Viewers' Voice on KALB

While the Cenlamedia blog is being moved to kalb.com...please feel free to comment on the subject of the week on our Viewer's Voice Segment.

The number is 318-445-6397 Ext. 589.

The feature has been quite interesting and we look forward to your comments.

This week the subject has been the Alexandria City Council and Mayor Roy on the Channel 4 issue of airing the special council meeting.

Command Changes at Fort Polk

FORT POLK, La. - Fort Polk will host a Change of Command ceremony for the 83rd Chemical Battalion, 1st Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement) at 10 a.m., Thursday, June 21 at 1st CSB Field, here.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Eric Brigham will relinquish command to Lt. Col. Scott Estes who recently served on the Army Staff as a Synchronization Staff Officer, and as the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Branch Chief.
Brigham, who has commanded the brigade since July of 2005, moves to fill the US Army chemical branch manager of the Human Resource Command.
The 83d Chemical Battalion effective nuclear, biological, and chemical reconnaissance, biological surveillance, decontamination, and smoke support to protect the forces assigned to the 18th Airborne Corps. or a Joint Task Force Commander.
The inclement weather location is the Youth Services Gym.
The ceremony is open to the public.

Here is the bio Lt. Col. Scott Estes...

Lt. Col. Scott Estes, a Virginia native, was commissioned into the U.S. Army Chemical Corps as a Lieutenant. After completion of the officer basic course at Ft McClellan, Alabama, he was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks Hawaii, where he served in demanding and varied leadership positions including; squadron chemical officer for the 5th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, as Platoon Leader in the 71st Chemical Company, and the Assistant Division Chemical Officer.

Estes attended the Chemical Officer's Advanced Course and was then assigned to Fort Stewart Georgia. While assigned to Fort Stewart, he served as the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) Division Artillery Chemical Officer, and Commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 3d Infantry (Mechanized) Division Support Command.

He’s held the NBC Defense Advisor position for the U.S. Navy’s Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island. During his tour in Rhode Island, he earned his Masters degree in Environmental Management from the University of Rhode Island. His next assignment was as the Chemical Officer for the 19th Theater Support Command in the Republic of Korea. Upon his return from Korea, he attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Following graduation from CGSC, he was assigned to the 83rd Chemical Battalion where he served as the Battalion S-3 and Executive Officer. During this tour, he deployed with the Battalion in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

Estes’ last assignment was in the Pentagon, where he served on the Army Staff as a Synchronization Staff Officer, and as the CBRN Defense Branch Chief.

Estes awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (3OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (3OLC), the Navy Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal 5(OLC), Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Estes is married and has two children.

The Mailbag

Here are some of the emails sent recently. Perspective from viewers is always appreciated. All email addresses are protected and verified.

Feel free to visit kalb.com and hit the "contact us" email to give input. A group of us read the comments and respond.

On Lowes in Pineville...

"So we saw no announcement from Lowes. They were too high on their numbers for the project. It seems they were going to pay for some road work in the area, but now they may have to drop that from the package and also scale back on the size of the store itself. Seems
the price for the old Wal-Mart was too much and put them over the normal 18.5 million for a new store. They may even ask the city for some breaks (even though the land isn't in Pineville city limits). It will be a couple of weeks into July before they come back again.
Since they've already locked in with the church and homes for a price, they have to try to cut elsewhere, so we'll see if the city has to make up for some of the difference."

"You may want to talk to the church (Northside Baptist) to see what their plans are after the sale. Lowes is really only buying one occupied home and a house that has been used as a place for various businesses for years (a small brokerage firm, a flower shop, etc.). Of course they are buying the church property as well. The church will be the biggie to concentrate on though."

"I appreciate your new media blog and understand that it is sometimes difficult to get first hand such things as Lowes announcement even though you know about it. I have to admit that it is somewhat misleading to the public to have the media allow the Pineville City Hall bunch to make every announcement regarding every new business . It misleads the public into associating new business with something this Administration does. You do not see the Roy administration announcing new openings. I am sure the private businesses would much rather speak for themselves and not have Fields grandstand on things he knows not of."

And on CLECO...
"I was visiting some friends last night and found out that they constantly have to deal with power outages the same as we do. I live on the west side of Alexandria and they live near Poland. We both have power through CLECO. We probably have to reset our clocks at least 2 times each week. All we need to have the power go out is for the wind to blow or the lines get wet. I have lived in many places and have never had to deal with so many power outages. We were in Lafayette for Hurricane Andrew and our power never went out. I know CLECO keeps a list of each time the power goes out so you can get an exact number. Information from CLECO to their customers as to why we have such poor service would be appreciated."

And the environment...

"Why is it that in today's environment should everyone but Rapids Parish, be expected to change. Such as change light bulbs, recycle grocery bags, and so on. Rapids Parish burns hundreds of gallons of diesel everyday just to haul garbage around 100 miles one way. Burning fuel, cluttering highways, tearing up highways, emitting greenhouse gases, littering highway, and so on. Just a thought."

Thoughts always welcome.