No-tax holiday Aug. 3-4
Louisiana residents will not pay state sales tax on the purchase
of most items not used for trade or business under $2,500, and no sales tax on
the first $2,500 of the purchase price of most items not used for trade or
business more than $2,500. Offer is good only in the State of Louisiana. Local
taxes may apply.
Minden man dies in accident on Homer
Town Square
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A Minden man died on the Homer Town Square Wednesday,
July 25, causing an accident involving two other vehicles at Miss Lizzie’s
Clothing Store.
According to witness Robert Hickman of Haynesville, Dale
Morton, 77, driving a 2005 Cadillac Escalade, was traveling southbound on Hwy.
79, and suddenly swerved in front of him hitting a parked vehicle belonging to
Barbara Booth, owner of a 2002 Chevrolet van, which in turn, knocked her van
into Dale Tully’s 2002 Chevy Blazer, parked in front of Booth’s van.
Homer Police Chief Russell Mills said it was believed Morton
died while behind the wheel, causing him to swerve into the northbound lane of
Hwy. 79.
“Witnesses said he swerved all the way across the road,”
Mills said, “so we feel like he may have died before the wreck happened.”
Police reports state the cause of Morton’s death is yet
to be determined. Reports state Morton was passed out and not breathing at the
time of the accident.
Officer Jim Faulkner said no injuries were reported at
the scene of the accident.
“The two vehicles were unoccupied at the time of the
accident,” he said.
Pafford Ambulance was called to the scene, and
transported Morton to Homer Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced
dead.
“It was believed he was dead on the scene,” Faulkner
said, “but he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.”
Also, the Homer Police Department wishes to thank all
those who helped at the scene of the accident.
“We appreciate the help we got on the scene,” Faulkner
said. “First responders gave him CPR until the ambulance came. There were a lot
of people out there helping direct traffic.”
Morton’s Cadillac Escalade was towed by MacKenzie Brothers Service Center and Booth’s van was towed by Gordon’s Service Center.
Two teens arrested for theft of
4-wheeler
The Guardian-Journal
A joint
investigation by the Claiborne Parish and Webster Parish Sheriff’s Offices led
to the arrest of 17-year-old Dustin A. Farrar, of Haughton, for theft over
$500, inciting a felony, and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.
Farrar
is currently being held on $30,000 bond at the Claiborne Parish Detention Center on these charges.
Also
arrested, was a 16-year-old male juvenile for theft over $500. He was released
to his parents’ custody. The arrests were made following the investigation of
the theft of a 2007 Yamaha Grizzly “Ducks Unlimited” Edition 4-wheeler in
Southwest Claiborne Parish. This 4-wheeler was reported stolen on July 7, and
recovered in Webster Parish on July 23.
Homer police search for a suspect in hit
and run
The Guardian-Journal
Homer police are searching for the owner of a vehicle
involved in a hit and run last week. Police were given this description of the
vehicle. It is a ‘90 to ‘94 year model Chevrolet Lumina, a coppery or bronzy
tan color.
It is reported that a black female was the driver of this
vehicle that caused a man to lose control of his bicycle on Wednesday, July 25,
causing him to be thrown from the bicycle in order to avoid impact with the
car. Paul Garner sustained moderate injuries, including broken ribs, a broken
collarbone and a broken elbow, from the impact with the pavement, and was
transported to Homer Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Garner said he was riding his bicycle that evening and
was heading east on North Main towards the post office, and before he got
there, he saw a “brownish” Chevy pull up to the stop sign, and somewhere
between a residential property line and the Methodist church, the car pulled
out in front of him.
“I’m not going to say that she ran a stop sign, because
she was at a full stop,” he said. “She just never looked. I shouted and she
looked at me. I was hoping that she would make it through the intersection, but
she had that deer in the headlights look, and she just didn’t make it fast
enough.”
He braked as hard as he could, braced himself for an
impact, and went over the handlebars hitting the pavement.
“I wasn’t sure if I had hit the brakes in enough time to
miss her,” he said. “And as I was lying on the pavement, she turned around and
looked out her window, seeing me on the ground. She turned around and gunned
it.”
After she drove away, he said he got his wits together,
and picked up his bike and went to the grass at the church. Once he laid down,
a family, seeing him in the grass, stopped their vehicle in the middle of the
intersection to check on him. They asked if he was resting or needed help, and
then called the proper authorities.
