Funding cut for Boys and Girls Club

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has vetoed funding requests for the Boys and Girls Clubs organizations throughout the state, which includes the Claiborne Boys and Girls Clubs.

At least five requests from Boys and Girls Clubs organizations throughout the state asking for various amounts of funding from $25,000 to $100,000 have been vetoed, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

These are nongovernmental organizations which do not meet specific criteria set forth by the state in order to get funding, the release said.

The state criteria Jindal set forth states the request:

- Must have statewide or substantial regional impact.

-Must have been presented/openly discussed during the legislative session.

- Must be a state agency priority.

- Must have the proper disclosure form published online prior to consideration for       funding (consistent with information provided in the House disclosure form).

It all boils down to this – the Claiborne Boys and Girls Club will be $30,000 short in funds in their operating budget for this year.

Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, expressed his deep disappointment in the governor and these vetoes Monday. 

“For the last few years, I had been putting $25,000 in the budget for the Homer and Haynesville units, and this year I was able to increase it to $30,000,” Gallot said. “It went through the whole budget process. It went through committee, through the floor, through the Senate committee, the Senate floor, and the legislature passed it. And now he’s exercising his line item veto power to veto that and many other projects.

“The thing that angers me most is that the governor went to great lengths to get the legislature to approve $10 million for private school tuition,” he continued. “In other words, there are kids in New Orleans who will go to private schools at taxpayer expense, yet he will turn around and veto things like Boys and Girls Club, which provides some after-school tutoring and a clean, safe environment for our kids. He has, in essence, said that he cares more about paying private school tuition for the kids in New Orleans than he does a safe environment for the kids in Claiborne Parish, and that’s just wrong.”

The Boys and Girls Clubs run largely on grants and private donations. It takes approximately $80,000 to run three units for summer camp – i.e., the Homer, Haynesville and Minden units. The membership fee is $10 per child, and altogether, the club only has 300 children right now. It costs $800 to $1,000 per year per child to have meaningful and effective programs.

The home office of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America has already said that this particular organization in Claiborne Parish needs to find other sources of funding, rather than relying so heavily on state funding. According to Gene Coleman, board member, a finance committee has been set up to begin finding other funding sources locally.

“This is important for parents, and it’s important for these kids to have something to do,” Coleman said in an earlier interview. “The club is doing a lot of good things, but we’ve got to do a better job of bringing some money in locally.”

Because of these cuts and others, Jindal touts an approximate $16 million in savings to the state’s budget for 2008-09. The appropriations bill has been sent to the Louisiana Secretary of State, and in this budget, more than 258 requests were vetoed. That’s more than double the number of vetoes than over the last 12 years combined, according to Jindal’s press release.

“During the session, I laid out criteria for legislators to let them know that we would support those projects which were state priorities, but would veto state funding for projects that were not,” Jindal said. “To be sure, there will always be more worthy causes than there will be state funding. It is our job to ensure tax dollars are wisely spent and invested in state priorities that will further our creation of a New Louisiana that encourages business growth and job creation so our kids don’t have to leave home to pursue their dreams.”

The good news is the appropriations bill sent to the Secretary of State’s Office is the budget only for one year.

The Louisiana Legislature has the option to call a special veto session to override Jindal’s vetoes, if they so choose. Gallot said that at least 53 of the House members and 20 Senate members would have to agree to go into a veto override session. He said he, along with several others, are working to get the numbers needed to call this session.

“Right now, I do not have a number in terms of how many people are supportive of it, but I suspect it’s quite a few,” Gallot said. “I think there will be 53 if it comes down the way I’m being told it will.”

Coleman said the public needs to call their representatives and senators and urge them strongly to put in their vote to call the veto override session to override the governor’s veto.

“Call your legislator and senator and tell them to join Rick Gallot and others in calling a special session to override this veto,” Coleman said.

Because of these cuts, the Claiborne Boys and Girls Club needs the public’s support now more than ever. To make a donation or to find out how to get involved, call the Boys and Girls Club at 927-2718. If writing a check, please make it payable to The Boys and Girls Club of Claiborne. For more information, call 927-2718.

