LSU makes offer to Haughton QB Dak Prescott

Haughton quarterback Dak Prescott visited with LSU head coach Les Miles in Haughton today, and was offered a scholarship. Prescott had made a verbal commitment to Mississippi State earlier this year, but has not officially signed with the school.
According to The Times, Haughton head coach Rodney Guin said “He wants to play quarterback, and they offered him as a quarterback.”
Mississippi State was the first SEC team to make Prescott an offer. LSU is also having talks with former Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger.
How great would it be to see a Bossier Parish QB leading LSU within a couple of years?

Give a helping hand at Christmas Time

Donate a new unwrapped toy
DEADLINE December 13th!

COATS FOR KIDS

New or Used Children's coats

Drop toys and coats off at
Bossier Parish Courthouse

Benton, La

3rd Floor

Clerk of Court's Office

 

Chesapeake donates K-9's to BCPD & CPSO

Chesapeake Energy Corporation showed its support of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Bossier City Police Department through the sponsorship of two new K9 officers for these organizations. At Sheriff’s Safety Town on Jewella Avenue in Shreveport, Chesapeake announced its support of the two new additions to the Bossier City Police Department and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office. These K9 officers will not only be tasked with patrolling the Shreveport-Bossier area, but will also be used for narcotics recovery thus providing additional support for improving the quality of life in Shreveport-Bossier. "Chesapeake Energy maintains a strong commitment to safe and healthy communities," said Kevin McCotter, Chesapeake’s Senior Director-Corporate Development, Haynesville Shale. "We are very proud of our sponsorship of both K9s for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Bossier City Police Department. These K9 Officers will assist both Caddo and Bossier law enforcement officers in their efforts to eliminate illegal narcotics from our community." The newest member of the Bossier City Police Department is 3-year old Chesapeake Tigo, a male, Belgian Malanois. Chesapeake Tigo will be under the direction of Handler Justin Dunn. "We are truly grateful to Chesapeake for their donation to the Citizens of Bossier City and the Police Department," said Deputy Chief Grumble. "This K9 will allow us to maintain a level of service to the people of Bossier City by maintaining our high standards of service in street patrol and narcotics work. I would again like to thank Chesapeake for its corporate citizenship, always willing to help the community." Chesapeake Rocco, a 2 ½ year old Belgian Malanois/Shepherd mix from Abbeville, Louisiana is the newest team member of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office. Chesapeake Rocco’s handler is Corporal Gary Bailey. Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator said the donation couldn't have come at a better time. "In August, the Caddo Sheriff's Office was surprised when Force, one of our young K9s, died unexpectedly from an intestinal condition. The addition of Rocco has allowed us to continue our mission of tracking criminals and locating illegal drugs without interruption," he said. "We're a very grateful to Chesapeake Energy for its giving spirit and commitment to our community that will help us serve the citizens of Caddo Parish."

