De mont uf April wuz filled wit lots uf fun for all uf us in Southwest Louisiana. An mos uf de scheduled events happened despite de heavy rains. Some wuz shortened an a few wuz canceled. But for de mos part de show went on — Contraband days, Fast Pitch 56 Softball, da Crawfish Festival, de Art Walk an so much mo happened in April. An dar wuz sometin for everyone.
Now we turn to May, an we should have more bonne temp again, wit sometin for everyone. For beginners, Downtown at Sundown iz back, wit de likes uf Terrance Simien an Grammy Award winner Steve Riley an hiz Mamou Playboys takin de stage. Dere’ll be dat, plus a whole lotta udder types uf entertainment an activities for people uf all ages.
Lookin back 10 years ago, we didn’t have all dem activities dat de cities uf Lake Charles an Sulphur, de Police Jury an McNeese put on. An let’s not forget all dem corporate sponsors who help make dem events possible. Yes, Southwest Louisiana iz growin, wit all sorts uf new jobs comin in. But we are also havin a lot mo fun wit all de tings we have to do.
Dis publication an udders, as well az de TV an radio stations, do a great job uf lettin folks know what’s goin on an what’s comin up. So dis weekend, check out de events calendar. You can bet dar will be sometin different for you to do in Southwest Louisiana.
Tres Bonne
We wuz pleased to learn LPB iz now carryin two hours uf French programmin for children on LPB 2. De program iz produced by Canadian television. It’s designed to help children speak an read French.
Now de French immersion program in Calcasieu Parish haz been going on for quite a few years, an iz one uf de best in de state. Just recently in a restaurant, me, I heard a woman carryin on a conversation in French wit her two children. After talking to de mom and kids, I learnt day had been in de French program at dar school for several years. De mom sed she’d promised her late mother she would continue to speak French to her children.
Az we’ve mentioned before, statistics show de number uf households in our state dat speak French iz droppin rapidly. In 2000, nearly 20 percent of households spoke French. By 2010, de number wuz down to 5 percent. Me, I hate to tink what dat number will be 2020.
Now it’s been proven dat children who enter de immersion program at an early age do better in English, history an udder subjects. So we urge you to support French-speaking programs an vive la langue francais!
John John One On One On LPB
We watched wit great interest an interview wit Gov. John John regarding hiz first 100 days in office. He spoke uf continuin to work to attack de state’s budget problems an vowed to fix dem so dat de state could move on. One point he made dat we taught wuz important wuz dat he urged legislators to be Louisianans first. An den after de money problems wuz fixed, dey could go back to being Democrats and Republicans. An we say Amen to dat.
We all know how we got in to dis financial quicksand. We spent more dan we had. It’s de same way Puerto Rico got $70 billion in debt an Illinois’ budget iz $10 billion out uf whack. Now de federal gubment solves dat problem by printing mo money. But we can’t do dat. So we have to figure out how to increase revenue an streamline services. An after listenin to John John, it looks like we’re on de right track.
Now it’s gonna take some hard work by legislators, John John, state employees an udders, but it looks like we’re startin to see daylight.
Voucher Program Haz Bulls Eye On It
When John John ran for governor, he had de support uf public school teachers in our state bigtime. Now public school teachers an dar unions hate two tings … charter schools an de voucher system.
Charter schools get money from de state for each student dat picks a charter school over a public school. Voucher students get a voucher to spend if de school day iz goin to haz a failin grade.
Now both de charter system an voucher system make one conclude de public school teachers have not done dar job, an de teachers will have none uf dat talk. For dat reason, de teachers’ unions are opposed to both charter schools an voucher systems.
Edwards recently called for a 10 percent cut in fundin for de voucher system. Pro voucher groups wuz quick to remind da gov dat he had promised not to mess wit vouchers when he wuz runnin for de state’s highest office. Hiz reply wuz dat voucher expenditures had increased by 14% percent a year de las three years while public school fundin remained flat. No mention wuz made uf results in charter schools an for dem usin de voucher system … just dollar talk.
Medical Marijuana Is Smokin’ Hot Issue
Several bills are makin dar ways trew legislative committees regardin de use uf marijuana for medical reasons. Last year, de Legislature voted on makin de ag departments uf LSU and Southern de only ones dat could grow da weed for medical purposes in our state.
It hazn’t happened, an it doesn’t look like either school will start plantin any time soon. Groups like de Sheriffs’ Assoc. an de District Attorneys Assoc. have opposed legalizing it for any reason. On de udder side uf de fence iz folks dat are sayin people are leavin our state for Colorado an Washington, DC, where da weed iz legal.
A fran in de cigarette bidness sez day are bein told de federal gubment will legalize it within a few years. Now dat should make for some lively debate in Congress. Meantime, de Baton Rouge boys and girls continue to wrangle wit de issue.
Man Camp An Issue In West Cal … Again
Just a few months ago, de Calcasieu Parish Police jury voted down a proposed man camp site off Highway 90 in Sulphur.
Fast forward a few weeks, an anudder group comes to de jury wit a plan to locate a 900-man camp just a short distance away from where de previous site had been proposed. Dis time, de zoning commission voted to change zoning an de Police Jury voted 10-3 for de commission’s stand.
Needless to say, dis reversal in vote haz residences in dat area scratchin dar heads az to why de change took place. An it should have de rest uf de residents in de parish on guard az to any request for rezonin. An folks should really watch de action uf dar police jurors.
How Can Dis Be?
We sawed in de paper recently whar de Port uf Lake Charles had been boorayed to de tune uf $11 million by de Edwards administration. Dis money wuz earmarked for various improvement projects.
Meantime, de money assigned for de Hurricane Museum iz still in dis massive part uf de budget known az de capital outlay. One million iz in Priority one and 26 million in Priority 5.
All we gotta say iz watch de New Awlins bunch, folks. Dis iz where Senate President John Alario an his New Awlins gang bring home de bacon. If we’re not gonna have de Hurricane Museum, den let’s spend dat money on udder Southwest Louisiana projects. In udder words, keep de bacon here.
MSU Baseball An Softball Shine
Both de baseball and softball teams at McNeese have done real well dis year. How far day will go in de NCAA regionals iz yet unknown. But all we gotta say iz we have an awful lot to be proud uf in both teams.
If you haven’t already, put on your gold and blue an go out and support de Cowboys and Cowgirls. You’ll be glad you did.
Deep Taughts While Watching Tigers Baseball
10) Can de Tigers get their act togedder an still host a regional?
9) T Claude weights 120 pounds. How can he eat 20 pounds uf boiled crawfish?
8) Iz Gov. John John gonna take all de Southwest Louisiana “bacon” outta de state budget?
7) How much mo taxes does de state tink folks can pay?
6) Why not have a wrecker truck at each end uf 210 & I-10 to get traffic movin after a wreck?
5) Will John John cut charter school spending and really tick off de New Awlins bunch?
4) Will de Astros get it goin soon?
3) Will de price uf gaz continue to go up trew de summer?
2) How can a pick-up truck cost mo dan mos houses used to?
1) Will I get some good ceegars for Father’s Day?
Final Shot
I axed my fran Lefty if he wuz plannin to go to Downtown at Sundown to listen to de great music. He sed he went last year an dar wuz too much uf a law enforcement presence an he felt uncomfortable. Could it be dat Lefty haz a reason for being uncomfortable around law enforcement folks?
‘Til next time, lache pas la patate.
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