Minden Press-Herald E-Edition 07-14-2020

Minden

Press-Herald TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

PRESS-HERALD.COM

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Reconnect Webster 2020

Parker settles in as new Sheriff WILL PHILLIPS Minden Press-Herald

Now that it’s been a little over a week since Jason Parker has taken up the roll as Webster Parish Sheriff, he took some time in order to talk about how he’s settling into the position as well as what are some of his plans for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office’s future. This includes a focus on building relationship between citizens and the deputies that patrol their areas, training that will will provide deputies with interviewing and de-escalation techniques, as well as a new app that the office will be getting where citizens will be able to find all the information relevant to the WPSO in on place.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response and support that I’ve received by the citizens and by the Sheriff’s Deputies in general. They’re excited about the transition.

I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been a whirlwind since July first. I’ve been very busy with promotions, personnel changes, budget etc. In the days that I’ve sat in this office, I haven’t left this desk much,” said Parker.

“As the chief law enforcement officer of the parish, since July 1 my main role has been being a problem solver for the residents, and I think the citizens expect and deserve to talk to the Sheriff in regards to the issues they’re having. I’m honored to serve in whatever capacity necessary to maintain peace and harmony in the parish.”

As mentioned previously, one of Parker’s focuses now that he is Sheriff is community policing, and having his deputies build stronger relationships with the citizens that they serve.

“Community policing is big

for me. We had a patrol meeting and I said, ‘Guys, one of my main priorities is dealing with criminals, but I don’t care if somebody calls up here for us to handle a cat in a tree, we’re sending somebody. It ain’t really our deal, but we’re here to serve, and protect. If they need something, we’ll go see them,” said Parker.

“I feel that law-enforcement is much more than just putting handcuffs on somebody, and that Deputies should get just as much satisfaction helping somebody change a flat tire on the side of the road as they do WILL PHILLIPS/MINDEN PRESS-HERALD making an arrest. That’s who I am and that is what I want Jason Parker giving his first speech as the official Webster Parish Sheriff at to relay to my deputies. In the his swearing-in ceremony earlier this month. next four years my goal is to determine how things will go. the Major of Patrol is if they earn the respect and confi“Twenty-seven years and have an issue on patrol side, or dence and the trust of the cit- I can count on one hand the who my administration is as far izens that I serve. number of times as narcotics. I just think the citPublic service is “Law-enforcement is much I’ve had to put izens need to have little more more than just putting my hands on contact with us.” my passion. It’s all I know. It’s what’s handcuffs on somebody ... somebody. NorParker is coming into his poin my heart.”

Deputies should get just as mally I can sit sition in the middle of a year Parker also statmuch satisfaction helping there, even if like no other. The COVID-19 ed that he is gothey’re at a ten, Pandemic has caused numering to be giving somebody change a flat and can bring ous changes to people’s daily more opportuni- tire as they do making an them down lives and brings forth its own ties for Deputies arrest.” just by talking set of challenges for our leadto receive training to them. That’s ers to navigate. When asked -SHERIFF PARKER locally that they what we need, about taking office at this time, may not have been we need some Parker said, “I’ve had a few required to have pretraining. And we’re excited people ask me if it was a bad viously. about the opportunity to get time to come in as Sheriff, but “Normal interview techout here and be professional I like to look at it as an opporniques are held back until you tunity to shine. Whatever the make Investigator or Detective. servers to the people.”

In line with his goal of getting opportunity is, negative or I told the patrol guys that we’re the community more familiar positive, I try and step in and able to get them in those classwith the staff of the Sheriff’s see what we can do to make it es because even though they’re Office, the WPSO is planning better, and I’m looking forward not a detective, it’s going to on releasing an app that will to the challenge.” better themselves, which is gomake it easier for citizens to get “There will be some adjusting to make us a better Deputy information about and from ments here and there, but for on the street,” said Parker. the Office. the most part I think morale “I think the more training “An app for the Webster Parhere is through the roof as far they get, the better service that ish Sheriff’s Office.

We’ll post as the transition.

Sheriff Sexton the citizens will have. One of stuff on there about promohas done an awesome job, and my main things is de-escalations, and kinda let the comwe want to continue building tion training. I think that a lot of the time when we roll up on munity know who our folks are upon what he’s done, make a situation, how you commu- up here, not just the Sheriff. I improvements, and continue nicate and talk to people can think they need to know who moving in a positive direction.”

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WILL PHILLIPS Minden Press-Herald

The Webster Parish School Board has announced a comprehensive plan titled Reconnect Webster to give students and parents a better idea of what the education experience will look like in the fall. Laid out inside the 38 page document are answers to a lot of questions some parents may have been wondering about how our schools plan to tackle opening up this Fall and the unprecedented challenges that it brings with it.

While this article’s intent is to summarize this extensive document, it is recommended that any parent of a student in Webster Parish read this plan, as it contains answers to many questions as well as resources designed to help families adapt to these changes in the learning experience.

“Reconnect Webster 2020 is a comprehensive plan that serves as a guide for the general operation of our schools as well as an explanation for how our diverse curricula will be presented to our students. It is an open ended document that is designed to be altered as circumstances change or new directives are given. During planning, no detail was considered too small, and I am convinced Reconnect Webster 2020 will serve as an outstanding guide for ALL of our stakeholders,” said Superintendent Johnny Rowland.

In the days to come, we will continue to face obstacles and challenges, but we are a strong and resilient community. If we all work together, we may find that in the end we are all the better for it!”

Since the outlook for COVID-19 is still uncertain, Reconnect Webster provides a look into multiple possibilities about how schools will reopen, with the options being a more Traditional School Setting, 100% Distance Learning, or a Hybrid of the two.

Traditional School Setting:

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See, CONNECT, Page 2

INDEX Obituaries Editorials Sports

3 Classifieds 9 4 Crossword 7 6 Comics 7

2 | TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

Second Front EDUCATION

CONNECT: Webster schools prepare for different fall start Continued from Page 1 “If students return to our campuses in the fall for a traditional start to school, the in-person learning opportunities will look and be different. When students come to school, they will receive instruction that is most effectively delivered in an in-person environment while still accessing online resources through Google Classroom or Edgenuity.

