Lake Forest  Charter School will host the 4th Annual Cocktails & Blues Gala on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at its new state-of-the-art facility located at  11110 Lake Forest Blvd. The Patron Party begins at 6pm and the Gala and Silent Auction will start at 8pm.  The evening, presented by Liberty Bank & Trust, raises critical dollars to assist Lake Forest Charter School in providing high quality resources and capital development that are necessary for a strong nationally recognized academic program. 
 
The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6 pm for VIP Patrons which includes an elegant dinner catered by Messina's Catering and the presentation of the 2016 Community Hero Award. At 8 pm, the general admission gala and silent auction begins with entertainment by the legendary Gina Brown and food by Messina’s Catering.

Louisiana Connections Academy, a K-12, free, state certified public school conducted completely online by Louisiana teachers, welcomes students in all grades while individual school districts in the 20 impacted areas recover from the historic 2016 floods, announced Superintendent Lonnie Luce.
           
Superintendent Luce said State Superintendent of Education John White encouraged public schools to step up and help displaced families.
           
"Louisiana Connections Academy is proud to respond to the State's request and enroll children in all grades from impacted school districts, whether the flooded school was private, parochial or public," said Dr. Luce.
           
Parents can begin the process immediately by logging into the school's website at www.louisianaconnectionsacademy.com, visiting the school campus at the Russell J. Henderson Building, first floor, 4664 Jamestown Ave., Baton Rouge, or calling the school at 800-382-6010 or 225-372-8398.

Statement recognizes the economic impact visitors have on the local economy
 
The New Orleans City Council recently passed a resolution recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic benefits America’s national parks provide to the City of New Orleans and asking Congress to provide dedicated funding to fix park areas like the Jean Lafitte National Wildlife Areas, including the New Orleans Jazz Park Complex.
 
The resolution was passed to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which is celebrated August 25. The resolution calls on Congress to give U.S. Park Rangers the resources they need to protect parks for the next 100 years. For example, areas of the Jazz Park are closed to public tours due to deferred maintenance needs.
 
In light of a history of congressional underfunding, Congress is asked to create a reliable and predictable stream of resources to help the National Park Service (NPS) address deferred maintenance at its more than 400 sites across the country. It is estimated that the current backlog of overdue park repairs—including crumbling roads, rotting historic buildings, eroding trails, outdated public buildings, and safety hazards such as deteriorating water and electrical systems—totals $12 billion. In Louisiana, that total exceeds $15.1 million for just four areas in New Orleans, Natchitoches and Poverty Point.
 
Fixing parks will help support an important economic engine for Louisiana, as NPS reports that during 2015, state park visitors spent an estimated $28.3 million in local gateway regions like New Orleans while visiting NPS sites. Such spending helps to support 439 Louisiana jobs and provides the state an economic boost of $36.7 million in labor and value added income.
 
To read the full report on Louisiana park contributions, go to https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm. See the New Orleans resolution below.

Statement recognizes the economic impact visitors have on the local economy
 
Mayor Rick Allen and the Leesville City Council recently passed a resolution recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic benefits America’s national parks provide to the City of Leesville and asking Congress to provide dedicated funding to fix park areas like  Cane River National Heritage Trail.
 
The resolution was passed to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which is celebrated August 25. The resolution calls on Congress to give U.S. Park Rangers the resources they need to protect parks for the next 100 years. For example, areas of the Cane River Trail are closed to public tours due to deferred maintenance needs.
 
In light of a history of congressional underfunding, Congress is asked to create a reliable and predictable stream of resources to help the National Park Service (NPS) address deferred maintenance at its more than 400 sites across the country. It is estimated that the current backlog of overdue park repairs—including crumbling roads, rotting historic buildings, eroding trails, outdated public buildings, and safety hazards such as deteriorating water and electrical systems—totals $12 billion. In Louisiana, that total exceeds $11.5 million for just four areas in New Orleans, Natchitoches and Poverty Point.
 
Fixing parks will help support an important economic engine for Louisiana, as NPS reports that during 2015, state park visitors spent an estimated $28.3 million in local gateway regions like Leesville while visiting NPS sites. Such spending helps to support 439 Louisiana jobs and provides the state an economic boost of $36.7 million in labor and value added income.
 
To read the full report on Louisiana park contributions, go to https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm. See the Leesville resolution below.

The Restore America’s Parks Campaign will celebrate the centennial of the bill that created the National Park Service – the National Park Service Organic Act – with a birthday party on Thursday, August 25, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Chalmette BattlefieldVisitor Center Meeting Room, 8606 W. St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA. Friends and supporters of National Parks of all ages are invited to attend this event celebrating 100 years of “America’s Best Idea.”
           
