Minden
Press-Herald
ONE NATION ... TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
PRESS-HERALD.COM
MINDEN, LOUISIANA
WILL PHILLIPS/MINDEN PRESS-HERALD
On July 4th The American Legion presented a flag raising ceremony at Veterans’ Park on Turner‘s Pond.
Mayor Gardner tests positive for COVID-19 WILL PHILLIPS Minden Press-Herald
In a press-release form the City of Minden released early Monday morning they state that Mayor Terry Gardner tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday morning. The release states, “Mayor Terry L. Gardner, mayor of the
City of Minden, tested positive for the Covid 19 virus on Sunday morning, July 5, 2020. Fortunately, he has been diagnosed with a mild case and is in good spirits. As a precautionary measure, Minden City Hall was completely sanitized on Sunday afternoon.” The Mayor’s absence will also cause this month’s City Council
Volume 52 Number 2
©2020 Specht Newspapers, Inc.
meeting to be put on hold until Gardner is able to return to work. “In an earlier email to the council memGARDNER bers, Mayor Gardner informed them of his situation and notified them
Tomorrow’s
High Temp
82°
that the Monday, July 6, 2020, Minden City Council Regular Session has been postponed. Per doctor’s instructions, Mayor Gardner will be retested on Friday and will be able to return to work with a negative test result,” the release read.
Tomorrow’s
Low Temp
71°
Sign up for daily news updates at
75 CENTS
Louisiana gas prices see decline after weeks of increase
STAFF REPORT Minden Press-Herald
(July 6, 2020) - Louisiana gas prices have fallen 0.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.84/g today, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 2,436 stations. Gas prices in Louisiana are 15.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 53.4 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The cheapest station in Louisiana is priced at $1.59/g today while the most expensive is $2.89/g, a difference of $1.30/g. “With July 4 behind us, we’re now half way through the summer driving season, and the pace of gas price increases has finally hit a wall. As of Sunday evening, it appears possible that we may break the nine straight weeks of rising prices thanks to a drop in demand fueled by COVID-19 cases surging in some states,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.17/g today. The national average is up 14.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 58.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. “So far this summer, both holidays have seen the lowest prices since 2004, and its possible that if things don’t improve much by Labor Day we could see the rare trifecta of every summer holiday setting multi-year lows. For now, I believe we may see increases stall and some minor increases or decreases until we see a solid change in the coronavirus situation. For now, some states will see slight increases, some may see slight decreases, but gas prices are essentially stuck in limbo,” said DeHaan. GasBuddy is the authoritative voice for gas prices and the only source for station-level data spanning nearly two decades. GasBuddy’s survey updates 288 times every day from the most diverse list of sources covering nearly 150,000 stations nationwide, the most comprehensive and up-to-date in the country.
www.press-herald.com
INDEX Obituaries Editorials Sports
3 Classifieds 10 4 Crossword 7 6 Comics 8
2 | TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
Second Front STATE
Louisiana aid paying for student computers, internet access
BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. John Bel Edwards is using much of the $50 million in discretionary education aid awarded to Louisiana to help with the coronavirus response to buy computers and expand internet access for public school students. The Democratic governor has agreed to spend $32 million for the effort to bridge the digital divide at K-12 schools. Another $15 million will go to higher education, with two-thirds of that money paying to accelerate training for students to get them to work. Louisiana’s governor received $50 million from the federal CARES Act to divvy up among K-12 schools, colleges and universities. That money is on top of $287 million directly sent to public schools and $147 million sent to col-
leges and universities earlier this year. The Advocate reports the governor said as he sought input from a wide range of stakeholders, it became evident the best use of the dollars would involve addressing the shortage of devices and connectivity. “Once schools resume we know they will have to operate differently,” Edwards said in a statement. “Distance learning will be a critical tool to enable student learning to continue.” About one-third of households in the state lack internet access, and others are dependent on weak signals. More than one in four public school students lacks access to a computer or tablet at home to help with distance learning, according to a state survey released in April. The gap was one
public school students will have their own devices. For higher education’s funding,
er of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said she asked state economic development leaders to identify top job needs around the state. She said community colleges were asked to gear up to make credentials linked to those jobs available quickly. “The goal is to scholarship individuals into a short-term credential that has a job at the end of it so we can allow people into COURTESY PHOTO
Louisiana is using much of the $50 million in discretionary education aid awarded to Louisiana to help with the coronavirus response to buy computers and expand internet access for public school students.
The number of new unemployment claims reported nationwide last week were 79 percent below the peak of the COVID-19 shutdowns resulting from state executive orders, according to the latest jobs report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The personal finance website WalletHub analyzed the numbers to identify the states whose unemployment claims are recovering the fastest. “New unemployment claims have been on an overall downward trend since May,” Adam McCann, financial writer at WalletHub, writes. These numbers demonstrate that “the process of beginning to reopen states has had a positive impact, and many workers who were temporarily laid off while their employers remained closed are now being rehired.” “However, some states are temporarily pausing their reopening processes due to COVID-19 spikes,” he adds, “… which may slow down job growth.” The analysis compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across
the individual,” she said. High-demand jobs in-
schools relying on remote
Education Cade Brumley
clude emergency medi-
blocks to continued ed-
learning when the 2020-21
said the governor’s injec-
cal technicians, certified
ucation after classrooms
school year begins in Au-
tion of dollars for com-
nurse assistants, cyberse-
closed, and is sure to be
gust.
puters means about two-
curity analysts, and mobile
thirds of the state’s 720,000
crane operators.
an issue again with some
Report: States whose unemployment numbers have recovered the quickest three metrics based on changes in unemployment claims. The states that have most recovered since March, are New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Oregon, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Montana, Iowa, West Virginia and Vermont. The least recovered states are Wyoming, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Alaska, Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, Florida, Georgia and Indiana, according to the WalletHub analysis. The report states that the coronavirus has “wiped out all job gains since the Great Recession” and that blue states unemployment claims are recovering quicker than red states’ claims. Michael Toma, Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Economics at Georgia Southern University, said that the unemployment number only tells part of the story. The BLS’ monthly report also includes labor underutilization, or slackness in the labor market, referred to as the U-6 unemployment rate. The unemployment rate reported on more widely
employment at no cost to
of the major stumbling
NATIONAL
THE CENTER SQUARE
Commission-
is the U-3, which solely includes those who have filed for unemployment. “This unemployment rate does not include persons defined as discouraged workers, those employed part-time because of economic reasons, or those said to be marginally attached workers,” Toma said. “Discouraged workers are those who have given up searching for a job and therefore are not counted as officially unemployed. Part-time workers are counted as employed, but there is slackness in the labor market if some part-time workers prefer to be fulltime workers but cannot find full-time jobs. Lastly, marginally attached workers are those who are not currently working or looking for a job but searched for a job sometime during the last twelve months.” The U-6 unemployment rate includes those counted as unemployed in the U-3 rate, and also includes the three other categories. In April, Toma notes, the U-3 unemployment in the U.S. was 14.4 percent; the U-6 unemployment rate was 22.4 percent.
