Early voting ends Saturday, Nov. 10
Early voting will go through Saturday,
November 10, from the hours of 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. To vote, please go to the Registrar of Voters office, located in the Police Jury Building Complex, formerly the Homer National Bank building. For more information, call
the Registrar of Voters office at 318-927-3332 or the Clerk of Court’s office
at 318-927-9601.
Riot in Homer almost uncontrollable
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Sunday afternoon turned into complete chaos for the Homer
Police Department when they received reports of a disturbance.
When officers arrived at the 400 block of Meadow Drive in Homer, the scene was something out of a movie. Officers indicated that the
crowd was almost uncontrollable with four or five altercations taking place
simultaneously in the area.
Armed with hammers, bricks, sticks, golf clubs and other
weapons, the crowd wasn’t easy to tame as officers attempted to quell the
escalation. A police vehicle was damaged during the riot sustaining damage to
the window on the rear passenger side. A metal object had been thrown through
the window, while someone who had just been arrested was inside.
As police attempted to arrest those not complying with
verbal orders, the crowd would come closer to the officers. Chemical agents
were deployed to keep the crowd at bay.
Among those arrested at the scene included Andre Anderson
for disturbing the peace and resisting an officer. Kendrick Smith was also arrested
at the scene by Officer Mike Rayburn for disturbing the peace and resisting an
officer.
Also arrested was Shameka L. Critton, 25 of Homer, for
disturbing the peace and resisting an officer. When Officer Van McDaniel asked
the crowd to disperse, Critton refused to leave and stood in the middle of the
street yelling and cursing towards officers.
At the scene, several items were confiscated. McDaniel
found a knife on the ground along with a razorblade. Numerous weapons were also
confiscated.
Fifteen different people were interviewed throughout the
initial investigation.
“We believe that this all stems from involvement in an
incident that happened the night prior, sometime Saturday night,” Homer Police
Chief Russell Mills said. “There was a juvenile apparently attacked by some
people that came to this particular neighborhood to visit Sunday.”
At approximately 9 a.m. Sunday morning, the mother of the
juvenile saw one of the boys who allegedly attacked her son. She immediately
sent someone to talk to him. It continued to escalate throughout the day.
“All we can determine is that a juvenile got jumped on
sometime Saturday night,” Mills said. “The boy tells his mother, who lives on Meadow Drive. Another group of boys comes across the street to Meadow Drive. The mother sees
the suspect. She confronts the boy and they enter into an altercation, takes
care of their business and leaves.”
As the day progressed and the situation escalated, the
uncle of the victim, Jerry Glenn Williams, rode his 4-wheeler up and down the
road. As he did, he grazed Anderson, which in turn, made him fall to the
ground. That’s when the situation really began to escalate. The crowd converged
on the streets and Williams was knocked off the 4-wheeler. At that time,
Anderson, Smith and one unnamed individual began beating him in the face and
head, allegedly with sticks and a gun, rendering him unconscious.
Pafford Ambulance Service was called to the scene to
treat Williams after he returned to his family’s home, but Williams refused.
Louisiana State Police and the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Office and off-duty Homer police officers all responded to the scene to assist.
“By the time I got there, arrests had been made, and we
cleared the streets and got everybody back into their homes,” Mills said. “We
have charges on both sides, and there are other arrests pending.”
Anderson was arrested again
while in jail from the day before. Officer Mike Rayburn obtained warrants on
him for aggravated second degree battery. Bond was set at $15,000. Bond for the
disturbing the peace charge was set at $1,000.
Warrants were also obtained on Smith, and he was also
charged with second degree battery with bond set at $15,000, and a $1,000 bond
for the disturbing the peace charge.
In an unrelated incident, while several law enforcement
agencies dealt with the riot, Homer police officers received a report that
shots had been fired in the 1200 block of Adams Street in Homer.
Upon arrival Timothy Grant, 25, of Homer said he was at
his house when a male juvenile approached him, calling him out to fight. The
juvenile raised a gun, firing shots in his direction. Grant took cover.
