Coaches Offer Grueling Headlines

The summer heat wave is not as grueling as the recent coaching headlines. The reasons for removing Huntington High School football coach Mike Green (photo at right) are tough lines to fathom and consider. Sports should be about discipline, respect and performance on an even playing field. The violations pile on to a trend of malfeasance and misguided acts by people we entrust as leaders to our children. I won’t even get into recent admissions by politicians, a former Red River Radio manager and a few bad apples in the Shreveport police department.
We wish Coach Green’s LHSAA violations list and former Southwood High School teacher and assistant football coach Joseph Barbee's admission to molesting female students are the last harsh sports headlines for the rest of the season. Sadly, there is at least one other coach case on the docket.

Thank goodness we aren’t penalizing the kids. The sooner we can get past these headlines, the sooner we can back to the wonderful lessons embedded in high school football.

B-52’s Bark Warns Real Bite

It is hard to escape the reach of Barksdale Air Force Base forces. The re-creation of a 70-year-old mission flying 1950s era airplanes (three B-52s) equipped with new technology demonstrates how old dogs with a big bark can still bite. Fancy flying of the behemoths over 4,000 miles detailed by Times Military reporter John Andrew Prime underscores, “Threaten us and you will pay the price, for we can find you even in the vast emptiness of the ocean and destroy you.” The B-52 continues flying past predictions of its retirement. “The airplane is a bundle of contradictions,” he writes. Multimedia: Audio; Video; Photo galleries (1 and 2); And B-52 links (1, 2 and 3).

Rotary Club of Shreveport speaker
Colonel Michael R. Shoults, director of staff of Air Combat Command’s 8th Air Force, offered an overview of Cyber Command at today’s lunch: What it is, what it means and how partnerships with the community might work. He explained how the re-created mission – mentioned above –helps demonstrate cyber ops already undertaken by the 8th Air Force. He relayed a sense of hope that the major command might land here, and explained how that looming decision probably won’t impact the already-engaged cyber ops work at the base.

Dream-filled Friday Night Football

Prepsbeat.com’s second year
The must-visit Website of local high school football headlines, statistics and multimedia has added pregame and post-game videos to production this year (opener and pregame shows 1, 2, 3). Admittedly raw, these efforts are meant to offer new doorways into shreveporttimes.com’s constant coverage. Our learning curve is beginning on this new method of coverage. The most-visited parts of our site last year were the photo galleries from games. You’ll notice an increase in the number of photographs and the number of games handled there this year.


We are a football field of dreams
Go to some games this year even if you don’t have kids. You might see some of the BEST players at the beginning of their young careers. Some of the nation’s most-watched players in college and the pros come from Louisiana. Read more about former Evangel Christian Academy’s John David Booty, #1 ranked USC’s star quarterback. Football greats like Joe Ferguson (Buffalo Bills) and Arnaz Battle (a must-visit site about this 49er) have come from our area. Woodlawn’s Terry Bradshaw (1966) went on to achieve NFL fame with the Pittsburgh Steelers, helping draw attention to our football-player-making Mecca.

Photographs (top to bottom): Calvary’s James Michael Miller in Thursday’s game against Southwood at Independence Stadium (Photo by Greg Pearson/The Times/2007); USC QB John David Booty hopes to lead the Trojans to another successful season (Photo by Larry Armstrong); And Arnaz Battle for C.E. Byrd HS (Photo by Jim Hudelson/The Times/1997) and is now a player for San Francisco 49ers.

Friday night lights
With the start of Friday Night Football, we adjust our deadlines and headline priorities to help target early editions circulated in outlying parishes. The “city” editions will roll off the press later, remade as more game headlines are compiled. Our sports crew works through the night filling prepsbeat.com (some of last year's data is still being cleaned out). Throughout the week we produce Prep Sports pages to review and preview standings and players.

Come back to prepsbeat.com often to read the blog and find videos in production. We’ll be having fun right along with you.

Hurricane Nightmares Became Headlines

Two years ago...
Hurricane Katrina's category 4 winds and tidal surge hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. The catastrophe left 1,464 dead in its wake.

• By 9 a.m. that day, fears of a disaster had us preparing the rare "EXTRA" edition to get the word out.
• Reports of flooding neighborhoods and levee breaches were unfolding by noon.
• Nightmares of a worst-case scenario were being realized by 2 p.m. Reports of Lower Ninth Ward flooding included anecdotes about people hacking their way through attics onto rooftops.
• Heroes came out of the woodwork. Every boat found was put to work.