In-person time with students will include whole class instruction and focused instruction that is directly connected to student needs. Some examples include: concept development, small group instruction (literacy and math), hands on application of learning (Career Technical Education experiences), progress monitoring, and curriculum assessments,” the plan reads.

Hybrid School Setting: “If public health guidelines limit the number of students allowed on our campuses, Webster Parish will implement a hybrid learning model.

Hybrid learning, a combination of in-person and distance learning, will not re-create the traditional classroom experience and will likely look quite different. Therefore, tools and systems will be in place to support teachers and staff across the district to meet the needs of all students,” the plan reads.

100% Distance Learning: “In the event of extended school closures during the 20-21 school year, Webster Parish will transition to 100% distance learning. Webster TechConnect – 100% Virtual Option Webster Parish students will have the option to enroll in our Webster Tech Connect virtual program. The program will be open to all Webster Parish students grade K-12,” the plan reads.

Regardless of which option seems most pertinent come fall, schools campuses are not going to go back to the way they were before the pandemic. Classroom sizes will be limited depending on what phase of reopening Louisiana is in at the time, those being 10, 25, and 50 for Phases 1, 2, and 3 respectively. When it comes to transportation, buses will also have reduced

occupancy, those being 25%, 50%, and 75% occupancy for Phases 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

Both students and staff will be symptom and temperature checked before entering the schools, and socially distancing is going to be promoted. In order to maintain a safe and healthy atmosphere for kids, hand sanitizing stations will be provided in classrooms and other areas, multi-touch surfaces such as desks will be routinely sanitized, and all staff and students grade 3 and above are required to wear masks on school buses and on school grounds.

Registration for the 2021 school year will take place entirely online not only for convenience but also for an added safety measure of being contact free.

“In an effort to adhere to the CDC Guidelines for Social Distancing due to Covid-19, the Webster Parish School System will be registering students completely online. The OnlineRegistration System is a paperless registration and it is user friendly and convenient.

It is designed to be a contact free process for registering your students,” the plan reads.

In reference to the heightened standards of sanitation, the School Board’s plan reads, “Environmental cleaning of all areas will be of high importance, but cleaning and disinfection for high-touch areas will be of most importance. We will use various cleaners and disinfectants to achieve this goal, all with a COVID-19 kill claim.

Teachers will be supplied with their own classroom sprayer of disinfectant.

Classrooms will also be provided tubs of wipes to disinfect desktops and other high-touch areas between groups of students. Custodians will clean and disinfect all high-touch areas and restrooms multiple times per day as determined necessary by student traffic. All cleaning and disinfection by custodians will be documented as it is completed. There will be a school administrator assigned to directly supervise the custodians responsible for cleaning.

A summer in-service on cleaning and disinfection of the schools will be held

for custodians and the administrator.”

Given the fact that even a traditional return to school would still include more reliance on online work than in the past, the WPSB has created a plan in order to ensure that all students have the technology and internet connectivity that they need.

“There is a need for devices to support online learning throughout the district so we have developed a 1-to-1 device deployment plan to loan out devices to students that are enrolled in the WPS system during the new school year,” the plan reads.

“Through the survey conducted of the households in our district, it showed us that we have a large number of households that do not currently have internet access.

The plan is to address this issue using a multifaceted approach with diverse solutions.

These solutions include expanding Wi-Fi out from our schools to the surrounding school parking lots to provide drive up or walk up internet access to district owned devices, provide internet access to some district owned buses that can be strategically parked in areas with a high density of households without internet access, weatherproof devices to deploy in areas such as fire stations where drive up service could be beneficial, and various vendor hotspot solutions that can provide internet access to the household.

For those households that an internet solution cannot be achieved, we have also planned for a solution where we can load up flash drives with preloaded lessons, videos, and other educational content.”

Another focus when adapting to this school year’s challenges is promoting a family engagement in their child’s education as well. This will be done through a variety of platforms, and the WPSB has communicated that staff members and parents can be collaborative when it comes to their child’s learning experience.

“School staff members and parents can collaborate to set learning expectations. This is

especially important in the middle and high school grades when students have multiple classes and multiple teachers. If staff members are using different apps and tools to engage families and each staff member has different expectations for students, it can quickly get overwhelming for parents and students. Imagine that a parent has two children, each with six different teachers who have six different ways to access information. This can create deep frustration for students and parents that is hard to overcome,” the plan reads.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your school or the district office.

School contact information can be found on the Schools tab on the parish website. You may reach the district office by calling (318) 377-7052 or access the

Webster Parish Schools website at www.websterpsb.org.

In the case of cafeteria’s not being able to fully handle the new distancing needs of its students, the WPSB has created a Meals in Classrooms plan in order to ensure that everyone continues to have their nutritional needs met.

“In the event that we are not allowed to operate a traditional school cafeteria, “Meals in the Classroom” will be implemented at all schools in the district. Fortunately, WPSB had sites from the previous school year who were already implementing “Breakfast in the Classroom,” so the framework is in place to modify it to meet the nutritional needs of all students should we need to reduce the number of students in the regular cafeteria setting,” the plan reads.

“The SFS Department would make sure that all staff is given appropriate professional develop-

ment prior to the beginning of the school year as to how the program will work and the expectations of all involved. In the event that schools are closed, we will implement the “Grab and Go” feeding program throughout the district.

Our goal is to make the School Food Service program as smooth and seamless as possible. As always, the nutritional needs of all students will remain a top priority of the WPSB School Food Service Department.”

Above is just some of what was addressed in the Webster Parish School Boards comprehensive Reconnect Webster plan.

Once again, it is highly recommended that any parent of a student in the Parish read this plan, as it goes into detail on how they plan to address various challenges that may present themselves during this school year.

The full document can be found here.

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 | 3

Webster & More ECONOMY

US economy may be stalling out as viral outbreak worsens

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is stumbling as the viral outbreak intensifies, threatening to slow hiring and deepening the uncertainty for employees, consumers and companies across the country.

Coronavirus case counts are rising in 38 states, and the nation as a whole has been shattering single-day records for new confirmed cases. In six states representing one-third of the economy — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, and Texas — governors are reversing their reopening plans.

Reopening efforts are on pause in 15 other states.