State Superintendent of
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 | 3
Webster & More OBITUARIES
Patsy Carolyn Kincaid June 28-1937-July 5, 2020
Patsy Carolyn Kincaid, 83, of Bossier, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 5, 2020 at Town and Country Health and Rehab. Patsy was born June 28, 1937 in Waldo, Arkansas, to Charlie and Erma Roberts. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Bossier and a receptionist for Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Green, for
many years. Mrs. Kincaid was preceded in death by her husband, William Kincaid, her daughter, Anita Myers, and grandson, Travis Myers. She is survived by her son, Don Myers and his wife, Claudia Myers, her granddaughter, Jessica Alley and husband Zac Alley, and great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at Garden of Memory Cemetery, in Minden, Louisiana, Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 10 a.m. Rose-Neath Funeral Home 211 Murrell Street Minden, Louisiana 71055 (318) 377-3412
COVID-19
Coast Guard alters training for incoming class due to virus
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — There will be nobody screaming in the face of 18-year-old Ellie Hiigel when she arrives Wednesday for training in advance of her first year at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and that has her mother a bit disappointed. The school in Connecticut, like other service academies and military training centers, has made major changes because of the coronavirus pandemic. That means the eight weeks of boot camp for new cadets, known as “Swab Summer” will be much different from when Joanna Hiigel went through it herself in 1991 as a fourth-class swab, or even when Ellie’s sister, Tana, went through it two years ago. Ellie Hiigel and the 266 other swabs will be arriving not as one large group, but in eight separate platoons spaced out throughout Wednesday. There will be no haircuts, no drilling, no running as a group from place to place, no lining up against the wall in the hall of the barracks for pushups. They won’t even be issued their uniforms. The big ceremony at the end of that first day on the parade field in front of their families also has been cancelled. Their contact with the third-year cadets who will train them, known as the cadre, will come from a social distance. “They are going to be in quarantine for 14 days,” Joanna Hiigel said. “I hope they at least can get out for some exercise, because that’s so important for their physical and emotional well-being. I don’t know what that quarantine time is going to look like. That’s my biggest concern.” Coast Guard officials said those two weeks will be spent in the barracks on what is known as ROM — restriction of movement — status. The cadets will undergo coronavirus testing and the only thing they will be issued that first day will be a computer. They
will spend the first part of Swab Summer online in their rooms, learning about their responsibilities and duties, along with the history and traditions of the Coast Guard and the academy. The physical training will begin once the quarantine ends, with the screaming coming from a little farther away than in past years. It will conclude with what, in past years, has been a three-day sail aboard the Coast Guard’s tall ship, Eagle. But for members of this class, that will be divided into several single-day trips to allow for more social distancing on board. Senior Dan Taglianetti, the Swab Summer company commander, said the training won’t be any less rigorous. He said his group of cadre has been taught how to keep everyone safe, while making sure the swabs learn what they need to know. “People will be organized in a certain way so they don’t come into contact with each other,” he said. “But for the most part, the intensity will still be there. It just won’t be as traditional with the proximity and masks and things. Rear Adm. William G. Kelly, the Coast Guard Academy’s commandant, sees a silver lining. He said the pandemic has forced him and his staff to think about why they normally throw swabs into the fire of training so quickly and whether they have given past classes too much to absorb at once. “We’re hoping that as we come out of this process this year — and we hope and pray we won’t be in the same situation next year — that we are going to learn a thing or two,” he said. “We are going to do it better this year and we’re going to do it better in the future.” Pandemic-induced changes also were being made at the other, larger service academies, each of which has about 1,200 first-year cadets. West Point officials have said they expect to
complete about 80% of their normal summer basic training program, condensing it from four months to two. The Army also is mandating that masks be worn, social distancing followed when possible and has set up protocols to reduce unnecessary contact between cadets and trainers at the New York academy. The Navy asked cadets to arrive in Maryland with their hair already cut to regulation. The plebes each received a temperature check and coronavirus test before being allowed onto campus last week. Their training, some of which will now be online, will began after 72 hours of isolation in the barracks waiting for test results. At the Air Force Academy in Colorado, new cadets began training June 24. The processing for what is known as I-Day was moved into larger facilities to accommodate social distancing and the cadets learned to march while wearing masks and being 6 feet (2 meters) apart. Back at the Coast Guard Academy, the summer has already been different for the approximately 1,000 second-, third- and fourth-year cadets, most of whom returned for mostly online training assignments in June. Battalion Commander Noelle Greenwood said she was supposed to spend half the summer before her senior year interning in Puerto Rico, learning what life would be like after graduation. Instead, she has been in New London, overseeing summer programs, including Swab Summer. She acknowledges being a bit worried about missing out. “I have expressed that to some of the officers and a few of my mentors here,” she said. “They have all told me that this experience this summer — managing a staff and then having to be adaptable and keep changing things and being responsible for such a large number of cadre
and trainees — it will actually prepare me for the fleet.” Kelly said he expects the pandemic experiences of all his cadets, including the swabs, will also make them better prepared to serve in the Coast Guard. “We are blessed with a group of young women and men who already understand what it means to follow safety protocols, understand what it means to follow orders and understand that they have an important mission to accomplish,” he said.
Send Us Your News
to: newsroom@pressherald.com
4 | TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
Opinion Minden
Press-Herald 2 0 3 G LE AS O N STR E E T MIN DE N, LO U IS IAN A 7 1 0 5 5 318-37 7 - 1 8 6 6 w w w.pre ss- herald . co m U SPS N U M BE R 5 9 3 - 3 4 0
JOSHUA SPECHT Editor & Publisher WILL PHILLIPS Lead Reporter KELLY MAY Chief Financial Officer AMANDA ANDERS Circulation Manager JJ MARSHALL Sports Editor LOUIS MITCHELL Production Director CURTIS MAYS Advertising Executive CHELSEA STARKEY Advertising Executive COURTNEY PLUNKETT Classifieds/Public Notices
The Minden Press-Herald is published Tuesday through Saturday afternoon by Specht Newspapers, Inc. at 203 Gleason Street, Minden, Louisiana 71055. Telephone: (318) 377-1866. Entered as Periodicals at the Post Office as Minden PressHerald, P.O. Box 1339, Minden LA 71058-1339. Subscription rate: In-parish mail delivery $11 per month; $33 per three months; $66 per six months; $99 per nine months and $132 per year. Out-of-parish mail delivery is $14.50 per month; $43.50 per three months; $87 per six months; $130.50 per nine months and $174 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Minden PressHerald, P.O. Box 1339, Minden, LA 71058-1339.
