Latest from American Press
American Press
20 hours ago
- American Press
BREAKING: Early morning homicide reported at Events Center seawall
The Lake Charles Event Center is located at 900 N Lakeshore Drive. (Special to the American Press) Lake Charles Police are investigating an early morning shooting at the Events Center seawall that left one dead. Lt. Jeffrey Keenum said the department responded to the shooting just before 6 a.m. Sunday He said when patrol officers arrived, they found the body of a gunshot victim along the seawall. Keenum said Sgt. George Miller is the lead investigator. Anyone with information surrounding this shooting is encouraged to contact the Lake Charles Police Department at 337.491.1311 or anonymously leave a tip on the Lake Charles Police Department's App. As additional information is learned, it will be shared, Keenum said.
American Press
21 hours ago
- Business
- American Press
Renewed sense of purpose: Arts and Humanities Council ready to unveil rebrand
The Central School Arts & Humanities Center was designed and built by noted New Orleans architects 'Favrot & Livaudais' in 1912 and is located at the heart of the Charpentier Historic District. The center is home to The Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana. (Photo courtesy of Visit Lake Charles) The Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana is in the midst of a transformation. Under new leadership and driven by a renewed sense of purpose, the organization is preparing to unveil a rebrand aimed at better supporting artists, strengthening the creative economy, and ensuring art remains an integral part of everyday life across the region, Executive Director Lee Ann Stenvick told the American Press earlier this week. As the 'advocates for the region's creatives,' the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana works to support the arts — as well as artists themselves — in the five-parish region. The Arts Council serves as the hub for more than 60 nonprofit arts organizations, as well as countless artists, in the five-parish region. The support and grant funding the council provides affects nearly every museum, exhibition or arts event in the area. The annual festivals and initiatives conducted by the arts council not only brighten the community, but also spur economic prosperity. Stenvick is the new executive director of the council, and she entered her role in April. She is looking to drive the mission of the Council forward, while sharing her passion for the arts with Southwest Louisiana With a background in theater and over a decade at the LSU Foundation, Leanne brings both creativity and development experience to her new role. She moved to Lake Charles two years ago with her husband, who is a theater professor at McNeese State University. Her journey, one that began with a love of storytelling and deepened through motherhood, fuels her mission to bridge gaps between the artistic community and sustainable funding. The position offers her an opportunity to work in a sector that intersects her two areas of expertise — and a sector where she can create a better world for her daughter. 'I kind of sat there postpartum and thought, 'What do I want to do with my life to make her proud?' And I thought that was perfect,' she explained. 'It felt like the right moment.' Through her work at the council, she hopes to dispel general misconceptions about artists and art. Louisiana is culturally and artistically rich, a resource that attracts $18.1 billion in tourism to the state annually, Stenvick said. 'Sometimes people think art is just paintings in a museum. And that's not it. It's the beading, the beadwork that goes into Mardi Gras Indians' costumes. It's the floats. And that goes into your community theaters in town,' she said. 'It's everywhere we look. And it's where we turn to when we're in our deepest, darkest times. When we have a bad day, we play our favorite song. Or we read our favorite book. Those are all forms of media and art. And if those creatives had not been cultivated, you would not be able to enjoy that.' And aside from the number of tourists who come to Louisiana to 'feed the soul,' the art industry is a job-creating economic machine. The sector creates 55,000 jobs in Louisiana and is a $7 billion industry, separate from tourism. But while the arts boost the state's economy, the benefits are sometimes overlooked, she said. 'I think people see it as frivolous, because they don't make the correlation that this is an industry here. That this is a viable way to earn a living, as well.' This can make it difficult for the arts to secure funding on the state and federal levels. Compared to the surrounding states, Louisiana's arts funding is not up to par, she said. Louisiana funds the arts at $0.46 per capita, while states like Mississippi ($3.57 per capita) and Florida ($2.46 per capita) allocate more than triple that. 'I mean, if you see what we do, $0.46 per capita, it's $18.1 billion in the tourism industry. … What could $1 per capita do?' The Arts Council itself is funded through the Louisiana Division of Arts (LVOA) — which is funded by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) as well as corporate, industry and municipal partnerships. LVOA receives $1.1 million from NEA annually, which is then dispersed evenly among Louisiana's nine regional arts councils. This funding supports the arts council's grant programs and general operating costs. Despite hiccups at the federal level, Stenvick is 'nauseously optimistic' about the NEA's decision to fund state partnership grants for this year. 