Monthly Archives: January 2020

The First Amendment and Supreme Court | Opinion | dailyitem.com – Sunbury Daily Item

Posted: January 25, 2020 at 1:52 pm

Kendra Espinoza, a single mother of two young girls, never dreamed that sending her daughters to a Christian school in Kalispell, Montana, would lead her to the national stage. But on Wednesday, her lawsuit, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, and its far-reaching implications could impact Pennsylvanians education options.

Espinoza homeschooled her daughters until her husband unexpectedly left, forcing her to enroll them in the local public school. The school wasnt a good fit for her daughters they werent thriving. Stillwater Christian School seemed like the perfect solution, but tuition was more than she could afford. Still, she worked extra jobs, held a big yard sale, and raffled quilts to come up with the money. Her older daughter even mowed lawns to contribute.

It was barely enough.

Then, Espinoza learned of a recently enacted program in Montana, similar to Pennsylvanias tax credit scholarships, that could help her afford tuition for future school years. Her glimmer of hope was short-lived, though. Montanas program bars religious schools, and the state refused to grant her daughters scholarships.

Espinoza felt that amounted to discrimination. She and two other moms in similar situations sued the department with the help of nonprofit law firm, the Institute for Justice. But the Montana Supreme Court doubled down, ruling the entire scholarship program unconstitutional in 2018.

The families appealed and are now before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that ending the scholarship program because it included religious schools violates the First Amendment.

At issue is the Montana constitutions Blaine Amendment, which prohibits the government from giving public funds to religious schools. There are similar provisions in 36 other state constitutions, including right here in Pennsylvania. These amendments trace their roots to the late 1800s, when anti-Catholic sentiment was rampant and protestant legislators sought to starve them of public funds. Congressman James Blaine and many other anti-Catholic legislators required prospective states to adopt Blaine Amendments in order to be admitted to the union and persuaded many existing states to adopt similar amendments.

Now, the Supreme Court will decide if these provisions violate the U.S. Constitution.

The issues presented in Espinoza are not new to the Court. In Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, the Supreme Court upheld an Ohio school voucher program, ruling that it was neutral with respect to religion since parents not the government are the ones directing government aid to the schools.

And in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, the Court found that Missouris denial of a church application for new playground surfacing was a violation of the churchs First Amendment protections by denying a generally available benefit solely on account of the [applicants] religious identity.

If the Court follows the same logic, Espinoza and the other Montana moms stand a good chance of winning. Similar to the situation in Zelman, the Montana program was impartial to religion and was designed to help disadvantaged students. Moreover, the ruling in Trinity Lutheran created a precedent for greater scrutiny when the state excludes a church from public benefits. With these cases setting the stage, the Supreme Court has the opportunity in Espinoza to defend the rights of parents to access public programs without compromising their constitutional rights. As a result, anti-Catholic Blaine Amendments in Montana and dozens of other states, may be laid to rest.

Such an outcome will liberate students across the country including in Pennsylvania to pursue broader educational choices that satisfy their needs. While Pennsylvanias tax credit scholarships pass constitutional muster, removing our Blaine Amendment will open the door to new educational freedoms for students.

If we win at the Supreme Court, it makes a difference for my girls and for so many other families, says Kendra Espinoza. I believe school choice is important for all families, not just for myself and my children. Its my right as a parent to choose how my children are educatednot the governments right.

Colleen Hroncich is a senior policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation (CommonwealthFoundation.org), Pennsylvanias free market think tank.

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The First Amendment and Supreme Court | Opinion | dailyitem.com - Sunbury Daily Item

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President Trump Restores the Original Intent of the First Amendment – CNSNews.com

Posted: at 1:52 pm

President Donald Trump gives a speech in Austin, Texas. (Photo credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump truly made Religious Freedom Day a day of celebration on Jan. 16 for those communities and individuals who live a religious life. In a long-needed and bold gesture, the President leveled the playing field so that people of faith are no longer treated as second-class citizens by our public institutions.

