Newly-Elected
School Superintendent Wayne King (center) waits for the
decision of the Claiborne Parish School Board last Thursday. In the final vote,
King received 6 votes and Haynesville Elementary Principal Bob Bond (seated,
right) received 4 votes. On the first ballot, Homer High Principal Dwight
Mitchell (left) received 2 votes.
School Board Names New
Superintendent
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne Parish School
Board, by a vote of 6-4, approved hiring Wayne King of Springhill as the new
school superintendent to replace James Scriber, who will step down the end of
June. King edged out two Claiborne Parish principals, Bob Bond at Haynesville
Elementary and Dwight Mitchell at Homer High. Janice Williams, who works in the
central office, also submitted an application.
School board members cast votes
by ballot at a special called meeting last Thursday, March 29. Ballots were
then read aloud by President Will Maddox. Six votes were needed to be elected.
On the first ballot, five votes
went to Wayne King. They were Joe Lee, Stanley Edwards, Vera Meadors, Tommy
Davidson, and Terry Willis. Three board members (Danny Lee, Sherman Brown, and
Will Maddox) voted for Bob Bond and two votes were received for Dwight Mitchell
from Almeter Willis and Blake Hemphill.
A runoff ballot was then held
between King and Bond. King received six votes from Joe Lee, Edwards, Meadors,
Davidson, Willis, and Willis. Bond’s four votes came from Danny Lee, Brown,
Maddox, and Hemphill.
King is a retired educator and
administrator for the Webster Parish school system. He was a teacher for more
than nine years. For close to 25 years, he served as principal and assistant
principal at Springhill High and principal at the Junior High. He also served
as Assistant School
Superintendent for Webster Parish.
Although King
officially takes over July 1, 2007, but will work with Scriber through June 30. The salary for the new
superintendent approved by the Board at a special meeting March 22 was $86,643,
which includes a base salary of $72,000 plus the sales tax check, 13th and 14th
checks, and a car allowance of $6,000.
Following the vote, King
addressed the board. He said Bond and Mitchell were both fine men. “I want to
be a team with them, work closely together for the Claiborne Parish school
system,” he said. “I look forward to working with you.”
Before adjourning, Maddox said,
“We need to keep our school system in our prayers at all times.” Following the
meeting, King greeted board members.
Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey
and Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Dennis Butcher (standing), E-911
Director Scott Greeson and CPSO Dispatcher Walter Johnson (seated) are excited
about the new E-911 dispatch system and newly renovated office. The
state-of-the-art system has attracted attention of law enforcement in Richland,
Bienville, Lincoln, and other areas.
The New Dispatch Room
at the Sheriff’s Office is a model for other law enforcement agencies in
Louisiana.
Claiborne Parish Upgrades
E-911 System
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Office recently completed renovation of the new dispatch center with
state-of-the-art Emergency 9-1-1 equipment. E-911 Director Scott Greeson said,
“This is a great time for Claiborne Parish as we have been able to replace the
old, antiquated answering equipment with the most cutting edge,
technologically advanced equipment on the market.”
A Computer Telephony
Integration Solution along with comprehensive Digital Mapping Display System
was installed that will show the location of a call within Claiborne Parish, a
feature not previously available. This equipment allows the Sheriff’s Office,
who serves as Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) for the entire parish, to
save precious seconds needed to save lives when answering an E-911 call.
Both systems give the Sheriff’s
Office and Claiborne E-911 an advanced networking solution that will enable the
community to build, operate and enhance the efficiency and response
effectiveness of the E-911 system.
Phase II, which should be
online within the next couple of months, will allow fast and easy location of
wireless calls inside the parish.
Greeson said, “We have been
able to set the cornerstone of a GIS system that will not only benefit E-911
and the Sheriff’s Office, but also any local, state, or federal agency that
might come to Claiborne Parish.”
Sheriff Bailey said, “The
Claiborne Sheriff’s Dispatch Office is now a model for other agencies
throughout Louisiana.”
Dennis Butcher, who serves as director for the
Office of Emergency Preparedness, said they are now working on a “Reverse 911”
alert system that will allow the office to call and notify Claiborne Parish
residents in the event of a major event such as a tornado or storm. The system
will have the capacity to call every residence in the parish in less than ten
(10) minutes, or only the phone numbers in selected areas.
Bids will be opened this month
on an alert system for Homer and Haynesville. This will be a loud audible sound
and should be online by late summer.
Renovation of the Dispatch
Office and installation of the new E-911 Equipment was done through the joint
effort of the Department of Homeland Security, the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Office, the Claiborne Parish Communications District (E-911), and the Claiborne
Parish Police Jury.