Officers were able to recover spent shells at the scene.
Deputy Randy Smith of the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Department assisted in the investigation of this case.
A short time later, the juvenile was located at his
residence in Homer and arrested, charged with two counts of attempted second
degree murder and was booked at the Ware Correctional Center in Coushatta,
pending a 72-hour hearing.
Resurrecting a Dying Economy
Texas speakers describe revival of dying
economy
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jimmy Dean
Shaking the hand that shook the hand of
Tom Hanks: Dora Ann Hatch (left) shakes hands with Remelle Farrar (right) who
shook hands with Tom Hanks when he was in the Texas Prairie Rivers Region
filming the movie “Castaway.”
JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer
Remelle Farrar and Bob Rogers, visitors from Canadian, Texas, were key speakers for two programs in Claiborne Parish last week.
The first was the “Thanksgiving for Volunteers” banquet
Thursday night, November 1, at 6:00 pm at Homer City Hall. Over 100 Claiborne
Parish volunteers were honored by the Claiborne Industrial Development
Commission and the Town of Homer.
Honorees were treated to a jambalaya dinner and enjoyed
speakers Remelle Farrar and Bob Rogers. Both are affiliated with Texas Prairie
Rivers Region (TPRR), “a unique regional partnership dedicated to providing
conservation, education, and economic opportunities through sustainable rural
development and nature tourism.”
Then Friday morning, from 9:00 am until about 12:30, an audience of almost 20 listened as Farrar and Rogers described more about the
economic turnaround of the TPRR. Those present for the morning program included
Claiborne Parish residents as well as attendees from Jackson, Lincoln, Union, and Bienville parishes, all of whom are concerned about this area’s decaying
economic condition.
Farrar and Rogers described colorfully and vividly to
those in attendance both Friday night and Saturday morning how their rural area
in North Texas rose from an economic sickbed to robust, sustainable economic
vigor.
TPRR, comprised of 15 counties in the Texas Panhandle,
describes itself as an economic partnership involving local landowners, public
agencies, and supporters of resource conservation. Over the past 10 years, TPRR
has worked with over 500 partners including ranchers, small business owners,
rural communities, counties, private foundations, and state and federal
agencies. Their brochure states that over 450,000 acres of private lands
habitat have been improved through their conservation partnerships.
Although some may not think conservation-oriented
enterprises would attract tourism, the opposite has proven true. TPRR has
hosted 60,000 “urban guests” (tourists) and has become “a national model for
sustainable rural development.” One of TPRR’s goals is “to preserve the
traditional ranching lifestyle and provide a financial incentive for resource
conservation.”
Just how was that accomplished? According to Farrar and
Rogers, it began with a number of struggling neighboring communities reaching a
point of desperation. They realized the need to work together, that it was not
possible for any single community to turn around without the support of nearby
communities. “By the way,” said Farrar, “nearby communities in our area may be
100 miles away.”
Although towns in the TPRR area range in size from only
42 to the largest having 10,000, all have benefited from TPRR’s efforts. Even
the town of 42 now has three bed and breakfast’s, one of which is booked up for
the next three years.
In the beginning, they called a meeting to discuss
solutions. Expecting a dozen people, fifty showed up. The planned two-hour
meeting turned into a two-day one.
They compiled a list of what they had in common, i.e.,
they were rural; the area was natural (not a lot of housing projects or
“tourist-y” ventures); the area had lost half its population over the years as
well as much of its tax base; and acceptance of the fact that the urban areas
control votes and money for projects.
They began to understand that urban citizens “want to
return to Mayberry” and “hey, we’re Mayberry.”
They next listed what their communities had that
urbanites want to see. They figured out that “city folks want to ride in the
pickup when we go out to feed the cows.” Also, “they want to walk along the
creek” and “they want to go into a store and be asked by a friendly person,
‘Can I help you?’” They grasped that visitors “want to take home a jar of
homemade plum jelly” and that urban dwellers “are so far removed from how we
live that they can’t recall the Mayberry life.”