There can be no doubt that the eight years of the previous administration instituted orders and promoted an attitude that purposely made people of faith uncomfortable in our public institutions, including schools, and promoted a sense that religious people were outside the mainstream and harmful to general society. It was a low point in our nations history.

There are many concrete demonstrations in todays guidelines and announcements by President Trump that will, thank God, dramatically change the atmosphere and resurrect the religious freedom upon which this country was founded. The biblical life and the values and manners that derive therefrom are and have been the most vital feature in shaping the unique American society and opportunities from which we continually receive blessing.

More than any president in my lifetime, President Trump has fulfilled his campaign pledges and done so with clarity, full heart, and in a manner filled with conviction and designed for effectiveness.

Rabbi Aryeh Spero is spokesman of the Conference of Jewish Affairs, author of Push Back: Reclaiming our American Judeo-Christian Spirit, president of Caucus for America, and a frequent guest on Fox News.

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President Trump Restores the Original Intent of the First Amendment - CNSNews.com

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Letter to the Editor: Supporting the We the People Amendment – Wicked Local

Posted: at 1:52 pm

David Weiss / brookline@wickedlocal.com

SaturdayJan25,2020at9:00AM

Ten years ago, in its Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court chose to protect the rights of wealthy interests to corrupt our system of political campaign financing. It did so through the fiction that corporations entities authorized and regulated by state governments are entitled to the same Constitutional rights as people, and that spending money is a form of speech protected under the First Amendment. There is widespread agreement across the political spectrum that this Supreme Court decision defies common sense. The way our political campaigns are financed exposes our elected officials to powerfully corrupting influences. In deciding to protect this distorted concept of rights, the Supreme Court chose not to protect our elected officials, our government and the personal and financial health, safety and well-being of the American people from those powerful influences.

One example: contributions from pharmaceutical companies to candidates for president and Congress may not guarantee their first choice for FDA commissioner, but it will certainly get them veto power over a nominee who would not protect their interests. This kind of influence shows up throughout government, whether a Democratic or Republican administration or which party rules in Congress. Because armies of highly paid lawyers are employed in protecting this corrupt influence, the only way to establish authority that will restore sanity and eliminate this corruption, is through a Constitutional Amendment that states unequivocally that corporations are not people and money is not a protected form of speech.

The We the People Amendment has been introduced in Congress, and a commission to draft a resolution to Congress regarding such amendment was passed by ballot question in Massachusetts in 2018. Some good government groups are supporting half-way measures that do not explicitly reject the bogus concept that corporations are entitled to the same rights as people. These half-way amendments would allow skilled lawyers to undermine efforts to regulate political contributions. The We the People Amendment is the only effective way to reduce corporate control of our government that can withstand the ferocious efforts that opposing interests will make to overturn it. Eight Massachusetts Representatives including Joe Kennedy have co-sponsored this amendment (HJ Res 48). Sens. Warren and Markey should do the same in the Senate.

David Weiss, Parkman Street

The Brookline TAB verifies and reviews all letters to the editor we receive. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not those of the TAB.

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Letter to the Editor: Supporting the We the People Amendment - Wicked Local

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Gazette opinion: Senate restrictions are an insult to First Amendment – KPVI News 6

Posted: at 1:52 pm

How hard must you have to work to get an angry reaction from C-SPAN?

You know, the network known for showing empty Congressional chambers and playing the full length of any rambling diatribe from a member of Congress?

But, the United States Senate has the honor of cheesing off the only network that has no visible talking heads.

C-SPAN joins scores of other journalists who are protesting rules that curtail access to the United States Senates as it embarks upon the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump.

We should note that these restrictions are greater than those imposed during President Bill Clinton's impeachment and even more restrictive than those during the annual State of the Union speech in which the President, the United States Supreme Court, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Cabinet are there.

All citizens should be concerned about access to Congress, not just journalists. We deserve the greatest amount of transparency in Congress, not less.

The Senate bills itself as "the world's greatest deliberative body."

But you wouldn't know it.

No, we mean that seriously.

