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Political Illusions of the Cajun Mafia

This book examines “robust” political corruption in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The book scrutinizes the transparency, schemes and co-conspirators involved in political corruption. It discusses how top elected officials use their power and public resources funded by local sales and property taxes to improperly target, retaliate and even maliciously prosecute the most ridiculous matters to further their personal agenda. The book examines in detail the types of public infringements involving corruption as well as the vast network of political connections to other various public schemes. The book is further evidence that political corruption in Louisiana is not only profound but more like organized crime controlled by mob bosses. Louisiana no longer will turn a “blind eye” and now demands zero tolerance for corruption and nepotism of elected officials.

This book examines “robust” political corruption in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The book scrutinizes the transparency, schemes and co-conspirators involved in political corruption. It discusses how top elected officials use their power and public resources funded by local sales and property taxes to improperly target, retaliate and even maliciously prosecute the most ridiculous matters to further their personal agenda.

The book examines in detail the types of public infringements involving corruption as well as the vast network of political connections to other various public schemes. The book is further evidence that political corruption in Louisiana is not only profound but more like organized crime controlled by mob bosses.

Louisiana no longer will turn a “blind eye” and now demands zero tolerance for corruption and nepotism of elected officials.

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1/A1<br />

kErry IN<br />

afghaNIStaN<br />

U.S., allies growing<br />

concerned after signs<br />

<strong>of</strong> unraveling.<br />

a5<br />

SoCCEr<br />

MISEry<br />

Brazil faces more<br />

upset if Argentina<br />

wins World Cup.<br />

B1<br />

photos.americanpress.com<br />

00872808<br />

americanpress.com<br />

Meeting set with education chief<br />

By The Associated Press<br />

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby<br />

Jindal has scheduled a July 17 meeting<br />

with Education Superintendent<br />

John White to try to negotiate a compromise<br />

in <strong>the</strong>ir dispute over testing<br />

tied to <strong>the</strong> Common Core education<br />

standards, <strong>the</strong> governor’s <strong>of</strong>fice announced<br />

Wednesday.<br />

White was directed by <strong>the</strong> state education<br />

board last week to seek a meeting<br />

with <strong>the</strong> governor, and Jindal’s<br />

<strong>of</strong>fice said <strong>the</strong> governor had agreed.<br />

By Justin B. Phillips<br />

jphillips@americanpress.com<br />

Seven businesses tied to<br />

recent syn<strong>the</strong>tic urine busts<br />

by <strong>the</strong> Calcasieu Parish<br />

Sheriff ’s Office were stripped<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir liquor licenses for<br />

