Radar Men from the Moon

No, this isn't a post about the Shreveport Mayor's race.  It's a blog about how old I am. 
In 1952 & 1953 I thought this was really cool.  When you went to the movies there was always a 'serial' feature before the main show.
When I was about 6 years old we went to the movies every Saturday afternoon.  Ten Cents.  Really.
Commando Cody's new feature 'Radar Men from the Moon' was everyone's favorite.
How old are you?

DeGray State Park Arkansas

I took a little trip today. Not that far, just out of Arkadelphia, it's a really nice place.

Two key Republicans endorse Cedric Glover

Shreveport City Councilman Michael Long and Caddo Parish Commissoner John Escude, both Republicans, today endorsed Cedric Glover for another term as mayor.
Both cited Glover's accomplishments, and Escude said that he was uncomfortable with Bryan Wooley's attack ads against Glover.
I have had the feeling that using the Dannye Malone divorce interrogatories in an attempt to paint Glover as a drug user might backfire on Wooley.
It appears to be happening.

Channel 12 Changing Weather Interruption Policy

James Smith, Station Manager at KSLA, has announced via an email that the station will be changing its policy about interrupting progamming.
The email I received, which I assume was sent to all who had emailed him, says:
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the way KSLA News 12 handled the weather interruptions during the LSU-Auburn game.
We heard you loud and clear.
Since Saturday, we have closely examined what happened and reevaluated our emergency program interruption policy.
Effective Wednesday, October 27 we now have a new policy in place. The goal of the policy is to warn those in the path of the storm, and at the same time, serve those viewers not directly affected by the emergency. The new policy will keep program interruptions to a minimum.
During Tornado Warnings, our Meteorologists will interrupt programming to quickly alert those in the path of the storm. Within one minute, we will either return to full programming of the game or use an improved split screen technique so the audience can still watch the action on the field while our Meteorologists continue to give important information. We will get back to full programming as soon as we can.
This is different from our former policy where we would stay on with our weather interruptions throughout the entire Tornado Warning…which could last for several minutes and even hours.
I apologize for the way we mishandled the LSU broadcast. We will do better.
James Smith
General Manager
KSLA News 12

The Shreveport Mayor's Race: A conservative endorses Glover

Shreveport conservative blogger Pat Austin has endorsed Mayor Cedric Glover for re-election, saying that Bryan Wooley has “run the dirtiest, smarmiest, nastiest campaign I have EVER seen, and in Louisiana, that says a lot.”

She goes on to say “Communication skills or not, Glover has the experience and the know how to solve Shreveport's problems. Wooley is not ready to be mayor. Wooley manipulates the city ordinances, he assumes facts that are not proven to be true, he has been intentionally misleading, and I'm always suspicious of a candidate who is more interested in slinging mud than promoting his own qualifications and agenda."

Read the entire blog post.

Shreveport Mayor's race: Glover on the hot seat because of alleged drug use

The already hot Shreveport Mayor’s race boiled over in a debate this morning when Bryan Wooley said in his closing statement that one reason Cedric Glover should not be re-elected is because of allegations that Glover used drugs (marijuana) around children.
Glover responded by saying that Wooley was slinging mud and telling lies, and that he would not get down in the muck with him.
This came about because of a two year old court filing in a divorce case. During this divorce proceeding a number of interrogatories were submitted to Dannye Malone from his ex-wife’s legal council that required him to give a yes or no answer to his usage or marijuana in their matrimonial domicile with Mayor Cedric Glover and Chief Administrative Officer Dale Sibley.

• (D) Do you deny that you have consumed, ingested and/or smoked marijuana in the matrimonial domicile with Cedric Glover and Dale Sibley?
• (E) Do you deny that third persons, including, but not limited to Dale Sibley, came to the matrimonial domicile on numerous occasions for the purpose of taking possession of a package of marijuana? If you admit this fact, was the package of marijuana the subject of a sale or was the illegal contraband donated by you to the third person or persons?

Conservative Drink has copies of the interrogatories here.
According to Truth about Glover, a blog that is operated by the Wooley campaign, Dannye Malone has received over $1.7 million in legal fees from the City of Shreveport, which is more than any other single law firm in city history.
All of this, during Cedric Glover’s administration.

