KPLC General Manager Blog

Spread the Pride. Not the Decay.

Some Hot Buttons are just hotter than others.

As of this writing (Friday night) I've heard from over a hundred viewers who have written, called or nabbed me at restaurants or in the aisle at stores.  They all want to talk about our "eyesores" editorial which aired Wednesday/Thursday of this week.

With only two exceptions (one poster who worried that our editorial might result in some owners tearing down their buildings, and my friend Luke Saucier who assumed the mantle of honorable opposition; he said he was just uncomfortable with how we're going about addressing blight), it seems the editorial really hit a nerve.

That's an understatement.  I haven't had this kind of reaction to one of our Hot Buttons since our Macy*s "don't let the door hit you on the backside" editorial just after Christmas.  I'm still getting high-fives (some figurative, some actual) from jilted female shoppers over that one.  BTW thanks to my brother Dave for sending me this.

Most of the people I've heard from on the eyesores piece had a suggestion as to where we should start.  The Charles Cinema gets mentioned a lot.  Also the old One Hour Martinizing building near McNeese.  But with a bullet, the one which has drawn the most ire is in the shadow of downtown, perched right on one of the city's most-traveled intersections.  People are downright ANGRY over that one.  I'd have to agree.  It might as well be a poster child of the city's high-profile commercial eyesores, and has been such long before Rita ever came our way.  If you don't know which building I'm talking about, stay tuned.  If it's not cleaned up and repaired by Contraband Days, it will probably be at or toward the top of our "tell all" dance card.

If you would like to nominate an eyesore (for this exercise we're defining them as commercial structures which have been vacant for five years or more, are boarded up, have broken windows or graffiti which has been left to remain for a long time), just @mail me at hotbutton@kplctv.com.  We're particularly interested in those buildings which are a thorn among roses; that is, the neighborhood surrounding them is vibrant, functional, and generally not blighted.

We really hope everyone cleans up their eyesores and we'll never actually have to name names, but if the owners continue to leave them the way they are now, we're ready and willing to bell some cats and shine a light on their real estate & tax records.  As one poster put it, it's time to "spread the pride, not the decay."

One final note: several folks have told me the reply thread on the eyesores Hot Button is closed.  They are correct.  As the script in blue following the editorial advises, replies should be mailed to hotbutton@kplctv.com.  There's a reason for this.  When I do an editorial (or anytime I post a viewer commentary from someone other than myself) which may prompt personal attacks in response, I channel them through me first.  That way nothing untoward gets posted.  Usually I simply monitor the threads and edit or delete anything inappropriate.  But in this case I'm asking anyone who wants to post a comment to send it to me so I can look at it before posting it.  Don't let the "comments closed" note put the brakes on sharing your opinion!

Attention Colonists

AS OTHERS SEE US...

Regular readers of this blog (both of you) have heard me speak of my friends Angela and Fred Allan of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England.  Angela and I @mail back and forth just about every day.  I consider her thoughtful, funny and always-interesting @mails little Christmas presents from abroad throughout the year, and I send most of them on to my distribution list here in the Colonies.  She sends other (lady) stuff to Deb, who forwards them to her own list.  So the Serras and the Allans are kind of a little online United Nations, without the controversy.

Angela did not send me this little instant classic from John Cleese but probably only because I got to it first (thanks to my friend Nancy Cook in Santa Fe, an old program syndication pal, for sending it my way).  Perhaps Angela was merely exercising proper British reserve, as always. 

Anyway, lots of changes we'll have to accommodate.  First of all, the "u" keys on our keyboards will be getting more of a workout.  And my fellow Cardinal fan (pictured above) and I will really miss baseball season.

The favour of a reply is appreciated.    ; )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the Citizens of The United States of America:

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate
competent candidates for President of the USA and thus
to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the
revocation of your independence, effective
immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume
monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and
territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a
Governor for America without the need for further
elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to
determine whether any of you actually noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown
Dependency, the following rules are introduced with
immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford
"English" Dictionary. Then look up aluminium, and
check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at
just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as
'colour', 'favour' and 'neighbour'. Likewise, you will
learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the
letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the
suffix '-ise'. The Microsoft spell-checker will be
adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u'
and the elimination of -ize.

