The Great Depression Project
The Claiborne Jubilee and the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program
invite you to participate in upcoming events
marking the 80th anniversary year of the
onset of the Great Depression
Learn how to collect community oral history.
Look for and share historic photographs.
Laugh away your troubles by joining us for the Mahogany Ensemble Theatre Presentation of Steal Away
Oral History Interviewing Workshop – Tuesday, February 17, 2009 1 – 4 pm Police Jury Office Complex Conference Room, 507 West Main St., Homer, LA.
Dr. Susan Roach, Folklorist, Louisiana Regional Folklife Program, LATech, will conduct a workshop on “Collecting Oral History from Your Family and Community.” The session will focus on techniques and equipment for collecting, presenting and preserving oral history as well as how to interview people who lived through the Great Depression (1929-1941) The workshop is free. To pre-register call 318-257-2728 or 318-927-2566.
Claiborne Parish Depression Photo Show & Tell – Thursday, February 26, 1-4 pm same location as above. You are invited to bring your Depression Era photos of your family and community to be digitally copied and for the story of the photos to be recorded while you wait. The digital copies and their information will be archived with the La. Regional Folklife Program and selected photos and stories will be in an exhibit later in 2009.
Steal Away – Saturday, February 28, 2 pm at the Homer City Hall, 400 East Main St. The Mahogany Ensemble Theatre will present this comedy set in the Great Depression. Come and see what happens when five upstanding church women run low on scholarship money and turn to a new line of work. If you liked this group’s production of “Crowns” you don’t want to miss this. Tickets $7 adults, $5 those over 65 and for students. Tickets are available at The Raven Bookstore, The Grapevine Antiques and Gifts, and the Homer City Hall as well as at Killgore’s Pharmacy in Haynesville.
Contact Cynthia Steele at 927-2566 for more information or Click Here for PDF of Information.
These projects are made possible through donations from community members and grants from the Louisiana State Arts Council, the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.
2009 Students of the Year announced
The Guardian-Journal photos/Michelle
Bates
From the top are the students of the year.
Top, Donovan James Turner, fifth grade, Haynesville Junior High School; Isaiah
Austin Dark, eighth grade, Summerfield High School; Treasure Norton, senior,
Homer High School. Norton was not able to attend the meeting, so her mother
accepted the award on her behalf. Congratulations to these students.
The Guardian-Journal
The
Claiborne Parish School Board announced its students of the year at February’s
regular monthly meeting last Thursday.
In
showing the board’s appreciation, each student selected as the student of the
year received a plaque in recognition of these students’ achievements. Donovan
James Turner, a fifth grader at Haynesville Junior High was recognized with a
plaque. He is the son of Regina Manning and Terence Turner. Isaiah Austin Dark,
an eighth grader at Summerfield High School also received a plaque. He is the
son of Jerry and Sonia Dark. Treasure Norton, who is quite an accomplished
student, also received a plaque. She is a senior at Homer High School and is
the daughter of Melinda Winzer and Eugene Norton Jr.
In
personnel news, Theresa Murray was hired to replace Renee McCurry. Also, Tony
Bailey was approved for the accounts payable clerk III while Mae Williams was
approved to fill the position of insurance/payroll/taxes.
The
Claiborne Parish School Board also approved several more sections of the
board’s policy manual, which has been undergoing an update for the last year.
No
action was taken on an agenda item regarding the school board acquiring the Northwest Louisiana Technical College’s vocational school’s Homer campus; the board cited a
few issues left to iron out before the final approval of a contract.
Haynesville senior signs with SAU
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jenni Williams
Haynesville High School senior, Dextrell
French, signed a National Letter of Intent to play football with Southern Arkansas University on Wednesday, February 4.
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
Haynesville
High School Senior, Dextrell French, recently signed a National Letter of
Intent to play football for the Southern Arkansas Muleriders located in
Magnolia, Arkansas.
French
played halfback and linebacker for the Haynesville Golden Tornado, who reached
the Class 1A Semi-finals this year under the coaching of Head Coach David
Franklin and Assistant Coaches Tracy Jackson, Ricky Brown, Byron Sandford, Joey
Canterbury and Chad Rook. Coach “Red” Franklin is also an assistant coach.
