down the road. And keep in mind, in most cases you can easily get financial assistance for college expenses, but you’ll have a hard time getting a scholarship or student loan to fund your retirement. You are basically on your own. That’s why it’s
so important to make retirement saving a priority. This isn’t something you should plan on taking care of after you take care of everything else.” And when it comes to making decisions about how to best provide any needed financial support for your parents, Rau says the first step is to sit down with them and have an honest discussion about their finances. “This is difficult for many people to do, but you can’t know how much – if any -- help they need, much less figure out how you can stretch your budget to assist them, without getting an accurate assessment of their financial situation.” She says it’s important to look at everything, including all sources of income and expenses, as well as assets and liabilities. Once you have an idea of their cash flow, budget and net worth, you can help them explore their options, which may include cutting back on expenses, reviewing insurance coverage and deductibles, moving to a smaller home or liquidating certain investments. She advises consulting a financial planner to help determine the best decisions for your parents’ future, based on their age, health and overall financial status. “The bottom line is that if you’re a boomer, you’ve likely got a lot on your financial plate – whether you prefer to compare yourself to a sandwich or not,” adds Rau. “And although your natural inclination may be to serve yourself last, doing so can have far-reaching financial implications that will impact you and your family for years to come. Remember, it’s important to have a plan in place to ensure that you are able to take care of yourself and your family as you get older. Don’t lose focus on your future financial security as you cope with the demands of providing any needed financial support for your children and your parents. It may not be easy, but you have to keep your long-range financial goals in the mix.”
June 25, 2009
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It has been nine long years since the LSU Tigers last won the College World Series, but there is a very good chance that the streak will end later this month. The Tigers are wrapping up their most impressive season since that last national title back in 2000. LSU won all five of its baseball national championships in a ten year stretch between 1991 and 2000. With that kind of success, LSU Tiger fans grew to expect a run at the national title every year, or at least an annual trip to Omaha, Nebraska, site of the College World Series. However, that has not been the case for much of the last decade. Since Skip Bertman stepped down as head coach of the LSU baseball program in 2001, the Tigers have produced some pretty good results. But in Baton Rouge, pretty good is not good enough for the LSU baseball program. Longtime LSU assistant coach Smoke Laval succeeded Bertman as head coach of the Tigers in 2002, and learned just how hard it is to replace a legend. Laval experienced some highlights at LSU as he led the Tigers to the College World Series in 2003 and 2004. However, LSU went 0-2 on each of those trips to Omaha and looked nothing like the dominant Tiger teams of the 1990’s. Things started going downhill for Laval and the Tigers after that. In 2005 LSU failed to win a NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge for the first time in 11 years. Then in
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2006 the Tigers won just 35 games, their lowest win total since Bertman’s rookie year in 1984, and weren’t even invited to the NCAA Tournament. It was time for a change, and Smoke Laval was forced to resign after the 2006 season. In June of 2006 LSU began an extensive nationwide search for its next head coach. Notre Dame Head Coach Paul Mainieri was familiar with LSU baseball having played one season for the Tigers in 1976. He saw the potential in Baton Rouge and decided to leave Notre Dame for LSU. During his initial press conference Mainieri made it very clear that he understood the tradition of LSU baseball. “Make no mistake about it,” Mainieri said, “The goal is to return LSU to the pinnacle position in college baseball. I have all the confidence in the world that we can do that here.” When Mainieri took over in 2007, the LSU baseball program was in rough shape. The Tigers won only 29 games that season and finished tenth in the SEC, their worst conference finish since 1955. The 2008 season looked like more of the same as the Tigers were hovering around the .500 mark at 23-16-1 with four weeks remaining in the regular season. At that point Mainieri’s record at LSU was 52-42-2 and I’m sure that many LSU baseball fans were questioning the hire. Then something amazing happened. LSU went on to win its next 23 games, establishing a new SEC record for consecutive wins. Mainieri was named the college baseball coach of the year, and LSU won its first game at the College World Series since the championship game in 2000. The 49 victories were also the most for LSU since 2000 when the Tigers won 52 games. The 2009 season began with great expectations as LSU entered the year ranked number one in the nation. That preseason ranking, the strong finish to the 2008 season, and the fact that the Tigers were opening up a new ballpark in 2009, put LSU under the microscope all season long. With all of that pressure, the Tigers have performed remarkably, never once even dropping out of the top ten in the college baseball polls. LSU started the season with a bang winning its first nine games of the year. The Tigers went on to win the SEC regular season championship, and their second straight SEC Tournament championship. The Tigers swept their NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge 3-0, and also swept Rice in the Super Regional 2-0. LSU is back in Omaha, and for the first time since 2000, the Tigers are one of the favorites to win it all. They started the College World Series with victories over Virginia and Arkansas. That’s significant because 17 of the last 19 College World Series champions began the tournament 2-0. If LSU wins the national championship, that would give the Tigers six titles which would tie them with Texas. Only Southern California has more College World Series championships with 12.
