More on the school transfer policy

I received this comment on the post the other day about out of district transfers in the Bossier School system.

• I am very surprised that you didn't do your homework on this. You need to get the facts of how many people apply for out-of-district, how many are approved, and how many are denied. One of the cases that you are referring to involves a monther that lives in Bradley, Arkansas and works at the Bossier Parish courthouse with Schyler Marvin. HE issued a court order for the child, for no apparent reason other than the mother works for him. Who is doing favors?? Ms. Hays DID NOT deny her, she sent the paperwork in. The mother, impatient, started this whole mess when she was not notified that the child could be enrolled. The child's father lives in Blanchard. I'm sure that every person that wanted to be approved will LOVE to hear that someone from Arkansas can go to a Bossier school because of who she works for. I think that some things need to be clarified. Ms. Hays has worked in the parish for years, and has worked up through the ranks. She has not ever been given favors, and most people who work with her love her. She is a hard worker and she has a lot of responsibility. I have always thought that you have a fair, un-opinionated blog, but this is the worst I have ever seen. This is a matter of public record. How many people think that it is fair that someone can come in from out-of-state and attend our schools, not pay our TAXES, not vote in our area, but benefit from our educational system? Just because she works with the DA and can get a court order? I think you need to do a little more investigating Jim...

This was my reply.

• I do try to be fair to all sides, and I will investigate it further.

I did dig into that case a little deeper.  The mother does live in Arkansas now, but shares custody with her husband on a 'week on, week off' basis.  I don't know who she works for, but if you say she works for the DA, I will accept that.  You go on to say that "HE (Schuyler) issued a court order for the child, for no apparent reason other than the mother works for him."
First of all, the District Attorney cannot issue a court order.  The orders that were issued were signed by Judge Robinson, in response to arrangements worked out between the parents and their attorneys.
I already quoted from the order issued which said "that the child be enrolled in Benton Elementary School for the school year beginning in August of 2009, and “continuing until further order of this court”.
There was a fax from one of the attorneys stating that it was understood with Judge Robinson that if there was a problem with the school district, the child would be enrolled in a school near the parents.
Apparently, there was not a problem.  The child attended school for the full year.
The parents were told in June of this year that a new court order would have to be issued every year.
Apparently someone in the system did not find Judge Robinson's wording “continuing until further order of this court” acceptable.  On June 28th a new court order was petitioned for and signed.
It was at this point that Mrs. Hays refused to honor the court order.
Mrs. Hays' superiors overruled her, from my understanding, and honored the court order.
An order from the court is not a 'suggestion' that you do something.  When a judge signs the order, you do it.  The school board had legal recourse if they wanted to appeal that ruling.
Finally, you said  "Ms. Hays has worked in the parish for years, and has worked up through the ranks. She has not ever been given favors, and most people who work with her love her. She is a hard worker and she has a lot of responsibility."
I'm not disputing what you say, but I am disputing her right to ignore a court order.

Mayoral Forum Monday night in Southern Hills

Best Political Ad Ever

Okay, so it's from Canada, but you gotta love it.

Vitter, Melancon win primary nods

Oh wait, the polls don't close until 8PM.  Think I'll stick with the headline though.
I am very interested in seeing how many people vote in the first ever Libertarian primary.

UPDATE:  It will be Vitter and Melancon.  In the 4th District congressional race Bossier City Minister David Melville won the nod from Democrats to face off against incumbent John Fleming.
Melville is former governor Buddy Roemer's brother-in-law.

Benton challenging Haughton for Trashy arrest of the week

Anthony Clint Rowell

Christina Michelle Lewis

Two people were arrested late Thursday night for domestic abuse battery, said Bossier Sheriff Larry Deen.

Christina Michelle Lewis, 30, and Anthony Clint Rowell, 29, both of the 300 block of Alden Bridge Loop in Benton, were taken into custody after they got into an argument over a dog. Lewis, who is Rowell’s ex-girlfriend, told Bossier Sheriff’s deputies she had been living with Rowell and his current girlfriend for about four days. Lewis said the verbal argument turned into a physical confrontation.

Lewis said she hit Rowell, and they both hit and pushed each other. Rowell and his current girlfriend confirmed that the argument did get physical and that Rowell and Lewis hit and pushed each other.

Lewis and Rowell were transported to the Bossier Maximum Security Facility and booked. Their bonds are pending.

From Bossier Parish Sheriff

Wait a minute.

Artist's rendering of a dog - no photo available

Lewis, who is Rowell’s ex-girlfriend, told Bossier Sheriff’s deputies she had been living with Rowell and his current girlfriend for about four days.

Okay, this is where the rocket scientist part comes in.  Did any of the three have a clue, just a hint, that this might lead to a problem?

Kerr walkway will re-open Monday

Just to update on the Kerr walkway, District 3 Councilman Don Williams tells me it will re-open Monday.
It will be open from 7:25 AM until 8:20 AM, and again from 2:40 PM to 3:15 PM.

Four people arrested for for Promoting Prostitution, Drugs, Money Laundering, Racketeering