You wouldn't know that because Senate leadership has cut off access point for journalists and even directed that C-SPAN, which will show the entire impeachment process, be limited to government-run cameras, meaning that the United States Senate will be at the controls of what will be shown to the American public and what will be left out.

Congressional members have for decades been subject to reporters waiting outside chambers for interviews. In fact, the practice has allowed America unprecedented access to the Senate and House members. It's a good practice for politicians who might rather duck reports and dodge interviews. Reporters -- and the accountability they provide -- become unavoidable for members of Congress. It means sooner or later a politician must answer tough questions.

The Senate has said that these rules will be temporary because Senators will not just be Senators, but also jurors during the impeachment trial. And jurors should not discuss a trial.

It's odd how Senate leadership has seemed to want it both ways. Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have said they'll work in concert with the White House to dismiss the articles of impeachment because they're a sham. Yet, when it comes time to have the trial, as the Constitution mandates, they can't even be asked questions.

This seems to us a great example of having it both ways. Either the trial is a sham, or they have to be impartial, open-minded jurors. Unfortunately, we believe the truth is much more sinister: Senate Republicans have become absolutely exhausted answering questions about a rogue administration. And nothing is quite as feckless as defending the indefensible.

Despite Trump's insistence that his call to Ukraine was "perfect," the indisputable facts remain that he asked a foreign government to spy on an American citizen while holding up much needed funding.

Far from perfect, and also far from defensible.

We continue to see to leaders distance themselves from voters and accountability. It has been almost a year since the White House discontinued its practice of daily press briefings. Now, Senators cannot even be approached.

Regardless of political stance, this is dangerous and new territory for our democracy. Accountability has always gone hand in hand with accessibility. We cannot get answers if politicians will not speak, or will only communicate through a handful of clever, well-polished, and measured press releases, issued by a staff member to ensure our elected leaders will never be blamed for anything.

We join with the organizations who have lodged complaints with the Senate leadership, including the Society of Professional Journalists and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

We'd like to know from both of our Senators, Jon Tester and Steve Daines why cutting off access is acceptable. After all, no one forced these men to run for office; surely, they knew that answering questions from a throng of reporters went along with the job description.

If our own Senators cannot be accessible to the people, how do they reasonably assume folks back here in Montana can trust them?

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Gazette opinion: Senate restrictions are an insult to First Amendment - KPVI News 6

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Could Trump Muzzle John Bolton? The Limits of Executive Privilege, Explained – The New York Times

Posted: at 1:52 pm

WASHINGTON Republican senators allied with President Trump are increasingly arguing that the Senate should not call witnesses or subpoena documents for his impeachment trial because Mr. Trump has threatened to invoke executive privilege, and a legal fight would take too long to resolve.

But it is far from clear that Mr. Trump has the power to gag or delay a witness who is willing to comply with a subpoena and tell the Senate what he knows about the presidents interactions with Ukraine anyway as Mr. Trumps former national security adviser John R. Bolton has said he would do.

Here is an explanation of executive privilege legal issues.

It is a power that presidents can sometimes use to keep information secret.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Constitution implicitly gives presidents the authority to keep internal communications, especially those involving their close White House aides, secret under certain circumstances. The idea is that if officials fear that Congress might someday gain access to their private communications, it would chill the candor of the advice presidents receive and inhibit their ability to carry out their constitutionally assigned duties.

Not by itself.

The privilege has traditionally been wielded as a shield, not a sword. It has no built-in enforcement mechanism to prevent a former official from complying with a subpoena in defiance of a presidents orders, or to punish one afterward for having done so.

Mr. Bolton, one of the four current and former officials whom Democrats want to call as a witness, has said that he will show up to testify if the Senate subpoenas him for the impeachment trial, even though the White House has told him not to disclose what he knows about Mr. Trumps private statements and actions toward Ukraine.

A valid assertion of the privilege would protect a current or former official who chooses not to comply with a subpoena.

Three other officials Democrats want to call as witnesses Mr. Trumps acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney; a top national-security aide to Mr. Mulvaney, Robert Blair; and Michael Duffey, an official in the White House budget office who handled the military aid to Ukraine are expected to resist appearing if subpoenaed.