“Make sure that the people you know and love who ride
bicycles wear a helmet,” Garner said. “If I had not worn a helmet, I don’t know
what would have happened to me. My head recoiled 4 or 5 inches off the
pavement. My head literally bounced off the pavement.”
If anyone has any information regarding this incident,
citizens are asked to call the Homer Police Department at 927-4000. Remember,
they don’t want names, just information.
In a separate incident, Gerald Mitchell of Homer, 50, was
arrested on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer
and resisting an officer by foot pursuit.
While being searched, Mitchell dropped a crack pipe on
the road. He fled the scene on foot and refused orders to stop. When he was
apprehended, he refused to be handcuffed.
He was booked at the Homer Police Department and
transported to Claiborne Parish Detention Center with bond set at $2,500.
On Saturday, July 28, Jason Taylor of Haynesville, 22,
was arrested for resisting an officer, possession of marijuana, disturbing the
peace by loud and profane language, disturbing the peace in a public building
and simple criminal damage to property.
Taylor was arrested by
Officers John Bailey and Van McDaniel during a traffic stop, after he was found
intoxicated and verbally abusive. Taylor refused to listen to the officers and
also fought being handcuffed. The vehicle in which Taylor was a passenger was
searched and marijuana was found. Taylor admitted the marijuana was his.
Also on the same day, Ryan Cannon, also of Haynesville,
age 20, was arrested for simple possession of marijuana during a traffic stop.
Cannon was pulled over by Homer Police for speeding. He gave consent to search
his vehicle and officers found what was believed to be marijuana in the
vehicle. He was arrested on charges of simple possession and booked at Homer
Police Department, later being transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center. Bond was set at $500.
“Sea to Shining Sea” walkers pass
through Homer
JIMMY DEAN, Feature writer
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jimmy Dean
Wyatt, Margie and Byron Moats are shown on LA2 just east of
Homer Saturday walking to raise awareness of diabetes.
Wyatt
and Margie Moats and Byron Moats are walking more than 2800 miles (yes,
walking) from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast. They passed through
Claiborne Parish Saturday, July 28. They began their walk in San Diego, California, and will wrap it up in Savannah, Georgia.
On a
mission to raise awareness of diabetes, Wyatt is 68; Byron is 65. Wyatt’s wife
Margie is 63; Byron’s wife Julia, who drives the RV, is 64.
They
have established a website (www.c2c4ada.com) that describes their goals. One is
to draw attention to the dangers of diabetes. Those dangers include high blood
pressure, heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, and increased risk of
infection.
Another
goal is to support others in setting up a healthy exercise program and
following a healthful eating regimen. According to their website, walking helps
reduce blood sugar levels, and a proper diet helps stabilize blood sugar
levels.
They
also seek to raise $10,000 for the American Diabetes Association and another
$10,000 to cover expenses for the walk.
Byron,
Julia, and Wyatt all have diabetes while Margie does not. As might be expected,
all have lost weight since starting the walk last January.
They
expected to complete the walk by June; however, some health problems arose
during the walk that caused some delays. For example, Byron developed blisters
early in the trek. Unaware that blisters could be a side effect, he was taking
ibuprofen for pain. The blisters led to blood poisoning, and the group was
sidelined a couple of days while Byron recovered in the hospital.
Even
so, all in the group have benefitted from losing weight. Wyatt went from 205 to
172 pounds. His blood sugar has dropped from 192 to 102 and his glucose level
has stabilized.
Such a
long, arduous journey can cause stress to the knees and back. The manufacturers
of Z-Coil footwear donated to the Moatses two pairs of shoes for each to use
during their crosscountry walk. At times they use special walking poles that
contribute to balance, stability, and back and upper body comfort.
They’ve
had many memorable experienced so far including a private air show by the Blue
Angels as the walking party passed by during an Angels training day exercise.
They also received a rousing welcome in Globe, Arizona, by middle and high
school students.
Their
revised completion date for the walk is sometime in October.
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“I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.”—Abraham
Lincoln
Claiborne Parish Police Juror attends
leadership summit in Washington, DC
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A Claiborne Parish Police Juror was nominated to attend
the African-American Leadership Summit in Washington, DC this past week, and he
wasn’t nominated by just anyone. U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal recommended
that Rev. Willie Young, District 10 police juror, attend the summit to bring
back some life-changing ideas for the African-American community in Claiborne
Parish.
