Suddenly there is a hospital being built on Nelson Road across from Prien Lake Elementary School. Do you have any information on what hospital this is and when the construction for it was approved?

The facility, called Lake Charles General Hospital, will be a 33,000-square-foot “general hospital with an emphasis on emergency room services,” said Mike Huber, Lake Charles planning director.

“The property is zoned mixed-use and therefore a minor conditional use zoning permit was necessary,” Huber said in a statement forwarded to The Informer.

“The application was reviewed and was found to meet all development standards for this zoning district. The project was approved by Planning Department staff on June 17, 2016.”

Additionally, he said, the project was reviewed by the state Department of Transportation and Development.

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Online: www.cityoflakecharles.com.

Courthouse cannon used in World War II

What is the history behind the German cannon on display on the courthouse grounds?

The cannon, a 150 mm World War II-era howitzer, was given to Calcasieu Parish by the U.S. War Department in 1948. It replaced a Great War-era cannon that was donated for scrap during the Second World War.

“The German trophy cannon, a familiar sight on the courthouse lawn since it was presented to the parish in 1919, may be returned to Germany or sent to Japan with explosive force behind it, or it may become part of some machinery of war,” reads a story from the Sept. 2, 1942, edition of the American Press.

“The police jury this morning donated it to the army emergency scrap drive after a brief request for the big gun had been presented by Charles A. Richardson, commander of W. B. Williamson post, American Legion.”

The howitzer, designed to fire an 83-pound projectile, was used during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

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Online: www.army.mil/botb.

NOAA charts show depths for lakes

What is the deepest place in Lake Charles, and what is the deepest place in Prien Lake?

According to nautical charts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the deepest part of Lake Charles — at 34-35 feet — is the westernmost side, which is part of the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

The deepest part of Prien Lake, the charts show, is the southwestern part — near the country club — where the greatest depth is 25 feet.

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Online: www.charts.noaa.gov/BookletChart/11339_BookletChart.pdf.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.