Police: ‘Suspect armed and dangerous’
Police seek public’s help to find
shooter
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Homer
Police are asking the public for its help in locating a suspect involved in a
shooting that happened over the weekend.
De
Undre Dunn is 
wanted in connection with a shooting that happened Sunday,
September 14, in the 1400 block of Pearl Street. According to reports, Homer
police was dispatched to the Pearl Street residence at approximately 6 p.m. in reference to the shooting. Upon arrival of Officers Mike Rayburn, Jimmy Hamilton
and Captain Donald Malray, the victim, identified as Patrick Thomas, was found
lying in the roadway at the end of the residence’s driveway. Officers
discovered Thomas had been shot in the lower right leg. The wound was an
entry/exit wound, at which time officers were able to recover the bullet.
Pafford
Ambulance arrived on scene and transported Thomas to Homer Memorial Hospital, at which time he was airlifted to Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport for treatment.
As of
press time, Thomas’ condition was not known.
Warrants
for Dunn’s arrest on charges of attempted second degree murder and armed
robbery have been issued.
According
to police, witness statements revealed the two were arguing when the victim was
shot. After Dunn allegedly shot Thomas, he ordered him to give him some money
and the victim handed Dunn $50 in cash.
Statements
also revealed after the shooting, Dunn walked away and began shooting behind
other residences on Pearl Street. It is not known whether Dunn was aiming at a
specific target.
Dunn is
considered armed and dangerous, and police are asking for the public’s help. If
anyone has any information regarding Dunn’s whereabouts, please contact the
Homer Police Department at 318-927-4000 or the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Department at 318-927-2011. All information provided to police will remain
anonymous. They do not want names, just their information.
Freedom focus of 9/11 program
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
In
remembrance of the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and in honor of those who put their lives on the line every day, a program at First Baptist Church in Homer focused on the value of freedom.
The
Rev. Billy Pierce, retired pastor of Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, spoke about freedom, its costs and why people feel so strongly about it.
Speaking
to an audience full of law enforcement, firefighters and emergency personnel,
Pierce began with the story of Booker T. Washington, a man who was born into
slavery and one of the most influential black men of his time.
In the
aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by the late President Abraham
Lincoln, the freed slaves rejoiced in their newfound freedom, but soon a quiet
hush fell over them as they realized the important responsibility that comes
with freedom.
“The
great responsibility of being free, the having charge of ourselves…there seemed
to be a gloom that settled over ourselves,” Pierce quoted from Washington. “Was it any wonder that within a few hours that the wild rejoicing ceased and
the feeling of gloom prevailed the course? It seemed to some that now that they
were in the possession of their freedom, it was a more serious thing than they
had ever expected it to be.”
Pierce
went on to make his point.
“These
newly freed slaves discovered something that many of us have taken for granted
and have forgotten over a period of years,” Pierce said. “Freedom is a
dangerous thing.”
Freedom
is a dangerous thing because it is misunderstood and comes with a great amount
of responsibility, the retired pastor said. He referred to three instances in
the Bible where men were given their freedom and mishandled it. These stories
gave instances where freedom was misunderstood, abused and easily lost.
He told
the stories of Daniel and the young boy who squandered his inheritance. He also
told the story of King David, whose greatest sin was lusting after another
man’s wife.
In each
story, the lesson was the same, freedom is a serious responsibility.
So why
are Americans willing to die for freedom? Why do people desire freedom to the
point that they will die for it?
“The
reason for it is, God made us that way,” Pierce said. “God wants us to be free.
We need to thank God for the United States of America. We have been the
vanguard (frontrunner) of every nation that believes in freedom, who is willing
to fight for freedom and who is willing to die for freedom.”
Pierce
read a prayer from a senator that sent the Kansas state legislature up in arms.
This prayer has been widely circulated over email, and in that prayer, the
senator asks God for guidance and forgiveness for the direction our nation has
gone, and in one quote by another senator, “He told God on ‘em.”