TPRR began with a $2000 fund to renovate a downtown
building. In the past 10 years they’ve raised $100,000 in public money which
has been matched with $3,000,000 and renovated 14 buildings in downtown
Canadian, Texas (population, 2400).
Rogers described a couple of
humorous experiences in a rancher’s life that demonstrated the differing
perceptions by city folks who had come to TPRR country for an outing. One
involved 9 possums Rogers had brought into the house that were mistaken for
“huge rats” and the other was about a usually stubborn donkey he was taking to
the vet.
Farrar cautioned that getting caught up in “who gets
credit” for ideas or who will gain from a potential project can kill ideas with
potential to help everyone. She pointed out the interdependence of counties
within the TPRR and stated that benefits to any single county benefits them
all.
Farrar mentioned that economic research shows that each
recreational traveler spends an average of $380/day, so a party of four on a
week-long trip spends an average of over $10,000.
Farrar stated that word of mouth advertising is quite
effective and that visitors who have enjoyed themselves return year after year
to the same area. They tell their work associates and friends, who also visit
the same recreation area. She suggested marketing strategies that relate one
area attraction to others and that locals suggest local activities to visitors
buying fuel, stopping for a meal, staying overnight, etc.
She also said that newspaper stories about local
attractions are “the best advertising.” She pointed out that each community
should have “a hub, the place where there will be readily available leaflets,
brochures, etc., describing local attractions. The hub should be accessible 24
hours a day, maybe a kiosk clearly marked for visitors.”
She recommended tours incorporating a variety of
attractions and added that it’s important to relate the history of each (“what
it is, why it’s important, who founded it or built it or planned it, etc.; also
when it appeared, how it appeared, humorous, interesting anecdotes, etc.”)
She described their popular “Un-Vacation,” “the 3-night,
2-day Lesser Prairie Chicken Package” for $450 a person. The “Un-Vacation” is
touted as “unhurried, unstressed, uncrowded” and includes lodging, home-cooked
meals, transportation to and from the prairie chicken blind, and more. She
described their approach as, “We’re not in the tourism business but in the
business of preserving our world.”
TPRR was successful in bringing to their area the cast
and crew for shooting part of the “Castaway” movie starring Tom Hanks. The
production company spent a couple of million dollars during the two months
there.
Farrar talked about children leaving the area of their
birth and pointed out that economic researchers have learned that most children
would prefer to stay where they were raised, especially if able to find suitable
work. Researchers also found that “kids are embarrassed to bring their friends
to their hometown when it’s rundown, dirty, and boarded up.”
She discussed that over 1000 new jobs have been created
directly and indirectly in the TPRR area by their efforts since 1998. She added
that 24 companies have moved to the TPRR area as a result of company
representatives vacationing there.
Rogers said there are a
couple of things (“they’re rules”) they’ve learned in building TPRR. “Sell
yourselves, but never sell yourselves short.” Also, “Don’t ever be negative
about your local area.”
Farrar concluded with, “You don’t need everyone to buy in
and support a whole idea—you just need to develop ideas, then carry them out,”
and “The only consensus you need is the agreement of two people on something,
then their acting on it.”
-0-0-0-
We all have hometown appetites. Every other person is a
bundle of longing for the simplicities of good taste once enjoyed on the farm
or in the hometown he or she left behind.—Clementine Paddleford, food writer
Guidry appeal denied
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
It’s done – Wayne Guidry Jr. has exhausted all appeal
avenues and will spend the rest of his life in prison as sentenced.
The Louisiana Supreme Court denied a writ application
Friday, November 2, which means the court would not even hear the case. The
bottom line – judgment and sentence still stands.
Guidry was found guilty of second degree murder in a
highly publicized trial for the murder of Stephanie Pepper Sims, an assistant
English professor at Louisiana Tech University. According to court records, her
body was found in a secluded hole at the Jackson Bienville Wildlife Management
Area near Quitman.
She “suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest,” the
court records state. The Tech professor disappeared on January 5, 2003, and was found six weeks later on February 13, 2003.