THE MINDEN PRESS-HERALD WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence. Letters are not to exceed 500 words. Send letters to: Letters to the Editor, Minden Press-Herald, P.O. Box 1339, Minden, LA 71055, or email to: newsroom@press-herald.com.
JOSHUA SPECHT, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER jspecht@press-herald.com
OPINION
Tax breaks may worsen Louisiana budget uncertainty Gov. John Bel Edwards and Louisiana’s lawmakers spent most of the last four-year term digging out of nearly a decade of financial instability that forced deep cuts across state services, particularly higher education. Now, they appear headed back to that budget uncertainty. The coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on the global economy, boosting unemployment and damaging tax collections in Louisiana, just like across the nation. An international decline in oil prices has hit the income Louisiana earns from the industry. If that wasn’t enough unpredictability for state finances, the majority-Republican Legislature added more by passing tax breaks aimed at helping businesses recover from the virus outbreak — with an unclear picture of how much the bills will cost. And lawmakers and the Democratic governor plugged most of Louisiana’s budget gaps with hundreds of millions of dollars in short-term federal aid, creating questions about how they’ll balance the budget in later years when those dollars disappear. In the special session that ended Tuesday, lawmakers extended and expanded business tax credit, exemption and incentive programs. Sen. Bret Allain, the Franklin Republican who chairs the Senate tax committee, suc-
cessfully scaled back some of the proposals to lessen their estimated cost. But he still worried. He said for every tax break passed, “that’s something that doesn’t get funded in the budget.” Several Democratic and Republican lawmakers who had to balance the budget through the decade of financial uncertainty MELINDA across the DESLATTE terms of former Gov. Bobby Jindal and Edwards repeatedly cautioned about the tax breaks. They warned that some business programs lawmakers were expanding had been reduced because they didn’t show a return on investment for the state. They noted tax break bills that zipped through previous legislative terms had ballooned well beyond estimates given when lawmakers passed them, creating sizable drains on the treasury. “These things aren’t free, and they can come back to haunt you,” said Sen. Jay Morris, a Monroe Republican. “And if they do come back to haunt us, I for one am not going to put this on the backs of the individual average citizens when people start wanting to raise taxes
to pay for the services that most all of us want.” The new tax breaks were estimated to cost about $25 million in the budget year that just started Wednesday, and at least $230 million over five years. Lawmakers accounted for the estimated lost tax revenue in this year’s budget. But the full financial impact isn’t entirely clear — and, to win passage, lawmakers delayed the largest costs of some tax breaks until later years. “We’re just getting on our feet, and what we’re doing right now is like deja vu,” objected Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, a New Orleans Democrat. The Legislature’s Republican leaders said the measures will help businesses struggling with closures and restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. They suggested Louisiana will gain tax revenue from business expansions and economic stimulation, an argument used to pass previous tax breaks that became a drain on state tax collections. They said they will be continuing to review the tax incentive programs’ performance. “Tax breaks, we believe, are used to (help) business, which will bring our economy back, which provides jobs, which provides revenues for the government to operate,” said Senate President Page Cortez, a Lafayette Republican. Senate GOP leader Sharon Hewitt, of Slidell, said: “With-
out a little bit of help, these businesses are going to shut down.” Beyond the tax breaks, lawmakers balanced the budget — using recommendations from the Edwards administration — with more than $900 million in patchwork financing that won’t be available a year later, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Office. Cortez predicted more federal aid is likely. House Appropriations Chairman Jerome “Zee” Zeringue noted Louisiana’s tax collections are forecast to be $674 million higher next year, offsetting much of the patchwork assistance. But that forecast assumes a significant economic rebound from the coronavirus — and doesn’t account for the tax breaks, which will require forecast revisions. Edwards hasn’t said which tax breaks he’ll sign into law. “You can appreciate the fact that people in the Legislature want to give some help to specific businesses and so forth, but at the same time they have to understand that those are tax expenditures,” he said. “It’s spending by a different method, and we’re required to have a balanced budget.”
Melinda Deslatte has covered Louisiana politics for The Associated Press since 2000. Follow her at http:// twitter.com/melindadeslatte
OPINION
Editorial Roundup: Just mask up, please Want to buy some clothes or groceries? Mask up. Want to see a movie in a local theater? Mask up. Want to see the LSU football Tigers play this fall? You might have to mask up. It’s almost July and the State of Louisiana has been requiring business employees coming into contact with customers to wear masks. That means employees at Louisiana businesses interacting with the public must wear masks, and masks are strongly encouraged for customers. Technically, New Orleans requires customers to wear face coverings or masks when doing visiting businesses. As we open up our society more, things such as going to the movies and going to football games will likely change. AMC, the world’s largest movie theater chain, said recently that it would “strongly encourage” moviegoers to wear masks when they open to the public in July. Then they got blasted on social media and that decision got reversed. The chain is going to require face masks in areas where local officials mandate it. There are AMC theaters in parts of Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Hammond, Houma, Metairie, New Orleans and Slidell. Like AMC, Regal Theatres, which has operations in Bossier City, Covington, Ken-
ner and Leesville, is requiring customers to wear masks where mandated. AMC customers can bring their own, or they can buy one at the box office along with a movie ticket. Surely some of our friends and neighbors are interested in getting back to the comfort of a cushioned seat in a cool theater with dynamic sound to view some of the latest movie offerings. Mask wearing is picking up steam as reasonable leaders realize that public health officials know what they’re talking about after examining local,
state, national and worldwide data — and as they realize that no vaccine is likely for several months. That means staying home and away from others or going out and maintaining a distance of at least six feet and masking up to lessen the likelihood that novel coronavirus droplets will be spread from one person to another. As we learned just a few days ago, this virus is expanding from those who are senior citizens and those with underlying conditions to younger people. During a recent radio interview, LSU Athletics Director
Scott Woodward said requiring Tiger Stadium football fans to wear masks is “definitely in play” as university officials listen to public health experts. During The Paul Finebaum Show, he said he regularly wears a mask and he encouraged others to do the same. We like the way he put it. “This isn’t a political statement,” he said. “This is a health statement. We’re trying to save lives here.” Wear a mask. Wear face coverings. Let’s save lives. The [Baton Rouge] Advocate.
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 | 5
Life
SEND US YOUR NEWS newsroom@press-herald.com
INSPIRATION
Do we care what God thinks about much of anything?
