Gardens of Southgate HOA should be ashamed

And So It Goes in Shreveport has this covered completely.
I was going to blog on it this evening, but she beat me to it and did a good job, get the details from her blog post.
I was surprised to see that T. K. Mastny, the president of the Republican Women of Bossier, is the president of the HOA that is harassing the Burrs.
If they can allow Parkway Panther signs in yards, they can damn well allow this one.

Sideshows and Carnival Barkers

I hope this puts it to rest.  I published a blog post about this in July of 2009, and of course was attacked that I would have the audacity to say that it was a non-issue.  Let's be clear, despite the fact that there is no requirement that the president has to produce a birth certificate Obama did so a couple of years ago, putting a copy of the birth certificate that the State of Hawaii standardly issues.  Of course, that was immediately attacked. 
Now I'm seeing statements to the effect of 'why didn't he do it sooner and put a stop to it'. 
A couple of reasons, first because he had no obligation to do so, and second, because the birthers were serving him well.  For quite a long time they kept a lot of people distracted with this nonsense.  Of course, The Donald is taking credit for this, and will do so insufferably in the future, I'm sure. 
Maybe he considers that it is the answer to that portentous question, 'Meat Loaf, should I run for president?'.
Just for kicks, here are a few of the comments I got on that blog post back in 2009.
Anonymous said...

Jim, you would have made a great little German citizen back during the rise of Hitler's popularity.
July 28, 2009 12:27 PMAnonymous said...

So you also don't have a problem with our President not producing a passport or birth certificate. Non issue, right?

July 28, 2009 5:35 PM

Jim said...

He did produce a birth certificate. Why should he produce his passport? There have been no credible questions about his travels. You may have to put down the World Net Daily just long enough to get a dictionary and look up the word "credible".

July 28, 2009 5:41 PM

Anonymous said...

He produced a birth certificate? You have a copy? WOW!!! What hospital and who was the attending physician? You sure know alot about world net daily, what's up with that?

July 28, 2009 6:13 PM

Jim said...

I have to read WND so I can keep up my discussion with you. Otherwise, I'd be at a total loss as to what the hell you're talking about.

July 28, 2009 6:19 PM

EMS meeting postponed

The meeting of the EMS Board that was scheduled for tomorrow at 3PM has been postponed.  The meeting will be re-scheduled at some point within the next 10 days or so.  The reason given was that more time was needed to complete the investigation that is ongoing. 
The entire 5 person EMS Board has resigned this month, 3 of the members after being asked to by the Parish Administrator.  Word is that the board was planning to terminate Director Duxie Scott, who was suspended last week.  Apparently the meeting was being held at the new EMS facility on Swan Lake Road in order to maintain crowd control, as it will accommodate fewer people than the Police Jury chambers in Benton.  The meeting, whenever it is held, is expected to be volatile.
I also heard a rumor that unauthorized individuals had gained access to the Swan Lake Road facility over the Easter weekend, and that computers at the site were being checked to see if they had been accessed and any information altered.