The reversals are keeping layoffs elevated and threatening to weaken hiring. More than 1.3 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, down from 1.4 million the previous week but still roughly double the pre-pandemic weekly record. Applications had fallen steadily in April and May but have barely declined in the past month.

Jobless claims “are stalled out at a new normal of over a million new claims every week,” said Daniel Zhao, an economist at Glassdoor. “The virus is in the driver’s seat and we’re along for the ride until the current public health crisis is resolved.”

Some economists have even warned that a socalled “double-dip” recession, in which the economy shrinks again after rebounding, could develop. Consumers, the primary driver of U.S. economic growth, are pulling back on spending in restaurants and bars, especially in the hardest-hit states. Some small businesses are closing, either under government orders or because of a lack of customers, according to private data.

Several companies have warned in recent days that more layoffs are coming.

Levi’s, the iconic jeans maker, said it will cut 700 corporate jobs. United Airlines has warned 36,000 of its employees — nearly half its workforce — that they could lose their jobs in October. (Airlines aren’t allowed to cut jobs until then as a condition of accepting billions of dollars in government rescue aid.) Motorcycle maker Harley Davidson said it will eliminate 700 corpo-

rate jobs.

The pandemic drove Walgreens to a deep loss in the most recent quarter, with customers staying home or limiting shopping to essential supplies from grocery stores. Walgreens will cut 4,000 jobs at its pharmacy chain Boots in the United Kingdom. Bed Bath & Beyond said it will close 200 stores over the next two years as its sales have slid.

The uncertainty fanned by the pandemic has led many CEOs to abandon their forecasts for second-quarter results. Just as with the economy, forecasters say it could take years for corporate earnings to return to the levels they were at before the pandemic.

With reported viral cases surging, restaurant visits are falling in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, which together account for half of new confirmed infections. This week, in Arizona, restaurant traffic was down 65% from a year earlier, worse than the 50% year-overyear drop two weeks earlier, according to data from reservation app OpenTable. In Florida, traffic was down 57%, compared with 45% two weeks before.

Last week, applications for U.S. unemployment benefits spiked in Texas, Nevada, Tennessee and Louisiana — states where confirmed cases of the virus are intensifying. They also jumped in New Jersey and New York, where the pandemic is mostly under control, but where reopening steps have been postponed.

Applications dropped in California and Florida, though in California they remained high, with more than 267,000 claims. That is more people than were applying each week for unemployment benefits in the entire country before the pandemic hit. Jobless claims also declined in Michigan and Colorado.

The total number of people receiving jobless benefits fell 700,000 to 18 million. That suggests that some companies are continuing to rehire a limited number of workers. An additional 1 million people sought benefits last week under a separate program for self-employed and gig workers that has made them eligible for aid for the first time. These figures aren’t adjusted for seasonal variations, so the government doesn’t include them in the official

count.

In New Jersey, about 4,000 people had expected to return to their jobs last week at casinos in Atlantic City, after Gov. Phil Murphy said they could fully reopen. But Murphy later said the casinos couldn’t reopen their restaurants and bars because indoor dining was too risky. Employees who had hoped to return to work feel whipsawed.

“I wanted this nightmare to go away,” said Mineli Polanco, a beverage server at Borgata, a hotel and casino. “That first call was such a relief: things were going back to normal. Then the second call came, and it was a new nightmare.”

Signs of a weakening jobs picture suggest a turnaround from last week’s jobs report for June, which showed a solid gain of 4.8 million jobs and an unemployment rate that fell to 11.1% from 13.3%. But the June jobs report reflected surveys of Americans that were conducted in the middle of that month — before the pandemic flared up again. And even counting that hiring gain, the economy has regained only about one-third of the jobs that vanished in March and April.

Credit card data from both Bank of America and J.P.Morgan Chase show that spending has slipped in the past two weeks, even in states that don’t have sharp outbreaks.

“This suggests that renewed fears about the virus, rather than government restrictions, are driving the pullback in activity,” said Andrew Hunter, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, a forecasting firm.

Among retailers, the number of shifts worked changed little last week after steady increases in previous weeks, according to data from Kronos, which makes scheduling software. David Gilbertson, a vice president at Kronos, said this indicates that consumer demand in many cases hasn’t picked up enough to justify more employees.

“Everything that’s going to be open is open,” Gilbertson said. “Now, we just need more people to come in and start spending money before things can pick up again.”

The renewed threat of job losses is arising just as a federal program that provides $600 a week in unemployment benefits,

on top of whatever jobless aid each state provides, is to expire at the end of this month. Congressional leaders have said they will take up some form of a new rescue package when lawmakers return later this month from a recess.

Administration officials have expressed support for additional stimulus.

But Senate Republicans have opposed extending the $600 a week in unemployment benefits, mainly on the ground that it discourages laid-off people from returning to work.

House Democrats have pushed to extend the $600 a week through January.

In an interview Thursday on CNBC, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested that the administration might support an extension of supplemental unemployment aid but at a reduced level.

“We’re going to make sure people are (incentivized) to go back to jobs,” Mnuchin said.

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Opinion Minden

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OTHER OPINION

Malkin: Stand with Steven Baca If you support the Second Amendment, oppose mob anarchy and reject the monumental madness gripping America, then you stand with Steven Baca.

If you have been outraged by the persecution and prosecution of brave patriots across the country defending their homes, their families, our downtowns, our national heritage and history — like the armed St. Louis couple, or the armed pregnant Michigan mom, or the armed citizens in the Fishtown suburb of Philadelphia, Boise, Idaho, and Provo, Utah, facing down the saboteurs of civil order, then you stand with Steven Baca.

On June 15, Steven and several other friends and neighbors gathered peacefully at Tiguex Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to protect a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate targeted by agitators identified as Black Lives Matter protesters. What does Onate have to do with St. George Floyd or any of the other clients of race hustler Benjamin Crump?

Nothing. The coordinated violence and chaos unleashed by a toxic convergence of BLM, antifa, jobless college students and garden-variety cop-haters have nothing to do with black lives. Or with “justice.” Or police brutality. Or equality.

It’s all about making money, securing power and reimagining this nation by eradicating every vestige of the settlers, pioneers, colonizers and founders who made America Amer-

ica.

