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.

Early voting begins Saturday

Early voting will be held from Saturday, January 26 until Saturday, February 2, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day.

This is a closed party election, which means residents of Homer must be registered as Republican or Democrat. If not registered as one or the other, those residents will not be able to vote.

The presidential nominees for the Democrats include: “Joe” Biden; Hillary Clinton; Christopher J. Dodd; John Edwards; Kennis J. Kucinich; Barak Obama and William “Bill” Richardson.

The presidential nominees for the Republicans include: Jerry Curry; Daniel Gilbert; Rudolph W. Guiliani; “Mike” Huckabee; Duncan Hunter; Alan Keyes; John McCain; Ron Paul; Mitt Romney; “Tom” Tancredo; and Fred Thompson.

In Haynesville, residents do not have to be registered as one party or the other. Haynesville residents will be able to vote.

On the ballot for February 9 is a special election for those in Haynesville to choose a nominee for District 4 Council member. Those nominees include Brian Bogle, no party, #342 on the ballot; Alfred Buggs, Democrat, #343 on the ballot; and “Jeff” Willis, Republican, #344 on the ballot.

For those who are running for office, please remember that no nominee on the ballot may campaign within 600 feet of the entrance to a polling place on Election Day or during early voting. Nominees cannot offer, promise, solicit or accept money or anything of present or future value to obtain or influence a vote or registration. They cannot intimidate any voter concerning voting or registration; vote or attempt to vote more than once; disobey election officials or interfere with elections equipment.

All voters must be able to produce valid photo identification or sign an identification affidavit before voting. Voters may use a driver’s license, special Louisiana identification card or other form of photo identification containing the name, address and signature of the voter.

For questions or more information, please call the Registrar of Voter’s Office at 318-927-3332.

Haynesville coach arrested for inappropriate behavior

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

Haynesville High School Coach Ronnie Fields was arrested Monday on four counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.

Allegedly, Fields made sexual comments to at least four students. According to reports, seven complaints were filed against him, but only four of the students’ parents filed complaints with police.

The offense Fields is charged with is a misdemeanor. Fields’ attorney, Chris Bowman, said his office has received no criminal charges against his client.

“Just because he’s been arrested, does not mean that he’s been formally charged by any prosecuting agency,” Bowman said. “The arrest warrants were obtained through the justice of the peace in Claiborne Parish. We maintain Coach Fields’ innocence and we look forward to clearing his name.”

At a special meeting held Thursday night, the school board granted a request for sabbatical leave for medical reasons and accepted Fields’ resignation to become effective at the end of the school year.

According to Mary McDaniel, personnel supervisor of the Claiborne Parish School Board, Fields had legitimate medical reasons for requesting a sabbatical, or a certain period of time off work. The school board would not have legally been able to grant his request otherwise, she said.

Under the advisement of the school board’s attorney, Superintendent of Schools Wayne King could not discuss the issue with The Guardian-Journal.

The case has been turned over to John Guice, an attorney from Hammonds and Sills Law Firm in Monroe, who specializes in handling school board cases of this nature. As of press time, The Guardian-Journal’s attempts to contact Guice went unanswered.

Also, as of press time, phone calls to Haynesville Police Chief Anthony Smith were not returned.

If Fields is convicted of these charges, he will face a fine of not more than $1,000 or be imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than two years or both, according to Louisiana Criminal Code Revised Statute 14:92.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader honored in Homer

The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates

Slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was honored Monday when several citizens and community leaders gathered at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street in Homer to march in commemoration of what he stood for. Following the candlelight march, a commemoration service was held at New Hope Baptist Church. Fred Young was the speaker.

Council appoints new town clerk

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

By a vote of 4-1, the Homer Town Council has appointed a new town clerk.

Town employee B.J. Lowe will assume the responsibilities as Homer’s official town clerk effective immediately following the vote of the town council at a special meeting held Thursday, January 17.