After
he read the senator’s prayer, the audience erupted in applause.
In his
conclusion, Pierce quoted the famous phrase once said by Patrick Henry, “Give
me liberty or give me death.”
Early Voting begins Saturday
Early voting for the October 4th election will be held
Saturday, September 20 through Saturday, September 27. Office hours will be 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. The office will be closed on Sunday, September 28.
Voting Precincts
Precincts
03, 21, 21, 31, 34, 35, 36, and 37
The Claiborne Parish Police Jury has officially moved
these precincts to the Claiborne Parish Fair Complex in Haynesville. For more
information, please call the Claiborne Registrar of Voters Office at 927-3332.
A look at the ballot
Here’s
a look at what to expect for those who vote early this week.
On the
ballot includes the closed party primary for the 4th Congressional District. On
that ballot for Democrats included Willie Banks, Paul J. Carmouche, Artis “Doc”
Cash, and John Milkovich. For the Republicans, the ballot included John
Fleming, Chris Gorman and Jeff Thompson. The closed party primary is expected
to be on October 4th’s ballot as well as the race for district attorney,
according to the clerk’s office.
Other
than the 4th Congressional District race, the following candidates are listed
as follows. In the 2nd Judicial District, District Judges Jenifer Clason, Jimmy
Teat and Glen Fallin, all ran unopposed. Darrell Avery, Chris Bowman, David
Newell and Jonathan Stewart are all vying for the District Attorney’s seat. In
District 4 of the Claiborne Parish School Board, A.D. Williams and Betty
Richardson are on the ballot.
Charles F. Clawson of
Haynesville, Ronnie McKenzie of Homer, and Amanda Verdin of Bernice all ran
unopposed for the Justice of the Peace. William Earl Maddox, James Pike, and
Frank Speer, all of Homer, ran unopposed for Constable.
In the
Town of Haynesville, Interim Mayor Sherman Brown is unopposed for the mayor’s
seat. In the Village of Lisbon, “Sonny” Greeson is running against incumbent
mayor Wayne Tanner. The Alderman’s race in Lisbon includes, Jerry W. Clements,
Scott Greeson, Marilyn Lowrey Myers and Andy Roberts.
Taser policy leads to debate
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Homer Police Department is poised to purchase tasers for the protection of its
officers, but some town council members don’t agree the department needs them.
In
September’s town council meeting, Town Attorney Jim Colvin brought the issue
before them, explaining the police department’s policies and procedures manual
had not been updated since 1977. The adoption would bring the police
department’s policies and procedures in line with legislative acts that have
been passed over the course of the last 30 years, Colvin said. Examples he gave
included the policeman’s bill of rights, use of force and others.
Colvin
explained policies in other towns comparable in size to Homer were reviewed and
some information from those policies were pulled and adapted to the needs of
Homer’s department.
“It is
necessary and it is necessitated by the fact that these haven’t been touched in
30 years,” Colvin said. “It’s a risk management issue for the town. Police
policies and procedures are fertile grounds for law suits. It’s very important
that the policies and procedures speak to appropriate uses of force and things
of that nature that will help us avoid risk management issues down the road.”
Colvin
recommended that the council adopt it, but District 1 Councilman J.C. Moore had
an issue with the taser policy – not necessarily with the policy itself but
with the use of the taser – saying the Homer police department was not
efficient enough to talk about tasers yet. He recommended the council table it
until it could be studied further.
In an
interview with The Guardian-Journal, Homer Police Chief Russell Mills said he’s
discussed several issues with Moore over the last couple of years and has
learned to overlook Moore’s remarks.
“He is
always negative when it comes to law enforcement,” Mills said. “When he made
the statement that we are not efficient, I took that to mean that he’s saying
we’re not capable enough as a department to use the taser responsibly. These
officers put their lives on the line every day and are armed with more serious
weaponry than a taser. The taser, when used correctly, helps prevent injury to
both officer and suspect.”
