captainahab

I'm sure some of you know/knew Katherine Shirley Koonce. She was one of 9 (3 kids and 3 adults) killed in the March 27, 2023 shooting in Nashville.

She went to St. Jospeh's and U High here in Baton Rouge.

Wikipedia Link

Obituary

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There was nothing on Bluebonnet except Swaggart's and an Exxon. Siegen was a 2 lane road out in the country. I remember when they moved OLOL from downtown to Essen...and there was hardly anything on Essen besides channel 33.

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I remember when College Drive was two lanes and was a huge open field (with maybe one building) from Perkins to where Fairway View Apartments are.

That one building was a radio station (I think it was WXOK) with a Quonset Hut and an antenna.

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Retail is taking a hit because it's cheaper and safer to shop online.

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This is from a Feb 2025 article in Modern Retail magazine:

Outdoor retailers are closing stores and pursuing layoffs as they adjust to changing consumer trends around recreational activities.

In January, REI closed its Experiences business, which included adventure travel, day trips, classes and other events, due to high costs and unprofitability. The retailer laid off more than 400 employees because of this, after laying off more than 350 people a year before while citing declines in outdoor specialty retail and facing a net loss of $311 million in 2023.

Dick’s Sporting Goods also appears to be scaling back outdoor subsidiaries that had been a growth effort for the company; its subsidiary Public Lands recently reduced its store count from eight to three, and the company also shuttered three Moosejaw stores it acquired in 2023 from Walmart, Retail Dive reported. Meanwhile, Patagonia laid off 90 customer service workers in June and 41 people in October.



Source = Modern Retail

I rode dirt bikes all through high school and college and had a lot of hours of experience. Always wanted to get a cruiser or touring bike but got married and started having kids (have 3). Once the youngest started college, I told my wife I was considering getting one since she was the only dependent left on the payroll and I had plenty of life insurance. I would never consider getting one if I had kids at home.

Bought an inexpensive cruiser and loved it. Upgraded to another one. Avoided several serious mishaps over the years all related to distracted drivers (i.e. texting).

Ended up getting rid of my last one (I am now 60) because it was not enjoyable being on the lookout and defensive all the time. Rural riding is great as long as you dont act like an idiot and where ALL of your protective gear.

Ricky David
(225) 445-5142

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It’s a Hatteras.

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Manufacturer: Hatteras

Year: 2005

Model: GT

Length: 68

Beam: 21.5

Port of Origin: Destin, FL, USA

Power Category: Inboard

Engine: Caterpillar

Fuel: Diesel

Source = Catch Stat

ETA - forgot to add that it looks like a different "Lolita" in the OP pic than the Catch Stat info.

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We live near Ruston

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Unfortunately, I have experienced with what you are dealing with (a teenage niece - whom I am very close to).

Couple of points....

1 - As another poster said, your child will die if he does not get help.

2A - The help you get him cannot be anywhere near his home. While there are several places he can go for treatment in Louisiana (i.e. Palmetto, Woodlake, etc.), but due to his age, he will likely clean up for a little while but once he is back home, he will get right back into drugs.

2B - He does not need to come back home for a few years - if ever. I know this is tough to swallow. He needs to move away. Most good facilities have great sober homes and support networks across the country. For example, the inpatient facility may be in Colorado and their sober living facilities are in California or Maine or xxxx.

4 - If you have BCBS, a lot of facilities will take him but in reality, they are only going to put him through the standard process. If he doesn't want help then there is nothing a standard facility will do for him. If he has underlying psychological issues, many facilities are not equipped to handle those, but they will take him.

My brother made the above mistakes. Did a Louisiana based facility, daughter came back home and went right back on drugs. Did another facility in Florida - same results. Finally did one out of state (east coast) then she did sober living on the west coast and stayed away from Louisiana for 5 years. Came back home and knew she couldn't continue to live here so she moved back.

Praying for you and your family as this is a very tough deal for everyone.

We put one in when my kids were 10, 6, and 3. Stayed in the house for 22 years and for the first 15 years, we used it a lot. For us, it was money very well spent BUT you have to be a family that likes sun and water and being together. I have buddies that have put them in and bitched about it after year 3-4 but they didn't fit the above profile.

They are easy to maintain if you have a routine and weekly maintenance usually only takes 2 beers.

The only thing I can add to all the suggestions is to take pictures of where they dig all the plumbing and electrical. Something will break and in South LA, they will shift some so you may get a few leaks over the years where you have plumbing connections.

As another poster said, put some $$ in a fund and be prepared - salt cells, pump motors, vacuum robots, etc. go out - just part of the territory.

Craig Gosserand built my camp and was pleased with his work.

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The ones that really get my hackles up though are car-based subscription add-ons.

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Add that on top of one remote key and no spare tire.

These guys are in Houston (they manufacture what I think you are looking for). Maybe give them a call and see if they have any dealers in the area.

TMX Roll Ups