“I’m going to do the best I can and try to straighten up our offices,” she said. “I’m going to try to follow what the legislative auditors said with the direction of the mayor and the council. We have some great people working here. We’re here to help the public and we’ll work with them. I’m excited and I hope I can fill the shoes.”

Lowe brings experience to the Town of Homer, coming from the mayor’s office in Covington. She has experience in how the day to day operations should be run as well as legal knowledge of many aspects of the town’s operations.

She has more than 10 years experience in government, including budgeting. She handled a $10 million budget in Covington. She has experience in purchasing, grant administration, as a personnel supervisor, and some accounting experience. She also dealt a great deal with project accounting, which is a little different from regular public finances. Project accounting is accounting for the money spent on big ticket projects and staying within the projected budget. A good example of this would be a project similar to the grant process for the Homer Municipal Airport.

She also carries knowledge in maintaining computer systems, software and networking.

Following the termination of former town clerk Rita Mitchell in September 2007, the town’s administrative staff split the responsibilities of the position. Homer Mayor David Newell said he waited until some things were put into place and kinks had been worked out before suggesting a new town clerk.

“We have a good crew in the office now, and I think they’re doing a good job,” said Councilman Toney Johnson.

Newell agreed.

“The staff is working very well at City Hall at this time; they are working together,” he said. “They are doing an excellent job and we’re getting the town in shape. I was very glad that the council chose the clerk and treasurer that they did. The town is working together now, we are a cohesive unit.”

Since Mitchell’s termination, the town has been undergoing many changes, including learning new computer software and implementing policies to handle day to day business. James Colvin Sr., head of the town’s finance committee, has put in many long hours and hard work to help the town straighten out its finances and get the town moving in the right direction.

Shenovia Harris, a town employee, was also named as town treasurer by a unanimous vote of the council. Her responsibilities include payroll and all payroll related duties, payroll accounts payables (benefits, insurance), payroll taxes, deposits and financial statements for the accountants and handles purchasing.

She is also a backup cashier at the recommendation of the legislative auditors.

In other council news, all town employees will get a 4 percent raise, which went into effect, Friday, January 18. This means that the town’s administrative staff, public works department as well as Homer Police Officers all got a four percent raise added to their current salaries.

Other business included:

• Homer Fire Chief Dennis Butcher was given the authority to purchase a new fire truck for the department. Sealed bids will be open until February 25, at 7 p.m.
• The town council also approved payment for a sewage back up into Mrs. G. W. Zachary’s home, located on 125 Willow Street. The town’s sewer main backed up, going into Zachary’s home, causing a huge mess. Zachary had to replace floors and have other work done to her home.

Public Works Supervisor Lee Wells investigated the issue and found a clog in the sewer main between Beech Street and Dutchtown Road. He said in a statement, dated December 20, 2007, that he could see grease and tree roots bundled together in the lines. The sewer main has since then been unclogged and treated with chemicals.

Haynesville names its interim mayor

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The Town of Haynesville now has an interim mayor.

Sherman Brown, District 4 Claiborne Parish School Board member, was chosen by a vote of 3-2 in a special called meeting held Monday, January 21, to serve as Haynesville’s interim mayor until a special election can be held.

Councilmen Alvin Kendrick, Alfred Buggs and Councilwoman Joyce Major voted in favor of Brown’s appointment. Councilwoman Carla Smith and Councilman Herbert Taylor were the two who voted against appointing Brown for the position.

Brown is a lifelong resident of Haynesville and has served one term as a school board member. He has served the Claiborne Parish School system for 31 years as a teacher, principal, assistant school superintendent and interim school superintendent.

He intends to resign his position as school board member in order to fill the mayoral vacancy left when Haynesville’s mayor, H.U. “Mutt” Slaid passed away last week.

Slaid was buried late Friday afternoon after hundreds gathered at the Claiborne Parish Fair Barn Complex in Haynesville to honor his memory.

