Editorial

The evolution of Black History Month

Black History Month, sometimes referred to as African American History Month, is a federally recognized monthlong commemoration of the achievements of black Americans and the roles they have played in shaping United States history. Each February, Americans recognize notable black American individuals.

Many deserving people are recognized during Black History Month, which no doubt serves to inspire black Americans and others who appreciate the role black Americans have played and continue to play.

Tour a farm this year

You should take a tour this year. Specifically, you should tour rice and crawfish fields in Jeff Davis Parish. When most of us think of rice and crawfish, we think

Have you paid it forward?

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Iam already writing my second column of 2020 while I didn’t think I would survive my second decade back in the 60s, but I guess God had other plans for

Impeachment trial is a civics lesson, not must-watch TV

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More than once, readers have written in, or people have stopped me, to complain about their fellow Americans’ ignorance of the basic functions of government. Incandescent with anger, they’ll complain

State needs tort reform

The buzzword for the upcoming legislative session is tort reform according to both of our state legislators.

Louisiana drivers pay the secondhighest in the nation in auto insurance premium rates.

Recently, we interviewed District 37 State Representative Troy Romero and District 25 State Senator Mark Abraham and both emphasized the importance of finding a solution to higher–thanaverage auto insurance rates in our state.

According to Romero, Louisiana is 49th out of 50 in the nation in auto insurance rates.

March for Life, and so much else

If I’m going to be completely honest, I cried a little as I listened to Donald Trump speak at the 47th March for Life, a massive annual pro–life rally in Washington, D.C. The tears were caused by a combination of things, including lack of sleep, I’m sure. There are a lot of beautiful events before and after the march, and reunions with wonderful friends from throughout the country. But my reaction also had to do with the contrast of some of the president’s words with the bile that we often hear in politics of late, including at his own rallies.

Don’t make me quit you, Red Sox

I’ve always been sentimental about baseball, the one youthful passion that’s lasted all my life. At this time of year, I’m normally counting the days until pitchers and catchers report.

During the season, I normally watch an MLB game – or large parts of one, anyway – almost every day. For me, satellite TV coverage has been a technological miracle as life–altering as the internet.

Stay safe and secure

Last week the parish saw a number of burglaries in Jennings and throughout Jeff Davis Parish.

As drug use and addiction continue to plague many parishes, it is not surprising to see crimes like theft and burglary on the rise.

In Lake Charles, police are launching a new initiative called the Safe & Secure Program in an effort to reduce the occurrence of burglaries and theft in the area, according to the American Press. This is definitely something we could use here in Jeff Davis.

Use your staycation to explore locally

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Each year, the U.S. Travel Association recognizes National Plan for Vacation Day in January as a day to encourage people to plan their vacations days for the year.

More than half of workers in the United States failed to use all their time off in 2018, creating a stockpile of 768 million unused vacation days, up from 705 million unused days in 2017.

Louisianans failed to use nearly 8.9 million vacation days in 2018, leaving more than 25 percent of their earned time off on the table.

La. Medicaid dispute lingers into new term

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The contracts at the center of a Louisiana Medicaid dispute are worth billions, accounting for onequarter of the state’s annual operating budget and covering services to one-third of its residents. With that much money at stake, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration was certain to face intense monitoring of how it chose contractors to manage health care for 1.5 million people.

But in a review of the work, Louisiana’s top official overseeing the bid process determined the administration didn’t meet the challenge of handling one of state government’s largest set of contracts.