Speeding Leads To Arrest
For Drug Possession
Claiborne Parish Deputy Matt
Harris initiated his radar unit and stopped a vehicle traveling northbound on
Hwy. 79 at a high rate of speed Saturday night, March 31. After approaching the
driver of the vehicle, he detected a strong odor associated with marijuana on
the driver, Jeremiah Blu Johnson. After advising him of the reason for the
stop, he searched Johnson and discovered a pipe-like object commonly used to
smoke marijuana sticking out of his right front pocket. Further search revealed
a clear plastic bag containing a green vegetable substance suspected to be
marijuana.
Johnson, 29, of Minden was
advised of his rights, then arrested for speeding
71/55, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of Schedule I CDS
(marijuana). He was transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center where
he was booked on the above charges. Bond was set at $1,500.
Barbara Monzingo
introduces new LA VISTA worker, Lauren Tichenor, to the SToP Coalition.
Members of the local SToP
“Solutions to Poverty” coalition met last week to share information on what is
being done to reduce poverty in Claiborne Parish.
Finding Solutions To Poverty---A Challenging Task
The purpose of life is not to be happy—but to matter, to be
productive, to be useful, to have it make a difference that you have lived at
all. —Leo Rosten, Teacher and Humorist, 1908-1997
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The first statement in the
Executive Summary Report of the Governor’s Summit on Solutions to Poverty held
in May 2005 is a quote from Samuel Johnson in 1782, “Poverty is a great enemy
to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues
impracticable and others extremely difficult.”
A family of four with an annual
income below $18,810, or a single adult with an annual income of $9,400 is
living in poverty. Louisiana has the highest rate of poverty in the nation
according to the report on poverty released in August 2004 by the U. S. Census
Bureau. It was this news that prompted Governor Kathleen Blanco to initiate the
statewide program to find solutions to poverty. “Solutions to Poverty” (SToP)
community coalitions were set up in all 64 parishes under the Department of
Social Services.
Looking for solutions to
poverty and sharing ideas on local programs was the focus of the local SToP
Coalition who met last week in Joy Hays’ classroom on the Northwest Technical
College campus in Homer.
Hays serves as WIA Youth Program Director
and SToP Coordinator for Claiborne Parish. She has lived in Claiborne Parish
for 52 years. She said, “Today we continue to face all the same issues of
poverty—and on a larger scale.”
Barbara Monzingo serves as
president of the Coalition and is Title I Director for the School Board. She
said, “Poverty affects our students quite a bit.” Children who are hungry, who see nothing but
poverty, are hard to motivate, especially as they get older. She said, “We are
very concerned at the School Board about the lack of jobs and apathy that
continues to breed this (poverty).”
Monzingo introduced the new La
VISTA worker assigned to Claiborne Parish, Lauren Tichenor. Tichenor gave a
brief summary of what her goals are over the next year, to set up a collaboration between public and private sectors, to have
them start working together on community development. She plans to meet with as
many in the parish as possible, to see where the needs lie, then start working
on a master plan. Once the master plan is complete, she will help develop a
plan of action and get some projects underway.. She
said, “I know I’m young, but I’m serious. I am here to be of service to you.”
Jean Reynolds, director of the
Claiborne Office of Community Services, said, “I deal with people in poverty
all day long.” OCS provides transportation,
HUD housing, energy assistance, and food programs. This year they are also
providing free income tax preparation assistance.
Dora Ann Hatch works for the
LSU AgCenter on Community Rural Development. She said their recent focus has
been on entrepreneurship and leadership training, helping people realize their
potential through business ventures.
Mary Ellen Gamble, rural
organizer for D.A.R.T., assists women and children affected by domestic
violence. She shared information on a new program adopted by the La. Public
Service Commission that allows D.A.R.T. to help victims who qualify get a
waiver on connection fees for utilities.
Tilda Revelett with the Dept.
of Social Service, represents ten parishes. One of her
major responsibilities is to organize Solutions to Poverty Coalitions in each
parish. to locate leaders and find volunteers.
“Volunteers have to care about those who live in poverty,” she said. ““Poverty
doesn’t just affect those living in poverty. It hurts everyone.”
Revelett said the job in
Claiborne Parish has been easy. It is a good model for other parishes. They are
already doing what SToP wants you do.
Those attending the meeting
were Joy Hays, Barbara Monzingo, Cynthia Steele, Gene
Coleman. Bill Bailey, Dora Ann Hatch, Jean Reynolds, Alice Stewart, Lauren
Tichenor, Tilda Revelett, Mary Ellen Gamble, Sherman Brown, and Anne Wilks.
More information can be found
at www.dss.state.la.us.
Homer Elementary was the first Claiborne
Parish school to host the La. Body Walk, one component
of the 2-year-old “Smart Bodies” program. The school also received $1,200 in
classroom materials.
The Louisiana Body Walk
was at Homer Elementary last Friday, giving students an inside look at their
bodies and the important role nutrition and exeercise play in health bodies,
such as how milk helps bones, the proper way to brush your teeth, and how much
sugar is in ten skittles or one coke.