Sims had separated from her husband, David Sims, and met
Guidry shortly thereafter. The two engaged in an affair, and it is believed
that Guidry killed her when she refused “to marry him,” according to testimony
given by a former Jackson Parish cellmate, Terry Lynn Coleman.
Because of high pre-trial publicity, the trial was moved
from Jackson Parish, where Sims’ body was found, to Homer.
Two men cash one check too many
The Guardian-Journal
Two men were arrested this weekend after trying to cash a
check that did not belong to them.
Roderick T. Murphy, 20, and Kristopher W. Dodson, 28,
both of Emerson, Ark., were caught red-handed when they tried to cash a stolen
check a Piggly Wiggly in Haynesville on Tuesday, October 30.
“They were cashing them at Piggly Wiggly,” said Police
Chief Anthony Smith. “They’d cashed several there and we caught them trying to
cash another one.
Some checks were stolen, he said, and others the
perpetrators knew were closed accounts.
The two were charged with monetary instrument abuse,
issuing worthless checks, forgery and theft. The monetary instrument abuse
charges and the forgery charges each carry a bond of $5,000 with the worthless
checks and theft charges set at $500 each.
In an unrelated incident, two Webster Parish men were
arrested in Haynesville on charges of drug possession.
Richard George, 43, of Minden and Lorenzo Palmer, 40, of
Cullen, were arrested Saturday, November 3, during a traffic stop. When the two
men were searched and the vehicle was searched, Haynesville Police found an
unspecified amount of what was believed to be crack and marijuana.
“It was a pretty big batch,” Smith said. “One we found in
his mouth and others were found in the car they were driving.”
George and Palmer were both charged with possession with
intent to distribute Schedule II Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) –
Cocaine; Distribution of Schedule I CDS – Marijuana; possession with intent to
distribute Schedule II CDS – Cocaine; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Bond on all charges has yet to be set.
Also, in another incident, Edmunn L. Evans, 26, of
Haynesville, was arrested Friday, November 2, on charges of aggravated assault
with a firearm, illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities and
aggravated obstruction of highway of commerce.
Bond for the aggravated assault with a firearm charge was
set at $25,000; the illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities,
$10,000; and the aggravated obstruction was also set at $10,000.
Get to know the candidates
Two vie for District 10 police jury seat
Huey Dean
Huey Dean has a head for business and wants to use his
skills in money management and business to help serve the people of District
10.
The former Homer mayor has devoted much of his own time
and money to helping the people of Homer and Claiborne Parish.
“Most politicians are in office for self gain,” he said.
“I’m in there to use my benefits and knowledge to help the people of District
10.”
Dean gave several examples of how he saved money in the
Town of Homer through using his own time and resources. He said he will use
this knowledge and experience to help the police jury save money in the long
run and insure that the money that comes to the police jury is spent wisely.
He has studied the Bible for many years and lives his
life on the principles of the Good Book.
“I love people,” he said. “It makes me want to help
people that can’t help themselves. In nearly everything I do, I use the
principles of the Bible. I want to be a servant and help the people I’m elected
to serve. Talk is cheap. Let me show you what I can do.”
Dean graduated from Athens High school in 1948. Since
then, he has taken on several business ventures and now owns Linder Motel,
Starlight Motel in Haynesville, several rental properties in both Homer and
Haynesville, and an apartment complex.
He has been married for 10 years to Lily, and has two
children, Perry and Patricia Kleinman from previous marriages. He has eight
grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Dean served as mayor of Homer in the late 1990s and from
2003-2006. “To get things done, he’s the one.” He is #81 on the ballot for
November 17.
Willie Young
Editor’s Note: The Guardian-Journal made several attempts
to contact Mr. Young, but as of press time, our phone calls were not returned.
To give you, our readers, the opportunity to make the most informed decision,
we have compiled some information from his campaign from the primary election
held on October 24.
Willie Young Sr. is the incumbent police juror for
District #10. He says he’s seeking re-election because he feels God is leading
the people of Claiborne Parish to take a stand on the values for which this
country was founded.