Esther Rivera, a 14th-generation mixed Hispanic and Native American grandmother from Albuquerque, showed up to guard the memorial. “I wasn’t there to protest,” she told me: “I was there to pray for peace and the preservation of these statues and preservation of historical art... If we start pulling these down and renaming buildings and burning books, that’s fasMICHELLE cism.”

MALKIN During the melee at Tiguex Park, as agitators wielded pickaxes and strapped chains to the Onate statue, several belligerent women verbally assaulted Rivera. Some screamed falsely that she was a cop, stirring anger among the cop-hating BLM mobsters. In several videos of the toppling of the Onate statue, at least two of the thuggish protesters can be seen laying hands on Rivera.

She told me one woman tried to steal her phone. As she was pushed to the ground, Baca tried to rescue her. A swarm of women blocked Baca and multiple videos show him trying to peel the women off of him and Rivera. He was a defender, not an aggressor.

Then the scene turned uglier.

As the savages ripped the statue from its pedestal, unidentified assailants screamed falsely that Baca was a cop. “I’m gonna f—-ing kill you,” another yelled. Baca can be seen retreating from the crowd, separated from Rivera. He ran into the street, where several rioters beat him in the head and body with a large longboard and other unidentified objects. At least one video appears to show an assailant wielding a switchblade or knife.

That is when Baca drew his weapon and fired several shots at his attackers. Initially charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, Baca was held in jail for a week before the Bernalillo County district attorney Raul Torrez dropped that charge.

Baca’s justified self-defense is plain as day to anyone who watches the videos.

Here’s the thing: This story is far from over. Baca still faces potential reintroduction of the felony weapons charge, as well as aggravated battery charges involving three women — none of whom have come forward, none of whom the D.A. has located and all of whom can be seen on camera laying hands on Baca and Rivera first.

Here’s another thing you need to know: Torrez is not just any run-of-the-mill D.A. He’s one of dozens of George Soros-subsidized subversives who could put “social justice” above equal justice. A Soros front group called the “New Mexico Safety & Justice” PAC

— pro-criminal, pro-rioter, anti-cop, anti-Second Amendment — dumped more than $107,000 into Torrez’s campaign in 2016.

Tim Keller, the Albuquerque mayor who has spent the past eight weeks pandering to BLM, defamed Baca as the agitator.

The head of the police union, however, condemned city leaders for creating an “operations plan” that tied the hands of cops, who were “spat upon” and had rocks thrown at them as they tried to secure the riot and crime scene.

I had the privilege of meeting Steven this Independence Day weekend. He is a gentle soul, overwhelmed by his predicament but grateful for the outpouring of grassroots support.

“We now have to wait for the district attorney to complete the investigation. We do not know how long this will take,” he told me. “I stand ready to have my conduct and the conduct of others at the protest fully and thoroughly reviewed.”

If you stand with Steven Baca, I have created a crowdfunding campaign that you can donate to at: https://fundly. com/stand-with-steven-baca.

This isn’t just one statue and one armed American’s freedom at stake. If you believe in the sacred right of self-defense and the sovereignty of our nation, then we are all Steven Baca now.

Michelle Malkin’s email address is MichelleMalkinInvestigates@ protonmail.com.

Telephone: (318) 377-1866.

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OTHER OPINION

Buchanan: The new ‘Systemic Racism’ that is coming Before our Black Lives Matter moment, one had not thought of the NBC networks as shot through with “systemic racism.”

Yet, what other explanation is there for this week’s draconian personnel decision of NBCUniversal chairman Cesar Conde.

According to Conde, the white share of NBC’s workforce, now 74% and divided evenly between men and women, will be chopped to 50%.

Persons of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans and multiracial folks — are to rise from the present 26% of NBCUniversal’s workforce to 50%.

What does this mean?

White men will be slashed as a share of NBCUniversal’s employees from the present 38% to 25%, — a cut of one-third — and then capped to ensure that people of color and women reach and remain at 50%.

White men can fall below onefourth of the workforce, but their numbers will not be permitted to go any higher.

To impose race and gender quotas like this on the workforce at NBCUniversal — half women, half persons of color — would seem to trample all over the spirit, if not the letter, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Why is Conde doing this? “(W)e have a unique responsibility to look like and reflect all of the people of the country we serve,” he says.

But whence comes this responsibility, the realization of which means active discrimination

against new employees because they are the wrong gender or race: i.e, they are unwanted white men?

America has succeeded as a meritocracy where excellence was rewarded, be it in athletics or academics. Our Olympic teams have triumphed when we send the best we had in every event.

This egalitarian and ideological revolt against excellence is also arising in Fairfax County, Virginia, at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which, concedes The Washington Post, “often ranks as the top public high school in the United States.”

Why does TJ have a problem?

Writes the Post reporter, the school is “notorious PATRICK for failing to BUCHANAN admit black and Latino students.”

Does TJ discriminate in its admissions against Blacks and Hispanics? Is the school a throwback to the old days of “massive resistance”?

Of 486 students in the freshman class this fall at the school, the number of Black students is tiny, smaller even than the 3% of the class that is Hispanic. Is this yet another example of “white privilege” at work?

Hardly. Whites make up only

17% of TJ’s incoming class.

The problem, if it is a problem, is Asian Americans. Three in 4 members of the fall freshman class at TJ are of Asian heritage.

Why do Asian American kids predominate? Are they being admitted on the basis of their race or ethnicity?

No, again. Asians are 73% of the incoming class because they excelled on the admissions tests in math, reading and science, and on the essay-writing assignment.

They won admission to TJ not based on their ethnicity or race but their academic excellence as demonstrated in standardized tests taken by students all over Fairfax and surrounding counties.

Thomas Jefferson principal Ann Bonitatibus says of her school, “We do not reflect the racial composition” of the Fairfax County Public School System.

No, it does not. But so what, if Thomas Jefferson ranks among the top STEM schools in the entire United States?

And Bonitatibus’ comment raises a legitimate question: Is it possible to reflect the “racial composition” of Fairfax Country and to remain “the top public high school In the United States”?

A related issue is up in California. In 1996, in a state referendum, Californians voted 55-45 to embed a colorblind amendment in their state constitution: “The State shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the

operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.”

Clear, coherent and colorblind.

