New restaurant debuts in the East Bank District: Here's the menu and a peek inside
Plus — Bossier Schools honor a man who walked 30 miles for a job.
Bossier City weather — Today: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. Temperature falling into the lower 70s this afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Much cooler. Less humid, with lows in the lower 40s. Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Much cooler, with highs in the lower 60s.
Beyond Bossier
New restaurant debuts in the East Bank District: Here's the menu and a peek inside
The Hangar Taphouse and Kitchen has opened in the East Bank District. After a brief life as The Garage, an offshoot of the Red River Brewpub, the Hangar at 310 Mansfield Street has taken the massive space up a notch with a new menu and an emphasis on food combined with fun.
With craft beer, a full bar and Cajun-inspired dishes, The Hangar is looking to compliment the casual vibes of the EBD. The menu includes:
Voodoo Pasta, with sauteed shrimp and andouille sausage topped with a spicy sauce over penne pasta.
Southern Fried Fish Platter features golden-fried fillets with slaw, plus fries or onion rings.
Plus shrimp, catfish or crawfish po'boys.
See the complete menu below.
The Hangar launched with a soft opening on Friday. Early reviews are positive and enthusiastic.
Bossier Schools honor a man who walked 30 miles for a job: Marcus McIlveen
A special honor was given at last Thursday's Bossier Parish School Board meeting — to a man who walked from Shed Road to Plain Dealing to run a school bus route.
You read that right. He walked. Thirty miles.
Here is the story of Marcus McIlveen.
McIlveen is a long-time bus operator who has captured the hearts and admiration of the Benton community. He is the only driver who runs three routes each morning and afternoon, picking up and dropping off for Kingston Elementary, Benton Intermediate, Benton Middle and Benton High.
All 184 of his riders see this gentle giant of a man as a comforting, friendly figure who treats them with respect and kindness. Kingston mom Morgan Burton and her children are among McIlveen’s many fans.
“My daughter begged to ride the bus, but I was just terrified because she was so young,” Burton said. “I met Mr. Marcus and he completely changed my mind. He always greets the kids every morning. (He) Makes sure if the weather is bad to drop kids off as close to their home as possible and always communicates any time the bus will be delayed through our neighborhood Facebook page. He is truly such a blessing to our school.”
Kingston Assistant Principal Amber Beach calls him the “Principal of the Buses,” because McIlveen exemplifies what it means to go the extra mile.
On one particular day, he walked from Shed Road (in Bossier City) to Plain Dealing to run a route, starting at 10 p.m. the night before and arriving in Plain Dealing on-time the next morning.
“He is invested in his students and can tell you about their families, hobbies, pets and so much more,” Beach shared. “He is the first to volunteer for a field trip, after-school activity or to drive our faculty Christmas caroling. He often trains new drivers and takes great pride in training those that will be entrusted to transport our most precious gift, our children.”
On one particular day, he walked from Shed Road (in Bossier City) to Plain Dealing to run a route, starting at 10 p.m. the night before and arriving in Plain Dealing on time the next morning.
The road to being hired by Bossier Schools’ Transportation Department was not an easy one, though. When the honorably discharged Air Force veteran first applied, he did not own a vehicle. He did not let that stop him, though.
“So he walked to the bus barn, arriving at 5:30 a.m. each day, just in case a substitute driver was needed,” Transportation Director Lt. Col. Dave Hadden explained. “He also hung around the bus barn to accept potential mid-day runs or field trips. On one particular day, he walked from Shed Road (in Bossier City) to Plain Dealing to run a route, starting at 10 p.m. the night before and arriving in Plain Dealing on-time the next morning.”
Needless to say, McIlveen was offered a full-time position as soon as one became available.
“In the 16 years since, he has never shorted us on his work ethic, places safety as his number one priority for our nation’s most precious cargo, and strives hard to be a role model for his students,” Hadden added.
Asked why he was so driven to join the Transportation team, McIlveen simply answered, “At the time, I needed a job, and I wanted to do the best job that I could.”
McIlveen takes great pride in training new drivers and striving to ensure they are properly trained. He also enjoys going on field trips to see new places and ensuring the students remain safe. He has also set a goal of where he hopes his path will eventually lead.
“Eventually, I would like to become the Director of Transportation,” McIlveen revealed. “I am working towards that by finishing my degree in human resources.”
One recent morning during drop-off at Kingston, a surprise was waiting for “Mr. Marcus,” as his riders call him. A host of cheerleaders lined the walkway, a poster fluttered in the breeze congratulating him, and Bossier Schools Superintendent Jason Rowland — another fan of McIlveen’s — was waiting for his arrival, along with fellow bus operators and others. Amid much fanfare, McIlveen learned he was chosen as Bossier Schools’ latest winner of the Gold Star employee award. After all, a heart of gold deserves a real gold star.
