Shoplifter jailed for stealing steaks

The Guardian-Journal

A Haynesville man was arrested after stealing some steaks from the Piggly Wiggly Grocery store last week.

Robert Mitchell, 34, of Haynesville, was arrested Thursday, June 12 and charged with theft of goods (shoplifting), entry/remain after forbidden and resisting an officer by flight.

According to police reports, Mitchell fled Piggly Wiggly after the store called Haynesville Police to report the theft. He was caught at the fairgrounds in Haynesville by Officer Aaron Christian.

After running a background check, reports showed Mitchell had two warrants for failure to appear. He had also been previously banned from the store, which brought on the entry/remain after forbidden charge.

He was transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center and bond was set at $2,000 each on the failure to appear charges; $1,000 bond on the theft of goods (shoplifting) charge; $1,000 on the entry/remain after forbidden charge; and $5,000 for resisting an officer by flight.

In an unrelated case, Haynesville police arrested two people on drug charges.

Sean C. Sims and Wendy Dawn Sims, both of Haynesville, were arrested after police found them to be in possession of drugs.

Officer Tim Cox initiated a traffic stop for a traffic violation, and when he searched their persons and the vehicle, Wendy Sims was found to be in possession of marijuana on her person and Sean Sims was found to be in possession of valium.

According to Louisiana Revised Statutes Criminal Code, if the person does not have a valid prescription for the valium, the person must be charged with possession.

Sean Sims was charged with possession of Schedule III CDS (valium), with bond set at $5,000, and Wendy Sims was charged with possession of marijuana, with bond set at $500.

Also, in an unrelated incident, Don Hampton of Haynesville was arrested Wednesday, June 11, and charged with incite to riot, disturbing the peace (fighting), entry/remain after forbidden and disturbing the peace (simple drunk). Bond on each of those charges include $5,000 for incite to riot and $1,000 each on the other three charges, totaling $8,000.

Homer Sears store broken into

The Guardian-Journal

A Homer man was arrested after admitting to stealing from the Sears store next to McDonalds in Homer.

Sherman Minifield, 28, of Homer, was arrested Monday, June 16, and charged with simple burglary. Bond was set at $12,000.

According to Police Chief Russell Mills, Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Detective Randy Pugh was contacted by a concerned citizen who gave him information in reference to a burglary within the corporate limits of Homer. The concerned citizen left a contact phone number. Upon contact, the citizen informed Mills that the Sears store had been burglarized by Minifield.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., Monday, Mills made contact with Minifield, and shortly after, the owner of the store called Homer police to report the theft.

The suspect was read his rights and interviewed, at which time, he admitted to being involved with the theft. He gave police a written statement admitting his involvement and instructed officers on where the evidence taken from the store could be found.

Homer police recovered $2,000 in checks, and no cash was discovered.

Minifield was booked and transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center and booked on that charge.

In an unrelated incident, a Homer couple was arrested Sunday, June 15, after an altercation between the two turned ugly.

Dasha B. Allen, 25, and Antonio M. Allen, 29, both of Homer, were arrested at approximately 11 p.m., and charged with domestic abuse battery. Bond for Antonio Allen was set at $500, and as of press time, bond for Dasha Allen was to be set.

The husband and wife were involved in an altercation which led to him being cut. Homer police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Carter Drive in reference to a disturbance, and upon officers’ arrival, they observed Antonio Allen to be bleeding. The husband advised that his wife, Dasha, had cut him with a pair of scissors.

In another incident, two brothers were arrested after being involved in an altercation with each other.

Fredrick C. Allen, 33, and Eric J. Allen, 40, both of Homer were arrested Saturday, June 14, and charged with simple battery. Bond on each was set at $1,000.

The two were arrested after they allegedly assaulted another individual. Homer Police Officer Joseph Henry was flagged down. While on patrol, Officer John Bailey came to the location, where the complainant was interviewed. The complainant advised the two brothers had “jumped on him.”

The two were transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center and booked on these charges.

Voters: Cast your ballot

The Guardian-Journal

It’s that time again! Some very important elections are coming up in Claiborne Parish and citizens need to make sure all their voting information is correct before going to vote.

Patricia Sanders, Registrar of Voters, said it is important citizens make sure which party they are registered and that their address and other voter information is correct and current. Any corrections or changes must be done no later than Wednesday, August 6.