June 25, 2009
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the best i n lake area enter tai nment
Catch a Concert Every Monday in June June – July 4 The Lake Charles Community Band is nearing the close of its 22nd season with the Catch-A-Concert series every Monday in June. The concerts are scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Lake Charles Civic Center Arcade Pavilion, with rainy weather plans for the 2nd floor Civic Center Mezzanine. Highlights will include favorite music from Rogers & Hammerstein, to Gershwin on Broadway. This concert series leads up to the Red White Blue & You Patriotic Program during the Fourth of July Festival where the Community Band, conducted by Leo Murray, will be accompanied by the Louisiana Choral Foundation under the direction of Dr. Darryl Jones. For more information, please call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com. LCCB Announces 2009 Summer Dance Workshop June 22 – July 31 The Lake Charles Civic Ballet announces its 2009 Summer Dance Workshop to be held June 22 - July 31 at the studios of Lady Leah Lafargue School of the Dance. The annual Summer Intensive provides instruction to local dancers in the areas of ballet, jazz, contemporary, character, pointe, stretch and partnering. Special seminars will also be held on topics such as injury prevention, nutrition, stage makeup, and dance history. It is open to the public and offers local dancers ages 9 and up the opportunity to study numerous dance forms with the finest of teachers in their home environment. Among the dance professionals being brought to the Lake Area for this year’s workshop are Richard Steinert, director of Ballet Pensacola; Christine Duhon, former LCCB member and current Ballet Mistress of Ballet Pensacola; Ginger Gondron, Master Teacher at such venues as the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, MS.; and Libby Lovejoy, former LCCB member and current Master Teacher and member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. For information on admission, call 304-5445. Solo Art Exhibition At McNeese Through July 1 The McNeese Department of Visual Arts will present a solo art exhibition of Graphite Drawings by Cynthia Baskin from May 26 through July 1 in the Abercrombie Gallery of the Shearman Fine Arts Center at McNeese State University. The exhibition features a thematic series of narrative artworks produced during a 14-week cycle. Narrative art depicts an event or “story” through the use of a visual vocabulary. The words of this visual vocabulary become the poetic language that metaphorically speak of social, interpersonal, and familial issues. For more information about the exhibit, call the McNeese Visual Arts Department at (337) 475-5060 or Cynthia Baskin at (337) 475-5053. Summer Starz Series at The Children’s Theatre July 8 - 10 Acting for the Camera! affords children the chance to experience acting on camera. The workshop covers auditioning for commercials, reading commercial scripts, exploring different commercial techniques, and beginning improvisational skills. Information and samples are shared on doing resumes, head shots and finding the best agent or manager while students participate with hands-on camera experience! The workshop will be offered on July 8-10 from 12:00pm-1:30pm for children ages 8-18. The cost is $65.00. No experience is needed for the workshop. The class has limited enrollment and is held at Central School of the Arts & Humanities Center. For more information, contact the theatre at 337.433.7323 or visit the website at www.childrenstheatre.cc.
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Picks
Mallard Cove Golf Course to Host Men’s, Women’s and Junior Championships Beginning June 26, 2009 and over the course of the three weeks that follow, Mallard Cove Golf Course will host three City championships: the Men’s City Championship, June 26 – 28; the Junior City Championship, July 6 - 7; and the Women’s City Championship, July 11 – 12. For more information, contact Derek Smith, 491-1204. Historic City Hall Announces We Are The Ship Exhibition June 26 – August 15 The City of Lake Charles is proud to present We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, Original Paintings by Kadir Nelson at the 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center at 1001 Ryan Street. The exhibition is scheduled
to open at Friday, June 26 and run through Saturday, August 15, 2009. An opening reception will be held from 6 – 9 p.m. with an overview by Journalist, Zeke Rideaux. All ages are invited at no charge; old fashion ballpark refreshments will be served. The City of Lake Charles is dedicated to supporting and promoting public interest in arts and history for the benefit of all Lake Area residents and visitors. Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. For more information, please call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com. Wayne Newton at L’Auberge Casino June 26 – 27 Legendary the world over, Wayne Newton’s performances are as elegant and graceful as his intimately electric personality. Guests must be 21 years of age to enter Event Center. All dates, acts and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. Tickets are non-refundable. Tickets can be purchased through ticketmaster at www. ticketmaster.com. Legends Tribute Concert July 10 Nathan Belt, considered by his peers to be one of the top 3 Elvis tribute artist’s in the Country continues his tour. Nathan is a 2009 finalist in the prestigious Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest. He will take you
through the 1960’s and Elvis Presley’s Las Vegas years. The legendary Wayne King will perform his outstanding rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis. He will also add “Golden Oldies” set as Dion and Roy Orbison! He will perform at the Grand Opera House of the South in Crowley at 7 pm. For tickets or more info call 337-785-0440. Visit http://www.ladyluckmusic.com/radio/hunter/nathan/ or www.thewaynekingshow.com. Le Festival de la Viande Boucanee (The Smoked Meat Festival) June 26 & 27 June is festival time is South Louisiana, and when you hear the music and smell delicious food coming from clouds of smoke, then it’s Le Festivale de la Viande Boucanee, better known as the Smoked Meat Festival. This two day event, promoted by Chapter 632 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, is held on the last full weekend of June each year in the “Smoked Meat Capital of the World”, Ville Platte, Louisiana. Some of the activities you can expect: Cookery demonstrations, Arts & Crafts Trade Show, Food Booths, Military Demonstrations, World Championship Smoked Meat Cook Off-professional and amateur divisions. The festival will be held at the Ville Platte Civic Center and Grounds. Admission to the Festival: Adults $7.00, Children under 12 years $1.00 Bands on June 26 include: De Ja Vue, Bayou Katz, Travis Matte & The Zydeco King Pins. Bands on June 27 include: Al Roger & Louisiana Pride, Don Fontenot & Les Amis, Cajunation, Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition, Bag of Donuts, Wayne Toups & Zydecajun. For more information contact: 337363-6700 or visit the website at www.smokedmeatfestival.com.
