New Governor to speak at Chamber Banquet

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will be the guest speaker for this year’s Claiborne Chamber Banquet. Jindal was inaugurated as Louisiana’s new governor on January 14, at the Louisiana State Capital building in Baton Rouge. The banquet will be held January 28, at the Fair Barn Complex in Haynesville, located just behind Haynesville City Hall. Seating will begin at 6 p.m., with dinner to be served at 6:30 p.m. Please plan to arrive by 6 p.m. in order to be seated prior to the program. Reservations are $30 per person – first come, first serve. Shuttles will be available to bring attendees to the door from area parking lots. Seating is limited, so get your reservations made early. For more information or to make your reservation, call the Claiborne Chamber of Commerce at 927-3271.

Haynesville Mayor dies at 85

The Guardian-Journal

Haynesville’s mayor, H.U. “Mutt” Slaid has died.

At the age of 85, Slaid passed away at approximately 9:30 p.m. at Willis-Knighton Pierremont Hospital in Shreveport. He had been sick and in and out of the hospital since August 2007.

His funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday, January 18, at the Claiborne Parish Fair Barn. He will be buried at Gordon’s Cemetery outside of Haynesville.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Florene Slaid, three children, nine grandchildren and some great-grandchildren.

Slaid wore many different hats as he was very involved in his community. He served as Haynesville’s mayor, beginning his term in July 2005. His term would have expired in July 2009. He served his community in many different capacities including as Haynesville’s fire chief at one time, town councilman and also served as the town clerk for a number of years.

He served as president of the Louisiana Municipal Clerks Association in 1986-87. As town clerk, Slaid was an advocate for continuing education and certification for the state’s village, town and city clerks who gather each fall at the Louisiana Municipal Clerks Institute to further their professional accreditation, according to a press release from the Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA).

Not only was he considered a pillar of his community, but he was highly regarded with his service as a member of the LMA. Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields, president of the LMA, said in the press release that he was an outstanding public official.

“The consummate public servant and leader, Mr. Slaid selflessly and tirelessly went the extra mile to serve his fellow mayors and municipal officials,” he said. “Very few individuals have given the LMA greater length of service than Mayor Slaid did, and he was held in highest esteem by the members of this association. His profound service to municipal government has created a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten. His friendship, counsel and service to others will truly be missed.”

The Haynesville Town Council will hold a special meeting soon to appoint an interim mayor. A special election will have to be called to elect a new mayor.

Slaid’s death comes just mere months after the passing of another council member, Rene Lincoln-Buggs. Buggs passed away September 27, 2007 of a sudden illness. Her husband, Alfred Buggs was appointed to her seat on the council until the February 9 election. Vying for the council seat are Buggs, Brian Bogle and Jeff Willis.

Baby, oh baby!

First baby of year born at Homer Hospital

Taniyah Hoof

The first new baby born at Homer Hospital is pictured here with her mom, Sherenna Hoof of Lillie.

Taniyah Hoof was born at 8:57 a.m. Saturday, January 12, at Homer Memorial Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces.

Her proud parents are Sharenna and VaDarian Meadows. Taniyah’s maternal grandparents are Billy Ray and Lisa Hoof. Her paternal grandparents are Catina and James Williams.

Taniyah was welcomed home by her 2-year-old sister, Taliyah Hoof.

Drug dealer gets 20-year sentence

The Guardian-Journal

Another drug dealer is off the streets in Claiborne Parish.

Troy V. Gilmore, of the Pine Hill Community, was sentenced to 20 years at hard labor on Thursday, January 10 after he was convicted of distribution of Schedule II CDS, cocaine in May 2007.

According to court records, this is his third felony drug conviction and he was found by the court to be a habitual offender.

Gilmore “is sentenced to serve a term of imprisonment with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections of twenty (20) years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence,” the judgment said, “and that defendant be given credit for all time served since the date of his arrest.”