The Democratic legislature, however, wants to be rid of this amendment as it outlaws the kind of racial and ethnic discrimination in which Sacramento wishes to engage.

An amendment is on the November ballot to repeal the colorblind amendment and allow California to start discriminating again — in favor of African Americans and Hispanics and against Asians and white men — to alter the present racial balance in state university admissions and the awarding of state contracts.

If this passes, more Hispanics and Blacks with lower test scores will be admitted to elite state schools like UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley, based on race, and fewer Asians and whites. Practices that were regarded as race discrimination and supposedly outlawed in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will henceforth be seen as commendable and mandatory.

There will be racial and ethnic discrimination, as in the days of segregation. Only the color of the beneficiaries and the color of the victims will be reversed.

And that is the meaning of the BLM revolution, which might be encapsulated: “It’s our turn now!”

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.”

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 | 5

Life INSPIRATION

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My Recovery Began Around Our Dining Table

It’s October 27, 1981 in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

My road to recovery began at our table when the visiting minister, whom I hadn’t seen since I was fourteen, asked me if I remembered when he picked me up at our house on Hall Ridge Road in the woods near Noel, Missouri, to take me to my temporary foster home at Cullen and Martha Adair’s house in Grove, Oklahoma on March 30, 1962.

Blinded by tears I relived that evening when I left my mother after I packed my clothes in a brown paper bag.

I didn’t look back as I got into the car with Brother Fred Webb.

It was an easy adjustment living with the family who had two adopted Native American children, Ann and Chuck.

I was in awe. It was comforting to share meals around a table with this caring family.

Hugs were new to me and giv- then the minutes my security en freely, not to mention hot slipped away. baths, clean clothes, Reality didn’t hit me a warm bed and beuntil we arrived at the ing tucked into bed at orphanage near Tulsa, night.

Oklahoma, one hunEveryone at church dred miles away. was also so kind to As we walked to me. the house, I heard her I bonded easily screaming inside. to my new family, Then she appeared at blinded to what was the door with her plasahead. tic smile and steely gray To have a Donna SARAH eyes!

Reed style mother HUDSON-PIERCE I sobbed “please who laughed and don’t leave me here!” hummed and a dad with a nonBut the decision was made. stop sense of humor was a fairy I found the housemother to tale to me. be as devoid of love as the cinI didn’t realize how much I’d der blocks from which the dorfallen in love with this family mitory style house was built! until the day arrived on May 30, At night I sobbed with my 1962 for me to leave for the or- head under the pillow because phanage. crying was not allowed.

During breakfast my eyes On Sunday I wore the blue became fixed upon the clock. gingham jumper that Martha Counting down the hours and had just finished making for

me.

As we were leaving the bus I spotted the Adair family standing nearby. I ran to them as my housemother tried to restrain me saying I couldn’t have visitors during my three month period of adjustment.

Breaking loose I ran to them.

I sat with them in church but the grief started all over again when I returned to the home.

I never accepted the fact that I wouldn’t get to go live with the Adairs but I knew intellectually that “all things work together for good to them that love the Lord” and that faith sustained me but never stopped me from laying in bed reliving their hugs again and again.

I escaped into memories.

To be given love until we are addicted and then have it jerked away is so painful.

This may be a tool God uses to till our hearts, to shape us into

what He wants us to be even though the growth process is very difficult.

On the last night of our revival in 1981 our eleven year old adopted daughter, Robin, was baptized by Brother Webb, the same minister who had baptized me shortly before I left my home in 1962.

This is one more of those “God Wink” moments I cherish!

I wonder who I would be today if Fred Webb, from Hatley, Mississippi, hadn’t taken the time to ask me what I remembered so many years before.

Even though my life has been painful I wouldn’t trade what I’ve been through if I had to lose the joy I feel today!

I want to be real!

Contact Sarah at sarahp9957@aol. com

LIFE IN A PANDEMIC

Stores focus on cleaning to get shoppers back to spending Forget about making shopping fun. As clothing retailers and others try to stay viable during the coronavirus pandemic, they’re hoping steps like cleaning during store hours, offering hand sanitizer and other safety measures will bring in customers to spend.

At the same time, they are largely leaving fitting rooms open and not requiring shoppers to wear masks unless it’s a local rule, despite public health experts who advise that masks, social distancing and good ventilation are key for safety. That may make some already-jittery shoppers more nervous.

“Shopping was something I really enjoyed. I like to look at clothes and jewelry. It was almost like therapy,” said Hope Kaplan, a 62-year-old publicist who is now only willing to go to the dentist and CVS because she’s worried about the coronavirus, especially with cases rising in her home of Tucson, Arizona.

It’s a crucial moment for retailers, who are trying to recover from the worst sales slump on record. The months-long shutdowns accelerated store closings and bankruptcies. And some stores may start closing some locations again as cases climb in states like Florida, Arizona and Texas. Apple already has.

Retailers used to encourage shoppers to linger, offering enticements like food, trying on clothes and makeup and playing with toys in their stores - things

you couldn’t do on Amazon. Now stores are more grab-and-go, with curbside pick-up an option.

But they say shoppers who want to hang out in the store still can.

“Shopping is an emotional experience, said Melissa Gonzalez, a New York-based retail consultant. “The problem is, how do you bring safety measures but still make shopping inviting and fun?”

Taking a page from retailers like Walmart, Target and Home Depot, which have stayed open because they were deemed essential businesses, many major retailers are making employees wear masks, constantly cleaning public areas, adding plexiglass shields by cashiers, limiting the number of customers in stores and adding signs that remind shoppers to keep six feet apart.

“I like that stores are constantly cleaning,” said Madelyn Rouse, 17, of Chicago, who recently shopped at American Eagle Outfitters, Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.

Saks Fifth Avenue offers appointment shopping before and after hours, while J.C. Penney dedicates certain shopping hours to vulnerable customers. American Eagle and Sephora provide hand sanitizer at store entrances.

Instead of letting customers sample makeup, Macy’s cosmetics counter employees show colored drawings of what the makeup looks like. Ulta Beauty and Sephora have phone apps that let

customers virtually try on lipstick and other beauty products.