The next 48 hours would leave most of New Orleans under water. Chaos ensued and headlines across the country shifted from a focus on the Mississippi coast to New Orleans as people realized a major metropolitan center was drowning.
Most of us will never forget the cacophony from the Superdome that caught local, state and federal leaders flatfooted. Those images stain their legacy. Review Katrina numbers.

The nations' front pages on Aug. 30, Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 were overcome by the disaster. See more dates and other major news front pages in the Newseum's archive of front pages.

Storms Changed Boasso’s Politics

“Once you see dead bodies floating down the streets and people hanging on for help. ... And then you look at where you are years later, it’s hard to believe you live in America.”
– Walter Boasso, Louisiana gubernatorial candidate

Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Walter Boasso (D) explains how hurricanes Katrina and Rita shaped his political outlook in today’s meeting with The Times’ editorial and community boards. He says newspapers have called him a maverick Republican because he votes his conscience. He chose to leave the Republican Party, saying, “My party left me seven days in the water with nobody... My party lied to me.”

Boasso chose to label himself a Democrat “because an independent cannot win in Louisiana.” Listen to the audio stream.

Some points Boasso made during the meeting:
-- Wants a constitutional convention to restructure state government. Among other things, he favors three strong independent branches instead of the somewhat imperial governorship we have now.
-- Wants to pull government apart to look for waste, putting is back together in a more efficient form.
-- Asks: “Why does a teacher have to come every four years and beg for raise?”
-- Sees a hybrid health-care program in our future to provide a safety net (public and private dollars).
-- Wants to mesh technical and community colleges with high schools to provide vocational training and job prep.
-- Wants a different type of accountability in schools. Doesn’t like No Child Left Behind and will put all of the “rules on the side” looking at education reform.
-- Doesn’t see getting rid of income tax as a reality.
-- Believes everyone in elected office should have “glass pockets” to address ethics and corruption.
-- Confronts capital outlay system for funding local projects, sort of.
-- Describes how creating a better barrier system is an immediate plan to protect the shorelines. Would use navy surplus to create reefs.
-- Agrees with major problems dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane. Believes it is the biggest “man-made” disaster ever.
-- What would he say to President Bush? “George, I hope you go home and look in the mirror.”
-- Prioritizes focus as education, health care and jobs.

Boasso has a vision to plug Asian trade into the Mississippi River: “You are going to light Louisiana up like a Christmas tree (48:03 in the audio stream).

09/12/05 (left): State senator Walter J. Boasso and State Rep. Nita Hutter of St. Bernard Parish, and other officials talked to the thousands of residents that came to the State Capitol building seeking information on the parish's condition after Hurricane Katrina. (Times Photo/Shane Bevel/2005)

A Helping of Politics with Breakfast
Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Foster Campbell (D) raised the volume today during the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Group at Brother’s Seafood in Shreveport.

It may have been the bad PA system causing Campbell to raise his voice. He was noticeably passionate about his belief that eliminating income tax as a key to economic prosperity in Louisiana.

Campbell also explained that he believes Louisiana is last in many state comparison categories because we “squander our natural resources.”

He said he would fund gap left by the income tax break by getting more money from the oil and gas giants. To fund projects to address coastal erosion? Campbell said he’d go after those causing the problem, targeting oil and gas again to pay their fair share.

Shreveport's Good Sides See Light

The Shreveport headlines in The Washington Post are worth sharing again and again. Author, lawyer and columnist Yolanda Young writes, "When I grew up there the skating rink, Friday night football and the one-story mall anchored by Sears were the major sources of amusement. Now the Louisiana movie blog touts residents working as extras alongside movie stars."
Robert Trudeau's blog offered some notes saturday about this author of On Our Way to Beautiful. Listen to her NPR interview.
The positive notes and points Young makes offer counterviews conjured by the debate over "sagging pants" ordinances, headlines picked up by the much-visited drudgereport.com earlier this month.

'Baby Blues' Is Readers' Choice

Some Mary Worth fans will be singing the blues - the Baby Blues.
About 2,000 online votes and 400-plus mailed ballots in The Times comic survey came to matching conclusions: "Baby Blues" should graduate from a Sunday-only run to the daily comic grid and "Mary Worth" has been voted off the daily Cartoon Island, a reference used to frame the survey.
From day one, voters were pushing "Mary Worth" into the boat, 2 to 1. No other strip came close to the commanding nod given to "Baby Blues," receiving more than 50% of the total votes, as the favorite in a swap.
As with any call for input that results in change, some will be happy and some will be mad. A few handwritten letters decried, "Don't touch the comics." Others relayed passion for more change than many (including me) would accept. Indeed, it is easier to NOT change.
We will remain open to new ideas. I try to keep that mindset.
Thank you for all your passion, your notes - for getting involved.
The votes are counted.
The single swap of "Baby Blues" and "Mary Worth" will start next month on the daily comics page.