Here's what irritates me

Why is it that weathermen weatherpeople have to say “Your Sunday will be cool”. It’s not ‘your’ Sunday, it’s not ‘my’ Sunday, it’s just Sunday. Do they teach you that at weatherman weatherperson school or are you all so shallow and stupid that you heard someone say it and it went viral?
Also, when we’re in a drought and there is no rain in sight, don’t make yourself look even more idiotic by getting up there and saying ‘your weekend will be perfect’. See, double whammy. It’s not ‘my’ weekend. Sunshine and no rain is not ‘perfect’ in the midst of a drought.
I won’t even rehash weather coverage during ball games.
Airport Security
Without really jumping into the argument about the nekkid scanners, I will note that our airport security is totally reactive. Israel has the best airport and airline security in the world. They do not use these scanners because they are ineffective. Do you know what they do? They actually look at people and PROFILE them (gasp!). Yep, if young Arab males are guilty of 100% of the attacks on them, and if a suspicious young Arab male appears at the airport, they pull him aside and check him out. If they aren’t satisfied, they send him on his way – just not on an El Al Plane. Could we learn from them? Heck no, we might offend someone – namely young Arab males.
Know what the U.S. does (other than the peepshow?).
Take the case of the ‘shoe bomber’, Richard Reid. There were red flags on this guy from the beginning.
1. He got his British passport in Amsterdam, not in Great Britain.
2. He bought a ONE-WAY ticket to the U.S.
3. He paid cash.
4. He had no luggage.
So what did the TSA learn from this? Make everyone take their shoes off. Little children, old ladies, everyone remove your shoes.
ESPN
You know what else irritates me? That woman on ESPN announcing football games. I don’t even know her name, but she sounds like she should be on the LPGA tour, if you know what I mean.
I know I’ll catch hell for this, but is nothing sacred? It’s football women, it’s a man’s sport.
True, heard all of this within the last two months:
Woman about basketball game, “How many innings to they have?”
Woman about baseball game, “When is halftime?”
True story.
ESPN, I’m sure that your gender-confused announcers don’t want to do, say, figure skating (at least not the female ones), but please give them anything but football. If you persist, regardless of their training, they will fall into the trap of announcing a homerun in a college football game.

I'll be a sport

I had a bet with a couple of guys on Facebook.  As a result, they are displaying fleurs de lis as their Facebook photos for a week.  Not easy for them.
Had the Cowboys won, I would have to display their logo on Facebook and on the blog.
Not going to do it on Facebook, but as a nod to the great performance of the Cowboys tonight and as a nod to all our readers who are Cowboy fans, I will sport the logo on the blog for a couple of days.
Great ball game!

Thanksgiving

Usually I do the typical Pilgrims/Turkey thing for Thanksgiving.  This year I'll make it more serious.  In addition to many good friends and a very extended family, I'm extremely thankful for these folks below - and for another one on the way!

Buttermilk Pie

No, it doesn't taste like buttermilk, any more than buttermilk biscuits do.  Of course, that wouldn't bother me, I love a glass of cold buttermilk with some warm cornbread. 
No, Mrs. Andy made this for me.  It is one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life.  If you have never had one, find a recipe and try it out!
Look at that, had my name on it!

The House that Jerry Jones built

Mike and Carrie Moore are in Dallas for their first visit to Cowboys Stadium.  Misguided Cowboys fans that they are, I hope they have a great time today.  Heck, I'll even pull for a Cowboy win for them.  This week.

New Orleans computer crash shuts down real estate closings

What happened and why it's a big deal
Real Estate closings in New Orleans have been delayed for the last three weeks because of a computer crash in the Civil Clerk of Court’s office. There are gaps in certain mortgage and conveyance records so that a clear chain of title to property in the Parish cannot be established. What this means is that anyone buying a house or refinancing a mortgage for the last three weeks has been unable to close on their transaction. With mortgage rates going up, locks on low interest rates are being lost. Real estate sales are being lost.
The daily transactions are backed up, but the backups in Orleans have failed.

Why this won’t happen in Bossier Parish

Bossier Clerk of Court
Cindy Johnston

A number of parishes in Louisiana have gone to ‘paperless’ record keeping, the advantage being that the clerk doesn’t have to pay someone to physically scan every document and put them into mortgage and conveyance books. The backup system, which failed in Orleans Parish, is their assurance that this is a safe method. Bienville Parish has gone paperless, and Caddo partially so. I’m not sure of the other local parishes except for Bossier, which has not done so.
What this means is that if the system and the backup lost data in Bossier Parish, it would only cause a minor inconvenience to real estate abstractors in determining the chain of title on any property in the parish. Everything is indexed and copies of the documents are available to them to do their work. This is probably the safest backup system available.
Technology is a great thing and I’m all for it, but the lesson that must be learned from the Orleans Parish crisis is that while the availability of the transactions and documents in computerized form is a great enhancement and time saver, it is not a replacement for the physical availability of these vital records.