• 2006: $241,424.08 (When Cedric Glover took over as Mayor of Shreveport)
• 2007: $579,628.28 (Glover’s first full year – Malone’s payments increased by 240%)
• 2008: $467,264.48
• 2009: $262,813.80
• 2010: $153,272.50

Malone admitted that the records were sealed by the court, but said that the answer to the question was no.
Up to this point, I have not blogged about the allegations, but now they are out there.
At this point, if as Glover indicated, these charges are not truthful, he must come out very forcefully – right now – and tell his side of this.
Statements that he will not get down in the muck with Wooley will not suffice. If he is truly innocent of the charge of smoking dope at Malone’s home, he must answer the charges, very strongly, tomorrow.
If he doesn’t, he is in danger of losing the election before the polls open on Tuesday.
If he is not responding to the charges directly because they are true, then this election will run its course and the results will be known Tuesday night.

Louisiana Lt. Governor's race 2010

My take on the Lt. Governor's race.  This is just done in fun, no bad behavior on anyone's part is implied.  It is just a little satirical thing, ironic in that we can use Sammy Kershaw's song to poke fun at the candidates.

Thuggish Rand Paul volunteer stomps woman's head

Tim Profitt with Rand Paul

A Rand Paul supporter stomped the head of a woman as she tried to approach the candidate.  Paul is running for the U.S. Senate from Kentucky.
Whatever her politics or whatever their version of ‘crowd control’ is, if this thug had done this to my daughter or grand-daughter he would get his head stomped.
It appears that she was an activist with MoveOn.org and wanted to present Paul with some sort of silly, snarky ‘award’. Had she done so, I’m sure that he could have handled the encounter and turned it to his advantage. That didn’t happen.
The tough guy is identified as Tim Profitt, a volunteer Paul campaign worker. Profitt has been summoned to criminal court to answer a complaint about the incident.
Profitt offered an ‘apology’, saying that the camera angle made it look bad. He also blamed the police for not being there to presumably stomp the woman for him.
In case you hadn’t noticed, this really makes me mad.
Thanks to Gerry May for posting this and a couple of other good videos on his blog. Check them out.

Jay Dardenne in Bossier/Caddo looking for votes

Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and Sammy Kershaw made an appearance at the Caddo and Bossier Parish courthouses today.  Dardenne is seeking votes for Lt. Governor in next week's election.  Kershaw, who carried Bossier Parish in the primary election, is pictured here with Dardenne at the Bossier Parish Courthouse.  They posed for My Bossier's part-time, semi-official, unpaid photographer.

Jay Dardenne, Sammy Kershaw

Drunk kills woman on I-20

A 66 year old woman was killed last night when she had car trouble on I-20 near Hamilton Road.  She got out of her car and was hit by a car which left the scene.  She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Luis Diaz of Shreveport later called 911 and said that he had hit someone on I-20.  Diaz has been charged with vehicular homicide, DWI second offense, felony hit and run and driving without a license.

Bossier City Police Department promotes 5

Deputy Chief Royce Chapman, Deputy Chief Jimmy Stewart, Chief of Police Shane McWilliams,
Captain Thomas Black, Lt. Fred Gregory and Lt. Buster Henrikson.

New Public Watchdog group forming

Before the news came out about the Tea Party Patriots lawsuit against Rob Gaudet, I had heard that Evodna Springer and Matt Sciba were resigning from the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party.
Evodna and Matt, you will recall, did the School Board candidate interviews for SBTP, and have been active in working to increase transparency in some local poltical bodies.
I had a good discussion with Evodna the other day and asked her about the resignations.  She told me that she would talk to Matt and send me a statement. 
Here is the statement I received by email.
I tendered my resignation and severed all ties with SBTP effective October 15, 2010, relative to matters completely unrelated to the TPP/Gaudet issue.
Matt Sciba had already resigned on October 5.
I was shocked to learn about the restraining order. If what is alleged in the sworn affidavit is true, it could have nationwide implications with regard to get out the vote efforts for the November 2 elections, particularly in tight races in other parts of the country. My hope is that both TPP and Rob will reach a resolution, doing everything within their power to resolve this quickly.
Evodna reported to me that a small group met the other day with the intention of forming a 'watchdog' group to continue the work that was started with SBTP in dealing with public disclosure, transparency and to work next year on candidate interviews for all local offices.
When the 'organizing' is done, we will report on the new group.

Shreveport Police Officer shot

UPDATE:
Chief Shaw just identified the officer as Sgt. Tim Prunty.  He was gunned down outside a Circle K store where he was standing outside talking to the manager.  A car pulled up, a man got out and shot Officer Prunty. 
Sgt. Prunty died at the hospital.