District
4 Councilwoman Carlette Sanford was concerned with the litigation aspect, but
Colvin said the policy would give him an extra tool to win those cases if the
need arose. He didn’t say it would stop the suits, but the new policies and
procedures would give him a better leg to stand on.
“This
needs to be addressed, because my job is to keep the town out of litigation,”
he said. “Once you’re in (litigation) there’s no cheap way out of it, and this
is a good way out of it.”
Johnson
suggested approving the entire policy itself but wait to approve the purchase
of tasers until later.
Because
the issue of tasers is a “hot topic” of litigation today, Colvin asked Mills to
hold off on purchasing the tasers until the policy could be written, approved
by the council and approved by the law enforcement community.
The
taser policy addresses when and when it is not appropriate to use them.
The
policy was written, along with other changes to the entire manual, and the
revised copy was put before the council. Mills agreed to wait to purchase the
tasers, and said the policy would protect his officers.
“If we
pass the policy, the use of the tasers will be passed, and that will protect
us,” Mills said, referring to his officers. “If an officer deploys a taser
wrongfully, then he’ll have to be dealt with.”
Colvin
said that the deadly force policy had some changes, and just the fact that the
officers carry guns could create a liability issue.
“We did
this largely in anticipation of how the police force interacts with the
community and try to give guidance to our police officers in a written format
as to what’s appropriate under certain circumstances and what’s not,” Colvin
said.
The
mayor suggested that the policy in its entirety be passed and modifications
could be made to the policy at any time. Colvin agreed.
“This
is a living, breathing document,” Colvin said. “It can be changed. This is just
something to bring us up to date.”
When
the motion to pass came up for a vote, two abstained, three voted for, and the
motion carried. District 5 Councilwoman Patricia Jenkins and Moore abstained,
and District 3 Councilman Toney Johnson, Sanford and District 2 Councilman
Michael Wade voted for the motion. This means the entire revised policy,
including the taser policy, passed and is now in effect.
The
money for the tasers will not come out of town funds, because the police
department received a grant from Claiborne Electric Coop specifically for the
purchase of the tasers.
Mother Nature didn’t ‘rain’ on butterfly
parade
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jenni Williams
The 10th annual Celebration of
Butterflies Festival and Parade was held on September 13 at the Claiborne
Parish Fair Complex in Haynesville, the Butterfly Capital of Louisiana. Grand
Marshals of the event were Charles and Nora Garrett, pictured above. The
weather held off long enough for parade watchers to enjoy the show.
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
Claiborne
Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey guided the participants in the 10th annual Butterfly
Parade through the streets of Haynesville, held on Saturday, September 13.
Grand
Marshals Charles and Nora Garrett followed shortly behind in a beautifully maintained
classic, red Chevrolet.
The
many decorated floats were judged by Tommy Garrett, Carla Smith and Dorothy
Gilmore. First prize was awarded to the Flutter Express Train by James Roach,
which was beautifully decorated with many butterflies while second and third
place were given to Betty Richardson on the Claiborne Parish School Board float
and Beverlee Kilgore on the John Deere Gator covered in butterflies.
Honorable
Mention was awarded to the Grand Marshals, and a special mention goes out to
the Heritage Nursing Home who was unable to participate due to the inclement
weather.
The
pets that joined the pet parade section of the Butterfly parade were also
awarded prizes. The smallest pet award was received by “Gizmo,” a Jack Russell
owned by Jordan Clements and the largest pet award was awarded to “Bonnie,” a
horse ridden by Mindy Pugh.
Most
unusual pet was awarded to “GoGo” the Goat shown by Breanna Sims and “Koty” the
horse, ridden by Mikky Pugh, received the award for best decorated.
As the
parade came to an end, the on-lookers and participants convened at the fair
complex where food, crafts and fun was to be had by all.
