KPLC Hot Topic

Sex offender law

      Will Lake Charles' tough new sex offender law go parish wide?  Calcasieu Police jurors Thursday night discussed the possibility of joining in with the city on its new ordinance which raises registration fees for sex offenders from 60 dollars to 600 dollars.  But the police jury attorney Allen Smith warns that local ordinances drastically raising fees for sex offender registration may be unconstitutional under both the U.S. and state consitutions.  Attorneys from the various jurisdictions and the district attorney will meet behind closed doors next Wednesday to have a round table discussion on the issues.  What do you think?  Should the new sex offender law be adopted by the entire parish?  And what about the constitutionality of the law?  Would it withstand legal challenges?

MSU Program Cuts

     McNeese State University could lose 22 degree programs, as the state's higher education institutions are being asked to re-evaluate their degree inventory and decide which ones are no longer in demand.  The Board of Regents says the programs that are in jeopardy, are the ones that have a low number of graduates.  If they have too few, those programs could be labeled as "low completer," and therefore would face the risk of being cut.  McNeese received the list of programs in jeopardy from state officials about a week ago, and have been reviewing their options.  What's your reaction to McNeese possibly losing some of its programs?

School Zone... Or War Zone?

      Most of the time, news headlines focus on whether our kids are safe at school?  But these days, teachers are the ones who are sometimes in danger.  Calcasieu School Board members heard testimony after testimony last night from teachers who say the lack of discipline is out of control in our classrooms...  Teachers who are telling their personal stories of physical and verbal assault from students.  One teacher told of how she was hit by a student, to the point where three discs were damaged in her neck.  Jean Johnson with the Calcasieu Federation of Teachers provided a detailed presentation, arguing that the current behavior programs are not working.  Superintendent Wayne Savoy feels that the current policies are, indeed effective, and that it's just a small percentage of students who exhibit these major behavioral problems.  The Board passed a motion to reformulate the current policies on discipline.  And they plan to take up the matter again sometime in the future.  Do you think there's a discipline problem in our schools... particularly with students assaulting teachers?  If so, what do you think needs to be done about it?

Wall Street rally

     The Dow Jones industrial average closed within 20 points of 12,000, its highest point since June 2008.  Wall Street watchers have expressed confidence in what 2011 may bring in the stock market.  So our "Hot Topic" question is... considering the recent rise in the Dow Jones average, are you feeling more confident in the stock market?

Gas Prices

      Have you noticed the price at the pump lately?  There seems to be no end in sight to the rising gas prices?  In the Lake area, regular unleaded is hovering around 3.00 a gallon.  In today's "Hot Topic" we want to know are you changing your driving habits because of the gasoline prices?

Sex Offender Laws

     It just got harder for a sex offender to live in the city of Lake Charles.  That's because Wednesday night, the Lake Charles City Council voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance that would toughen the requirements on sex offenders.  The ordinance increases the fees a convicted sex offender must pay to register with the city of Lake Charles.  Until Wednesday night's meeting, the fee was 60 dollars for registering.  Now it's going to cost a sex offender 600 dollars to register with the city.   The new law also requires a more detailed description of a sex offender's conviction.  With the new ordinance, the person must now provide more information... what they did, the sex of their victim, the age of their victim, and any past convictions.  What's your reaction to the new laws? 

Merging universities

     Governor Bobby Jindal  announced a bombshell in higher education Tuesday.  He asked the Board of Regents to consider merging Southern University in New Orleans with the University of New Orleans. Jindal also is asking the Board of Regents to consider whether that merged campus should then be moved away from the LSU and Southern systems that currently govern them... and into the University of Louisiana system.  The Regents will study the idea.  That study should be complete by March 1st.  What do you think about the plan to merge those two schools, and should  it stop there?  Or should other institutions be considered for possible merger as well?   

Politics and tragedy

Almost as soon as the bullets stopped flying outside a Tucson, Arizona supermarket just over a week ago, the accuations began. Some members of the media, and some politicians began to a point a finger of blame towards conservative politicans, including Sarah Palin. 

Monday night, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says criticism she's received since the shooting rampage won't make her sit down and shut up. 

What do you think about the politics in the wake of the shootings,  and what impact do you think it will have on the lead up to the next election campaign?

Edwards free

     Former Governor Edwin Edwards has spent his first night as a free man again.  Edwards was released from the federal prison early Thursday morning.  He arrived at a halfway house in Baton Rouge with his daughter Anna.  Asked how it felt to be out of prison, Edwards quipped, "I don't know yet."  A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Chris Burke, says Edwards was granted home confinement.  There, he'll be monitored and stay in close contact with the halfway house and federal corrections officials.  What's your reaction to the release of Edwin Edwards? 

Homeless in Lake Charles

     With the extremely cold temperatures we're having, the plight of the homeless in our community is certainly on a lot of minds.  Wednesday, we highlighted a homeless couple, Ruth and John, who are living in a tent in a wooded area in Lake Charles near I-10.  Like most homeless in the community, they come daily to Abraham's Tent, a local feeding facility where free meals are provided to anyone in need.  Eventually they head back to their camp site in the woods, where the main focus is how to stay alive in the freezing temperatures.  Does it surprise you that there are so many homeless people in the Lake Area?  And what would you like to see being done to help people in these situations?