Brown said he decided to take the position at the requests of several people in his community, and would not have done so had it not been for the quality and caliber of the citizens who asked him. He said he’d been asked for the last few years and especially last week to take the position.

“I was born here, raised here and if I say no, why should anybody else take it?” Brown said. “The bottom line is this. I took it because it is interim and because of the caliber of people who called. Haynesville and the parish have been good to me.

“This will be a learning experience for me,” he continued, “and I think the town has done will in the absence of the mayor in the last several months.”

Brown is in the process of resigning as a school board member. Once Brown has notified the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, within 24 hours, the Secretary of State’s Office must notify the school board. The school board then has 10 days to call a special meeting and make an appointment to fill District 4’s vacancy. The Secretary of State will then notify the school board as to when an election will be held to fill the vacancy.

Homer High School nearly complete

The Guardian-Journal

The renovation of Homer High School is nearly complete, except a few issues still need to be dealt with.

The students have moved in and have carried on with classes as usual, but a few minor things still need to be completed, according to project manager Brian McGuire, of TB Architecture.

“There are some switches that are missing, some painting that still needs to be done,” he said. “They’re all minor things, but once you start adding them up, they add up to a lot of money, in my opinion.”

The school board was cited on a couple of issues the last time the fire marshal performed an inspection of the school recently. One of those issues is life safety, under the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This just means that there are a few issues the school board will need to have fixed within a certain period of time.

Handrails are now being installed on the stairs to take care of one issue. The other issue is what’s called a dead end corridor, which means that at Homer High School, there could be a hallway that does not have an exit for students to get out in case of fire.

“The most important thing here is the safety of our kids and our personnel in our buildings,” Claiborne Parish Superintendent Wayne King said. “Whatever it takes to get this accomplished.”

The building does have a sprinkler system, but in order to be in compliance with the building codes – required by law – the students, faculty and staff must have what’s called a means of egress (an exit).

All the buildings at Homer High School must be in compliance with the 1960s building codes, according to a law passed in 1975. Homer High School was built in the late 1920s.

The building inspectors understand the financial situations of most school boards and public bodies, and the school board will have to have a plan of action to correct code violations within a certain period of time.

Since the school year began, issue after issue has come to light because the building is so old. A large issue has been the electrical system, because in the 1920s, the biggest load it could have had to carry was light bulbs in each room. Most of the electrical has been replaced to handle the loads it carries today.

“When you go into a renovation project, you don’t know what’s behind those walls,” King said. “As long as the school has been there, those things are going to be there unseen. Even though this is costing us, I think we’re going to be a lot better off in the long run, and we’re going to be up to code.”

In other news, William Maddox and Vera Meadors will serve another term as president and vice president, respectively, of the school board.

Personnel actions were also approved. Roosevelt Strong was hired for a teaching position at Pineview School, replacing Stewart Griffin, a science teacher, leaving for medical reasons. Strong’s first day was Monday, January 14.

Also, Henry Arant of Summerfield resigned because Mrs. Moring returned. Larry Aubrey, a cafeteria manager, of Homer High School is leaving the Claiborne Parish School system due to medical reasons.

Judith Wade, a teacher at Haynesville Jr. High School, will replace Miriam Prestidge.

The board then met in executive session to discuss a worker’s compensation settlement. When the board came out of executive session, they decided to accept the settlement discussed and allowed the president and/or superintendent to sign on the settlement if need be.

In the superintendent’s report, King announced the students of the year, which will be announced at a later date by The Guardian-Journal.

Nominations for School Board Member of the Year are also coming up.

On Tuesday, January 22, students will not attend school because that day will be an in-service day for teachers and staff. The in-service will be held at Homer High School and Homer Junior High.

On a more serious note, King intends to look into revising the Claiborne Parish School Board policy manual. He wants to look into who could revise it and the cost of having it done.