'It was a little nerve-wracking for a while. … It means now the fight for next year begins,' she said. 'We're still working on advocacy and making sure that our lawmakers and our legislators know the impact that that funding, which is 0.003% of the federal budget, will have here in southwest Louisiana.' New directions The council is currently crafting a new mission, vision, and values hand-in-hand with the community. A recent forum brought together nearly 60 local creatives, with another 30 contributing via public survey. There, locals pinpointed 11 values that will guide the arts council to their new direction: collaboration, preservation, accessibility, inclusion, representation, innovation, creativity, excellence, storytelling, authenticity, and stewardship. With a fresh perspective and 'tangible action items,' the arts council has been planning a rebrand that will be released in the fall. A new era deserves a celebration, and Chuck Fest will provide just that on Oct. 18, she said. Before that, the reimagined Gallery Promenade, now named 'White Linen Night,' will bring pop-up art markets, cocktails, and performances to downtown Lake Charles on Sept. 6. Other council-supported events include the Spring Art Walk, Holiday Art Market and the Live at the Lakefront series. 'I am so energized in a way that I've never been before because this area is rife with talent, and it is so hungry for more,' she said. 'I have loved meeting people from here, not originally from here. It's been a blast to hear about all of the different creative little corners that we have in this region. 'Now it's my job to bring them all together and get everybody on the same page.' As the arts preserve local culture and support the economy, the community can support the arts, artists and arts councils through advocacy, and just by showing up. Those who want to support the arts council directly can become a member through the '337' campaign, which is accessible on the council's website. But one of the most effective ways for locals to buy season passes or memberships to their local arts organizations. Support can also be shown by contributing to fundraising campaigns. She highlighted a recent opportunity — a new arts-themed license plate was designed by Lafayette artist Denise Gallagher. Fifty dollars of each vanity plate sale goes directly toward the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts, which supports advocacy efforts, such as creating the arts caucus in the state house and state Legislature.
American Press
a day ago
- American Press
27-year-old LC man charged with child porn possession
A 27-year-old Lake charles man has been accused of being in possession of child sexual abuse material as well as a video involving of bestiality Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office spokesperson Kayla Vincent said their office' Special Victim Unit detectives — who belong to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force — began an investigation after receiving a complaint June 25 from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The investigation revealed Zachary P. Gautreau was in possession of child sexual abuse material as well as a video involving of bestiality. On Friday, Gautreau was located and placed under arrest. He was booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with nine counts of pornography involving juveniles; and sexual abuse of animals. His bond is pending. Det. Alexander Vincent is the lead investigator on the case.
American Press
2 days ago
- Business
- American Press
Plans for Lake Charles Judicial Complex moving forward
The new Judicial Complex will consolidate all courts into one three-story building with 11 new courtrooms. (Special to the American Press) A $52 million Calcasieu Parish Police Jury project is one step closer to breaking ground. The Lake Charles City Council approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with CPPJ at Wednesday's meeting for the construction of a new Judicial Complex on Pithon Street between Kirby and Gill streets. The new complex will consolidate all courts into one three-story building with 11 new courtrooms. CPPJ President Jud Bares said at the meeting that this project has been in the works for over 20 years. 'It's not cliche to say this will be a legacy project,' he said. 'This is a project that will change Lake Charles, downtown Lake Charles, as we know it.' Preliminary plans have construction beginning in mid-August. The project is expected to take about two and a half years to complete and should open in the first quarter of 2028, Joseph Booth, director of communications and media, CPPJ, told the American Press. The CEA with the city includes the permanent abandonment of Pithon Street, street closure during the construction of Gill Street at the Event Center near Lakeshore Drive. It will also amend the parking agreement to allow parking at the Lake Charles Event Center near Lakeshore Drive during construction. Four structures – the north annex, south annex, current judicial court and parking garage – will be demolished at the end of the project, said Project Architect Bridget Evans. The design includes two green spaces and they will work with the city to maintain downtown design standards, she said. The council also voted to approve the appointment of Russell Stutes Jr. as Lake Charles City Attorney. He will replace David Morgan. The council also voted to reappoint John Cardone Jr. as city administrator, Renee DeVille as clerk of the council, Wendy Goodwin as director of human resources and Emily McDaniel as director of finance.
American Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Press
Scooter Hobbs column: Message behind coach's one-liners
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz gets it. I always suspected that, rare in his fraternity, he seems to have a life away from the film room. Maybe even a handful of outside interests. Drinkwitz tried to stay serious Thursday, but there's a flippant side to him that he can't hide. He opened his monologue by warning that he wasn't going to answer questions about 'the Epstein files, the Radiation Belt (or) whether or not it was possible for Lee Harvey Oswald to get three shots off in seven seconds.' Then he wandered off — shades of Les Miles' hey day — into a recap of a recent family vacation at Disney World, where the wife and the oldest of his four daughters conquered the challenging Guardians of the Galaxy ride. 'There is an epic picture of them after that ride where my wife is just like, holy cow, and my daughter looks like … she'd just been arrested. So it was worth it.' That, apparently, was just an excuse to remind everyone that 'Walt Disney was born in Marceline, Missouri.' Followed by, 'Y'all (media) remind me a little bit of Disney World: tired, ready to go home, tired of coaches whining up here.' Actually, Drinkwitz is a welcome breath of fresh air at an affair prone to getting bogged down in depth charts. Drinkwitz is the kind of guy you'd like to drink with. Make no mistake. He wants to win just as much as the next coach. But nothing he did with his turn on the podium Thursday was going to beat Kansas in the season's second game, a resumption of Mizzou's bitter 'Border War' that has been dormant since 2011. We did learn from him that Missouri's 'Tigers' nickname is based on the militia that was formed to protect the Mizzou campus and the Columbia townfolk from the people from Kansas. That's the kind of information you want from these festivities. We also learned that Drinkwitz is in hot water with his home owners' association back in Columbia after letting two of his players catch fish in the communal pond. Details at 10, hopefully with film. Yet in the midst of all this trivia — perhaps by accident — Drinkwitz might have had the strongest take yet on the state of college football. It began as an innocent trip down the scheduling rabbit hole after the obligatory question of whether the SEC should go to a nine-game conference slate instead of the current eight. 'Personally, I think eight games is probably great for the University of Missouri. It allows us to schedule what we need for the four (other) games.' He also seemed to think it'd be easier on coaches. But that's not important now. What is needed, he said, was 'to ask these questions: what's best for the players and what's best for the fans? And ultimately, I think what's best for both of those is going to be going to a nine-game schedule. 'The rest of us are really only important because of the players and the fans.' Nine games, eight games, that's not the point, and he kind of lost me when he mentioned a 30-team playoff. But it's encouraging to see some coach sticking up for the loyal fans. 'We need the fans now more than ever. If we continue to alienate the fans, or we put things in the way that (are) going to alienate the fans, we're not going to continue to be able to pay the players.' The real trick here is making the fans' wishes mesh with the players new-found freedoms. I'm not sure what more they can do for the players now that they're paid, can transfer at will and often seem to be running the asylum. Drinkwitz may have hit on the hidden truth. 'People don't come to watch the actual game,' he said. 'They come because they're connected to people. They're connected to something bigger than themselves. They're connected to the marching Mizzou band. They're connected to the spirit squads. They're connected to friends and family at the tailgates. 'The byproduct is the game … Saturdays are still a place where there's human connection, all right? And we can't lose sight of that.' Those fans are being asked to ante up more and more discretionary income, not only in ticket prices, parking spots, etc., but 'donations' to pay these new-found (for lack of a better word) salaries. It makes it easier to watch in comfort on hi-def TV. Still, the transfer portal might be the biggest threat to that team/fan alliance. It changes things. It just does. The fans' connection to their teams, even if it was always delusional, is that their heroes grew up dreaming of playing for good ol' State U. And many do. But it's hard to reconcile that when the players for any given year's roster look more and more like mercenaries, often as not going to the highest bidder. Somebody needs to pay attention to Drinkwitz. 'If you lose Saturday football, you're losing Sunday and Friday night football too, all right? Let's not forget that. We are the peanut butter and jelly behind the bread. If we don't have Saturdays, you can forget Sundays, and you can forget Friday night.' * Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics for the American Press. You can reach him at