Bossier High School Band at the Sugar Bowl 1960

Dakota Huse came home today

Dakota Huse came home today.
On the day that the Marine Corps celebrated its 235th birthday the Pentagon announced the death of the 19 year old Marine while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
This afternoon Patriot Guard Riders and members of local law enforcement agencies escorted his remains from Shreveport Regional Airport to Centuries Memorial on Mansfield Road.
Visitation is scheduled from 5 – 9 on Friday.
Funeral Services will be held at 10AM Saturday at Summer Grove Baptist Church.
May God bless and comfort the family of this brave young Marine.

The Cucumber Guy enters guilty plea

You know, the school bus driver who paid teenage boys to stick cucumbers where the sun don't shine.
Thomas Smith entered a guilty plea on two counts of indecency with minors today in Benton.  A pre-sentence investigation was ordered, so he will be sentenced at a later date.

Lance Thamm sentenced to life in prison for murder of daughter

This morning Lance Thamm entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 17 month-old daughter Isabella.
Thamm slammed Isabella’s head into a doorjam when she wouldn’t stop crying.
Thamm has a history of drug use and domestic violence. He and his wife lost a son in Texas because of abuse. That child, a boy, is being raised by an aunt.

Killed by her protector

Thamm charged twice for domestic abuse

Guest Blog from Isabella's mother

Chubbygate: The Conspiracy

The arrest of Bossier City Council Member James "Chubby" Knight on charges of bank fraud has, needless to say, created a lot of conversation and speculation.
"I've never done anything illegal," Bossier City Councilman Chubby Knight told KSLA.
Not so, says the Bossier City Police Department and the 26th JDC District Attorney.
The Police Department began their investigation when the bank that cashed the bogus check for Knight filed a complaint.
Knight’s attorney said that they know who is behind this ‘political vendetta’ to get Knight, but he’s not telling. According to the Times, the attorney said "This is all driven by the Bossier power bosses . . . . that machine wants you to know if you cross it, ... it will erase you, even your memory."
I don’t know how the big boys plan to erase the memory of Knight, but I’m interested to see.
In order to believe the conspiracy theory, you have to believe that:

• Knight, after spending years in business and retiring back to Bossier City, could not recognize this scam when he saw it.
• That he had no suspicion that the check was fraudulent, even though he took it to three different banks before getting it cashed.
• That the ‘political machine’ influenced a Bossier City detective to work up the case against Knight.
• That the police chief, Shane McWilliams, was involved in the conspiracy against Knight. I can assure you that the detective did not present the case to the DA without the approval of the chief.
• That the DA joined in the conspiracy with the detective and the chief.
• You have to believe that Knight’s attorney knows who is behind the conspiracy, he’s just not willing to tell anyone.

Inquiring minds want to know.
Who pulled the strings and got the detective, the chief and the DA to play along?  Or is this just a publicity stunt to get Knight and his attorney in front of the cameras?

Bossier City Councilman Chubby Knight arrested

KSLA is reporting that James "Chubby" Knight is turning himself in to the Bossier Sheriff's Department in relation to charges stemming from the scam that My Bossier reported on orginally.  (Update says he turned himself in at BCPD.)
KTBS has a writeup on it.  According to their story,

• "It is absolutely political. They know I've been asking questions about the (Cyber Innovation Center) and the bond issues," Knight said of his arrest. "It is just to defame my character."A warrant for Knight's arrest was issued after a Bossier City police detective briefed the district attorney on her investigation.District Attorney Schuyler Marvin said Knight should have known the $3,950 sweepstakes check was of questionable validity when he took it to three different banks this past summer before cashing it at one. Knight gave conflicting statements to police that were contradicted by bank employees, Marvin said. He said he felt a crime was committed.