Sunday Comics update at 1:57 p.m.: Upon delivery of the 9/2 Sunday comics from our printer, a printing error duplicated a page. This left some comics pushed out. We are sorry for this irreversable error. We will print any missing comics in Sunday Living. You will not be charged for laughing twice.

More Infants Die In Hot Cars

National headlines of children killed after being left in hot cars in St. Louis and Cincinnati are disturbing. This news should shake parents cited locally for leaving children unattended.
Consider the statistics regarding how often these tragedies are replayed.
If technology alerting parents (Child Minder) can save lives, maybe it should be standard issue with car seats (ParentDish.com comments). The nightmare of 2-year-old Michael Dupaquier dying after being left in a hot car is still raw. His father forgot the day-care run on way to his shift at the General Motors plant in Shreveport (August 2006). I still remember my own close call.
Technology might have saved Dupaquier. New parents should consider.
Another thought, always put your purse or lunchbox in the backseat with a sleeping baby.

Bobby Jindal Poses 'Last Chance' For Louisiana

Gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal speaks like a sportscaster staring down a commercial break when discussing what needs to change in our state. No doubt, he’d lap candidates if the race were based on words-per-minute.

I stopped trying to write quotes verbatim during his session with The Times' editorial and community boards, grateful he was wearing a microphone (streaming file). And it recorded an anecdote he called an “off-the-record conversation.” I guess he forgot he was wearing "a mike”… or did he?

Jindal is deadline-oriented as he rattles off statistics and various layered plans for change. He is placing those plans on his site.

You’ll understand why he got the “boy wonder” nickname when you listen to the session audio (streaming file). You’ll hear Jindal stress how much he believes this moment in time -- this election combined with the attention and investment following the storms -- is Louisiana’s “last chance” to get it right after so many mistakes.

Some highlights:

• Laying out his 31-point plan for ethics reform. This is his no. 1 priority; he understands our negative reputation as a top impediment to luring companies and growing our economy. He suggested the Legislature had a chance to crack down on corruption and “dropped the ball.” He is dedicated to starting with a special session on ethics.
• Putting a stop to out-of-control spending in Baton Rouge. He wants to ensure transparency in spending bills so the public knows what projects are being done.
• Talked about what is wrong with health care in Louisiana, mentioning the need to double the R&D tax credits. And he answers a question from Times Community Board member Dr. Ricky Bass about money following the patient concepts.
• Changing the higher education funding apparatus to help institutions like LSUS and discourage duplication. He wants to change the ways they are rewarded. He said the future should include more appropriate admissions standards and praised Louisiana Tech for a “risk” it took limiting admissions – and thus enrollment-based funding – years ago.
• Explaining why he is “NOT a fan of No Child Left Behind.”
• Expressing a hope to move closer to a no-state-income-tax model.
• Calling the most recent legislative session and spending “irresponsible.” He suggests some of the surplus should have been put into a highway trust fund. He calls the spending spree “wild.”
• Reiterating priorities for I-49.
• Reporting Cyber Command possibilities and potential. He shares his thoughts on how Cyber Command might stem the loss of young people from the region.

Barrels of information and ideas were packed into the just-over-an-hour session. His speaking mode mirrors the urgency he declares. This can be energizing … and intimidating to some. Just listen to the Jindal audio (streaming file). Consider comparing the candidate audio files to go beyond sound bites and commercials. Learning about the candidates is a process. (John Georges audio, available as a stream too.)

Candidate Walter Boasso is coming next week. After canceling his session, candidate Foster Campbell has yet to reschedule. A list of all the open races in the Oct. 20 election will be published Sept. 2 in The Times .

John Georges Sees Iacocca In The Mirror

Gubernatorial candidate John Georges compares himself to Chrysler champ Lee Iacocca.



When Georges met with The Times' editorial and community boards Tuesday, he brought Iacocca’s book on leadership as a prop. "We lack people like Lee Iacocca, like myself," he suggests. Georges believes he can provide that kind of leadership (session audio -- streaming file).