over the L’Auberge du Lac pool, things are heating up. Come out and enjoy the fun, the drinks and the live music. Ladies and mychoice members get in free. Tickets are $5 for everyone else and can be purchased at the Party by the Pool entrance next to Le Cafe. Must be 21 to enter. Please note that the event location is subject to change and/or cancellation due to inclement weather. Triggerproof June 25 Toad the Wet Sprocket July 2 Ingram Hill July 9 Gabby Johnson July 16 Chris LeBlanc July 23 Hipbootjoe July 30 Mojeaux August 6 Blue October, August 13 Switchfoot & Ours
Lake Charles Symphony Summer Pops Concert July 18 The Lake Charles Symphony’s Summer Pops Concert will present “Coming Home with Marcia Ball” at 7:30 p.m. July 18 in the Civic Center Coliseum. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. William Grimes will be guest conductor. Ball, who grew up in Vinton, is a pianist, singer and songwriter who plays her own blend of boogie-woogie and roadhouse blues. Her latest album, “Peace, Love & BBQ,” brought her a third Grammy nomination. Ages 12 and under will be admitted free with an adult. Advance tickets are on sale at the Civic Center Box Office. Historic City Hall Art Exhibit June 26 – August 1 There will be an Art Exhibit of Sue Zimmermann’s work Good Vibrations Friday, June 26 – August 1 at the Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center, second floor. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 9am – noon. Visit www.suezimmermann.com. For more information call 337-491-9147. L’Auberge du Lac Casino’s ‘Party by the Pool’ Concert Series Through July 30 Every Thursday night this summer from 7pm to 11pm. As the sun sets
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Kadillacs @ JD’s, L’Auberge Casino, 9pm Triggerproof @ Party by the Pool, L’auberge, 7-11 Briggs Brown Bayou Cajuns @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Dash Rip Rock @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Dave Pellerin @ Sylvia’s Bistro, 6 pm Southern Spice @ Speckled Trout, Hackberry 6pm Twangster’s Union @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri, 8 pm Chas Collins @ Delta Downs Gator Lounge, 8 pm
Pork Chop Express @ Blue Duck, 9pm Jag @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri, 9 pm Chas Collins @ Delta Downs Gator Lounge, 8:30 pm Joe Simon & The Louisiana Cajuns @ Aucion’s Cajun Restaurant, Hayes, 7 pm Pork Chop Express @ Blue Duck, 9pm Shawna Pat & others @ Summer Jigga Festival, Opelousas St. Park, 1 pm Blues Tonic @ Kokomo’s, 9 pm
Friday June 26
Sunday June 28
Thursday June 25
Butt Roxx @ AJ’s Bar & Grill 10 pm Wayne Newton @ L’Auberge Casino, Event Center, 8:30 pm Howard Noel Cajun Boogie @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Mike Taylor Band @ Engine 89-DeQuincy, 8 pm Mike Richard & Step-n-Out @ Scottie Tee Judi’s Konstruxion Zone, 9:30 pm Tom Brandow @ Outriggers Tavern, 5 pm Wilson Miller & Still Kickin’@ Linda’s Lounge, 8:30 pm Ron Thibodeaux @ Speckled Trout, Hackberry, 8 pm Briant Lloyd Smith & Hot Gritz, Fridays @ Blue Duck, 9 pm Laurel & The Edge@ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri, 9 pm Chas Collins @ Delta Downs Gator Lounge, 8:30 pm Joe Simon & The Louisiana Cajuns @ Aucion’s Cajun Restaurant, Hayes, 7 pm Static @ OB’s, 9 pm Jabarvy and Ashes of Babylon @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm
Jimmy/Wilson Band, Sundays @ Shorty’s Ice House, Moss Bluff, 5 pm Blues Tonic @ Mary’s Lounge, 4 pm Monday June 29 Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Night @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Lake Charles Community Band @ Civic Center Pavilion, 7 pm Tuesday June 30 Al Roger Louisiana Pride @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10
Saturday June 27 Better Off Dead, High Top Kicks, Herrington @ AJ’s Bar & Grill 10 pm Wayne Newton @ L’Auberge Casino, Event Center, 8:30 pm Scotty Pousson Pointe aux Loups Playboys @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Du Lac Live: w/Jabarvy, Funkotron, and more @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 pm Mike Taylor @ Bobby B’s, Vinton, midnight GG and the Hot Damn Band @ GG’s Club, Alexandria, 9:30 pm 26
June 25, 2009
Crooks Carnival @ Luna Bar & Grill