“This is a very important election,” she said. “Everybody needs to get out and vote.”

Some changes in polling places have taken place, namely in Haynesville. The polling place has changed from Haynesville School back to the Claiborne Parish Fair Complex. The following precincts will have been moved to the Fair Complex: Precincts 03, 21, 22, 31, 34, 35, 36 and 37.

Here are the dates for elections:

September 6

This date is set aside for the closed primary for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative. Books will be closed Wednesday, August 6. Early voting will be held from Saturday, August 23 through the following Saturday, August 30.

October 4

This election date is set aside for the open primary election and second party primary runoff. The following offices are up for election: Court of Appeal Judge; Public Service Commissioner; District Judges; District Attorney; Justices of the Peace; Constables; Lisbon Mayor; Lisbon Chief of Police, Lisbon aldermen; Haynesville mayor and Claiborne Parish School Board District 4. Also, the runoff of party for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative, if necessary.

Early voting will be held Saturday, September 20 through the following Saturday, September 27.

November 4

This date is set aside for the general election of the U.S. President and Vice President; U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative and any runoff from the October 4 election. Early voting will be held Saturday, October 21 through the following Saturday, October 28.

Early voting hours will be from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Voters need to call the Office of the Registrar of Voters at 318-927-3332 or go to the Secretary of State’s web page at www.sos.louisiana.gov.

Note: The candidates for the following offices must qualify with the Secretary of State: U.S. Senator; U.S. Representative; Court of Appeal Judge; Public Service Commissioner; Presidential electors and president/vice president. All other candidates must qualify with the Clerk of Court’s office.

FDA: La. Tomatoes Safe

The Guardian-Journal

Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed Louisiana-grown tomatoes on their approved safe to buy and eat list.

“Louisiana tomatoes are at peak season right now, but the big supermarket chains are refusing to buy them from our state growers because of a salmonella outbreak in New Mexico and Texas,” Strain said. “I asked the FDA to include us on the list of safe states to buy and eat locally grown tomatoes and they responded promptly.”

Strain said the FDA issued warnings last week to consumers in New Mexico and Texas about the risk of contracting salmonellosis from eating certain types of raw red tomatoes.

According to FDA press releases, there have been more than 50 reported cases of salmonella in Texas and New Mexico since April 23.

The FDA will add Louisiana to the published list of states not associated with the outbreak,” Strain said.

“There have been no reports in Louisiana of anyone getting sick from eating Louisiana tomatoes,” Strain said. “We’re just really glad for our growers that the FDA approved us so quickly.”

The gross farm value of Louisiana tomatoes is more than $12.5 million, Strain added.

From Houma to Homer: Evacuee tells his story

JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer

Brian Biggs was born in Houma. He now lives in Homer. How that came about is a fascinating story.

Asked how they came to be in Claiborne Parish, Biggs says, “In August, 2005, we lived in Buras, La., similar in size to Homer located about 65 miles south of New Orleans.”

“We?” I ask, and Biggs continues, “Well, there’s my wife Laurie and our 22-year-old son Jeffery. Then there’s our 18-year-old daughter Leanne, our 10-year-old son Jacque, and our youngest son, 8-year-old Zachary.”

Biggs says that although born in Houma, he was raised in Buras. “Graduated there, got my B.A. (bachelor of arts degree) from Nicholls State in Thibodaux, then taught science and coached a few years, got my master’s in educational administration, and became principal of Buras Middle School.”

“Living over 300 miles from Claiborne Parish, how did you and Pak-A-Bag come together?” I inquire.

He says, “Katrina,” then describes what happened.

“We didn’t come directly to Claiborne Parish. As South Louisiana natives, we had left several times in the face of hurricanes. We usually went just far enough to get out of the danger zone. When the authorities told everyone to get out, we went to Lafayette, expecting to be there a couple of days, three at the most.

“But Katrina, as everyone knows, turned out to be different. We were in Lafayette until October when I went back to Buras, a trip I made alone. What  I found was total destruction. As I drove through Buras where I had lived for 35 years, I had trouble figuring out where I was. Formerly familiar buildings were piles of rubble. Places well-known to me were gone. Even the town’s water tower had collapsed.