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with
filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an
unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.
Generally, you will be expected to raise your
vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary')

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without
using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you
need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're
not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only
be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to
sort things out without suing someone or speaking to
a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle
a gun.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or
carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable
peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to
carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts
and you will start driving on the left with immediate
effect. At the same time, you will go metric with
immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion
tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you
understand the British sense of humour.

8. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol
(which you have been calling gasoline) - roughly $6/US
gallon. Get used to it.

9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you
call French fries are not real chips, and those things
you insist on calling potato chips are properly called
crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat,
and dressed not with ketchup but with vinegar.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling
beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only
proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer,
and European brews of known and accepted provenance
will be referred to as Lager. Australian beer is also
acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest
sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the
beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth - see
what it did for them. American brands will be referred
to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be
sold without risk of further confusion.

11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast
English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be
required to cast English actors to play English
characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English
dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an
experience akin to having one's ears removed with a
cheese grater.

12. You will cease playing American football. There is
only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer.
Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to
play rugby (which has some similarities to American
football, but does not involve stopping for a rest
every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body
armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try Rugby -
the Australians and Kiwis will thrash you, like they
regularly thrash us. 

13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not
reasonable to host an event called the World Series for
a game which is not played outside of America. Since
only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond
your borders, your error is understandable.
You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the
South Africans first to take the sting out of their
deliveries.

14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving
us mad.

15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector)
from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly
to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated
to 1776).

16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper
cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality
biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with
cream) when in season.

God save the Queen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note that the views expressed on this blog are mine alone and do not necessarily represent the views of Raycom Media or KPLC.  Please note that links frequently take the reader to third-party sites.  Raycom and KPLC are not responsible for content on these sites.   -Jim S.

Senators Landrieu, Vitter & downtown developer top open meetings today

A big day today in terms of public meetings.

Both our U.S. Senators are in our area for a critical South Louisiana Recovery Field Hearing at the Lake Charles Civic Center.  They need your input if they are to do the best job they can representing our state and region.

Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sen. David Vitter are members of the Senate Committe on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.  Today's hearing here is entitled "Rebuilding the Gulf Coast: Small Business Recovery in South Louisiana."  They will examine the challenges still facing local businesses affected by Hurricane Rita.  Along with Katrina, the 2005 twin storms economically impacted more than 81,ooo Louisiana businesses, of which more than 18,000 were totally destroyed.

The hearing will measure the success of small business recovery programs at the federal, state and local levels as well as ongoing challenges that Southwest Louisiana business owners face.  The hearing also comes on the heels of the Senate's passage of critical disaster loan improvements championed by the Louisiana senators.  The legislation is designed to improve assistance to businesses and homeowners after a disaster by increasing the maximum disaster loan amount, establishing a private disaster loan program, creating expedited disaster assistance business loans, and providing key tools for the federal government to process disaster loans more quickly.

Then from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Senator Vitter will conduct a Town Hall Meeting at the venerable Cameron Parish Courthouse (one of my all-time FAVORITE buildings btw) at 119 Smith Circle in Cameron. 

Like there's anyone in SWLA who needs to be told where the Cameron Parish Courthouse is.  Hey, you want to rebuild coastal Cameron Parish so it will withstand just about anything nature or man can throw at it?  Go visit the Courthouse there and DO THAT!   : )

NUTHIN'  PO'  'BOUT IT Poor Pony, our 2007 Citizens of the Year, continue to integrate themselves into the progressive fabric of our city.  Here's a release I just received from executive director Victoria Bradford.

Now I planned to include a link to Griffin Industries' website.  They are the company that has been selected to be the developer of Downtown Lake Charles.  But try as I might, I can't seem to find it using all the search engines.   (Note, typing www.griffinindustries.com into my browser immediately forwards to a website for a suburban development in Southern California called "The Bridges at Heritage Valley.")

I did find lots of footprints of a Griffin Industries which is a world leader in poultry waste removal and rendering, so if you have any needs along those lines, you can click here. 

I don't know, maybe the "killer application" for downtown will be to become a center of excellence for poultry rendering.  Stranger things have happened.  But mark your calendar for the Poor Pony open meeting advertised below and see for yourself. 

Griffin (not the chicken rendering one, I'm assuming) rep Robert Kidder, a familiar face to many of us in the media & ad community (he was the spokesperson for Stine Lumber for many years...maybe he really does know how to swing that hammer) will be the guest speaker.  Good to have Robert back in town, and we'll see what he has in store for us.