Details are sketchy. Channel 3 reports that the SPD officer is was shot at a convenience store in West Shreveport.
Chief Willie Shaw will have a news conference at 8AM.
We will update this as soon as information is available.
The officer was taken to LSU Hospital, where KTBS reports that he is fighting for his life.

Dear Channel 12

I wrote the following email to Channel 12.  I sent it to the Station Manager, James Smith:
jamessmith@ksla.com
Dear Channel 12,
We really do understand that when severe weather is in the area, you need to alert people.  We understand if you have to interrupt the LSU/Auburn game for 30 or 45 seconds to give an alert.
After that, a simple graphic on the screen would suffice to keep us informed.
That seems to work for your competition, and the people who watch them are as well informed as the people who had the ball game interrupted.
You also have a responsbility to carry sports broadcasting that the network feeds you, especially when just about everyone in the local area is watching it.
Now, if an actual tornado forms, and then if, god forbid, it touches down, we would understand another interruption.  This was not the case.
How many times did your weather person go back to the beginning and give us a history of the entire sequence of the system, from the first drop of rain to the END OF THE GAME.
We get it, we really do.  We're just wondering when you will get it?
Sincerely,
Jim Wells

Nation's largest Tea Party organization files suit against Bossier man

Tea Party Patriots, the largest Tea Party organization in the country, has filed a lawsuit in Bossier District Court against Rob Gaudet and Bluebird Wireless.
The suit states that Gaudet, who built the group’s website and database, has not followed their instructions to transfer the site from Bluebird to another server, and that he has not turned over control of the website to TPP. The lawsuit goes on to state that the group fears that Gaudet will either compromise the site, destroy the site, or use information from the site for personal gain. It does not allege that he has used the site for personal advantage to this point.
The Portland Examiner reported on Gaudet in this article:
There are many individuals who have worked continuously behind the scenes in the Tea Party since the movement started in early 2009. One such individual is Rob Gaudet who is a software engineer from Louisiana. You may not know who Rob is, but you've probably searched his website or seen one of his posts on the Tea Party Patriots Facebook Fan page. Early in the movement Rob stepped up and volunteered to use his marketing, programming and database background to build a website that would help citizens nationwide find Tea Party events.
Also read this article from Investors Business Daily to get some background on the role that Gaudet played with TPP.
The lawsuit also asked for, and received, a temporary restraining order. The order states that:

• Defendants shall maintain and not take any steps, directly or indirectly, to hide, relocate, destroy, alter or disable (except as provided by other orders of the court) the Computer Property.
• Defendants shall give complete control to TPP of any websites associated with TPP and not take any steps to interfere with that control:
• Defendant Gaudet shall facilitate and assist in the immediate transfer of the Computer Property to TPP or a company selected by TPP:and
• Defendants shall provide one copy of the Computer Property to TPP and two copies of the Computer Property to the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The affidavit of facts submitted with the suit was signed by Mark Meckler, who is a co-founder and National Coordinator of TPP.
I talked to Rob Gaudet on the phone yesterday, and he told me that he was surprised by the suit. “There is more to it, but I really can’t talk about it with the suit pending”, he told me. He did go on to say that he is guilty of no wrong-doing.
I also contacted another person who is active with TPP who told me “I did not know that there was legal action, but I had heard that Rob had been let go. Rob had been involved with TPP since the very beginning, and it was his hard work that made the website possible. I have always found him as well as all TPP National Coordinators to be honest and forthright. I cannot imagine him using the data for his own purposes. It is a sad day for the organization and the movement that TPP felt this action was necessary against one of its own fellow national coordinators.”
It seems that if the Temporary Restraining Order is complied with, the basis of the suit will be moot. Hopefully this will settle the matter.
Gaudet is a founder and coordinator of the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party.