Here is what we ran back in September.  As soon as I get more details I will put them up.
According to multiple reliable sources, Bossier City Council member James “Chubby” Knight is under investigation for bank fraud.Details are sketchy, but what I have been able to put together this is what is going on.
Over this last weekend a search warrant was executed by the Bossier Parish Sheriff. Knight’s computer(s) was seized, as well as a city computer.
Knight was allegedly involved in a scheme in which he was cashing forged Nigerian bonds and sending part of the money to someone in California.
Multiple banks were involved.
I sent the following email to Councilman Knight at his city email address:

• Mr. Knight,
  I have heard from several people that you are the subject of an investigation, and that a computer (or computers) were seized this weekend. My sources said that it had to do with possible bank fraud.
  I think it is only fair to come to you to confirm or deny this.
  If this is the case, do you intend to stay on the council?

I received no reply.  I sent the following email to someone in the DA’s office:

• Is Chubby Knight the subject of an investigation?

I received no reply.

Knight was elected to represent District 5 on the council in a runoff in May of last year. He won with 557 votes against former Councilman Larry Hannisee, who received 507 votes.

I have no more details as of now.  I have heard conjecture that this was part of one of those Nigerian 419 schemes, but I have no knowledge if that is true.

Hopefully, someone involved in the investigation will see fit to inform the public.

New Orleans Representative throws State House to the Republicans

New Orleans State Representative Walker Hines announced yesterday that he is switching from the Democratic to the Republican party. The move will give the Republicans a majority in the State House.
Hines, who is known for his efforts to outlaw transfats in school lunches, raise the legal smoking age to 21, outlaw smoking in a vehicle with anyone under 16 and to outlaw riding in the back of a truck on an interstate highway, is said to be considering a run for Secretary of State next year. That would be difficult to do as a Democrat.
When he first ran for office in 2007 he sent a letter to a couple of Progressive New Orleans bloggers stating that “Unlike my opponent who tells you whatever you want to hear, I will never sacrifice my principles for popularity. I’m a progressive Democrat who believes in the Catholic values of social justice. Please work with me.”
He also said during the run that “My job is to not become part of the old school, status quo politics of our past. My job is to come up here and challenge the conventional boundaries that the Legislature and other bodies of government have pursued.”
It doesn’t really matter whether he has a “D” or an “R” behind his name, Hines’ nanny state tendencies will be welcome in either state party. However well intentioned, his efforts to control what people eat and smoke and how they ride is very simply government intrusion.  His move won't effect any change whatsoever in the way that the legislature operates.
If I truly believed that this change was inspired by a deep, soul-searching assessment of his beliefs and philosophy I would be the first to encourage him to follow his heart and intellect.  I just have a hard time believing that to be the case.  I have more respect for a principled progressive or conservative than I do for someone who will stick their finger to the wind and move to the prevailing popular ideology in order to advance their political ambitions.
From State Treasurer John Kennedy to Bossier’s own Robert Adley, Louisiana has seen a number of these miraculous transformations of Democrats into Republicans.
Change if you must in order to stand a chance at higher office, it’s easy to tweak your remarks.  "I will never sacrifice my principles for popularity. I’m a progressive Democrat conservative Republican."
H/T to CenLamar

Listen Up

Thank You, President Obama

Some local Republican officials gathered this afternoon to accept some stimulus from President Obama.
Louisiana DEQ Deputy Secretary Vladimir Appeaning traveled to Bossier City to present a $22,000,000 check to Mayor Lo Walker to fund work at the Red River Wastewater Treatment Plant. No need to send it through regular channels when you have a media op.
The ‘Build America’ bond, after a rebate, will have an interest rate of .62 percent.
Buddy Shaw, Jane Smith & Henry Burns were all scheduled to attend.
So far, Louisiana has awarded 2,857 grants, loans and contracts for a total of over $3 billion dollars from federal stimulus funds, and is slated to receive a total of over $5 billion.
The Jindal administration has a stimulus website up if you would like to check it out.
To date, this is what Bossier has received so far.

• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Energy Grants $608,600.00
• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Housing and Urban Development Grants $142,026.00
• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Transportation Grants $360,714.40
• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Justice Grants $35,135.00
• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Transportation Grants $1,466,145.50
• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Justice Grants $380,743.50
• BOSSIER CITY, CITY OF - Department of Justice Grants $771,162.00 $380,203.50
• BOSSIER OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC - Department of Health and Human Services Grants $226,026.00
• BOSSIER OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC - Department of Health and Human Services Grants $410,776.00
• BOSSIER OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC - Department of Agriculture Grants $5,000.00
• BOSSIER PARISH COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Department of Education Grants $26,196.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Agriculture Grants $21,380.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Education Grants $32,876.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Education Grants $119,046.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Education Grants $3,628,010.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Education Grants $2,939,388.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Education Grants $84,313.00
• BOSSIER PARISH SCHOOL BOARD - Department of Education Grants $4,491,162.00
• BOSSIER, PARISH OF - Department of Energy Grants $360,000.00
• BOSSIER, PARISH OF - Department of Justice Grants $32,000.00
• BOSSIER, PARISH OF - Department of Justice Grants $32,000.00
• BOSSIER, PARISH OF - Department of Energy Grants $129,000.00
• HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BOSSIER CITY - Department of Housing and Urban Development Grants $907,714.00
• SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CONVENTION AND TOURIST BUREAU, INC., Louisiana Department of Transportation Grants $200,280.37

I know that political rhetoric (I am opposed to the stimulus!) and political reality (how much can we get?) are two different things, and that generally the pragmatism of the latter outweighs the ideology of the former.  That's human nature, and I accept it.
For example, although Bobby Jindal decried the stimulus by saying "Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line and saddle future generations with debt," he has managed to live with it.
Heck, he even travels the state with those oversized cardboard checks giving away stimulus money. (Of course, the checks have his name signed on them, not the President's).  Just man up fellas, use those manners that your Mama taught you when you were young - you said please and got what you asked for now say thank you.
Thank you, President Obama.

Just the Way You Are

Love those old 70's songs, and this is one of the best.

A Veterans Day Thank You

First of all, to everyone who served, thank you.
To all in the area who have served, thank you. The first one to come to mind after the terrible news yesterday is 19 year old Dakota Huse of Greenwood, who was killed in Afghanistan Tuesday after an improvised bomb exploded near him. The young Marine made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
The next to come to mind is Andy’s son Dean who is in the Air Force and will be leaving soon for Afghanistan. God bless you and be with you Dean.
To everyone else who has served: Mayor Lo Walker, thank you sir.
People who comment on My Bossier whom I know have served, G.R. and DieHardDano – thank you both.
To Sammy Wyatt, thank you.
To Andy’s other son Phillip and to my grandson Tyler who both serve in the reserves, thank you. I certainly haven’t meant to leave anyone out, and I know there are a lot of you out there. These were just a few that came to mind.
Two of my special heroes when I was a kid were my two older brothers.
The oldest joined the army when I was 5 years old. He was on a troop ship to Korea when the truce was signed on July 27, 1953. He was serving in Germany in 1956 when our dad died from a heart attack. It was tough on him, he couldn’t come home even though as the oldest, he felt responsible for the family.
That’s the way it worked back then.

Dixie Lewis Wells Jr 1935-1968

In 1957, when I was 10 years old, my other brother joined the marines. He stayed in for 10 years, settled in Southern California where he lives today. He was here for a visit last month. We had a great time, mostly talking LSU football.  Even though he lives right in the big middle of USC country, he has never wavered from his love of the Tigers.

John David Wells

Shreveport Marine killed in Afghanistan

KTBS is reporting that a Marine from Shreveport has been killed in action.
Dakota Huse, 19, a 2009 graudate of Huntington High School was killed while on foot patrol. No more details are available at the present time.

