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45,394 Lake Charles, Louisiana 50 Cents OUTSIDE Gradually decreasing clouds INSIDE Details B8 COWBOYS MISS CHANCE AT TAKING SERIES FROM NEW ORLEANS I B1 By Jim Beam jim.beam.press@gmail.com The Louisiana House has scheduled debate today on bills that allow medical marijuana dispensaries to sell the smokable form of the drug to patients, that dedicate vehicle sales taxes to a road and bridge construction fund and that reform the tax code. Republican Pro Tem Tan- ner Magee, R-Houma, is au- thor of House Bill 391 that re- ceived 12-1 committee support to update the marijuana law. Magee said, is wildly popular in every corner of the Debate on docket By John Guidroz Securing a new Interstate 10-Calcasieu River bridge and getting a federal disaster relief package approved by Congress are two topics Presi- dent Joe Biden should address during his scheduled visit to Lake Charles Thursday, Mayor Nic Hunter said. The White House an- nounced in a May 1 news release that Biden will be stop- ping in Lake Charles and New Orleans as part of the Getting America Back on Track Tour. Hunter said Sunday that the president must mention the need for Southwest Louisiana to fully recover from Hurri- canes Laura and Delta.
certainly would be an incredible miscalculation if he were to come here and not address hurricane Hunter said. Local officials have ex- pressed frustration at Con- gress not yet having drafted or approved a federal disaster re- lief package. The Alliance for Positive Growth wrote a letter to the federal delegation urg- ing them to take action soon, something Hunter supports. you look back in recent history, it has not taken this long for Washington, D.C., to come out with a disaster re- covery package after a disaster Hunter said. day that goes by and we have it is another day where Washington, D.C., is failing the people of Southwest Louisi- Biden is expected to talk about infra- structure during the visit.
Elected officials on the local, state and federal levels have been pushing for a new I-10 bridge to replace the aging, outdated one. Bridge proposals from the state De- partment of Transportation and Development range from more than $900 million, to $1.2 billion. very hopeful going to focus on the I-10 Hunter said. should be a poster child for the need for a federal infrastructure plan. If someone can help us push forward on a new I-10 bridge, I will sit down and talk to any- one, day or During a visit to Hackberry in May 2019, former President Donald Trump promised a new I-10 bridge, if re-elected.
visit will be the fourth trip to Southwest Loui- siana by a sitting president in nearly four years. Trump visited Lake Charles in Sep- tember 2017 after Hurricane Harvey, followed by the Hack- berry stop in 2019 and again last August to survey damage after Hurricane Laura. last stop in Lake Charles was in 2010 while he was vice president. He also visited the city in 2006 as a U.S. senator to survey damage after Hurricane 2005 landfall.
LC mayor: Biden must talk recovery LOUISIANA LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP is wildly popular in every corner of the state. what people want and what patients Republican Pro Tem Tanner Magee See DOCKET, A3 Author of bill to update marijuana law Bills on marijuana, tax code to be heard By John Guidroz Standard Industries Hold- ings, a private equity firm, will acquire W.R. Grace and Co. for $70 per share, officials announced last week. W.R.
Lake Charles plant operates in Sulphur. The $7 billion deal is ex- pected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. The agreement, announced April 26, means that W.R. Grace, a Maryland-based specialty chemicals firm, will become a private company once the transaction is closed. common stock will not be listed on the New York Stock Exchange once the deal closes.
According to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, W.R. Grace employees should not anticipate any changes with the transaction. remains business as usu- al, and our strategic priorities remain the docu- ment reads. best thing you can do is stay focused on your day-to-day responsibili- ties and serving our custom- Standard Industry Hold- ings Inc.
is a parent of Stan- dard Industries. The firm 40 North, which is largest shareholder and lated investment for Standard Industry Holdings, will assume debt, the document reads. After the transaction closes, headquarters will remain in Columbia, Md. W.R. Grace to be sold by end By Rita LeBleu In 2019, 3,851 abuse and neglect cases were reported in Southwest Louisiana.
These reports might have involved alcoholism or drug use at home, mental, physical or sexual abuse. More than 1,500 calls were investigated by child protective services. Hundreds of children are in the foster care system. Helping decide best for these children are judges, state- appointed attorneys, so- cial workers, of whom OF THE WEEK have tough caseloads and are restricted to act only in their official capacity. A CASA volunteer plays a different role.
Child Appointed Special Advocate volunteers, according to online informa- tion, are people from all walks of life who step up to assist judges in getting to know the child and their specific Joyce Alexander, like other CASA volunteers, is far from ordinary. what I Alexander said. a CASA volunteer is so much Rather than volunteering to help a large group of people, a CASA volunteer is one person who digs in deep into the life of one person making a difference in the world one child at a time. On a voluntary basis, the CASA volunteer makes it his or her business to gather all the information available on the case and on the life by reviewing the file, making drop-in visits, perhaps talking to neighbors or teachers. The CASA volun- teer can often interact with parents and grandparents in a way that does not put them on the defensive.
can put ourselves in their Alexander said. can take the time to get to true personal opinions, find out how a person involved in the life truly feels, especially if been try- ing to hide those feelings. The more you find out, the better advocate you can Most importantly, Alexan- der listens to and becomes a CASA volunteer Alexander a voice for children Joyce Alexander VOLUNTEER all Chemicals firm with LC plant to become private company By Marlisa Harding Sowela Technical Com- munity Office of Workforce Solutions will offer a two-week Introduction to Construction class beginning Monday, May 10. The two-week course will train participants in entry-level construction skills and result in OSHA 10 and National Center for Construction Education and Research Core credentials. Obtaining such credentials are the perfect step for indi- viduals interested in helping Southwest Louisiana recover from storm damage, Judy McCleary, Office of Workforce Solutions director of business and industry services, said.
may be a very hard- working individual and you want to get out there and par- ticipate in the reconstruction effort. But to do that, you have to have a little basic informa- tion and this gives them a great Class sizes are limited to less than a dozen students, she said, as student work through both classroom and lab skills at Lake Charles campus. two certifications they will receive are very valuable credentials, recog- nized all over. It is the stan- dard for this she said. Student will have hand-on practice in construction math, how to read and understand construction drawings and blueprints and an introduc- tion into hand and power tools and material handlings.
also learn some skills about when on a job site communication skills, understanding how to get along with your fellow workers, how to work with a supervisors, just some basic employability skills that we get very good reviews on because a lot of times this is the first real job someone has McCleary said. The credentials are valu- able right now in the commu- nity as residents seek to hire reliable craftsmen for their home repairs and contractors are seeking reliable employ- ees, she said. are looking for someone locally that they can hire. Someone whose going to be here and have to drive in from Lafayette or The credentials are also valuable in the long-term, she added, because they are say someone says, know if I want weld- ing, pipefitting, carpentry or Well, all of the Sowela offers training to meet construction demand To not be incredible Hunter says From our archives Then-Vice President Joseph Biden and his wife, Jill, greet residents including Dinah Landry, above at Grand Lake Elderly Apartments on Jan. 15, 2010.
The president will visit Southwest Louisiana again on Thursday as part of his Getting America Back on Track Tour. American Press Archives.