Four people were arrested last night following a four-month investigation conducted by the Bossier Sheriff’s Office, said Bossier Sheriff Larry Deen. The charges range from the promotion of prostitution to distribution of drugs to money laundering to racketeering.
“When people cross the line and break the law in Bossier Parish, there is a price to pay,” said Deen. “Our investigators and our undercover narcotics agents patiently worked this case and have taken down some criminals who thought they were above the law. But, the truth is, no one is above the law.”
Arthur J. Mathews, 52, of the 500 block of Glenwood, was charged with two counts of distribution of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance, one count of a Schedule IV controlled dangerous substance, five counts of pandering, five counts of promoting prostitution and five counts of money laundering.
Tara Marie Echols, 39, also of the 500 block of Glenwood, was charged with one count of distribution of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance, three counts of pandering, three counts of promoting prostitution, three counts of money laundering and one count of racketeering.
Raymond H. Moore, 55, of the 300 block of Crosscreek, was charged with one count of racketeering, eight counts of money laundering, two counts of the illegal carrying of weapons with a controlled dangerous substance, eight counts of the distribution of Lortab, three counts of the distribution of Soma and two counts of the distribution of Xanax.
Danielle Wood, 31, of the 2600 block of West Cavett, was charged with one count of marijuana possession.
Bossier Sheriff’s investigators say the agency’s undercover narcotics agents bought drugs from Mathews, Echols and Moore at various times during the investigation. On several occasions, Mathews and Nichols offered to provide prostitutes for the agents.
Mathews owned a limousine company, Executive Rides, and Echols was a driver for him. Mathews and Moore owned a number of taxi cabs that were subcontracted by Action Taxi of Bossier City. Mathews, Echols and Moore often provided their fares with drugs, while Mathews and Echols also sometimes provided prostitutes. Bossier Sheriff’s investigators say the owner of Action Taxi was unaware of the illegal activities that Mathews and Moore were conducting in the cabs.
So far, the Bossier Sheriff’s Office, under court seizure, has impounded fourteen taxi cabs and one limousine, and is in the process of attempting to seize Mathews’ residence and Moore’s residence. The vehicles and the houses are being seized because they were used in the illegal acquisition of revenue from drugs and prostitution. As the investigation continues, more seizures are expected.
All four arrestees are being held at the Bossier Maximum Security Facility. Mathews’ bond has been set at $205,000, Echols’ at $130,000, Moore’s at $260,000 and Wood’s at $500.
From Bossier Parish Sheriff

Don't vote. You'll only encourage them.

No one knows who originated it, but the title of this post is one of my favorite political quotes.
Now to the point.
Our representative, Dr. John Fleming of Minden, appeared with David Vitter to speak to the Republican Women of Bossier. His speech is catching some attention (mainly from Democrats) around the country for this statement:
"We have two competing world views here and there is no way that we can reach across the aisle -- one is going to have to win," Fleming said.
“We are either going to go down the socialist road and become like western Europe and create, I guess really a godless society, an atheist society. Or we're going to continue down the other pathway where we believe in freedom of speech, individual liberties and that we remain a Christian nation. So we're going to have to win that battle, we're going to have to solve that argument before we can once again reach across and work together on things.”
Fleming went in two years ago in a squeaker of a general election when he defeated Paul Carmouche. This time, he has no serious opposition. He will win in a landslide.
If you don’t like him, don’t blame me. Just stating the facts.
As an interesting side note, term limited State Representative Jane Smith was there. A couple of people are already jockeying for position to take her seat in the legislature. As far as I know, only one has made his intentions pretty clear, and that is Duke Lowrie. Next year will be interesting.
Now back to, well, now.
Down in the 3rd congressional district things are getting heated.
There is a three way race for the Republican nomination. The best known candidate is Hunt Downer, former Democratic Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
The Tea Party of Louisiana (which really isn’t THE Tea Party of Louisiana, but a local organization), has started an internet assault on Downer.
It’s called “Down with Downer’. That’s original. Just a thought here, since John Fleming owns a whole gaggle of UPS stores could he cash in on ‘Up with UPS’?
Okay, I’m sorry, I said it was just a thought.
Anyway, the Tea Party of Louisiana (but not really) put up this YouTube video accusing Downer of being a ‘RINO’.

Chris Comeaux, a lead organizer of the Tea Party of Louisiana, said "You can't let candidates out there claim the tea party banner when time and time again they've voted for big government," Comeaux said. "There is no gray area here. You're either following the founders' view of a limited government or you're not."
Downer apparently upset some people when he canceled his commitment to attend a tea party forum last week in Gonzales sponsored by the Baton Rouge Tea Party and the Tea Party of Louisiana.
Downer campaign manager Buddy Boe said his boss "has great respect for the tea party" and has enjoyed speaking to party voters over the course of the campaign. He noted that the Gonzales debate was "sponsored by a group outside the district."
Yep, it’s that season and Lord help me, I love it.

Walker Place Yes, Curb Cut No?

Marty Carlson had an article in Fax Net Update this week about the Walker Place Development. For those who are not familiar with the proposed development, here are the basics.
In 2005 the City sold a 24.8 acre tract in south Bossier to U. L. Coleman Company for development. The original plan for the development of the property did not include a curb-cut to Arthur Ray Teague Parkway, and the only access was Walker Place.
After Coleman purchased an adjacent tract of land, they acquired access to Barksdale Boulevard.
At that point Coleman decided to expand the scope of the development to include not only townhouses and apartments, but a commercial development as well.  In 2006 they asked for a curb cut on the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway, so that they could have 3-way access into the development.
The City Council said no, and voted that there would be no new curb cuts on the parkway as it was designed to facilitate traffic and not be used for ingress/egress.
After a couple of years of negotiation, Coleman filed suit against the city in U. S. District court on December 26, 2008.
The case is still ongoing.
Appearing at a meeting at Friendship Methodist Church last week that attracted about a dozen people, developer Linc Coleman said “The city is playing Russian roulette. If the city wins, they kill a billion-dollar economic development and they will spend well over a million dollars doing it,” said Coleman. “If they lose, they spend well over a million dollars doing it.”  Coleman says that between 1,400 & 1,950 jobs will be created in the development.
City Council President David Jones says “The people are only hearing one side because we cannot speak until this is out of litigation,” said Jones. “All I can say is they might be careful on how much they can believe until they hear the other side.”
It seems pretty obvious that the case will be settled in court. If 3 years of negotiations between Coleman and the city didn’t produce any results, it’s doubtful that a solution will pop up while the case is being litigated.
Marty summed up her article with this: “Walker Place Development is an excellent addition to south Bossier.
A curb cut for the development is a supremely poor idea.”