As for masks, which public-health experts encourage to curb the spread of the virus, American Eagle is one of the few requiring that customers wear them in all stores. It hands out masks at store entrances. American Eagle’s lingerie chain Aerie also has the same safety protocols in place. But having store workers enforce social distancing can be difficult, particularly when dealing with shoppers who don’t want to wear masks.

Stores are also opening fitting rooms, which are crucial for many clothing shoppers but are also closely packed spaces where people could potentially infect each other. Even chains that initially closed dressing rooms, like Gap, J.C. Penney and Kohl’s, are now reopening them. The stores say they will remove clothing that’s tried on from the sales floor for a few days. American Eagle is steam cleaning the rejected clothes.

Social distancing, masks, constant disinfecting and well-ventilated indoor spaces are all important, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University. He recommends keeping fitting rooms closed until a later phase in the reopening and believes clothes themselves are not a likely source of infection.

Workers’ top safety concern is that customers won’t wear

masks, said Stuart Applebaum,

ment of safety for us and the cus-

president of the Retail, Wholesale

tomers,” said Steve Ward, 58, who

and Department Store union that represents roughly 6,300 New York-area Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s employees.

One Macy’s worker in New York was apprehensive about returning to work in late June, but

works in the mattress area. “Before, our focus was just selling.

He sprays the mattress with disinfectant in front of customers before and after they try it out.

said he feels safe.

“You have to create an environ-

www.apnews.com

Sports 6 MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

JJ Marshall, Sports Editor jjmarshall@press-herald.com

www.press-herald.com

OPINION

THE GREAT OUTDOORS WHEN NATURE SHOWS OFF HER LITTLE ONES

Glynn Harris

Special to the Press-Herald Being an outdoors-oriented person brings with it a number of satisfying things. You get to sneak out in the woods during hunting season and try to outsmart whichever wild game species you’re hunting.

Our lakes, ponds and streams are laden with bluegills and bass and catfish and goggle-eyes just waiting to come home with you for a swim in Lake Crisco. The catching is exciting; the eating divine.

There are times, though, when we’re out and about without gun or rod and nature’s youngsters enthrall us as they go about doing what little wild critters do.

Last Sunday as Kay and I were approaching our driveway after church, something caught our eye in the pasture across the road. A doe was standing there with a tiny fawn nursing her not 15 yards from the pasture fence. We were mesmerized as we watched the doe prance away, the fawn in shaky pursuit, apparently not having finished lunch.

Movement under the fence caught our eye and there on unsteady legs stood a second fawn that instinctively dropped to the ground

to hide in the sparse grass.

Kay took my cell phone and approached to within three feet of the day old fawn and was able to snap a photo before the little fellow, scarcely larger than an house cat, stood and wobbled as best it could toward mama who slowed down to wait for her baby.

You could pay good money to be entertained at a concert but it wouldn’t have even come close to matching the thrill we got from observing that scene.

Once while raking pine straw from my yard, I noticed a small burrow with a little lump showing in the straw at my feet. Thinking it could have been a snake making the hole and lump, I carefully moved the straw a bit and observed a tiny bundle of fur. A newborn cottontail rabbit no larger than a tennis ball crouched motionless. I picked up the tiny rabbit for a moment to show it to my wife before carefully placing it back in its burrow. I got my yard raked but there was one particular foot square patch of straw with a burrow and lump that remained untouched.

I was turkey hunting in Texas several years ago on a ranch that had lots of turkeys. Having built a crude blind from mesquite logs

and branches alongside a dim ranch road, I settled in to try and call in a gobbler.

After nearly an hour of hearing nothing, I crawled from my blind on all fours to sneak a peek down the road to see if I could spot a gobbler. Having seen none, I turned to crawl back to my blind ten yards away when I heard a loud “PUTT”. Turning slowly, my gaze met that of eight juvenile gobblers – “jakes” – standing with necks outstretched trying to identify what that crawling lump of camouflage was.

As I slowly made my way back to the blind, I turned and to my surprise, the jakes were following me! Curiosity lured them to within a few yards of my blind before suspicion prevailed as they walked back the way they came, putting loudly as they

left.

For years, I have fed birds in my yard and I really enjoy the relaxation and enjoyment I get from identifying those visiting the feeders.

One night several years ago, I stepped to the porch and saw movement under one of my feeders. It was a young raccoon getting his fill of the free buffet.

I began walking slowly toward him, talking softly as I went and I was able to approach to within a couple of yards of the ‘coon before it slowly turned and left. For weeks, I’d see the ‘coon and we had this little “meet and greet” every night until he eventually left for good.

Baby deer, rabbits, turkeys and ‘coons – it’s absolutely amazing the show nature’s little ones can provide if we slow down and let it happen.

MLB

Baseball players get a peek at playing without fans

Baseball players got a sense of what the game will be like without fans in the stands upon returning for workouts last week.

They’re getting a more realistic glimpse this week as teams begin holding scrimmages.

Yes, it’s very strange.

“It was surreal. ... just sitting behind the dish at a major league stadium with major league players on the field and no one else there and playing in competition,” Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns said Thursday. “Occasionally, you’ll see that for a small BP when media isn’t around or cameras aren’t around, but it was really weird to see Christian Yelich in the batter’s box in a major league stadium in competition in an empty ballpark.”

Baseball returned for workouts last week after the season was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic during spring training. Teams have started ramping up their workouts in preparation for a 60-game season set to begin on July 23.

The season will start

without fans in the stands and will likely remain that way for a while as coronavirus hotspots continue to pop up across the country.

“We’ll remember this season, going through it, for a long time because these are very unusual feelings for all of us to experience when we’re watching games like this,” Stearns said. “In terms of the actual game and the way that the game played out, I think it looked like normal baseball.”

The Boston Red Sox will try to make the atmosphere a little closer to normal by experimenting with piped-in noise, like leagues in Taiwan and Korea have done.

“So hopefully it won’t be quite as quiet. It is quiet today,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. “I think we’re just constantly adjusting to things and trying to figure it out.”

UMPIRES RESPOND TO WEST Umpire Joe West faced backlash earlier this week after he said he doesn’t believe all the deaths attributed to COVID-19 were from the virus.

The Major League

Baseball Umpires Association stepped back from West’s comments with a statement issued on Thursday.