Resurrection

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Matthew 28

Sit Down and Shut Up

KTAL Channel 6 ran a story last night with a video of some of accused triple murderer Charles “Copperhead” Needham’s neighbors.
"He is a good dude in the community a lot of people say stuff about him, but around here he a good dude," said Akili Wyatt.
"He's passed out money, would help and he would give you his last," said Carolyn Wyatt. "That's the type of man I know."
I haven’t seen anything in any of the stories about Copperhead’s profession, or where he is employed. If he goes around the neighborhood passing out money, he must have a very good job indeed. Maybe one of the media outlets will investigate this and publish his resume` so that we can see where he acquired the riches that he uses in his philanthropic endeavors.
Akili and Carolyn Wyatt said Needham didn't commit this crime.
"The police and the detectives need to look for a motive and intent," added Carolyn. "I don't think "Cop" (Gerald Needham) had either one of those."
Despite a lengthy criminal past Wyatt said Needham shouldn't be in jail for past convictions.
"And not hung out to dry because of his past record," said Carolyn. "I know that happens and I know most people are tried on their past records."
"What kind of evidence do they have on him," asked Akili. "Hear say stuff doesn't work on everybody."
By all means BCPD, if Akili and Carolyn down in Jack's Quarters say that the man didn't commit the crime, you should release him forthwith.
She’s probably right, just because he has numerous convictions resulting from charges of Unauthorized use of a movable, Simple Escape, Simple Escape, Possession of Cocaine, Battery of a Police Officer, Battery of a Police Officer, Battery of a Police Officer, Armed Robbery, Possession of Marjuana with intent to sell, Possession of Schedule II with intent to sell, Attempt to smuggle Contraband into a Jail, Armed Robbery with a Firearm, Battery of a Police Officer, Resisting an Officer, Battery on a Corrections Officer, Simple Possession of, Marijuana & Resisting a Police Officer, doesn’t mean that he committed this crime, nor does the fact that he has been a suspect in another multiple homicide.
The Police Detectives who worked this case probably wrote down the name of 30 or 40 convicted felons and just happened to pull Copperhead’s name out of a hat.
Are you freaking kidding me?

Accused Murderer has long criminal history

Gerald C. Needham (alias Copperhead) was taken into custody last night by Bossier City Police Officers and charged with three counts of first degree murder. Needham has a long criminal history starting in Caddo Parish when he was 17 years old and culminating with his arrest yesterday.
Timeline
1988
Charged on October 24, 1988 in Caddo Parish with Unauthoized Use of a Movable and Simple Escape. He appeared before Judge Gahagan on May 19, 1989 and was sentenced to two years on each charge with the sentences to run consecutively.
1990
Charged with Simple Escape in Caddo Parish. He appeared before Judge Hamilton and was sentenced to 3 years to run consecutively with the sentences he was already serving.
This ended his criminal career, or at least his criminal charges – in Caddo Parish.
The remainder of the charges are all from Bossier Parish.
1992
Charged 11/23/92 with Possession of Cocaine and Battery of a Police Officer (3 counts).
The charges of battery on a Police Officer were nol prossed, and on June 22, 1994 he was sentenced by Judge Bolin to 4 years on the Cocaine charge.
1996
Charged on January 6, 1996 with Armed Robbery.
He appeared in court on September 18, 1996 and entered a plea of guilty to Simple Robbery. He was sentenced by Judge Campbell to serve 6 years with credit for time served.
2005
Charged on May 16, 2005 with Possession of Marijuana with intent to sell, Possession of Schedule II with intent to sell and charged along with Eulanda Needham with attempting to smuggle contraband (marijuana and cocaine) into the Bossier Parish Jail.
He went to court on February 13, 2006 and the marijuana charge was nol prossed. He was allowed to enter a plea to Attempted Possession of Cocaine and was sentenced by Judge Bolin to a $750 fine and 2 years at hard labor, suspended. He was put on probation for 1 year.
2007
Charged on May 17, 2007 with Armed Robbery with a firearm (he used a rifle to rob a man of $200). When he appeared in court on August 27, 2007 he was allowed to plead to Simple Battery and was sentenced by Judge Bolin to 6 months in Parish Jail with credit for time served.
2008
On February 21, 2008 Needham was charged with Battery on a Police Officer (Justin Dunn). On September 3, 2008 he pled guilty and was sentenced by Judge Self to 60 days in Parish Jail.
On July 17, 2008 he was charged with Resisting an Officer (Neil Nunnery) and for Battery on a Corrections Officer. At his court appearance on September 23, 2009 he was sentenced to Judge Craig to 90 days in Parish Jail with credit for time served.
2010
On August 13, 2010 Needham was charged with Simple Possession of Marijuana and with Resisting a Police Officer (Officer Nelson). On December 17, 2010, the resisting charge was nol prossed and he pled guilty to simple possession. He was sentenced by Judge Self to 30 days with credit for time served, and was allowed 60 days to pay fine and costs.