Bossier Parish Schools need to clarify transfer policy

The Bossier Parish School system seems to be having some issues in dealing with ‘out of district’ transfers. Below is an excerpt from the Student Handbook issued by the school system dealing with these transfers.
I have been made aware of several cases in which it appears that the decision not to allow enrollment was made without good cause, and in some cases in defiance of direct court orders.
The first and simplest was a mother from the northern part of the parish who wanted to put her daughter in school in Benton where she works, so she could deliver her to school and pick her up from school. To my untrained eye, it seems that this would fall under Section B below. She was denied outright by Debbie Hays, Supervisor of Special Programs.
Another case resulted from the same reason, with a different twist. The board now requires a provisional custody to an after school caregiver signed by a judge in order to enroll in a different district. In this case, the judge signed the order and Ms. Hays refused to honor it. On inquiring about it, I found that the child has been enrolled due to the intervention of the Superintendent.
The third case involves a custody case in which the judge ordered that the child be enrolled in Benton Elementary School for the school year beginning in August of 2009, and “continuing until further order of this court”. The child was enrolled, attended and was prepared to return in 2010. In June of 2010 Ms. Hays told the parent that a new court order would be required every year, despite the wording of the original order. Rather than argue the point, the person requested, and the judge signed, another order.
Ms. Hays refused to honor the court order and would not enroll the child.
Attorney Lane Pittard filed suit on behalf of the parent, naming the Bossier Parish School Board and Debbie Hays as defendants. The suit asked for injunctive relief from the court and for a temporary restraining order until the matter could be heard on August 26th.
The suit said, among other things,

• “However, Debbie Hays, Supervisor of Special Programs, Bossier Parish School Board, has repeatedly refused to follow said Orders of this Honorable Court and informed the father of the minor child, namely (name omitted), that she would not permit the minor child to be enrolled in Benton Elementary.”

The suit was filed on July 28th. School Board President Bill Kostelka was served with the suit on August 4th. On August 12th, Mr. Pittard requested that the matter be removed from the docket for August 26th, “as the parties have resolved the issues’.  As I understand it, the 'parties' decided to enroll the child.
I’m not picking on Debbie Hays, but she is the Supervisor of Special Programs and is charged with dealing with these transfers, and she was the person who refused to honor the court order.
How about Citizens Privilege?
Pittard argued in his petition to the court that the ‘employees privilege’ policy of the board (see 'C' below), in which an employee of the system is allowed to enroll their child at the school where they work, violates the equal protection clause of the State Constitution.
Apparently the folks at the school board haven’t noticed that in the last 40 years or so people are not pleased when public employees enjoy privileges that ordinary citizens don’t have.  I personally don't have a problem with teachers enrolling their children in the school where they work.  I also don't have a problem with any parent enrolling their child in a school near their work when it is out of the district in which they live.
The board needs to clarify their policy on transfers and make it consistent. Don’t allow certain people to transfer their kids when other people, who meet the same criteria, are denied.
Out-of-District Student Transfer Policy
(from the Students Handbook)
The Bossier Parish School Board’s intent is that all students attend their
neighborhood schools, but the Board permits out-of-district transfers for school
attendance for the following reasons:
A. Majority-to-Minority- A majority-to-minority (M/M) transfer is defined as a transfer by a student attending a school in which his/her race is in the majority chooses to attend another school, where space is available and where his/her race is in the minority.
B. Child Tending Services-(Grades K-6 Only)-A child tending transfer is defined to be the transfer of a K-6 student from one school to another school located in close proximity to any agency or individual (whose address is appropriate for NEW school) providing before school and/or after school care for a student. Before a child tending transfer may be granted, it must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of school system officials that the single parent or both parents work outside the home and that the agency/individual assigned child care responsibilities before and/or after school actually provides such full time services.
C. Employee Privilege-Any employee of the Bossier Parish School Board has the right to request a transfer for his child which would allow the child to attend the school (primary) at which the employee works or the grade level school appropriate in the same attendance zone. Such employee privilege transfer request must be made at the beginning of each school year or at the time of employment at each particular school site and will last for the remainder of that particular school year.
D. Family Hardship-Family hardship is defined as an event or circumstance that would place a student in physical, mental, or academic jeopardy. Appropriate documentation of the hardship must be provided to school system officials. A student’s after-school work or child care concerns is not considered a family hardship nor is participation of the student in school co-curricular or extracurricular activities. A student is allowed to pre-enroll in a school for a period of ninety (90) days if valid proof that a bona fide move into the attendance district will occur before the end of the ninety-day (90) period.
E. Medical Reason- Medical hardship is defined as a severe and/or life threatening medical problem of a student necessitating placement of the student in a particular school for immediate receipt of medical attention. Before a medical hardship transfer will be granted, the child’s treating physician or other medical health care provider must specify in writing why the medical needs of the student mandate transfer of that student to another school. School system officials reserve the right to request additional medical information in the event that they find the information submitted by parents in conjunction with such request to be incomplete or insufficient.
F. Senior Privilege-If, after a student’s eleventh (11th) grade year, his home attendance zone changes, that student has the right to request a transfer back to the school where he completed the eleventh (11th) grade.
G. Intervention-initiated by school system officials. If school system officials feel that it is in the best interest of the school system to administratively transfer a student from one school to another, they shall have the right to do so even in cases where parents have not requested transfer of their children.
Out-of-district transfer applications are available at any school, the Bossier
Parish Resource Center, the Bossier Parish Evaluation Center, or the Bossier Parish
Central Office. Applications must be submitted to the Supervisor of Special Programs
for approval, and approval must be granted prior to enrollment. Requests are approved
for one (1) school year and must be renewed by application each year. In order to
determine the cumulative effect of transfers, the Bossier Parish School Board requires
all transfers to be submitted by the third (3rd) Monday in July, with the exception of
majority to minority transfers. Majority to minority applications must be submitted by the
last student attendance day of the school year. Only bona fide emergency transfers will
be considered after that date.

Kerr Elementary walkway will be open at designated times

District 3 Councilman Don Williams has worked with Mayor Walker to get a compromise agreement on opening the Kerr walkway for access during the morning and afternoon so students in Coleman Park can have safer access to the school.
The councilman and the mayor have worked out an agreement that seems to be acceptable to the majority of people concerned with the walkway both pro and con.
We will have more detailed information later and will update.

