Mark Your Calendars!
May 14
Haynesville Rummage Sale
The Town of Haynesville will hold its city-wide rummage
sale from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Anyone who wishes to drop off
donations may do so Thursday, May 12, at the Claiborne Parish Fair Complex. If
items need to be picked up, arrangements can be made to do so.
May 20
Lions Club Chicken Charbroil
For
those who haven’t gotten their tickets -- hurry, because they’re running out
fast! For $7 per plate, individuals get a quarter chicken, beans, salad and
bread. Plates may be picked up at the Regions Bank parking lot from 11 a.m.
until 1 p.m. To pick up a plate, you MUST have a ticket. All proceeds will go
towards charitable donations given by the Homer Lions Club.
‘Pot’ Luck @ the Fair
Sponsored
by the Haynesville Beautification Committee and Haynesville’s Citizens Advisory
Committee, a “Pot” Luck fundraiser will be held beginning at 6 p.m. With a
potluck-style supper, the evening is sure to be a success with the Monday Night
Choir Boys of Springhill. Entertainment will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20
per person. All contributions should be made payable to “Haynesville
Beautification Potluck @ the Fair” and sent c/o Keith or Beverlee Killgore, 1909
Main Street, Haynesville, LA 71038. For more information or to obtain a ticket
please call the Killgores at 318-624-1122.
June 8
Chamber Cake Auction
Come
out to Homer City Hall on Wednesday, June 8, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. for the
Claiborne Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Cake Auction. Tickets are $6 per person.
Catered by Upper Crust, they will serve beef brisket to go along with all those
luscious cakes and desserts. For more information, please contact Executive
Director John Watson at 318-927-3271.
Housing Authority director fired
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
executive director of the Homer Housing Authority has been fired amid
allegations of misappropriation of funds.
On
Monday, May 2, Michelle Green was escorted from the premises of the housing
authority office, located on Oil Mill Street, by Homer Police Chief Russell
Mills and Housing Authority Board Member, the Rev. Ray Jiles.
She has
not been arrested, however, Louisiana State Police Public Information Officer
Cordell Williams said they’d been contacted regarding the matter, but the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has taken over the
investigation because of the nature of the allegations.
“We are
in a position to assist, and we will, but it looks like HUD is investigating
this,” Williams said.
Chief
Mills would not comment on the issue because it is under investigation. He
initiated the investigation, but he contacted federal authorities, at which
time, the case was turned over to them.
“Michelle
was terminated because of fraudulent acts and embezzlement,” Jiles said.
According
to Jiles, First Guaranty Bank, where the housing authority has their account,
contacted him saying they had a check with what appeared to be a forged
signature. Jiles said they picked up the check, turned it over Town Attorney
Jim Colvin and then contacted HUD. It was at that time, he said, HUD
recommended she be terminated. HUD officials told Jiles the housing authority
had the authority to terminate her because they had evidence of fraudulent
acts.
Jiles
said there were several unauthorized checks made out to different people, some
real and some not. The unauthorized signature in question was the forgery of
one of the board members, Diane Dyer.
That
Friday evening, Jiles called a meeting for the board members, which was held at
the Mayfield Reunion building, past the Boys and Girls Club building on Pearl
Street.
Former
Housing Authority Board Member and Past Chairman Willie “Hoghead” Curry said he
and his wife were walking along MLK Street when he said he recognized several
vehicles at the reunion building as those of housing authority board members.
He said he rode by the housing authority office later that evening to see if
the meeting was posted on the door and it was not, which led him to believe the
meeting was called without notifying the public.
“What
got me was why they weren’t meeting at housing authority office,” Curry said.
Jiles
admitted he did call the meeting, and called it a closed meeting just for the
commissioners. However, Louisiana’s sunshine laws state that because they are a
public body, they must post their meetings 24 hours in advance.
Jiles
said he was not aware of those laws at the time he called the meeting, but he
did make sure to post their regular monthly meeting on the door of the housing
authority office Friday afternoon, May 6.