As a wake-up call I would like to point out how President Ronald Reagan quoted II Chronicles 7:14 in his 1981 Inaugural address when he said “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” It seems to me that affluence can deaden our hearts, lessening our dependence upon God? How long has it been since our nation really cared what God thinks about much of anything? If we don’t take a stand, what can we expect to happen to our country? We want God to heal our land but let us continue down the same path, to allow us to
maintain our lifestyles that we know it or not.” have grown accustomed to, but We may think “we are masdo we really want to humble ters of our own fate, captains of ourselves, pray and our own destiny” but in seek His face and the twinkling of an eye turn from our wicked our worlds can be torn ways? apart whether by death, We want to be divorce, disaster or loss blessed without reof our homes. ally caring what God No one is exempt. thinks about much of To think so is to be naanything. ive. Whatever has hapIn light of all of pened to another can this I must add that it SARAH just as easily happen to doesn’t matter what I HUDSON-PIERCE us. think because God’s If not, why not? Word doesn’t change When we, as a naeven though we may have tion, disregards what God says changed our opinion. how can we continue being When I wake up in the night, blessed? It may take a national to the roar of thunder, I think disaster such as a depression or that maybe God is trying to say a pandemic to bring us to our to us, “hello, I am not asleep, I knees. am still in control whether you It’s easy to look down on
those less fortunate, especially the homeless and say “they are homeless because they want to be homeless.” I have actually heard church members make that very comment while talking about homelessness. The Bible still teaches that there are three categories of sins; the lust of eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. We can reach a point of no return. We tend to want what we want now, regardless of what God thinks, even if it means stealing from one’s own parents and in the same breath saying “The problem with our nation is people who don’t want to work,” not realizing that it’s easier to snatch from one’s parents than to manage our own finances trying to keep up with or maybe a step ahead of the Jones, who-
ever they are. It’s easy to go bankrupt! Even the “rich” and famous do it! When I was a child, in the backwoods of Arkansas, ministers preached a different message. There was right and wrong, no gray areas. As a ten year old child, I knew that this life is not forever. That is so contrary to what we are being taught today. Now grace covers everything. We may change our mind but God remains the same. This life is just too short to not go to heaven. It is easy to be hardened, to turn a deaf ear, but eternity is just too long to miss being in the presence of God.
Contact Sarah at sarahp9957@aol. com
LIFE IN A PANDEMIC
Fewer will attend camp this summer; some camps won’t survive
FAYETTE, Maine (AP) — Camp Winnebago was founded during the Spanish Flu and weathered all manner of health scares from polio to the swine flu over a century. It wasn’t about to let the coronavirus stop the fun. But things will be different this summer at this camp and others that buck the trend and welcome children. The vast majority of overnight camps are closed due to the pandemic. Campers were tested five days before arriving and will be tested again five days later. The camp installed additional hand-washing stations on the 150-acre (60-hectare) property. Each cabin has hand sanitizer that must be used when entering and leaving, and before and after group activities. Face coverings are required in larger groups. “We believe that we can run a program safely and with the health of the campers at the top of our minds. We’re not doing this cavalierly. We’re taking this extremely seriously,” Camp Winnebago owner Andy Lilienthal said. Nationwide, the summer camp picture is coming into sharper focus with many of the 15,000-plus summer camps opting to close because of health concerns surrounding the pandemic, or because of delays in receiving rules or guidelines from licensing officials. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Oregon have banned overnight camps, and more than 20 states still haven’t issued guidance for overnight camp directors during what would normally be the start of the busy summer season, according to the American Camp Association. All told, an estimated 19.5 million youths will miss out on either day camp or overnight camp this summer, said Tom Rosenberg, from the
American Camp Association. It’s not just a loss for kids who will miss out on seeing friends, becoming independent, and developing outdoor skills. It’s a devastating financial loss for camps, some of which won’t recover. Camps are estimated to lose $16 billion in revenue, with more than $4.4 billion in lost wages and over 900,000 lost jobs this summer, Rosenberg said. Even camps that do jump through the hoops to open are going to have a tough time. Most of them are losing money but believe strongly in the importance of the camp experience, said Ron Hall, from the Maine Summer Camps. Camps that consider opening are confronting a hodgepodge of safety rules, some of which were late in coming from states. There is also guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Camp Association. In Maine, where only 20 of 110 licensed overnight camps are opening, guidelines require staff and counselors to quarantine or receive a negative test result. Campers also must quarantine, or get tested, unless they’re from an exempted state. Campers must be broken up into smaller groups for social distancing. There are rigid guidelines for sanitizing, and an isolation area must be established in the event someone falls ill. It was all too much for some camps. In Vermont, Ellen Flight said the decision was made not to open the girls’ Camp Songadeewin and the separate boys camp Keewaydin because the safety of campers could not be assured, especially when they’re camping out. “’When you start thinking about cooking a meal over the fire, you can’t touch the utensils that some-
body else touched, you know, you just can’t run a program with any sense of safety,” said Flight, who’s also president of the Vermont Camp Association. Others are opening but are scaling back. In Maine, Camp Winona, in Bridgton, will operate with one session instead of two. Normally, the camp hosts about 220 campers, but this year it will be closer to 150, co-owner Laura Ordway said. The campers will be divided into groups by age, and then further divided into tents. Smaller groups will eat, sleep and engage in activities together to avoid transmission of the virus to the larger group. There will be staggered times for showering. Meals will be outdoors. “Camp directors are risk managers, every single day of the camp. We’re also innovative and tenacious,” Ordway said. “I know that there are challenges, but we’ve figured out the safety side of things. Now we have to figure out the logistics so our campers really thrive.” In Washington, D.C., Nicole Elkon and her husband weighed the benefits and dangers of sending their two sons and daughter to camp in Maine after watching their kids deal with the roller coaster of social isolation, distance learning and quarantines. They were won over by the “sealed bubble” concept with no outsiders allowed, only campers, counselors and staff. “When the plan came out, we were convinced it was a good place for our children. In fact, I’ve become even more convinced since then that the safest place for them is at camp,” she said. But Andrew Klein, from New York City, reached the opposite conclusion for his 14-year-old son. The family lives a block from
Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the
separate area where campers can be
hospitals that dealt with a massive
isolated in the event someone falls ill,
outbreak in the spring, The parents
Lilienthal said.
did not like the idea of teens in close
The camp property was large-
quarters in cabins. If their son be-
ly closed off after the arrival of 140
came sick, he’d have to quarantine at camp. “Even my son didn’t feel comfortable with it,” Klein said. “He felt that this was a summer to wait it out, and go back next year.”
campers Wednesday. There will be no high-intensity, close-contact activities like basketball or soccer until after an initial period. “Our system has gotten very good
Here at Camp Winnebago, on
at mitigating risk in all phases of
Echo Lake, about 80% of summer
camp. We see COVID-19 as that, an-
slots are filled. The camp purposeful-
other layer of risk,” Lilienthal said.
