IN ALL THE BUZZ OVER THE HUMOR & HARMONY FESTIVAL, GEEK'D CON SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED!

Hey, don't get me wrong. I think the Humor & Harmony Festival is great for northwest Louisiana. From the get-go, I have sup­ported and promoted this festival in my blog and in this paper. Humor & Harmony has been a constant in the other local media for the past two weeks.

COUNCILMAN/ REV. JAMES GREEN SAYS HUMOR & HARMONY FESTIVAL “FELT LIKE CHURCH”

Shreveport City councilman James Green aka Rev. Green tries vainly to say “cute" things at council meetings. Green treats the council mike as if he was in his own church, expecting adulation and approval of his many pathetic quips.

CAN RENEWED EFFORT TO KEEP SHREVEPORT "CLEAN" CONTINUE?

One of the many positives of the just completed Humor & Harmony Festival were the many efforts to clean up Shreveport, and especially the downtown area.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE ARE MANY POSITIVE THINGS HAPPENING LOCALLY

Often media outlets accentuate negative events in their re­porting. The old axion "if it bleeds it leads" is still alive and well in the media world--local, state, and national. I don't wear rose-tinted glasses and I don't consider myself to be a "Pollyanna".

THE CIRCUS HAS MOVED FROM BOSSIER TO THE CADDO COMMISSION

Bossier City has received the award for most negative publicity for past few weeks with the ongoing saga of the Charter Commission and the term limit debate.The Commission meetings  were indeed a circus--but not with acrobats, etc. Yes--there were a few clowns in attendance.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? THE CADDO COMMISSION WILL MEET NEXT WEEK

Well, it was a hot July.There was the Fourth of July holiday.Then six of the twelve commissioner traveled to  the annual  NACO (National Association County Organizations) Woohah in Tampa, Florida for a  four-day convention (July 12-July 15).

HATS OFF TO SWEPCO  FOR "FREE" LEASE TO SHREVEPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT

The northeast cover of Travis and Marshall now has a new tenant--a satellite office of the Shreveport Police Department (SPD). A ribbon cutting ceremony was held yesterday at the location which has large SPD emblems on the Marshall and Travis Street windows.

WHY CAN'T RAILROAD CLOSING OF SHED ROAD BE DELAYED UNTIL CARRIAGEWAY OPENS? 

OMG--please don't tell me that the Shed Road railroad crossing will be closed starting tomorrow, Wednesday at 7 a.m. until Friday, August 2 at 4 p.m. The closing is to allow for crossing rehab. Goodness, traffic on Benton Road is almost as bad now as on Airline Drive.

IS A CIRCUS REALLY COMING TO BOSSIER THIS EVENING?

Well, that depends on one's definition of "circus."If you are thinking of clowns. acrobats and trained animals, then NO ---there will not be a circus in Bossier City tonight. Well on second thought, there may be some clowns but not the ones in costumes with big red noses.

IS SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VIOLATING NONPROFIT STATUS WITH ‘BLACK BUSINESS BLOCK PARTY'?

 Below is the posting on the website of the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce.  Obviously, the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce (SBAAC) promotes local businesses with an emphasis on minority businesses.

PANHANDLERS, STREET PEOPLE AND DOWNTOWN CAMPERS COULD BE TROUBLESOME DURING HUMOR & HARMONY FESTIVAL

It’s an issue that no one really likes to talk about. But if you work downtown, you know it’s a gnawing problem that seemingly does not get in better.Downtown buildings/lobbies are frequently inhabited during office hours by street people.

HISTORY IS BEING MADE WITH UPCOMING HUMOR & HARMONY FESTIVAL

By the time this column is read, the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's G-Unit Humor & Har­mony Festival (HHF) will be less than two weeks away. Leaving aside one's feelings about Jackson or interest/disinterest in the festival, it is making history from many perspectives.

GOOD ISSUES RAISED AT MAYOR ARCENEAUX'S MEETING ON PROPOSED DOWNTOWN PROPERTY STANDARDS ORDINANCE

Approximately 45 citizens attended the informational meeting held by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux to review the proposed downtown property standards ordinance. Those in attendance included downtown property owners, property managers, realtors, and concerned citizens.

IS SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER AUTHORIZED TO HAVE VENDOR BLOCK PARTY?

An email from the Shreveport-Bossier Chamber of Commerce announces an upcoming Black Business Party Pop-Up Shop to showcase products during Humor & Harmony Weekend.The email advised that potential vendors must complete an application for approval.

PUBLIC MEETING TOMORROW 10 A.M. ON PROPOSED SHREVEPORT ORDINANCE TO UPGRADE DOWNTOWN PROPERTY STANDARDS AND ADDRESS DOWNTOWN VACANT PROPERTY OWNERS

Downtown Shreveport is a focus of an ordinance introduced at the Shreveport City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 11. It was the first reading, and it cannot be adopted prior to June 25. The ordinance is headed to the council’s Property Standards Committee chaired by Council woman Tabatha Taylor.