Green
has been the executive director of the Homer Housing Authority for
approximately seven years, and the housing authority has not been without its
share of problems.
Curry
said the issue with the alleged misappropriation began in November 2010, which
is one month after he was taken off the board. And even when he was on the
board, he said he believed the issues were not as serious as rumors made them
out to be.
“According
to my understanding, these were just simple things,” Curry said. “I didn’t have
any idea of the inner workings of the day to day operations. According to
policy, we weren’t supposed to have anything to do with the day to day
operations.”
That’s
why they hired an executive director, he said.
In a
telephone interview, Jiles said his job as the financial review officer was to
make sure checks matched vouchers and the bank statements. That’s really all he
did, he said.
And as
far as anything else, he wasn’t aware. “As far as having any in depth
information, I didn’t have any of that,” he said.
In
October 2010, David Robertson was appointed as the board’s financial review
officer and there have been several meetings since that time that he’s not been
present, he said.
However,
there have been issues that go back further than that. According to the
Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s website, the last audit report published on
line shows that a financial and compliance audit was done which indicated there
were “comments in the audit report dealing with fraud and abuse (and may also
include control, compliance, and/or management comments).”
The
auditor’s office uses a ranking system “A-D” which ranks each entity’s audit
report, with “A” showing no comments and with “D” including comments on “fraud
and abuse.”
However,
that is the last audit report to have been published. The last time the housing
authority had an “A” (with no comments) was the fiscal year 2003-04.
Where
does this leave the housing authority now? With a lot of past due bills, Jiles
said. The plan, he said, is to do what is necessary to pay those bills and get
things back on track. Jiles said they intend to begin the advertising process
for hiring a new executive director.
National Day of Prayer
Locals pray in observance of special day
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
In observance of the National Day of
Prayer, local clergy and citizens of Claiborne Parish gathered together on the
Courthouse lawn to pray for all aspects of our nation and world. Taking place
on Thursday, May 5, the short service was quietly respectful as all four
corners of the Square were shut down for this prayerful time. The theme for
this year was “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” Psalm 91:2.
Mindenites rack up drug charges
The Guardian-Journal
A
carload of Mindenites were arrested in Claiborne Parish on several drug charges
after sheriff’s deputies found suspected drugs in their vehicle.
On
Saturday, May 7, Deputies John Eric Stephenson, Aaron Christian and Shane
Huffstetler were traveling north on Hwy. 9, when they encountered a vehicle
traveling south at a speed determined to be above the legal limit.
Christian
initiated a traffic stop and all deputies stopped to assist.
The
driver, Derrick Carr, 32, of Minden, admitted to drinking alcohol prior to
driving. Carr was placed under arrest for DWI and read his Miranda Rights.
At that
time, Christian deployed his K-9 partner which alerted on the vehicle
indicating the presence of narcotics inside. A search revealed a small plastic
bag hidden inside an open beer container between the two front seats of the
vehicle.
The two
passengers in the vehicle were questioned, but none of the occupants claimed
ownership of the narcotic.
Carr
was arrested by Stephenson and charged with DWI second offense with bond set at
$1,000, speeding with bond set at $500, driving under suspension with bond set
at $500 and possession of Schedule II CDS crack cocaine with bond set at
$5,000.
One
passenger, Jakenan J. Sanders, 21, of Minden, was placed under arrest by
Huffstetler and charged with possession of Schedule II CDS crack cocaine with
bond set at $5,000.
Christian
placed under arrest the other passenger, Daruanta J. Dixon, 25, of Minden, and
charged him with possession of Schedule II CDS crack cocaine with bond set at
$5,000.
In a
separate incident earlier in the week, Huffstetler, Stephenson and Deputy Steve
Harbour were performing routine traffic patrol on Hwy. 167 in Junction City on
Thursday, May 5.
Deputies
observed a truck not using a turn signal. Harbour initiated a traffic stop and
found the driver to be Tlvn (Telvin) Malone, 34, of El Dorado, Ark. A search of
the vehicle revealed one plastic bag of a green leafy substance believed to be
marijuana and one plastic pill bottle containing a white powder that tested
positive for cocaine.