Wednesday July 1 Acoustic Music w/John Guidroz @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Jimmy Wilson Band @ Cuz’s Lounge, Sulphur, 6 pm Don Fontenot Les Cajuns de la Prairie @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Thursday July 2 Toad The Wet Sprocket @ Party by the Pool, L’auberge, 7-11 Brandon Foret @ JD’s, L’Auberge Casino, 9pm Kyper @ GG’s Club, Alexandria, 10 pm Homer LeJeune @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Blues Tonic @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri, 9 pm Friday July 3 Paper Plains, Datlight Broadcast and The 94’s @ AJ’s Bar & Grill 10 pm Avery Michael’s & Exit 209 @ GG’s Club, Alexandria Tally Miller Marshland Band @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Wilson Miller & Still Kickin’@ Linda’s Lounge, 8:30 pm Mike Taylor Band @ Engine 89-DeQuincy, 8 pm Mike Richard & Step-n-Out @ Scottie Tee Judi’s Konstruxion Zone, 9:30 pm Tom Brandow @ Outriggers Tavern, 5 pm Briant Lloyd Smith & Hot Gritz, Fridays @ Blue Duck, 9 pm Ron Thibodeaux @ Speckled Trout, Hackberry 8 pm Saturday July 4 GG and the Hot Damn Band @ GG’s Club, Alexandria, 9:30 pm Mack Manuel Lake Charles Ramblers @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Independence Day Bash:Ashes of Babylon, Live Oak Decline, Barisal Guns, Fresh Nectar, Mothership @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 pm Magnolia Sons July 4th Bash @ Toucan’s Bar & Grill, 10 pm
Jimmy Wilson Band @ Cuz’s Lounge, Sulphur, 6 pm Thurday July 9 Ingram Hill @ Party by the Pool, L’auberge, 7-11 The Reds @ JD’s, L’Auberge Casino, 9pm Glocca Morra, Red letter Reverb @ AJ’s Bar & Grill 10 pm Travis Benoit Allons Dance @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Dog Men Poets @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Lil Malcolm & The Zydeco House Rockers @ Coushatta Casino, 8 pm Friday July 10 Sunrise Kills, Anavie and Broadmore @ AJ’s Bar & Grill 10 pm The Fabulous Connie G @ GG’s Club, Alexandria, 9:30 pm Ron Thibodeaux @ Speckled Trout, Hackberry 8 pm Howard Noel Cajun Boogie @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Wilson Miller & Still Kickin’@ Linda’s Lounge, 8:30 pm Mike Taylor Band @ Engine 89-DeQuincy, 8 pm Mike Richard & Step-n-Out @ Scottie Tee Judi’s Konstruxion Zone, 9:30 pm Tom Brandow @ Outriggers Tavern, 5 pm Briant Lloyd Smith & Hot Gritz, Fridays @ Blue Duck, 9 pm The Winter Sounds @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Research Turtles @ Toucan’s Bar & Grill, 9 pm Saturday July 11 Parabelle, Neverset, 32 Leaves, Paralle The Sky @ AJ’s Bar & Grill 10 pm GG and the Hot Damn Band @ GG’s Club, Alexandria, 9:30 pm Joe Simon Louisiana Cajun @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Pork Chop Express @ Blue Duck, 9pm Wendy Colona @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Sunday July 12 Jimmy/Wilson Band, Sundays @ Shorty’s Ice House, Moss Bluff, 5 pm
Sunday July 5 Jimmy/Wilson Band, Sundays @ Shorty’s Ice House, Moss Bluff, 5 pm Monday July 6 Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Night @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 pm Lake Charles Community Band @ Civic Center Pavilion, 7 pm Tuesday July 7 Scotty Pousson Pointe aux Loups Playboys@ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10 Wednesday July 8 Errol Jenkins Louisiana Tradition @ D.I.’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 5-10
Sunrise Kills @ Toucans
Don’t see your band or venue mentioned? Send schedules to editor@timessw.com June 25, 2009
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Rekindling The Publishing Industry The publishing industry is doomed. The publishing industry is saved. Those are the dissonant themes running throughout most coverage of the book business since the recession’s start. The naysayers have a strong argument. In 2009, publishers HarperCollins and Random House axed multiple imprints. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt cut entire divisions, and put an unprecedented freeze on manuscript acquisitions. Big box booksellers Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have posted quarterly losses, and Borders faces bankruptcy. Independent bookstores have not fared much better, with reports every day of venerable locals closing their doors. Executives, editors, authors and dealers have found themselves on the business end of the sharpened blade of an overstretched industry in a failing economy. And then there is Amazon.com. With earnings robust and growth continuing, it is indisputable that they are weathering the storm. And through its strong position in a weak market, they are in the unique position of reordering an entire industry. The most audacious and exciting weapon in Amazon’s arsenal is an electronic book called the Kindle. E-books have been around for a long time. In 2000, Microsoft marketed a product called Reader, geared for desktop computers and existing personal digital assistants. Sony has long offered a tablet device, also called Reader, and lesser-known companies have put out competing products. But for all the technical capabilities, engineering achievements, and publishing partnerships built around and into these devices, none have gained traction in the cultural zeitgeist. Serious readers love books – not just the words within, but the objects themselves – and e-books have always felt like imposters. Amazon is not a hardware company. Nor would many consider it a software company. Rather, it was built from the ground up as a book company, and that may be the reason the Kindle is succeeding where others have failed. To see the device is to love the device. The Kindle is the size of a DVD case, and only slightly