According to a press release by Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey, Gilmore will have to serve a minimum of 85 percent – 17 years – of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Before his trial, 2nd Judicial District Court Judge Jenifer Clason advised him that if he pleaded guilty “as charged” he would be sentenced to five years hard labor, three years suspended and two years mandatory incarceration and the multiple offender status would be waived.

“If Gilmore had taken the offer of the court, it would have resulted in Gilmore serving approximately 12 months in prison based on good time credit from the Louisiana Department of Corrections,” the press release said.

In the pre-sentencing investigation, the court did in fact find that Gilmore is a habitual offender based on three prior felony convictions and two misdemeanor convictions.

He pleaded guilty in November 1997 to possession of Schedule II controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute in Caddo Parish.

He also pleaded guilty in October 1997 of possession of cocaine in Claiborne Parish and his present offense.

The misdemeanor charges included two DWIs (driving while intoxicated) in Claiborne Parish in July 2002 and November 2005, both of which he pleaded guilty to.

March for MLK Day celebration on Jan. 21

The Guardian-Journal

The Claiborne Parish NAACP would like to cordially invite you to join us for our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Our march will be on January 21, at 6:30 p.m., with the lineup forming at the corner of Hill Street and MLK Street.

The march will end at New Hope Baptist Church with celebration services to follow.

The speaker for the service will be Fred Young.

Please come out and support us in this event.

For more information, please call Billy Kirk, president, at 927-4704 or 548-5213.

5-month investigation leads to drug charges

The Guardian-Journal

Sheriff Ken Bailey announced that on Friday, January 11, the Claiborne Narcotic Enforcement Team (CNET), Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office (CPSO), the Haynesville Police Department and Louisiana State Police personnel served a search warrant at 2077 Gantt Drive in Haynesville.

This search resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine “ICE,” electronic weighing scales and a large quantity of packaging material. As a result of these seizures, CNET arrested Annette H. Williams, 58, and Wanda L. Hester, 46, for possession with intent to distribute a schedule II controlled dangerous substance (methamphetamine).

“This investigation started five months ago when local narcotic agents received information relative to the activities of Annette Williams and her possible involvement in the distribution of methamphetamine,” said Bailey.

These agents initiated an investigation which resulted in undercover purchase of meth from Williams on three different occasions.

While incarcerated on charges from the January 11 search warrant, CNET obtained additional arrest warrants on Williams for three counts of distribution of schedule II CDS (methamphetamine). These warrants were served to Williams on Monday evening, January 14.

Judge Jenifer Clason set bond on Williams at $15,000 for possession with intent to distribute (meth) and $25,000 per count on the distribution (meth) charges for a total bond of $90,000.

Judge Clason set bond on Lester at $15,000 for possession with intent to distribute (meth). Additionally, Lafayette County, Ark., has placed a hold on Lester for failure to appear in court on a wire theft charge in their jurisdiction.

As of press time, both women remained in the Claiborne Parish Women’s Jail.

Bailey stated that he wanted to publicly thank his personnel, along with CNET, the Haynesville Police Department and the Louisiana State Police North District Narcotics for their hard work and long hours involved in this case.

“It is truly wonderful and rewarding to be able to work side by side with both Haynesville and Homer Police Departments as well as the Louisiana State Police,” Bailey said. “This cooperation has led to many successes in the war on crime throughout Claiborne Parish and will lead to many more.

Bailey ended by reminding the public to notify area law enforcement agencies of any suspicious or illegal activity that is going on in their neighborhoods. Concerned citizens can call CNET at 318-927-9800; the Louisiana State Police at 318-676-3200; the Homer Police Department at 318-927-4000; the Haynesville Police Department at 318-624-1355; the CPSO at 318-927-2011 or the Louisiana North District Narcotics Shreveport Field Office at 318-934-4346.

Any and all information is considered confidential and is greatly appreciated.

Duo shares passion of music in Homer

The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates

Pictured above are percussion artist Tom Teasley, Vocalist/Poet Charles Williams and his cousin Dump Hatter. Williams, a native of Haynesville, is a second cousin to Hatter, a lifelong resident of Haynesville. Teasley and Williams taught workshops while in Claiborne Parish as well as performed in several places throughout the parish this past weekend.