Malone
was arrested and transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center.
He was
charged with turn signal required with bond set at $500, simple possession of
marijuana with bond set at $500, and possession of Schedule II CDS cocaine,
second offense, with bond set at $10,000.
CPSB continues making budget cuts
60 jobs hit chopping block
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Faculty
and staff throughout Claiborne Parish are now beginning to feel the crunch as the
school board quickly continues to find ways to keep their budget in balance.
Some 60
teachers and paraprofessionals, or paras, have now been notified that they will
not be returning to the Claiborne Parish school system in the 2011-12 school
year. Implementing a procedure called RIF (Reduction in Force), teachers and
paras were ranked based on seniority, but there are some exclusions. There are
some core subjects taught in school where it is difficult to find teachers for.
“This
is not something we want to do, because this impacts people’s livelihood,” said
Fred Evans, the school board’s financial manager. “We’ve been working on this
thing for two months to make sure that we have it right.”
Because
88 percent of their funds go to salaries and benefits, he said the majority of
the cuts had to come from personnel. Cuts from every school has been made, but
as of press time, how those numbers break down are not yet complete.
Other
cuts are being made as well, including the dissolution of the Homer High School
and Junior High School band as well as closing the alternative school.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janice Williams assured the board members as well
as the public that even though they are closing the alternative school, it does
not mean they aren’t keeping the programs in place.
“Each
school will have its own in-school suspension program,” she said. This means
that when a student is recommended for alternative school, they will not leave
the school in which they attend. Instead, they will “serve their time” at their
school outside their normal classroom schedules.
The
school board is also looking at rising costs in purchasing new textbooks, which
must be bought every certain number of years -- which is required by law.
Another expense that has swelled is the price of diesel fuel for the busses.
That budget has gone from $65,000 to $125,000 -- and that’s just this year.
Evans indicated that fuel costs have now even gone beyond that.
It’s
been a hard pill to swallow as the school board faces what so many other school
systems across the state are facing -- reduction in funds. School Board
President Will Maddox warned the newly elected school board members and
incumbents that they were going to have to make some tough decisions down the
road. And they have.
Last
month, Evans took the school board through a budget revision that had to be
done because of what he called a “mid-year adjustment” in the Minimum
Foundation Program (MFP), which is the state funding each parish school system
receives each year based on the number of students each school system has.
Currently,
the pupil-teacher ratio in Claiborne Parish is 11.5 to 1. The board’s policy
states its ratio allows for 15 to 1. However, with a reduction in students
comes the reduction in funding.
There
needs to be a total of $714,705 cut from this fiscal year’s budget (2010-11).
Evans projects another $2.4 million in cuts for the 2011-12 school year. Keep
in mind, he said, that 88 percent of that goes to pay salaries and benefits. An
increase in retirement costs (employer portion) is another $399,000.
Hospitalization insurance also increased, which means the school board will pay
out an additional $152,000.
Part of
the reason the MFP is decreasing is because they are losing EduJobs money.
EduJobs was a federal grant requested by the State of Louisiana to make up for
the loss in the MFP, which totaled about $318,000. For the 2011-12 school year,
that money will have to be moved to the general fund, and Evans said he doesn’t
know if he’ll be able to move it back to the MFP fund.
Even
with all these reductions, he’s still projecting another $1 million in cuts at
the end of this fiscal year, which all totals up to about $2.4 million.
In
other news, the school board honored its retirees for this year. In all, there
were 12, including teachers, support staff and even a school board member.