By D.B. Grady
heavier. Taking a cue from Apple’s minimalist designs, it is austere but for a small keyboard and buttons for navigation. It is intuitive. One need not possess a computer science degree to operate the Kindle. Indeed, Amazon diverged from its competitors by limiting the device in its capabilities, focusing instead on one thing, and doing it very well: displaying books to be read. The e-ink technology of the Kindle screen is its tipping point. It is the reason that printed-and-bound books are destined to go the way of papyrus scrolls and chiseled stone tablets. With detail so fine and print so exact, it is hard to believe that the screen is digital at all. Unlike staring into a computer monitor or iPhone, the display is not backlit, and consequently, is not harsh on the eyes. Quite simply, reading a book on a Kindle feels like reading a book. After a few pages, the device seems to melt away until only the words remain, and the reader is no more aware that he or she is staring into technology than he or she might ponder the manufacture of a paperback novel. On the Kindle, all books are created equal. Forestslashing Stephen King tomes are no heavier than Ian Fleming pulps. The text-size of books can be increased or decreased, enabling every book to be a large-print edition. And through Text-to-Speech technology, the device can read books aloud, making every book an audio book. The only up-front drawback is the price. The Amazon Kindle starts at $359. This is mitigated by the lower price of most e-books, which generally peak at $9.99, including new releases of even the hottest authors. And no trip to the bookstore is required. Utilizing the Sprint network, the Kindle is always online, everywhere, for free, allowing books to be purchased on the go, and appearing on the device instantaneously, no cables or computers required. In the same way the iPod revitalized music and the iPhone rejuvenated mobile phones, the Amazon Kindle is rewriting the written word. If it reaches ubiquity, it may well have the biggest impact on reading since Johannes Gutenberg. And if that’s the case, in this time of uncertainty, the publishing industry can consider itself saved.
Have a technology related question or advice for other users? Email me at tech@timessw.com. 28
June 25, 2009
A Midsummer White Linen Night
Gallery By The Lake’s Wild about Art Exhibition
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’m always excited to pop into Gallery by the Lake and visit with my friend, Marcia Dutton. Marcia is a talented award winning artist and writer and this time, I was able to introduce her to Shadow husband and meet many of her award winning talented friends. On June 7th, Gallery by the Lake hosted a safari called Wild About Art. They served a really gr-r-r-r-reat menu: Dinosaur eggs, Roadkill sandwiches, Tasmanian devils’ food cake and Jungle juice punch—But best of all—some wonderful works of art. Several weeks ago, the Shadow almost participated in a workshop teaching how to paint on roofing paper. I find that sort of thing fascinating and fun. At the Gallery, I got to see what I’d missed. One can create some beautiful works on black roofing paper. Patsi Prince designed and painted a fish that resembled beautiful stained glass. The Shadow is no artist, but I found many of Patsi’s paintings exciting and full of energy. After visiting with Marcia, Gloria Yang and Patsi about their work, I felt an old longing rear its frustrated head. Shadow husband reminded me that I have my finger in too many pots already so we roamed the room and admired the wonderful talent. I love running into old friends and the afternoon brought a couple across my path. Blair Clark—a writer
buddy I haven’t seen in awhile—enjoyed browsing the paintings. Neighbor Elaine Cameron popped in. Turns out, Blair and Elaine are old friends from long ago. Small world, isn’t it? After visiting with them awhile, I ventured around the corner and saw my daughter’s former Science teacher from EDS—Dr. Sandra Leder. When the Shadow pointed her camera, Sandra mumbled something about having ‘yard-hair’ but she looked just as pretty as ever. Sandra is Assistant Department head in Teacher’s Education at McNeese. It was fun to see her again. In a corner of the gallery, Lois Derise was having a great time visiting with Gloria Yang. Sheila Babineaux, a member artist who specializes in pastels and horses, sat and visited with daughter Gina Cook when the crowd died down. The Shadow overheard some good news: a Houstonian purchased one of Sheila’s paintings. Like Marilyn Vaughn and Roger Breaux, the Shadow was fascinated by so much of the work in Gallery by the Lake. I could spend hours browsing, talking with the artists and studying their techniques. I’d like to pop in again tomorrow. In fact, I might do just that. Shhhhh, don’t tell Shadow husband but, I bought a sketch book. We’ll see what I do with it.
