WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020 | $1.00 | BOSSIER CITY, LA | SERVING GOD & OUR COMMUNITY | VOL. 92 NO. 25
Bossier Press-Tribune bossierpress.com
At capacity: COVID-19 patients push hospitals to brink STACEY TINSLEY Bossier Press-Tribune Willis-Knighton Health System’s Chief Administrative Officer Brian Crawford, says all FOUR of their facilities are at maximum capacity. According to Crawford, throughout the Willis-Knighton Health System, they’re seeing about 20% of bed capacity being used by COVID-19 patients. This is combined with the ECONOMY
post-Thanksgiving holiday and the regular seasonal uptick in patients. “A lot of what we are seeing in the way of COVID contaminations are CRAWFORD familial related due to large family gatherings. Right now we are seeing a Thanksgiving
surge. Which is what we expected. We expect them to potentially go down maybe next week, but then Christmas and New Year’s, we expect those numbers to top out again.” Crawford said. “In one case, a family in Bossier had a large number contract the virus after a child’s birthday party. Unfortunately, two of the grandparents did not survive. Despite the fact the vaccine is becoming available,
this remains and will remain a serious and deadly issue into the fall of 2021.” Crawford further stated that a systemwide nurse shortage of about 120 nurses is affecting how patients are being seen. “If someone comes into the emergency room, they may have to wait until a bed is available.” Crawford said. “We are trying to take care of as many patients as we can. Willis-Knighton has about 65% of
BOSSIER CITY
Parish to benefit from federal rural broadband auction
Special to the Press-Tribune
STACEY TINSLEY Bossier Press-Tribune
See, HAUGHTON, Page 2 © 2020 Bossier Newspaper Publishing Co., Inc.
Stacey Tinsley/Bossier Press-Tribune Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO of Brookshire’s Grocery Co.
What’s in a name? Bossier arena gets a new sponsor
STACEY TINSLEY Bossier Press-Tribune Bossier City’s arena has a new name. Local government officials and special guests gathered at the former-CenturyLink Center for a press conference Thursday to hear the announcement of the new naming rights partner. Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) and the City of Bossier City announced that BGC has purchased naming rights of the Bossier City arena to be known as the Brookshire Grocery Arena. “We as a company are incredibly
See, COVID, Page 3
TECHNOLOGY
New businesses are coming to Haughton New businesses are coming to Haughton. Mudd & Kennon Development announced via Facebook in November that they’ve secured a deal with Johnny’s Pizza House to put a new location near Interstate 20 in Haughton. This Johnny’s Pizza House will sit prominently in the retail space located on Highway 3227 next to Sonic. However, Johnny’s Pizza is not the only business coming to that location. In fact, a small three-business shopping center is being built. “This location will house three separate businesses. A liquor store, a specialty meat store and a Johnny’s Pizza,” said Chris Mudd with Mudd & Kennon Development. “We look to have the overall shell complete on the building and parking lot paving complete in
all the COVID cases [locally]. We have managed that, but right now, we are being challenged and pushed.” Regarding COVID-19 patients on ventilators. Crawford says that some COVID-19 patients are on ventilators. But numbers are lower than when the pandemic first hit the area. “This is the third uptick in COVID patients that we have
thrilled to extend our involvement and dedication to the Bossier City community — with this partnership of us purchasing the naming rights for this absolutely first-class facility,” said Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO of Brookshire’s Grocery Co. “My grandfather started our company 92 years ago. I’m third generation and Trent [Brookshire] is fourth generation. We always believed in having the best customer service as possible and best shopping experience. But we always believed in giving back to the community. And this is just one example of giving back to See, ARENA, Page 3
An estimated 332,000 rural Louisiana residents, including just over 2,700 in Bossier Parish, will gain access to high-speed broadband following a Federal Communications Commission Rural Digital Opportunity Fund phase 1 auction. R e leased auction results s h o w m o r e ALTIMUS than $342 million will be allocated to Louisiana to expand broadband to 175,692 unserved homes and businesses over the next 10 years. In Bossier Parish, more than $5.8 million will be directed to five bidders and will serve 2,769 residences and businesses, according to figures released by the FCC. Nearly all locations in Louisiana that were eligible for the auction will be receiving access to broadband with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps, with an overwhelming ma-
And the winners are...
Winning bidders and the number of locations that will be served in Bossier Parish include: Altice USA, Inc.--99 locations. AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC—442 locations. CenturyLink, Inc.—227 locations. Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium—546 locations. Space Exploration Technologies Corp.— 1,455 locations.
jority (82%) getting gigabit-speed broadband. “This historic auction was the Commission’s single largest step ever taken toward delivering digital opportunity to every American and is another key success in our ongoing commitment to universal service,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Bossier Parish Administrator Bill Altimus, who is a member of the govSee, INTERNET, Page 3