Anudder Notch!!!

If you watch any uf dem cookin’ shows on TV, you’ve no doubt seen Emeril Lagasse trow some mumbo jumbo into a pot uf stuff he’s cooking while he yells “anudder notch!” By dat he means he’s adding anudder layer uf flavorin’.

Well, such iz de case around here wit’ de LNG plants. De recent announcement by Venture Global dat day wuz gonna build a $4.25 billion plant barely moved de needle, so to speak.

Dose uf us who’ve been around for a while can remember when such an announcement would have been de lead story in local media for days on end. Now it seems like dar’s an announcement every week about a new LNG plant comin’ to our area.

Venture will be de third such plant on de ship channel; udders already announced are Magnolia LNG and Southern California Telephone’s Monkey Island project.

In press briefings, Venture claims day gonna have 1,500 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs once de plant iz built. Still mo good news for Southwest Louisiana.

What About De Support System?

Az we’ve sed befo, de boom we got comin’ iz gonna require better roads an bridges an better schools, etc. An’ again, wit’ dis Venture announcement, Gov. Jindal came into Cameron Parish, made de announcement uf de company comin’ and den hauled hiz derriere back to Baton Rouge.

But de chairman uf Venture made it clear in hiz remarks dat de project would mean mo school children, more homes sold and built an’ more groceries bought.

But we gotta admit at least one company iz smellin’ de money an’ doin’ sometin’ about gettin’ ready — an’ dat’s Wal-Mart Groceries. Several are bein’ built, an’ we can tell you day are soon gonna announce de buildin’ uf several more grocery stores in dis area.

Quirk Resignation A Sad Day

Any lawyer who spends any amount uf time in court will tell you good an’ fair judges are hard to find. City Judge Tom Quirk wuz such a judge. But due to some silly law passed by dem cooyons in de Legislature, Quirk wuz forced to step down because uf hiz age.

Me an’ my wife Sedonia went to hiz retirement party.  It wuz great to see lots uf ol’ friends, an’ it wuz also nice to see Tom in good spirits.

Now we have a replacement in Jamie Bice, an’ only time will tell if he will be de kinda judge Tom Quirk wuz.

Good luck, Jamie, and best wishes to Judge Tom.

Mayo’s Passin’ A Shock

The death uf James Mayo certainly came az a shock to everyone in Southwest Louisiana. Mayo served on de police jury an’ wuz also in charge uf de Lake Charles Civic Center. Political insiders had him pegged for much bigger things in de future … like mayor or state representative. But at de age uf 52, he was taken from us.

Dose uf us who knew him knew he was one in a million.

Mayo had political friends throughout de state, and in our area he was known as a coalition builder — always doing what he felt was right for de whole area, and not just his district. Dat’s why he wuz gonna be de president uf de Calcasieu Parish Police Jury next year.

It iz for hiz vision an’ cooperation dat Mayo will be missed by all.

Now What? For School Boad

De new school boad doesn’t take office until January. But already dar bein’ consulted by present boad members regardin’ important matters like money an’ curriculum.

It will be interestin’ to see how de 12 new boad members will get along wit a new superintendent day didn’t vote for. But we expect all will get along … at least for de beginnin’.

Money issues will be of great concern, an’ one can ax for no one better to handle school money issues dan superintendent Karl Bruchhaus. Also at issue will be de student population boom in de Moss Bluff area. Voters recently defeated a tax dat would have created anudder elementary school to help take care uf dat growth. But dat ain’t gonna keep folks from movin’ in an’ havin’ babies. Dat’s just anudder problem for de boad.

Kennedy At It Again

One ting for shore about Treasury Secretary John Kennedy … he knows how to keep hiz name in de news. Kennedy always appears to be runnin’ for one office or anudder, but never does. What he does do iz go around de state criticizin’ de governor or de Legislature or DOTD or de Dept. uf Education or some udder agency.

Ever notice he never sez how he could save money in hiz department? Maybe if he’d stop travelin’ all de time, he’d save money in hiz department too.