St. Jude memorial coming to fruition

The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates

Steve Benskin, pictured right, met with Rickey and Sharon Bearden to discuss upcoming plans for a memorial to St. Jude dedicated in memory of the Bearden’s grandchildren, Christian Danielle Manzanares and Joseph Gregory, who were tragically killed in a house fire in 2001.

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The Beardens are closer to seeing a long awaited goal become a reality.

A representative from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital traveled to Homer last week to meet with Rickey and Sharon Bearden to discuss the memorial plaque that will be dedicated in the memory of their grandchildren who were tragically killed in a house fire.

Christian Danielle Manzanares and Joseph Gregory were just 5 and 4 years old, respectively, when they lost their young lives in 2001. In 2002, Bearden chose to raise funds for his favorite charity, St. Jude, through the car and bike show so that his grandchildren would always be remembered.

Steve Benskin, a representative of St. Jude, said the plaque will be mounted on a wall dedicated to different levels of support in a newly renovated area of the hospital. The plaque will be placed in the level of more than $100,000, of which over the last six years the Lake Claiborne St. Jude Car and Bike Show has raised.

In order to have a memorial like the one St. Jude is dedicating, a total of $75,000 would have to be raised. That goal was more than reached this year. This year alone, Pennies for St. Jude, a fundraiser from the area schools, raised approximately $8,000 in pennies. The car and bike show raised approximately $18,000 this year.

“The support raised through events like this are so vital to our cause – the patient care and research for children – and we felt like a memorial in the name of their grandchildren was an appropriate recognition of the hard work this community has done for St. Jude,” Benskin said.

He said 86 cents of every dollar raised in support of the hospital goes directly to patient care and research.

Sharon Bearden expressed how much this memorial meant to her and her husband, saying that because of the community’s level of support, they felt it was important to share St. Jude with the community. The Beardens gave Benskin a tour of Homer and introduced him to many who either donated or helped with the car and bike show.

This year, their grandchildren would have been 13 and 11, respectively.

“This means that Danielle would be 13 if she were still here,” she said. “People remember our ‘babies,’ and we still feel like they’re watching over us.”

Rickey Bearden agreed.

“We’ve had a lot of help over the years,” he said of the community’s support of the cause.

Domestic dispute leads to stabbing

The Guardian-Journal

Two people were arrested on charges of domestic abuse Saturday, July 12, after an altercation left both parties injured.

Angela Singleton, 22, of Homer, was booked on charges of domestic abuse battery in the presence of a child and simple criminal damage to property. Jekendrick Montgomery, 24, of Haynesville, was arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery in the presence of a child.

Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Deputies J.T. Williams and Matt Harris responded to a call from 216 Ausbon Road in Homer in reference to a stabbing. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Singleton and Montgomery had been in a domestic dispute and both had received injuries.

There was a child present in the home at the time of the altercation.

Montgomery stated that Singleton had stabbed him with a knife and busted the windshield out of his father’s car. Singleton had received scratches on her neck, bruises on her arms and bite marks on her upper back that she stated were inflicted by Montgomery.

Upon completion of their investigation, deputies arrested both subjects and transported them to the Claiborne Parish jails to be booked.

Montgomery was also charged with a probation violation. His bond on the domestic abuse charge was set at $2,000 with no bond on the probation violation.

Singleton’s bonds are to be set.

CPSO: Victim beaten with metal pipe

The Guardian-Journal

A Homer woman was arrested Saturday, July 12, after severely beating a man with a metal pipe.

Kissie Shanta Cornelius, of Homer, was arrested and charged with aggravated second degree battery, after Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a Springlake Road residence in reference to an individual being beaten.

Deputies J.T. Williams and Darren Keel arrived on scene and discovered a victim with injuries to his arms, legs, neck and head. During an argument at this residence, witnesses stated that Cornelius hit the victim repeatedly with a metal pipe.

The victim was airlifted to Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport where he was treated for his injuries.

Cornelius was detained while walking from the residence and transported to the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office for questioning. Detective Randy Smith arrived to assist in the investigation. After the initial interviews were conducted, Keel arrested Cornelius on the aggravated second degree battery charge.

