kelli fontenot: Natchitoches

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Continued construction brings traffic to standstill

By KELLI FONTENOT
Published Sept. 10, 2008 by The Current Sauce

Students who live off campus may have noticed an increase in heavy traffic this week. The lag, in part, is due to the blocked intersection of Front Street and Church Street, currently under construction as part of the Front Street brick project. Project manager John Bell plans to have the intersection finished by Friday.

It took five months to complete the first two phases of construction, and with just two months before the first event of the Natchitoches Christmas Festival, Bell and his company, Progressive Construction, are racing against the clock to finish laying down the bricks.

The crew typically works from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week. As of Friday, the crew started working in shifts to cover full 24-hour days, which will continue until the bricks can be returned to the Church Street intersection. Bell's goal for the intersection completion is less than a week away - Sept. 12. The anticipated deadline marks the beginning of the annual Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival.

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Guest actor receives standing ovation after 'Miracle Tomato'

By KELLI FONTENOT
Published Sept. 10 by The Current Sauce

"Miracle Tomato," an original play by Connecticut native Jessica Cerullo, drew a responsive crowd to the A.A. Fredericks auditorium Saturday night. Her poetic play shed light on the tomato's journey through history, as well as its many connections to everyday life.

The play's main character, Angelina Agnoloti, abandons her family's pizzeria and takes it upon herself to educate the people of America about a very misunderstood subject. For far too long, Angelina explains, people have looked at the tomato as an unassuming vegetable - yes, a vegetable.

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'The River' landlocked

By KELLI FONTENOT
Published Sept. 4, 2008 by The Current Sauce

The River Campus Ministry, a collegiate group associated with The River interdenominational church, scheduled its second annual Riverboat Outreach - a social session for students, complete with free food and riverboat rides - for last Saturday. This year, the event hit an unexpected snag.

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Go Green - Not Broke

In some cases, going green is synonymous with going broke. Hybrid cars and organic produce are expensive, but there are ways to conserve precious energy that will also keep you from emptying your wallet. A recently completed housing development in Lake Charles is providing a new way to find out just how much energy – and money – people can save by going green. The developer will have the opportunity to study and compare electric bills of a house with average fixtures to figures from an identical house with energy-efficient upgrades, according to CJ Tech’s Charles Abshire, the electrical contractor.

Violin professor takes center stage

Light filters in through the windows of Andrej Kurti's studio in the afternoon, splaying across the blue plush lining of his open violin case. A small icon decorated with an Orthodox Christian image rests against the neck of the exquisitely carved wooden instrument. The low, clear sound of a nearby euphonium rehearsal seeps through the walls. Kurti leans back in his chair at his computer, catching a breath after his hectic day of back-to-back violin and viola lessons and long rehearsals with the orchestra. . .

Chaplain's Lake construction captures community focus

Energy audit grants boost small businesses

Big Fun Toy Store in Coventry Village is among the businesses that are participating in the Council of Small Enterprises' grant program for energy efficiency education. Energy efficiency might not be one of the first things to spring to shoppers’ minds amid the extraordinary array of memorabilia, hard-to-find candy, retro magnets and quirky gifts sold in the city’s iconic toy store. But establishing a positive atmosphere for customers and reducing environmental impact are top priorities for Steve Presser, the store’s owner.

Adrift on the Nansene

It’s about 11:45 a.m. on Saturday and I am standing on a bridge in Dufur, aiming a zoom lens at the innertubes in the creek below. I snap a few shots and run back to the truck to get rid of the camera. When I return to the creek entrance, I expect to see someone waiting for me (I’ve got the keys to the truck, after all) but once I reach the water, I am met only with a black rubber tube and a six-foot walking stick to paddle with. Hesitantly, I wade into the water and peer down the creek. The family has floated out of sight, but voices carry across the wind and I realize if I don’t go now, I may never catch up. I am about to become a participant in The Great Nansene Creek Flotilla.

Pi Kappa Phi dinner

At one of a dozen tables in the Friedman Student Union Ballroom Tuesday night, junior journalism major Cody Bourque leaned over his plate of lasagna to turn on his iPhone without using his hands. The rest of the people at his table chuckled as they watched him repeatedly hit the touch screen with the tip of his nose. "I'm updating Twitter," he said. Across the table, another diner - who was blindfolded - said, "I feel so left out of this joke." A few people chuckled, but a long pause followed as everyone realized the depth of his comment. While the statement was offered in jest, it illustrated the alienation that people with disabilities encounter on a daily basis.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Continued construction brings traffic to standstill

Guest actor receives standing ovation after 'Miracle Tomato'

'The River' landlocked

Elsewhere