Normally it is a crime to defy a subpoena, but the Justice Department will decline to prosecute a recalcitrant official if the president invokes the privilege. Congress can also sue that official seeking a court order, but the department, defending that official, will cite the privilege to argue that case should be dismissed and as grounds to appeal any ruling that the subpoena is nevertheless valid, keeping the case going.

The Trump administration has broadly pursued a strategy of fighting House oversight and impeachment subpoenas, resulting in a string of lower-court losses that have nevertheless succeeded in running down the clock. Senate Republicans have argued that any effort to enforce impeachment subpoenas could result in a long and drawn-out judicial battle as a reason for the moderate members of their caucus not to break ranks and join Democrats in voting to subpoena witnesses and documents.

Representative Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who is leading the House impeachment managers, has proposed that the Supreme Court Chief Justice, John G. Roberts Jr., who is presiding over the trial, could swiftly rule on the validity of any executive privilege claim. The trial has a perfectly good judge sitting behind me, Mr. Schiff said.

But Chief Justice Roberts does not embody and is not functioning as the Supreme Court. Several legal experts said that even if he were to rule that any invocation of the privilege is not valid, a subpoena recipient could ignore him and continue to defer to the president.

Then the Senate would likely still have to go through the normal court process to seek a judicial order to hear from the witness.

The administration could try, but it would face serious hurdles.

In theory, the Justice Department could file a lawsuit and ask a judge to issue a restraining order barring Mr. Bolton from testifying on the grounds that he might divulge information that is subject to executive privilege. But the government has never tried to do that.

Even if a judge agreed that the information the Senate would be seeking is covered by a valid claim of executive privilege, it is not clear that any judge or higher court would issue a restraining order. Under a constitutional doctrine called prior restraint, the First Amendment severely limits the ability of the government to gag speech before its expression.

A restraining order is unlikely because it would be unprecedented, a threat to First Amendment values, and in this context a threat to fundamental checks and balances, said Peter Shane, an Ohio State University professor and the co-author of a casebook on separation-of-powers law.

Its fuzzy. The scope and limits of the presidents power to keep internal executive branch information secret are ill-defined because in practice, administration officials and lawmakers have typically resolved executive privilege disputes through deals to accommodate investigators needs to avoid definitive judicial rulings.

In a 1974 Supreme Court case about whether President Richard M. Nixon had to turn over tapes of his Oval Office conversations to the Watergate prosecutor, the court ruled that executive privilege can be overcome if the information is needed for a criminal case. Nixon resigned 16 days later.

The Supreme Court in the Nixon case noted several times that the information sought did not involve presidential discussions about diplomatic or military matters, so the Justice Department might argue that the Watergate precedent does not cover Mr. Trumps internal communications about military aid to Ukraine.

Nevertheless, the courts would most likely use a balancing test, weighing the presidencys need for private internal deliberations against Congresss need for the specific information to investigate possible high-level wrongdoing, said Mark J. Rozell, a George Mason University professor who has written books about executive privilege.

Noting the Nixon-era precedent, he said he doubted that a claim of executive privilege would be upheld in the context of impeachment because the courts dont give all that much deference to claims of presidential secrecy in cases of alleged wrongdoing.

No.

In a related legal dispute, the Trump administration has argued that White House officials are absolutely immune from being compelled to respond to a subpoena when Congress is seeking information about their official duties.

If that were true, it would mean they did not even have to show up, separate and apart from whether they can lawfully decline to answer a particular question in deference to a presidents claim that the answer is covered by executive privilege.

Late last year, a Federal District Court judge rejected that theory in a case involving a congressional subpoena to Mr. Trumps former White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II. But Mr. McGahn does not want to cooperate and has permitted the Justice Department to file an appeal on his behalf, and the litigation is continuing.

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What will UAB-Ascension alliance mean? – AL.com

Posted: at 1:51 pm

A strategic alliance announced Thursday between UAB Health System and Ascension St. Vincents cleared a hurdle Friday as the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved the alliance at a special meeting.

