Channel 12 does series on Danielle Cox

I blogged back in August and September about Danielle Cox, the 15 year old Parkway High School student who committed suicide earlier this year.
Remembering Danielle
Bullying has Consequences
Jason Patrick Thomas of Bossier City is facing charges of Criminal Assistance to Suicide.
Thomas had sent more than 100 messages to Danielle encouraging her to kill herself.
In case you missed them, KSLA did a series focusing on this case.
If you have a teenager, I would encourage you to have them watch these videos. High-Schoolers need to be reminded that their actions have consequences.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The case will be back in court on November 22^nd for a status conference.
Defense attorney Elton Richey was granted a motion for the State to present a bill of particulars to furnish:

1. The facts the State contends supports the allegation that Jason Thomas knowingly and intentionally advised, or encouraged, D.C. to commit suicide on or about January 25, 2011.
2. The facts the State contends supports the allegation that Jason Thomas participated in an act on or about January 25^th, 2011, which caused D.C. to commit suicide.
3. The specific acts that the state intends to prove at trial on the merits that constitute any of the following elements of the offense of Criminal Assistance to Suicide:

        a. That Jason Thomas advised D.C. to commit suicide.

      b. That Jason Thomas encouraged D.C. to commit suicide.

      c. The particular acts purportedly participated in by Jason Thomas, which caused D.C. to commit suicide.

Veterans Day 2011

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
History of Veterans Day

Welcome Luke to his new home

Matt Sciba and his wife Mikki are in Chicago to finalize the adoption of their second child, Luke.
Luke faces some challenges, but will be well cared for in a loving home. Luke should be home, hopefully, just before Thanksgiving.
All of the regular readers of My Bossier know Matt from his association with the Northwest Louisiana Tea Party Alliance, and quite possibly from discussions on the comment section of various blog posts.
Agree with Matt politically or not, and it’s a mix, I hope everyone will stand with me and congratulate Matt, and wish the very best to Mikki, Mary and Luke.
Mikki and Matt are blogging their experiences at A Concrete Way of Love.
Luke, welcome to Bossier.

The ongoing story of MPERS

In the ongoing story of MPERS, an interesting side note.
MPERS has sued both Bossier Parish and Bossier City to refund the ad valorem taxes they paid for 2010. This is the first year that they have done so.
MPERS paid, under protest, $190,166.70 to the Parish and $13,967.67 to the City for 2010.
In January they filed suit against both the Parish naming Larry Deen as Tax Collector and Bobby Edmiston as Assessor. They also filed against the City, naming William Buffington, Finance Director.
The suits were filed by Kimberly L. Robinson of the Baton Rouge law firm of Jones Walker.
The suits maintain that they are exempt because according to their theory, they fall under the Louisiana Constitutional definition of “public lands, other public property used for public purposes”.
I’m not a lawyer, but the “used for public purposes” doesn’t seem to fit (in my opinion) golf courses.
The lawyers and the judge will figure it out.
It just seems a little strange to me that they paid the taxes for all of those years, and now want to challenge the assessment.
I suppose desperate times require desperate measures.
We will have a lot more on MPERS in the very near future.

Time to take the flag down

Today the Caddo Parish Commission voted 11-1 to remove the Confederate flag from the front of the courthouse.
I think that it is time to fold the flag and put it up.
I have heard the arguments both pro and con. On the pro side is the argument that it is part of our heritage. Generally speaking that might be true, but the flag at the courthouse doesn’t represent that heritage. It is true that the last Confederate flag to come down was at that location, and that should be properly noted. The flag at the courthouse isn't there to commemorate that event.
I love history, and I love the history of our area. I love the history of my family and try to pass it down to the younger people in the family.
Three of my four great-grandfathers fought in the Confederate army.
But that flag doesn’t represent them, the history of the location or even of the era. That flag was put up in my lifetime, and it was put up in defiance of an ever growing civil rights movement.
There were things that had to change, and needed to change. The flag at the courthouse was put up in opposition to that change. Simply put, the change came and it is time to take it down.