De latest Kennedy crusade iz wit’ regard to state government overspendin’. He points out de recent choppin’ uf $170 million by de Jindal administration because uf de drop in oil prices. Kennedy also points out dat Jindal haz cut higher education $700 million over de las’ few years. He “guesses” McNeese haz continued to do well because uf quality leadership. Ain’t no guessin’ dar. Strong leadership is why McNeese continues to do well.

Kennedy also points to Jindal and his boys raidin’ every fund in de state. Wonder what he would do if he wuz governor … Wonder if he will ever run.

Injustice In Justice Dealin’

A member uf de BESE boad recently cut a deal wit’ prosecutors dat will net him a suspended sentence an’ require he pay restitution uf $10,653. Walter Lee, a member uf BESE for 23 years an’ former superintendent uf Desoto Parish schools, wuz accused uf usin’ public vehicles for personal use. Dat’s what he pled guilty to.

He wuz also charged wit’ felony theft, public contract fraud, malfeasance an’ misdemeanor theft (whatever dat iz). He wuz accused uf double billin’ de school boad an’ BESE for de same fuel an’ lodgin’ expenses an’ uf personally benefittin’ from de return uf a leased vehicle.

An’ all he got wuz a suspended sentence an’ a fine of 10 grand. What’s wrong wit’ dis picture? Take little Johnny, who went to school in Desoto Parish an’ got hooked on drugs. He robs a 7-11 an’ tells the clerk he has a gun (but never shows it). He gets $40 out uf de register and is sentenced for armed robbery an’ gets 20 years in Angola. Just say it ain’t so.

Spendin’ Continues

Well, Landrieu got beat in her bid for reelection to de U.S. Senate an’ Obama iz still president. Considerin’ how Bill Cassidy hardly visited de Lake area durin’ hiz campaign, one haz to wonder how many times a year we gonna see him now.

Wit’ de new Congress set to be seated soon, it should be pointed out dat both de Senate an’ House will be controlled by Republicans. Las’ time dat happened, de Republicans came out with dis stupid “Contract wit America.” Expect mo uf de same dis time around.

An’ we jus saw Congress pass a $1.1 trillion budget. Not to worry — day will jus’ continue printin’ mo money.

It should be noted dat both our Senators are now Republican, an’ five uf de six congressmen are Republicans. One would tink we would be sittin’ pretty good at gettin’ bacon sent to our state. But it hazn’t happened, an’ we doubt it will happen in de next few years. Sen. David Vitter will be busy runnin’ for governor, an’ de rest uf de congressional delegation will be makin’ shure dar big donors are taken care uf. Ain’t politics wonderful?

New Field An’ Lots Uf New Players

We wuz pleased to see McNeese addin’ artificial turf to its baseball field. Dis was done thanks to de generous donation uf Joe Miller.

We understand de Cowboys have added lots uf new players from junior colleges, etc., which should mean a much better team. Get your tickets now, folks, an’ get ready to enjoy some really excitin’ college baseball.

Deep Taughts While Gearin’ Up For College Bowl Games

10) When day gonna have a Boudin Bowl in Jennings?

9) Aren’t we all proud uf de Kinder Yellow Jackets, who were so close to repeatin’?

8) Who will de police jury pick to complete James Mayo’s term?

7) Does John Bridges get a discount on his hair cuts?

6) How are my buddies gonna like de hog head cheese T Don an’ I made?

5) How come crawfish iz out so early dis year, an’ will prices drop earlier too?

4) Ain’t it great McNeese haz its own radio station dat plays great oldies?

3) How many mo gonna jump in de race for governor?

2) How does my jalapeño cornbread disappear from my oven while I’m nappin’?

1) Does de new SEC network mean we gonna see all de LSU baseball games?

Final Shot

Lefty an’ hiz buddies took a road trip to see ULL an’ Nevada in de New Awlins Bowl in de Superdome. De gang made several pit stops on de way back for giggle juice, an’ Lefty kept ignorin’ hiz wife’s text messages. Knowin’ he wuz in hot water, Lefty finally sent her a text. It read, “don’t pay de ransom … We escaped and will be home soon.” You know it’s amazin’ how quickly Lefty recovered from dem rollin’ pin injuries. Happy New Year and lache pas la patate.