Bossier City Lightning

Great picture compliments of BCPD Officer Brandon Cobb.

Bossier School Board: On the path to squandering surplus?

The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party has been taking a look at the proposed budget.  Go to their website and read the article, it is very informative.
So what does it all mean? It means the Bossier Parish School Board incumbents running for office have proposed a tax increase while sitting on a $20 million surplus, have proposed a budget with a $5 Million deficit, and plan on paying for that deficit with a portion of the surplus.
Tea Party coordinators have requested interviews with all of the candidates for school board.  I am very anxious to see the results.
Another question for the school system
I will be looking this week at the issue of parents transferring their kids to a school near their work.  Personally, I'm not opposed.
My question is simply why are some people allowed to do this while others are not?  The policy on this seems to be as clear as mud, and we are in the process of exploring some actual cases of people who have - and have not - been allowed to make these transfers.

Bossier City Police Chief to be sworn in

It's finally official.  Monday morning at 8:30 Judge Tommy Wilson will swear in Shane McWilliams as the police chief of Bossier City.
McWilliams has been acting chief since April.

Congratulations and best wishes to the new chief.

Candidate Forum: Sammy Kershaw, Lieutenant Governor

The second post in the Candidate Interview Series of the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party, this interview features Lt. Governor Candidate Sammy Kershaw. The interview was conducted in Shreveport, Louisiana with SBTP Coordinating Team Members Evodna Springer and Matt Sciba. Also present was Kershaw campaign staffer, Amy Jones.

My opinion: In addition to serving on various boards and commissions, the Lieutenant Governor also serves as Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. This has been the primary emphasis of the office in recent years.

Sammy Kershaw is uniquely fitted to serve in this capacity.
He has also stated that if the Governor left office for any reason and he had to assume the governorship, he would call a special election to fill the position, and that he would not be a candidate for the office.
Read the complete interview at Vote the Record, it’s interesting and informative.

Candidate Forum: Roger Villere, Lieutenant Governor

Roger Villere

As part of the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party Candidate Interview Series, Roger Villere, ( R ), candidate for Lt. Governor of Louisiana, was personally interviewed relative to his positions and campaign on Tuesday, August 17, 2010, by Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party Coordinating Team Members Evodna Springer and Rob Gaudet.
Just a couple of thoughts on the interview.
Villere appears (to me at least), to be concerned about Sammy Kershaw’s candidacy.
Villere stated that Kershaw wants to “grow government” by allowing the state to build and control “stages” and entertainment sites “around the state”, instead of allowing “free enterprise” to dictate these entertainment venues.
I checked Kershaw's website, which is pretty complete on his stands on the issues, and I could only find this:
In recent years, producers of big stage musicals and plays have adopted a system of out of state “tryouts” before bringing shows to Broadway. With the Saengar Theater set to reopen next year and with large theaters available in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Shreveport, we should be capitalizing on these multimillion dollar productions and offering tax credits to make Louisiana the Broadway of the South.
Judge for yourself, I'll admit that I'm partial to Kershaw.
Villere ended the interview by saying “No one ever asked me these kinds of questions.” 
That bodes well for the interviews to come.
Ms. Springer has a synopsis of the interview on Vote The Record, go over there and read the whole thing.

Robbery at First Baptist Bossier

Just happened a few minutes ago.  You know, First Baptist - right across from the police station.
Suspect(s) are in custody.  When I get some details, I will provide them.

UPDATED:  It was called in as a burglary, and appears that someone unknown to anyone in the church walked in a side door, when confronted said he was looking for a restroom.  He was arrested, not sure if trespassing or remaining when forbidden.

Candidate Forum: Bryan Wooley, Mayor of Shreveport

Wooley Announces Plan For Shreveport Fire Department

Continues to Outline Ways to Increase Public Safety While Saving Taxpayer Dollars

Bryan Wooley, candidate for Shreveport Mayor, followed up his crime plan, released two weeks ago, with a plan to bring the Shreveport Fire Department up to date, guarantee safety for every citizen, save the city money and guarantee no job loss for firefighters.
“There is no doubt that our fire department’s budget is strained, but the demand for services continues to increase. We need to address the current costly finance methods and policies and put into practice new methods that will save the taxpayers money, increase public safety and ensure not one fireman loses their job,” said Wooley. “This plan is a blueprint for Shreveport’s Fire Department of the Future, allowing for the efficient delivery of fire service and providing for pay raises for the brave men and women who run into burning buildings when everyone else is running out.”
A Strategic Plan For Shreveport’s Fire Safety
Wooley’s plan focuses on four areas that will strengthen fiscal capacity, enhance operational efficiency and improving risk management:
Regional Training / Career Development
Reduce SFD training costs
Create an enterprise financing system to fund training services
Generate revenue through educational product marketing
Enhance ability to secure grant funding
Fleet and Equipment Management
Utilize a more cost efficient life-cycle funding method
Replace bond financing with tax exempt municipal lease/purchase financing
Reduce fuel consumption significantly
Reduce fleet cost due to specification revisions
Personnel and Compensation Management
Eliminate recruitment costs
Enhance staffing capabilities by utilizing comp time management strategies
Develop cost effective pay schedule funding methods
Administrative Accountability
Integrate performance and efficiency standards into policy development
Develop collaborative relationships with public and private agencies and institutions
Offer clarity in defining federal/state mandates
Streamline administrative and operational functions
Fiscal Impact
The cost reductions and revenue generating objectives of this plan represent a beneficial fiscal impact of $4 to $6 million dollars to the city of Shreveport.
To read more about Bryan Wooley’s plan to Secure Shreveport’s Future, visit http://www.bryanwooley.com/.
If you are a candidate for any office and want to get your message out, email me with a few paragraphs about why you believe you should be elected and we will publish it. Send it to mybossier@gmail.com.