Children
were able to compete in a photography contest, sidewalk chalk drawing contest,
jump in a moonwalk provided by the campaign of district attorney candidate,
David Newell or ride the Flutter Express train.
Many
butterfly-based activities were also held in the children’s activity room.
Festival
goers could visit the Butterfly Conservatory, the many craft booths set up
inside, view all of the photography contest entries, listen to the butterfly
and garden lectures and enjoy a large variety of food provided by the vendors.
Haynesville
District 1 Councilman Dump Hatter provided musical entertainment and the Haynesville High School and Junior High cheerleaders and danceline entertained the crowd.
The
winners of the photography contest in the adult division were First place -
Jeri Dettenheim of Haynesville, with a photo of a hummingbird, Second place -
Sondra Meisler of Homer, with a beautiful picture of a butterfly and Third
place - Carol Stewart of Ruston, with a photo of a butterfly.
Honorable
Mention was awarded to James L. Lylte of Springhill, with an ariel photograph
of Bayou Dorcheat.
The
winner in the 9-12 grade division was First place - Hannah Johnston of
Haynesville, with a picture of a butterfly cupped in the hand of a small boy. Johnston also took home second place with a photo of a bumble bee and third place with a
photo of a lily.
Madelyn
Williams of Lisbon won all three places in the first to fourth grade division.
A picture of a mountaintop took first place, second place was for a closeup of
a purple daisy and third place was for a photograph of a sunset.
Sidewalk
chalk drawing winners were announced as First place - April Pickens, Second
place - Savannah Alford, Third place - William Price and Honorable mention, who
won butterfly festival t-shirts, were Erin Franklin, Madelyn Williams and Emily
Tushner.
Many
thanks go out to the hard working members of the Haynesville Garden Club,
Claiborne Chamber of Commerce, LSU AgCenter, Linda Knox with the parade
committee, guest speakers and the contest judges.
Mayor: ‘Look out for forged checks’
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Homer
Mayor David Newell is asking local merchants to be on the lookout for forged
checks.
The
Town of Homer recently received a registered letter from the Brookshire’s
Grocery Company in Minden in regards to a “bad check.”
The
check was supposedly from the Town of Homer, but the check said “City of Homer
Sanitation Department” in the “payor” section of the check.
The
payor is who the check is from and is located in the top left-hand corner of
the check.
The
signature on the check is illegible, and Town Clerk B.J. Lowe recognized that
the signature was not one of the town’s employees.
Apparently,
the forger of this check has a driver’s license because the check has a social
security number on it. The check was made out to a Kevin Foster in the amount
of $275.12.
The
check was filled out on a typewriter and was not computer generated.
“Most
checks would have a security mark,” Lowe said. “I only have a copy of the
check, but a real check should have a security mark on it.”
The
town is expected to get an affidavit of fraudulent transaction from town
attorney Jim Colvin so that the check will not come back on the town.
Newell
wanted the public to be aware of this because of the number of evacuees that
have recently come through the parish.
Businesses
are asked to be aware of the issue and keep a look out for forged checks.
“Somebody
is out there forging checks making it look like it came from the Town of Homer,” Newell said. “We want to make sure that the merchants know about this. This is not
a Town of Homer issue because it happened in Minden, but someone out there made
up a check and made it look like it was from the Town of Homer.”
And it
is not limited to just Homer. Lowe and Newell both wanted to be clear that this
did not happen in Homer, and are not aware of any other forged check supposedly
coming from the town.
The
incident at the grocery store was from the Brookshire’s in Minden – not Homer.
Newell just wanted merchants to beware that someone is out there writing bogus
checks in someone else’s name.
The Minden and Homer Police Departments have been made aware of the issue, but because the
incident happened in Minden, the Minden Police Department is handling the case.
School Board renews lease with Boys and
Girls Club
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
In
September’s regular meeting, the Claiborne Parish School Board renewed its
lease contract with the Claiborne Boys and Girls Club.
