Parish wide burn ban in effect
The Guardian-Journal photos/Jenni
Williams
Two Homer men were lucky to escape with
their lives and cellphones after their black Honda Civic, owned by Whitney B.
Henderson, of Homer, caught fire last Wednesday morning. The driver and
passenger were traveling down White Oak Road, off of Hwy. 540, when they
noticed what they thought was steam from an over-heated engine. But they soon
realized the car was actually on fire. The Homer Fire Department quickly
arrived on scene and controlled the blaze and the ensuing wildfire along the
north side of the road, but unfortunately, nothing of the vehicle was left
other than a burned-out hunk of metal. The Forestry Service arrived with a
dozer to create a fire-break, preventing the spread of the blaze. Due to the
heat of the blaze, the car’s airbags, inset, exploded and were propelled
through the melted rear glass and lay like a deflated balloon in a near ditch.
Both men escaped the incident with no injuries.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Claiborne
Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) Director Dennis Butcher has
issued a parish wide burn ban until further notice.
Just
last week, fire chiefs for the Haynesville Fire Department, Districts #3 and #6
reinstated their burn bans due to the severe drought conditions being
experienced all through the south and midwest. And it doesn’t look like it will
get much better any time soon.
According
to the National Weather Service, temperatures for the next three months,
including August, September and October, will be higher than normal. Rainfall
predictions aren’t expected to be much better either.
“At
this time, there is a 50 percent chance of La Nina conditions coming this
winter,” according to the NWS report, “which suggests that warmer and drier
than normal conditions will continue. However, some uncertainty remains in this
long term forecast, but it does appear the ongoing drought will continue for
the foreseeable future.”
At this
time, mandatory water bans/restrictions are still in place for many water
systems throughout Claiborne Parish. That includes South Claiborne, Central
Claiborne, Lisbon, Summerfield and Middlefork Water Systems.
Any
excess usage of water not confined to in-house use, such as swimming pools,
watering grass, gardens, sprinklers and washing cars, should be eliminated.
This is also to advise poultry and dairy farmers who need to be on their
private wells. These systems are experiencing an abnormal high usage. To assure
each customer has water for their homes, daily needs, they are asking each
customer to conserve water.
This is
also true for the Village of Athens. Last week, they issued a water
conservation notice, restricting water usage to household use only. They are
asking their customers not to fill swimming pools, wash cars or water yards.
However, customers can water plants only every other day for one hour beginning
after 9 p.m. and before 6 a.m.
“It’s
tough,” Butcher said. “I’ve never seen it this hot this long. With the soil
being so dry, it doesn’t take long to heat up.”
And
while most citizens are adhering to the burn bans, there are still grass and
woods fires that each district deals with on a daily basis.
District
#6 Fire Chief Larry Greer said they’ve had several fires that are started
through natural means, such as lightning. They’ve also had some fires due to
downed power lines that are live when they hit the ground.
“The
trees are dry and if you get any wind and the limbs take out a power line,
you’re going to have a fire,” he said. “I have no
doubt about that. We can’t control Mother Nature.”
The
fire district has also dealt with fires where people are still burning
outdoors. One fire, he said, was due to a resident from out of town burning in
a barrel. As a result, he lost a van, a tractor and a shed. However, the cause
of a good many of them is unknown.
“We’re
catching one or two (fires) every day,” Greer said. “Some of them we have no
idea how they started. Sometimes, it’s just kind of a ‘who knows?’ situation.”
He’s
also had at least one of his firefighters treated at the hospital for
heat-related illness.
Even
though they are having so many fires, he said they are lucky.
“Right
now, water resources are still in good shape,” he said. “Forestry (U.S.
Agriculture and Forestry) has also been great about helping out with these
fires and building plow lines around them to contain them.”
Greer
said the most important thing to remember during this drought is to refrain
from ALL outdoor burning. Just don’t do it, he said. Also, smokers need to be
careful and not throw cigarette butts out the windows as they travel down the
roads.
Fire
Chief Mark Furlow, of Haynesville and Fire District #3, said most of the fires
they are seeing are due to lightning.
“Most
of the fires are caused by downed power lines,” he said. “People are being real
cautious about the burn ban, and the biggest (fires) we’ve dealt with has been
lightning.”
He also
said another big factor is all the trees that are falling. For example, on
Thursday, August 18, a tree fell on a power line and it sparked.
“That’s
what happens,” Furlow said. “It’s so dry that anything that sparks could cause
a fire.”
He
praised the citizens of the parish, especially in Haynesville and Fire District
#3, saying they’ve been really good about abiding by the burn ban.
“We
haven’t had any problems with outdoor burning,” he said. “I’ve been very
impressed with (the way people are abiding by the ban).”
He
suggested to folks that if grilling outside, please stay with it and do not
leave it unattended. For those who are working outdoors, please take all
precautions, because anything could cause a fire right now.
Also,
Butcher offered the following tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) to help prevent fires in and around the home.