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

It is said that music feeds the soul. It is considered an art and a passion for many.

The dynamic duo, Word-Beat, came to Claiborne Parish this past weekend to share that passion. Charles Williams and Tom Teasley, who make up Word-Beat, performed in Athens, Haynesville and at Homer City Hall this past weekend as well as taught workshops to share their knowledge and love of music.

Williams, a native of Haynesville and cousin to Dump Hatter, said there was something about music that feeds the other side of a person – the spirit and the soul.

“Music affects you in ways that nothing else can. It’s very important stuff,” he said.

Teasley shared Williams’ sentiment.

“Music expresses that which words and visuals can’t,” Teasley said. “It reaches a part of you that is unreachable in any other way.”

With 12 years together as a duo, their journey started when they met at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. The two were involved in a faculty concert series and Teasley came up with the idea of the spoken word in time with percussion (drums) because he heard someone “sort of jamming” with Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream…,” in the background and he thought it would be interesting to do something in real time.

“We did it and the first piece we did was a speech by Martin Luther King Jr., called , ‘I Still Believe,’” Williams said.

The concept of spoken word to percussion is not new. According to Williams, James Weldon Johnson, a famous poet, went to various churches, listening to sermons and songs of worship and put some of the sermon topics with music.

Those were the first two pieces Teasley and Williams performed together.

“It was such a huge success, and that summer, we did a full concert,” Williams said, “and a critic from The Washington Post was there. He wrote such a rave review, and we thought, ‘Well, we have something here.’”

The duo now has two CDs out and they perform concerts all over the United States as well as Europe. The CDs were on sale at the concert, and a portion of those sales were donated to the Claiborne Jubilee to help with its arts programs. The duo also teaches vocals and percussion in workshops.

Throughout Williams’ travels, he and Hatter have maintained contact throughout the years, with music playing an important role in their lives. Hatter could be considered somewhat of a local celebrity, while his cousin has come back to the area several times to perform concerts.

“We played together as children,” Hatter said of his cousin. “We played pick up sticks – I remember that well.”

Williams began singing at the tender age of three, while Teasley began playing percussions professionally at the age of 12.

“When I was in Haynesville as a kid, I would sing and they couldn’t shut me up,” he said. “I was three, just singing, and it’s very much a part of my life.”

Teasley is originally from Washington, D.C., playing professionally at age 12. He attended Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, studying classical music. After graduation, he spent a fair amount of time in Louisiana in New Orleans, playing at the blues club Tippitannas.

“Through a variety of circumstances, I got really interested in discovering the more ancient traditions of percussions, and that led to studying the instruments and traditions of Africa, India and the Middle East,” Teasley said. “Largely what I do is work in fusing that with American music.”

Now, Teasley markets instruments, traveling doing demonstrations and teaches as well. He also composes music for theatrical productions, while Williams writes poetry.

Vitter holds town hall meeting

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

Senator David Vitter visited Homer on Wednesday, Jan. 9, and held a town hall meeting to hear the concerns of his constituents.

Many from around Claiborne and the surrounding parishes attended the meeting to voice concerns regarding Social Security, Medicare and health insurance. He told the audience about some of the issues he is currently working on in the Senate to better the lives of Louisiana residents.

“The idea behind this town hall meeting is very simple and straightforward,” Vitter said to the audience. “It’s just so I can hear directly from you what’s on your mind, what’s in your heart. This meeting is whatever you want it to be.”

Before opening the floor to the audience, he made a few opening remarks about some issues he’s been working on, one of which is illegal immigration.

“This past year, I was very active on that issue on the Senate floor,” he said. “I believe we’ve made some progress. We rejected what I believe was the wrong approach and gotten on a better approach to solving the problem.”

He was talking about passing legislation for $3 billion in federal funding to improve the fencing and other securities at the country’s border.