The
active lease for the Boys and Girls Club of Claiborne Parish building will
expire in November. The board agreed with a unanimous vote to renew the current
contract with no changes with a five-year lease.
The new
lease will be affective from November 10, of this year until November 10, 2013.
James
Ridley, Boys and Girls Club board member, told the school board he wanted to
make a few improvements to the building including air conditioning the gym and
a few other minor things.
He
spoke of good things that have come out of the parish since the children have
had a place to go after school.
According
to the Homer Police Department, he said, area crime is down in the time period of
4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and grades are up.
In
other school board news, the grant for the Office of Mental Health, which is
used for counselors inside the schools, has been renewed with the same budget
as last year.
The Homer Junior High School secretary, Loretta Mack, was granted retirement, but will return
to her duties for one more year by suspending retirement payments for 12
months.
After
not working for one full day, Mack will return full-time for the 2008-09 school
year.
All
teaching positions in Claiborne Parish have been filled for the 2008-09 school
year with 17 teachers returning from retirement.
The
school board voted to meet in executive session to discuss the results of the
investigation/audit report pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statues 42:6.1.
After
returning from Executive Session, Board members took action to grant
Superintendent Wayne King to implement all salary schedules as approved by the
Claiborne Parish Schools.
A
decision to replace the roof on the Haynesville Junior/ Senior High cafeteria
was made and the authorization was given to Ronnie McKenzie to advertise to
accept bids for the project.
The
current roof, which was installed in 1979 on the original building, has had
some issues with leakage during the recent heavy storms.
The next
school board meeting is scheduled for October 9 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the school board office, located in Homer across from the Homer
Police Station.
CERT training begins October 27
On
September 8, President George W. Bush hosted a White House event highlighting
the accomplishments of USA Freedom Corps, the volunteer initiative launched as
part of a national Call to Service after the attacks of 9/11 to help more
Americans connect with opportunities to serve their neighbors in need. The
President honored the work of America’s armies of compassion and reflected upon
his first inaugural address, in which he “challenged all Americans to be
citizens, not spectators…responsible citizens, building communities of service
and a nation of character.”
The
President renewed his challenge at the event, calling upon Americans to devote
4,000 hours – or two years, in service to our country over their lifetimes.
The
President spoke on the White House South Lawn to a crowd of 1,800 people that
included members of Congress, three cabinet secretaries, members of the
President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and the Corporation for
National and Community Service board, state service commission directors,
corporate social responsibility executives, and leaders and volunteers from
Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, Citizen Corps, the Peace
Corps, and Volunteers for Prosperity. President Bush expressed praise for
Citizen Corps and Volunteers for Prosperity:
“Both
have been very effective programs, and I really believe Congress needs to make
these good programs permanent,” he said.
The
President also highlighted the A Billion + Change campaign, a challenge to
corporate America to deliver $1 billion in pro bono volunteering support for
non profits. The tally for the initiative recently topped $400 million. The
President’s remarks can be found at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/09/20080908-6.html
In the
spirit of volunteerism the Claiborne Parish CERT volunteers are hosting a CERT
training program. The dates for this training are October 27, November 3, 10,
17 and 22. The class is open to the first 20 people to sign up.
To sign
up, call Sheila Washington at the Claiborne Parish Police Jury office
318-927-2222.
Here’s
just a little information about CERT training. It covers several topics which
include Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical 1 and 2, Light
Search and Rescue, CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology and Terrorism and
CERT. On the last day, the training will conclude with a review of the course
and a disaster simulation drill. The whole course is around 20 hours and will
prepare volunteers to help their families, then branch out and help their
neighbors when the police or fireman can not get to them because of the
enormity of the disaster.
This
may be a hurricane, tornado, an ice storm, or maybe a man made disaster could
be the problem i.e., chemical spill, fire or terrorism. This course offers
hands on training as well as some classroom time and will come in handy,
considering today’s world.
