Central Louisiana Community Theatre, better known as City Park Players, concluded its 61st consecutive season with a wonderful semi-formal evening event filled with great food, drinks, dancing, a silent auction, and live entertainment on November 20.

Awards were presented during a ceremony, which also featured snippets of performances by the actors that so ably brought each play to life.  James Leggett, master of ceremonies, was assisted by Wanda Schenk.  The awards are determined by votes from season ticket holders.

The Viewers Choice Awards are:

Best Performance by Female Newcomer – Presented by Rosa Metoyer and Jim Weinzettle

Christal Workman – Luisa / Black Jack: A Thief of Possession

Best Performance by Male Newcomer – Presented by Karen Riley Simmons and Kerry Lloyd

Jim Weinzettle – David / Social Security

Best Performance by Supporting Female Actor – Presented by Sylvia Davis and Brad Smith

Susan Hathorn – Rory / Black Jack: A Thief of Possession

Best Performance by Supporting Male Actor – Presented by Paula Antee and H. Wendell Isadore

Jerry Havens – Boolie / Driving Miss Daisy

Best Performance by Female Actor — Presented by Diane Falcone and Frith Harwood

Theresa Louviere – Daisy / Driving Miss Daisy

Best Performance by Male Actor – Presented by Susan Hathorn and Stu Rigger

Jim Weinzettle – David / Social Security

Star Awards – Presented by Jean Holliday

H. Wendell Isadore – Hoke / Driving Miss Daisy

Jim Weinzettle – David / Social Security

Karen Riley Simmons – Sophie / Flyin’ West

Susan Hathorn – Rory / Black Jack: A Thief of Possession

Best Set – Presented by Helen Moore and Stu Rigger

Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage – Set Design by Diane Falcone and Jim Weinzettle

Best Director – Presented by Kerry Lloyd and Sylvia Davis

Frith Harwood – Social Security

Best Show – Presented by Paula Antee and Brad Smith

There was a tie between Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage directed by Diane Falcone

and Social Security by Andrew Bergman directed by Frith Harwood.

Board of Directors President Rosa Metoyer  presented Allen Rowlen and T.J. Shuflin with a special recognition award.   She then presented the PRESIDENT’S AWARD to Karen Riley Simmons.

A silent auction included donations from Diamond Grill, Bistro on the Bayou, Lloyd Advertising, Paragon Casino Resort, Kitchen Warehouse, Limousine LifeStyles and Copeland’s as well as original art work created and donated by Dr. Henry Blount, Susan Hathorn, Glenda Kinnison-Smith, and Marcus White.  Other auction items include jewelry from Sassy Girl and pearls from Suzan Richey-Bead Boutique, private dance lessons from Randy Sims, an apple pie every month for 3 months from Atwood’s Bakery and a gumbo dinner for 12 hosted by Mr.& Mrs. Scotty Brame in their home.

The evening concluded with desert by Best Catered Events and dancing to the music of Improv Jazz Ensemble.

City Park Players, Central Louisiana Community Theatre is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to offering quality cultural activities and experiences to the entire Central Louisiana community through live theatre productions, programming, and education.  The 2009 season was supported, in part, by grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and Roy O. Martin Foundation as administered by the Arts Council of Central Louisiana. Additional event sponsors included Red River Bank and Frithland Plantation.

Additional support comes from our patrons and donors and people like you who believe that community theatre enriches our lives and enhances our quality of life.

Call 442-1800 or email cityparkplayers@gmail.com for more information.

By Leonard Ford Jr.

Though I have been quiet on the current problems happening over at Alexandria City Hall between Mayor Roy’s administration and some members of the Alexandria City Council, don’t think that I haven’t been keeping up with their shenanigans.

Too much doesn’t get by me. Sometimes I feel that it’s not my place to comment. However, with what has been transpiring at our “hall of bickering” as of late, my self-imposed silence has come to its end.

And that end leads me right into commenting about the deep political divide between our mayor, Jacques, and the city council, especially three of our outspoken councilmen, Myron, Jonathon, and Ed. This political divide both cripples the effectiveness of the council and administration and makes observers throughout Alexandria and surrounding cities wonder what has and is happening in Alexandria City Hall.

Some division between the mayor’s administration and the council is healthy, and disagreement on hot issues is expected. However, after the last several council meetings, there can be little doubt in anyone’s mind that Roy has utter contempt for Myron, Jonathon, and Ed. Likewise, it appears Myron, Jonathon, and Ed have utter contempt for Roy. Simply put, they don’t like each other.