       Poor Pony, the organization with the name you’re sure to remember, is inviting the public to its monthly open meetings. Poor Pony strives to be the antidote to the poisonous thought, “There’s nothing to do in Lake Charles.” The open meetings are held the third Wednesday of every month at Central School, at 6PM. These productive meetings provide a time for speaking up to all those interested in improving the quality of life in the Lake Area, which is at the heart of the Poor Pony Mission. Ordered yet informal, and lots of fun, the meetings will keep you informed of the organization’s future plans and events, as well as bring recognition to other local happenings and associations.  If that sounds like your cup of tea, Poor Pony open meetings should be penciled in on your calendar each month.       

      

       Poor Pony is pleased to announce that Robert Kidder, of Griffin Industries, will be a guest speaker for this month’s meeting. Mr. Kidder is a representative of the development company that Lake Charles has entered into an agreement with to work on the Lakefront Development Initiative. He will be talking about the different proposals for Lake Charles development projects and a timeline for their completion. He will also offer examples of successful Griffin projects in other regions. It’s an exciting time for Lake Charles, so please come to the meeting with your questions; Mr. Kidder will more than pleased to answer them.       

      

       Wes Gautreaux of Blueprint Louisiana will also be in attendance. Blueprint Louisiana, according to their mission, is a “citizen-driven effort to identify and implement essential changes to fundamentally improve Louisiana.” Mr. Gautreaux will be available for your questions and comments, and will also give information about Blueprint Louisiana’s upcoming events.              

      

      Please join Poor Pony and your fellow Lake Area neighbors for the next Poor Pony open meeting. Get excited about Southwest Louisiana and get involved.       

      

This month’s meeting will be held at 6PM, Wednesday, February 20, in Room 106 of Central School. Central School Center for the Arts and Humanities is located at 809 Kirby Street in Lake Charles.       

      For more information about Poor Pony, or if you would like to inquire about speaking on behalf of your organization at a future meeting, please visit www.poorpony.com or email  victoria@poorpony.com       This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it       .       

      

      For more information about Blueprint Louisiana, please visit www.blueprintlouisiana.org or email  wes@blueprintlouisiana.org       This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it       .

Joe Zartler Reported Missing

Last year a gentleman named Joe Zartler did a Hot Button Feedback for us on the subject of a trailer park proposed near his neighborhood in Moss Bluff.  Joe and other residents were miffed that they were not given clear notice of the proposed development (construction of which was ultimately denied by the parish, as documented in the legal minutes posted in today's American Press).  Joe and I instantly hit it off, as I suspect most folks who meet him do.

Yesterday we got word that Joe was missing, and today the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office made his unknown whereabouts an official matter:

"The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating the disappearance of Moss Bluff resident Joseph "Joe" Zartler.  He was last contacted by cell phone on Monday, February 11 at approximately 4:30 (pm).  He was last seen at a business on Maplewood Drive in Sulphur in the early afternoon of February 11.

He is a 69-year-old white male with hazel eyes who wears glasses and has gray hair and a gray moustache.  He is six feet tall and weighs 170 pounds.  He drives a 2007 4-door Chevrolet 1500 pewter-colored pickup truck with a chrome brush guard.  The Louisiana handicapped license plate number on the truck is HI79154.  Zartler is in need of medication which causes his family concern.

If anyone has seen him since (Monday) February 11 or knows of his whereabouts, they are asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at (337) 491-3605, or call the lead investigator, Detective Billy Spees, at (337) 491-3753.

Please keep an eye out for Joe.  His family is terribly worried about him.  In the meantime, please join me in praying for his safe return and pass his description and picture on to everyone you know.

rgds
jim

"I believe"

I get sent a lot of glurge.  You know, all that stuff that makes its way around the Internet.  Most but not all of it is well-meaning.  Frequently it comes wrapped in religious garb but winds up being completely racist or sexist or tries to convince me that God endorses one political party and hates another.  Lots of it is complete urban legend stuff, a complete waste of pixels which could have been avoided had one sender along the way simply vetted it against Snopes.

I delete about 99.9% of it without a second glance.

