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Gary LaGrange,
director of the Port of New Orleans, will be honored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana on June 19 in New Orleans for his continuing efforts to strengthen trade ties with Latin American ports. LaGrange regularly travels to ports in the Americas to work on trade agreements and otherwise ensure Louisiana's place on the map as a true 'gateway to Latin America.'

George Shinn and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 28
recently made separate, generous contributions to the 30-bed children's ward of University Hospital. FOP members donated a giant television entertainment center and electronic games, plus two tall bookshelves filled with movies, toys and board games. New Orleans Hornets co-owner Shinn donated take-home cribs for new mothers.

The Liberty Network,
a local cable television public affairs program sponsored by Liberty Bank & Trust, offered substantive stories affecting minorities throughout its nine-year history. The network signed off last week after losing its sponsorship. 'There were, and continue to be, issues directly impacting minority neighborhoods that deserve more than a 10-second sound bite or a 60-second story,' said Bill Rousselle, the show's veteran host, in an emotional farewell.

The Louisiana Senate
is spending nearly $300,000 to renovate three apartments in the Pentagon Barracks building near the state Capitol. Senators will pay "moderate rent" for using the space, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate. This outrageous expenditure of taxpayer money, which did not require public review, comes at a time when the state is reducing health care for the poor and elderly.

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