“I want to express my sincere thanks to the citizens of
Claiborne Parish and District # 10,” Young said, “for the many courtesies
extended to me during my seven (7) years of service as police juror.”
In his seven years as District 10’s police juror, Young
has helped obtain funding for several projects, including the recent paving of
Lewis Way Road. He has also worked with several others in securing the funding
to begin the Homer Bypass.
He also reinstituted the “Chip and Seal Program,” for
parish roads in 2007 which helped seal more than 17 miles of parish roads at a
cost of $300,000.
He has been a part of many great things in and for
Claiborne Parish, but the values he upholds include first and foremost, family,
home, church and faith. He is also committed to his community, hard work and
individual responsibility.
He has been chairman of the Grant Committee, a member of
the Budget & Finance, Personnel, Housing, Recreational, and Road Committees
for the calendar year 2006-2007 of Claiborne Parish Police Jury.
He is #83 on the November 17 ballot.
Homer to sue former town clerk
Council votes 4-1 to answer open meetings suit
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The Homer Town Council voted 4-1 to answer a lawsuit
filed by former town clerk Rita Mitchell and counter sue for the amount of
money allegedly stolen from the town.
In a special meeting called Friday, Nov. 2, the council
met in executive session to discuss the pending litigation.
Chris Bowman, Mitchell’s attorney, filed a petition for
enforcement of open meetings laws and damages on October 12 stating that the
Town of Homer had violated open meetings laws following an open meeting to
discuss “personnel matters relating to Rita Mitchell.”
The suit states the Town of Homer violated the open
meetings laws when it met in executive session to discuss options regarding the
termination of Mitchell. After the council came out of executive session on
September 12, they voted to terminate her.
The suit goes a step further stating “the actions taken
on September 12, 2007, are invalid and without legal effect, pursuant to LA
R.S. 42.9.”
It is also asking for reasonable attorney’s fees and
“costs of this litigation.”
Mitchell is also seeking damages, stating in the lawsuit
that she “is still owed monies from the Town of Homer, which include regular
pay, vacation pay, and retirement funds.” The petition states that she is
entitled to her regular rate of pay through the current date because her
termination is null and void, pursuant to Louisiana RS 42:9.
Her termination went into effect on September 17.
In September, Mitchell was suspended without pay after a
discrepancy in a water bill account was found. The customer called Newell
stating the bill had been paid twice, and after some investigation, found that
the cash drawer showed the first payment was listed as a check not attributed
to the customer’s account, but was placed with the checks that came in on that
day. Cash receipts had been altered to reflect the amount of the check
involved.
The Louisiana State Auditors were called in and have not
yet completed their report. Once complete, it will be turned over to the
District’s Attorney office and the District Attorney’s office will determine
whether charges should be filed.
Oh what a nightmare!!!!
The Guardian-Journal
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Please be patient as construction crews
tie up traffic for the next month or so. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it
is suggested drivers find an alternate route to get where they are going.
Construction on the turn lane is expected to continue until mid-December and
long delays are expected in moving traffic from north and southbound lanes of
Hwy. 79.
Classes set for CERT training
The Guardian-Journal
On October 30, at 6:30 p.m., Wayne Hatfield, Scott
Greeson, Cathy Greeson, Walter Johnson, Karen Emerson, Jerry Atkins, and Dick
Dorell met to form the CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team) Certified
Claiborne Parish Board for the purpose of offering CERT classes to the general
public.
CERT is a volunteer organization designed to teach people
to help themselves during a disaster. These classes teach people how to turn
the gas or power off in their homes, put out small fires, and treat basic first
aid. They also touch on things like terrorism by knowing how to make reports to
their local emergency response providers.
At this meeting, the board set a date for the first
set of classes. This is a 20-hour course. They will be held March 4, 6, 11, 13,
2008, with Saturday, March 15, being a hands-on drill which will complete the
course.