Cornelius was booked into the Claiborne Parish Women’s Facility with bond set at $15,000. This is an ongoing investigation. Cornelius also has a probation hold on her from the State of Texas.

In an unrelated incident, a Homer man was arrested on drug charges after being stopped for failure to use turn signals.

On Monday, July 7, Deputies Roger Ellerbe and Williams stopped the vehicle. The driver, George W. Johnson, 45, of Homer, was found to be in possession of a clear plastic bag containing a greenish vegetable-like substance known to be marijuana. There was also a package of Top rolling papers in Johnson’s possession.

Johnson was then read his rights and transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center for booking on the charges of failure to use turn signals, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia with bond set at $1,500.

Highway Department to begin overlay projects

The Claiborne Parish Highway Department will begin its chip seal overlay projects this week. According to Road Superintendent Tommy Durrett, the department is expected to overlay approximately 23 miles of road throughout the parish. The projects are expected to last about four weeks. The department apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

Fifth District race shapes up

Alexander qualifies, Gallot passes

NICK TODARO, Special to The Guardian-Journal

The Fifth Congressional District might see Rodney Alexander take its seat in the U.S. House of Representatives without opposition in this fall’s race.

The qualifying period ran through last Friday, July 11. The congressional elections will be held in a closed party primary system. The first party primary will be September 6. Party runoffs will be October 4, and the general election is set for November 4.

State Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Grambling, who had been approached by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during this year’s legislative session, has opted not to run. A same-party challenger for Alexander, R-Quitman, might be waiting in the wings but has yet to officially qualify.

Andrew Clack, a resident of Richland Parish and University of Louisiana at Monroe graduate, bills himself as a voice for conservatives and has a web site set up at www.andrewclack.com, but has yet to file.

Alexander said he looks forward to another opportunity to serve the district.

“I hope that there will come a time when Congress can get along,” he said. “I think that’s why the public is just so frustrated right now with the whole political process. My goal is just to continue working with anybody interested in the good of the state of Louisiana and the Fifth Congressional District.”

Gallot, who is term-limited in the state House, said he was “somewhat recruited” to run for the seat. Gallot added that the temptation was strong – as a Democrat, he would likely have been able to take the primary election and secure a spot on the November ballot, he said.

“First of all, this was not something that was on my radar screen at all,” Gallot said. “It was not a situation where I was trying to gear up to make a run. I am extremely flattered that I showed up on somebody’s radar somewhere as being accomplished or noteworthy enough to actually be a viable candidate.”

He said that after substantial thought and prayer on the topic, it was not something he felt he should pursue.

“I just did not get that positive answer to my prayerful requests, and I still have work that I look forward to doing during the remainder of the term,” Gallot said.

One of those things is redistricting, which will change the face of representation in the state. Census figures will be returned in 2011, and he’ll be involved in redrawing congressional district lines for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

This story was reprinted with permission from The Ruston Daily Leader.

Major changes in fall elections

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office is using Louisiana’s annual voter education week to remind Louisiana voters of the major changes going into effect for the fall elections this year.

So, during the week of July 14-18, Secretary of State Jay Dardenne will join elections officials throughout the state in spreading the message of closed congressional primaries and the importance of accurate voter registration.

Louisianians will vote in closed primaries for the first time in decades beginning with the September 6 First Party Primary for all seven congressional districts and the U.S. Senate race. The Second Party Primary will follow on October 4, the same day as voters will choose many local leaders, such as district attorneys and judges, in open primaries.

“Each year, we make a concerted effort to educate voters on the election process so that they can make informed decisions on election day,” Dardenne said. “We recognize that closed primaries and open primaries on the same ballot will be confusing for voters, so we’re encouraging everyone to visit our website at www.GeauxVote.com to learn more.”

The Secretary of State’s office also uses Voter Education Week to encourage eligible citizens to register to vote. Anyone interested in registering, or changing their voter registration, can contact their parish registrar, Patricia Sanders at 318-927-3332, call the Secretary of State’s election hotline at 1-800-883-2805 or visit www.GeauxVote.com.