But the exact details of how the alliance will work are still somewhat of a mystery.

The move, while not a merger, means that UABHS facilities will retain the UABHS or UAB Medicine brands, and Ascension St. Vincents facilities will be Ascension St. Vincents.

In announcing the alliance, the two entities said they will be able to address multiple health issues, including diabetes, mental and behavioral health, and expand access to healthcare for Alabamas poor and rural residents. Among the documents creating the alliance is an acknowledgement of now being a period of profound and unprecedented change in the health care industry, when providers create health care affiliations in order to preserve and enhance their ability to fulfill their missions.

However, the alliance will not change physicians or insurance coverage for patients, organizers say, and medical records are still accessible through existing patient portals. How certain factors will affect individual patients, such as insurance coverage and available networks, are still being considered. The alliance also calls for the formation of a joint operating company.

Nick Ragone, an executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Ascension, said the company has no further comment at this time beyond its initial release and a website which answers some questions and gives details of the agreement. The site says more information will be shared there as it becomes available.

One point in the information available is that both organizations mean to maintain their corporate personalities. Ascension St. Vincents remains a ministry of the Catholic Church, and will continue to follow the churchs "Ethical and Religious Directives. UABHS is still an academic medical center with public, charitable and research functions.

The president of the joint operating company will be UAB Health System CEO Will Ferniany. Jason Alexander, who is senior vice president of Ascension Health and the CEO of St. Vincents Health System and Providence Health System, will serve as executive vice president of the joint operating company.

However, according to the agreement, after the closing of the joint operating companys creation, a board vote will be required to appoint a new CEO or executive vice president of the joint operating company. Whoever that president is, it will be a senior executive at UAB Health System, while the executive vice president will be a senior executive at Ascension St. Vincents.

And its clear from the affiliation agreement paperwork that this is a major commitment. Both parties are required to maintain the alliance until its 30-year anniversary, unless they can show cause.

UAB spokesman Bob Shepard said the alliance will allow the health systems to provide the right care at the right place and right time for each individual.

This may include developing programs at the facility that best meets the needs of patients and communities, Shepard said. Both health systems will be able to provide better access for patients through working together. For example, patients will also have more accessible locations for UABHS specialty services, such as UABHS doing surgery at Ascension St. Vincents One Nineteen. We will be evaluating the best means of coordinating psychiatric, rehabilitation, and other services across our facilities.

Shepard said details will still have to be worked out, but the alliance will allow for better coordination of programs and increase patient access to diabetes and mental health care services.

For instance, Ascension St. Vincents and UABHS have an aligned vision for the support of health care in rural Alabama, and this alliance will allow us to leverage our collaborative network and a combined Community Needs Assessment to enhance services in rural areas, he said. Other entities could be involved in these efforts as well.

The UA System Trustees at their meeting Friday also approved incorporating a seven-member UAB Health System Authority to work with the alliance. The authority will have the power to appoint the majority of the members to the joint operating companys board.

The alliance includes for Ascension:

And for UAB:

While the Cooper Green Authority initiative is not part of the alliance, organizers say, operations will be coordinated to enhance services for Cooper Green patients.

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Ascension Council takes another pause to vet, negotiate major sewer deal – The Advocate

Posted: at 1:51 pm

GONZALESCorey Orgeron, one of six new Ascension Parish Council members, recently suggested the parish take two more months for negotiating and allowing more public input on a proposed 30-year sewer concession.

After considerable debate and public pressure last fall over the proposed deal with Ascension Sewer LLC, the consortium proposing to remake the parish's private and public sewer systems, outgoing Parish Council members deferred a vote and passed the matter to the incoming council.

GONZALES With more than 35 people speaking against a major sewer services contract, and over 100 people packing the Ascension Parish Council

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The old council also scheduled the new council to vote on Ascension Sewer's plan Thursday night.

Instead, the new council took up Orgeron on at least the first part of his proposal, deciding Thursday to wait a little longer before a vote and send the proposal back to his committee,the parish's utilities panel, for further negotiation and public input.