The CERT board will have a booth set up at the Claiborne
Christmas Festival on November 24 in Homer. A sign up sheet will be made
available. Anyone interested please stop by for more information; handouts will
be made available. Also, the board is looking for more people who would
be interested in helping to put on these classes. Community leaders for Athens, Haynesville, and the surrounding areas are short. The next meeting will be in the Claiborne Parish Police Jury Building on November 15, at 5:30 p.m. We would like to welcome all that would like to attend.
‘Piney Woods Christmas’
Second Annual ‘Trim a Tree Day’
The talented art students in Claiborne
Parish schools gathered at the School Board office Tuesday, Nov. 6, to make and
decorate ornaments for the Christmas tree. The ornaments are 4x4 panel
canvases, and each student crafted a handmade ornament to go on the tree. Some
ornaments are 3-dimensional catfish, glass ornaments, handmade hunting and
fishing signs. All the students who attended Tuesday were high school students
from Homer High School, Haynesville High School and Summerfield High School. The art teachers leading the event include Becky Lowe of Summerfield and Pineview
High Schools; Suzy Allen of Haynesville High School and Rhonda Porter of Homer
High School.
It’s Girl Scout Time!
The Girl Scout Roundup will be held
Saturday, Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. until noon at the Homer Childhood Learning Center. All girls ages 5-17 are invited to attend. Registration is $10 per child.
Pictured above is: back row from left, Lenitra Adams and Sharon Willis,
co-leaders, Kimberly Givens, event coordinator, Dorothy Frazier and Cynthia
Mitchell, all co-leaders. Front row: Alecia Levingston, troop leader, Kizzy
Mozeke, cookie manager, and Allison Williams, co-leader. For more information,
please call 927-6945 or 318-548-2110.
Celebrating 100 years
Pictured are five generations as Lucy
Dickens celebrated her 100th birthday held Nov. 3, at First Baptist Church in Homer at the Family Life Center. Pictured are: standing from left, Tiffany
Martin, Ann Holtzclaw and Ashton Martin. Seated from left are Charlie Dickens,
Lucy, Elbie Dickens and Addison Martin. More than 300 guests attended the
event.
Claiborne Parish
2007 Christmas Festival Is Coming!
The Guardian-Journal
With
Christmas mere weeks away, November has several local holiday events. The
annual Claiborne Parish Christmas Festival, for example, has something going on
most of November.
The
2007 Christmas Beauties and Cuties Pageant, for instance, was held at 2:00 pm November 3 at Homer City Hall.
And
area merchants have designated November 4-10 as “Shop Claiborne First Week.”
Saturday, November 10 is the highlight with A Taste of Homer and when area merchants will feature open
house with lots of big sales. Local merchants have joined in giving away a $250
shopping spree.
In
Haynesville shoppers can register to win the shopping spree at any of the
following merchants: City Floral, Courtyard Florist, Killgore’s Pharmacy,
Farmer’s Depot, and All About Candles.
Shoppers
can also register to win at any of the following in Homer: Lynn’s Flowers,
Spillers Furniture, Michael’s Men’s Store, Claiborne Drug, Fred Smith &
Sons, Lily of the Valley Flowers, Gray’s Jewelry, Homer Flower Shop, Miss
Lizzie’s, Delta Interiors, The Grape Vine, The Raven Book Store, and Elite’s
Gift Shop.
All
parish residents are invited to participate in the “Deck the Halls” wreath
decorating contest. Family Dollar in Homer is offering lighted wreaths for a
special Christmas festival price of only $5.
Festival
organizers encourage everyone: “Be creative and decorate to suit your personality.”
First, second, and third places will be awarded in each of three categories:
business, adult, and children. Wreaths will be displayed and winners announced
during the “Taste of Homer” event on Saturday, November 10. A silent auction of
wreaths submitted for the “Deck the Halls” decorating contest will be held on
November 24.
The
24th also includes “The Hills of Homer Christmas Run.” Entrants may choose from
the “1-Mile Fun Run” or the 5K or 10K runs. Participants meet behind the Police Jury Building at 8:00 am.
Festival
organizers encourage everyone to participate in as many activities as possible.
Come on out and enjoy the food, the fun, and the festival!
This Film by Michael Haynes Productions was created in conjunction with 