MPERS lawyer sentenced - more convictions to come?

Today the former attorney for The Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System (MPERS), Randy Zinna, was sentenced to 30 months incarceration in Federal Court for stealing more than $1,500,000 from several sources.
I have blogged about MPERS on several occasions, here and here, particularly zeroing in on some bad investments.
One of those, of course, is Olde Oaks in Bossier Parish, which the system sunk more than $15,000,000 into, yet it ended up with a net worth of just over $3,000,000. Because of mismanagement of the system, police officers across the state are having to pay an addition 2.5% of their salary into contributions. The amount that the municipalities involved must contribute has risen exponentially.
The $1.2 billion program went from fully funded to $836.3 million short of meeting future retirement obligations.
Zinna was ordered to make restitution of $501,318.11 to MPERS and $136,614.10 to Olde Oaks. He also must make restitution to the Employers’ Retirement System for East Baton Rouge in the amount of $340,392.93, as well as $546,351.82 that he had swindled from a widow.
Zinna could have received up to 20 years in prison, but the U.S. Attorney filed a report indicating that Mr. Zinna should be allowed a three-level downgrade for sentencing guideline purposes due to his cooperation with the investigation and assistance with respect to other potential violators.
That’s where it gets interesting. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if more indictments follow.
More complete articles here, here and here.

State House District 3 Race - Lynn Cawthorne

I blogged yesterday about State Representative Barbara Norton. Fortunately for the people of District 3, they not only have an alternative, but a good one.
Lynn Cawthorne is managing partner of Cawthorne Financial Group. He has a degree in Business Finance from Dillard University and an MBA from Troy State. Here is his biographical info from his WEBSITE.
• Lynn D. Cawthorne is the 7th child of 13 born to Mrs. Fannie Johnson Cawthorne and the late Robert Cawthorne, Sr. He is the proud father of two children; Tatyana age 15 and 10 year-old Tylinn.
• He is a 1985 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School where he served as Senior Class President. He went on to graduate from Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana with a degree in Business Finance. He also holds an MBA from Troy State University.
• His career has spanned more than 20 years working at all levels in the financial community. He began his career with Whitney National Bank in New Orleans where he rose to the position of vice-president before moving into the investment industry at UBS Paine Webber and Axa Advisors. He is currently managing partner of Cawthorne Financial Group.
• Lynn is actively involved in his community. He is the General Manager and Coach of the Caddo Heights Storm Spar League Football Team. He is the Founder of the Booker T. Washington Scholar's Society, as well as President of United Citizens and Neighborhoods (UCAN) Community Development Corporation. In 2010 he served on the Citizen's Bond Study Committee. He has been a featured panelist on Dateline Shreveport in addition to serving on the Shreveport Times Editorial/Community Board.
• Lynn is a member of Shady Grove #2 Baptist Church and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Representing an inner city district that is plagued by poverty and crime is a difficult challenge. Cawthorne has a platform that stresses education and economic development.
• Promote laws to improve education for inner city students
• Retool educational opportunities for public school students
• Establish legislation that will create Business Enterprise Zones
• Enact laws that will assist in reducing crime
The people of District 3 deserve a representative who will do his best to build the district, not to embarrass it; to serve the people of the district, not to serve himself; and to be a credit to not only District 3, but to Shreveport and all of Louisiana.
Lynn Cawthorne is that person.
Cawthorne has a YouTube channel with several videos. You can check it out for yourself here.
There are five videos on the channel, so I picked one at random to share with you.

