We have moved ...

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John H. Walker
Editor/Publisher

Blogger has served us well and has accommodated many stories and photos, but there are capacity limitations.

Our new home is http://www.mywpnews.com — as in your news, your way.

There are a number of features at this new location that we believe will help us better serve you ... including better separation of pages, expanding archives and local links you might find interesting.

Readers will also be able to place word classifieds and pay for them online ... oh, by the way, when we activate that section, all classified word ads will be free for the first 30 days. After that, I think you'll find the rates to be more than competitive.

And if you have a business, we want to talk with you about advertising on My WP News. Again, the rates are very competitive.

As with Blogger, our new host utilizes Google Analytics — which means they operate the visitor counter, keeps up with the clicks on ads as well as the click-thrus and provides audited reports.

As we've said several times before, we appreciate your support — both in the past as well as in the future.
                                                                           -John H. Walker

Sick council members force meeting cancellation

Three sick members of the Bogalusa City Council forced a cancellation of Tuesday's regular meeting, which included condemnation hearings, and left those coming to City Hall greeted only by a hastily scrawled sign.

As a result, City Judge Robert Black was at the front door of City Hall, meeting persons who were coming for the condemnation portion of the lengthy agenda.

"We work to notify people and we may have someone coming from out-of-town," Black told wpnewsblog. "It would be right to contact them, tell them we were going to have a hearing and then have them show up to a locked building."

Just as Black was explaining why he was there, four members of a family walked up to the door, asking about the hearings.

"We won't have the hearing," he told them, "but we can sit down and discuss what is going on and what options you may be facing."

Tuesday's agenda was a lengthy one, including four resolutions alone pertaining to the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Program. Additionally, business operators could be facing another cost of doing business, based on the details of an ordinance that would allow for the creation of a tax on the "pursuit of business."

There is no indication as to whether council will call a special meeting or wait until the next session, scheduled for August 16.

Former WPSO jail employee charged with malfeasance after sexual incident with inmate

Bobby Riggs, who is said to be a residence of the Pine area and worked as a deputy at the Washington Parish Jail in recent days, has been charged with malfeasance of office in connection with sexual encounter with an inmate.

Sheriff Robert Crowe

Sheriff Robert Crowe confirmed the incident with wpnewsblog as he prepared to attend a campaign event in Bogalusa.

Crowe said it was his understanding that Riggs had given previously given his two weeks' notice and that the incident occurred on Sunday, his final day of employment.

Crowe said Riggs joined the sheriff's office after being laid off at Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie.

"When we took office, we said we expected our personnel to rise to a higher standard," Crowe explained. "I think we had something happen like this the first six months I was in office and we made the arrest and filed charges then, just like we did now."

If convicted of the charge, a state prison felony, Riggs could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $10,000.

Wpnewsblog learned of the incident about 1:40 Tuesday afternoon.

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)
(Reader news tip story)

Bogalusa council facing lengthy agenda today

An unusually busy agenda faces the Bogalusa Cit Council when it meets at 5:30 p.m. today, with 12 action items in addition to the normal housekeeping-type items.

Five resolutions, four ordinances, an emergency ordinance, condemnations and a motion are among the things council members will face. Four of the resolutions are tied to the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant program.

The motion, to be introduced by Councilwoman Oneita Graham, would result in Brenda Ford’s appointment as council secretary. Ms. Ford has handled council secretarial and clerk duties for several months on an interim basis.

Resolutions to be considered include:

            • Authorize the mayor to cancel the lease purchase option on the Industrial Park building occupied by Sitel (Graham)

            • Authorization to hire an administrative consultant for the city relative to Louisiana Community Development Block Grants (Drummond)

            • Authorization to hire engineering services for the city relative to Louisiana Community Development Block Grants (Drummond)

            • Authorizing the mayor to sign an application for funding for FY 2012-2013 Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Program (Drummond)

            • Re-adopt Citizen Participation Plan of the City of Bogalusa relative to the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant program (Drummond)

Ordinances to be introduced include:

            • Requiring the bill for water service to be the responsibility of the tenant and to make the property owner primarily responsible if more than one tenant is served by the same meter (O’Rea)

            • To amend and re-enact Sect. 12-109 of the Bogalusa Code to provide relative to sound amplification system, define violations and setting penalties (O’Rea)

            • To provide for the imposition of a tax on the Pursuit of Business as authorized by LRS 47:341 ET SEQ, and to provide for related matters. (Hodges)

            • Authorize the mayor to enter into a contract with James Purpera Consulting Services for State Capital Outlay Budget, State General Appropriations Budget – State Aid to Local Governments (Hodges)

In addition, members of the public who want to address the council must sign up in advance and are limited to three minutes.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Tuesday, Aug. 16.         

                              

Governor signs bill creating Northshore Technical Community College

It has been more than 80 years since Bogalusans created the state’s first trade school and in that time, many things have changed.

And things are about to change once again.

Founded in 1930 as Sullivan Memorial Trade School, it was the first post-secondary public technical school in Louisiana. The original school was built on Mississippi Avenue in Bogalusa, Louisiana with funds contributed by school children, local sawmill workers and citizens of the city in memory of the city's first mayor, William H. Sullivan.  The late Commissioner of Education, J.P. Starns suggested that a memorial to Sullivan be established in the form of a "manual arts training" center.  Initial capital requirements were quickly exceeded, and the training center became a reality.

Then, in 1970, the school known locally as simply “Sullivan” became the first vocational/technical institute to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In addition to being known as “Sullivan,” it has officially been known as Louisiana Technical College-Sullivan Campus as well as Northshore Technical College-Sullivan.

Now, following the signing of SB 69, authored by Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa), Northshore Technical College is poised to become Northshore Technical and Community College.

The change is more than in name only.

Unlike NTC-Sullivan, NTCC will be able to grant degrees and students will be able to transfer to other degree-granting institutions. The law, which became Act 209 when Gov. Bobby Jindal signed it into law on June 27, levels the playing field between the state’s oldest technical school and other community colleges in the state.

“The campuses in Bogalusa, Hammond and Greensburg can now offer associate degrees,” Nevers explained to mywpnews. “We can have locally enrolled students in high school working toward college hours and all of these can be applied to an associate’s degree or a baccalaureate degree.”

Nevers, a former educator and member of the Bogalusa City School board, said he could only imagine the frustration of someone, having gone through a course of study at one of the technical college campuses only to learn those credits are not transferable.

“The LPN course at Sullivan is a prime example,” he said. “I have been fighting that nursing issue since the seventies, when I served on the (Bogalusa) school board. Our students can leave Sullivan and go to Mississippi and get more credit for their courses than we gave them in Louisiana.”

No more.

Now, students attending the nation’s seventh-fastest growing technical college system will be able to either follow a technical curriculum to certification of quick entry into the work force or go through the community curriculum and earn an associate’s degree and, if they choose, take that degree, their hours and credits and transfer to a four-year school.

“That’s the reason the name is Northshore Technical Community College … to keep the technical component as well as add the community component. I believe this change will encourage students to stay in post-secondary education, rather than starting over.”

On Monday, William Wainwright, dean of Northshore Technical Community College, told mywpnews that work is under way to officially announce the name change and other new information tied to the changes created by the legislation.