Sammy Kershaw headed to Bossier

Sammy Kershaw, candidate for Lt. Governor, will be visiting Bossier Parish tomorrow morning. He’ll be at the Bossier Parish Courthouse at 11:30 and will be available to take questions.

Bossier City K-9 Bronco Passes Away

Officer Justin Dunn and Bronco

Bossier City K-9 Bronco passed away Sunday. He will be laid to rest on the grounds of the Shreveport Police Academy where he trained every week.

I found a link to an old report from 2008 about Bronco and his handler, Officer Justin Dunn. I thought it might be interesting to share it.

• At approximately 10:30 p.m. Thursday, K-9 officer Justin Dunn and his dog Bronco were at the intersection of Benton Road and Broadway Drive when officer Dunn saw a Jeep Cherokee squealing its tires and fishtail as it turned from Benton Road onto Northside Drive. As officer Dunn drove down Northside Drive in an attempt to initiate a traffic stop, the SUV turned around in a driveway, squealed its tires again and came toward the officer's cruiser. Officer Dunn stopped, got out of his cruiser and tried to stop the SUV but the driver accelerated toward him forcing officer Dunn to jump out of the way. Officer Dunn pursued the SUV through the neighborhood where it went through a yard and ran a stop sign before it heading north onto Benton Road. The SUV then pulled into the parking lot of the North Pointe Apartment complex in the 2600 block of Benton Road and in doing so hit a curb causing a tire to blow out. Once in the parking lot, the driver, later identified as 21-year old Rodney M. Whiteside, Jr. of Bossier City, got out of the SUV and ran away on foot as other officers arrived to assist. Officer Dunn gave several commands for Whiteside to stop or his dog would be deployed. Whiteside refused to stop at which time Bronco was sent and subsequently caught Whiteside. During the confrontation Whiteside kicked Bronco. Bronco was not seriously injured. Whiteside was taken into custody and transported to LSU Hospital in Shreveport where he was treated for two dog bites.  Whiteside was later booked into the Bossier City Jail on charges of aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce, reckless operation, aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting an officer. He was also charged with remaining after being forbidden since officers learned he had been previously banned from the North Point Apartment complex.

This was one of many incidents in which Bronco faithfully did his duty, despite the kicks and fighting he had to deal with.
Bronco, you won’t be kicked any more. Rest in Peace.

A Police Dogs Prayer

Oh almighty God,

whose great power and eternal

wisdom embraces the universe,

watch over my handler while I sleep.

Protect my handler from harm

while I am unable to do so.

I pray, help keep our streets and homes

safe while my handler and I rest.

I ask for your loving care because

my handler's duty is dangerous.

Grant my handler your unending strength

and courage in our daily assignments.

Dear God,

protect my brave handler,

grant your almighty protection,

unite my handler safely with the family

after the tour of duty has ended.

I ask nothing for myself.

Amen.

Author Unknown

Councilman Williams will work for solution to Kerr walkway

District 3 City Council member Don "Bubba" Williams says that he had no prior knowledge of the closure of the walkway from the Coleman Park neighborhood to R. V. Kerr Elementary.

Williams asked the city administration to consider a plan opening the walkway in the morning and afternoon for the elementary school kids, but was told no. 

That doesn't mean that he is quitting, however.  He said that he will keep working for his constituents and seek an equitable solution.

We will keep you updated.

Three brothers killed over video game

A 33 year old Shreveport man has been arrested for gunning down 3 brothers, aged 20, 18 & 13 because he thought they stole an X-Box from his girlfriend. All three were dead at the scene.
Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator said "You can have all the tent revivals you want and ask people to not be violent and go to classes, but you can't get through to some of these idiots. No amount of patrol cars could have stopped this. The only thing that could have stopped this is if he wasn't born.
I've been doing this 37 years and looking at bodies, and it gets old."
Marcus Donte' Reed is being charged with 3 counts of 1st degree murder.
The victims were identified as Jean Adams, Jarquis Adams & Jeremiah Adams.
KTBS has the complete story

Kerr Elementary walkway closure upsetting parents

The Kerr walkway – the fenced walkway that goes for one block from Oliver Street to June Lane, has been arbitrarily closed by the city.

KTBS has a video here.

Bossier City spokesman Mark Natale says that vandalism was the problem, kids climbing the fence and turning on someone’s water and kids throwing eggs.

I was told by a resident of Coleman Park that they had a problem with an ‘egg thrower’ back in April and May, but it was all over the neighborhood.
I would like to have more information from the city, so today I obtained the addresses of the four houses that sit beside the walkway. I will attempt to get police records of the egg throwing incidents at those locations. I would be interested to know if the city is alleging that the elementary kids from Kerr threw the eggs in the morning on the way to school or did they keep them for the entire school day and throw them in the afternoon?
Any reports that we can obtain will have the times of the incidents listed so that should be helpful.
You can look at the map and see why the parents are upset.  The straight red line denotes the walkway.  As you can tell, kids in the neighborhood have always been able to use to walkway as a direct path to school.  The arrows indicate the route that they will be required to take after the closing.  They could walk over to Northgate Road, but it has no sidewalks and slopes down from the roadway.
I sent an email earlier to 3rd District City Councilman Don "Bubba" Williams to get his thoughts on the closure.  When I hear back from him, I will update this and share his answer with you.