New Parish President Clint Cointment also delivered a presentation about the parish's Hillaryville sewer plant. He noted its existing excess capacity that could be further expanded, an existing discharge pipe to the Mississippi River and the available land that could be used to build a much larger regional treatment plant.

"From day one, the administration has been reviewing all options as relates to sewer and what options are available to control costs and keep rates low for the citizens of our parish," Cointment told the council.

He added he plans to provide more details on the opportunities for the system in a future meeting.

DARROW A new $2.1 million sewer pipeline in southeastern Ascension Parish thats sending treated wastewater over the levee and into the Miss

Under the proposed concession, Ascension Sewer would consolidate more than 19,000 parish government and private customers in Prairieville, Dutchtown and the Gonzales area that now use an array of neighborhood sewage treatment systems and tie them to a new regional sewer system in the Geismar area that would discharge into the Mississippi.

State regulators have long pushed the parish to establish a regional system that discharges into the Mississippi to lessen the environmental impact on smaller, slower flowing bayous that now receive treated wastewater.

But, under the deal, the customers would also see an immediate rate increase. Rates would start at $57.90 per month for residential customers and more for commercial customers, and the rates would increase by 4% per year for the first 10 years.

Ascension Sewer's partners include Bernhard Capital Partners and Ascension Wastewater Treatment, the largest private sewer provider in the parish.

Cointment, who had tried to negotiate what he said would be a better deal with Ascension Sewer while still president-elect and fought approval of the deal as originally proposed, repeatedly stated he plans to resume negotiations with Ascension Sewer once in office.

When asked later about Cointment's presentation on the parish-owned Hillaryville system, John Diez, who is Cointment's new chief administrative officer, said the presentation wasn't a sign the administration was pursuing a wholly parish-run system for regional sewer service.

Diez said the administration was simply taking stock of the parish's resources, in part, so it is better informed for any negotiations it undertakes. He said the parish is looking for the best possible sewer deal for parish residents.

Not long after the old Parish Council punted on the sewer deal, Bernhard Capital announced it had made a"very significant investment" in its concession partner, Ascension Wastewater Treatment. The terms of the investment were not disclosed, but it bound the two partners even closer together for the future.

GONZALES Baton Rouge private equity firm Bernhard Capital Partners has closed on a "very significant investment" in Louisiana's largest priv

In an interview earlier on Thursday, Jeff Jenkins,co-founder and partner in Bernhard Capital, said the consortium remains interested in negotiating a deal with parish government and has received interest from some Parish Council members in recent weeks but had not yet heard from the new administration.

He added the state Department of Environmental Quality has also shown some interest in the idea of Bernhard Capital and Ascension Wastewater Treatment of building their own regional system privately. He added that he is also taking Cointment at his word that the parish will resume negotiations.

One of Orgeron's concerns about making sure to continue negotiations with Ascension Sewer is that the prior council had reached an exclusive agreement to negotiate a deal with the consortium.

In a publicized electronic letter about his plan to hold off on a vote, Orgeron wrote the parish could risk litigation if it didn't continue to negotiate in good faith with the Ascension Sewer consortium.

"I appreciate that there are those in our parish government that desire we look at other options; however, any effort by the council or the administration to do so could seriously compromise the Parish," Orgeron wrote.

He reiterated that concern to Cointment, who said the administration is working on a legal opinion about the exclusive negotiation agreement.

Orgeron, in his letter, also proposes having the Utilities Committee schedule a public input meeting next month to hear the concerns of residents and then restart negotiations with Ascension Sewer ahead of final vote no later than March 19.

The council didn't get into that level of specifics Thursday, but, under an amendment from Councilman Aaron Lawler, directed in the unanimous vote that the administration take the lead in setting input meetings with the public and council.

Residents of southeastern East Baton Rouge and in the Zachary area at risk of higher sewer bills under a proposed consolidation of Ascension P

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Stuck on Airline in Ascension? More closures planned along highway; La. 73 work behind schedule – The Advocate

Posted: at 1:51 pm

Drivers along Airline Highway in Ascension and St. James parishes should prepare for major traffic delays caused by road closures for routine railroad track maintenance.