This contempt among the “players” has now reached a new level. Both sides are ready to do battle in their “tit for tat” tug of war, which all boils down to finger pointing about who is making the other look bad in the public eye.

About two weeks ago, it came to light that the City Council, specifically Council President Myron Lawson had spent approximately $71,000 for food and beverages for council meetings. It wasn’t really stated who first brought this spending up. Nevertheless, the excessive spending was discussed in a council meeting. Both the administration and Lawson offered reasons behind the amount of money spent. Each one had their say, which wasn’t good enough for the other. Thus, it was the beginning of another way of “taking the blame off of me and putting it on you.” Discrediting one another can be a bitch.

Now it appears that this “taking the blame off of me and putting it on you” has taken own a life of its own. The Council’s Legal Committee is now pressing for the council’s to discuss a “potential conflict” of interest that involves Mayor Roy and whether or not he was double dipping in the Cleco case as mayor and attorney.

Here’s the thing. Something (the large amount of money spent on food) came out that could possibly make Lawson seem that he did something underhanded. He has not been accused of doing anything, and I want to make that perfectly clear. However, with the maneuvering to bring up the “potential conflict” for Roy, it makes it seem that some people, and I’m not saying who, is trying to take the wolves off Lawson’s tail and put them on Roy’s tail. I’m not saying that this is the case . We are smarter than that.

Then there’s Roy, who has stated that this thing with his “potential conflict” is the council’s (I’m sure that he is not referring to all council members) way for Lawson to “deflect attention” away from him because of the large amount of money spent on food.

This entire mess basically pits two men, who I think a lot of us consider honorable. However, with the way they have been playing the “blame game,” it is getting difficult to say who’s being straightforward, and who’s talking with a “forked tongue.” Roy will have his believers, especially those in his administration who has every confidence in him that he is doing what is right. He will also have those who think he is not right for the office and should go. Lawson will also have his believers, especially his allies on the council, who also have every confidence in him that he is doing a fine job. He also will have those who think that he is wrong for the council and should go.

Let’s see who is still standing come election time.

By Sherri L. Jackson

Publisher of The Light, www.everythingcenla.com

In February 2009, Mayor Jaques Roy maintained that Von Jennings, his assistant in charge of devloping and implementing a program designed tohelp minority-owned businesses acquire city contracts, was failing at her job.

In November 2009, it appears Roy is suggesting that the city’s program is working too well. Alexandria Fairness, Equality, Accessibility and Teamwork, or AFEAT, is the program for which I am speaking.

You’ll remember that Roy claimed that Jennings was not doing enough to  make sure people of color had an opportunity to do business with the city.

Therefore, I’m in complete shock that the mayor, or someone who is in his inner circle, is claiming that $71,000 is too much money for any one minority business owner to receive for work done with the city.

That’s the only excuse I can muster up to justify the reasons behind the argument that the Council, specifically Council President Myron lawson may have unlawfully spent more than $70,000 with Boutee’s Catering of Alexandria, who is ready, willing and able to do business with the city.

Come on people! It’s not like all of the money was spent so that the Council could party into the wee hours of the night every week.

The taxpaying public benefitted from money spent. More than $6,500 went toward the Louisiana Municipal Association convention. Another $8,500 was allocated to feed the Grambling State Univerwsity band during February’s  Mardi Gras parade, and nearly $10,000 went for the December 2008 City Council inauguration.

It seems to me that the rules keep on changing. When minorities meet the cirteria to do business with the city, it seems that getting too much business was never a part of the deal.

I’ve always said that it’s easy to talk about the rules and the proper bidding process when it comes to people of color. The majority don’t make the rules for themselves. They make the rules so that they can enforce them when it’s convenient.

Yes, $70,000 sounds like a lot of money. It sure does when it does not happen every day. Besides, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands upon thousands of dollars that other businesses have been receiving since the City of Alexandria was incorported in the early 1800s.