Several things have changed since its last update five years ago. The problem is these changes have not been added to the manual. If they have been added, they have not been integrated into the book.

School Board Member Sherman Brown said he was looking through a policy manual not long ago and it is just not very easy to navigate.

“It’s hard to find what you’re looking for,” he said. “I never found what I was looking for. I agree that we need to look into it because several policies are duplicated and some are triplicates.”

King intends to put together some information for the board to look at and a decision on how to handle the manual’s updates will be made at that time.

The Guardian-Journal photo/K.H. Hightower

Three units of the Haynesville Fire Department responded to a call Wednesday, January 16, at approximately noon, after a car engine caught fire. According to Claiborne Parish Sheriff Sgt. Jimmy Hamilton, the driver was headed towards Haynesville when her car, a 1994 Buick, began making popping noises. She pulled over, killed the engine and caught a ride to her destination. Hamilton said DWCC employees drove up on the scene and called it in. When the fire department arrived, the car was fully engulfed. It took approximately 5 to 7 minutes to put out the flames. The fire was reported to have originated in the engine compartment area, and it was determined there was nothing suspicious. No one was in or around the car before Haynesville fire crews arrived. Also, no injuries were reported.

Traffic stop leads to drug charges

The Guardian-Journal

Sheriff Ken Bailey of the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that on Wednesday, January 16, Lt. Randy Pugh was on patrol and observed the driver of a vehicle without a seatbelt on.

Upon stopping the vehicle and requesting a driver’s license from the driver, Pugh discovered that Kayla Lynn Johnson, 25, of Homer did not have a valid license in her possession, and the MVI sticker on the vehicle had expired.

Deputy Roger Ellerbe arrived to assist and upon searching the vehicle, deputies found two medicine bottles containing hydrocodone that were not prescribed to Johnson.

Also, a black nylon bag containing a clear plastic bag with green leafy vegetable substance was found behind the passenger’s seat.

The passenger, Lester Harper Jr., 27, also of Homer, advised that the bag belonged to him.

Harper was placed under arrest for possession of marijuana and Johnson was placed under arrest for no seatbelt, licensee to have license in immediate possession, expired MVI sticker and possession of Schedule III Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS), hydrocodone.

Johnson was transported to the women’s facility and booked on the above charges with bond set at $500 on each of the traffic charges and $5,000 on the possession charge.

Harper was transported to the detention center and bond was set at $500 for possession of marijuana.

DARE graduation held January 17

The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates

Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Deputy and DARE officer Ben Booth puts a medal around the neck of Daralyn Parker, the sixth grade student from Athens High School, who was the overall winner of the DARE essay contest.

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The annual Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) graduation was held Thursday night, January 17, with approximately 200 sixth grade students recognized.

Claiborne Parish Superintendent of Schools Wayne King was the guest speaker, and recognized the many students who filled Homer’s Town Hall almost to capacity.

“It’s a pleasure to be here tonight to recognize the students who have completed the DARE program,” King said.

He also recognized local law enforcement for their support of the DARE program.

In his speech, King talked about the DARE program on the national level and what a privilege it is for Claiborne Parish schools to be a part of the drug prevention program.

“We have seen many changes in education throughout the years,” he said. “Because of these changes in our society, the DARE program developed.”

DARE actually began in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1983. After seeing the effectiveness of the program, it began to spread across the nation, reaching Louisiana. Today, the DARE program has been implemented in 75 percent of the nation’s school districts and 60 of the 64 parish school systems in the state, and has gone worldwide, reaching more than 43 foreign countries to date. In Claiborne Parish, the program has been in place for 17 years.

“It is a program led by police officers who teaches classroom lessons to children on how to resist peer pressure, and live productive, drug and violence free lives,” King said. “It humanizes the police in that young people can begin to relate to officers as people. It permits students to see officers in a helping role.”

Sheriff Ken Bailey, a former DARE officer for 13 years, said that this graduation was the first to encompass all the Claiborne Parish Schools at one time. Normally, a DARE graduation is held at each school.