I was just about to put up the Veterans Day post.  I think it is appropriate to post it here.

Following World War I President Wilson declared November 11th Armistice Day. The Armistice was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

In 1953, a store owner from Kansas named Alfred King started a movement to expand the day to all veterans, not just those from WWI. He mounted a campaign and with the help of his congressman had a bill passed making it law. In 1954 the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day.

With the Uniform Monday Holiday act of 1971, it was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October. It 1978, in a rare moment of congressional lucidity, it was changed back to the original date.

Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk next Saturday

The Louisiana Trekker blog called the 7th annual Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk to my attention.

• The tour will feature ghosts and living history lessons from actors and actresses in period costume portraying Minden’s past leading citizens. Step back in time as you listened to the stories being told. In a little over an hour, you can see Confederate soldiers along with early business leaders, teachers, doctors and politicians. This is a rare opportunity to learn about Minden’s past community leaders, citizens and history.

The Minden Cemetery Association even has a blog that keeps people up to date with their activities.
This year’s walk will begin at Noon on Saturday November 13th, 2010 with the last tour starting at 3:00 p.m. and lasting a little over an hour.
There is a $10 charge for adults and $4 for children.
If you can’t give your support by attending the Ghost Walk, you can send a donation.

Minden Cemetery Association

P.O. Box 1198

Minden, Louisiana 71058

This is a very interesting and unique way to teach the history of Minden to everyone in the area.

LSU does it

LSU proved that they can defend their turf against the best of the best.  LSU 24-Alabama 21.

What a great game!

And more Pictures from Tiger Stadium on this momentous occassion, compliments of Sage Allen.

Witness the Wonder

Saw this one on Sage Allen's Facebook page.
UPDATE Saturday morning:  Stole two more from Sage's Facebook page.  Sage is one of BCPD's finest.

The Diary

This one's been making the rounds.  Saw it again tonight and knew I had to put it up.  For my more Puritan readers, I know it's a little off color.  You'll get over it.
Thanks Shelley!

Her Diary:
Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much.
I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.'
When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed.
To my surprise, he responded to my caress, and we made love. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

His Diary: Boat wouldn't start today. Can't figure it out, but at least I got laid.

Elections are not victories, but opportunities

In order to put last night's elections in perspective, let's look at some history.
In 1946 large Republican majorities were sent to both houses of Congress in the off-year elections, ending the long-time Democratic dominance.
In 1948 the Democrats won a 93-seat majority in the House and a 12-seat edge in the Senate.

Against all the predictions, Harry Truman, who had assumed the reigns of the presidency when FDR died, was elected over Thomas Dewey of New York.  That is when the Chicago Tribune came out with its most embarassing headline ever.

In 1952, with the election of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republicans again took over both houses of Congress, though by closer margins.

In 1954, topsy-turvy again. The Democrats picked up 19 seats in the House and Sam Rayburn took over as speaker. In the Senate they gained just 2 seats, but enough to give them a majority. Lyndon B. Johnson became Majority Leader.
In 1960, the Democrats still were still in both houses. John F. Kennedy was elected President and Lyndon B. Johnson Vice-President.
By 1964, President Kennedy had been assassinated and LBJ was President. The Democrats still retained both houses of congress.
In 1968 Richard Nixon was elected, but the Democrats still controlled congress.
In 1974 Gerald Ford assumed the presidency on the resignation of Richard Nixon.
In 1976 Jimmy Carter defeated Ford.
In 1980 Ronald Reagan was elected President, and the Republicans gained control of the Senate, while the Democrats retained control of the House.
In 1986, during Reagan’s 2nd term, the Democrats once again gained control of the Senate and retained their control of the House.
In 1988 George H. W. Bush was elected to the presidency, but the Democrats still held control of congress.
In 1992 the Democrats once again won the White House, and once again held both houses of Congress.
In 1994, campaigning on Newt Gingrich’s Contract for America, the Republicans gained 54 seats and took over the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. They also re-took the Senate.
In 2000 George W. Bush was elected and the Republicans held on to both houses of congress.
Bush was re-elected in 2004 and retained and again the Republicans held on to both houses.
In 2006 the House went Democratic and Nancy Pelosi became Speaker. The Senate was technically a tie, but Bernie Sanders and Joe Liebermann decided to caucus with the Democrats, giving Democrats a majority.
In 2008 Barack Obama was elected President and the Democrats gained seats in both houses of congress to give them a solid majority.
And now, it’s 2010. The Republicans have taken back the House of Representatives, and the Democrats retained the Senate.
A Democrat is still president.
It is a victory of sorts, but not the major ‘revolution’ that is being touted by some.
It is an opportunity. True victory does not come from the election, but from what is done in the years after the election.
Both parties now have a 2 year window in which to show their stuff and to convince the people that they are the ones to vote for in 2012.