“I thought (the defeated bill) was the wrong approach because it featured amnesty (a pardon for political offenses against a government) for all illegal aliens in the country, combined with really inadequate workplace enforcement,” he said. “The amnesty provision is a magnet for more illegal (aliens) to cross into the country.”

In the new legislation, the $3 billion funding will go towards specific border enforcement including better fencing, more border patrol agents, more retention beds so that the “catch and release” program will be stopped and deported back into their own country.

“I think finally after ignoring the problem for decades, I think – I hope – we’re getting on the right track with the enforcement focus,” he said.

He also talked about healthcare, particularly prescription drugs.

“Every Louisiana family that I know faces issues with high prescription drug costs,” he said. “This is particularly true for seniors, for kids or for those who care for their parents or grandparents.”

A few years ago, Medicare Part D was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is a voluntary prescription drug coverage program. He said it has helped many seniors in that on average, they are paying 50 percent less than they were without it.

The problem with this part of the program is that for a certain number of months each year, Medicare will not pick up the costs of prescription drugs. It all comes down to money and funding, Vitter said.

“The costs are still high,” he said. “I’m working on a number of ways that will bring those costs down.”

One way is what’s called re-importation, where seniors will have the choice of going outside the United States to order their medications and pay less than what they are now. The idea, he said, is to allow people the choice of buying safe, less expensive medications from Canada or elsewhere.

“They are the same drugs that we have here, but they are from different sources, and would give folks a different option with cheaper prices,” he said. “Even for drugs sold here, it would bring prices down because it would break up the system we have of the same drugs being sold in different countries for very different prices.”

He heard several people from the audience talking about prescription drugs, Medicare and health insurance, but because many of the situations he heard were so personal, Vitter’s personnel took down their contact information and vowed to personally look into each situation to see what he could do to help them.

For those who could not attend the meeting or just have questions for Sen. Vitter, he can be contacted at his Shreveport office at 318-861-0437, or send inquires to 920 Pierremont Road, Suite 113, Shreveport, LA 71106. For those with access to the Internet, go to vitter.senate.gov to email any questions.

Year in Review 2007

The Guardian-Journal

Editor’s Note: Here’s a look back at 2007 in the months of July through December.

July 2007

Claiborne Parish welcomes its new school superintendent

Wayne King began his first official day as Claiborne Parish Superintendent of Schools on Monday, July 2.

Although he began his first official day on Monday, he has spent the last 30 days, on and off, getting familiar with his role as superintendent. He has been meeting with school board staff getting to know the procedures of Claiborne Parish, getting to know the staff – just a general adjustment period.

“This has been a transitional period for all of us,” he said. “It’s been a time where they can get to know me and I can get to know them.”

He stated that Claiborne Parish has much to offer and is looking forward to getting to know the people he will be working with.

“I like Claiborne Parish,” he said. “It has very nice people. They are very helpful. Professionally, they are good people. I’ve known some of these people a long time in the educational part of this, and I’m looking forward to meeting our teachers and staff.”

The new superintendent is looking forward to working with the people of Claiborne Parish, and with his experience as an educator, he plans to take his life’s career and put it to use for the kids of this parish.

Claiborne Ambulance changes ownership because of finances

After 13 years in business, Claiborne Ambulance has passed the torch to Pafford Ambulance Services. Owners Kay and Tommy Watson sold the business in June with heavy hearts, and it was not an easy choice.

“It wasn’t a choice for us,” Kay Watson said. “With the rising costs of gas and Medicare cuts and other financial responsibilities, we just couldn’t afford to keep it going.”

The company has also kept the same phone numbers for both stations in Homer and Haynesville. In Homer, residents can call 927-4141, Haynesville, 624-2141.

Former Haynesville town clerk goes free again

As of Monday, July 16, former Haynesville Town Clerk Marilyn Bush is a free woman – again. Second Judicial District Court Judge Jimmy Teat signed a judgment granting post-conviction relief and allowing Bush to post $15,000 bond. The 10-year sentence imposed on Bush has been dropped, placing her case at pre-trial status.