Among the points he made at the gathering:
-- Expressed admiration for former U.S. Senator John Breaux (D) to stress he is not a party loyalist.
-- Referenced his meeting with former Governor Mike Foster when possible, and seemed proud that Foster considered him dull.
-- Underlined his accomplishments as a church leader, a business turnaround "guy"and gaming profiteer. He added he is divesting himself of gaming interests to run a campaign free of special interests.
-- Supports eliminating a state income tax, but acknowledges it as a false promise in the immediate future.
-- Wants charity hospitals in New Orleans fully restored.
-- Stressed leadership over ethics despite recent headlines and Louisiana’s lingering reputation for corruption. He did support full disclosure of an official’s household income.
-- Expressed disbelief that the Massachusetts health care model would work in Louisiana because of the indigent patient numbers.

On the way out the door, he pushed his recent poll. He believes it shows him with an opportunity to beat campaign front-runner and U.S Rep. Bobby Jindal (R).

Georges introduced himself to us as an amateur politician.

This was endearing at first, but he did come across as naïve on health care. His school administration experience seemed short dealing with real-world public school issues of dropouts and poverty. He never really answered the high-stakes testing question. His solid business acumen comes across, but his references to the plight (and flight) of affluent Louisianans left me wondering if he can relate to the range of Louisianans that’ll vote. Some board members took issue with his position on ethics and his understanding of health care issues. Georges believes he’ll win -- if you will just get to know him.

These are just impressions. Of course, we are still digesting and reviewing his comments. You can too. Listen to the complete recording (streaming file) of the editorial board meeting.

We are meeting with candidates as part of our election coverage and editorial board review process.

Louisiana Style Ethics

When Sen. Robert Adley (D-Benton) filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Mike Powell (R-Shreveport) regarding work done for the Jerry Jones Shreveport mayoral campaign, the devil was in the details -- and still is.
Powell has said there is nothing to this and that he didn't do the work. Instead, he says it was his daughter. But just what kind of ethics review is behind closed doors ? (Reference is an Aug. 19 story by Marsha Shuler - Advocate Capitol News Bureau.)
Talk show comments by Elliot Stonecipher led to this complaint. The political analyst called attention to a trend in poorly filed campaign reports.
Lapolitics.com pointed out Adley’s concerns in May (scroll down). This local concern was referenced in Gambit Weekly’s review of ethical issues that “paint Louisiana as a political backwater, if not a cesspool of corruption, cronyism and incompetence.”
We are still waiting on details regarding the review of the Adley complaint.
As Stonecipher says, it may be an innocent happenstance. Stonecipher may be suggesting this only as a remote possibility. As large as Powell’s family is, his children will be into everything. A Louisiana political tradition or something else?
The public deserves the details so we can watch the roots of our politics grow. The public has a right to know if elected officials are hiding inside the campaigns of others. When campaign reports are detailed, the public can develop their own questions and get their own answers.
Where do we go from here?
Consider what columnist John Maginnis poses on ethics.
In other ethics news: Today’s Times-Picayune editorial highlights another blow to our state’s reputation.

Hurricane Dean Watch

Hurricane Dean On Our Mind
Of course, the path of Hurricane Dean has Louisianans on alert. The ever popular NOAA National Hurricane Center is a "must visit" for storm watchers. Another great site is emergencyemail.org. Try out their excellent e-mail alerts (sign-up). The Hurricane Dean information and maps on the left rail are worth your time. Check our weather site too.
NOAA = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Mine Collapse: Tragedy Upon Tragedy
As you check major network and national newspaper online sites, here are some direct links to newspapers close to the Utah mine collapse and rescue attempts:
-- Salt Lake Tribune and current front page.
-- Deseret News and current front page.
A smaller Utah newspaper handling headlines: Daily Herald.
The hard-to-accept news of 3 rescue workers dying overnight makes you wonder just how this community might cope.

What About Funky Winkerbean?

In response to the comics query in Tuesday’s paper, a reader asked about the Funky Winkerbean strip. This write-in vote is among responses to the discussion about daily comics. So far, 500-plus ballots have been registered online and received through "snail" mail.
If we were to start Winkerbean, the current dialogue and social commentary would add to approaches we see in Doonesbury.
To some, Winkerbean might add balance.
To others, it would add to the fray. A few suggest we move Doonesbury to the Conversations section.
Review the compelling efforts in the Winkerbean archive, especially the landmine story. To keep up with storylines, we’d have to consider it for Sunday too.
Take the survey and send us your "funky" thoughts.
Note: Funky Winkerbean is by Tom Batiuk. It was eliminated from The Sunday Times by Editor Buddy Baker in 1987 .