Read more here: Nov. 15, 1-8

Photo cutline: Red River Gymnastics Level 3 members, front row from left, Brittany Matthews, Abi Hoover, Jessica Wright, Abigail Miller and Harper Gunn celebrate their third-place team win with coaches, back row from left, Phil Fuselier, Robyn Ladner and Keri Beth Ellis. (Photo by Kathy Gunn)

The Level 3 team at Red River Gymnastics of Pineville won third place in the 2009 Warrior Challenge in Purvis, Miss., on Nov. 15, the second meet of the season. The top individual honor went to Level 3 gymnast Harper Gunn, who won the first-place all-around award in her division.

In individual events, Madison Juneau and Audette LeBlanc each won first place awards in Level 4 floor exercise competitions. Abigail Miller won first place in Level 3 balance beam competition and Brittany Matthews won first place in Level 3 vault. Harper Gunn, who won the all-around award, also won first place in uneven bars and first in floor exercise competitions.

All-around placements were: Level 4: Audette LeBlanc, second; Madison Juneau, third; Callie Spangler, fourth; Alexis Wiley, fourth; Gianna Ficklin, fifth; Alyssa Martin, fifth; Kayla Roland, fifth; Level 3: Harper Gunn, first; Abi Hoover, second; Jessica Wright, third; Brittany Mathews, fourth; Abigail Miller, sixth.

About 100 officers from federal, state and local agencies assisted the Alexandria Police Department’s Narcotics Division in operation C.L.A.M.P. early Thursday morning, Nov. 12, according to Newman Bobb of the Alexandria Police Department.
Operation C.L.A.M.P – cleaning local areas and making progress — was designed to target all areas of illegal narcotics including distribution of cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, prescription pills and obtaining prescription by fraud.

APD narcotics agents began the first phase of the operation about four months ago by using undercover agents to buy illegal narcotics from people that were selling them on the streets and from their homes or businesses in Alexandria.

This operation was not limited just to distributions from mid to street level drug dealers from their homes or businesses, but agents also targeted pharmacies were people were obtaining prescriptions by fraud.

The second phase of Operation C.L.A.M.P. began around 5 a.m. Thursday when officers from all over the area worked together to try to serve about 70 warrants. A total of over 30 offenders were picked up on outstanding warrants gained during the undercover work of phase one of the operation.

Alexandria Narcotics agents were able to conduct a successful operation as citizens from the neighborhood watch groups became more involved and started taking a zero tolerance stand about the drug dealing in their neighborhoods.

Once information from the Narcotics Tip line and from neighborhood watch groups was compiled, agents gave special attention to the areas of complaints and began their investigative work.

The effort was also helped by full cooperation and teamwork from area pharmacists who are intent on stopping fraudulent prescriptions being filled.

Click here to read the Nov. 1-14 issue of The Light: Pages 1-8

Click here to read The Light: Pages 1-6, Pages 7-12

By Candace Siemen, Jozef Media

Tony Brown,  a journalist and host of “Eyes Open With Tony Brown” came clean in his opening keynote address delivered Thursday, Sept.  24 at annual state conference of the  Louisiana NAACP.

“The State of Louisiana is simple,” Brown told the group during the opening luncheon, “We are at the bottom of the list when it comes to the good stuff and the top of the list when it comes to the bad.

He offered a laundry list of problematic situations and injustices that the citizens in the state have faced. He began with education.

“In the nearly 10 years our children have had (the exit exam) mandate forced on them, more than half a million of our children have failed to pass the grade…what adds to this problem is a large number of them both Black and White simply get discouraged and drop out. This is part of the reason why we should hold our head in shame…Louisiana, we have a problem.”

He explained how the penal system pulls statistics on male students’ school performance to determine where to build prisons: “From the school house to the jail house…the cradle to prison pipeline is alive and well in Louisiana” he said. “That’s just wrong and enough is enough.”

Brown also shared the stories of Black murder victims who had been killed at the hands of young, white police officers in Central and North Louisiana. They are Baron “Scooter” Pikes, 21, Richard Goss, 36, Bernard Monroe Sr., 73, and Harold Phillips, 54.

“What is just as shocking is that all of these homicides took place in less than a year and a half,” he said. “So when you ask me ‘what is the state of Louisiana?’ I say, ‘(Louisiana) in a sad state.’ Four unarmed Black men, all of them died violently at the hands of those we pay to protect and serve. So far, there has been not one convention and no one has even been to court.”

Brown also shared incidents of “Black Exceptionalism” where situations surround blacks not the rule, but the exception. He used the recent experiences of Harvard Professor Louis Gates following his at-home arrest, Pineville Junior High students wearing President Obama jackets, the and the firing of two black truckers in Tallulah to drive home the point that racism is active in the state. He ended each tale with “that is just wrong. I say enough is enough.”