“Smart Bodies” Help
Prevent Childhood Obesity
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
"Smart Bodies," an
interactive educational program designed to help prevent childhood obesity,
came to Claiborne Parish last week. Homer Elementary School is one of at least 93 elementary school across Louisiana to
implement the program this year. Smart Bodies, first offered in 2005, is a
joint initiative of the LSU AgCenter and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Louisiana Foundation.
Take 10! is
one aspect of the three-pronged Smart Bodies approach that’s designed to help
students in kindergarten through the 5th grade learn the importance of good
nutrition and exercise in a manner they can easily understand. It involves a
series of classroom-based, grade-specific educational tools that encourage short
bouts of physical activity integrated with academic lessons. The other
components of the program are the Louisiana Body Walk and the OrganWise Guys.
“The whole idea behind this
program is to combat childhood obesity and the health problems it can lead to later
in life,” said Richard Williams, senior vice president of Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Louisiana. “By teaching children about making healthy choices early
in life, we feel Smart Bodies can reduce or eliminate some of the devastating
problems that stem from inactivity and improper nutrition.”
Students in kindergarten
through fifth grade got a first hand look at how the body works, as they moved
from station to station in the Louisiana Body Walk, learning about the brain,
mouth and teeth, stomach, small intestines, heart, lungs, bones, skin, muscles,
and the effect different foods have on each organ.
The Body Walk is one of three
components of the Smart Bodies program. It is a 35-foot by 45-foot walk-through
exhibit representing the human body. Homer High Drama Club members who served
as station presenters were Chris Mott, Magan Martin, Matthew Fowler, Bernard
Harris, Komecia Burns, Brittany Turner, Richard Smelser, Kiara Evans, Demonte
Willis, Mercedes Williams, Aldedria Willis, and Candice Cripe.
In the mouth, students learned
the proper way to brush and floss. There were also given information on how
much sugar was in certain foods, such as canned soft drinks and Skittles candy.
Elastic bands are used in the Body Walk’s muscle station to help youngsters
learn about the strength and elasticity of muscles.
Formal research showed students
participating in Smart Bodies were twice as willing to taste fruits and
vegetables. It also showed the participants increased their knowledge of
physical activity and were more likely to be physically active during their
participation in the Take 10! activities.
In fact, those students were 35
percent more active during a Take 10! activity than during physical education
classes at school, 22 percent more active during such activities than during
recess, 51 percent more active than during lunch and 47 percent more active
than after school.
“So far, we’ve found knowledge
about fruits and vegetables, as well as willingness to consume fruits and
vegetables, improved among students who participated in the program,” said
Denise Holston, who coordinates the statewide educational program for the LSU
AgCenter.
Homer Elementary Principal Pat
Lee said, “All year long teachers have been teaching about eating good foods
and good nutrition. This is just a culmination of the curriculum.” As
participant in the Smart Bodies program, Homer Elementary will receive
curricular materials for each grade level K-5th grade worth more than $1,200 to
be used with the Take 10! program
“We think the Smart Bodies
program is proving to be well worth the investment,” said Dr. Paul Coreil, vice
chancellor of the LSU AgCenter. “Statistics show a third of Louisiana’s school
children are obese, so something has to be done. We think Smart Bodies is a
great step toward fighting childhood obesity and helping our younger generation
grow up to lead healthier lives.”
Helping local 4-H Agent Teresa
Price was LaDonna Chreene, FNP
Nutrition Educator in Webster and Claiborne parishes; Elizabeth Bryan, FNP
North Central Region; and John Albarado with the School of Human Ecology. Bryan
said they hope to bring the Body Walk to another school in Claiborne Parish
next year.
The Sonic Drive-In sponsored
lunch and Brookshire’s provided snacks.
To learn more about Smart
Bodies or the wealth of programs offered by the LSU AgCenter, visit
www.lsuagcenter.com or visit www.smartbodies.org
to learn more about this program and its
sponsors.
Homer Council Changes
Engineer For Airport Project
BY
SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
In spite of the recommendation
of the committee appointed by Mayor David Newell to continue with the
engineering firm Alliance, the Council voted to award the job to Balar
Associates of Shreveport. Toney Johnson reported that he had met with other
committee members Dennis Butcher and Patricia Jenkins to review the proposal.
They conducted a conference call with Alliance and found them to be very
qualified in this area of expertise. All three agreed to recommend Alliance for
the FAA Project at the Homer Municipal Airport.
Johnson said, “Alliance was
instrumental in getting the grant and have done an excellent job on all the
work to date. They are certainly the most technically responsible, and I see no
reason changing in mid-stream.”
Jenkins said she abstained from
voting for Alliance, and instead recommended Balar. She said our town is small
and she thought it was a lot easier to stick with the same engineer on
everything.