ly kept some slots unfilled to create a
www.apnews.com
Sports 6 MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
JJ Marshall, Sports Editor jjmarshall@press-herald.com
www.press-herald.com
NCAA BASEBALL
NBA
Diamond Dog Seniors announce return for 2021 Season
LIFE IN THE BUBBLE
TOM MORRIS/COURTESY PHOTO
Louisiana Tech senior Parker Bates RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech’s six baseball seniors announced their return for the 2021 baseball season on Thursday. The Bulldogs turned down multiple offers to play professional baseball in order to return to Tech together. Manny Garcia, Bryce Fagan, Hunter Wells, Kyle Griffen, Tyler Follis, and Parker Bates are all able to return thanks to the NCAA’s decision to provide Spring student-athletes with another year of eligibility. “Our 2020 senior class is a special group and we are extremely excited that all of them have chosen to come back for the 2021 season,” said Burroughs. “Bryce, Manny, Hunter, Kyle, Tyler and Parker provided remarkable leadership for our team this season and have added so much value to our program. It would have been easy and understandable for them to leave or move on, having earned their degree, but they never wavered.” “All six guys have made incredible sacrifices for our program and univer-
sity, including some turning down offers to play professional baseball just a few weeks ago. It will be special to have them back in our dugout and watch them play in the new Love Shack in 2021,” Burroughs continued. Louisiana Tech has committed to funding the extra scholarships for returning baseball and softball student-athletes via donor solicitation. Fans and supporters who want to help the university cover scholarship costs are encouraged to make a gift to Louisiana Tech Athletic Club. The returning seniors already combined for 120 wins over four years in a Bulldog uniform, peaking at 39 in 2018. The group led the 2020 Diamond Dogs to an 11-6 start before the public health crisis of COVID-19 mandated the cancellation of the season. With the seniors’ announcement, Bulldogs are currently set to return their entire starting lineup and rotation from 2020, as well as several key bullpen arms.
NBA emphasizes mental health as teams await Disney ‘bubble’ NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jrue Holiday expects basketball to be the easy part. The Pelicans guard will be living in the NBA’s “bubble” when 22 teams gather near Orlando, Florida, this month to resume their suspended season. Holiday’s wife, Lauren, a former U.S. national team soccer player, is pregnant with the couple’s second child at a time when much of society has been shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. The veteran New Orleans player might be away from home for more than a month. Meanwhile, Memphis rookie Ja Morant expects to miss his daughter’s first
birthday next month. Boston’s Gordon Hayward may leave the team when his fourth child is born in September. And players like Washington’s Bradley Beal and Portland’s Damian Lillard wonder how intense NBA restrictions on player movement will be received. These are but a few examples of why the NBA, its teams and the players’ union are making mental health and wellness resources available to players now and once they arrive at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. “It is going to leave the guys with a lot of time on their own, and challenges with families, newborns and whatever else they have going on in their personal lives are going to be magnified because they’re going to be in confined spaces for prolonged periods of time,” said William Parham, a Loyola Marymount psychology professor and director of the National Basketball Players Association’s mental health and wellness program. “There’s no way around it, so I would anticipate some increased anxiety, some increased tension, some increased restlessness.” There will be no fans at Disney. There also will be restrictions on where players can go, plus rules keeping families away until at least the second round of the playoffs. The hope is to significantly limit exposure
to COVID-19 inside the bubble. Even under normal circumstances, Holiday sees family time as a cherished respite. Life at Disney will clearly complicate that. “This is one of the mental parts about it that guys have to adjust to, where someone like me, I go home and it’s where I kind of relax,” Holiday said. “I try my best not to bring my work home with me so I can hang out with my wife, my dog, and my daughter and I can do things like that. ... I think that’s going to be a little bit of a challenge, especially after like seven to 10 days.” Likewise, Beal said living in the bubble will hardly be “a walk in the park.” “We can’t just leave. We can’t just order whatever food we want. We can’t just do activities we want to do. We can’t go to our teammates’ rooms,” Beal said. “You’re restricted, and you can’t do the things that you’re normally used to doing.” The Pelicans’ mental health and wellness program is led by team psychologist Jenna Rosen, and New Orleans general manager David Griffin calls it “critical.” “Let’s not kid ourselves. This quarantine situation is going to be very difficult,” Griffin said. “We will work through mindfulness training with Jenna literally every day. ... It’s going to be about who can keep themselves in the best frame of mind, quite frankly.” Mental health has been a priority for the NBA and the NBPA, especially after
players like Cleveland’s Kevin Love and San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan opened up about their inner struggles. DeRozan knows it won’t be easy at Disney. “It’s tough,” he said. “You’re taking guys who’ve been with their families every single day for the last few months and all of a sudden separating everybody into this one confined space and taking away a lot of joyful things that we do outside of basketball.” Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has played for Greece’s national team, said being away for three weeks during international tournaments was challenging. This trip to Disney could last three months if the Bucks make the NBA Finals. “Not being able to see your family, being there for three months, playing games with no fans, it’s going to be mental,” Antetokounmpo said. “You’ve got to push yourself through this.” Daniel Medina, the Wizards’ chief of athletic care and performance, said some players are concerned that an interrupted season might make them more prone to injury, which could be career-altering to players with expiring contracts. Some have decided not to play, notably Indiana’s Victor Oladipo. Parham, who helped launch the NBPA’s mental health program in 2018, expects many players to handle the resumption well. He noted that after three months of relative isolation at home, they’ll be eager to satisfy their appetite for competition. Still, the unprecedented nature of the bubble, born out of a pandemic blamed for about a half-million deaths worldwide, will present challenges. Another issue, Parham said, is how the restart coincides with the political and social upheaval spawned by the death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in police custody. “Prior to COVID, and prior to these social justice demonstrations, there were sufficient daily distractions for people to not really even think about their stuff. They were just sort of on automatic pilot,” Parham said. “You know what they say: A person will never see their reflection in running water. It is only when the water is still that their reflected image begins to emerge.”
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
OUTDOORS
HARRIS: Fishing for school bass is educational
Glynn Harris
Special to the Press-Herald Although the sun had not yet appeared over the horizon, the air was already warm and sticky, typical of the onset of another hot July day in Louisiana. This would have been a good day to work on articles in my air conditioned office but fishing guide and friend Eddie Halbrook’s call the night before had a sense of urgency about it. “I don’t care what you have planned for tomorrow,” Halbrook said, “put it off. The bass are schooling on Grand Bayou and you need to come with me.” The “Grand Bayou” Halbrook mentioned is Grand Bayou Reservoir, a small 2500 acre impoundment located 50 miles south of Shreveport. I don’t mind admitting a degree of skepticism when Halbrook mentioned that for the past week, he’d been catching at least a hundred bass a day. Skeptical or not, I found myself in the back of Halbrook’s boat as the bright, and soon to be hot, sun made its appearance in a cloudless July sky. Somewhere around 7 am, Halbrook caught the first bass of the day. At a little past noon, I released bass number 100. We had, indeed, hit the century mark with bass in a half day of fishing that can only be described as “hot”…in more ways than one. Grand Bayou Reservoir is like so many lakes around the country. The lake has a thriving population of baitfish, in this case, threadfin shad, that seek the highest levels of oxygen. In warm months, oxygen is more plentiful in the top of the water column. Wave action near the surface continues to replenish dissolved oxygen and huge schools of baitfish move about in comfort just beneath the surface. For predator fish like largemouth bass, these roaming pods of baitfish are seen as a gourmet feast there for the taking. Slashing into baitfish schools, bass gorge themselves and in the process, make their presence known to alert bass fishermen from hundreds of yards away. Their feeding activity agitates the surface, often sending plumes of water flying in all directions.