But every once in a while one crosses my path that passes the "initial scan" test, and causes me to pause and actually read it all.  A few are good enough to send on to friends on my list.  Every once in a while I think one's worthy enough to post here.

Doc Tony Lewis sent me this one.  It's called "I believe."  I thought it was terrific, so am sharing it with you just as I received it.  Thanks Doc...you made my day!  There's a lot of wisdom here.  A few of these really hit home for me, because not too long ago I lost a dear friend in an instant and several others are dealing with some very serious life-challenges right now.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful '08!

best,
jim

            

I believe .... That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other.  And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I believe ... That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

            

 

            

I believe .... That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

            

 

            

I believe .... That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.

            

 

            

I believe ... That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

            

 

            

I believe ... That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

            

 

            

I believe ...That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

            

 

            

I believe ... That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

            

 

            

I believe .... That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

            

 

            

I believe ...That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

            

 

            

I believe ... That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

            

 

            

I believe ... That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

            

 

            

I believe ... That my best friends and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

            

 

            

I believe ... That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

            

 

            

I believe ...That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

            

 

            

I believe ... That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

            

 

            

I believe ... That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.  Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

            

 

            

I believe ... That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

            

 

            

I believe ... That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

            

 

            

I believe ...That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever.

            

 

            

I believe ... Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

            

 

            

I believe ... That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

            

 

            

I believe ... That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

            

 

            

I believe ... That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe ... That the happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything.  They just make the best of everything they have.

            

 

            

I believe ... That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

            

 

            

I believe ...That you should share this with all of the people that you believe in.  I just did!

Hey Calcasieu Parish residents! It's YOUR home...

...don't let someone ELSE design it!

The first Vision Calcasieu public meeting is tonight at 6:30 pm at the Lake Charles Civic Center's Jean Lafitte Room. 

Grab y0ur umbrella and go.  Parish officials want YOUR input on what you think Calcasieu can and should be.  This is a unique opportunity to have your voice heard where it will really matter.  See you there!  Click on the ad for an enlargement, and for more info go to www.visioncalcasieu.com.

...

It's Louisiana's Turn

...Time to VOTE SMART.

Jessica Adams, one of our wonderful KPLC viewers, sent me that link and I think it's worth spending some time on their website as the Louisiana Primary draws nigh and as we head toward November.  I vetted the organization a bit and it does indeed look legit and non-partisan with some good information included  (you almost have to assume these days that any "neutral" voter organization may well not be...).  Here' s what Wikipedia has to say.  Only flashing red light is the juicy bonus the group's founder gave himself: $472,000, or 33% of the group's budget.  Oh well.  Why is it that everyone sent in to solve the problem seems to become part of the problem??

MACY*S ON THE ROPES I've been doing "Hot Buttons" for about two years now, and the one that's gotten the most response, with a bullet, is the one we did on Macy's Baltimore Colts-act from Lake Charles.  I'm still getting stopped in the aisles at Kroger, mostly by jilted female consumers,  on that one.   Macy's is indeed having big problems, and other cities are feeling abandoned as well.  Among them, St. Louis, the former home of the May Company stores of which Foley's was a part.  Macy's made big promises to St. Louis, and now those promises are crumbling.

Speaking of St. Louis, please keep the people of Kirkwood, an idyllic Gateway City suburb, in your thoughts and prayers.  A nutcase showed up at a city council meeting there and began firing.  Six dead, and the mayor is fighting for his life.  My in-laws live just a stone's throw from Kirkwood which also happens to be Theresa Schmidt's hometown (her dad still lives there). 

While you're at it, also please pray for the victims of the awful tornadoes which ripped through the South.  Editorial note here...for those of you who still cling to the illusion that the world's climate is not changing dramatically, those of us who grew up in the Midwest recall clearly that tornadoes were the stuff of spring and summer.  There WAS no fall tornado season.  The idea of winter tornadoes was not even in the realm of possibility.  Now the big twisters are a 365-day threat.  Unlike hurricanes, you can't just get out of their way.  They can and do come in the dark of night and are certainly among the most fearsome and deadly forces of nature.  Tornadoes happen here, but by and large they are not the omnipresent F4 and F5 threat they are in places not too far from us.   We are fortunate to live in a part of the country tucked between and south of two primary "tornado alleys."  One in Central Texas stretches up through Oklahoma, North Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri.  The other encompasses the southeastern states and lower Midwest.