State House District 3 Race - Barbara Norton

I was going to do this in one blog post, but it would be too much. I’ll take a look at Barbara Norton tonight and then Lynn Cawthorne tomorrow.
District 3 runs from Midway Street south to part of Cedar Grove down to the Innerloop and west across 70th Street and Hollywood to the Airport. You can find that district map here.
We’re all familiar with Barbara Norton, who has represented this district for the last 3½ years. The infamous Norton, of course, is renowned for her cursing of Shreveport Police officers on the streets of downtown during her African-American History Parade last year. To refresh your memory, here’s what happened, and it was verified by video and by eyewitness accounts.
The City of Shreveport has a law that says that drivers of parade floats must be cleared by the police department to drive in a parade. Norton did not turn in the required paperwork ahead of time so the police were checking all of the drivers as best they could.
Norton went ballistic. How dare they question her, a former ‘community activist’ turned state legislator?
Calling one officer a white motherfucker and the other, a black officer, an Uncle Tom, Norton had to be calmed down by then Chief Henry Whitehorn.
She should have been arrested, not calmed down.
In fairness, I searched for a campaign website and could not find one to link to.
Barbara Norton is a blight on the community and a disgrace to the district she serves, indeed to the Louisiana State House of Representatives.
As for issues, she is against corporal punishment in school and she didn’t like Henry Burns’ bill (which passed) to allow guns in churches with approval and under certain circumstances.
Other than that, it is hard to find anything substantive at all about Norton.
I did get the video below, in which she refused to answer questions and referred them to her ‘assistant’.
Video thanks to Shmuffinman on You Tube.
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at her opponent, local businessman Lynn Cawthorne. There is a lot to recommend him other than just not being Barbara Norton.

Oceans Two – The Great Jet Ski Escape

That is just a representation of the Jet Ski that was used.
That really isn't Regis either.

It was a plan worthy of James Bond. Rob a Riverboat Casino and escape on a jet ski. My imagination runs wild, did they have a jet waiting to take them to Switzerland to a private villa to enjoy their ill-gotten loot?
Very James Bondish, except, you know, for the part about being caught and bitten by a police dog.
LaNorris Weathers and Regis Demond Hamilton tried to rob a cashier’s cage at Sam’s Town Casino in Shreveport at about 2:50 this morning.
Despite the best laid plans of mice and men, it backfired. LaNorris was captured by police in the casino. Regis apparently took the Jet Ski and wound up near the wastewater treatment plant in Bossier City, where a short time later BCPD found it and some wet clothes. A Bossier City police dog tracked Regis down and bit him in the process. He was treated at the hospital before being booked by SPD with his partner, LaNorris.

Nibbling on Sponge Cake

The Margaritaville story continues. With the yes or no vote coming up in just over two weeks, I have tried to get all of the facts that I can in order to help the readers of My Bossier make an educated decision.
Some concern has been expressed by commenters over the involvement of the city in the development. As previously noted, the city has to be involved in a couple of ways.
First of all, they owned the land just north of Bass Pro Shops where the casino and hotel will be located.
Second, the city will have to provide infrastucture for the development, as it would for any other development, be it a shopping mall, church or whatever.
The earliest projected costs, and at this point they are just projections, is about $5,000,000 for water, sewerage, a lift station and an intersection providing access to the casino/hotel. This would be recovered in projected taxes in a matter of months.
Another benefit that is showing up already, even before the vote, is that the other players in town are already stepping up their game. From physical improvements to existing casinos to better comp offers in an effort to cement their player bases, the proposed competition is already reaping some benefits.
Bossier City casinos are the city’s second largest employer, trailing only Barksdale Air Force Base. The casinos currently employ more than 3,500 people compared to Barksdale’s 10,000 plus.
Margaritaville will add an estimated 1,200 more positions.
Since casino gambling was approved in Louisiana in the 1990’s, the state has benefited by billions in tax dollars, and local governments across the state in hundreds of millions.
These are just facts, not a sales pitch for the Margaritaville development, although I have said that I support it. Some people believe that it will shut down or cripple other casinos. I don’t share that view.
If you are opposed to gambling through your moral or religious convictions, I have absolute respect for your opinion.
The fact is, however, that this is a legal and legitimate business in Louisiana and as such, the market should be allowed to operate freely.