"It'll be bumper to bumper, crawling again," saidAscension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre.

At least eight more additional daylong road closures are planned between Thursday and Saturday. Anearlier round of closures snarled traffic on four Ascension Parish roads Wednesday.

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One of those closures, at La. 73 and Airline in Prairieville, will last longer than expected. The road had been set reopen 5 p.m. Wednesday but now isn't expected to reopen until 2 p.m. Thursday due to unspecified "mechanical issues," state highway officials Wednesday afternoon.

With the continued closure of La. 73, Webre advised commuters to leave early Thursday and have patience for expected traffic in the morning. He said he will have extra motorcycle patrol officers out early to help monitor and direct traffic, if needed.

The eight new closures follow six that already took place. All are on roads that cross Airline and a Kansas City Southern railroad, according to the state Department of Transportation and Development and Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office.

Doniele Carlson, spokeswoman for KCS,said Wednesday that DOTD approved the closures and their timing in advance but added that KCS and DOTD "are reviewing closure plans in detail for the remainder of the work."

With the exception of the La. 73 work, the closures have been expected to last from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., DOTD said.

In addition to the extended work on La. 73 on Thursday, the upcoming closures along Airline Highway are on the following days:

Carlson said the railroad's workers are conducting routine maintenance that includes the resurfacing of at-grade highway crossings and railroad tie work.

DOTD officials had warned Ascension Parish drivers about traffic delays from the earlier round of track-related closures along Airline on Wednesday that included not only La. 73 in Prairieville but also La. 74 near Gonzales, East Ascension Street in Gonzales and New River Street in Gonzales.

Webre said any time the major state highways in the parish are closed, like La. 73 or La. 621, traffic can be expected because it limits ways to get in and out of the parish and to Interstate 10.

Earlier closures also happened on Post Office and Duplessis roads in Prairieville on Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office said.

All of the planned closures affected small sections of road that fall between Airline Highway and the KCS tracks.

Airline runs parallel to the railroad line, which crosses through the east banks of the two parishes.

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Second half surge lifts Ascension Catholic over St. John – Weekly Citizen

Posted: at 1:51 pm

Ascension Catholic held the lead the rest of the way, eventually claiming a 77-60 win over the Eagles.

After battling to a 30-30 tie at halftime, Ascension Catholic came out of the locker room determined in the second half Tuesday night at St. John.

Ascension Catholic's J'Mond Tapp snagged a steal, then coasted for a wide-open dunk to open the scoring in the third quarter. He then followed with a three-point play, giving the Bulldogs the spark they needed.

Ascension Catholic held the lead the rest of the way, eventually claiming a 77-60 win over the Eagles.

Bulldogs head coach Kylon Green said his team came out flat, but was able to gel after the half.

"We had two emotional games back to back," he said. "They were kind of on a high horse after the Donaldsonville game. Coming back, we're in another heated rivalry in a hostile environment. We showed our youth at times, but we were able to turn it on in the second half."

Eagles head coach Franky Hebert said his team gave the visiting Bulldogs a window of opportunity to separate themselves.

"I thought we started out really well," he said. "I thought we were executing the game plan well. We kind of became a little too relaxed defensively toward the end of the first quarter and into the second. As soon as we picked it up, we went into halftime tied. Defensively, we kind of lost it for a two-minute period in the third. Against a good program, a good team like that, you can't lose it for two minutes."

St. John led through the first quarter. Connor Barbee, who led the Eagles with 22 points, hit two 3-pointers in the first. His second shot fell at the buzzer from beyond half court.

In the second quarter, Ascension Catholic's Demarco Harry, who finished with a game-high 28 points, began to heat up. He opened the second with a 3-pointer, then gave the Bulldogs their first lead by completing a three-point play.

The Eagles took back the lead later in the second, and went to the break tied after a pair of free throws by Galvin Martin.

The Bulldogs built their lead through the third quarter. Dorian Barber, who finished with 13 points, hit three of his four 3-pointers in the third. Jack Abadie also contributed a 3-pointer during the quarter. At the buzzer, Demarco Harry tacked on a three, giving the Bulldogs a 56-43 lead going into the fourth.