30 days during Thursday’s<br />

Lake Charles Alcohol Review<br />

Board meeting.<br />

The businesses are More<br />

Four Less No. 2, at 1310 N.<br />

Martin Lu<strong>the</strong>r King Highway;<br />

Food Post at 425 N. Martin<br />

Lu<strong>the</strong>r King Highway; Tobacco<br />

Plus at 2027 N. Martin<br />

Lu<strong>the</strong>r King Highway; Super<br />

But a sit-down between Jindal and<br />

White wasn’t set until The Associated<br />

Press asked for two days about<br />

<strong>the</strong> meeting date and time. Jindal<br />

spokesman Mike Reed announced<br />

next week’s meeting plan an hour<br />

after <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Education<br />

said no meeting was scheduled.<br />

Jindal suspended a contract that<br />

White intended to use to buy testing<br />

material aligned with Common Core,<br />

as a way to derail use <strong>of</strong> standards<br />

<strong>the</strong> governor opposes. The Jindal<br />

7 businesses stripped<br />

<strong>of</strong> liquor licenses<br />

By Johnathan Manning<br />

jmanning@americanpress.com<br />

The owner <strong>of</strong> a local smoke<br />

shop is asking for <strong>the</strong> return<br />

<strong>of</strong> 12,000 glass smoking pipes<br />

taken during a raid <strong>of</strong> his<br />

store.<br />

A motion was filed in state<br />

district court on behalf <strong>of</strong><br />

Yossi Galamidi, 35, owner<br />

<strong>of</strong> Blaze Smoke Shop. Blaze<br />

was one <strong>of</strong> two smoke shops<br />

raided in May as part <strong>of</strong> an<br />

investigation into syn<strong>the</strong>tic<br />

urine being sold.<br />

Authorities began looking<br />

into smoke shops after<br />

Food Mart at 1539 N. Martin<br />

Lu<strong>the</strong>r King Highway; Smokers<br />

Paradise and Spirits No.<br />

1 at 1014 Martin Lu<strong>the</strong>r King<br />

Highway; Smokers Express<br />

at 3501 Gerstner Memorial<br />

Drive; and Raceway No. 6946<br />

at 1213 N. Martin Lu<strong>the</strong>r King<br />

Highway.<br />

Assistant District Attorney<br />

Brett Gaspard told <strong>the</strong> board<br />

that <strong>the</strong> whole process began<br />

with work done by <strong>the</strong> Sheriff<br />

’s Office.<br />

“Vice with <strong>the</strong> Calcasieu<br />

Parish Sheriff ’s Office<br />

conducted some undercover<br />

buys at a couple <strong>of</strong> stores in<br />

Moss Bluff and Lake Charles<br />

receiving complaints about<br />

products being sold at Up in<br />

Smoke, a Moss Bluff store,<br />

said Calcasieu Parish Sheriff<br />

Tony Mancuso. Syn<strong>the</strong>tic<br />

urine was being sold to pass<br />

work drug tests, he said.<br />

Galamidi was arrested for<br />

selling a product to falsify a<br />

drug screen, possession <strong>of</strong><br />

drug paraphernalia and illegal<br />

use <strong>of</strong> currency.<br />

A total <strong>of</strong> 12,113 glass pipes<br />

were seized, as were brownie<br />

mixes, digital scales, metal<br />

and glass accessories, mouth<br />

cleanser, hair follicle cleanser<br />

and o<strong>the</strong>r items, according<br />

administration said White’s department<br />

violated state procurement<br />

laws in moving to <strong>the</strong> Common Coretied<br />

standardized tests without seeking<br />

competitive bids for <strong>the</strong> contract.<br />

Despite Jindal’s opposition, lawmakers<br />

and <strong>the</strong> Board <strong>of</strong> Elementary<br />

and Secondary Education have voted<br />

to maintain Common Core in public<br />

school classrooms. White and BESE<br />

President Chas Roemer say Jindal<br />

has overstepped his legal authority<br />

and <strong>the</strong>y intend to continue with<br />

<strong>of</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic urine,” he said.<br />

“Basically syn<strong>the</strong>tic urine<br />

is outlawed in Louisiana<br />

statutes. It falls underneath<br />

any devices or anything that’s<br />

used to falsify a drug screen.”<br />

Gaspard said <strong>the</strong>re is a<br />

misconception that selling<br />

<strong>the</strong> products doesn’t really<br />

have harmful effects on <strong>the</strong><br />

community.<br />

“Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people have<br />

said, ‘Well, <strong>the</strong>se are just<br />

misdemeanor crimes,’ ”<br />

Gaspard said. “We know for a<br />

fact through statements and<br />

See LICENSE, A7<br />

Local smoke shop asking<br />

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to a motion filed by attorney<br />

Glen Vamvoras.<br />

“The pipes are legal to possess<br />

and sell and should not<br />

have been confiscated as contraband,”<br />

<strong>the</strong> motion reads.<br />

When <strong>the</strong> motion will<br />

be heard and which judge<br />

will hear it has yet to be<br />

determined, though, because<br />

charges have not yet been<br />

filed.<br />

A search warrant said that<br />

from February to May, an<br />

undercover agent made seven<br />

See PIPES, A7<br />

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US ONLINE<br />

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oUtSIDE INSIDE<br />

Anniversaries ............A6<br />

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Life ......................A6<br />

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Sports ...............B1–B3<br />