I think most people would question the 2007 Armed Robbery with a Firearm charge being pled down to a misdemeanor charge of Simple Battery.  The Armed Robbery would carry a minimum 10 year sentence, and the use of the firearm would carry an additional five years - all of this without the benefit or probation or parole.
Was the case so weak that the DA felt he couldn't prosecute it?  I will attempt to get answers on Monday.

BCPD charge man in last week's triple murder

Bossier City Police have arrested Gerald Cortez Needham and charged him with three counts of first degree murder. Needham is charged with killing Bill Norris, Jesse Burks and Harold Arnett last week.

Chief Shane McWilliams will hold a press conference tomorrow at 10AM with more details.

KTBS story here

Former EMS VP: 'Administration lacks the ability to lead'

The letter below is self-explanatory.  It is the letter from Bossier Parish EMS Board Vice-President Robert Berry dated earlier this month laying out his reasons for resigning.
Berry and board member David Anderson both resigned prior to yesterday's meeting.
Doris Grappe and Charlotte Hamiter (a Plain Dealing alderman), both submitted their letters of resignation under protest.  David Brian also resigned.
Speaking of now suspended EMS Director Duxie Scott, Hamiter said "Duxie has saved and supplied everything this parish needs and he has been ousted – just because one person did not like him. The salaries he’s talking about, we rescinded those salaries."
The one person she is referring to, of course, is Berry.  Berry has also alleged instances of illicit sex by employees while on duty and that an individual with a felony theft conviction was hired by Scott.  There are also charges of $15,000 worth of building materials missing from the construction site of the new EMS facility.
NWLATPA has a link to all of the documents on their website. 
There will be a public meeting Tuesday at 3PM at the EMS office on Swan Lake Road to discuss the investigation.

Bossier EMS Director on paid leave, entire EMS Board resigns

Bossier Parish Police Jury attorney Patrick Jackson says the facts will shock the public.
EMS Director Duxie Scott was placed on paid leave by Parish Administrator Bill Altimus, after meeting with Scott on Tuesday and asking him to resign, an offer which Scott refused.
Today all five members of the board resigned, three after being asked.
The first two had called the police jury’s attention to problems with the system and resigned out of frustration that nothing had been done.
When the Police Jury did look into it, they found building materials stolen, huge raises given to employees without the approval of the board and erratic hiring practices, including the hiring of a convicted felon.
Homeland Security Director Sammy Halphen will take over operation of the system as interim director and will work with other authorities investigating the charges.
It will be interesting to find out who knew what and when.

Bossier Press-Tribune Story

Killing of Vivian attorney John Morneau ruled 'lawful'



John Morneau

 Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Carlton D. Jones has said that the Miller County Sheriff’s Sergeant who shot and killed Vivian attorney John Morneau last October acted in a reasonable and lawful manner.
The investigation by Arkansas State Police revealed that three Arkansas Wildlife agents and the Deputy Sheriff went into the woods to serve a misdemeanor warrant on Morneau, who had been involved in a dispute with a neighboring hunting club. He believed that the hunting club members were trespassing on his land.
The coroner initally said that Morneau had been shot in the back, but changed his ruling a few days later.
The officers said that Morneau pulled a pistol on them so they shot and killed him.
Daniel Keele of Shreveport, attorney for the Morneau family, said that Jones’ opinion “affects only the criminal aspects of this matter, for which he is responsible under Arkansas law. The scope and breadth of any civil action far exceeds the focus of the Arkansas inquiry.”
Keele goes on to say “Although it has been six months since
Jean (John) Morneau was lured into Arkansas, our independent investigation has turned up numerous facts and substantial evidence. We will not be commenting piecemeal on individual aspects of the official investigation or that which we have underway.”
I will be following this as the civil aspect is pursued.  Unanswered questions still abound in this case.
Here are the original blog posts from My Bossier.
Vivian attorney, 2nd amendment advocate, killed by law enforcement officers
Serious questions raised about John Morneau shooting

My Bossier Weekly Roundup: The Vlog 4-15-2011

This is a 'Must Read' for everyone in Louisiana

Particularly in Bossier, because the story revolves around Bossier Parish and Olde Oaks and some local members of the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS).
It's costing you money - a lot of money.
The story is from Bloomberg News and is shocking.  Everyone knows of the problems with the golf courses, but this is an account from the beginning to the present time, and explains the bad judgment and criminal activity that have contributed to a very serious problem.
Municipal contributions to MPERS have skyrocketed in a time of severe budget cuts. Bossier City and other municipalities now pay 25% of police payrolls into the the system, as opposed to 11% last year. According to the article, it is expected to rise to 28% in the new fiscal year beginning July 1st.