The final quarter started with more of the same as Barber sank a three, prompting a timeout.

Demontray Harry, who finished with 12 points, followed by adding three free throws after getting fouled while attempting a three.

The Eagles hit four 3-pointers of their own in the fourth quarter, as they tried to battle back into the game.

Ascension Catholic's Khai Prean scored ten points for the Bulldogs, while Tapp finished with nine. Abadie recorded five.

"We had a lot of depth tonight," Green said. We practice hard. I was happy to see some aggressiveness on defense from guys who came off the bench. They came in and took some shots we like them to take. We always have faith in those guys making those shots."

Martin finished with 15 for St. John. Chris Holmes scored ten, while Cobie Lockett had six. Jacob Schlatre added four, Isaiah Jones two, and Joseph Schlatre one.

"We're playing hard right now," Hebert said. "I think we're finally putting the pieces together. Last year I think we peaked kind of early. This year, I think we're peaking at the right time. I know this game doesn't show it, but we're playing better as a team. We're coming together, and I think this is the right time to do it."

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Going to church fills an empty place in our hearts – Times Record News

Posted: at 1:51 pm

Deanna Watson, Wichita Falls Times Record News Published 6:26 a.m. CT Jan. 25, 2020

According to tradition, Jesus went "up" to heaven which may not be up, exactly, as much as it's beyond and what he went there to do was to finish what he had begun with us here on earth.

The Very Rev. John D. Payne: By ascending bodily into heaven, Christ showed us that our human nature is good, not bad.(Photo: Contributed)

It was not enough that through Jesus God was born into the body of this world; that was just his Christmas gift to us. His ascension gift was that through him the body of the world was borne back to God.

By presenting his own crucified, risen body to be seated at the right hand of God, Jesus imported human nature into those holy precincts for the first time. He paved the way for us, so that when we arrive there later everyone will not be quite so shocked by us.

The ascended Christ restored the goodness of creation, and ours in particular. By ascending bodily into heaven, he showed us that our human nature is good, not bad; that it's good enough for Jesus, good enough for heaven, good enough for God. By putting on human nature and keeping it on through the resurrection, Jesus has not only brought God to us; he has also brought us to God!

There is another way to look at Acts 1:1-11. The ascension of Christ is the day the present Lord became absent, which may be one reason why Ascension Day is the most neglected feast. Who wants to celebrate being left behind? Who wants to mark the day that Jesus went out of this world, never to be seen again?

This may be, however, the one compelling reason why we do go to church. Because we have sensed God's absence in that hollow, empty place in our hearts and because this thing has not discouraged us from coming. We come to seek the presence we have been missing.

Absence is an entirely underrated thing. Absence is not nothing, after all. something: a heightened awareness, a sharpened appetite, a finer perception. When someone important to me is absent from me, I become clearer than ever what that person means to me. Details that get lost in our togetherness are recalled in our apartness, and their sudden clarity has the power to pry my heart open.

There's something else that happens during an absence. If the relationship is strong and true, the absent one has a way of becoming present. There can be no sense of absence where there has been no sense of presence. You can't miss what you have never known, which makes our sense of God's absence the very best proof that we knew God once, and that we may know him again. It is our sense of God's absence, after all, that brings us to church in search of God's presence.

The angels in the ascension story remind Jesus' friends that if they want to see him again, it's no use looking up. Better that they should look around, at each other, at the world, at ordinary people in their ordinary lives, because this is where they are most likely to find him.

We also hear the angels' admonishment to stop looking up and to start looking around. Don't feast your eyes on some romanticized version of the church in the past, or on some idealized vision of a perfect church in the future.

What we must do is look around us at the church as it is, a company of saints and sinners who hold out empty cups to be filled with bread, with wine, with the abiding presence of the absent Lord.

The Very Rev. John D. Payne is the Rector Emeritus of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Wichita Falls.

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Going to church fills an empty place in our hearts - Times Record News

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