Columns

Why fewer Americans are moving

We sold my mom and dad’s dream home last autumn — the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired mid-century modern house they called home for 25 years. Staying put is becoming more commonplace in America.

Caffery was in hot spot when troubles began

Tensions in the Middle East have been with us for a long time, and the man squarely in the middle of them when they were perhaps even more divisive than they are today was the man for whom one of Lafayette’s busiest streets is named. Jefferson Caffery became the U.S.

Finding common ground

Pope Francis and I are not often on the same page about the world. Since his elevation over a decade ago, I have been a very vocal critic of what I saw — and in many ways still do see — as his political and progressive view of Catholicism.

President Trump and the Civil War

A number of former presidents are being honored this week, as several new books have been released detailing actions of President Lincoln during the Civil War. President Donald Trump continues to express his opinion on virtually every subject involving America, both past and present.

Ville Platte hospital was a ‘crowning jewel’

Ardoin’s Sanitarium in Ville Platte had been “one of the most amazing hospitals of its kind” before it was leveled by fire on March 2, 1937. The fire was discovered about 2:30 a.m.

The history of executive orders

What do the Peace Corps, desegregation of the military, and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II have in common? They were all established by presidential executive orders, or EOs.

Which utterances do you most regret?

“I’ll just have me a little heart attack.” Years before Fred Sanford started his manipulative chest-clutching, I utilized that phrase whenever I wanted to get my childish way.

Trump, ‘Old Hickory’ and Louisiana

If you ever have a chance to walk into President Trump’s new oval office, the first thing you will see is a portrait of former President Andrew Jackson. A different painting of Jackson hung in the same location during the four years of Trump’s first presidency.

Not accepting trans definitions not cruelty, just biology

When President Donald Trump signed an executive order preventing trans girls and women from competing in women’s sports, I wrote a post on Facebook which I thought was fairly simple and straightforward: “I will no longer use the phrase ‘biological woman.’ It’s redundant.

Hapless warehouse burglars were easy to find

The thieves who broke into Captain Gerand Carriere’s warehouse in the steamboat town of Washington in October 1873 might get an A for effort but would surely flunk a basic burglary course. The warehouse was a tempting target. Carriere ran several successful businesses and was a wealthy man.