The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • Page 1

LOCAL COMMUNITY: Find out where things are rockin' 3A PREVIEW CINCH turns the bulls loose on Saturday SPORTS BASEBALL: What does the future hold for the Captains? IS INSIDE 7 Y0U3 FORECAST Partly crinnv hitfh 100 Inui 7Fl St 2:. TCmCSROW: Partly sunny; high 99, low 76 details, forecast2A shreveporttimes.com A GANNETT COMPANY CADDO BOSSIER WEBSTER DESOTO NationWorld: U.S. calls for Syria's Assad to resign, 9A 1km IT iwtm. Caddo's first day showcases neW configurations By Mary Nash-Wood mwood8shreveporttimes.com Vision 2020 is in full swing. About 43,000 students converged at one of Caddo's 66 school sites Wednesday to mark the first day of school and the school system anticipates additional student enrollment in the coming days.

More than 4,560 of those students began the school year at one of the five schools converted to a seventh- to 12th-grade campus as part of the system's master plan. The plan also launched two sixth-grade centers Wednesday, as well as additional grade levels at Oak Park Mi-crosociety and Oil City Magnet. Caddo Middle Career and Technology School was one such school taking on additional students to become a sixth-grade center with its new Principal Travis Smith. Smith had previously served as Lakeshore Elementary's principal. "It's an exciting time for us," Smith said.

"I've been an elementary principal for a while, but it's great to be able to come over to CMCT and be a part of See CADDO, Page 4 Margaritaville Casino OU'd By Mike Hasten mhasten6gannett.com BATON ROUGE If Bossier Parish voters approve, "Wasted away in Margaritaville" could take on a new meaning in 2013. The state Gaming Control Board on Thursday unanimously approved plans to build a $181 million new Margaritaville Resort Casino along the banks of the Red River adjacent to Bass Pro Shops and the Louisiana Boardwalk, a string of shops and restaurants. Co-owners Paul Alanis and William Trotter pledged the casino would go after gamblers who now frequent Oklahoma casinos and but if customers from nearby boats decide to visit, it might prompt other owners to spruce up their own operations. Offering a different type of experience would also be attractive to "the thousands and thousands of Margarita fans who never had a reason to visit Shreveport-Bossier," Alanis said. Alanis is familiar with the market, having opened the Horseshoe Casino as former president of Horseshoe Casinos.

Horseshoe is still the top casino in the region and projections call for Margaritaville to be No. 3, behind Eldorado Resort. Parish voters will decide Nov. 19 whether to expand gaming and allow another riverboat casino. Margaritaville would be the sixth riverboat in the Shreveport-Bossier market.

Architect Thomas Hoskens, vice president of the Minneapolis-based international architecture firm Cuningham Group, said he's approaching the project with knowledge that "Margaritaville is not a place. Margaritaville is a state of mind. It is a relaxing place." Palm trees and jungle-like vegetation will abound, he said. "Escapism is the key." The single-story gaming area would have 1,275 slots and 38 table games with an "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" lounge in the center with lime-slice lighting fixtures and lush vegetation. Through a complicated process, Bossier Venture would purchase the boat operated by Grand Palais currently in Lake Charles, and swap it for a different Isle of Capri boat, the Crown Casino, which is the lowest-performing boat the state.

Isle of Capri would then operate Grand Palais, a larger boat than Crown, and the Crown license would be transferred to Bossier Casino Venture. fT, 1 i 1 1 rrnr 1 i ''Wi 'AS 1 1 1 Summer Grove Elementary first-grade teacher Frances Reeves helps Jaiden Russ, 6, with his work during the first day of school Thursday, greg pearsonthe times Summer Grove Elementary first-graders demonstrate what they need to do when they want to ask or answer a question in class during the first day of school Thursday in Shreveport. qreg pearsonthe times Bistineau camp agrees to close eatery Proposed a VS casino site 1 Bossier Louisiana Citv 0W Boarawalk 1 A aJ' Horseshoe g. I Webster fj 1 Parish 79) Jl Minden Haughton (371) Bossier Mr "JT't'i Parish LjfiJ Green Park Marina state and parish health codes. Hansen said he understood everything he was being asked to do and did not foresee any problems with getting it done by the deadline.

"We'll get it done," he said, following his court appearance. Bossier Parish attorney Patrick Jackson said the immediate action Hansen will take will address the most serious See CAMP, Page 4 tary water from being provided to camp residents and patrons of his commercial establishments. The injunction, filed by the Bossier Parish Police Jury, also addressed the improper treatment of sewage, construction and leasing of illegal buildings and the storage of unsanitary solid waste and other parish code ordinance violations. Hansen agreed to immediately close his restaurant until his facilities are in compliance with By Michele Marcotte mmarcotte0shreveportti mes.com The owner of a Lake Bistineau residential camp with numerous health code violations agreed Thursday in Bossier Parish district court to shut down his restaurant and adhere to a strict timeline to get facilities up to standards. Tedd Hansen, who owns Green Park Marina, was served with a court injunction last week seeking to stop unsani Lake aistineau 5 mites The Times The Times IlllilllM Business 8A Sports IS Local 3A 6A Classifieds Deaths 16A Television 17E NationWorld TWITTER FEED: Sign up today for updates on live news events.

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