The local police chief said that this event has generated as much public interest as a hurricane. In a city ravaged by Rita in 2005, that is immense concern.

The concern built from residents’ strong ties to the park. Thousands of Lake Charles citizens hammered and sawed the Millennium Park into reality in 2000. Since that time many more have spent hours climbing the network of towers, flying the plane, sailing the seas, and swinging to the sky on the park’s imaginative “Shiver me Timbers” equipment. Once the January 9 fire that destroyed half the park was ruled arson, emotions swelled to hurricane strength proportions.

As part of our coverage, I spent several hours talking with residents as the visited the park to see the damage first hand. We ran the full responses as a special “On the Street” section and I created a montage of reactions highlighting the most voiced reactions of park visitors.

A goose never voted for an early Christmas. – Irish Saying

I love the holidays. They give you license to have fun even with your work. The “American Press” has a weekly man in the street opinion poll that falls under my duties. Normally I put together a soundslides package with the head-shots and the audio interviews. For the holidays I visited six area schools and ask the children a few questions about Santa. This called for video. See below:

Happy Holidays!

All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind. –Martin H. Fischer

Art from fish from Karen Wink on Vimeo.

The best way to learn is through real world experience. Plus, it is also cheaper. Most workshops are $15K or more. Money I don’t have. So this year I resolved to learn as much as I could on my own.

Many of my “free” hours in 2010 have been spent working on videos and studying work from Brain Strom and other innovative folks. So far in 2010, I have produced 22 video on my own. Each one has taught me something.

Here is the latest. I wish the audio was better. I tweaked it some with Audacity which helped. A separate interview with the artist would have help that issue. (That is school of hard knocks lesson #1011)

This package is about a local artist that uses the Japanese technique of Gyotaku. I worked on this story with the semi-retired Cliff Seiber. He has worked as a reporter and editor for many years. It was an honor to work with such an experienced journalist and to see how the interview was transformed into a feature story. Also, the Lake Charles American Press has a very talented art director, Donna Price. She designed the page and it is easy see why she has won so many awards.

The video is also on the LCAP channel on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEWvQllmw58

Here is the link to the post on the LCAP site: http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpphotos/?p=1219

Art from fish from Karen Wink on Vimeo.

STORY BY KAREN WINK

AMERICAN PRESS, August 29, 2010
Current and former employees from the old Mathieson Alkali Works in Westlake gathered before sunrise to witness the last moments of a structure they called the heart of the old plant — a 320-foot tall flue stack.

At about 7 a.m. there was one small boom and then a thud. The heart fell into pieces, symbolizing the end of an era on Saturday.

“I hate to see it fall, but you have to move the old stuff out to bring the new industry in,” Said Gerald Singleton, a retired shift operator of the powerhouse.

The current property owner and his former employer, LyondellBasel, gave Singleton the honor of pushing the button on the explosives that caused the old stack to fall. The flue stack was the last remaining structure of the plant’s powerhouse.

Jim Redyke

Since its construction in 1934, the brick and concrete structure had funneled steam from the powerhouse that provided the energy for the ammonia and caustic-soda plant.

“One charge apparently directed the tower to lay down,” said Don Starkovich, a former employee who worked 28 years at the plant.

“Sad to see it go,” said Earl Dorman, who worked at the plant from 1980 to 2007.

Directing the deceptively easy demolition was Jim Redyke, the president of Dykon Explosive Demolition Corp. of Tulsa, Okla. For demonstration purposes, Redyke compared the demolition of a smokestack to cutting down a tree.

“It’s a similar process to taking a tree down with a chainsaw, where you cut a “v” out of the front on the fall side and go to the back side with a chainsaw to cut a notch, taking the tension side out. Then it falls in the direction you want,” he said.

Redyke said that with a smokestack, holes are drilled for blasting, and rebar must be meticulously cut. Safety is always the first concern. Redyke and his staff prepared the stack on Thursday and Friday, drilling holes and setting explosives for the Saturday morning implosion.
“Every job is unique because of the configuration of the stack. So you apply the principles you have learned through years and make the field adjustments based on what you know. There’s no book to tell you what to do,” said Redyke.

Redyke handles explosive demolition and cleaning and rock blasting.