The judgment was ordered following an application for post conviction relief based on three constitutional violations. The application states that these violations as “(1) violation of due process rights resulting from an impermissible conflict perpetuated by the district attorney’s office; (2) ineffective assistance of counsel; and (3) trial court error by participating in plea negotiations and failing to consider the sentencing guidelines as required by La. C.Cr.P. Art. 894.1.”

August 2007

Homer High School still undergoing renovations

The Claiborne Parish School Board’s maintenance department has worked hard this summer to do a complete renovation of Homer High School.

This summer, workers have been working on the school reworking the electrical system at the school. The school now has all new ceilings, updated lighting and new heating and air conditioning systems. Everything has been repainted and the classrooms now have new chalkboards and tack boards.

“The entire school has been redone inside,” McKenzie said.

Candidate Bobby Jindal visits Haynesville on his campaign trail

Governor candidate Bobby Jindal came to Haynesville last week on the campaign trail, and spoke to residents about what he wanted to do to change Louisiana.

His motto, “We can change, we must change, we will change,” reverberated throughout his speech. He spoke of changing the way things are run in Louisiana, and making sure the state government is working for the people.

“There’s something wrong when our congressmen get out of bed every day and think of themselves as Democrats and Republicans first, not as Americans first,” he said. “That’s not the way it’s supposed to be, and that’s not the way it’s going to be here in Louisiana.”

40-year-old lawsuit still plagues school board

The Claiborne Parish School Board met in executive session Thursday night at their regular monthly meeting to discuss a pending case that has been in litigation for more than 40 years.

The federal case, Yvornia DeCarol Banks and the United States versus the Claiborne Parish School Board, is a desegregation case that goes back to August 1965. The school board met with Assistant District Attorney Jim Hatch to discuss the strategy they will use to handle the case.

The suit was filed for desegregation of schools, in which the school board was issued a permanent injunction restraining the school board from operating its school system under the dual school system (white system and black system). The school board was also ordered to submit a desegregation plan, which was amended and adopted as the “freedom of choice” plan in October 1965.

“The Claiborne Parish School Board has never been declared unitary, which means the court has to make a finding that the school system has met all its constitutional remedies or violations and remnants of the former dual school system, (white system and black system),” Hammonds said. “The judge issued an order and the Claiborne Parish School Board has not implemented the order. This is the kind of case that will go on for many years and nothing be done.”

September 2007

Parish gets new warning systems fires, severe weather

Claiborne Parish has gotten some long awaited upgrades to better warn its citizens of severe weather and fire warnings.

Two new alert towers have gone up in Homer and Haynesville, set up through the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, that will help the parish’s fire departments respond to emergencies faster and warn of impending severe weather.

The towers came as a result of a fiscal year 2005 grant from FEMA that was awarded to through the state to Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. The alert towers cost approximately $40,000, $20,000 a piece.

Town clerk suspended after admitting to theft

Homer’s town clerk Rita Mitchell was suspended without pay Thursday after an inquiry into a customer’s bill showed inconsistencies.

Homer Mayor David Newell said a customer called approximately 45 days ago concerning a bill that had been paid twice.

The state auditors have been conducting an investigation for approximately one month, since the cash discrepancy was found. James Colvin and the town’s finance committee have been heading up an analysis of the town’s financial operations for the last several weeks, and based on what he’s seen so far, he recommended changing the town’s bookkeeping software, and the state advisory board will be giving advice on how the town’s operations should be handled.

9/11 program honors Claiborne Parish’s finest

The community of Homer honored its own Thursday, September 6, during a program honoring firefighters, police and emergency responders.

During the sixth annual 9/11 service, many aspects of Claiborne Parish was represented, including town councilmen of both Homer and Haynesville, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury, the Claiborne Parish Tax Assessor’s Office, the Homer Police Department, the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Department, Louisiana State Troopers, the Haynesville Fire Department, the Homer Fire Department, the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Louisiana Legislature.

Also, one special guest was State Police Troop G Commander Tom Madden.

