C’EST BON
Nothing says scenic Louisiana waterway like trash collecting along the bank. But a grassroots coalition of residents in Teche country said “Enough!” and have begun in earnest a clean-up of Bayou Teche. A recently formed group, Clean Up La Jonction, has spearheaded two sallies onto the Teche to deal with trash, which in some cases chokes the waterway when it collects under bridges, making navigation by boat next to impossible. Last weekend, the group, joined by the Acadiana Resource Conservation and Development Council, both the St. Martin and St. Landry sheriff departments, as well as concerned residents, embarked on a second mission to save the Teche from trash. More clean-up weekends are in the works. Before long, Bayou Teche might just be restored to the scenic beauty it long enjoyed and definitely deserves.
PAS BON
Just what a state with the highest gun death rate in the country needs (you hear that, don’t you Sen. Elbert Guillory): college kids toting concealed weapons. The state’s House Criminal Justice Committee voted 9-6 for Republican state Rep. Ernest Wooton of Belle Chasse’s absurd bill last week. It’s now headed to the full House, where it is likely to face a firing squad. A former sheriff (mind-boggling), Wooton proposed the same bill last year and got it past the criminal justice committee in an 11-3 vote. It died on the House floor.
The nine nimrods voting for HB27 were: (of course) Reps. Wooton; Josephy Lopinto, R-Metairie; Damon Baldone, D-Houma; Gregory Ernst, R-New Orleans; Guillory (who was sworn in as senator a few days later), D-Opelousas; Chris Hazel, R-Pineville; Gary Smith, D-Norco; Bodi White, R-Central; and Ricky Templet, R-Gretna.
Wiser minds opposing the bill were Reps. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport; Roy Burrell, D-Shreveport; Mickey Guillory, D-Eunice; Frankie Howard, R-Many; Jonathan Perry, R-Abbeville; and John Schroder, R-Covington.
COUILLON
Debra O’Neill. Baton Rouge’s alcoholic beverage control director, has been suspended for two weeks without pay and will be reassigned after ’fessing up to absconding with two bottles of liquor confiscated in an investigation. According to The Advocate, O’Neill admitted to taking bottles of Belvedere Vodka and Moet Champagne, which were supposed to be destroyed when they were no longer needed for evidence. We suspect O’Neill thought the means justifies the end; the evidence was no doubt “destroyed.” In screwdrivers, bloody Marys, mimosas. But we can also sympathize with O’Neill: Waste not, want not, as our maw-maws used to say. This is Louisiana, damn it! Who throws out perfectly good liquor?