“I’m very partial to the DARE program,” Bailey said, speaking to the students. “It was started in 1990, and I taught it for 13 years. You remember what Deputy Booth taught you, because I can promise you this, you are going to have to use it when you get older.”

He also recognized and thanked the parents for coming and participating.

“It has taught self-esteem, it’s taught about how to say no and peer pressure,” Bailey said. “You have to be strong, and you have to know how to say no and still feel good about yourself.”

Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Booth, who has taught DARE for the last four years,

“This is a community effort,” Booth said. “We are a success. This program is a success. We actually are recognized second only to the Red Cross worldwide. It’s a well-known program. We’re not going to save all of them, but it’s like the sheriff said, if we can just save one, then we’ve done our job. But, I can promise you that in Claiborne Parish, we have about a 95 percent success rate.”

He recognized Bailey for his efforts with the DARE program and thanked him for his support and thanked the community for its support. He also recognized the principals from all the schools in the parish, including Claiborne Academy and Mt. Olive.

Because of prior engagements, Mt. Olive’s DARE students did not attend the graduation. Their graduation was held that morning at the school.

Afterwards, the teachers who teach DARE from each of the schools was also recognized. An essay contest was done and one winner from each school was chosen. Then, one overall winner was chosen.

Daralyn Parker, a sixth grade student from Athens High School, was chosen as the overall winner for her essay about what she learned in the program. She won a brand new bicycle. The winners from the other schools each were given a $50 savings bond.

Door prizes were also given away.

Barham appointed Secretary of DWLF

The Guardian-Journal

Louisiana’s term limits seemed to be sending State Senator Robert Barham from Baton Rouge back to District 33 at the end of 2007. A few days ago, however, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Barham as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWLF). Barham, therefore, will remain in Baton Rouge.

During his 1994-2007 tenure, Senate District 33 consisted in whole or in part of the parishes of Claiborne, Union, Ouachita,  West  Carroll, and Morehouse.

During his approximately 14 years in the Louisiana Senate,  Barham chaired Louisiana’s Homeland Security Committee and the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee. He was also a member of several other state committees: the Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee; the Retirement Committee; and the Rural Development Committee. Barham was also a member of the Legislative Rural Task Force.

It is reported that Barham is well-qualified for his new post. For example, he received the Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation in 1999. He also received the National Award for Conservation of Natural Resources from the Daughters of the American Revolution.

He’s received numerous other awards, e.g., most recently the Outstanding Individual in Agriculture Award from the Louisiana Ag Council and the Legislator of the Year Award from the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce in 2002.

The LDWF is responsible for 1.5 million acres of Wildlife Management Areas. In a published interview, Barham said recently that his department’s major issues during the next four years are coastal restoration and controlling invasive aquatic vegetation in lakes and waterways. “We'll be on the front lines of coastal restoration. It's a huge project. It's going to have an impact on fisheries, oyster leases, the environment, but we have no choice. We have to do it.”

It is said that when Barham was a boy, his father organized a group of Morehouse Parish landowners who established the Cooley Wildlife Refuge, which later became the biggest bird-banding site in Louisiana. Barham states he has fished, hunted, and explored rivers, streams, lakes, and woods all over the state.

According to the Monroe News-Star, Barham worked years ago at Glacier National Park in northern Montana, an experience Barham describes as “amazing.” He went on to say, “I was mentored by people like my dad...who knew the importance of our natural resources.”

Barham suggests that Louisiana should increase its anti-litter efforts and highway construction. He laments that Louisiana is one of the most littered states in the nation and endorses public education and tougher law enforcement to address the problem.

He further advocates paving the first mile of each highway into Louisiana from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas to the highest grade possible. This is to give travelers entering the state a favorable first impression.