They
include: Sheryl Meadows (Spanish educator) of Haynesville High School and
Summerfield with 20 years of service, Donna Hudson (Gifted and Talented
teacher) of Homer Junior High School with 32 years of service, Shrocke Beene
(paraprofessional) of Homer Junior High School with 10 years of service,
Verlene Manuel (bus driver) of Athens High School with 32.5 years of service,
Christine Baker (Pre-K and Elementary teacher) of Homer Elementary with 32.5
years of service, Mary Triplet (Librarian and Central Office) with 27 years of
service, Beverly Curry (Elementary) of Summerfield with 33 years of service,
Debbie McKinsey (Cafeteria Technician) of Homer High School with 30 years of
service, Noel Moore (Special Education Teacher) of Homer High School with 12
years of service, Flossie Flucas (Paraprofessional) of Homer Elementary with 17
years of service, Bylon Cooper (Bus driver for Summerfield and Pineview) of
Summerfield with 45 years of service, Stanley Edwards (school board member)
with 26 years of service, Dorothea Garner of Homer Elementary with 8 years of
service and Virginia Simms (Secretary) of Haynesville Elementary with 23 years
of service.
As of
this school year, with all those retiring, the school system is losing a
combined 348 years of service to Claiborne Parish kids.
Also in
other news, since the retirement of Edwards from the school board, a new member
was appointed until a special election can be held to fill Edwards’ unexpired
term. Dr. Robert Haynes, a long-time educator and native of Claiborne Parish,
will fill the position for now. Others who put their names in the hat included
Betty Andrews, Robert Sanders and Earl Amos.
On
another topic, the school board approved a resolution to support Louisiana
Legislation to end the letter grade system for schools.
For
years, schools have been ranked by a school performance score, which is
calculated by attendance, assessment, dropout rates for the high schools and
graduation index. These scores are then calculated to give each school its
total score, which tells the state what that school might need to improve on,
if anything. However, with legislation (Act 718) passed in 2010, these scores
now receive a letter grade. For instance, if a school scores 120 or higher,
it’s given a letter grade of “A.” If a school’s score is at 65 or below, it is
considered academically unacceptable, or given the letter grade “F.”
The
letter grading system has been a sore spot for many since its passage, because
many feel a letter grade does not accurately describe a school’s true
performance. However, the intent of the legislation is to make it easier for
parents and others to get a clearer measure of how a school is doing.
Also,
summer hours at Central Office will begin on Monday, May 23. Office hours will
be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and the office will be
closed on Fridays. Regular office hours will resume on Monday, August 1.
The
next school board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. June 9, in the board meeting
room at Central Office. For more information or for questions, please call
their office at 318-927-3502.
CPPJ to purchase Claiborne Drug building
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Claiborne Parish Police Jury (CPPJ) is moving forward with the purchase of the
Claiborne Drug building for the district attorney’s office.
Located
next door to the CPPJ complex, the building will offer more room for employees
and attorneys as they carry out the day’s business. Second Judicial District
Attorney Jonathan Stewart approached the police jury several months ago about
looking for more office space, saying there just wasn’t enough room for what
they needed now. There were issues with attorneys having space to conduct their
work before cases, the lack of storage space and the lack of office space.
With
the purchase of the new building, set at $60,000, it will allow them to do all
the things they need to do while keeping the office close to the courthouse.
The
jury also adopted a resolution to give Police Jury President Scott Davidson
authority to sign and execute all documents related to the purchase.
Buildings
and Grounds Committee Chairman Bob McDaniel, District 3, thanked the police
jury, especially Secretary Treasurer Dwayne Woodard.
“The
deal almost fell through, but Dwayne pulled it all back together,” he said. “Thank you.”
Along
that line, obtaining the funding for the expansion at the library is moving
forward as well. To cover the total expenses for expanding the library, a tax
extension would be needed. This means that the current tax which supports the
library would have to be renewed to cover the bond payments.
A
letter from Alan Ofner, of Foley & Judell LLP, provided two alternatives on
how to obtain the funding, of which they chose the first one.
The
first one would “be a pledge of the revenues of the parish’s 6.10 tax (which
has been rolled back to 5.18 mills on the 2010 tax roll) authorized to be
levied through the year 2015 for library purposes, including
‘constructing...public libraries in the parish.’”
If
passed by a vote of the people, it would run long enough to cover the bond
payments. The tax renewal would be on the September ballot this year.
In
other news, the police jury is now in the process of obtaining quotes to repair
damages to the area that backed up at the Claiborne Parish Health Unit.