“Recent public comments about the current Coronavirus pandemic do not in any way reflect the position of the Major League Baseball Umpires Association,” the statement said. “Our nation, and our world, has suffered greatly from this deadly virus. In the midst of continued suffering umpires are attempting to do our part to bring the great game of baseball back onto the field and into the homes of fans everywhere.”

CESPEDES HOMERS Yoenis Cespedes launched a two-run homer off Seth Lugo during the Mets’ intrasquad game at Citi Field. Rather than trot around the bases after the ball cleared the fence, Cespedes simply walked back to the dugout.

The 34-year-old slugger missed last season and most of 2018 due to a string of injuries. He had surgery on both heels and then broke his ankle in a fall at his Florida ranch.

The two-time All-Star said in February he finally expected to be ready to play this year, and he’s looked healthy and dangerous in the batter’s box since summer camp opened last Friday.

It seems his only remaining hurdle is showing he can sprint full speed without issue.

REYES APOLOGIZES The Cleveland Indians kept outfielder Franmil Reyes away from camp after he was spotted on social media attending a Fourth of July gathering.

Reyes was allowed to resume on-field activities on Wednesday after being re-tested twice and apologized for putting himself and his teammates at risk.

“I really apologize, because I was not protecting myself and my teammates,” he said on Thursday. “I learned from it and it won’t happen again. I really don’t want to stop practicing. I really apologize and I swear it won’t happen again.”

HOPEFUL RANGERS Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said All-Star slugger Joey Gallo and lefty reliev-

er Brett Martin are both feeling good but still haven’t been cleared to start working out with the team.

Both tested positive for the coronavirus during intake testing last week.

Daniels said Gallo was still asymptomatic and that Martin, who has Type 1 diabetes, is feeling better every day after initially having mild symptoms, including congestion and fatigue.

“I am hopeful they won’t be out much longer,” Daniels said, without elaborating.

NO SPITTING One of the new rules during the pandemic is the prohibition of spitting to prevent the virus from spreading.

Following the rule is not as easy as it sounds.

Players have actually been practicing not spitting.

“That’s a big thing for me. I do dip some tobacco. I’ll have to change that up, maybe go to gum more often,” the Marlins’ Garrett Cooper said. “That’s the natural thing for a baseball player to do, spit. That’s what they’ve been doing their

whole lives — gum, sunflower seeds, a lot of guys dip tobacco. It’s part of your normal protocol.

Maybe it helps people calm down. I’ve caught myself a few times. I start to spit and go, ‘Oh man, I can’t do this now.’ It’s something you’ve got to get used to.”

EXTRA WORK Altanta starter Mike Foltynewicz looked sharp in three innings of a controlled scrimmage, which he credited to workouts he participated in at nearby Campbell High School with Mike Soroka and Sean Newcomb, during the long break. He’s been throwing six times a week and pitching bullpens.

“We got really lucky to be able to go to that school and throw every day,” Foltynewicz said. “It was difficult just to get in gyms and get in the parks to throw. It was tough.

Me, Newk, Mike. We had a bunch of guys come in, left- and right-(handed hitters), just to stay ready.

At any time MLB could’ve started us back up and we could’ve had to ship right out to spring training.”

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

FUN & GAMES

On This Day In History 2016 - Terrorist Attack in Nice, France Kills 85 and Injures More than 300 People. The attack took place during Bastille Day Celebrations, when a 19-tonne truck was driven into the crowd. The attacker was eventually shot by the police.

1965 - Mars flyby of Mariner 4. The American spacecraft became the first to take pictures of another planet and send them back to Earth.

1958 - Coup in Iraq.

Abd al-Karim Qasim, a brigadier in the Iraqi Army staged a military coup in Iraq, overthrowing the Hashemite monarchy. The Iraqi King Faisal II, the Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah, and Prime Minister Nuri alSee, HISTORY, Page 8

CRYPTOQUIP

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 | 7

CROSSWORD

8 | TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

SUDOKU

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

WORD SLEUTH

HISTORY

Continued from Page 7

Said were assassinated during the coup.

Qasim took over the position of Prime Minister, which he held until 1963. The coup also led to the dissolution of the Arab Federation of Jordan and Iraq.

1957 - First female parliamentarian in the Arab world is elected to office. Egyptian Rawya Ateya became the first woman to be elected to the National Assembly.

1789 - Storming of the Bastille. Bastille, a prison housing only 7 prisoners at the time, was stormed by a crowd calling for the closure of the prison. The storming became the central event of the French Revolution.

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

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 | 9

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PLACE YOUR AD TODAY! 377-1866

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS SEALED BIDS to Replace the Main Roof of the Webster Parish Library, 521 East & West St., Minden, LA 71055 will be received by Savannah Jones, Director of the Webster Parish Library, Stewart Center Meeting Room, 521 East and West St., Minden, LA 71055, until 2:00PM CST on Tuesday, 28 July, 2020. Bids will then be publicly opened and read aloud at that time.

Bids received after the 2:00PM deadline will be returned to the bidder unopened via certified mail.

Received bids will be referred to the Webster Parish Library Board for action and award.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Tuesday, 7 July, 2020 at 10:00AM in the Stewart Center Meeting Room, Webster Parish Main Library, 521 East and West Street, Minden, LA 71055. Representatives from the Owner and Architect will be present to discuss the project.

A walk-around and viewing of the project site can be available immediately thereafter.

Attendance at the Pre-Bid Conference by an officer, estimator, or other individual knowledgeable with preparing the bid, is mandatory and will be considered a pre-condition for bidder eligibility.

Bidding Documents for the project including bid forms, instructions, drawings, and specifications prepared by Gerald A. Schirmer Architect, 10019 Trailridge Dr., Shreveport, LA 71106 may be viewed and downloaded free of charge at www. bidsync.com.

Cost of reproduction of hard copies is the responsibility of each bidder.

Addenda will be posted at www. bidsync.com. Parties will be notified of addenda automatically, through email, only if they have registered to view or download the documents

via www.bidsync. com. Bidders requiring clarification or interpretation of the Bid Documents must submit their questions no later than 7days prior to bid opening through www.bidsync.com in the Q&A portal.

Bids shall be received only on the Louisiana Uniform Public Work Bid Form furnished in the Project Manual.