A motion by
Johnson to go with Alliance failed by a vote of 2-3. Voting for the motion were
Johnson and Carlette Sanford. Voting against were Jenkins, Michael Wade, and
J.C. Moore.
A motion by Wade to give the
job to Balar was approved 3-2, with Wade, Moore, and Jenkins for and Johnson and
Sanford opposing.
The Council voted to table
approval of a $61,000 change order on the Sewer Project and payment to McInnis
Contractors at the request of Jim Hagan with Balar Associates. Hagan said he
had spoken with McInnis. There were a lot of areas of contention related to the
change orders, some McInnis had had a change of heart.
He had also found work under the original contract, as well as some change
orders late in the project, that had not yet been
completed. Hagan said McInnis has been made aware and were prepared to complete
the work or negotiate a contract. He expected the matter to be resolved in
about two weeks.
….more
Herbert Taylor Wins Haynesville
Council Seat
Voters in District 2 in the
Town of Haynesville went to the polls last Saturday and voted to elect Herbert
R. Taylor to fill the remainder of Alvin Moss’s term on the Haynesville Town
Council. Moss announced plans to resign at the September 21, 2006 meeting. He
had accepted a job with the Corps of Engineers at Lake DeGray in Arkansas.
At a special called meeting on
October 5, 2006, the Council voted to appoint Roderick Hampton to serve until a
special election could be held on March 31, 2007.
Taylor received 86 of the 125
votes cast, or 69%. Hampton received 39 votes, or 31%. About half of the
registered voters in District 2 turned out to cast a ballot.
Taylor is expected to be sworn
in within the next couple of weeks, and will be ready to take his seat on the
Council by the April meeting. He will serve until June 30, 2009, when the terms
will end for the present mayor and board of aldermen.
Taylor said, “The decisions
that I will make for the town on the council will be fair to everyone. I
realize that I will not always be able to please everyone, but all I want to do
is what is best for the town.”
For the District 2 election
results by precinct, click on http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcmpct&rqsdta=0331073101721614
Flowers are in full bloom
around the Claiborne Parish Courthouse. This beautiful sight not only caught
the eye of the judges for the Homer Flower and Garden Club, designating it
Business Yard of the Month for April, but it has been selected for scenes in an
upcoming movie, “A Pardon in the Sand”. The film is based on the life of Toni
Jo Henry, the only women to be put to death in the electric chair in Louisiana when
she was executed on November 28, 1942 for the brutal murder of Joseph P.
Calloway on February 14, 1940.
Claiborne Jubilee Poetry
Prize To Honor Peggy Deas Godfrey
The Jubilee Best of Show in
Poetry Prize is once again being given in honor of parish native, Peggy Deas
Godfrey, by her father, Dr. T. M. Deas. All those lucky enough to have attended
last year’s Jubilee will remember Ms. Godfrey’s sharing of her stories and
poems about life as a cowboy and shepherd in Colorado. Her books and DVDs are available
through Godfrey by emailing her at . Parish poets of all
ages are urged to submit up to three entries each by emailing them to
or mailing them to 309 North Main Street, Homer,
LA 71040 before April 25. In addition to the $300 Best of
Show for Poetry, Adult first prize $75, second $50, third $25. Children
are ages 8 and under, Juniors are ages 9-12, and Youth
are ages 13-17. For those age groups first prize is a $50 savings bond. Second and third place winners will receive
ribbons. Anyone interested in any aspect
of the Jubilee may call Cynthia Steele at 927-2566 for more information.
David Wade Correctional To
Hold Arts & Crafts Festival
David Wade Correctional Center
will hold their Spring 2007 Arts & Crafts Festival
featuring art work, wood crafts, and leather crafts on Saturday and Sunday,
April 14-15 from 8 AM - 4 PM at the facility located at 670 Bell Hill Road.
Come shop early before it is all gone. No checks! For more information, call
318-027-0631.
Relay For Life Golf
Tournament Set For April 14
The Relay for Life Committee
decided to add a golf event to the fundraising schedule in 2007 and would like
to invite everyone to participate in the First Annual Relay for Life Golf
Tournament, a two person scramble, to be held at the Homer Golf Course on
Saturday, April 14. Sponsors are needed. A minimum donation of $100 will
provide sign recognition at the course on the day of the event. A donation of
$250 will also provide a spot for a team to play in the tournament. All
donations are appreciated and will help the American Cancer Society find a cure
for cancer. Deadline for sponsorship is March 26, 2007. Entry fee is $150 per
team, 27 holes. Cash prizes. All fees and donations
are tax deductible. For team registration or golf information, call George
Tigner at 927-2184 or
927-3000. For sponsor information call Elbie Dickens at 927-2360.
This Film by Michael Haynes Productions was created in conjunction with 