Nearly 400 African-American leaders from 39 states,
including the District of Columbia, came together July 23 and 24 to examine
pressing policies and issues that impact families and their futures. Political
leaders, doctors, nurses, educators, business people from all walks of life
attended the summit.
“We discussed innovative solutions and challenges that
face our communities,” Young said. “We talked about education and expanding
access to capital outlay, affordable housing, quality healthcare, jobs and
financial security.”
In these discussions, Young said the congressional
leadership at the summit really listened to those attending about the issues
and problems their communities are facing.
“Claiborne Parish really needs some help,” Young said.
“One of the things that we have to do is look at the positive side of things.
Those senators had a sincere desire to help us. They really listened to us.”
He said these discussions were very specific, and
overall, the summit opened some doors.
“Overall, I thought it was very successful because it
brought leaders from all over the United States,” he said. “We exchanged
numbers and ideas. I think we need to do this more often. We got a different
point of view about things. I had an opportunity to see, hear and be involved
with people that I’ve never been involved with before. I think that with our
economy, we can use all the help we can get.
“Economically, we need all the help we can get in
Claiborne Parish,” Young continued. “We need industry, we need jobs. I was very
specific, talking about the loss of Wal-Mart and losing other businesses. They
offered ideas on how we can rebuild our communities, and there were a number of
things that I picked up that will be very useful.”
Not only did these African-American leaders discuss
issues within their own communities, they were given a different perspective on
how things are done in Washington DC. He said they got to see things from a
congressional and professional perspective.
The summit hosted various speakers discussing several
issues. The Honorable Lewis Sullivan, former Secretary of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services under former President George H.W. Bush Sr.,
discussed the problems with health insurance. Young said Sullivan wanted to see
more people with health insurance. He also discussed key issues of being a
leader. He discussed several topics under the requirements of being a leader,
specifically, vision, commitment, courage, determination and team-building.
“The one thing I learned is that a leader is not always
the one out front,” he said. “The leader is the one that can get other people
to follow. I feel like in our community, in my philosophy, it doesn’t matter
who gets the credit, it matters that we get the job. I don’t care who gets the
credit. A leader is the one who can get the work done.”
Another
speaker was Dr. John O. Agwunobi, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
“I thought he was a great presenter,” Young said. “He
talked about preventative care. He talked about how the National Association of
Health Centers was playing a major role in preventative health care.”
Also speaking at the summit was Alphonso Jackson, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Young said Jackson was very complimentary of
President Bush, and that one of his goals was to have 5.5 million
African-American and Hispanic homeowners in the year 2010. In 2007, there are
3.5 million African-American and Hispanic homeowners.
“He gave the president accolade for that,” Young said.
The African-American Leadership Summit was sponsored by
Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman.
The sponsors were Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas and Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. Support was also given from the following
participating sponsors: AT&T Services, Inc.; BNSF Railway Company; BP
America Inc.; Brinker International Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Hallmark Cards,
Inc.; Macy’s; Marathon Oil Company; National Association of Home Builders;
Texas Instruments; The Public Forum Institute; Toyota; and Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc.
“It was awesome, because so many great minds from across
the country came together, and it was very interactive,” Young said. “It was
about people talking and giving different ideas. They gave an opportunity to
listen to everyone about some of the things going on in our areas. They
listened to us and we exchanged ideas. I’m thankful that Ms. Hutchison did
this; it was her idea to listen to the African-American community to see what
our ideas were and coming up with workable solutions to issues in our
community.
“I want to thank U.S. Congressman Bobby Jindal for
nominating me to go to the summit,” he continued. “It was very instrumental as
far as the things I learned and perhaps we can apply some of those things in
our area.”
Lyons Hill Road closed again last week for debris
cleanup
The Guardian-Journal
The Guardian-Journal
photo/Michelle Bates
Above, these men help Lee Wells, Homer Public
Works Supervisor, clear debris from under the Lyons Hill Bridge. This debris
ultimately helped lead to the collapse of the embankment on the south side of
the bridge.
The Homer Police Department was
dispatched to Lyons Hill Road Thursday morning, July 26, as the Homer Public
Works Department worked under the newly repaired bridge to remove large pieces
of debris that caused the collapse of the bridge approach last week.