Again,
to sign up, please call Shelia Washington at the police jury office at
927-2222.
This
course is FREE, so as the Boy Scouts say, “Don’t be prepared, BE PREPARED.”
Construction on ramp begins in October
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Construction
for a handicap ramp in front of the District Attorney’s Office in Homer is
expected to begin in October.
That’s
according to Claiborne Parish Police Juror Bob McDaniel, who has worked with
the Town of Homer and several others to get the project underway. The town has
agreed to do some of the work on the ramp, ultimately saving money on the
project.
The
cost of the ramp will be approximately $2,500, which includes the cost for the
ramp in front of the district attorney’s office as well as the ramps for the
courthouse. The ramps for the courthouse will be on the north and west sides.
The
police jury looked into what they could do to resolve the problem previously,
but because the sidewalk is the town’s property, it was referred to them. Balar
Engineers and Surveyors, the Town of Homer’s engineers, approved the plans for
the ramp in June. The plans meet standards from the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
The
police jury will be responsible for the removal of material from the site and
the town is expected to tear out the old concrete. The paving stones will be
removed and preserved to back onto the site once the concrete work is finished.
“The
town can’t go wrong when investing in itself,” said Homer Mayor David Newell.
An employee
of the district attorney’s office presented the idea at the December 2007
police jury meeting, because the lack of a ramp in front of their office is
causing major mobility problems for the elderly and handicapped. The step up is
steep and difficult for them to navigate, not to mention the ramp at the end of
the sidewalk poses a problem too. Funds for the ramp will come from Homer’s
street repair and industrial funds. The cost of the project is expected to be
around $1,600.
In
other news, the police jury approved a request from the Claiborne Parish
Library to construct a parking lot adjacent to its building to increase its
parking area for library patrons. Basically, it will be overflow parking.
According
to a letter submitted by Pam Suggs of the Claiborne Parish Library, the parking
lot is to be done at their convenience and construction costs will be billed to
the library.
Tommy
Durrett, Claiborne Parish Road Superintendent, said the parking lot would be
gravel and not asphalt. The idea, he said, is just to have overflow parking.
“We
appreciate the police jury’s help and we look forward to having our problem
alleviated through the construction of the lot,” the letter stated.
Also,
at Durrett’s request, the 4-day 10-hour work days will extend to Thursday,
September 18. After that, the highway department’s work crew will resume the
8-hour, five day week until the bush hogging season begins again.
The
police jury also approved the following:
• A
request for privacy blinds for the Office of Veteran’s Affairs;
• A
request from the Town of Haynesville for two loads of cold-mix;
• A
request to change the wording in the job description of mechanic/helper to
require that the individual hold a chauffeur’s license instead of a CDL
license;
• A
request that two police jury employees receive raises;
• A
request from the personnel committee to hire three people to fill open
positions.
Pay raise, rate hike issue of heated
discussion
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A
motion to give two town employees a raise turned into heated discussion at
September’s Homer Town Council meeting.
On the
agenda was a motion to raise the rate of pay by $1.50 per hour for Town Clerk
B.J. Lowe and Street Supervisor Lee Wells.
A
motion and second was made, but District 4 Councilwoman Carlette Sanford made
the suggestion to table to give them time to see if the money was there to
accommodate the raise.
“We
need to know where we stand before start putting out for raises,” she said. “I
think B.J. does a good job and I think Lee does an excellent job, but I still
think we need to know more about what we have and what we need to do. Health
insurance is definitely going up. We just need to look into all this.”
Homer
Mayor David Newell said that Lowe took a pay cut to come work for the town, and
because of the type of work she does, most other municipalities pay higher
salaries for the same position. He also spoke highly of Wells.
“The
work that Lee is doing is vitally important,” Newell said. “He’s on call 24
hours a day, and if anybody calls with an issue, they call him, and he’s always
there. Lee has had offers to leave the town, and unfortunately, the town is not
a strong money-making entity. There are a lot of things we need to do, and if
we’re not careful, we’re going to lose key people in this town because of the
wages that we’re paying.”