He
rushed for 1,130 yards on 134 attempts for an average of 8.4 yards per carry
this year and scored 15 touchdowns.
On
defense, he had 80 tackles, two interceptions, two sacks and one touchdown.
French
has been named to the District 1A-First team running back, District 1A - First
team linebacker, District 1A - Second team punter, Louisiana Sportswriters
All-State - First team and Louisiana Football Coaches Association All-State -
First team linebacker and Second team running back.
He is
also a member of the Golden Tornado basketball team and the track and field
team.
French
is the son of Nickicole French and Dexter Hardwell and is a member of Shiloh
Baptist Church of Haynesville.
Attention Voters
Wednesday, March 4 is the last day for
voter registrations or updates. Early Voting: Saturday, March 21-28 from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Closed on Sunday in the Registrar of Voters Office. Election Day is
April 4. On the ballot: Town of Haynesville (Mayor, Chief of Police and
Councilmen) and Aldermen for Athens. Qualifying begins Wednesday, February 11,
and ends Friday, February 13. For more information, please call Patricia
Sanders at the Registrar of Voters Office at 927-3332.
Homer man arrested on multiple burglary
charges
Photo courtesy of the Claiborne Parish
Sheriff’s Office
These items, pictured above, are among
the many Robert Herring was charged with stealing from at least four separate
businesses.
The Guardian-Journal
A Homer
man has racked up multiple counts of burglary charges after a lengthy
investigation by the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s
Detectives Ben Booth, Randy Smith and Chief Detective Charles Buford culminated
an investigation into burglaries and thefts with the arrest of Robert Michael
Herring, 38, of Homer. The investigation was initiated on January 23, regarding
a burglary that was reported by a local business.
Detectives
discovered multiple burglaries and thefts committed by Herring that had
occurred from September 2008 through January 2009. Four separate businesses
were victims of these crimes, and some were burglarized multiple times.
Approximately
$2,000 worth of merchandise, including miscellaneous tools and a saxophone,
were stolen.
With
the assistance of the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, Herring was arrested on
Wednesday, February 4 and charged with eight counts of burglary; two counts of
theft; and one failure to appear warrant on traffic charges.
Each of
the burglary charges has a bond of $12,000; the theft over $300 charge has a
bond of $2,000; the theft less than $300 charge has a bond of $1,000; and the
failure to appear warrant has a bond of $1,000.
Herring
was booked into the Claiborne Parish Detention Center. Webster Parish also has
outstanding charges on Herring.
Homer PD arrest several over weekend
The Guardian-Journal
The
Homer Police Department made several arrests over the weekend, which included
the arrest of one man on drug charges.
John L.
Winzer, 39, of Homer, was charged with possession of Schedule I (marijuana);
possession of Schedule III narcotics (Lortab); and possession of drug
paraphernalia. Bond is to be set.
According
to reports, Officer Joseph Henry initiated a traffic stop on Sunday, February
8, on West Main for a traffic violation. Upon contact with the driver,
identified as Winzer, Henry asked for his paperwork, of which he could not
produce.
Winzer
was then asked to step out of the vehicle, at which time, he was patted down
for officer’s safety. Reports say during the search of his person, a small bag
of what is believed to be marijuana and some pills were discovered. Some
wrapping papers commonly used for rolling cigarettes, was also discovered.
Once
these items were discovered, Winzer was placed into custody.
Officer
John Bailey and his K-9 partner, “Buddy,” searched the vehicle. “Buddy” alerted
twice on the truck of the car, reports said, where an undisclosed amount of
alleged marijuana was found.
Officer
Tim Cox was also on scene to assist.
Winzer
was then booked at the Claiborne Parish Detention Center.
In an
unrelated case, on that same day, Bryan Franklin was arrested and charged with
possession of Schedule I (marijuana), second offense. Bond was set at $5,000.
Henry
initiated a traffic stop for not using his blinker. Once the vehicle was pulled
over and Henry made contact with the driver, identified as Franklin, reports
say the officer detected a strong odor of what was believed to be marijuana
coming from inside the vehicle.
