R. J. Corman Derailment Services
crew work to rerail one of two cars that derailed around 10 AM
Monday morning, January 8 after a bridge collapsed just south of the railroad crossing
in Athens.
L&NW Train Derails In Athens
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The L&NW Railroad received
a call sometime after 10 AM on Monday, January 8,
notifying them that a northbound train had derailed approximately 3,000 yards
south of the railroad crossing on Hwy. 518 in downtown Athens. A small bridge apparently
collapsed after two locomotives and 16 cars had crossed the bridge, causing one
car hauling chlorine to flip off the track on its side. A second car hauling
chlorine collapsed on top of the bridge and was lodged against the creek bed. A
third car carrying chlorine and another empty car remained on the south side of
the track.
Dennis Butcher, director of the
Claiborne Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, said, “This could have been
a serious incident.” Emergency personnel realized once they arrived on the
scene, there was no spill and would be no need to evacuate the area. Emergency
personnel responding to the scene in addition to personnel from L&NW
Railroad included the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, Homer Fire District,
Fire District 5, and the Louisiana State Police HazMat unit. Had a hazardous
spill occurred, Butcher would have implemented the preplanned emergency
procedure plan for the parish, which would have included evacuation of the
immediate area.
Butcher said three things
worked in their favor. One, trains do not travel at a high enough rate of speed
to rupture cars. Tank cars are more durable than in the past and can take
extreme punishment without rupturing. Two, the soft ground from the recent rain
aided in stopping the derailed cars and, three, the wind speed at only 2 mph
would have prevented widespread exposure to the chlorine.
R. J. Corman Derailment
Services of Shreveport was on the scene Monday, moving the derailed cars and
clearing the area. Officials from the Federal Railroad Administration arrived
to investigate the accident. Repairs to the bridge are expected to be completed
within the week and the track reopened.
Homer Council Names
Attorney, Finance Committee
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Homer Town Council, at the
recommendation of newly-elected Homer Mayor David Newell, approved hiring Jim
Colvin as town attorney and appointed the following accountants to serve on the
Finance Committee: Steve Koskie, Melissa Watts, Kim Buggs, and Susannah Butler.
Former mayors Huey Dean, David Aubrey, Tom Robinson, and Joe Michael were also
asked to serve on the committee.
Johnson expressed concern that
no members from the previous committee were included and he encouraged them to
help out. Newell asked several members but they declined. He thanked them for
their years of service. Sanford suggested they appoint at
least one retired person to the Committee.
Newell told her to make a recommendation and he would add them.
Jim Colvin explained he had
lived in Homer about 10 years and was
partners in the law firm with Charlie Weaver. He presently serves as general
counsel for Homer Memorial Hospital.
When questioned by Selectman J.
C. Moore whether serving as attorney for both the hospital and the town was a
conflict of interest, Colvin said it shouldn’t be as long as their interests
were aligned. He said, “There have certainly been times when the hospital board and the town council
have not agreed on everything, but those issues were always worked out.”
Colvin was unaware of any
litigation between the Town and hospital, and as long as no litigation were
involved, there would be no conflict. If that were to happen, he would have to
remove himself.
Johnson felt it would be a
benefit to have the same attorney representing both the Town and hospital.
Newell said Colvin has actually been representing the Town for the past seven
years on contracts, since the hospital is owned by the Town.
Carlette Sanford asked Colvin,
“Are you going to be available on the first Monday night of every month?”
Colvin said, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll
be here.”
Sanford asked Moore if he had another
recommendation for attorney. He said he did not; he just wanted to make sure
things were lawful and done right.
The motion by Johnson to hire
Jim Colvin as town attorney was approved by vote of 4-1. J.C. Moore was the
only no vote.
Sanford made a motion to appoint
Johnson mayor pro tem. It failed for lack of second. Michael Wade asked what
were the qualifications for mayor pro tem. Newell said to fill in when the
mayor was absent. Wade made a motion to nominate J.C. Moore, since he had
served longest. Moore seconded the motion. Voting
yes were Wade and Moore. Voting no were Johnson and Sanford. Patricia Jenkins
abstained.
Johnson’s motion to table the
issue until the next meeting was approved with Johnson, Sanford, and Jenkins
voting yes. Moore and Wade abstained. . …more
.
The Sparta Groundwater Conservation District
Commission held their first meeting in Homer in
December. Gene Coleman (center), who was selected chairman at the November
meeting, called the meeting to order. In past years, all Commission meetings
were held in Ruston.
Future meetings will rotate at the various parishes served by the Sparta
Aquifer who are represented by members on the Board. Dr. Alice Stewart of Homer
(second from left) also serves on the Sparta Commission.
Sparta
Commission Meets In Homer
BY SUSAN T. HERRING,
Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Prior to the convening of the
first meeting held 
in Homer by the Sparta Groundwater Conservation District
Commission on December 11, U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologist Ben McGee of Ruston gave a presentation on the
current condition of the Sparta Aquifer. For the past 80 years, levels have
continued to decline from 1 to 5 feet per year.