33-6, Homer: ‘Nuf said

Pels blast Tors in 100th anniversary game Friday night

Homer’s Fighting Pelicans hosted the Haynesville Golden Tornado Friday night to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their first game played way back in December 1907. An overflow crowd saw pre-game activities that included the presentation of a plaque from the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) noting the historic occasion, and Representative Rick Gallot reading a proclamation from the Louisiana State Legislature honoring the centennial year game. The Homer Fighting Pelicans won the game 33-6.

Local state troopers attend civil rights protest in Jena

Several local Louisiana State Troopers were called to Jena last week for seemingly one of the biggest civil rights protests since Martin Luther King’s march in Washington, D.C. in 1963.

Local state troopers from the Claiborne Parish area who were assigned to the Jena protest included Troopers Michael Allen and Rusty Taylor of the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations; and Troopers Seth Harmon, Doug Pike and Brandon Peters, all of Troop G.

October 2007

St. Jude Car and Bike Show a success

The St. Jude Car and Bike Show at Lake Claiborne was a success this year as more than $5,000 was raised for the children’s research hospital.

Many from Claiborne Parish and the surrounding areas entered the car and bike show. Approximately 70 cars and 15 bikes were registered in the show, and many more came to Lake Claiborne to admire the many vehicles that seemed to be well taken care of. All together, approximately $12,000 was raised.

Was it ‘boys will be boys’ or was it hazing?

Was it hazing or boys just being boys? That was the question when Homer Police were called to Homer High School Tuesday afternoon (October 9).

Reportedly, four football players stripped a freshman player of his clothes (at practice) and took a picture of him with a cell phone camera.

The four involved in the hazing were given a 1-10 day suspension and were not allowed to play in Friday night’s game against Springhill.

The victim of the hazing was also suspended for carrying a gun clip on school property, which occurred after the altercation. He returned to school on Monday.

The people have spoken: Jindal takes the governor’s seat outright

Sheriff wins another term by landslide

Louisiana has officially elected its first non-white governor since the Reconstruction. Governor-elect Bobby Jindal came away from the election with more than 50 percent of the vote – 45 percent in Claiborne Parish.

Jindal is now on a “thank you” tour throughout the state, and has spent a lot of time in Claiborne Parish. It is not yet known if he will make his way through here again, but he has hit the ground running and is expected to begin implementing the things he wants to do to make Louisiana a better place to live when he takes office in January.

Locally, many incumbents were re-elected to their respective seats and some will enter a runoff on November 17.

November 2007

Concerns, suggestions voiced about Pineview School

Pineview School was at the center of a public hearing held Tuesday night.

The big issue is the low attendance of Pineview School, which the Justice Department deems “problematic.”

To complicate matters, said Attorney Bob Hammonds, Claiborne Parish is under a 1970 court order to desegregate the schools, because Pineview’s student population is “all black.” Summerfield, on the other hand, he said, is 70 percent white and 30 percent black — today. When this court order was issued, Summerfield was approximately 70 percent black and 30 percent white.

The bottom line is this: The Claiborne Parish School Board will need to come up with a workable plan to present to the Justice Department and the federal judge by next fall, or a decision will be made for them.

The plan now is to compile the concerns and suggestions made in this meeting and present it to the school board. It will not be presented at the next school board meeting, but at a later date.

Riot in Homer almost uncontrollable

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.

Guidry appeal denied

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.

Because of high pre-trial publicity, the trial was moved from Jackson Parish, where Sims’ body was found, to Homer.

Homer to sue former town clerk

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.”

School board denies hazing appeal

The Claiborne Parish School Board voted by majority to deny appeals made by three of the four Homer High School students involved in a hazing last month.

The boys and their families came before the school board at their regular meeting asking the board to reverse their punishment. The three were remanded to the Claiborne Parish Alternative School to serve a six-week detention period in which they were to complete their school assignments and receive counseling while there.

Once their six week term at the alternative school is complete, they will return to regular classes at Homer High School.