He
asked Franklin to step out of the vehicle, and a search of the vehicle revealed
alleged marijuana in a cigarette box, according to reports. More of the
substance was found in another container inside the vehicle.
Also on
that same day, in an unrelated incident, Michael B. Waffer, of Homer, was
arrested and charged with criminal neglect of family, bond set at $10,859; and
possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance, crack, with bond
set at $5,000.
Homer
Police picked Waffer up on a Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant, and
while searching the suspect, two alleged crack rocks were found on his person.
On
Thursday, February 5, Cliff Watts, 39, of Homer, was arrested and charged with
resisting an officer, with bond set at $500, and possession of drug
paraphernalia, second offense, with bond set at $1,500.
According
to reports, Watts was arrested after Homer Police were contacted in reference
to someone refusing to exit a vehicle. Officer Mike Rayburn made contact with Watts, and he still refused to exit the vehicle. A pipe was discovered during a search of
his person.
Watts was arrested and transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center.
CPSO, WPSO complete tactical driver
training
The Guardian-Journal
Deputies
from the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office recently completed a tactical
driving course in Minden.
Claiborne
Parish, in conjunction with the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, had deputies
trained in a low speed, high stress driving course. The course is provided by
the National Academy for Professional Driving (NAPD).
The
course is designed to improve police driving skills and reduce accidents
Deputies must complete 24 hours of training and are required to complete an 8
hour recertification within three years.
Detective
Randy Smith, of the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, along with Captain John
Lewis and Deputy Bruce Corley of the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, are the
instructors.
The
need for officer driver training became evident on a New York City Street on September 13, 1899, when Henry Bliss was struck by an electric horseless carriage and
became the nation’s first traffic fatality.
“There
is always a need for improving driving skills,” said Sheriff Ken Bailey. “This
is our third year to provide this training for our deputies, and we will
continue to do so.”
Homer PD welcomes two officers, adds
another position
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Town of Homer welcomed two police officers to the Homer Police Department and
added an additional position to its force.
Police
Chief Russell Mills introduced these officers at the regular monthly meeting of
the Homer Town Council on Monday.
Officers Steve Harbour and
Dale Sindle both have several years experience as police officers, and they are
taking the place of the two who left, Jimmy Hamilton and Keith Ferguson. The
additional position was approved by the town council, which means that former
Haynesville Officer Tim Cox has joined Homer’s force.
“While
I was interviewing officers, I had the chance to meet another police officer
who’s willing to come to work for the Homer Police Department,” Mills said of
Cox. “He’s certified and been a police officer for about four years, with 20
years in the military. He’s made numerous drug arrests where he was, and I
think he’d be an asset to the Homer Police Department.”
This
position would allow Mills to use another officer to work more with CNET
(Claiborne Narcotics Enforcement Team), the narcotics unit of the Claiborne
Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Harbour
has been in law enforcement for little better than 10 years, while Sindle has
worked for the Homer Police before. He will serve as a juvenile officer as well
as a white collar crimes investigator. Sindle is from the Homer area. Sindle
was also named Juvenile Officer of the Year in 2005. Both officers are
certified.
District
1 Councilman J.C. Moore cautioned the council on spending the extra money,
citing the recession the country is currently in. He said he had no problem with
the addition of another officer, but he said the council needs to be careful
about its spending.
“As I
said in the beginning, we can’t do what we did two years ago,” Moore said. “We just have to make ready, make adjustments and start to coincide with what
is already intact, because we’re already in a national recession and it’s not
going to get better any time soon. I’m just being realistic about it.”
The
additional position raised comments from James Colvin Sr., who handles the
town’s budget. He said that although the extra position added was a good thing
for the Homer Police Department, he warned the town to use caution when
spending additional monies.
The new
position adds additional payroll, insurance, retirement benefits and other
costs to the town’s budget. Colvin said the town is in good financial standing
with approximately $250,000 extra for this year. Several thousands of dollars
have already been earmarked under what’s called extraordinary expenditures –
where the funding for the additional police officer will come from.
