<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Is it true that the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury wants to cut down some oak trees to make room for parking? Why would they do that?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Parish officials are reviewing the parking needs for the area around the courthouse complex, but they’ve yet to determine where to put any additional parking, said Parish Administrator Bryan Beam.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“In addition to space for its own services, the Police Jury is responsible for providing court and office facilities for district court operations, tax assessor, district attorney, clerk of court, registrar of voters and other agencies,” Beam wrote in an email.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We must provide adequate parking to go along with this obligation. We are reviewing the utilization of a parking garage to help meet this expanding need. A decision on a location is expected in the first quarter of 2017.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He said that “any possible impact to trees is unknown at this time.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">City officials have been cooperative in setting parking aside at the Civic Center for the courthouse, Beam said. But the city may decide to put that property to another use in the future, “and the Police Jury must still meet its obligations under state law,” he said.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.cppj.net.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AHeadBrief">Moondancer suffered injury during season</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Can you please explain why there is no longer a horse and rider at the McNeese football games riding around the stadium before kickoff? That was one of the highlights of the game, and added so much to the atmosphere.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Moondancer and the Mystery Rider started the 2016 season, but Moondancer sustained an injury during football season and was not able to make the trip to Cowboy Stadium for the later games,” Candace Townsend, McNeese State University spokeswoman, wrote in an email.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“This tradition is very popular with McNeese football fans, and we are looking forward to having them on the field during pregame for the 2017 season.”</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.mcneese.edu.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AHeadBrief">Signs in school zones refer to state law</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">There is a sign in front of Barbe High School that states, “Hands-Free Zone.” What does that mean?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The sign, along with others like it throughout the area, is there to notify people that state law only allows them to use their cellphones when they drive through school zones if the phones are in hands-free mode. Emergency calls are excepted.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The penalty for a first violation is a fine of up to $500. For subsequent violations it’s up to $1,000, along with a 60-day license suspension. The fines</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">are doubled if a violation involves a collision.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The provisions of this Section shall only apply within a school zone upon a public road or highway during posted hours when signs are located in a visible manner in each direction that indicate the use of a hand-held wireless communications device is prohibited while operating a motor vehicle,” reads R.S. 32:300.8.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.legis.la.gov.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">The I</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nform</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">er answers questions from rea</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ders each Sunday, Monday a</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nd Wednesday. It is re</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">searched and written by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Andrew Perzo</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">, an</span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">American Press</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">staff wri</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ter. To ask a question, call</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">494-409</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">8 and leave voice mail, or ema</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">il informer@americanpress.com.</span>