In areas such as around West Monroe, overusage has created cones
of depression which can lead to salt water intrusion. Salt water moved in
because of reduced pressure and water levels in the Sparta. Once water is removed from an
aquifer and it becomes compacted, it will never hold as much water as it once
did. Declining levels in the aquifer also lowers the quality of the water,
which then takes more money to treat.
Arkansas has an ongoing water
conservation program which was implemented in 1999. McGee said, “They really do
deserve kudos for their efforts.” However, Arkansas cannot do enough conservation
to help Louisiana. He said, “We have to solve
our own problems.”
International Paper in Bastrop switched from the Sparta to surface water in 1984 or
1985. In less than one year, water levels rose 40-60 feet, which was an
immediate benefit to that area.
Usage in the Sparta stayed consistent from 2000 to
2004 at 68 million gallons per day. Of that industry used 44 percent while
public supply was at 53 percent.
USGS monitors hundreds of wells
in the Sparta, which are checked annually, semi-annually, and
quarterly. This monitoring shows wells on the Arkansas border are recovering thanks
to the huge water conservation project implemented in El Dorado. McGee said he would like to
continue monitoring wells in the Sparta Aquifer region and made a request for
funding by the Commission. Once the water quality data is collected, he would
like to publish the information.
After convening the meeting,
Chairman Gene Coleman appointed the following committees:
Finance: Dennis Woodward
(chairman), Gary Carlisle, Kim Brantley, Herb Byars, Olevia McDonald.
Public Relations/Education:
Jackie Perritt (chairman), Alice Stewart, Dennis Woodward, Dan Morgan, Sam
Little
Long-Term Planning: Alice
Stewart (chairman), Bobby Price, Herb Byars, George Rolfe Jr., Bobby Culpepper.
At the request of Alice
Stewart, commissioners approved budgeting up to $150 to purchase boxes to store
archived documents at Louisiana Tech University. Documents of the Sparta
Commission were donated in December to Tech’s department of special
collections, manuscripts, and archives, where they will be available for view
by the public as well as online at www.latech.edu/specialcollections.
Commissioners also approved spending up to $200 to purchase a portable
recorder.
Besides members of the
Commission, others in attendance included Tony Duplechin, Director of
Groundwater Resources Division of the Office of Conservation for the La. Dept.
of Natural Resources, Police Jury president Roy Mardis and Secretary Dwayne
Woodard, Todd Culpepper with Jackson
Parish Police Jury, Butch Fincher with Claiborne Watershed Commission, and Noel
James with D’Arbonne Lake Commission.
The next meeting will be held
in Minden on Thursday, January 11 at 3 PM at the Court Room of the Minden Civic Center. Rhonda Martin, who has worked
extensively with the Arkansas Sparta group, will report on the progress that
has been made in Arkansas to protect the Sparta Aquifer.
Homer Man Charged With Forcible
Rape
BY SUSAN T. HERRING,
Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Homer Police Chief Russell
Mills announced that Officer Keith Ferguson served an arrest warrant just after 11 AM on Monday, January 8 on Dennis
Tyrone Knowles, 23, of Homer. Knowles was transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center where he was charged with
forcible rape and placed under a $50,000 bond.
Mills said the Homer Police
Department was contacted in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 17 by a
white female who stated she had been raped. Officers transported the woman to Homer Memorial Hospital where she was examined. After
identifying Knowles from a photo line-up, an arrest warrant was obtained.
A hold has also been placed on
Knowles for an active warrant by the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office and by
Probation and Parole for a probation violation.
According to RS 14:42.1, a
person who commits forcible rape, if convicted, shall be imprisoned at hard
labor for not less than five nor more than forty years. At least two years of
the sentence imposed shall be without benefit of probation, parole, or
suspension of sentence
The Frame For The Pines Theater
Movie Screen was recently discovered while clear cutting
property owned by J. T. Taylor just north of Homer off Hwy. 79. Willie Ray
Daniels and Bobby Manning, employees of David Taylor Logging, found four posts
that once held the speakers. A portion of the building that once housed the
projector and refreshment stand stoodwithin an area big enough for 300 cars.
The Pelican Theater was open from
1930s to 1950s. In 1953-54, Homer had three theaters—The
Pelican, The Paula, and The Pines Drive-In. By the late 1950s, all three were
closed. One of the ushers at The Pelican in 1936 was Norton Tompkins (left),
then a ninth grade student at Homer High School.
The ticket booth and popcorn machine can be seen to his left as you enter the
theater. While on leave from the U.S.
Navy in 1944, Ensign Tompkins (right) posed for this picture in front of The
Pelican. In the background to his left is Homer City Hall.
Movies playing each week were posted at the front and advertised in The
Guardian-Journal.
Pines Drive-In Stirs Memories
BY SUSAN T. HERRING,
Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Pines Drive-In just north
of Homer may have only been in business 2 or 3 years after it opened in 1953,
but the frame which once held the gigantic screen over 50 years ago still
stands on the property now owned by J. T. Taylor. For years, it was hidden by
the heavy growth of pine trees which surrounded it. Now it can clearly be seen
from the highway. While clearing the area before Christmas, employees of David
Taylor Logging discovered the historic treasure. Also found were a number of
posts still attached to the concrete that once held the speakers and a portion
of the building that once housed the movie projector and concessions.