An online biography states that Barham was born in 1949. He graduated from Oak Ridge High School, then got bachelor's and master’s degrees from LSU and ULM, respectively. He served a two-year stint in the Army as a medic in South Vietnam and became a colonel in the Louisiana National Guard in 1999.

Barham Farms, Inc., in Oak Ridge has operated since 1972. His wife is the former Melba Pipes, and they have three children.

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Many men go fishing their entire lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.—Henry David Thoreau, American naturalist

Ford Museum seeking vintage photos of oilfield

The Guardian-Journal

Photographs of the Haynesville and Lisbon Oilfields 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 that are needed to tell the complete history of our parish, please call Linda Volentine at 318-927-9190 or email at fordmuseum@bellsouth.net.

The success of this project depends on your support.

Drifter shares his story

The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates

Marc Charlebois was seen walking through Homer Thursday afternoon on La. 2 East just past Airport Loop Road. His travels have taken him to at least 21 states.

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

One could say he’s a drifter. One could say he’s homeless. One might even say he’s crazy.

Marc Charlebois, a native of North Dakota, was seen walking through Homer with a two-wheeled cart behind him on Thursday, January 17.

The Guardian-Journal caught up with him on La. 2 East just past Airport Road to see just where he was headed.

The conversation quickly went from, “Where are you from?” and “What’s your destination?” to talking about the things he’s seen on his journey across the country.

“I walk around the country and everybody talks the same way,” he said.

He also had some good things to say about his experience in Homer as well.

“The people in Homer are very friendly,” he said. “They wave at me and in some places I’ve been, people were very rude.”

What’s interesting about this man is not why he’s walking or where he’s going, but what he’s seen along his journey through at least 21 states.

During the course of the interview, the conversation kept returning to one common theme he feels is all across the country – racism.

Racism is prevalent everywhere, he said, and it’s just as bad in North Dakota, where’s he from, as it is in the South.

The prejudice against any certain “race” depends on the area of the country. Instead of racism against African-Americans in the south, it’s racism against American-Indians in the north.

Through his travels in “Indian” territory, he’d been warned to stay away from the Indian reservations because they were “bad people.” As he traveled closer to reservation areas, he found that it was the Indians who were the friendliest to him. They took him in, giving him a place to sleep at night.

What’s also interesting to note is that he’s possibly three-eighths part Chippawa Indian. He doesn’t really know because any time “Indian” was brought up in his home as a child, everyone got tight-lipped.

He started walking in 1992 after his business in California as a painter and sign maker began failing. He made a decent living doing oil paintings and painting signs and lettering on the boats on the coast of California.

So, when his business failed, it was his boat builder friends that helped him build his two-wheeled cart. Everything he owns is in it – his painting and lettering supplies, some camping supplies and his clothes. He lives very basic, and takes life one day at a time.

At age 55, Charlebois has no particular destination set.

“I’m just going,” he said.

Police Jury starts year with a full agenda

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

There is nothing they can do.

That was verdict after an investigation into the issue of making the sidewalk in front of the District Attorney’s Office more handicapped accessible.

Scott Davidson, on the Building and Grounds Committee, said their hands were tied because the sidewalk is not parish property – it belongs to the Town of Homer.

“The main issue was the high curb in front of the DA’s office,” Davidson said, “and that’s what we can’t do anything about. We will look into the courthouse area and see if there is anything we can do to improve there.”

They have made the Town of Homer aware of the issue, and it is being handled from there.

Because this issue was brought before the police jury, it made them aware of some other things they could do to the courthouse to upgrade and make it easier for disabled people to get into the courthouse.

Another major item on the agenda was the Louisiana Local Government Assistance Program (LGAP) award in the amount of $72,800 from the Office of Community Development. Former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco approved the applications last year.

The grant award breaks down like this: $35,000 will go towards an emergency generator for Norton Shop Water System; $7,800 will go for an emergency generator for Pine Hill Water System and $30,000 will go for renovations/construction of new office space in the Claiborne Parish Police Jury Complex.