“Our house was completely moved off its foundation and slammed into a tree in the backyard. There was absolutely nothing we could salvage. All we had left was what we had packed for Lafayette, just enough for being gone a couple of days.”

Back to how and why Claiborne Parish and Homer, Biggs says, “My wife Laurie has an aunt here, Doris Lowe, and she invited us to stay with her until we could sort things out.”

I ask, “So how did Pak-a-Bag come into the picture?”

Biggs explains, “There were a couple of ‘side-roads,’ so to speak. The trek from Buras to Homer included a leave of absence from the school system which was in disarray. There was a job in Arcadia. It meant Laurie and the kids up here with her aunt while I was in a FEMA trailer in Belle Chasse for several months.

“For a time my daughter Leanne was with me in the trailer. As a junior in high school, it was important to her to continue school with her friends. After serious soul searching and prayer about what we should do to begin our lives anew, we decided we would like to stay in Claiborne Parish.

 “Things worked out in April, 2006, and I was able to acquire Pak-a-Bag. Finally, our family was all together again as we worked to start our lives over.”

I ask, “So how are things working out?”

Biggs says, “The children have adjusted well. Laurie, who had been a math teacher, is now a fulltime, stay-at-home mom and has taken that on with enthusiasm, and everyone has welcomed us warmly.”

Katrina was big—but not bigger than the Biggs.

Natchitoches promotions director sees promise for Claiborne Parish

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The Homer Lions Club was treated to a very special speaker last Thursday when the director of programming and promotions for the City of Natchitoches came to discuss tourism programs in their area.

Courtni Hornsby said the programs and tourist attractions in Natchitoches have been very successful, and with all that Claiborne Parish has to offer, tourism can be successful here too.

She spoke about the Natchitoches Main Street Program, which has been a huge success for the city’s merchants and local retailers. Claiborne Parish is already in the beginning stages of implementing a main street program similar to that of Minden and Springhill in Webster Parish.

The main street program is a part of the state culture, recreation and tourism department based on historic preservation, she said.

“I was so excited to see your downtown square,” Hornsby said. “You have a beautiful downtown, and it could be easily transformed into a tourism destination.”

Other towns that have downtown squares similar to Homer’s has transformed them into farmer’s markets on Saturdays and has brought in quite a bit of revenue, not only for the local farmers, but the local merchants and retailers as well.

“That’s what main street is,” she said. “It’s to help build your downtown area into a commercial district that’s viable. It’s something that Homer could easily be a part of.”

She also spoke about festivals and the economic impact it could have on the community. In Natchitoches, she said that several years ago, all the city had was the Christmas festival. Although it brings in a considerable amount of money each year, the city seemingly had nothing else to offer, which is why she was brought in.

“We were charged by our mayor to come up with new and innovative ways to bring economic development into Natchitoches,” she said. “And that’s exactly what we are talking about – tourism.”

The one thing she kept going back to in her discussion was the theme of “it’s doable” – start small and think big. Today, Natchitoches plays host to several different events including fishing tournaments, festivals, farmers markets and athletic recreation. Much of their tourism has been built around the Cane River, which runs through downtown Natchitoches.

The city has also recently built an event center which hosts several different events throughout the year. Natchitoches also still draws people from all over the country who want to see the sights where the hit movie “Steel Magnolias” was filmed. Also, weddings are becoming a big venture in economic development, because women want to get married in picturesque settings scattered throughout the city, including its downtown riverfront.

Hornsby also talked about making Claiborne Parish a viable place as a retirement community. Natchitoches is also touting itself as a retirement community.

For more about Natchitoches, go to www.retirenatchitoches.com or www.natchitoches.net.

To see the many things Claiborne Parish has to offer, go to http://www.claiborneone.org or www.claiborneparishtourism.com.

Will He Run?

Gallot considers U.S. Rep seat

State Rep. Rick Gallot said Thursday (June 12) he will wait until after this legislative session to decide whether to challenge 5th District U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander in the fall elections.

Gallot, D-Ruston, is being recruited to run against the three-term Republican congressman by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“I’m certainly flattered to be considered by the party as a strong potential candidate,” Gallot said, “but my first priority right now is to complete the session and get the state’s business squared away.”

Gallot, who is in his second term, has been a floor leader for Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal as chairman of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee. He helped shepherd Jindal’s ethics agenda through the Legislature during a special session earlier this year.