Grant approved for Lisbon Landing

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The $150,000 grant request to renovate and update Lisbon Landing has been approved.

Scott Greeson, a member of the Claiborne Parish Police Jury’s recreation committee, said Friday afternoon, that he’d received word the grant application has been approved. A letter sent out to that effect is expected to be received in the next week or two, Greeson said.

“We’re really excited about this,” he said. “I was told that our application packet was by far the best. It was a good cooperative effort by all those involved with positive results for the parish.”

Those entities involved in the whole process of getting Lisbon Landing renovated include the Claiborne Parish Watershed District, the police jury, the recreation committee and the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Department.

The grant, applied for under the name of the Claiborne Parish Police Jury, came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. They can apply for the grant for three consecutive years, meaning on this first year, $150,000 has been approved, and if more is needed next year, another $150,000 can be applied for to complete the renovations. That totals $300,000 in funding for improvements – more than that if it’s needed.

The idea behind seeking this grant, Greeson said, is to enhance what the state is trying to do. The state is planning to erect an informational kiosk (a small structure open at one or more sides located in public places for the use of the general public) at Lisbon Landing, which would include it on Claiborne’s scenic byway.

It is an “in-kind” grant, which means the police jury would have to match the grant by 50 percent, either with a monetary match or provide the labor to match the grant. The value of the land could also be considered towards that match.

The grant will supply the funding to improve conditions to offer the public nicer facilities in which to fish and spend time with their families. Some of the projects named in the grant application included adding a 50-foot fishing pier, addition of an observation pier and bathroom facilities and rebuild the boat launch pier. The focus on the grant will be on the piers.

Vandalism was a concern, but Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey assured all parties involved that patrols would be increased to reduce vandalism. Bailey said his department already patrols the area heavily, but he would increase that number.

Also, the female inmates would clean the restroom facilities and pick up litter at the site.

HB 420 to come before voters this November

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The severance tax bill, HB 420, has passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate and will soon come before the citizens of Louisiana in November’s election.

The severance tax bill, by the year 2010, will raise the tax cap from $850,000 to $2.85 million. According to Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, who authored the bill, the tax cap raise will be phased in over a two-year period. In 2009, it will go up to $1.85 million, and in 2010, it will be raised to the $2.85 million.

This means that by 2010, $2.85 million of approximately $14 million paid in severance taxes to the state from Claiborne Parish will come back to Claiborne Parish.

“This is not a tax increase,” Gallot said. “This is simply allocating more of the existing tax base back to the people of the parishes.”

The severance tax is a tax paid to the state from oil and gas producing parishes, and approximately 20 percent of what’s paid in each year comes back to the producing parishes for upkeep and renovation of the parish’s infrastructure. This means that 20 percent of the tax paid comes back to the parish for upkeep of its roads.

According to the bill, 31 parishes in Louisiana will benefit from this increase. There is also a stipulation in the bill that states at least 50 percent of the severance tax returned to the parishes will have to be used for roads and infrastructure.

The total cost of this bill is estimated to be $47 million, less than 7 percent. According to a letter sent to several representatives and senators from the police jury asking for support of the bill a few months ago, Dwayne Woodard, secretary/treasurer of the police jury, said the current budget was based on $58 per barrel, and today, oil is coming in at well over $160 per barrel. This means that for every $1 increase in a barrel of oil, the state is raking in approximately $12 million in royalties, rents and fees. Based on those figures, he said, the state has added more than $720 million in additional oil and gas revenues.

“Most parishes already use it for roads and infrastructure,” Gallot said. “This was just a safeguard to make sure that the money goes towards roads and other infrastructure.”

Also in the bill is an amendment that includes the severance tax for the Atchafalaya Basin in South Louisiana. This amendment stipulates that 50 percent of up to $10 million per year of the severance taxes on state lands in the Atchafalaya Basin would go to the Atchafalaya Basin Conservation Fund. It means that there are areas in the Basin where oil and gas are being produced. Up to 50 percent of the taxes paid in that area will go to that conservation fund.