Glover Landslide

Cedric Glover won re-election tonight, carrying a much larger margin of voters than most people thought. Bryan Wooley conceded to Glover at about 9:45 or so.

I really believe that the negative tact that Wooley took, particularly concerning the dope charges from the Malone divorce interrogatories, hurt him badly. He was very ill-advised in doing this; he should have had strong campaign workers to stand up and tell him no.
In the City Council races, Jeff Everson has won the District B Council Seat. Michael Corbin has won District D. Rose Wilson McCulloch will be the new council member for District A.
David Vitter was re-elected to the Senate, and John Fleming to the House from District 4.
Jay Dardenne will move from Secretary of State to Lt. Governor.
Kay Padgett Byrd won the District 12 School Board race in Bossier with 60% of the vote.

Keep up with election results as they are posted

Rather than trying to keep you up with the elections, I am putting the direct links to the Secretary of State so you can see the results as they are posted.

I will do a wrap-up blog later tonight.

Louisiana Secretary of State
Unofficial Election Results Inquiry

Results for Election Date: 11/2/2010

Congressional Races

Statewide Races

Multi-Parish Races

All Races in a Parish

My Prediction: Glover, Vitter, Fleming will all be re-elected

The most exciting race in our neck of the woods has been the Shreveport Mayor’s race. This one got really personal and like it or not, that attracts a lot of attention.

The local blogging community has been all over this one, so I won’t re-hash it here.

Bryan Wooley has been in attack mode from the beginning, not unusual for someone challenging an incumbent.
In this case, I think the attacks may have backfired to some extent and energized Glover’s base.
We’ll see tonight.
My prediction: Glover gets four more years.
In other local races, I wouldn’t begin to predict the outcome of the Shreveport City Council contest.
Bossier Parish School Board District 12 is seeing a runoff between Kay Padgett Byrd and Martin Bourgeois.
Caddo School Board District 2 has a runoff between Jasmine Green and Lyndon B. Johnson.
The race for Lt. Governor, as I stated in an earlier blog post, is close. Fayard could get a boost from heavy voting in Shreveport and in New Orleans. I believe that it is too close to call.
Other predictions
John Fleming wins the 4th District Seat again.
David Vitter beats Melancon. Charlie just couldn’t seem to generate much enthusiasm.
Throw the bums out
Nationwide, the same broad group of independents who control every election will vote as they did in 2008 for congressional turnover. The Republicans will take the House of Representatives while the Senate is still too close to call, although a turnover there wouldn’t surprise me.
The Republicans don’t need to feel too warm and fuzzy, however, because the same people who threw the bums out 2 years ago and are doing so again today will likely do the same thing in the next 2-4 years.

Lt. Governor's race is tighter than it appears

Caroline Fayard (D) has come from nowhere to 39% of the vote in the latest poll.  Jay Dardenne (R) is at 47%.  That leaves 14% undecided.