“We do
need to look at the action taken tonight,” Colvin told the council. “We have
added another policeman. I have to think that that’s a good thing; however, we
need to review how the salaries and expenses are going to effect payroll on the
budget. We’re looking at more than was expected. That does not mean the budget
does not have the room; it just needs to be explored. While we need to spend
money appropriately, we need also to be careful that we spend it exactly as we
planned to. We should be ‘optimistically cautious’ about everything.”
In
other council news, Marsha Millican was approved as the auditor for the year
end 2008. Her bid was the lowest qualified bid coming in at $12,000 to $15,000.
Others
who submitted bids included Hulsey, Harwood & Co. out of Monroe with a fee
of $15,500. Edwards, Wade & Perry out of Ruston submitted a bid of $20,000
to $22,500. Johnston, Perry, Johnson & Associates LLP did not submit a
specified fee.
The
next town council meeting will be held March 2, at 6 p.m. in council chambers, located at the Homer Police Station.
Wreck sends one to hospital
The Guardian-Journal photos/K.H.
Hightower
An accident on Friday, February 6, sent
one driver to the hospital after she crossed into another lane. According to
State Trooper Ron Rhone, officer at the scene, the driver of this Ford Taurus,
headed eastbound on La. Hwy. 2, crossed over the center line. He said the
driver of the 18-wheeler, pictured at right, moved over to avoid her, but they
made contact. The driver of the truck was not injured, but the driver of the
Ford Taurus was transported to Homer Memorial Hospital by Pafford Ambulance for
non life-threatening injuries. According to Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Deputies
at the scene, a pry bar was used to extract the driver from the car. The truck
driver was carrying pipe to Springhill at the time of the accident. It is not
known whether alcohol was a factor.
Mobile classroom to stop in Homer
A
mobile classroom that offers free business classes will set up shop in Homer on
March 24-26.
The
project is a partnership of the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Secretary of State,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana
Public Facilities Authority, Louisiana Municipal Association, Capital One,
Louisiana Business and Technology Center, and LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center.
Dubbed
the “Driving Louisiana’s Economy” initiative, the vehicle is a custom-designed
18-wheeler trailer retrofitted to house free seminars and workshops for small
business owners. The self-contained mobile classroom has state-of-the-art
audio/visual capabilities, including a large plasma-screen monitor and
broadband wireless Internet connectivity and seats up to 24 people for
seminars.
On
March 26, Dora Ann Hatch, LSU AgCenter community rural development agent, will
teach Introduction to E-Commerce from 9 until 10 a.m., Planning Your Business
Website from 10:15 until 11:15 a.m., and Trends in Rural Retail Trade from
11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
The
site is Brookshire’s, located at 817 West Main Street.
“We are
excited about coming to Homer and wish to thank local partners, Brian Smith of
Brookshire’s, the LSU AgCenter, and the Claiborne Parish Chamber of Commerce
for hosting the trip,” said Allison S. Davis, coordinator of the LSU Mobile
Unit.
The
mobile classroom also will host classes on starting and financing a business,
developing a business plan, small business loans and credit, record keeping,
marketing, email marketing, fast food sanitation, renewable energy grants for
farmers and customer service.
The
full schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, March 24:
5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Starting & Financing a Business
Wednesday, March 25:
9 until 10 a.m. Developing a Business Plan, 10:15 until
10:45 a.m. Small Business Loans & Your Credit, 11 a.m. until noon, Business
Record Keeping Made Simple, 1 until 2 p.m. Marketing 101, 2:15 until 2:45 p.m.
Email Marketing, 3 until 4 p.m. Fast Food Sanitation, 4:15 until 5:15 p.m.
Renewable Energy Grants for Farmers and Small Business Owners, and 5:30 until
6:30 p.m. Customer Service;
Thursday, March 26:
9 until 10 a.m. Introduction to E-Commerce, 10:15 until
11:15 a.m. Planning Your Business Web site, 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Marketing Your Business On line.
The
mission of the mobile classroom is to assist small businesses and entrepreneurs
in Louisiana with access to the resources, infrastructure and expertise needed
to grow and sustain long-term success.
To sign
up for any of the sessions, contact Angela Hood, at (318) 927-3110.