This would not effect Claiborne Parish, but adding this amendment proposal increases support of the bill in total.

“It just expanded the number of people who would be willing to support the bill coming from that region,” Gallot said.

Gallot and supporters of the bill are urging voters to vote for the bill to bring more money back to the parish. It will appear as a constitutional amendment on November 4’s ballot, because the severance tax is in Louisiana’s constitution. Therefore, it must come before the voters of Louisiana before its constitution can be amended.

Police jury approves trial spay, neuter program

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

Based on the recommendations of the buildings and grounds committee, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury has approved $700 per month to put towards a spay/neuter program for the parish.

This means that a six-month trial spay/neuter program will be implemented for low income people who cannot afford the costs of having their pets spayed or neutered. In this program, those who qualify would pay a $20 co-pay and the police jury would cover the rest.

Tara Hollis, who runs Claiborne Animal Rescue, a no-kill animal shelter, also requested the implementation of an animal control officer, but that has been tabled due to its expense and complications, according to District 6 Police Juror Scott Davidson.

Hollis approached the police jury in May with a proposal for the program and animal control officer.

“It’s low-cost for low-income citizens who cannot afford to spay or neuter their pets,” she said of the proposal in May. “A lot of these parish residents are good pet owners, but they have multiple pets and they cannot afford to neuter them.”

According to her research, there are grants that could be obtained to help fund this program. The issue is that according to the grant’s stipulations, the program must be in place and successful for six months before any grant request would be approved.

The grant would be able to support the Claiborne Animal Rescue shelter without funding from the police jury and it would also go towards a salary for the animal control officer.

The police jury is also looking into ways to make sure pet owners who are applying for assistance are truly low income. That issue will also be discussed before the program gets up and running.

In other police jury news, two people were appointed to the Claiborne Parish Economic Board. They are Joey White, who will serve a four-year term; and John Wesley Cooper, who will serve a two-year term.

The police jury’s bush hogging crews and blacktopping crews will go to 10-hour per day, 4-day work week.

Also, Secretary/Treasurer Dwayne Woodard will post and advertise for sealed bids on the purchase of road material for a period of one year, beginning in August.

Two posted job positions were filled as well. They are the inmate supervisor (in-house) and truck driver (in-house). Also, the request to post and advertise for the vacant position of mechanic/helper within the highway department was approved by the police jury.

The next police jury meeting will be held Wednesday, August 6, at 9 a.m. in the police jury room at the Claiborne Parish Police Jury Complex.

“Big Brother is (not) watching you”

The camera in the middle of this picture is at the northwest corner of the Square. It takes no pictures but is a device to initiate a light change and contribute to prompt, smooth traffic flow.

JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer

George Orwell’s book 1984 popularized the phrase “Big Brother is watching you” to describe intrusive government surveillance.

The phrase comes to mind as I wait for a light to change at any of the 4 corners of the Homer town square. Looking closely, I see what looks like a camera near the light.

Perhaps watching too much TV and thinking my picture is being taken as I pass through  the intersection, I later call the Homer Police Department with a couple of questions. They give me the 800-number to the Louisiana Department of Transportation office at Bossier City.

Keith Tindell answers the phone and explains that motion detection devices were installed around the Square a couple of years ago. “Their purpose is to help traffic move as smoothly and freely as possible in your area,” he says.

I ask if the devices take pictures of vehicles or license plates or otherwise gather data on which tickets are based. Tindell assures me that there is no record like that at all.

“Technically, they are cameras,” he says, “but they’re incapable of video images and probably shouldn’t even be called cameras. They are pointed at the wide white line you’ll notice as you near the intersection. Most of the lines have a sign nearby instructing you to stop on the line. That ensures that the device is activated so the light soon changes, and you can be on your way.”

He concludes by assuring me that their only purpose is to move local traffic smoothly with minimal delay.

So the next time you stop at one of those “motion detection devices,” go ahead and smile because you’re not on a candid camera.

— o —

“Be a good neighbor and be nosy. If you see something call the police.” — Mike Desiderio, Information Technologist

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