The weather was perfect for A Midsummer White Linen Night. A hint of a breeze wafted across the 700 block of Ryan Street as beautiful couples in light, floating clothes met up with friends for a fun-filled night. If you missed this exceptional evening, you missed a night to remember. The Shadow and husband arrived early and waited for the crowd. We weren’t disappointed. Within moments men, women and children dressed in white filled the street and sidewalk. We met up with nature photographer Geoff Russell who had work displayed in Gigi’s. We spent an enjoyable few moments with him and his wife, Debbie. Geoff and Debbie moved to the area from Austin, Texas, and Geoff does amazing things with his digital camera, light and water. Check out his website at http://www.wildflowersanotherview.com. Hubby and I meandered in and out of Social Denim, snapped a picture of David and Susan Ieyoub, then cornered LC Memorial Security officers Raymond Rochon and Bobby Rubin, Sr. and asked them to pose with Brooke Dugas. Southbound, Chris Miller and Bayou Roots and the 1944 Big Band entertained us on two stages while families and friends sat at round tables with white cloths, slap-dab in the middle of Ryan Street. Music mingled with laughter and echoed
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through the downtown area and across the water. A Midsummer White Linen Night was the perfect place to be. Pat Dow, Julie and Robert Gani, Karen and Darryl Drewett geared up for a fun evening. The Shadow saw Mayor Randy Roach laughing with wife Nancy and friends Daphne Clark and Jackie Roe. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Author Norman German and his artist-wife Raejean Clark displayed their works in the new BusinessFirst bank. Raejean’s art is based on an ancient technique called Gyotaku. Take a look at her website: www.raejeanclark. com and tell me you’re not impressed! Fish have never looked so beautiful! The Shadow and husband did more picturesnapping: Lacy Grimes from Houston gave 1944 Big Band her undivided attention. Kaye Faulkner and little Ella Templeton danced in the street. The Shadow enjoyed meeting Judy Porche from Sweets and Treats and her friend Gloria Sanders. When the Shadow left for home, the street was packed and I had a feeling the good times were really going to roll. A Midsummer White Linen Night was made possible by the generous support of Pumpelly Oil Co.
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11 & Pumpelly Tire Co.; KPLC-TV; L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort; Whitney National Bank; Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock, LLP; and McKesson. Our tax deductible contributions help our community hospital—Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, continue to be all it can be. 1 - Blair Clark and artist Patsi Prince pose for the camera at Gallery on the Lake. 2 - Sheila Babineaux and daughter Gina Cook enjoy each other’s company. 3 - Lois Derise and Gloria Yang are having too much fun at Wild About Art. 4 - Marilyn Vaughn and Roger Breaux enjoy the paintings and photographs. 5 - Tyler, Beryl, Kierra, and Isaiah pose in front of Grandma Sheila’s paintings. 6 - Larry Graham, Marilyn McSwain and Thomas Prudhomme. 7 - Raymond Rochon, Brooke Dugas and Bobby Rubin, Sr. 8 - Pat Dow, Julie and Robert Gani and Karen and Darryl Drewet 9 - Kim Roberts Sherry Hieronymus, April Coco and Pansy Gabbard 10 - Kaye Faulkner and Ella Templeton dancing in the street. 11 - Nancy & Mayor Randy Roach with friends Daphne Clark and Jackie Roe.