• “It was like a gigantic playhouse,” says Nick Congemi, 68, chief of the Greater New Orleans Expressway Police in Metairie, who for years criticized the system’s leadership and investments. “These people have taken the futures away of good, decent law-enforcement officers who thought they could depend on this for the rest of their lives.”

Read the entire story

Candidate Profile: Julian Whittington

Julian Whittington is well known in Bossier Parish.  The 52 year old former Chief Criminal Deputy was brought up in Benton and served for 23 years in the Sheriff's Department.
He is a graduate of BPCC (Associates Degree) and received his Bachelor's Degree from Northeast State University, now ULM.
He and his wife Melissa have a son, 26 and a daughter, 22.
In his years with the Department he served in various capacities in every operation of the office, both Criminal and Civil.
Whittington points out that the office requires a lot more than criminal experience; the sheriff is the tax collector for the parish, serves all papers for the District Court including foreclosures, sells siezed property at Sheriff's sale every week, operates 3 prisons and the Academy.
This is on top of managing 300+ employees and overseeing a budget of more than $30,000,000.
From his early days patrolling the parish to his days as Chief Deputy, he says that he is the only candidate who has experience in all of these crucial operations of the office.
Whittington believes that the sheriff's office should practice transparency and that the sheriff should be available to the public.  If elected, he said that 'on the first day I would move the office of the sheriff back into the Courthouse'.
He will officially announce for the office next Tuesday, April 19th, at the Bossier City Civic Center Bodcau Room at 4PM.  He stated that this is an open invitation to all residents of the parish.

It's official - Dempsey not running

Now we're back down to a two man race.  Julian Whittington will announce his candidacy next Tuesday.  We'll have a profile on Whittington in the next day or so.
Next week we'll have a profile on Mike McConnell.
It's only starting folks, who knows what could happen next?

Doyle Dempsey set to announce tonight – but what will he announce?

I’ve been hearing for a couple of days that something was going on in the sheriff’s race, particularly concerning Doyle Dempsey.
Dempsey has an announcement planned tonight and the original intent was to announce his run for sheriff. I hear from a couple of pretty good sources that Dempsey and Julian Whittington had a meeting to discuss the situation.
I’m also hearing that Dempsey will announce tonight that he will not run, but will support Whittington.
A commenter on the blog made the statement a couple of hours ago that it is the talk of the sheriff’s office. I have verified that it is the talk of the town, but I can’t verify the truth of it at this time.
I have been attempting to reach Chief Dempsey to get a clarification, but have been unable to get a response from either phone calls or emails. This makes me believe that there may be something to it.
At this point it's all speculation, we’ll know in a couple of hours.

Fatal Shooting on Barksdale Boulevard

Two are dead and one wounded and in surgery.  We will update this as more becomes available.

Scene of shooting at Bill Norris Appliance

Police at the scene

People gathering nearby

(Photos compliments of Rex Moncrief)

My Bossier Weekly Roundup: The Vlog 4-10-2011

Mary Celeste

Grandchild #7 arrived about an hour ago.  Mary Celeste Coleman is the newest addition to the family.  Congratulations Anne & Chris (and Tyler & Cody).
I'll add more pictures later!

Larry Deen announces retirement

Now it's down to Julian Whittington and Mike McConnell.
Will Doyle Dempsey enter the race?  Will he stand a chance?
Videos are up on NWLTPA of the announcement this morning.  The actual announcement is in the 3rd video, if you don't have time to watch the entire thing.