Homer Police received complaints
that traffic was traveling too fast across the bridge while crews were working.
The road was closed again for a short while to allow Homer crews to finish the
job.
Trustees from the Claiborne Parish Detention Center were also on hand to help the Public Works Department
remove the debris from under the bridge.
Last week, the south side
approach to the bridge on Lyons Hill Road collapsed due to the heavy rains the
town has received over the last several weeks. Large branches and other debris
pieces got stuck under the bridge between the pilings, choking the flow of
water from the creek. Because of this, water saturated the embankment, causing
the collapse of the surface road above.
Crews from the Claiborne Parish
Highway Department and the Town of Homer Public Works Department spent two days
digging out and repairing the embankment to make the bridge safer.
It reopened Tuesday evening with
caution as the dirt packed into the embankment had not settled yet. Homer Mayor
David Newell said it would take approximately one month to pack in the dirt
enough to begin repaving.
Homer Hospital to form fundraising foundation board
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Homer Memorial Hospital is
looking into new avenues in which to raise monies to continue bringing its
facilities into the 21st century and beyond.
With
construction in progress on a new emergency room facility and renovations of
its patient rooms, the hospital is dwindling down its “discretionary” funds –
funds that were saved over the last 20 years.
At the Homer Memorial Hospital board meeting Tuesday, July 24, the board made the decision to move
forward with a fundraising board at the recommendations of a feasibility study
that was done in recent months.
According
to the study conducted by Pride Philanthropy, Healthcare Fundraising
Specialists, 86 people from around Claiborne Parish were interviewed to find
out the feasibility of forming a foundation to do nothing but raise charitable
funds for the hospital’s ever-changing needs.
Hospital
Administrator Doug Efferson said its finances can cover the overhead and pay
the bills, but it has no reserve funds to make other needed renovations or
repairs.
“You
get so little money from Medicare and Medicaid now that there’s no capital,”
Efferson said. “You’re barely covering your salaries and your expenses.
Hospitals used to make 15 to 20 percent profit, and with that money, they could
go build better buildings, better renovations for the next five years. That was
back in the 70s and 80s. In the 90s, that went away, and in the 2000s, it’s
gotten even worse.”
He said
the reason for the decrease in revenue is that insurance companies are now
paying less for healthcare procedures that they paid more for in the past.
“The hospital has done a good
job at trying to capture as many insurance companies as we can and get as many
people to pay their bills as we can,” Efferson said. “The board has done a
great job of setting up a [payment] schedule that is not hard for people, but
encourages them to pay a minimum monthly amount so that their bills stay in
good standing at the hospital.”
This is
working out well for them, but these forms of revenue are still not enough, he
said, hence, the decision to form a hospital fundraising foundation.
In the
executive summary, the study states that Homer Memorial Hospital “is well
positioned to take a meaningful and significant step forward in its capacity to
generate gift income and positively benefit the healthcare of the community.”
Once a
foundation board is formed, the goal will be to raise approximately $1.5
million within the next three years to begin other renovations.
Efferson pointed out that the
foundation would only be allowed to raise funds for certain projects. In other
words, if the hospital goes to the foundation and says, “We need to raise funds
to build a new Intensive Care Unit,” then the foundation would only be allowed
to raise funds specifically for the purpose of building a new Intensive Care
Unit.
The
board would be made up of citizens throughout the parish. The organization
would be comprised of a chairperson working in conjunction with Efferson and
developmental staff. The developmental staff would break down the types of
monetary gifts that would be received throughout the year.
For
example, the developmental staff would take on annual gifts, building a support
base through which people could pledge to give a certain amount per year and
pay it out monthly over the course of the year. This type of giving is great
for employees, in that they could pledge a certain amount each paycheck to go
into the foundation.
Another
type of giving the study suggests is corporate gifts. In other words, the
hospital would establish a closer relationship with community businesses in
order “to strengthen communication service programs and charitable support.”
Planned
gifts are another way the people of Claiborne Parish could donate to the
foundation. In this capacity, the foundation would provide education and
cultivation of a positive environment to encourage estate gifts and identify
and solicit prospective donors.
Special
gifts would be those recognized for pledges of $10,000 or more and signature
gifts are comprised of $100,000 or more.