Meeting to address Walker Place Development in South Bossier

Linc Coleman, developer of the prospective Walker Place mixed-use development, will update the South Bossier Community at Fellowship United Methodist Church, located at 4750 Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City, near Bodacious Bar-B-Q on Thursday, Aug. 19th @ 6:30 pm. All are invited to attend.
David Melville, pastor of Fellowship United Methodist Church stated, "There are problems to be resolved in any great effort. I urge all involved to resolve any access issues preventing development of Walker Place so that we in South Bossier can reap the benefits of jobs, housing, shopping, dining and more. Let the visionaries do what they do best, for we have seen time and time again that our world would be less alive without them."
Walker Place is estimated to provide: $150 Million in investment, $500 Million economic impact, and 1,400  - 1,950 employees to be housed on the development.
Walker Place would provide much needed activities such as parks and retail and restaurants.
LSUS Economic Impact Study - Walker Place Development

Former Bossier City Police Officer arrested

Former Bossier City Police officer James “Jeff” Cole was arrested yesterday and charged with DWI. He refused a breathalyzer and bonded out on the charge.
Cole was arrested again today on a charge resulting from a domestic incident that occurred overnight. At this point I am not sure what charges are involved.
Cole is already facing charges of false imprisonment, simple battery, and simple property damage. He was arrested in early July after police received a complaint he hit his mother and then kept her from leaving the house. At the time of that arrest he was on leave for what police called an unrelated matter.
After a police investigation at that time, he was terminated from the department.

Still no answers from Rock Solid

If you have been hiding for the last couple of weeks and aren’t aware of the incident at Rock Solid Day Camp at Calvary Baptist Church between a 14 year old and an 8 year old, you can read what I wrote about it here and here.
Apparently, the parties involved are just hoping it will go away. They still have not reached out to parents.
Calvary has announced that Rock Solid will not be holding their after school care on Calvary property, as was planned. 
Which brings up the first unanswered question, which would be licensing. Rock Solid apparently says that because they are a ‘camp’, they don’t have to be licensed. Yet their website says “Each camp is 1 week, however, many people use us as their means for summer childcare and there is a discount for a child attending multiple weeks.”
The second question is why were the 14 year old and the 8 year old off together in a locker room? Again, Rock Solid’s website says “Day Campers stay in a group all day with campers their same age . . . “.
This 8 year old was in someone’s charge. Who failed to properly supervise him?
Again, no answers.
Rock Solid’s motto is “"Seeking To Make An Impact, One Life At A Time". They certainly did it in this case.
There is a principle in law called res ipsa loquitur, which means, as I understand it “It speaks for itself”. In other words, it means that in some cases it becomes evident that responsibility lies with a certain party. If I am not totally accurate, maybe one of our attorney readers can clarify this.
I would say it applies in this case.
Rock Solid’s website has a discussion forum. Go over there and check out some of the entries.
Among the comments,
“A 14 year old is supposed to be in highschool, why is a highschooler around an 8 year old in this first place???
“……thanking God I did not let my child attend camp here.”
“You should be ASHAMED for letting these THUGS come into your camp AND letting 14 year olds mingle with 8 year olds!!!”
You’d better get on over there and read them, I have a feeling they won’t be up long.
In the Inquistor last week, Calvary Pastor Rick Edmonds was quoted as saying that the 8 year old had returned to Rock Solid and appeared to be doing fine.
I have a question about that. Seeing as he had just said “We don’t enroll the children. You know, again, this is totally Rock Solid. We don’t enroll their children. We don’t sit down with any parents. When I say they are a third party, I mean literally, we don’t do any of that. That totally is their organization so they take the kids. They enroll the kids. They get the payment from the parents. All that is handled 100% by Rock Solid.”
“ . .I had no knowledge about any of the children, I don’t even know anything about the 8 year old."
Except, apparently, that he returned to Rock Solid and appeared to be doing fine.
It would be interesting to know where Pastor Edmonds got this information and if he is 100% sure of its accuracy.

Bossier School system adding new positions

In my last post I had a couple of interesting comments.  Evodna Springer commented:
The Bossier District Attorney's Office has a separate, fully-staffed [taxpayer funded] office dedicated specifically to addressing the issues of early intervention for dropout prevention - the Bossier Truancy Center. Why does the School Board need to hire "graduation coaches, behavior coaches, and response for intervention coordinators", duplicating the services that the D.A.'s office already provides?
She included a link to a Times article that stated that Bossier Schools are adding 3 new coordinating postions:
1. Graduation Coaches
2  Behavior Coaches
3. Response for Intervention Coaches
I know I'm old and that things are quite different now, but I wonder if they really have to be?
When I was in school it was this way.
1. Graduation Coaches - were called teachers
2  Behavior Coaches - were called parents
3. Response for Intervention Coaches - See #2
Does this duplicate the work done by the Truancy center?  It would appear to.  I believe that every kid should have the opportunity for an education.  My question is at what point to we draw the line?  Why do we fight to keep high-schoolers attending when they refuse to learn, when their parents refuse to assist, and when they do nothing but create turmoil in the schools?
At what point do we draw the line and use our resources on the kids who are learning?
Yes, I know this is very politically incorrect.  So be it.
An extra thanks to the commenter who suggested that I publish the link to the Times article, your suggestion brought on this post.
Food for thought.

Bossier School Board Members respond to My Bossier

Lindell Webb

I blogged the other day about School Board candidate Barbara Rudd visiting Matt Sciba and saying that she is in favor of the tax millage roll forward. I give Ms. Rudd points for being open and aboveboard; she could have skirted the question. It will, after all, be voted on before she would take office, if elected.

I emailed her opponent, incumbent Lindell Webb, and he returned my email saying that he is opposed to the increase. Matt also sent an email that he had met Mr. Webb and he stated he is opposed.
I decided at that point to send out an email to the remaining school board members asking their views on the increase. In addition to Mr. Webb, I got four other replies.


Allison Brigham

Allison Brigham

I am currently calling a cross section of my constituents in Benton to get their opinion on the proposed millage. I am sure you are aware, as many of us are, that the taxes we are all about to incur across the governmental lines (City, parish, state, federal) are going to hurt a number of families. I will vote as my constituents ask me, I can do no less. We can work on trimming any fat in our budget, but we must give our children an excellent education and retain our quality teachers.
We are having an informational meeting on September 2, 2010 at 4:30 pm so that our constituents can be heard. We had tried to have it at the Bossier Instructional Center next to Airline High School, but unfortunately we were told we had to have the meeting where the majority of our meetings are held. Please know that all our meetings are open to the public. If you wish to address the Board, you will need to fill out a small form before the meeting starts to do so.