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By Chaney Ferguson
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ake Charles-Boston Academy of Learning and College Street T&I Center are two schools citizens pass by everyday. Their success often goes unnoticed. The LCB Academy of Learning is divided into four areas: advanced studies, distance learning, fine arts, career and technical education. “The whole design of the school is to fill the gaps that are in Calcasieu Parish high schools. We aren’t here to replace anything. We’re here to enhance the curriculum,” said Charles Adkins, Director of the Academy. Throughout the day students are transported to the Academy for classes. “We will transport you regardless of where you live,” says Adkins. Former principal of Barbe High School, Adkins became director of the Academy because of the focused curriculum and the options it offered students. Career and technical education provides certifications or introductions into possible career paths such as EMT training and television production. “The advanced studies program offers AP classes and McNeese offers dual enrollment so they get college and high school credit,” said Adkins. The fine arts program offers movie production, music mastery, and other art
classes. “Music Mastery is a class where students interested in learning more about instrumental music study under different band directors throughout the parish. We had over a hundred kids enrolled,” said Adkins. Adkins explained that a child under the instruction of one band director might get to study under a different band director and learn a different style. He says it will strengthen high school bands in the area and help students develop their talent. The distance learning program, an online option with occasional labs held on campus, has the most room for growth. “Students can get credit by taking online classes. We also help students take classes through the Louisiana Virtual School, an online school where they can take a variety of coursework,” says Adkins. According to Adkins, a common misconception is that students must have a 3.5 GPA. There is no grade point requirement except for courses McNeese offers for dual credit. The Academy also offers a new credit summer school. Students can take up to two classes during the summer and the classes are every day for three hours and forty-five
minutes. “We have to do the same number of hours as a regular school year,” explains Adkins. “One course we are really trying to start is a ‘successful strategies in reading’ course. It’s designed for students going into 8-10 grades,” said Adkins. “If you struggle in reading you’re Charles Adkins, Director of the Academy going to struggle in everything else.” teaches is gaining attention from local According to industry. Adkins everything the school does is an George Albers, Director of the T&I effort to help students. school, explains that local industries are Another school in the area focused going into the schools and speaking to on the success of the student is the T&I students, encouraging them to look at Center on College Street. the career and construction trades. The T&I Center offers opportunities “They work with us and steer students to learn skills in auto-tech, auto body into our programs,” said Albers. repair, carpentry, commercial art, Creel adds that all of the programs are construction, culinary art, outdoor geared towards helping students transfer power equipment, and welding. credit to post-secondary training. “Our programs are nationally The instructor’s first priority is to help accredited with NCCER certifications,” the students become successful, says said Roger Creel, Director of Career and Creel. Evidence of that success is found Technical Education in Calcasieu Parish. in student achievement. The NCCER stands for National “One of our students in our carpentry Center for Construction Education and class went to state and finished second in Research. cabinet making,” said Creel. According to Creel, the NCCER keeps The culinary arts program boasts three a database of certifications which allows certified junior culinarians. students to travel around the country Despite success of the school’s to work without having to repeat any programs, Albers and Creel face a courses. constant struggle when speaking with “They can pull up a student on the parents, students, and the community. database and see that he is on level one “Our struggle is convincing students module seven and he can pick up from and parents that this is a viable option there,” explained Creel. The Center as well as the skills it
“We will transport you regardless of where you live.”
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“Movin’ On Up”—deluxe apartment or not, we’re getting there! by Matt Jones ©2009 Jonesin’ Crosswords Brought to you by Melanie Perry, Agent State Farm Insurance
Last Issue’s Answers
Across 1 Bud 4 “Sophie’s Choice” director Pakula 8 Tiara 14 “___ Hate Me” (2004 Spike Lee movie) 15 Horse hair 16 “I’ve got it!” 17 1991 comedy with a behind-the-scenes look at a daytime drama 19 They keep words apart 20 Little guy 21 Internet cafe offering, maybe 23 Word before due or tense 24 ___ homo (behold the man, in Latin) 27 Shake like ___ 29 With “The,” 1948 Red Skelton movie about door-todoor sales 34 The cube root of ocho 35 Cookie that once had “Sandwich” in its name 36 Million-___ odds 37 Certain hangings 38 1976 movie that parts of the other four movie titles describe from start to finish 41 “Your $$$$$” network 42 “___: Dinosaur Hunter” (Nintendo 64 game) 44 Gull’s tail?
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45 “___ Haw” 46 1978 biopic about DJ Alan Freed 50 Nighttime problem 51 “Remote Control” host Ken 52 Former “Entertainment Tonight” host John 54 Rapper/singer Jackson, exgirlfriend of Kevin Federline 56 Discover rival, for short 60 Spiny lizard 62 2003 straight-to-video Ione Skye romcom that starts at a laundromat 65 George Eliot title character Silas 66 Initial recording 67 Gas station freebie 68 ___ Palace (Nicolas Sarkozy’s current home) 69 U2 bassist Clayton 70 Your, in France 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Down Over here!” noise “Hey, sailor!” Radiator problem Big name in semiconductors My ___ Massacre One who gets the door Longtime grape soda brand Early production company for “I Love Lucy” and “Star Trek”
9 “Am ___ to the task?” 10 Native Wyomingite 11 It’s chocolatey, without all the kick 12 Squeaks by, with “out” 13 Navy pole 18 Orange coat 22 Out of reach 25 Start the workday 26 Actor Michael of “Year One” 28 Lover of 37-across 29 Speaker’s seminar 30 It make a lot of dollars 31 “I love you when you ___ your mosque...” (Kahlil Gibran) 32 The Learning ___ 33 One of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” 34 Numbers-crunching need 39 Hated with every inch of one’s being 40 Piggish person 43 “Annie” extras 47 Lucrezia Borgia’s brother 48 Sound at the dentist 49 “King Kong” actress Fay 52 “Person of the Year” awarder 53 Equal, at an ecole ___ Comment (blog link) 55 Doctor-to-be’s test 57 Nobelist Wiesel 58 Gen-___ (1970s kids, today) 59 Word before a maiden name 61 Peruvian singer Sumac 64 Dot follower
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they need to look at for their children. Everyone wants their child to go to college or they feel like they are a failure. That’s not true,” says Creel. According to Creel the old mentality of sending the behavioral problems to shop class lingers. He shares with people the dignity and importance of acquiring a skill. “Look at all the work that needed to be done after the hurricanes,” says Albers. “We had more work than qualified workers to do the job.” T&I Center has an enrollment of 225 students with smaller programs located on DeQuincy, Starks, Sulphur, Washington/Marion, and Westlake campuses. Due to student interest and increasing needs in the program, the College Street T&I Center is expanding. “The city and the parish are donating a half a million dollars each,” said Creel. Expansion will provide new courses in electrical, pipefitting, plumbing, and HVAC. Students will enjoy the new facilities in the 2010-2011 school year. Each school offers students opportunities to further their knowledge of possible career paths and get a leg up on the competition. If the schools are successful, the region is too.