Fishing for schooling bass can be at the same time exciting and frustrating. Here’s a typical scenario…a couple of anglers see a school of feeding bass erupt from 100 yards away. Starting the engine, they rush to within casting distance of the school only to see the surface become quiet again before the first cast is made. Looking back to where they just came from, they’re frustrated to see the fish thrashing the surface back there. Thus, patience is one of the key ingredients in fishing for schooling bass. When the fish are active, the best bet is to avoid the temptation of dashing from school to school. Just be patient; they’ll soon be thrashing the water’s surface where you are. If you take a youngster along, there is no better way to spark an interest in bass fishing that could last a lifetime than to introduce him/ her/them to fishing for school bass. For starters, school bass are generally easy to catch, the fishing experience is filled with spine-tingling excitement, and the neophyte angler is almost always anxious to do it all over again another day. Equipment needs are simple and can be easily handled by a less-experienced angler. As bass slash into baitfish on the surface, some of the bait will be injured or killed in the process and will likely be floating in the area. Scoop up a couple and determine their color but more importantly, the size. If they’re silver in color, as most baitfish are, and are two inches long, it’s not brain surgery to know what to do next. Simply dig in your tackle box and select a silvery lure, two inches in length. If you’re hungry for an ice cream cone, you’re not likely to head for the refrigerator and go slap-happy over a celery stick. Bass are no different; they want what they want when they want it. If you get excited at the sight of bass exploding on the surface all around you; if you thrill to strike after strike; if you get pleasure at the look on the face of your youngster fighting a tenacious bass, then school bass fishing may be right up your alley.
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 | 7
ANTHEM
Discourse over national anthem looms for NBA, other leagues
Rick Carlisle isn’t sure what to expect from players during the national anthem when the NBA season resumes in empty arenas in Florida. The Dallas Mavericks coach does know how he will react if players kneel or otherwise violate a longtime league policy that requires them to stand during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “We support our players 100% in terms of their ability to express themselves individually or as a group if they wish,” Carlisle said. “I don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like in Orlando. There could be different forms of expression. But our country is a free country.” The death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police in May sparked fresh questions across sports about kneeling during the anthem and the gesture has been seen from European soccer to North American auto racing. Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the latest movement in 2016, saying he was protesting racial inequality and police mistreatment of minorities. Since sports resumed following Floyd’s death, players have knelt worldwide, at professional and even youth sporting events. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the league was wrong not to acknowledge the right of its players to peacefully protest, a move that perhaps prompted new criticism from President Donald Trump, who has long opposed kneeling during the anthem. There’s no indication of any leagues skipping the anthem despite empty venues. “It’s kind of a declaration we’re still here,” said Adrian Burgos Jr., a University of Illinois history professor who has studied issues of minorities in pro sports. “This is how much the anthem has become part of the pageantry of spectator sports in the United States.” On the eve of the Fourth of July holiday, here’s a rundown of the major North American sports leagues and their approaches to the national anthem — a longtime fixture at games. NBA/WNBA The policy calling for players to “stand and line up in a dignified posture” has been around almost 40 years. There were two instances during the 2016 preseason of singers — both female, one white, one Black — dropping to
a knee as they performed the anthem. Both said they did it to call attention to systemic racism. It is believed that the NBA not only expects, but will encourage, players to make statements about the need for social change when the season restarts. Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking at a Time 100 event this week, suggested the league isn’t sure what will happen if players choose to kneel. “We’ve had a rule on our books that goes back to the early 1980s, that precedes even David Stern’s tenure as commissioner, that calls for players to stand in line at attention during the national anthem,” Silver said. “I also understand the role of protest and I think that we’ll deal with that situation when it presents itself.” The WNBA has the same policy, but players have not been disciplined for kneeling. NFL Because Kaepernick was the first to kneel during the anthem, the NFL has always been at the epicenter of the debate. League policy at the time was murky on whether players were required to stand. But there were vocal owners, such as Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, who threatened to bench players if they didn’t stand. Ultimately, the NFL settled on a policy that players and non-playing personnel were “expected” to stand, while giving players the option of staying in the locker room during the anthem. Through it all, there have usually been at least a few players who knelt and never faced discipline. The tide shifted suddenly after Floyd’s death, with several NFL stars essentially daring the league to keep them from kneeling if there are games in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Goodell responded quickly. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” Goodell said in a video in early June. “I personally protest with you and want to be a part of the much-needed change in this country.” Plenty of players, including young star quarterbacks Baker Mayfield in Cleveland and Arizona’s Kyler Murray, have made it clear they will kneel. So has Houston coach Bill O’Brien and Carolina coach Matt Rhule might, too. MLB Baseball’s guidelines
have the flexibility to allow for personal choice, and former Oakland catcher Bruce Maxwell was believed to be the first in his sport to do kneel during the anthem in 2017, not long after Trump criticized NFL players. While the NBA has said it will have multiple outlets for expression of social causes assuming its season resumes, MLB is considering similar possibilities with the 60-game season set to start July 23. Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward said he and his players have had several discussions in the wake of protests around the country over Floyd’s death. “I felt it was very important for a lot of our, especially minority players, to share their feelings with their teammates,” Woodward said. “I don’t know where we stand as far as how the anthem is going to play out. But I will support our team. I will support our players individually if they have personal beliefs that they feel like they need to share.” NHL The NHL rule book does not address player behavior during the national anthems at its games. Protests have been rare; Tampa Bay forward J.T. Brown raised his right fist during the anthem before the team’s first road game of the season in 2017. NWSL
The National Women’s Soccer League revised its anthem policy after most players knelt during the anthem before season-opening games last weekend at the Challenge Cup. The NWSL was the first pro sports team league to resume or start play since the shutdown. Some players were criticized for not kneeling, so the league will allow players to stay in the locker room during the anthem. “The NWSL stands behind every player, official and staff member,” NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said. “Kneel on the field. Stand with your hand over your heart. Honor your feelings in the privacy of the locker room or at midfield.” NASCAR The largest auto racing series in North America for years had specific guidance for its teams to stand, helmetless and hatless, with right hands over the heart during the anthem. That language was removed less than a month ago as NASCAR goes through a reckoning of its own. MLS North America’s biggest pro men’s soccer league has had a policy supporting freedom of expression for players, and Commissioner Dan Garber sent a note to league staff supporting that right three years ago when the Kaepernick debate was raging.