Tammy Smith

Tammy Smith

I am always available to discuss concerns. We are having our budget meeting next week. I will know more at that time what will be needed for the upcoming year. I know we have about 7.5 million of extra expenses for the upcoming year based on the opening of a new school, unfunded mandates, MFP cuts, retirement mandates, etc. We need to review the budget to see where we can cut and what our revenues are at present and projected. Then make the best decision for all involved. I will be happy to respond more following our meeting. Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions.



Bill Kostelka

Bill Kostelka

Our finance meeting is the 19th of this month and we will have more information then in order to make a prudent decision.

Eddy Presley

Eddy Presley

It depends on the money we will save or gain and how much it is going to cost

the taxpayers of Bossier City.

I appreciate their responses, as I know the readers of My Bossier do.

Jack Raley, Brad Bockhaus, Michael Mosura, J. W. Slack, Kenneth Wiggins, Julian Darby and Mack Knotts did not see fit to answer our email.

Candidate Forum: Morgan Johnson, Bossier School Board District 3

My name is Morgan Johnson. I am running for Bossier School Board in District 3 which is the Benton/Cypress Lake area. This is my first time to run for public office. There are several reasons why I chose to offer myself for this position. I see quality education as the best hope that our children have for their future. I believe that we need new leaders on the School Board who are not connected to the events of the past, whose only interest is quality education for our children, accountability from the Bossier School Board administrators and getting the most out of every penny of taxpayer money. I want to see transparency and all Bossier School Board business done in an honest ethical professional manner. My hope is that the next board will develop a vision for the future of Bossier Schools and where we want to be in the next 10, 20 or 30 years. We should continue and enhance the security programs that Chief Dison is in charge of as student/teacher/employee safety is of the utmost importance. I believe that we must hire and retain the very best teachers and support employees we can. We should provide our teachers with the resources and tools they need so they can educate our children in the best possible manner. I don't understand why we don't have air conditioned busses for our children to ride on and I feel this should have been addressed years ago. I believe that the Bossier School Board should have competent managers who will deliver quality education to our students, best return on taxpayer investments and deliver on board approved initiatives. I also think we should initiate quality continuous improvements programs to reduce costs and improve student achievement. I want to see the Bossier School systems run in such a way that we can achieve quality educational goals, reduce taxes and provide the taxpaying Bossier Parish citizen the government the best return on investment possible. I will always be grateful to the Bossier Parish School system as all my daughters were educated in the Bossier system and all have turned out to be productive citizens. I want to give back to a system that has given so much to my family and my wish is for all our Bossier school students to turn into productive educated citizens. I also hope that the Bossier Parish School system will never go through scandals and loose management practices of the past four years again and that all future boards will ensure our taxpayer dollars are put to best use by holding top managers accountable for every penny. I will work hard for our students and Bossier taxpayers.
If you are a candidate for any office and want to get your message out, email me with a few paragraphs about why you believe you should be elected and we will publish it. Send it to mybossier@gmail.com.

Trey Hutchison: End of Watch, August 11, 2004

On August 11, 2004, Bossier City Police Officer Trey Hutchison responded to a hang-up call on Jana Place and was ambushed when he walked to the door. He was shot twice in the back with a shotgun used by the suspect. The fatal rounds struck him in areas his vest did not protect.

A Police Officer's Prayer

Oh Lord, while I'm on my beat

May I know that you're with me,

And protect me as I go to guard

Other's lives and property.

Help me ignore those who scorn

And show me no respect,

But be mindful of all citizens

I've sworn to protect.

Be with my fellow officers

And guard their safety too.

May I always put duty first

In the work that I must do.

May I not disgrace the uniform

But bring pride to the badge I wear.

That I'd be a good policeman, Lord

Would be my only prayer.

Amen

Please take two minutes and listen to the video. 

Say a prayer for Officer Hutchison’s family.

Dr. Roquel Williams, Prophet

Sometimes I throw some links in a blog post, but rarely do I do a whole blog post for one link.  You have to go over to As Seen in Shreveport and check this one out.

Judge Cox accepts amended plea in Fite case

Judge Jeff Cox has accepted an amended plea in the Matthew Fite case. Fite pled guilty to Distribution of Methamphetines and was sentenced to 30 years, with no probation or parole for the first 2 years, subject to time served (which is just over 2 years).
To rehash the case a little, Fite bought drugs from Paul Martin and then gave Dorothy Gail Wilson some of the meth and a needle so she could shoot up. Wilson overdosed and died. An autopsy revealed that she had no other drugs in her system.
Martin pled guilty in March of last year and was sentenced to 25 years, all but 12 suspended, to run concurrent with sentencing from Caddo Parish.
I’ll surprise some people by saying that I believe this is not a bad plea arrangement. I thought the 2nd degree murder charge was a bit of an overreach and it may have been difficult to persuade a jury that the case warranted 2nd degree. The prosecution was able to get substantial sentences on both individuals. Good job.
The prosecution was represented by Charles Jacobs.

Size Matters

Cedric Glover (left) Bryan Wooley (right)

If you are running for public office in Shreveport, size matters.

The size of the signs that you put up, that is. By city ordinance campaign signs should be no larger than 16 square feet. Bryan Wooley has apparently been doubling that size, upsetting some locals (probably from another campaign).

Wooley, currently a city councilman, is opposing incumbent mayor Cedric Glover.
This is one ordinance that I'm sure the mayor will see is zealously enforced.