Brown’s Alexandria-based radio show “Eyes open with Tony Brown” on 88.1FM often serves as an open forum for such community issues and concerns that are particularly not included in mainstream media.

During the three-day conference, other speakers including Judge Mablean Ephriam, former Sen. Donald Cravins Jr., and SBA Region VI Administrator Yolanda Olivarez echoed Brown’s sentiment that Louisiana citizens can continue to press the judicial system, business, industry and education leaders to do the right thing.

“We have to stand up for what’s right and not fear anyone,” said Ephraim during the Freedom Fund Dinner that was held Friday, Sept. 25. “Our generation, the Baby Boomers, are keepers of the dream. The torch has been passed to us…It’s up to us to make sure the legacy continues.”

Ephriam is best known for her television show, “Divorce Court” with Judge Mablean, but she is a retired judge in California who could still take a case to the Supreme Court, “if I need to.”

“We can’t be afraid. We need people of courage to eradicate drugs in our neighborhood. The lawful outnumber the lawless!” she said.

In agreement with Brown’s message about the local murders, the judge offered, “We have to make sure justice is fair. The disparity in sentencing has to discontinue. These are battles we continue to fight.”

Because of the disparities in health care, she urged the audience of 500 to lend their “voices, time, talent and energy to President Obama’s health care reform.”

The state NAACP conference celebrated the 100th year anniversary of the NAACP and its centennial theme: “Bold Dreams – Big Victories.” To that Ephriam said, “we had a hope and faith that said ‘I can do that.’ We did not give up; we pushed for a better world.”

She closed her speech quoting poet Robert Frost: “We’ve got miles to go before we sleep.”

Comedian Roger Dangerfield’s favorite phrase is – “I can’t get no respect.”

If you take that phrase and change the word “I” to Obama, it would perfectly describe the way that President Barack Obama is being treated by some people in this country. “He don’t get no respect” is exactly what is happening, and has been happening to him since January 20, 2009, when he was sworn in as U.S. President.

What I discovered was a lack of respect for President Obama when I visited the post office in the U. S. Federal Building on Murray Street in downtown Alexandria. I saw the disrespect in the form of an 8 by 10 framed picture of our 44^th U.S. president. As I walked away from the service counter of the post office, I remember that I had to ask the clerk a question. When I turned around to go back to the counter, my eyes looked up high to the back wall and caught a glimpse of this very small picture of President Obama. If I hadn’t turned around, I wouldn’t have seen it. I had to stretch my neck to see Obama’s facial features.

I was astounded as to why a very large portrait of him was not hanging up high on the wall where every other U.S. president before him had hung. You didn’t have to look for President Bush’s portrait when he was in office because it was so large that you couldn’t help but see it. Right next to Bush’s portrait was the same size portrait of Vice President Dick Cheney. Both hung in the same spot on the same wall where Obama’s picture is now hanging. If you want to talk about getting no respect, having a large portrait of a vice president who answers to the president compared to having an 8 by 10 framed photo of the president who is the vice president’s boss is taking getting no respect to the lowest point that it can go.

Those of you who visited the Murray Street post office before Obama was elected know exactly what I’m talking about. But to find President Obama’s picture, you will need to bring a pair of binoculars. If you don’t have a pair, I suggest your bring a magnifying glass and a tall stepladder so that you can climb up it to see that it is him. Of course, I’m exaggerating, but you get my point. Go see for yourself when you have time.

And for those of you “anti-Obama-get-no-respect haters” (there are definitely hundreds of thousands out there) who might/will say that I’m bringing this up because President Obama is black, you couldn’t be more wrong. I’m bringing it up because a picture so small, of the man, who holds the highest, most powerful office in the United States and in the world, does disservice and shows disrespect to the Office of the President of the United States of America. It’s an issue of respect for whoever holds the office of president, and race has nothing to do with it.

Please go check out President Obama’s picture, and if it bothers you as it did me, please contact a representative of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and make it known that you are dissatisfied with the small picture of President Obama that is currently on display in our Federal Building here in Alexandria, LA. Please ask that a large portrait of him be immediately hung up and displayed.

For now, I guess having that small picture of President Obama hanging on the wall is better than not having one at all.