The event will feature information packets about park issues, a member of the Living History Foundation in period dress retelling his personal account of the historic Battle of New Orleans, as well as a birthday cake and other festivities.

Mayor Lee Posey and the Natchitoches City Council recently passed a resolution recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic benefits America’s national parks provide to the City of Natchitoches and asking Congress to provide dedicated funding to fix park areas like the Cane River National Heritage Trail.
 
The resolution was passed to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which is celebrated August 25. The resolution calls on Congress to give U.S. Park Rangers the resources they need to protect parks for the next 100 years. For example, areas of the Cane River Trail are closed to public tours due to deferred maintenance needs.
 
In light of a history of congressional underfunding, Congress is asked to create a reliable and predictable stream of resources to help the National Park Service (NPS) address deferred maintenance at its more than 400 sites across the country. It is estimated that the current backlog of overdue park repairs—including crumbling roads, rotting historic buildings, eroding trails, outdated public buildings, and safety hazards such as deteriorating water and electrical systems—totals $12 billion. In Louisiana, that total exceeds $15.1 million for just four areas in New Orleans, Natchitoches and Poverty Point.
 
Fixing parks will help support an important economic engine for Louisiana, as NPS reports that during 2015, state park visitors spent an estimated $28.3 million in local gateway regions like Natchitoches while visiting NPS sites. Such spending helps to support 439 Louisiana jobs and provides the state an economic boost of $36.7 million in labor and value added income.
 
To read the full report on Louisiana park contributions, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm. See the Natchitoches resolution in support of NPS below.

 Louisiana Connections Academy, a K-12 completely online public charter school, is delaying the opening of school until Monday, August 22.  Many students and faculty members are displaced, have little access to the internet and cell service, and are unable to communicate, said Superintendent Dr. Lonnie Luce. The school was scheduled to open today, August 15.
 
"Please know that we are concerned about our LACA families and if any have experienced loss due to flooding, please contact our helpline at 1-800-382-6010 for assistance with replacement materials," said Dr. Luce. 
 
Information about the reopening of school is being provided to students and staff through the school's communications networks. The school's main number is 225.372.8389.

 
Due to the magnitude of the catastrophic devastation and loss of communication caused by the recent weather in Baton Rouge and surrounding communities, Louisiana Connections Academy, a K-12 completely online public charter school, is delaying the opening of school.  Many students and faculty members are displaced, have little access to the internet and cell service, and are unable to communicate, said Superintendent Dr. Lonnie Luce.

Civil District Court Judge Tiffany G. Chase announced her candidacy today for the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, Division C.  After seventeen (17) years of distinguished service on the appellate court, the Honorable Dennis Bagneris has submitted his official notice of retirement to the Louisiana Secretary of State.  Judge Bagneris has served the public with honor and distinction in both the judiciary and legislative branches of government and will be missed. Judge Chase originally intended to qualify in July for another open seat on the Court of Appeal. However, a family medical emergency developed which will require her attention in the coming months.  Judge Chase, therefore, made the understandable decision to put her family first and then resume her campaign for the election to replace the retiring Judge Bagneris.

Her love of golf started when she was four years old. Now 18, Angelica Harris has won local, regional and national golf tournaments, been featured four times on the Golf Channel for her accomplishments, was a finalist last year in Wendy’s High School Heisman Program and has now been named the female recipient of the 2016 USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award by the United States Golf Association and American Junior Golf Association.

The USGA-AJGA Presidents' Leadership Award was created to recognize one male and one female junior golfer who demonstrate leadership, character and community service through their involvement with the Leadership Links program.

Such an honor fits well into Angelica’s personal goals to attend Washington University in St. Louis and continue to play golf. She graduated this past June from Louisiana Connections Academy, a free public, completely online charter school.

“At LACA, I was provided with a flexible, yet challenging academic schedule that allowed me to practice golf daily without falling behind in my grade level,” said Angelica. “I received over a million dollars in scholarship offers from top-ranked universities thanks to LACA.”
           
The online charter school allows athletes like Angelica to work their training and competition schedule into their daily studies. In fact, the school scheduling is flexible enough for an upper-classman like Angelica that the star athlete started a golf program at Chartwell Center, a school for children with autism, and three Standardize Prep Courses across New Orleans where she tutors students on the ACT.
           
“My golf program is called Angelica’s Angels. I go to Chartwell Center every week teaching the students how to play golf, follow healthy eating habits, and share the life lessons learned through golf,” said Angelica. 
           
Through her fundraising efforts, Harris has raised more than $1,400 for her program. She has also expanded the program to a local childcare center for low-income families and hopes to expand to other special needs schools in the future.
           
In fact, Angelica has her own custom flip-flop business which she started when she was 10-years-old, that underscores her national leadership qualities.