8 | TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
FUN & GAMES
On This Day In History 1991 - Brioni Declaration is signed. The agreement was signed by Slovenia, Croatia, and Yugoslavia on the Brioni islands in Croatia. The agreement marked the end of hostilities that began with the Slovenian War of Independence. Also known as the Ten Day War, the conflict began after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia. 1985 - Boris Becker becomes the youngest person to win Wimbledon at age 17. The German tennis player beat American Kevin Curren. 1981 - Sandra Day O’Connor is appointed to the U.S. Supreme See, HISTORY, Page 9
CRYPTOQUIP
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
CROSSWORD
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
SUDOKU
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 | 9
WORD SLEUTH
HISTORY
Continued from Page 8
Court. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, O’Connor is the first woman to be appointed to the highest court in the United States. 1958 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Act into law. Under the law, Alaska became the 49th state of the United States of America on January 3, 1959. 1947 - Rosewell UFO sighting. An object crashed into a ranch near Rosewell, New Mexico raising speculations that the object was an extraterrestrial spacecraft containing alien life forms.
COMICS BABY BLUES | RICK KIRKMAN AND JERRY SCOTT
BLONDIE | DEAN YOUNG AND JOHN MARSHALL
BEETLE BAILEY | MORT & GREG WALKER
FUNKY WINKERBEAN | TOM BATIUK
HI AND LOIS | BRIAN WALKER, GREG WALKER AND CHANCE BROWNE
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE | CHRIS BROWNE
SAM AND SILO | JERRY DUMAS
MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM | MIKE PETERS
10 | TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
Classifieds
PLACE YOUR AD TODAY classifieds@press-herald.com
Classified line ads are published Tuesday through Saturday in the Minden Press-Herald, Bossier Press-Tribune and online at www.press-herald.com
Classified Rates Pricing is easy!
$7.75
Per Day - Up to 20 words! Additional words are only 30¢ cents more!
Garage Sales No word limit.
$11
One Day
$16.50 Two Days
Receive a FREE Garage Sale Kit with your two day ad! *Garage Sale ads must be prepaid.
Deadlines Ads
Line ads must be submitted by noon the day before publication. Display ads two days prior to publication.
Public Notices
Public notices must be submitted two days prior to publication date depending on the length. Notices may be emailed to classifieds@ press-herald.com
Payments
Cash, Checks, Billing Real Estate Notice
“All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate, which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.
Grow Your Business
Call Courtney to place your ad!
PLACE YOUR AD TODAY! 377-1866
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be received by the Bienville Parish Library Board of Control, at the Bienville Parish Library Headquarters at 2768 Maple St., Arcadia, Louisiana 71001, until 2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Savings Time, on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Any person requiring special accommodations shall notify the Architect, Coco & Company, Wayne Lawrence Coco, AIA, Architect, LLC for the types of accommodation required not less than (7) days before the bid opening. FOR: A New Bienville Parish Library Gibsland Branch PROJECT NUMBER: 0219 Gibsland, Louisiana Construction Budget: Approximately $650,000.00 Architect: Coco & Company, Wayne Lawrence Coco, AIA, Architect, LLC PO Box 111 or 510 Main Street Simmesport, Louisiana 71369 Phone: 318 9412392 - Fax 318 941-2821 Complete Bidding Documents for this project are available in electronic form. They may be obtained without charge and without deposit from Louisiana Digital Reproduction, 817 W. University Ave, Lafayette, LA 70506 (print@ ladigital.biz), contact Rick Domas or Sam at 337235-5081. Printed copies are not available from the Architect but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most reprographic firms. Questions about this procedure shall be directed to the Architect at: Coco & Company, Wayne Lawrence Coco, AIA, Architect, L.L.C. PO Box 111 or 510 Main Street Simmesport, Louisiana 71369 Phone: 318 9412392 - Fax 318 941-2821 Email: waynecococo@ centurytel.net Cautionary Note: Prime Bidders, Sub Contractors and Suppli-
ers obtaining bid documents are cautioned not to obtain partial or incomplete sets of bid documents (drawings and specifications) for the purposes of bidding. It is the responsibility of the bidder(s) (Prime Contractors, Sub Contractors and suppliers) to insure that complete sets of bid documents as posted by Louisiana Digital Reproductions are obtained. Neither the Owner nor the Architect shall be held responsible for errors in downloading or the printing of incomplete sets of documents by the bidder (Prime Contractor, Sub Contractor, or Supplier), reprographer, printer, AGC office, F.W. Dodge Report or any other plan room agency or service. It will be assumed that the bidder has a complete set of construction drawings and specifications and addenda. It is the bidder’s responsibility to check through the drawings and specifications to see that all drawing sheets are included and all divisions and sections of specifications are included as well. All bids must be accompanied by bid security equal to five percent (5%) of the sum of the base bid and all alternates, and must be in the form of a certified check or cashiers check written by a surety company licensed to do business in Louisiana, signed by the surety’s agency or attorney-in-fact, and countersigned by a person who is under Contract with the surety as a licensed agency in this State and who is residing in this State. Surety must be listed on the current U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the amount for which it obligates itself in the Bond, or must be a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A - rating in the latest printing of
the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. If surety qualifies by virtue of its Best’s listing, the amount of the Bond may not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. The Bid Bond shall be in favor of the Bienville Parish Library Board of Control and shall be accompanied by appropriate power of attorney. No Bid Bond indicating an obligation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is acceptable. The successful Bidder shall be required to furnish a Performance and Payment Bond written by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana, in the amount equal to 100% of the Contract amount. Surety must be listed currently on the U.S. Department of Treasury Financial Management Service List (Treasury List) as approved for an amount equal to or greater Gibsland Library Coco & Company Project # 0219 6-15-2020 ADV-1 than the contract amount, or must be an insurance company domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana residents. If surety is qualified other than by listing on the Treasury List, the contract amount may not exceed fifteen percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial statements filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance and may not exceed the amount of $500,000. However, a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A - rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide shall not be subject to the $500,000 limitation, provided that the contract amount does not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide nor fifteen percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial statements filed
with the Louisiana Department of Insurance. The Bond shall be signed by the surety’s agent or attorney-in-fact and countersigned by a person who is under contract with surety as a licensed agent in this State, and who is residing in this State. A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD At the project site (Corner of Main [LA. 154] and First St. [LA. 80], Gibsland, Louisiana) on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 @ 11:00 O’Clock A.M. Central Standard Time Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under L.A. R.S. 37:2150-2163 for the classification of Building Construction. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of bids, except under the provision of L.A. R.S. 38:2214. The Owner reserves the right to reject all bids for just cause. In accordance with L.A. R.S. 38:2212 (A) (1) (b), the provisions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertisement for bids, and those required on the bid form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity. Special Provision: This project is shall be a Sales Tax Exempt Project. The Contractor will be designated as an Agent of the Governmental Entity for the purposes of making sales tax exempt purchases on behalf of the governmental body. The contractor shall be required to complete the Louisiana Department of Revenue “Designation of Construction Contractor as Agent of a Governmental Entity and Exemption Certificate” .