“I always say that I get to blow and go.” said Redyke

Much of my time this summer has been spent shooting and learning video editing. Combining video with my stories and photo essays offers a compelling way to tell a story. With the iPad and other tablet computers, I am super ‘geeked’ about the advances in journalism and the art of story-telling.

Right now, I’m working on my website and I plan to post some of my favorite photos from the year. Below are my favorite videos of the summer. You can see all on them on my Vimeo page.

Home Grown, Part I from Karen Wink on Vimeo.

Local attorney, Erik Fain discusses his reasons for planting a garden using sustainable methods. Read more on the American press website: http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=9654

At the “harp” of the matter from Karen Wink on Vimeo.

In its 11th year, the McNeese Harp Camp draws people of all ages and all ability levels for a week long camp of harp fun. Campers are immersed in the history, maintenance, and music of the harp. Look for the full feature in Sunday’s American Press on August 1, 2010.

The Beat goes on from Karen Wink on Vimeo.

Damon Thibodeaux and Chad Richard love banging on drums. So much so they started The Lake Area Drum Circle in October 2009. The recreational drumming group meets twice monthly at the Gazebo at Millennium Park. Please sure to pick up Sunday’s American Press to read the feature (July 11th)

cheers

Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham

Collecting tear-sheets is a task I often forget to do. It takes more time if you don’t collect them as you go along. Add that to my revised list of New Year Resolutions. Below are the year end tear-sheets from 2008 and 2009. I also threw in one from my helicopter ride over Cameron after Ike.

A technically perfect photograph can be the world’s most boring picture. - Andreas Feininger

The end of 2009 marks my first full year in Lake Charles.

My employment with the American Press began in June of 2008. My first six months were swamped by Ike and Gustav. Hurricane coverage buffed the newbie shine off my forehead.

January 2009 creeped in and life in Lake Charles without storms became a daily reality. Looking back over the year, southwest Louisiana has revealed itself to be a well kept secret in Louisiana.

Growing up in the far northern reaches of the state, Baton Rouge and New Orleans were always discussed as the center of Louisiana. Prior to 2009, no proof was ever offered to the contrary. Today I know different. Southwest Louisiana’s culture is an interesting mix of Cajun, cowboy, and much more. The food here is some of the best in the state. Seriously, I have eaten some of the best poboys, hamburgers, and gumbo.

The slideshow contains some of my favorite images for 2009. This is a mix of sports, news and feature shots. Hope you enjoy it.

Here are a few of my favorite tears sheets from 2009.

The American Press lost an incredible sport writer last week. The living world lost a sweet happy soul who was always quick to smile.  Even though I did not have the opportunity to work with Brian Guilbeau for long, his positive spirit helped make my first months at the American Press more bright. For this I am eternally grateful.  May you rest in peace, Brian.

This photo was taken when Brian and I  patrolled around Lake Charles to cover the damage from Hurrican Ike. I would have been lost without him.

Here’s the obit we ran this past Saturday in the American Press:

Brian Guilbeau, an award winning sportswriter, columnist and page editor for the American Press, died Friday. He was 38.

He had battled cystic fibrosis, undergoing a pair of lung-transplant surgeries.

Guilbeau was the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s 2005 Columnist of the Year. He covered high school and McNeese sports for the American Press over the years, with assignments ranging from LSU’s national championship game to a high school basketball matchup played behind closed doors because a fight marred the teams’ previous meeting.

He won awards from The Associated Press, Louisiana Press Association and LSWA for game coverage, columns and headline writing.

Guilbeau also served as editor of the Health & Fitness page and was a page designer on the nighttime news desk.

His wife, Cassondra, and daughter, Lilly, are among those who survive him.

In America, the photographer is not simply the person who records the past, but the one who invents it. – Susan Sontag

Everyday newspapers lose good journalists. This is old news. Most are because of layoffs, but not always.

The “American Press” lost one of my favorite reporters last week, but John Guidroz left in pursuit of a masters. We are so proud! Guidroz was an excellent reporter and had the APME awards to prove it. Plus, he was just darn nice!

John did have a knack for getting in the backgrounds on my photos when we were covering events together. I’ll miss trying to crop him out of my photos.

BTW: John is also a talented musician. I had been trying to make it out to hear him sing for many months. Time drug out until it was time for his last show in Lake Charles. That is the one I attended. John sung many of my favorite songs from the 80’s and 90’s. He’s got such talent: award-winning journalist and he can sing!