Bidders may elect to submit bids electronically via the internet. Submission of electronic bids for this project is available at www. bidsync.com. Bidders desiring to submit electronic bids must register with BidSync.

All bids submitted electronically shall include a digital signature as required by Louisiana State law. Bidders submitting bids electronically are not required to submit paper forms.

Bids, amendments to bids, or requests for withdrawal of bids, which are received after the time specified for bid opening, shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

An acceptable bid bond, cashier’s check or certified check payable to the Webster Parish Library Board, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the bid price, shall be submitted with each bid. The successful Bidder will be required to furnish and pay for satisfactory performance and payment bonds.

Bidders are advised that a Performance, Payment, and Maintenance Bond, in the amount of 100 percent (100%) of the contract price, will be required.

On any bid submitted in the amount of $50,000 or more, the Contractor shall certify that he is licensed under Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2150-2164 and show his license number on the bid and on the envelope. Bidders must be licensed in the following category: Roofing and Sheet Metal.

The licensee shall not be permitted to bid or perform any type or types

of work not included in the classification under which his license was issued.

Bids may be held by the Webster Parish Library Board for a period of forty-five (45) calendar days after the date and hour set for the opening or as extended by mutually written consent in accordance with Louisiana Public Bid Law. The Webster Parish Library Board reserves the right to reject any or all Bids for just cause in accordance with Louisiana Public Bid Law. Savannah B. Jones Secretary / Director Webster Parish Library Telephone: (318) 371-3080 June 23, 2020 June 30, 2020 July 14, 2020 July 21, 2020 Minden Press-Herald

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 Suppliers 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” .

June 23, 2020 July 7, 2020 July 14, 2020 Minden Press-Herald

Advertisement for Bids

Project No. 2006-682E (CWEF NO. ) Owner: Village of Dubberly Owner P.O. Box 69 Address Dubblery, LA 71024 Sealed bids marked “Sealed Bid - Village of Dubberly Emergency Community Water Enrichment Fund Project for Fiscal Year to be financed by the State of Louisiana” willbe received by the Owner for the construction of the project described as follows: Proposals shall be addressed to the Village of Dubberly , and delivered to the Office located at (address) City Hall, 3465 Highway 531, Dubberly, LA 71024 not later than 10:00 AM, on the day of Tuesday, August 11, 2020 .

Sealed bids to be marked “ Sealed Bid - Village of Dubberly Emergency Community Water Enrichment Fund Project for Fiscal Year to be financed by the State of Louisiana” - Village of Dubberly- Contract A New Water Well (20-06682E)”. Any bid received after the specified time and date will not be considered. The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 10:00 AM on the day of Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at the Village of Dubber-

10 | TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

ly located at City Hall, 3465 Highway 531, Dubberly, LA 71024.

The information for Bidders, Form of Bid Proposal, Form of Contract, Plans, Specifications, and Forms of Bid Bond, Performance Bond and Payment Bond, and other contract documents may be examined at the following locations: Village of Dubberly McManus Consulting Engineers, Inc. 3465 Highway 531 116 Smelser Road Dubberly, LA 71024 Monroe, LA 71202 (318) 371-9528 (318) 343-5600 Copies may be obtained at this office upon payment of a deposit of $ 150. This deposit will be refunded upon request in accordance with R.S. 38:2212. A CD of the Plans and Specifications may also be obtained upon payment of $25.00 which will be nonrefundable.

The Contractor must pay shipping costs.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause; such actions will be in accordance with Title 38 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

Each bidder must have an active DUNS Number, as verified on w w w. s a m . g o v, prior to the beginning of construction.

Each Bidder must deposit with his/her bid, security in the amount, form, and subject to the conditions provided in the Information for Bidders. Sureties used for obtaining bonds must appear as acceptable on the U. S. Department of Treasury Circular 570.

No bidder may withdraw his/her bid within forty-five (45) days after the actual date of the opening thereof.

The Contractor shall begin mobilization and procurement of materials within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

The Attention of Bidders is called particularly to the requirements for conditions of employment to be observed and minimum wage

rates to be paid under the Contract, Section 3, Segregated Facilities, Executive Order 11246, and all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government and State of Louisiana and bonding and insurance requirements.

Any person with disabilities requiring special accommodations must contact Village of Dubberly no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening.

IN PARTICULAR, BIDDERS SHOULD NOTE THE REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS TO BE EXECUTED AND SUBMITTED WITH THE BID PROPOSAL. Owner encourages Section 3 and minority owned businesses to submit bid proposals.

The Contractor shall be licensed in: Specialty: Water Well Drilling Estimated Cost: $235,000 VILLAGE OF DUBBERLY July 14, 2020 Date W.C. HIRTH, Mayor

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA

gust 17, 2020 and Tuesday, August 18, 2020 to the same location and time frame as above.

Application must be completed in its entirety. Incomplete applications will be returned for corrections and will cause you to be placed in a lower position.

This waiting list is for properties located inside the city limits of Minden.

July 14, 2020 Minden Press-Herald

APARTMENTS FOR RENT

July 14, 2020 July 21, 2020 July 28, 2020 Minden Press-Herald

SECTION 8 WAITING LIST TO OPEN July 13, 2020 until August 13, 2020 The HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MINDEN NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN; that the Minden Housing Authority Section 8-Housing Choice Voucher Program in accordance with regulations outlined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and in accordance with the Section 8 Administration Plan will reopen the Housing Choice Voucher {Section 8) waiting list for all individuals and families.

Pre-Applications will be available to the public to pick up at the Minden Housing Authority office, located at 1209 East Street, Minden, LA 71055.

The dates and times to pick up the applications are from 8:00 A.M to 12:30 PM July 13 to August 13, zozo.

Pre-Applications may be returned on Monday, Au-

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 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., Boss-

ier 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.

Billing and Coding Program. Call Now For Information: 1-866-7464143 (LA-SCAN)

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. houseofraeford.com or complete an application at 3867 2nd St, Arcadia, La The Arc Caddo-Bossier is seeking a dedicated, innovative and experienced leader to become its next Executive Director.

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TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 | 11

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12 | TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020

MINDEN PRESS-HERALD | MINDEN, LA