In other police jury news, at the beginning of the meeting, the police jury was sworn in for another term in their perspective district seats. Roy Mardis and Jerry Adkins were also voted in for another term as president and vice president, respectively. Dwayne Woodard was also appointed to another two-year term as the parish’s secretary-treasurer.

All committees from 2007 were upheld for 2008. Also, the police jury meetings will still be held at 9 a.m. the first Wednesday after the first Sunday of each month, as it was in 2007.

The operating budget for 2008 was adopted as well.

Bids on materials for the parish’s roads were also accepted as well as 2008 culvert bids.

The police jury also passed a resolution authorizing President Roy Mardis to sign documents on behalf of the parish concerning the parish road signage updates. Another resolution was passed authorizing Mardis to sign documents on behalf of the parish transit concerning certification for FTA recipients.

The jury also held a public hearing on the proposed abandonment and removal of Edmonds Loop from the Claiborne Parish Road System. No one contested the proposal, so the hearing was closed and the police jury passed a resolution to that effect.

Also, Joe Mills and Freddie Crump were appointed to the board of the Claiborne Parish Fire Protection District #3. The two have both served in the past and will serve a two year term.

In other news as well, a request from the Coordinating and Development Corporation for the police jury to appoint two representatives to serve on the board of directors for the 2008 year. Gene Coleman and Police Juror Jerry Adkins were reappointed to the board.

This is all that’s left of Gussie Burns’ home after the fire likely began in a wood burning heater. On Thursday, January 16, at 6:44 a.m., fire crews were dispatched to 151 Darbonne Road in Homer just off La. 146. The home was a total loss. Homer Fire Chief Dennis Butcher said this is the second fire in one week caused by wood burning heaters. “People should be aware and check their wood burning heating equipment, in particular their vent pipes,” he said. The general problem is that they see many single wall pipes that are not replaced regularly. Butcher said they should be checked often and replaced regularly.

Tourism committee getting things done

The Guardian-Journal

The tourism committee for Claiborne Parish is finally getting some things done.

Several things have been accomplished since the last meeting that is moving tourism forward. The brochure discussed in the last meeting to be presented to guests at the Claiborne Parish Chamber Banquet is a little closer to reality and a rough draft will be available by January 28.

Everything from the parish’s tourism hotspots to fun facts will be in the brochure. For example, the parish’s population, average climate and other things will be included.

Also, the committee discussed the type of photo or drawing to use on the front of the tri-fold brochure, and it was decided to use a drawing of the parish with the courthouse highlighted in the middle. All of the major communities in the parish will be on the artwork as well as the names of the surrounding parishes and the state of Arkansas to help visitors get their bearings. Other tweaks and additions were made to the rough draft and the completed first draft will be presented at the Chamber Banquet.

“Ultimately, we’re going to get the LTPA (Louisiana Tourism and Promotions Association) to design a slick brochure,” said Lauren Tichenor, of Americorps Vista. “We have money for that. We just wanted to put something together for the banquet to show people that we’re producing things.”

A script will be written for the driving tour CD and Christy Gladney and the tourism committee will be in a collaborative effort to produce it. It has to be written, proofed and read by the middle of February because of Gladney’s schedule. To go with that driving tour, the stories and places have to be mapped out so that tourists can get a full sense of what they are listening to and where they are going.

Also discussed was the idea of a cemetery map. A committee member brought an example of a cemetery map from Webster Parish, and it was decided to create a basic cemetery map for Claiborne Parish.

The website situation was also addressed. Committee members met with the web designer of claiborneone.org and it was decided to change the look of the website as well as update its content. It was suggested that the home page be redesigned and create a new website for tourism alone. In the redesigned home page, a link will be there to the tourism page.

It was also suggested using templates that are more modern to use as a guideline for updating the website.

The next meeting will be held at the police jury events room in the Police Jury Complex at 10 a.m. Friday, January 25.

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