Changes in air as we look to our bright future
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 19, 2000
L’Observateur / July 19, 2000
A refreshing change is sweeping over the River Parishes, despite record- breaking temperatures this summer. A turning point is being reached, withprogress and positive change all around. Maybe it’s millennium fever, butit seems as the new century approaches, a mood is developing to approach it with fresh eyes, disposing of old problems.
Look along Airline Highway, where repair work has dragged for the last couple of years. Most of it is wrapping up in St. Charles Parish, as otherwork begins in St. John Parish. A fiber-optic line installation along thehighway is also nearing completion.
The recent approval of several tax items in St. Charles will mean welcomeand long-awaited changes, from a new health unit in Luling to a new library in St. Rose.In Killona, a new correctional center is rising from a cane field, promising an end to housing problems for inmates and early release of some offenders. Before long, criminals will no longer be able to take advantageof the revolving door at the current jail and will remain off the street.
Parish governments in St. James and St. Charles are noticing the newhopes for their tax base, as Orion Refining is in full operation in Norco and an end to the two-year-old Kaiser strike is in sight. More people will beworking, more tax income will come into parish treasuries and more improvements will make their way to the residents.
The impending school term is always an opportunity for optimism, with new horizons and goals for our students and new achievements to make.
While many students will have to contend with school uniforms for the first time, the showing of students on the state’s LEAP tests illustrate the quality of our instructional programs.
Crime is down in many areas, and new residents are flooding into the River Parishes, with Luling and LaPlace taking the brunt at this point.
However, Paradis, Destrehan and Reserve are also picking up new residents and more will spread upriver as St. James Parish welcomesthem.
There’s even optimism on the national scene as Pres. Clinton’s last year inoffice is winding down and this fall’s presidential campaign prepares to launch into full swing. No matter who wins, things will be very differentin our nation’s capital.
Nevertheless, some old problems remain.
We still have problems with intolerance and injustice. Many of ourneighbors are victimized, one way or another, and progress seems to always be slow to rectify their situations. However, those problems didn’tdevelop overnight and won’t disappear, except over time.
As long as we realize our purpose in life – to help one another – we will endure. And the River Parishes region is long-famous for helping oneanother.
—L’Observateur
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