2020 Request for One-Stop Operator Proposals A P P L I C AT I O N PROCESS Issuance of Proposal: June 16, 2020 Deadline for Receipt of Proposal: July 17, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. (CST) The Seventh Planning District Consortium Local Workforce Development Board 70 hereafter referred to as LWDB 70, is making a Request for Proposal (RFP) from eligible entities or a consortium of eligible entities with the capacity to provide OneStop Operator Services for the LWDB 70 area including Bienville, Bossier, Caddo (except the City of Shreveport), Claiborne, DeSoto, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster Parishes, in accordance with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA). The Seventh Planning District Consortium Local Workforce Board 70 will procure one contractor to serve as the OneStop Operator in the ten-parish area. The Operator will be responsible for managing the Workforce System, and will ensure compliance with Federal, State, and local policies. The RFP for the One-Stop Operator can be found on the Internet at www.cdconline. org and includes a Scope of Work and a Budget. All proposals and attachments must be completed and sent via email to csattler@cdconline.org on or before July 17, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. (CST). All proposals must be signed by the applicants Board Chairman, CEO, Director, or President. The grant period for funding is August 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. Technical questions/requests for clarification must June 23, 2020 be submitted and July 7, 2020 received in writing July 14, 2020 via email to Ms. Minden Press-Herald Candle Sattler, Workforce DePUBLIC NOTICE velopment Board The Seventh Interim DirecPlanning District tor, on or prior to Consortium June 26, 2020 by Workforce Inno- 4:30 p.m. (CST). vation and Oppor- Q u e s t i o n s / r e tunity Act quests submitted
via email on or prior to June 26, 2020 will be answered and posted online at www.cdconline. org by June 30, 2020 by 4:30 p.m. (CST). These deadlines are firm as to the date and hour. Applications that arrive after the deadline or are incomplete applications will not be accepted. Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Auxiliary Aids and Services are Available Upon Request to Individuals with Disabilities. June 23, 2020 July 7, 2020 Minden Press-Herald
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
obtained at DiamondJacks Casino ñ Bossier City, LA, and that have not been discontinued previously, may be redeemed by the rightful patron thru September 28, 2020. Chips may be exchanged at Boomtown Casino located at 300 Riverside Dr., Bossier City, LA 71111 Monday through Sunday during normal business hours from June 1 thru September 28, 2020. Effective September 29, 2020 all DiamondJacks Casino ñ Bossier City casino chips will have no value. EMPLOYMENT
MISC.
HELP WANTE D / C O N STRUCTION 318-349-7162. NOTICES
EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2020 DIAMONDJACKS CASINO ñ BOSSIER CITY will be discontinuing all casino chips. Per LA Gaming Regulation - Title 42 Part III, Section 4315, chips with cash value that were
A written examination will be given in approximately ninety (90) days, on a competitive basis to approved applicants for the purpose of placing names on the competitive employment list for the class of Fire Prevention Education Officer in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Law and the rules of the East Central Bossier Parish Fire District 1 Civil Service Board. Application forms and a list of the qualification requirements that must be met for admission to this examination may be obtained from Robert Roe, Fire Chief, at the East Central Bossier Parish Fire District 1 Central Station located at 4494 Hwy 80, Haughton, LA 71037. Completed applications must be received by Robert Roe, Fire Chief at the address given above by 4:00 PM on
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA
July 10 2020 † Approved applicants will be notified of the exact date, time, and place of the examination at least five days prior to the examination date.
HOUSE OF RAEFORD a
poultry processing plant, located in Arcadia, LA is accepting applications for day and night
shift production positions. Starting pay rates is $10-$10.50, however at the end of 60 day probation, pay rate will increase to $11$11.50. Many positions pay premiums, up to $4.00 more. Also, medical, dental, life insurance and 401(k) are available after probation. Please apply online at www. houseofrae-
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 | 11
ford.com or complete an application at 3867 2nd St, Arcadia, La PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE OF HOMER is accepting applications for CNA’s FullTime Evening Shifts and Graveyard Shifts available. Contact: CNA Supervisor Cathy Franklin @ 318-9276133 The Arc Caddo-Bossier is
seeking a dedicated, innovative and experienced leader to become its next Executive Director. For more information please visit our website at: thearccaddobossier.org and click on GET INVOLVED.
A t t o r neys Applying for Social Security Disability or Appealing a Denied
Claim? Call Bill Gordon & Assoc., Social Security Disability Attorneys, 1-844883-2045 FREE Consultations. Local Attorneys Nationwide [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. (TX/NM Bar)] (LA-SCAN) E d u c a tion Flexible Healthcare Career Training, Medical Billing and Coding Program. Call Now For Information: 1-866-7464143 (LA-SCAN) TRAIN Online To DO MEDICAL BILLING.
Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months. Call 1-866-350-4447. (M-F 8am-6pm ET) (LA-SCAN) E m p l o y ment Become a Published Author. We want to Read Your Book! Dorrance Publishing-Trusted by Authors Since 1920 Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution
Call for your FREE Author’s Guide 1-866593-1492 or visit http://dorranceinfo.com/lapress (LA-SCAN) Premier Offshore Catering We are now accepting applications for experienced Offshore Day Cooks, Night Cooks, Bakers, Camp Boss, Galley and BR Hands. We offer a 28 & 14 rotating work schedule, and an excellent benefits package which includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & AD&D Insurance. Starting salaries depending on
level of offshore experience. Apply at www. premieroffshorecatering.com (LA-SCAN) Financial Services Have 10K in Debt? Credit Cards. Medical Bills. Personal Loans. Be Debt Free in 24-48 Months. Call NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF! Know Your Options. Get a FREE debt relief quote; Call 1-844-290-9978 (LA-SCAN) Over $10K in Debt? Be debt free in 24-48 months. No upfront fees to
enroll. A+ BBB rated. Call National Debt Relief 1-877-327-5302 (LA-SCAN)
P R O B L E M CREDIT REPORT? Lexington Law helps works to challenge inaccurate negative items including: identity theft, collections. late payments, liens and more from your credit report. Call for a free credit repair consultation: 1-877-804-2354. John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC, dba Lexington Law Firm (LA-SCAN)
12 | TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA