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Jewell House Shelter requests emergency funding from the Caddo Commission | Louisiana

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Emilee Calametti | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-02 12:18:00

(The Center Square) — Pittre Walker, a longtime community advocate for youth, stood before the Caddo Commission asking for emergency funding to continue to run the Jewell House Shelter in this week’s work session.

Jewel House opened in 2008, and since has helped young girls and women ages 14-24 in the city have somewhere to go. The youth center is in need of funding to continue to operate. Jewell House Shelter can house up to six girls at any time, and it takes eight employees to run the 24-hour shelter.

“We’ve had a young lady just recently graduated from LSU, went to med school, and she was actually living in a car when she came to us, but she was determined. She was valedictorian of her high school,” said Walker at Monday’s meeting. “She was determined to make a great life for herself.”

Ordinance No. 6526 on new business in the commission looks to amend the budget for the Oil and Gas fund and Riverboat fund to provide $30,000 for youth outreach services doing business as Jewell House.

This ordinance, introduced by Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts, also notes the funds will be used to provide temporary housing for juvenile girls on probation as an alternative to detention. 

Many grants and funding usually provided to the shelter have not come in yet, pushing Walker to ask the commission for emergency money to operate for the next 90 days.

According to Walker, they work closely with schools, juvenile courts, hospital counselors and other places in the community to help young women who can’t go back home. Unlike other shelters, the Jewell House does not cap the stays at 30 or 45 days.

The Jewell House has a very high success rate of taking in young women and working with them to go off to college and become taxpaying citizens in the community, claimed Walker. 

Walker shared that one girl arrived when she was 14 years old. She remained there until she was 18 and graduated high school. The young girl is now working towards going to college. 

In the future, she has plans to open a “Willy’s Home for Boys” to take in younger men within the city as the Jewell House does for young women. Apart from the OJJ or OCS, Walker said there is nowhere for young boys to go in the community who need help. 

The council voted to advance the motion with nine in support and one opposed. Commissioner John Atkins was the lone vote against the ordinance.

Emilee Ruth Calametti serves as staff reporter for The Center Square covering the Northwestern Louisiana region. She holds her M.A. in English from Georgia State University and soon, an additional M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Emilee has bylines in DIG Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, Bookstr, inRegister, The Click News, and the Virginia Woolf Miscellany. She is a Louisiana native with over seven years of journalism experience.

The post Jewell House Shelter requests emergency funding from the Caddo Commission | Louisiana appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

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Reproductive Justice Fund up for another San Antonio City Council vote Thursday

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www.youtube.com – KSAT 12 – 2025-04-03 06:07:38

SUMMARY: The San Antonio City Council is set to vote on whether to allocate an additional $100,000 to the controversial Reproductive Justice Fund, originally designed to help cover travel costs for women seeking abortions. Although nearly half a million dollars in contracts were approved, none funded travel expenses, prompting renewed calls for more financial support. Some groups, like Beat AIDS Coalition Trust, are cautious about applying again, seeking legal assurances regarding abortion-related funding. Advocates emphasize the urgent need for funding, citing a crisis in Texas where women struggle to access abortion care amid ongoing legal challenges and restrictions.

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The San Antonio City Council will vote Thursday morning on whether to put another $100,000 into a controversial health fund.

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Rep. Knox proposes tip tax exemption for Louisiana workers

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www.youtube.com – WWLTV – 2025-04-02 18:16:55

SUMMARY: Rep. Alonzo Knox from New Orleans has introduced a bill to exempt tips from state income tax for Louisiana workers, aiming to provide tax relief to those in the hospitality industry, which supports 72,000 jobs in New Orleans. Many workers rely on tips, and Knox’s proposal would allow them to deduct tip income from their taxes. However, some experts, like Yon Mohler from Invest Louisiana, warn that this could reduce state revenue during challenging economic times and suggest implementing a meaningful state minimum wage instead. Knox anticipates bipartisan support for the bill, which targets individuals earning less than $65,000 annually.

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Lawmakers are due back in Baton Rouge on April 14 for the start of this year’s regular session.

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Deadly shootings at phone repair shop add to concerns for neighbors

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www.youtube.com – KSAT 12 – 2025-04-02 18:10:53

SUMMARY: A recent shootout at a San Antonio cell phone repair shop left two men dead, causing alarm among local residents. The incident involved 47-year-old Kenneth Mcnite Jr., who fatally shot employee Cody Bell, 35, before being killed by another worker. This violence adds to community fears following the unsolved murder of 28-year-old Maria Delles Labrador nearby. Residents express worry about safety, with some feeling the need to carry firearms for protection, particularly due to the proximity of violence to local establishments, including children’s swimming classes. The area is increasingly perceived as dangerous by locals.

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A shooting at a cell phone repair shop on the far Northwest Side Tuesday afternoon is adding to concerns that people who live in the area already had.

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