Serious questions raised about John Morneau shooting

There has been a lot of speculation about the shooting of Vivian attorney John Morneau. Miller County Coroner Eddie Hawkins Jr first ruled that Morneau was shot in the back by a Miller County Deputy Sheriff.
He has now changed his story to say that Morneau was shot in the chest.
Hawkins would not go into specifics Thursday about why that was done, except to say there was a mistake.
Read More

In the initial post about this, I questioned why Morneau was served a misdemeanor warrant in the woods by a Deputy Sheriff and Wildlife and Fisheries officers, and not served at his home or office.
For that matter, why wasn’t he called and told about the warrants and asked to come in and take care of them.
Now even more questions have arisen. How can he have been shot in the back, and two weeks later shot in the chest?
This just isn't right, and hasn't seemed right from the beginning.  To put it bluntly, I do not believe for a minute that John Morneau would pull a weapon on someone whom he knew to be law enforcement officers.
The attorney for the Morneau family, Dan Keele, said "We do not think this is simply a case of a justified law enforcement shooting. The persons involved in the planning and execution of misdemeanor warrants for John Morneau have a lot of explaining to do as to why they set up a Bonnie and Clyde felony situation, when John could have simply been called in (and told), 'John, come on down."
Arkansas State Police will send their findings to Miller County's prosecuting attorney.

More Serious Sins from the Senator?

I won’t re-write this, Rex and the Daily Kingfish have done a good job of it.
I think Edwin had it right – unless you are caught in bed with a dead woman or a live boy, you’re pretty much okay as a Louisiana politician.


London Rayne/Darian Dawn
Anna Nichole Smith?



The Shreveport Mayor's Forum

Rex Moncrief taped it and has some great comments at Conservative Drink.  Rex conjectures that if he lived in Shreveport, he would probably vote for Wooley.
I'm not going to conjecture on that one.  I seem to manage to stir up enough people with my choices in Bossier.
Here's the video:

Man receives 30 years for raping 89 year old nursing home patient

A Bossier Parish man who admitted he raped an 89-year-old nursing home patient was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison
According to Bossier DA Schuyler Marvin, "He said he picked her because she couldn't defend herself."
Read More (KTBS)

I won't say what I want to, just read it.

Glover needs to explain

The Glover donations story gets stranger and stranger.
We blogged yesterday about the donations to Cedric Glover’s campaign on October 2nd by three individuals who were living in Section 8 housing.
Now for the second part of the story.
On October 4th, the Glover campaign filed a new disclosure form to supersede the Oct 2nd filing. In this one, the names of the Harveys and Theresa May and one other person had been removed and other names put in – to equal the same amount as the first report.
October 2nd report:
14. Edward A Crawford (Shreveport, LA) – $1,000
15. Francine Harvey (Shreveport, LA) – $2,500
16. CashAmerica (Fort Worth, TX) – $2,500
17. Taro Harvey (Shreveport, LA) – $2,500
18. Theresa Mays (Shreveport, LA) – $2,500
19. Angela Henderson (Shreveport, LA) – $2,500
20. Hertz Center at 600 Vine LLC (Cincinatti, OH) – $2,500
21. Hertz Investment Group LLC (Santa Monica, CA) – $2,500
22. Premier Stone Services of LA LLC (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
23. Premier Hospitality Solutions LLC (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
24. Ramelli Janitorial Service Inc (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
25. Stonewall Real Estate (Shreveport, LA) – $1,000
26. David H Starks (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
October 4th report
14. CashAmerica (Fort Worth, TX) – $2,500
15. Edward A Crawford (Shreveport, LA) – $1,000
16. William R Burk III (Shreveport, LA) – $2,500
17. H PAC (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
18. Premier Hospitality Solutions LLC (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
19. Francis C Heitmeier (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
20. Hertz Center at 600 Vine LLC (Cincinatti, OH) – $2,500
21. Hertz Investment Group LLC (Santa Monica, CA) – $2,500
22. Ramelli Janitorial Service Inc (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
23. Premier Stone Services of LA LLC (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
24. David H Starks (New Orleans, LA) – $2,500
25. Stonewall Real Estate (Shreveport, LA) – $1,000
26. John D. Stewart (Shreveport, LA) – $2,500
Same amount of money, just from different folks.
How does that happen?
Are you filling out the first report and when you see this:
H PAC
3709 General DeGualle Dr
New Orleans, LA 70114
You misread it and write this:
Taro Harvey, Jr
2929 Peach St #61
Shreveport, La 71107-4838
This gets more and more curious. How do you have these people listed as contributors one day, and two days later they have disappeared from the disclosure?
How in the world did they get on there in the first place?
On another disclosure, the four who were replaced were all listed as paid campaign workers on election day, receiving a total of $500.
This information was brought out by a website that has been set up by the Wooley campaign.  I went to the source, the Louisiana Ethics Board website, to verify all of the information.  It is factual.
Cedric Glover owes an explanation to the people of Shreveport.
We first heard about this from Rex Moncrief who allowed me to use this screenshot:

Couple living in Section 8 housing donates $5,000 to Glover campaign

I read Rex Moncrief’s blog post at Conservative Drink this morning about some questionable donations to the Cedric Glover campaign.
The donations were made by Taro Harvey, Jr (pictured here with Glover on election night), and his wife Francine. Each donated $2,500 to the Glover campaign. The controversy about the donations stems from the fact that the Harveys live at Cooper Road Plaza, a Section 8 housing facility. This means that the Harveys have a good part of their rent paid by a government housing program because they have certified that they do not have enough income to pay rent on their own.
I did verify that everyone who lives at Cooper Road Plaza receives Section 8 assistance. I also verified that the Harveys reside there.
This raises the obvious question: If you have your rent subsidized by the government because of your low income, how do you and your wife afford $5,000 in contributions to a political campaign?
I attempted to contact Mr. Harvey by phone, but the number listed for him has been disconnected.
This presents another interesting question, did the Harveys donate their own personal money to the campaign or were they just a 'pass through' to get money to the campaign illegally?
Either way, this is not going to have a good outcome for Harvey.
Theresa Mays, who lives in the same complex, also donated $2,500 to Glover’s campaign.
This is a link to the Glover filing with the Louisiana Ethics Board that reflects the contributions.

Bossier City Council will call for City Marshal election

The unfortunate and untimely death of Bossier City Marshal Johnny Wyatt shocked everyone. The people’s business, however, must go on.
Chief Deputy Rick Ware will act as marshal until a new election takes place.
The next step is for the City Council to meet and call for an election. The next regular election date is April 2nd statewide, so that will probably be the date that will be chosen.
I am also hearing that the Police Jury will put forward a proposition at that time, no details yet.
Acting Marshal Ware is a resident of Shreveport and so is not eligible to run for the office.

Lo Walker’s right hand man, Lynn Austin, has privately stated his intention to run. Austin, a former police chief, currently serves the mayor as Chief Administrative Officer of the city. Austin also served as interim police chief until the installation of current chief Shane McWilliams.

His close association with the mayor will help him in the sense that he will garner some ‘establishment’ support. That same association could also hurt him due to voters who are still smarting over the way budget cuts were handled by the administration last year.

Rumors have been circulating that former Police Chief Mike Halphen may be interested, but so far Halphen has said nothing. He is also allegedly interested in running for sheriff next year, or for mayor in 2013.

Former police officer Sam Wyatt has also expressed interest in running for marshal. Wyatt wrote a couple of guest blogs for My Bossier dealing with MPERS – the police retirement system, on whose board he served.

Wyatt was with the police department for a number of years, nine of them as a detective. He currently works for Chesapeake Energy as Senior Security Officer dealing with corporate security and ethics.

He holds an Associate of Criminal Justice from Bossier Parish Community College, a Bachelor of Criminal Justice from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and a Master of Business Administration from Centenary.
These qualifications, along with Wyatt’s lack of ‘good old boy’ status, could serve him well with the voters.
A couple of other names have been mentioned, but short of Mike Halphen jumping into the race, at this early stage I am looking for an Austin-Wyatt race.
UPDATE
Since I posted this, I talked to Sam Wyatt on the phone and he told me he had decided not to run.  He then emailed me this statement:
"I am humbled and very honored that so many people have contacted me about running for Bossier City Marshal. Although Johnny Wyatt and I are not related I have always thought of him as family. He was a friend, a confidant, and a mentor. The loss of Johnny Wyatt for myself as well as Bossier City cannot be placed in words. I have prayed and asked for Gods guidance in whether to run or not, and I have decided not to run for the election. Rick Ware and the men and women of the Bossier City Marshal's Office are some of the finest I have ever worked with in law enforcement. I strongly suggest to the person who becomes Marshal, to keep the Marshal's Office as Johnny Wyatt has built it. I am therefore supporting Lynn Austin for Bossier City Marshal." 
Of course, I can't just stop there.  I do believe we will see more of Sammy Wyatt in the political arena in the next couple of years.

Huntington rape report untrue

The 16 year old female student who reported that she was raped yesterday at Huntington High School in Shreveport has admitted to detectives that she made up the story.
She had reported at about 10 AM yesterday that she had been approached by two black males, one of whom had a gun and one a knife, and was sexually assualted.
Detectives noticed inconsistencies in her story and this morning in an interview she made the admission.
This is bad on several levels. First of all, innocent young men could have been charged with a crime they didn’t commit. Second, this hurts people who really are assaulted and are afraid to come forward, because they fear that they won’t be believed.
Authorities said that they will not charge the female student.
I don’t know enough to say whether she should be charged or not, but she definitely needs some intense counseling.

Vivian attorney, 2nd amendment advocate, killed by law enforcement officers

Vivian attorney John Morneau was shot and killed yesterday afternoon by an Arkansas law officer. The shooting occurred just inside the Arkansas state line.
Morneau owned property in Ida and had been involved in an apparent boundary dispute with an adjoining landowner.
Agents from the Arkansas Game & Fish Wildlife and a Miller County Deputy said they had warrants charging Morneau with assault, criminal mischief and harassment. They allege that he had shot at other people as a result of the dispute. The officers said that when they identified themselves as police officers, Morneau pointed a gun at hem. He was shot with a rifle.
In July Morneau published this comment on a blog about the 2nd amendment.

• The real reason that we have the Second Amendment is so that when all other means fail, we can use deadly force to resist any form of tyrrany foreign or domestic. Government serves at our pleasure and not the other way around. We have an unalienable right to self defense. We also have the right to submit. That is our choice, not the government's.

Without knowing any details, I just wonder why they didn't go through channels and have the warrants served at his home or office by Louisiana authorities.  It seems to me that they knew he might be confrontational and approaching him on the property when they should have known he would be armed was not the best course to take.
I would like to hear more of their side of the confrontation, and hopefully it will be provided.

Good News Sunday: Purely Personal

Those of you who are grandparents know that it is the greatest joy in the world.  I'm happy to announce that grandchild #7 is on the way, due in April.
Congratulations to my daughter Anne and Son-in-Law Chris.
Tyler is hoping for a little sister that he can protect.  Eight year old Cody wants a boy so 'I can beat it up like Tyler does me'.

The Mad Hatter? I'll stick with him.

SEC Standings

EAST	CONF	OVERALL
South Carolina	2-1	4-1
Florida	2-2	4-2
Vanderbilt	1-1	2-3
Georgia	1-3	2-4
Kentucky	0-3	3-3
Tennessee	0-3	2-4
WEST	CONF	OVERALL
* - LSU	4-0	6-0
* - Auburn	3-0	6-0
Alabama	2-1	5-1
Arkansas	1-1	4-1
Mississippi	1-1	3-2
Mississippi State	1-2	4-2

Thank You, Johnny Wyatt

Flags will be flown at half mast in Bossier City on Tuesday as funeral services for Johnny Wyatt will take place at 2PM at First Baptist Church.  Interment will be at Hill Crest.

Visitation will be Monday from 5 until 8.

I think everyone is aware of his many accomplishments as City Marshal, so I won't spend time on that. 

Johnny Wyatt the man was more than the office he held.

Johnny had deep Bossier Parish roots.  His mother and my mother and their siblings all grew up together in Benton.  His grandfather drove a school bus back in the 1920's.  Johnny and I discussed that a couple of years ago on the sidewalk in front of the Parish courthouse.

Just another personal note.  About 8 or 9 years ago, when my grandson Tyler was about 10 or so, he made a trip with me to City Hall to the City Clerk's office.  As we got there, court had just adjourned and cleared out.  Johnny was coming out of his office, and asked Tyler if he would like to go in and see the courtroom.  Of course he did, especially with an escort from this impressive, uniformed man.  They spent about 5 minutes in the courtroom.  When Tyler came out, he said "Papa, I saw where the judge sits.  You don't ever want to get into trouble and go in there!"

I think that defines Bossier City Marshal Johnny Wyatt, and Johnny Wyatt the man, as well as anything I can think of.

Johnny, thanks for your service.  You will be missed.

Have a Sleepy Bubble before you get your Sugar Bugs cleaned out

You have to read this at The Norla Blog, so you will understand how to make your children’s trip to the Dentist a positive and happy one. Newspeak at the Dentist

Bossier City Marshal Johnny Wyatt killed in car crash

I'm sad to report that Bossier City Marshal Johnny Wyatt has been killed in a one car crash.
The accident happened at I-220 and Shed Road.

I'll put in more details as they become available.

Over the top or on target?

Senator David Vitter's latest ad is raising some hackles in the immigrant community, with some saying that he is playing on racist stereotypes.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana is unhappy with the ad.
What do you think, over the top or right on target?

I know it's just a coincidence, but . .

Couldn't pass up this screenshot of a news story about Mayor Cedric Glover.  What's with the ad just to the right of the article?  I know, coincidence.  Right?

Texas pastor endorses David Melville in 4th District Race

Today David Melville, congressional candidate in Louisiana’s 4th District, accepted the endorsement of his campaign by Don Piper, minister and bestselling author of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
“I am honored and humbled to receive the support of a very good friend and fellow pastor,” Melville said. “Don’s story is one of hope and perseverance, and through his ministry, he has touched the lives of millions. I believe we could use more hope and kindness in our politics, and I hope to have the opportunity to represent the people of this district with positive leadership in Congress.”
“David has been a unifying force in churches and in this community,” said Piper. “Even though I’m a Republican, I didn’t hesitate in supporting him because we need to send someone with David’s heart to Washington. Congress has stopped working as it should, but we can get it back on the right track with people like David Melville.”
Piper, a native of Bossier City, lives in the Houston area.  Piper's book has been met with controversy from some who believe that what he went through was a 'near death' experience, and from others who claim he is a fraud.  Google the book if you are interested in more.
The first video is of a Piper appearance on The 700 Club, the other is more recent.

The World's Finest Projection Equipment

Kind of speaks for itself.

Lucky Les, how does he do it?

From The Hayride

Election 2010: Roundup

Caroline Fayard

The race for Lieutenant Governor will be decided on November 2nd in a runoff between Republican Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and Democrat Caroline Fayard. Dardenne had 28% of the vote to Fayard’s 24%. Sammy Kershaw came in 3rd with 19%.

Fayard is a New Orleans attorney and a political newcomer.

Kershaw did carry Bossier Parish with 32% of the vote to Dardenne’s 24%.

To no one’s surprise, the race for Shreveport mayor will be decided in a runoff between Democrat Cedric Glover and Republican Bryan Wooley. Glover garnered 45% of the vote to Wooley’s 31%. Roy Burrell, backed by Greg Tarver and Keith Hightower, only polled 13%.

So a Lawyer and a Banker walk into a bar . . .
Well, not really, but that was too good to pass up. In the race to replace Wayne Waddell in the state legislature, Shreveport attorney Alan Seabaugh handily won with 5,085 votes to Banker Harold Turner’s 3,778 and will represent the 5th District in Baton Rouge.

The Shreveport City Council races shape up as follows:
District A: Runoff between Rose McCulloch & C. O. Simpkins to replace Calvin Lester.
District B: Runoff between Jeff Everson & Sheva Sims for the seat now held by Monty Walford. In the last election, Walford edged out Sheva Sims by just 6 votes
District C: Oliver Jenkins won with 84% of the vote over Jake Toloso
District D: In the seat that Bryan Wooley vacated in order to run for mayor, Phillip Templeton & Michael Corbin will be in a runoff
District G: Sam Jenkins will replace Joyce Bowman.

Bossier School Board
Allison Brigham, Tammy Smith, Jack Raley and Eddy Ray Presley will be returning to the Bossier Parish School Board. The closest race was District 9, where Presley defeated Ed Jackson by only 4 votes.
In District 11 Barbara Rudd defeated incumbent Lindell Webb with 55% of the vote to Webb’s 45%. Rudd was the only candidate, to my knowledge, who said she favored the roll-forward in the tax millage rate, which was nixed by the board last month.
Sandra Darby will replace her brother (Julian I think, I get them mixed up!) in District 10.
District 12 – Wow! Kay Padgett Byrd got exactly 50% of the vote for this seat, with 556 votes. Martin Bourgeois had 338 votes and Mike Tucker 218 votes. 338 + 218 votes = 556 votes. One more vote for Byrd and she would have been elected outright.
In the only other Bossier Parish race, Kenneth Stiles won election as Plain Dealing Alderman.

Caddo Parish School Board
District 2: Runoff Jasmine Green & Lyndon B. Johnson
District 3: Willie Burton elected with 72%
District 5: Curtis Hooks elected with 52% out of a field of three candidates.

Other Caddo Parish races
Mooringsport Mayor – Lynn Porter
Vivian Mayor – Stephen Taylor
Belcher Mayor – Jennifer Fant
Ryan Nelson – Chief of Police Vivian
John D. Stone - Chief of Police Gilliam
Belton Moore & Jim Slagle will be in a runoff for Vivian alderman-at-large.
The other races for Vivian Alderman:
Ward 1 – Pete Shepard
Ward 2 - Michael Van Schoick
Ward 3 – Runoff between Judy Wilson & Jamie Clifton
Ward 4 – Raymond Earl Williams

All results are as reported by the Louisiana Secretary of State

Glover, Wooley in runoff for Shreveport Mayor

Glover 46%
Wooley 31%

Election Results - School Board

UPDATE: Jack Raley returns after defeating Mike Dooley.

UPDATE:  Barbara Rudd has defeated incumbent Lindell Webb in District 11.
Kay Padgett Byrd and Martin Bourgeois will meet in a runoff on Nov. 2.

UPDATE:  In District 9 with all precincts reporting, incumbent Eddy Ray Presley has 192 votes to 189 for Ed Jackson.
Kay Padgett Byrd is ahead in District 12, but a runoff could develop.
In District 11 Barbara Rudd is on the verge of defeating incumbent Lindell Webb.  One precinct is still out, but the vote is 391-348.

Allison Brigham has been re-elected in District 3.
Tammy Smith has been re-elected in District 4.
Glen Bullard has been elected in District 6.
Sandra Darby has been elected in District 10.

The other races are too close to call or too incomplete.
Sammy Kershaw is looking very, very good in Bossier Parish.
Cedric Glover is hovering around 49% in Shreveport with about 1/3 of the votes in.  If he can get 50% plus 1 vote he will be elected ouright.

Candidates working to the end

The polls will close in less than 2 hours and we will start getting some results.  Meantime, candidates are campaigning until the last minute.
Top photo: Dana Bruhnke campaign workers meet on Youree Drive this morning.
Bottom Photo: Bryan Wooley supporters at Walker Road and Mansfield Road.





Tigers Play & Election Day - Louisiana Sports in Full Swing

The Tennessee Volunteers come to Tiger Stadium and it's election day to boot.

Election notes - includes links to Bossier School Board candidate interviews

Just a few observations about the election tomorrow.
Lt. Governor
We will come up with two final choices for Lt. Governor, as I don’t foresee anyone getting a plurality of votes.
My prediction is that the runoff on November 2 will be between Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and Sammy Kershaw.
I like Sammy Kershaw, who in his own words is ‘the only one running for Lt. Governor. Kershaw believes, and we all know, that the other candidates are trying to position themselves for a run for governor when Bobby Jindal steps up or out.
"So what that's telling me is, I'm the only one running for lieutenant governor. I don't need to wake up and pick up the phone every morning and ask, 'Is he dead yet?'"
The Shreveport Mayor’s race
Tomorrow will likewise give us runoff candidates for the Shreveport Mayor’s spot. Cedric Glover will be there, and either Bryan Wooley or David Cox.  I have believed all along that Cox was one to watch.
Back in August I made the following comment on Gerry Mays’ blog:
Jim
I think Cox is the one to watch. My prediction for the general would be Cox vs Glover.
That being said, my 'prediction record' is not exactly stellar.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 5:37:17 PM
Of course, predicting any election is a fool's errand, but it is fun and be honest, we all do it.
The Bossier School Board Race
The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party has contacted every candidate in the contested seats in this race, and every candidate has submitted themselves to an interview except for one. Rick Ganey in District 6 did not respond to their request.
Check out your district and find out where your candidate stands on some important issues facing the board. 
As of the time that I'm publishing this, all the interviews are posted except for District 9.  Check the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party website for updates and look on the left side of the webpage.  Evodna Springer and Matt Sciba did a great job on these interviews.
UPDATE:  District 9 interview with Ed Jackson is now up.

District 1
• Mike Dooley
• Dr. Jack Raley
District 2
• Incumbent Unopposed
District 3
• Allison Brigham
• Morgan Johnson
District 4
• Jo Jo Hamiter
• Tammy Smith
District 5
• Incumbent Unopposed
District 6
• Glen Bullard
• Rick Ganey NO RESPONSE
District 7
• Incumbent Unopposed
District 8
• Incumbent Unopposed
District 9
•
•
District 10
• Sandra Darby
• Lonzo Scheffield III
District 11
• Barbara Rudd
• Lindell Webb
District 12
• Martin Bourgeois
• Kay Padgett Byrd
• Mike Tucker