Ironically, Gallot said he recommended Alexander to the party as a candidate in 2002, when Alexander was still a Democrat.

“I still consider Rodney a friend, but we obviously have some different views on issues,” said Gallot, 42. “He’s been a consistent supporter of the (Iraq) war and President Bush’s policies.”

Alexander said Gallot “is a good guy who has done an outstanding job representing his district, but I believe that I can do a better job representing the 5th Congressional District. I believe my record speaks to my effectiveness.

“If he chooses to run,” Alexander said, “we’ll run on our record and he can run on his and let the people decide.”

Gallot said he hadn’t considered running for Congress until he was approached by the party. “It wasn’t on my radar. And, at this point, I’m not a candidate. But I’m not ruling it out.”

Alexander scored an upset as a Democrat in 2002, getting just more than 50 percent of the vote. He has dominated in his two re-election bids, winning with 59 percent in 2004 and more than 68 percent in 2006.

By Greg Hilburn, The News-Star

(c) 2008, The News-Star. Reprinted with permission.

ABO ordinance amendments pass, fees to increase

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The proposed amendments to Ordinance 670, which deals with ABO card fees, passed on a roll call vote.

This means that the fee of $5 for issuance of the card has increased to $25. When he approached the police jury in March, Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey said after extensive research, he felt it was necessary to update the processing fees for the ABO cards.

ABO cards are licenses business owners are required by state law to have in order to sell alcoholic beverages at their place of business.

This fee increase comes in the wake of the increase of conducting records checks and material costs to produce the card.

The amended ordinance also requires a picture, signature and “appropriate identifying information as deemed necessary by the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office,” where the original ordinance only required a picture and fingerprints.

Other changes to the ordinance also took effect as well in order to aid the records division of the sheriff’s department run more smoothly. A few other minor changes were made as well, but the card issuance fee was the big one.

During a public hearing held at June’s police jury meeting, one store owner came to the hearing, thinking he had to get a liquor license for all of his employees at his store. To clarify, this ordinance is for bar owners, not liquor stores.

In other police jury news, Claiborne Parish Fire District 6 asked and received permission from the jury to use their engineer to review plans for a new fire station and training facility in Summerfield. A large piece of property, located across the street from Summerfield High School, was donated to the fire district to build the new facility, which will be the headquarters and training station for District 6.

In summary, the proposed new facility will be 126 feet wide and approximately 150 feet in depth, from front to back. It is expected to house three bays, a training room big enough to accommodate approximately 100 people and a weight room.

Scott Greeson, of Fire District 6, said the weight room was an addition to the station because the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is pushing hard for firefighters to be fit. This is a safety measure in their code books, NFPA 1500, that is supposed to help prevent health problems later.

The enlarged meeting room will also be a huge benefit to the firefighters as well as the community, Greeson said.

“We were given property, and we needed an area to expand,” Greeson said. “The Lisbon station’s meeting room is currently 8x16, and there is no way we can fit all our firefighters in that one room. There’s no way we can train anybody in there. The new room will be able to accommodate media, PowerPoint, the whole bit.”

The current station has three bays, but there is not a place to send firefighters to train here.

“We send firefighters to a lot of outside training, but it’s difficult to do classroom training, because the room is so small. Our firefighters are trained, but you can never get enough training. This will also be good for our insurance rating. People who have property in our district will benefit from this because their property insurance will actually go down.

“Once we get this established, we will actually be able to host public programs, and bring in the National Fire Academy to teach classes, and offer courses in the parish that haven’t been here before,” he continued.

Some monies for the project is already available, but the district is also looking into grants. The monies will also come from millages. Greeson expects to get an answer on grants already applied for by December. He hopes construction will begin as soon as possible.

In other news, the finance committee recommended a few things which were passed at the regular police jury meeting. Those recommendations are:

Recommendation to purchase three $100,000 Certificates of Deposit with 60-day terms from monies within the General Fund PFSA account. One each at the following financial institutions within Claiborne Parish: Regions Bank in Homer, Capital One Bank in Homer and Gibsland Bank and Trust Company in Athens.

Recommendation to purchase one $100,000 Certificate of Deposit with a 90-day term from monies within the General Fund PFSA account at Citizens Bank in Haynesville.