Robinson wins tax assessor election

The results are in. Claiborne Parish has chosen its next tax assessor.

The unofficial results as listed by the Louisiana Secretary of State, state that Bob Robinson brought in a total of 57 percent of the vote with 1,810 votes to his credit. His opponent, Mae “Kitty” Williams, came in with 1,343 votes.

Deal finalized for part of old Wal-Mart building

The Homer town council voted in a special meeting to sign an offer for the purchase of the old Wal-Mart Building for $265,000 with another $10,000 to cover taxes and other expenses with the purchase.

Delta Contract Interiors purchased half of the building for $100,000, increasing jobs in the Town of Homer.

December 2007

Airport grant could be in jeopardy

The Town of Homer voted 3-2 against appointing Alliance Engineering as the firm to handle the continuing project of safety and security at the Homer Municipal Airport.

Balar was chosen instead.

Surveillance plays key role in apprehension of thieves

Surveillance cameras played a key role in the apprehension of three suspects who burglarized Homer Elementary School last week.

On December 5, three computers, including the towers, monitors, keyboards, mice and cables, were taken from the school premises. One suspect was viewed on the security camera carrying a computer monitor on his shoulders.

Freddie Champ, Russell Harris and Russell Mosley were all arrested for the burglary.

GIS seminar to be held January 23

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

A seminar will be held January 23, to teach Claiborne Parish citizens about geographical information systems (GIS).

The meeting, to be held in the police jury building at 10 a.m., will focus on the importance of a geographical information system (GIS) and how it works. Greg Thompson, of Geographic Computer Technologies, LLC, will be teaching the seminar.

Scott Greeson, director of Claiborne Parish 911, said this technology is important to the safety of the citizens of the parish.

“It’s a timesaver basically,” Greeson said. “We started planning this thing over a year ago and we’ve made some progress on it. The 911 system at the sheriff’s office is using a GIS system. The problem is that it’s not completely accurate. Some of the street names are not the same, so we can’t rely on it 100 percent of the time.”

Right now, the most accurate mapping system is the paper map. Greeson has approximately 25 folders with folded maps of the parish. Even then, because some of the street names have changed, “Old Reliable” isn’t as reliable as in times past.

Currently, Claiborne Parish has a GIS system, but it needs to be upgraded. The parish now has aerial photos of the parish, but they are outdated and not very clear when zooming in.

The plan is to update Claiborne’s GIS system every two years so that the system will be as accurate as possible. Greeson said the photographs will be taken sometime at the end of February or the beginning of March.

In a nutshell, here’s how it works. Photographs are taken of the parish from an airplane at a very high altitude and these photographs, when updated, are more accurate than many paper maps.

In the plane, three photographs are taken at the same time at different angles and then layered for more clarity.

When a person decides to look up an address of a location, these aerial photos can be brought up on the computer through the internet. Depending on how large the computer file (the aerial image) is will depend on how clear the image is when zooming in.

These systems are not used to spy on people, and although they are real photographs, it is not real time.

The resolution (the size of the picture) of the images is very important, Greeson said. When the images of Claiborne Parish are updated, these photos will be shot with a resolution of six. This means when a location is zoomed in, the person will be able to see what’s in the back of a pick up truck as opposed to just a fuzzy square on the computer screen. The higher the resolution – the higher the quality of the image.

These photographs will be funded through Homeland Security, and it will not cost the parish anything. Every year, so much money is allotted for Homeland Security, and the parish gets half and the other half goes to the region, which includes seven parishes. It is through that regional funding that the photos will be paid for.

Again, the seminar will be held at 10 a.m. in the police jury building on Wednesday, January 23. For more information, Greeson may be contacted at 927-9400.

I-69 selected as ‘Corridor of the Future’

The Guardian-Journal

Interstate 69 was named one of six corridors as Corridors of the Future.

This route, expected to pass through Northwest Louisiana, has received $800,000 to implement a development plan. This funding is for transportation, community and system preservation (TCSP) for an I-69 innovative financing study.