District
3 Councilman Toney Johnson said there were severe problems with how the town
was run in the past.
“The
town is now running real well,” Johnson said. “It’s not fair to our good people
to treat them like this.”
He also
said they are trying to hire someone now, because the town is three employees
short.
District
1 Councilman J.C. Moore wanted to wait until the end of the year and revisit
the issue, and also suggested a raise across the board. Johnson countered that
Lowe and Wells are in supervisory positions and the town’s good condition now
is strictly because of the work they’ve done.
“We
don’t even begin to pay them enough now,” Johnson said. “These are people that
get the work done, and we need to give them a raise – if nothing else to keep
them.”
Sanford said the town seems to have a problem with hiring people
because people were hired to do certain jobs part time, and when that job is
complete, they are still there. The problem the town runs into, she said, is that
it keeps hiring people and then it has hired so many they can’t pay them all.
“We
can’t just keep on adding and doing this, because pretty soon we’ll be in the
same position we were before – getting sued because we let them go,” she said.
“We can have so much money going out and we need to have some of it in
reserve.”
Newell
responded by saying that the town has added one employee, one part-time
employee “badly needed,” and the work they are doing is very vital to what’s
needed for the town.
“I am
very proud of what they’re doing,” he said, “and I’m very proud of how hard
they’re working in putting this thing together and I challenge anybody to come
and look at where we are today compared to where we were a year ago and have
any complaints whatsoever.”
In the
end, the council came to a standoff at which time the mayor broke the tie by
voting in favor of the raise.
Johnson
made the motion, District 2 Councilman Michael Wade seconded the motion, and
Sanford and Moore voted against the raise. District 5 Councilwoman Patricia
Jenkins abstained.
Another
issue that drew heated discussion included a motion to increase the town’s
lease deposits and adopt a new lease agreement form.
The
current deposit for town hall properties is $50, and it was recommended to
raise the deposit from $50 for the town auditorium to $100.
“Due to
all the repairs that have been made, $50 does not cover any damage that might
be done the floors, walls or countertops – anything of that nature,” said Lowe.
“It’s just the deposit.”
The new
lease form covers several areas, including police protection if needed. It also
covers events that might include alcohol.
Another
issue was cleanup after events. Lowe said there have been many times events
have been held and the auditorium was not cleaned up afterwards. Johnson
suggested possibly just charging a $100 deposit and having the town’s
custodians clean up. This way, there’s no hassle as to whether the renter gets
the deposit back or not.
Jenkins
said the form needed more detail, and the mayor agreed. He went back to the
idea Johnson suggested regarding cleanup.
“That
way we can assure that it’s cleaned up to our standards and just charge them
$100 and be done with it,” Johnson said.
The
council approved the motion to raise the fee from $50 to $100. The mayor
suggested that he and Jenkins meet to rework the form.
Another
issue raised was the need for a PA system and charge a fee for its use. Also,
suggestions for how it’s to be used and storage was raised. It was suggested
the PA system as well as the revised form would be brought back to the council
for approval at next month’s meeting.
Oldest 4-H alumni serves as grand
marshal for fair parade
In this
100th anniversary of 4-H clubs in Louisiana, the Claiborne Parish Fair has
selected Ms. Ardece Hartsell Sanders to serve as Grand Marshall of the 2008
Claiborne Parish Fair.
Recently
celebrating her 86th birthday, Ms. Sanders, was an active Claiborne Parish 4-H
member from 1932 to 1939. She was the oldest of ten children at a time when
families raised and processed their own food or they didn’t eat. No McDonald’s
or Sonic or Brookshire’s or Piggly Wiggly.
The
family milked enough cows on the farm just North of Haynesville to sell milk
and butter to the Haynesville School. They also grew corn, peanuts, chickens,
pigs, ducks and geese. All the family members had a job to do.