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By Lauren Manary<br />

lmanary@americanpress.com<br />

Common Core.<br />

The disagreement has stalled testing<br />

plans for <strong>the</strong> upcoming school year.<br />

The governor’s <strong>of</strong>fice scheduled<br />

<strong>the</strong> sit-down between Jindal and<br />

White one day before <strong>the</strong> superintendent<br />

was asked to report back to<br />

BESE about his efforts to meet with<br />

Jindal. Meanwhile, <strong>the</strong> education<br />

board is moving ahead with plans to<br />

hire contract lawyers for a possible<br />

lawsuit against <strong>the</strong> governor if no<br />

agreement can be reached.<br />

Checking out <strong>the</strong> puppets<br />

LEESVILLE — James Williams, <strong>the</strong> new<br />

Vernon Parish school superintendent, was<br />

sworn in Thursday, beginning his tenure<br />

with a slew <strong>of</strong> items to address in preparing<br />

for <strong>the</strong> upcoming school year.<br />

Williams, chosen by <strong>the</strong> School Board in<br />

December, replaces Jackie Self, who retired.<br />

“I am very honored to be in this position,”<br />

he said. “I appreciate <strong>the</strong> opportunity to<br />

work with this board and this school system,<br />

which is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> best school systems<br />

in <strong>the</strong> state and probably anywhere else<br />

around.”<br />

Williams did not <strong>of</strong>fer an opinion on<br />

Common Core State Standards during <strong>the</strong><br />

meeting, but assured <strong>the</strong> board that <strong>the</strong> plan<br />

is to “stay <strong>the</strong> course” until <strong>the</strong> state makes<br />

a decision.<br />

The Common Core standards have<br />

been adopted by more than 40 states.<br />

The grade-by-grade English and math<br />

benchmarks are supposed to be fully<br />

phased into Louisiana’s classrooms<br />

and testing by <strong>the</strong> upcoming year.<br />

Supporters <strong>of</strong> Common Core<br />

say <strong>the</strong> standards promote critical<br />

thinking and raise expectations for<br />

students. Jindal says <strong>the</strong> federal<br />

government is trying to use Common<br />

Core to control local curriculum and<br />

educational systems.<br />

Doris Maricle / American Press<br />

Children check out <strong>the</strong> puppets Thursday after a performance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Calliope<br />

Puppets at <strong>the</strong> Kinder Library. Puppeteer Karen Konnerth <strong>of</strong> New Orleans presented <strong>the</strong><br />

story “Eeep Goes Home” using alien, spaceship and rocket puppets made <strong>of</strong> paper, balls,<br />

cardboard tubes, cotton and o<strong>the</strong>r materials.<br />

1310 E. COLLEGE ST., LAKE CHARLES, LA<br />

337-474-1999<br />

New superintendent for<br />

Vernon Parish promises<br />

to ‘stay <strong>the</strong> course’<br />

1620 BEGLIS PARKWAY, SULPHUR, LA<br />

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CHEVROLETS<br />

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“Our stance is that ... we’re going to continue<br />

regular standards, regardless <strong>of</strong> what<br />

<strong>the</strong>y’re called, regardless <strong>of</strong> what <strong>the</strong>y’re<br />

categorized as,” he said. “We’re going to continue<br />

pushing our rigorous standards and<br />

framework with our principals like we have<br />

been doing.”<br />

The board voted to receive bids to refurbish<br />

<strong>the</strong> Leesville and Pickering high tracks.<br />

The two lowest bids — $189,900 for Leesville<br />

High and $121,500 for Pickering High — were<br />

taken under advisement, as recommended<br />

by Finance Director Tim Ward, to ensure <strong>the</strong><br />

bids meet <strong>the</strong> specifications.<br />

Advertising for several district positions<br />

was also opened during <strong>the</strong> meeting.<br />

The School Board will seek an administrative<br />

assistant for Hicks High School and a<br />

curriculum supervisor and principals for<br />

Leesville Junior High School and Pickering<br />

Elementary.<br />

EXTENDED!!<br />

SALEE<br />

EENDSENDS MONDAY, JULY Y1<br />

14TH<br />

*EXCLUDING ELR

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