Banana Cream Pie

Mrs. Andy made me another pie, this one is banana cream.  It is awesomely good, with the flakiest, best homemade crust you ever tasted, creamy custard and bananas.
The first pie she gave me was a buttermilk pie, which was also awesome.
I miss no opportunity to kiss up to her on Facebook - I want to keep those pies coming.
Thanks Pam!

Deen, Whittington both to announce for sheriff

Word is that Larry Deen will announce for re-election tomorrow morning.  Word also is that Julian Whittington will announce within a matter of days.

Get the ladies and children inside and dig some foxholes, this might be the battle of the century.  Well, at least since the last one when Larry Deen won the office from Vol Dooley.

We'll be filling in more details in the next few days.

Dr. Rogers selected for Council

Former Bossier City Councilman Dr. James Rogers was chosen out to serve in the District 5 seat left vacant by the resignation of Chubby Knight.  The vote was 4-2, with Jeff Darby and David Jones voting for Larry Hanisee.
A special election will be held in this fall's regular elections for someone to serve out the term.  We'll be looking at the different candidates as the year progresses.

The Conversation

If you're on any social network, you've probably already seen this.  I'm going to put it up anyway.
I have watched my nephew's twin boys, who are now 7 years old, communicate since they were infants.  These two probably know what they are saying to each other.
(Sort of reminds me of the My Bossier comments section at times!)

The Official Good Old Boy Registry

We’ve been hearing a lot about the ‘good old boys’ in the last few weeks. I decided to do an in depth investigation and find out just what nefarious means these ‘good old boys’ used to attain the power that they seem to possess.
These are just a few of the City of Bossier City ‘good old boys’. I’m not ready to tackle the parish yet.
Lynn Austin will undoubtedly join their ranks. He was elected yesterday.  As an appointed official, he wasn't qualified to be an official 'good old boy'.
There has been a lot of talk about getting new leadership by electing people who aren’t involved with the system.
Indeed, 11 of every 100 voters swamped the polls yesterday to do just that.
Oh wait, they didn’t, they voted for the establishment candidate.
May be time to retire that ‘good old boy’ thing.

To rephrase Pogo – ‘We have met the good old boys and they are us’.

Lo Walker – Mayor

Re-elected in 2009

NO OPPONENT

Tim Larkin – Councilman at Large

Re-elected in 2009

David Montgomery – Councilman at Large

Re-elected in 2009

David Jones – District 4

Re-elected in 2009

NO OPPONENT

Scott Irwin – District 1

Re-elected in 2009

NO OPPONENT

Bubba Williams – District 3
Re-elected in 2009
NO OPPONENT

My Bossier Weekly Roundup: The Vlog 4-2-2011

Andy's Blog Post

Lynn Austin wins Marshal Race

All the votes aren't reported yet, but enough to know that Lynn Austin has won the race outright.
Congratulations to Mr. Austin.

Thoughts on the Saturday Election

The Tax Renewal
Bossier Parish voters have a choice of renewing the 3 mill tax that funds the Police Jury’s obligation to operating the three parish prisons.
The tax is for another ten years, and has already been renewed once. The Police Jury has rolled back the rate to 2.3% while at the same time putting in money from sales tax revenues in order to fulfill that obligation. Some have called for voting down the tax and forcing the Police Jury to come up with the money by scrubbing the budget and providing the money from other sources. Without studying the Parish budget and being able to suggest where cuts amounting to almost $2,000,000 could be made I am uncomfortable with this approach.
The sheriff pays about 1/3 of the cost of operating the prisons, primarily by providing the manpower. The Police Jury is bound by law to pay most of the rest. This is not an optional expense.
The voters approved building the prisons and voted in this tax in the first place.
I think a better way to suggest savings to the taxpayers would be by studying the Parish budget and sharing your ideas as to what cuts could be made.

The Marshal’s Race
The election for a new City Marshal is tomorrow. At this point, I believe everyone has made up their mind as to who they support. Whether you are for Lynn Austin, Sam Wyatt or Carl Richard – go vote tomorrow.

Conservative Drink looks at the Marshal's race

Rex Moncrief takes a look at the Bossier City Marshal's race and favors Sammy Wyatt.
Read his thoughts here.