Benton Intermediate Principal Jennifer Burris summed it up best.
“Marcus demonstrates that no matter the role, we can all make a lasting impact on students’ lives. His dedication and attitude are truly deserving of recognition.”
Lawmakers send tax package to Gov. Landry for his signature
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry got the Louisiana Legislature to back his bet of lowering individual and corporate income taxes to stimulate growth in the state.
And raise the already highest-in-the-nation sales tax.
The Legislature adopted a 3% flat tax for individuals, trimmed corporate taxes and will make up some of the lost revenue by temporarily extending and increasing to 5% the state sales tax. Louisiana will now have a combined local and state sales tax of 10.6%.
A 'long overdue conversation' on taxes
The tax package, passed Friday with the required two-thirds votes in both chambers, received bipartisan support by aligning Louisiana’s taxes with successful neighboring states.
The bills now go to the governor for his signature. The action Friday closed a special session of the Legislature that opened on Nov. 6.
“When we came to Baton Rouge, our goal was to have a long overdue conversation on our tax package,” said Sen. William Wheat, R-Ponchatoula. “This will put Louisiana in a better competitive space to compete with our surrounding states,” he said.
In a closed-door session, Senate lawmakers merged the politically-palatable income tax cut with the steep sales tax increase to win support for the package as a whole. The idea was to flatten the personal income tax from a tiered-rate system with a top rate of 4.25%, which would have created over a billion dollars in deficits, prompting lawmakers to raise the sales tax and find other sources of revenue to offset the cuts.
The bill passed the Senate 38-1 vote, with Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, casting the sole dissenting vote. House approval was 80-18, with Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, as the only dissenting Republican.
Louisiana residents to face an even higher sales tax
Still, it was not clear that all the revenue lost by cutting taxes would be made up.
“You’re creating a budget shortfall to provide a tax break for people who don’t need it, and creating another fiscal cliff,” said Jan Moller, executive director of Invest in Louisiana, a nonpartisan group in Baton Rouge that represents lower-income citizens.
This proposed sales tax increase mirrors one pushed by former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2016, when Louisiana faced a significant deficit. However, Landry’s sales tax hike is intended to offset his plan to flatten income taxes, a step toward his long-term goal of eliminating income taxes entirely. To gain support, the income and sales tax measures were combined, enabling Republican legislators to stomach raising the sales tax to an even steeper highest rate in the nation.
“We are not expanding sales tax into any new services,” Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, said. However, the package will for the first time tax digital services such as streaming services and games.
Corporate tax changes aim to attract business to the state
The Senate approved a significant reduction in the corporate income tax and the complete elimination of the corporate franchise tax. The corporate income tax rate was lowered from 7.5%, one of the highest in the nation, to a flat 5.5%, a move legislators believe will make Louisiana more attractive to business. The bill was passed with a 38-1 vote in the Senate and a 90-9 vote in the House.
The corporate franchise tax, a levy on owning property or conducting business in the state, will be fully eliminated starting January 1, 2026. As part of this change, certain business tax credits will expire on June 30, 2025. Louisiana was previously one of only 17 states with a corporate franchise tax. The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate and by an 84-16 vote in the House.
“Most states around us have eliminated the franchise tax,” said Sen. Jeremy Stine, R-Lake Charles, former marketing director for his family business, Stine Home and Yard,.”As a business owner this tax is a punishing tax.”
Teacher pay raise made permanent
The Senate also approved a bill to make permanent the $2,000 annual stipend teachers have received over the past two years. With Louisiana facing a shortage of some 2,500 teachers, this measure aims to retain current educators and attract new talent.
The raise will be partially funded by reallocating $2 billion from the state’s Millennium Trust Fund, managed by the Louisiana Education Department, to reduce debt in the teachers' retirement system.
However, teachers at charter schools and other institutions that have not contributed to the retirement system will not qualify for the raise. Additionally, some school districts may have leftover funds after receiving this state funding. Any surplus must be directed toward other school employees rather than expenses like textbooks. The bill was unanimously passed in both houses.
Two subsidies the Landry wanted to eliminate were partially preserved after protests at the Capitol; tax credits for movie-making and historic preservation of buildings.
– By Quinn Marceaux and Grace Thompson/LSU Manship School News Service
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Clay, I wish we could find a story like the Marcus McIlveen article every day.
Fantastic story. He is an extraordinary gentleman.