With
the help of Pride Philanthropy, the study recommended that the formation of the
foundation board begin immediately. Efferson said they are actively looking for
a chairman for the board. The board will be made up of 6 to 9 members,
depending on how big the board needs to be to meet the needs of the fundraising
efforts.
Although
many positive things came from the study, the report stated questions were
raised about the rivalry between Homer and Haynesville, the renovation of the
current facility and concerns about building a new hospital.
Efferson
quickly answered the concerns regarding building a new hospital. He said that
because construction is in process for the new emergency room and patient room
renovations, a new healthcare facility is out of the question at this point in
time.
The
study stated those interviewed said a significant amount of work needs to be
done in order to bring the parish together in order to build a “parish-wide”
hospital. The report was not specific on recommendations to do that, but did
say that the success of the effort would depend upon the organization’s ability
to identify and recruit volunteer leadership.
For
more information about the feasibility study, please contact Alice Gandy,
hospital administrative assistant, at 927-2024.
Basketball camp to start Wednesday,
August 8
The Guardian-Journal
The
Saving Our Sons Basketball Camp will be held August 8-10, at the Boys and Girls
Club on Pearl Street.
The
daily itinerary includes camper drop off, breakfast and free shoot from 7:30 until 8 a.m. with a special guest speaker from 8 until 9 a.m. At 9 a.m., campers will be stretching and learning fundamental sessions and drills. From 10
until 11 a.m., campers will compete in shooting competitions, team building and
FTs. From 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., team games will be held and parents may
pick up their campers.
The SOS
basketball camp will focus on the following instructions/drills: shooting,
passing, rebounding, dribbling and defense.
Special
speakers will be used to help the campers identify the similarities of being a
good citizen with those needed to be a good athlete. The campers will learn
that being a good citizen and athlete involves defining and developing the
relationship from athlete to athlete, from athlete to team and from athlete to
community. The SOS staff knows that connecting athletes to the community should
be an important part of any athletic program.
The
camp rules are as follows:
• Show
respect at all times
•
Respect staff
•
Respect campers
•
Respect self
• No
profanity
• No
sagging shorts/pants.
•
Arrive on time (before 8 a.m.)
The
Saving Our Sons Basketball Camp was founded by Leroy Hamilton Jr. and Marcus
Jackson. The camp is designed to provide at-risk young men, ages 8-15, with the
knowledge needed to become better basketball players and productive citizens.
To
achieve this goal, campers will be given sound fundamental instruction in all
phases of basketball and aspects of life. The SOS staff understands that the
primary goals within athletics should be to build character, self-esteem,
respect, teamwork, leadership and having fun while playing the sport.
Only
the first 35 applicants will be allowed to participate in this camp and no camp
fee is required. Applications are available at the Boys & Girls Club-Homer.
For more information, call Leroy Hamilton at 393-0745.
This summer the wettest since 1996
JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer
The
following is a quote from the Claiborne Parish official website,
www.claiborneone.org: “With mild winters (average January 46.4° F) and summers
(average July 82.5° F) the best adjective to describe Claiborne Parish is
Pleasant!”
This
July has probably been closest to averaging 82.5° of any July that many can
remember. And the reason is that there continues to be considerable rain in the
parish.
Shreveport’s office of the National Weather Service advises that
this summer is proving to be the wettest since 1996.
The
website www.lsuagcenter.com provides rain measurements based on meteorological
instruments at the Hill Farm, an official data collection center for the
National Weather Service. The website reports a total of 3.2 inches of rain for
June. The datalogger measured rain on 11 different days in June with the
largest rainfall being 1.1 inches on June 15.
For
July 1 through July 30 there was almost three times as much rain as in June.
The website shows a total of 9.43 inches of rain for July 1 through July 30.
The heaviest measured was 4.72 inches on July 6, and there was rain on 15
different days in July through July 30.
Many
have undoubtedly enjoyed the cooler temperatures. For July of 2006 the
temperature exceeded 100° for 5 consecutive days, and the lowest recorded
temperature that month was 63° one morning.
However,
for July 1 through July 30 this year the Hill Farm datalogger recorded no
temperatures in the 100s, and there were 14 days with temperatures no higher
than 89°.
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“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does
anything about it.”— Mark Twain
This Film by Michael Haynes Productions was created in conjunction with 