This announcement concluded a year-long process which began in September 2006, according to Casey Watts Morgan, associate director of Governmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The department received 38 proposals from public and private entities and competed to be selected for the new program.

According to the DOTD’s web site fact sheet, “The program is aimed at developing innovative national and regional approaches to reduce congestion and improve the efficiency of freight delivery. The selected corridors carry 22.7 percent of the nation’s daily interstate travel.”

The international and interstate trade corridor (I-69) extends from Mexico to Canada. It is approximately 2,680 miles long.

In its current status, there are 32 separate segments, all of which are in varying stages of development from acquisition of right-of-way to environmental review and design, the fact sheet said.

I-69 has already been identified as a high priority corridor by Congress and has political support of all the states involved.

To find out more about I-69 and where it stands or for more information, go to http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot9607.htm.

Blood drive brings in several donations

The Guardian-Journal

The blood drive at Homer Memorial Hospital was a success, bringing in 19 units of blood for Lifeshare Blood Centers.

Jamie Waganer, an employee of M&M Hardware in Homer, has been giving blood for approximately 20 years. Since he began donating, he’s now donated a total of four gallons of blood.

The machine that Waganer is connected to in the picture is called an Alyx (pronounced Alex). This machine takes the whole blood from the donor and centrifuges – spins it down to separate components of whole blood (red cells, plasma) – the blood. It then stores the red cells or plasma. The units of plasma or red blood cells go to the blood bank.

Alyx will either take two units of red cells or one unit of plasma and one unit of red cells. A unit of whole blood is one pint.

Donating blood through this machine takes a little longer to than giving whole blood, because Alyx is actually separating the blood and the plasma. It takes about 15 minutes longer to donate on Alyx, approximately 25 minutes total.

Photos of old black schools, churches needed

The Guardian-Journal

Photographs of the old black schools and churches are urgently needed for publication in the pictorial history of Claiborne Parish that is being published by Arcadia Publishing Company, the nation’s leading publisher of local and regional history.

The Ford Museum is gathering the photographs and is working with Arcadia Publishing to make a book that tells the history and culture of our parish.

If you have ANY photographs of the black churches or schools, to tell the complete history of our parish, please call Linda Volentine at 318-927-9190 or email at fordmuseum@bellsouth.net.

The deadline for all of these photos is March 1.

The success of this project depends on your support.

Claiborne Relay for Life

There will an organizational meeting for the 2008 Relay for Life on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at Nicky’s Mexican Restaurant at 6:00 p.m.  in Homer. Committees will be formed  as well as teams. If you’ve never participated in Relay please come and get involved.  We need everyone’s help. For more information please call Elbie Dickens at 927-2360 or Nancy Mason at 927-2517.

What’s so important about the Rosetta Stone?

JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer

Most people have heard of the Rosetta Stone, but just what is it and why is it important?

The ancient Egyptians’ written language was called hieroglyphics. Used for uncounted centuries, hieroglyphics fell into disuse after Egypt was conquered by Greece.

Despite the efforts of many to unravel Egyptian hieroglyphics, the meaning of the stone’s picture engravings remained a mystery for hundreds of years. Enter the Rosetta Stone.

Discovered by Napoleon’s troops in 1799, the chunk of polished black basalt rock was found near el-Rashid (Rosetta) in Lower Egypt. Eleven inches thick, its face measures about 45 inches by 28 inches. It consists of three written sections—one in hieroglyphics, one in Demotic (a shorthand version of Egyptian hieroglyphics), and the third in Greek.

As scholars scrutinized the stone, they realized that it contained a single message inscribed in three languages. The linguist who successfully unraveled its was Jean François Champollion (1790-1832). He was only 18 years old when he undertook to decode the Rosetta Stone. It took 14 years for him to correlate the Greek with the Demotic and figure out the system of symbols on which Egyptian hieroglyphics were based.

That is why we hear something compared to the Rosetta Stone if it provides a way to decipher something that would otherwise be very difficult to understand.

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“Women are meant to be loved, not understood.”—Oscar Wilde

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