Bossier Judge refuses plea deal for alleged murderer

Bossier District Judge Jeff Cox this morning refused a plea in the 2nd degree murder case of Matthew Fite.
Fite allegedly had acquired an 8-ball (3.5 ounces) of methamphetamine and gave Wilson about ¼ of it and a needle so she could ‘shoot up’. Wilson died of an overdose. She had no other drugs in her system at the time of death.
The Prosecution and Defense had reached an agreement today to allow Fite to plead guilty to drug distribution with a sentence up to 25 years, but the judge said no.
I wrote on this case back in May:
As is customary in these cases, the defense has had family and friends write letters to the judge to be officially recorded. The recurring theme is that he needs to be home to take care of his mother.
 "He is a good boy, he needs to be home to take care of his mother . . ."
 "He is one of the nicest guys I know . . . . and a good person . . "
 "He is a good boy and has always been one . ."
The ‘boy’, by the way, is a 39 year old man who apparently is still living with mom. Taking care of her? Not so much. Let’s look at the ‘good boy’s’ activities over the last few years.
 1989 Leaving the Scene of an Accident
 1990 Residential Burglary
 1993 DWI
 1994 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
 1994 Possession of Marijuana
 1996 Possession of Marijuana
 2002 Aggravated Assault
 2002 Simple Battery
 2002 Simple Battery
 2003 Contributing to the Delinquency of a Juvenile
 2003 Disturbing the Peace
 2003 Probation Violation
 2003 Vehicular Homicide
 2005 Simple Escape
 2008 Aggravated Assault
 2008 Simple Battery
 2008 Simple Criminal Damage to Property
 2008 2nd Degree Murder
This doesn’t include multiple charges of driving under suspension, speeding, no drivers license, no insurance and various other traffic charges.

Tea Party Member makes written public record request to Bossier Sheriff

The Sheriff

Bossier Sheriff Larry Deen

Shreveport Bossier Tea Party Coordinating Team Member Matt Sciba has requested information from the Bossier Parish sheriff regarding the tax millage roll forward that the sheriff announced on June 17th and received no information.
On Thursday, August 5, 2010, the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office received a Public Records Request from the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party for the following:
Any/all documents written and/or recorded which detail the budget and expenditure(s) of any/all projected or actual revenue generated from the June 17, 2010 tax millage increase of the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office. This request shall include any and all related e-mails from either personal email accounts or public email accounts of employees and/or personnel of the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office, as well as any written and/or recorded inter-departmental communications. This request shall include any written minutes of meetings subject to LRS 42:7.1.(A) during which the tax millage increase was discussed.
Matt Sciba has informed me that he received a certified letter from the sheriff's office yesterday (Saturday).
Per your request dated August 4, 2010 pertaining to access to public records on file at the Bossier Sheriff's Office, those requested documents are available for your review and or copy. You may view these documents during normal business hours between 8am and 4:30pm at 196 Burt Blvd., Benton LA, 2nd floor conference room. These documents will remain available to you August 11th through August 14th.
That was prompt.

The District Attorney
I also blogged about the meeting between Evodna Springer and two other team members with District Attorney Schuyler Marvin. Marvin agreed to do three things at the meeting:
1. To call City Attorney Jimmy Hall seeking Hall’s input into the matter.
2. That he would follow up the call with written correspondence to Hall releative to the issue.
3. That he would request a written response from Hall, a copy of which would be provided to Ms. Springer.
After three follow-up emails from SBTP Team Members and one phone call to the DA’s office, no response has been forthcoming.
We will keep you updated on both of these matters.

The City Council President
Bossier City Council President David Jones did announce that he would see that the council adhered to all open meeting laws.  Ms. Springer informed me that at the last City Council Workshop meeting, it did appear that minutes were being taken.

The School Board Member
I mentioned Saturday that I had emailed incumbent Lindell Webb regarding his position on the proposed roll forward of tax millage by the School Board.  His opponent, Barbara Rudd, has stated that she is in favor of the increase in millage.
I received an email back from Mr. Webb in which he stated that he is opposed to the tax increase.

Manhunt under way in DeSoto Parish

KTBS is reporting that there is a manhunt under way in DeSoto Parish. Police are searching for Steven Rivers, who is described as a white male, about 5’6”, 149 pounds. Rivers allegedly stabbed his estranged wife to death and seriously injured her sister.

UPDATE: 10 AM - Channel 12 is now reporting it as a double homicide.

UPDATE: Noon - Rivers has been captured.

Saturday Roundup

Luttrells not married?
A bizarre twist in an already bizarre story. Ed Walsh at Channel 3 is reporting that the sister of murder victim Ernest Luttrell is claiming that he and wife Loretta were never married. Loretta is one of the three people charged with his murder.

People of the Tea
Bossier School Board Candidate Barbara Rudd knocked on the door of Matt Sciba.  Matt is a coordinator with the Shreveport Bossier Tea Party.  She told Matt that she is in favor of the roll forward in the millage rate that the board is considering.  Needless to say, this didn't sit too well with a Taxed Enough Already organizer.  Matt's reaction?  "A candidate running on tax increases during a recession? Crazy."
Rudd is running against incumbent Lindell Webb.

Rock Solid/Calvary coverage
Meanwhile, back to KTBS, the peanut gallery is loud and boisterous on the Rock Solid/Calvary story. If Rock Solid and Calvary had been forthcoming and open on this by having a meeting with all of the involved parents last week before this story hit the headlines, they could have stopped a lot of this before it started.
KSLA, who was the first local news source to come out with the story, has taken it off their website. As far as I can tell, KTAL never had anything about it on their website. Perhaps they don’t think that the molestation of an eight year-old by a 14 year-old at a local day camp held at a prominent church and the subsequent attempt at stonewalling and coverup is newsworthy. In their minds it doesn’t rank up there with stories such as the lightning strike at the Sonic in Benton, the cancellation of a movie by SPAR and the Robinson film Center and the burning question of seat belts in school buses.
The comments on the story in The Times have degenerated into a name calling exercise between regular commenters. Very little energy is being expended on the issue at hand.

Iguana present you a mystery

Back in April, I did a story on State Senator Buddy Shaw's bill about disclosure to folks who are buying an Iguana.  Suddenly, I am getting viewers from all over the world (Israel, Sweden, UK, Spain, Poland, Guatemala, Australia and the US) viewing that story and I can't figure out from what source.  When I check their referral status in my stats I just get this.

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