By Terri Shlichenmeyer Once upon a time, your son was a cuddly little boy who loved bedtime stories. He was bright-eyed then, always pulling up a chair to “help” you in the kitchen or the workshop. He brought you his problems and his dreams, and it was a joy to spend time with him. Now he’s a teenager. You barely know him. He slinks around the house, speaking in one-syllable words. He no longer shares his life with you. You wonder where your little boy went. According to author Malina Saval, that boy has a lot on his mind: love, life, the world, his future, you. In the new book The Secret Lives of Boys, what you can learn about your teenage son may surprise you. Over the past few years, much has
been written about the emotional and social lives and empowerment of girls. “Girls,” says Saval, “get most of the press.” Perhaps because of female-slanted best-sellers, it’s a relatively common myth that boys are emotionless unknowns, in crisis, ADD-suffering, on the verge of “apocalyptic selfdestruction”. The truth is, as Saval discovered, teenage boys are much different than their parents and popculture believe them to be. To write this book, Saval interviewed high school teachers, psychologists, and other experts on adolescent males. More importantly, she spent time with ten teenage boys, getting to know them, their lives, and their concerns. Boys are passionate about many things, Saval found. They are “politically
June 25, 2009
interested”, if not politically active. They’re romantic - often more so than girls - but their idea of what is and isn’t “sex” may distress their parents. Bullying is a bigger deal than most school officials realize, and even boys who have been raised to “be a man” can be frightened about it. Speaking of school, many teens Saval interviewed were overloaded with schoolwork, often to the point of having to pick-andchoose which assignments to complete. The good news is, teens “lead the way” when it comes to tolerance. Teenage dads are increasingly stepping up to the plate and accepting responsibility for their children (even though they can’t stress enough that waiting for fatherhood would’ve been preferable). Boys do learn from positive influences that surround them. They have strong morals. They’re willing to talk, if we’re willing to listen. The Secret Lives of Boys is one of those books that every adult should read, whether they have a teenage boy or not, because it busts the myths we tend to form after reading the news or hearing the latest teen-gone-bad story. For parents, author Malina Saval offers hard data they can cling to, advice, and a mega-dose of hope: “These boys are emotional and expressive… affectionate and compassionate… They are lovely and messy, loving and lovable.” Be aware that there are some hard things to read inside here, guaranteed to make grown-ups cringe. Still, if you’re the parent of a male teen or a teen-to-be (or if you want to know more about the guy your daughter is dating), oh, boy, this is a good book to have. The Secret Lives of Boys: Inside the Raw Emotional World of Male Teens By Malina Saval c.2009, Basic Books $25.95 257 pages Terri Shlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.
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Growing a Future.
Through PPG’s $10.8 million canal reroute and wetlands restoration and creation project, local residents can witness the effects of proactive conservationism. The wetlands are clearly visible as you cross the I-210 bridge on your daily commute – a constant reminder that, in our community, environmental protection and industry work together.
“It’s encouraging to see PPG take matters into their own hands and work for the betterment of the environment. This new area of wetlands will go a long way to restoring the natural order of the estuary.” – La. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Dr. Harold Leggett
“The Coastal Conservation Association is pleased to see PPG complete the Calcasieu Estuary Wetlands project, which has rebuilt a portion of our coastal estuary lost over the years due to coastal erosion. The restoration of our coastal wetlands will enhance critical habitat for plants, fish and other wildlife.” – Rusty Vincent, Coastal Conservation Association
PPG Wetlands Creation Project New Reroute Canal 4,500 feet of new canal
Wetlands Creation
• 80,000 cubic yards of dredged soil, approximately one mile in length • 20 acres of new emergent marsh • 1,764 plants per acre to be planted
About the Marsh Grass • • • •
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Four different marsh grass plant species Louisiana licensed nursery provider of plants Plants installed within 48 hours of lifting or plant delivery to ensure viability Only United States Coast Guard licensed captains allowed to operate marsh boats for planting
June 25, 2009
PPG INDUSTRIES • LAKE CHARLES PLANT