The interesting thing about these numbers is that Dardenne is known and has been elected to a statewide office.  I think it is telling that he only polls at 47% while Fayard has gone from 2% to 39%. 

If there is an upset in the making in today's election, I believe that it may come in this race.

Caroline Fayard

Jay Dardenne

Forget You, David Melville

I felt good about David Melville when he announced that he was running for congress. I like John Fleming pretty well, but I always think that some competition is a good thing. I particularly liked Melville’s promise to bring a more reasonable, less partisan tone to the table. At one point I even emailed Andy and told him I was considering endorsing Melville on My Bossier. 
My Bad.
This morning I received this press release in the email.

• There will be an endorsement event on Monday morning at the headquarters of David Melville for US Congress. A large group of current and former elected officials will join Sen. Mary Landrieu, former Governors Kathleen Blanco and Buddy Roemer, and former Bossier City Mayor George Dement in support of David Melville.  Tentative attendees include Mayor Cedric B. Glover, State Representatives Barbara Norton and Patrick Williams, former legislator Billy Montgomery, Bossier City Councilman Jeffery Darby, and Bossier Parish School Board member Sandra Darby.

Quite an event, but wait a minute.
Barbara Norton?
Norton’s shameful behavior at the African American History Parade earlier this year should be enough to make any respectable person run from her, much less invite her to a media event for an endorsement.
I won’t even go into the Hurricane Chris episode, which was mostly funny if embarassing.
No, I’m referring to Norton’s behavior earlier this year at the parade when she was caught on video, incensed at having to obey the law regarding drivers of vehicles in the parade, turning her anger on police officers who were attempting to enforce that law.
Norton called one white officer a white motherfucker and a black officer, Kevin Anderson, an Uncle Tom.  And now the candidate who claims to be encouraging a more reasonable public discourse has invited her to his headquarters and is soliciting her endorsement?
I have a number of friends (and four family members) who are police officers, and if I didn’t denounce this I couldn’t look them in the eye.
I’ll stick with the good guys.
Forget you David Melville. Apparently you’re just another political hack who will do anything to get a few votes.

Election 2010: Shreveport City Council Runoffs

Three Shreveport City Council seats will be filled in tomorrow's election.  The three still in contention are for Districts A, B & D.
Just on appearances, there seem to be some excellent candidates for these posts.
I have inserted websites for those who have one.  Most of the others have a Facebook page, if you are on Facebook you may want to look them up.

District A

Rose Wilson McCulloch

Has served on the Caddo Parish Commission since 2001. She is the daughter of Educator Hersey Wilson, who was among the first blacks to be elected to public office in Caddo Parish.

Dr. C.O. Simpkins

The Shreveport Dentist is an icon of the Civil Rights movement. Simpkins aided Dr. Martin Luther King in founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Simpkins and others received numerous death threats. Insurance policies on his home, business and life were cancelled. Dead animals were left in his yard and his home was even bombed, which led him to flee Shreveport.

 
  District B

Sheva Sims
(Website)

Attended Caddo Parish schools. Has a B.S. in mathematics from Dillard University & a J.D. degree from Southern University.
She has practiced law for the last 15 years.
In 2006 Sims came within 6 votes of defeating Monty Walford for the seat she is currently seeking.

 

Jeff Everson

(Website)
Everson grew up in Shreveport, attending St. Joseph Catholic School and graduating from C.E. Byrd High School.
Business Administration with a minor in Finance and one in Economics with a minor in Political Science from Centenary College.
Everson served on Senator Mary Landrieu’s staff from 2004 – 2009.

District D

Michael Corbin


Agent for New York Life.
Graduate of Benton High School, Centenary College and Louisiana Tech. Corbin has the endorsement of the Caddo Republican Executive Committee.

 
 
 
 

Phillip Templeton


Louisiana Tech 1985 – Business/Data Processing
University Terrace Neighborhood Association, served on Board of Directors.
Active in community affairs.