After
completing her education, Ms. Ardece taught French, Social Studies, even
Science in the Claiborne Parish School system for 30 years, while raising six
children of her own.
After retiring
from teaching, she stayed in Claiborne Parish and remains an active leader in
service clubs, professional organizations, and Haynesville civic committees.
Ms.
Sanders is a wonderful example of members and former members of 4-H, who strive
to “Make the Best Better” through leadership, community service, and a desire
to learn and share that knowledge with others.
It is
truly fitting that the oldest daughter of the first President of the Claiborne
Parish Fair, Mr. S. B. “Shark” Hartsell, should be recognized as we celebrate
100 years of youth development through 4-H clubs in Louisiana.
Ms.
Sanders says she wakes up every day with a prayer of thanks to God for one more
day to celebrate life with her friends in Haynesville and Claiborne Parish. The
mother of 6, grandmother of 20, great-grandmother of 25 and a couple of great
greats, has seen a lot of changes in 86 years.
Congratulations!
Ms. Ardece H. Sanders. Grand Marshal of the 2008 Claiborne Parish Fair.
Everyone
is invited to come and visit Ms. Sanders on Tuesday, September 23, at the
Claiborne Parish Fair in Haynesville. She will lead the Fair Parade beginning
at 4:00 p.m. and enjoy a small reception in the Fair Building immediately
after.
“It is
the policy of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service that no person shall
be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national origin,
gender, religion, age, or disability.”
The
LSU AgCenter has a branch office in every parish that provides research-based
information on agriculture and forestry, community leadership, economic
development, environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth
development and natural resources.
For
more information, call your local LSU AgCenter office at (318) 927-3110 or
visit our website at www.lsuagcenter.com, or call for a catalog of our free
publications.
Claiborne Parish Fair Schedule of Events
- 2008
Sunday,
September 21: 1 pm - 4 pm: School and
Poster Displays set up in North End of Fair Building; General Exhibit entries
accepted (no bakery items, only canned foods); Livestock to begin arriving;
Poultry entries accepted; 4 pm: Start weighing goats, lambs, swine; 6 pm:
Deadline for goat, lamb, swine, commercial heifer weigh-in
Monday,
September 22: 9 am - 5 pm: General exhibit entries and fresh crops and vegetables accepted; (no bakery items,
only canned foods); School and club poster displays set up; 6 pm: 4-H poultry
and egg cookery contest; All dairy and beef cattle must be in barn (exception:
Dairy cows in milk must arrive morning of dairy show)
Tuesday,
September 23: 9 am - 10 am: Bakery items
accepted and fresh vegetables accepted; 10 am - 5 pm: Judging of all entries
and poultry, except livestock; General exhibit judging; 4 pm: Claiborne Parish
Fair Parade; Carnival open from 4 pm until closing; Armbands accepted (purchase
at school); 5 pm: Judge goats and lambs; Judge market and breeding swine; Judge
dairy and beef
Wednesday,
September 24: 9 am - 2 pm: School Group Day: daycare, pre-K through 4th grades; 2 pm - 4 pm: Bingo at South End of Fair Building; 4 pm: Rabbit Show (Livestock Barn); 5 pm: Carnival opens; 6 pm: Fred Smith Memorial Premier Exhibitor
Thursday,
September 25: 5 pm: Carnival opens; 6 pm: Buyers supper for all sale supporters; 7 pm: Junior Livestock Sale
Friday,
September 26: 9 am - 11 am: Remove all
exhibits and displays; 5 pm: Carnival opens
Saturday,
September 27: 10 am: 4-H Pet Show;
Claiborne Clover Buds Goat Show and Fun Day; 1 pm: Carnival opens until closing; 1 pm - 5 pm: Armbands accepted; 6 pm: Claiborne Parish Fair Queen Pageant
This Film by Michael Haynes Productions was created in conjunction with 