Recommendation to purchase one $100,000 Certificate of Deposit with a 90-day term from monies within the Sales Tax Fund PFSA account at Citizens Bank in Haynesville.

Recommendation to transfer $250,000 from the General Fund PFSA account at First Guaranty into a 365-day $250,000 Certificate of Deposit at First Guaranty.

Recommendation to renew the parish’s current health insurance plan with Blue Cross/Blue Shield that is administered by the Human Resource Department Inc., for the fiscal year June 2008 to July 2009. The only change will be the prescription deductible which will be lowered from $250 to $125 through the parish’s self-funded HRA plan. The employees will be reimbursed 100 percent on the first $125 of prescription costs.

The next meeting will be held July 9, at 9 a.m. in the police jury room, located at the Claiborne Parish Police Jury Complex on The Square.

Homer Housing Authority discusses policies, budget

The Guardian-Journal

The Homer Housing Authority tackled several issues on its agenda when its regular monthly meeting was held Monday, June 9, including its eviction policy.

In the chairman’s report, Commissioner Willie Curry gave an overview of the policies regarding eviction and rent payments for its apartments. He went to a conference in Baton Rouge regarding the housing authority, saying the conference emphasized several good points.

“I encourage everyone on this board to attend these conferences,” Curry said. “They emphasized a lot of points that we take for granted. The one thing that stuck with me is that it is not our responsibility of the commissioners to oversee the day-to-day operations of public housing.”

But, he said, the housing authority’s 2007 audit stated it was not adhering to its rent and eviction policies.

“The housing authority is not adhering to the eviction policy relevant to the tenants who do not pay their rent timely,” he read from the report. “The housing authority has several tenants who are in arrears on the payment of their rent, but continue to maintain occupancy in a housing authority unit, which is in violation of eviction policies. By not adhering to the eviction policy, the housing authority continues to rent to tenants who are either non-payers or slow-payers, which will have a negative effect on the cash available for operating purposes. Also, the lack of an across the board enforcement of the eviction policy could also encourage the nonpayment or slow payment of rent by other tenants as well. In addition, the lack of adherence to the eviction policy violates HUD rules and regulations. The board of commissioners is not adhering to the eviction policy it approved.”

The auditor’s recommendations are as follows: “We recommend that the board of commissioners fully and equally enforce the housing authority’s eviction policy,” the report said. “We also recommend that the housing authority set up a repayment agreement for those tenants who are in arrears on their rent.”

Even though it is not the housing authority’s responsibility to oversee the day-to-day operations, Curry said several cases of this nature have come up, and this has caused concern.

Of interest in the meeting was the proposed capital fund budget for the fiscal year 2008-09. Executive Director Michelle Brown gave an overview. The Homer Housing Authority has applied for $143,000 in grants, and she presented a proposed budget for the use of that money. In the proposal, $71,000 has been earmarked for operational expenses, $10,000 has been earmarked for seminars and training for its employees, $11,000 for the consultant for the capital fund program, and money earmarked for an architect.

“We’re not really looking to get an architect this year, because we don’t really have anything planned,” Brown said. “The only thing we really have planned is for the removal of stumps.”

Other monies in the grant will go for apartment renovations and repairs, and $8,000 has been earmarked for appliance replacement as needed.

“We have some stoves and refrigerators that are old and need to be replaced,” Brown said.

Also earmarked is $2,000 for equipment replacement. The board of commissioners approved the budget unanimously.

They also approved a renewal of its contract with TB&L, with an increase from $100 to $150.

Another concern at the board meeting is security for the housing units. Several kids are still being seen out on the streets after curfew, which is set at 9 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on the weekends.

Security officer Lloyd Manuel said safety is the number one priority on the weekends.

“We make sure everybody is off the street by 11 o’clock at night,” Manuel said. “They know on the weekends that we’re going to enforce the [curfew].”

He also discussed putting a light up on Armory Circle. He said that area is dangerous after dark because it is difficult to see. The kids are told to stay on the sidewalks and out of the street for this reason.

NOTICE: Deadline For Advertisements

No Later Than 5 p.m. On Mondays

All display and legal advertisements for The Guardian-Journal must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Monday of the week in which it is to appear. Classified ads will be received until 12 p.m (noon) on Tuesday prior to the Thursday publication date. Thank you for your cooperation.