When Bob Bailey and Bob Grady
first opened “The Pines Drive-In Theatre” in July 1953, Homer already had two
walk-in theaters downtown—The Pelican and The Paula. The Pines, which was
located about one mile north of Homer on Hwy. 79, had space for approximately
300 cars. At that time, the total
population in Claiborne Parish was just over 25,000. Admission to the Drive-In
was 45 cents for adults and free for children, much more than the 10 cents
admission many remember paying to go to other two theaters.
The Pelican Theater was located
in the old Homer Fire Station between Homer City Hall and the Homer Police Station.
It was owned by W. P. Florence of Magnolia.
The Paula, which was named
after the daughter of owner Oswald Fomby, was located in the building where
Something Old, Something New is now located.
Norton Tompkins worked as usher
at The Pelican before leaving for college and the Navy. His sister Mary met and
married her husband Ralph Martin while working at the theater. The two managed
the theater for many years for owner W. P Florence of Magnolia. He remembers
James McKenzie running the projection machine. They would throw popcorn up to
him while he was running the film.
Former Homer Mayor Joe Michael
remembers working as a popcorn boy at The Pelican before being promoted to
usher, then to head usher. His two brothers, James Robert and Ed, took over his
duties as usher after he graduated. He remembered one time while changing the
sign on the marquis. Dude Tabor and Nolan Shaw got in a fight with two boys
from Summerfield and knocked the ladder from beneath him.
Dr. Pat Bates, associate pastor
at First United Methodist Church, remembers paying 10 cents to
see the “picture show” as it was referred to back then. She remembers seeing
The Blob starring Steve McQueen. She remembered the time in 1953 when America’s number one action star
“Lash” LaRue brought his great western show to town. An expert with a whip,
LaRue had a local volunteer hold a cigarette in his mouth, while he popped off
the ashes.
Gene Coleman ran the projector
at The Pelican from age 13 until he graduated high school. Richard McComic ran
the projector at The Paula during that time. The first time Coleman ran the
projector alone, it was a movie starring Ma and Pa Kettle.
Each week, along with the
regular feature film, theaters would show news reels and continuing episodes
featuring stars like Lash LaRue or Hopalong Cassidy. Bates remembered other
films that featured Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, or Gene Autrey. The
episode each week would always end with a damsel in distress to get movie goers
to return the following week.
Homer Councilman Toney Johnson
said he must have been about 5 years old when his dad took the family to the
Pines Drive-In. He did not know what movie was playing, but he did remember how
they would throw paper plates with numbers on them from the concession
building. Those who caught the plates could win a prize with the corresponding
number.
All that is left of the three
theaters now is the memories—and one large frame that once held the screen at
the Pines Drive-In. As president of the Claiborne Chamber of Commerce, property
owner J. T. Taylor promotes and assists local businesses. When asked if he
might consider opening another drive-in, he only chuckled.
.
Homer Chief of Police Russell Mills
was sworn last week by Clerk of Court Patrick Gladney. Mills was elected last
October to serve a 4-year term as Police Chief for the Town of Homer.
Looking Back—More
Highlights From 2006
Continued from last week....
March
The Louisiana State Police were
asked by Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey to investigate the death of an
inmate at the Claiborne Parish Detention Center on March
5, 2006.
James Modisette of Homer had been arrested March 4 by the Homer Police
Department. After benig taken to Homer Memorial Hospital where he refused
treatment, he was transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center and
charged with unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, simple battery
(domestic), disturbing the peace, resisting an officer, and probation/parole
violation. Modisette was found semi-conscious in his holding cell and airlifted
to LSU Medical Center in Shreveport where he later died . …more
A’javion Kywon Gilmore was
the first baby born in 2007 at Homer Memorial Hospital.
He arrived at 10:05 AM
on Monday, January 8,
2007, weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19½ inches long.
A’javion is the son of Danyell
Brooks
and Kelvin Gilmore of Homer. Ready to welcome their little brother home is
two-year-old sister, Alexia Gilmore, and one-year-old brother, Kelvin Gilmore,
Jr.
Governor Kathleen Blanco
To Speak At Chamber Banquet
Louisiana Governor Kathleen
Babineaux Blanco will be the guest speaker at the 42nd Annual Claiborne Chamber of Commerce Banquet to be held, Monday, January 22, 2007 at 6 PM at the Claiborne Parish Fair
Barn in Haynesville. In January, 2004,
Blanco became the first woman to serve as Governor of Louisiana. She has been a
pioneer for women, serving two terms as Lt. Governor, five years in the State
Legislature, and five years on the Public Service Commission, two as Commissioner.
Chamber President J. T. Taylor
said, “We are delighted Gov. Blanco was able to find time to come to Claiborne
Parish.” Reservations are $30 per person and must be paid in advance. Seating
is limited to 300 persons. For more information or to make reservations, call
the Chamber office at 927-3271.