According to Woodard, the sewage backed up and flooded the health unit, which
cost them approximately $4,000 to clean up.
They
now need to know how much it’s going to cost them to fix it all, including
repairing the walls inside the health unit. They did, however, put in a
pressure valve to keep it from flooding again. With the pressure valve, any
sewage that backs up will run into the storm drains.
In
other police jury business, the following was approved:
• A
request to hire Reagan Hardaway full time as a truck driver,
• A
request from the Claiborne Parish Fair Board requesting its annual $4,000
contribution,
• A
request from the Claiborne Jubilee to use the courthouse lawn on Saturday, May
28 for its arts festival, and
• A
request from the Boys and Girls Club for the use of parish prisoner work crews
in assisting with lawn maintenance at the Homer unit.
The
next meeting of the Claiborne Parish Police Jury will be Wednesday, June 8, in
the meeting room at the police jury complex. For more information or for
questions, please call their office at 318-927-2222.
Ninth annual Water Fest draws 300
students
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
These sixth grade students learned about
how to conserve water at home. Other lessons included where our water comes
from, where it goes and how it’s treated. This is the ninth year for the
Waterfest.
Mary Ann Van
Osdell, LSU
AgCenter
Three
hundred sixth-graders from seven Claiborne Parish schools heard how certain
practices can conserve water at the ninth annual Water Fest held May 5-6 at
Lake Claiborne State Park.
One
lesson on Mississippi River flooding came from Theron Phillips of the Louisiana
Department of Agriculture and Forestry. He said the area from Monroe to
Vicksburg flooded in 1927 and told the students that water levels at Vidalia
and Natchez, Miss., are projected to be the highest since 1937.
Claiborne
is one of 15 parishes that depend on the gradually disappearing Sparta Aquifer.
The children heard from Lindsay Gouedy with the Sparta Groundwater Commission
that all of the water they use does not come from Lake Claiborne but from 200
feet beneath the ground.
“You
can’t go swimming or boating in it,” Gouedy explained. “An aquifer is like a
sponge, a mixture of sediment and silt that absorbs water.”
She
demonstrated with sand, clay, pea gravel and colored water what disposing oil
would look like in an aquifer. “The choice you make on the surface impacts the
environment,” Gouedy said.
Phillips
used a chalk diagram to explain the route urban storm water takes and the
pollutants it encounters. He said fertilizers and motor oil used improperly can
harm fish.
LSU
AgCenter agent Lee Faulk presented the fertilizer lesson in terms of a
watershed, which is an important area of land where water drains. “When not
used correctly, excess fertilizer runs off into our watersheds,” he said.
In a
water-quality lesson, LSU AgCenter microbiologist Bill Owens let children look
through a microscope at bacteria from saliva.
“In
other countries, you can’t drink the water,” Owens said. “Ours is safe because
we have rules and regulations. If you don’t brush your teeth, those bacteria
build up. You have to keep constantly knocking them back.”
Retired
LSU AgCenter water resource specialist Bill Branch returned to the event one
more time. He demonstrated a flow meter, explained water pressure and gave tips
on how to conserve water. These include low-flow showerheads, using a pistol
grip on the hose to wash the car or washing it on the grass if the weather has
been dry, only washing dishes and clothes when there is a full load and
replacing gaskets on leaky faucets.
Branch
said that 75 to 100 years ago, families would all bathe in the same tub of
water. He said cutting back on water use saves on sewage and energy costs.
Destiny
Smith, of Haynesville Junior High School, who takes hour-long showers, said she
will now cut back. She said she did not know people re-used water or that the
mouth carried a lot of bacteria. The children were told the average family uses
230 gallons of water a day. As a demonstration, they formed two teams that had
to fill a 100-gallon container with lake water using a single bucket and
hauling it, relay style. It took them 15 minutes.
Penny
Andrews, a teacher at Haynesville Junior High, said this was her third Water
Fest. “It is a good hands-on activity that helps students understand where
water comes from and how we can best use it,” she said.
The
event was conducted by experts from the LSU AgCenter and other state and
federal agencies.