1.
Create safety zones around your home. All vegetation is fuel for a wildfire,
though some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. To reduce the
risk, modify or eliminate brush, trees and other vegetation near the home. The
greater the distance is between the home and the vegetation, the greater the
protection.
A.
Create a 30-foot safety zone around the house. Keep the volume of vegetation in
this zone to a minimum. For those who live on a hill, extend the zone on the
downhill side. Fires spread rapidly uphill. The steeper the slope, the more
open space is needed to protect the home. Swimming pools and patios can be a
safety zone and stone walls can act as heat shields and deflect the flames.
In this
zone, also do the following:
•
Remove vines from the walls of the house.
• Move
shrubs and other landscaping away from the sides of the house.
• Prune
branches and shrubs within 15 feet of chimneys and stove pipes.
•
Remove tree limbs within 15 feet of the ground.
• Thin
a 15-foot space between tree crowns.
•
Replace highly flammable vegetation such as pine, eucalyptus, junipers and fir
trees with lower growing, less flammable species. Check with the local fire
department or garden store for suggestions.
•
Replace vegetation that has living or dead branches from the ground-level up
(these act as ladder fuels for the approaching fire).
• Cut
the lawn often keeping the grass at a maximum of two-inches. Watch grass and
other vegetation near the driveway, a source of ignition from automobile
exhaust systems.
• Clear
the area of leaves, brush, evergreen cones, dead limbs and fallen trees.
B.
Create a second zone at least 100 feet around the house. This zone should begin
about 30 feet from the house and extend to at least 100 feet. In this zone,
reduce or replace as much of the most flammable vegetation as possible. For
those who live on a hill, the zone may need to be extended for several hundred
feet to provide the desired level of safety.
C.
Clear all combustibles within 30 feet of any structure.
•
Install electrical lines underground, if possible.
• Ask
the power company to clear branches from power lines.
• Avoid
using bark and wood chip mulch.
• Stack
firewood 100 feet away and uphill from any structure.
• Store
combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them
away from the house.
• Keep
the gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet from any structure. Clear an
area 15 feet around the grill. Place a 1/4 inch mesh screen over the grill.
Always use the grill cautiously but refrain from using it all during high risk
times.
2.
Protect your home. Remove debris from under sun decks and porches. Any porch,
balcony or overhang with exposed space underneath is fuel for an approaching
fire. Overhangs ignite easily by flying embers and by the heat and fire that
get trapped underneath. If vegetation is allowed to grow underneath or if the
space is used for storage, the hazard is increased significantly. Clear leaves,
trash and other combustible materials away from underneath sun decks and
porches. Extend 1/2 inch mesh screen from all overhangs down to the ground.
Enclose wooden stilts with non-combustible material such as concrete, brick,
rock, stucco or metal. Use non-combustible patio furniture and covers. For
those planning a porch or sun deck, use non-combustible or fire-resistant
materials. If possible, build the structure to the ground so that there is no
space underneath.
Weekend storms wreak havoc
The Guardian-Journal photos/Jenni
Williams
A number of small but strong thunder
storms plagued the parish over the weekend, with some areas being bombarded
with straight-line winds in excess of 60 miles an hour. This massive oak tree
was a victim of one of those short but fierce storms late Saturday afternoon.
Homer Fire Department, Claiborne Sheriff’s Office and a number of volunteers
with heavy-duty pick-up trucks worked to quickly clear the roadway midway between
Homer and Summerfield on Hwy. 9 where traffic was backed up for a good
distance. On left, Ronnie McKenzie saws through the largest part of the trunk
as volunteers use pick-ups and bare hands to clear the way.
Voter Registration Week begins August 29
Secretary
of State Tom Schedler and the state’s registrars of voters are conducting
Louisiana’s annual voter education week from Monday, August 29, through Friday,
September 2.
Secretary
Schedler is encouraging all Louisiana residents 17 years of age or older, who
are not registered to vote, to take advantage of this opportunity.
Registrars
of voters throughout the state will host events during the week to register
citizens to vote. In addition, registrars and their staff members will educate
residents about the election process in general, including information on this
fall’s elections. The deadline to register to vote for the October 22
gubernatorial primary is Wednesday, September 21.
In
light of that, Claiborne Parish Registrar of Voters Patricia Sanders will be in
Junction City at the mayor’s office, located at 106 West Third Street, at 10
a.m. Thursday, September 1. Please come by and visit during voter education
week or during regular office hours.
In
addition to the week’s activities, citizens can always register to vote online
at www.GeauxVote.com, at your parish’s registrar of voters office, while
obtaining services at the Office of Motor Vehicles, public assistance agencies,
public schools, colleges and libraries or by mail.
On the
ballot for October 22 includes: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of
state, attorney general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner
of insurance, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, state senator, state
representative, sheriff, clerk of court, assessor, coroner and police jury.
Also on the ballot will be a special election for Claiborne Parish School
District #5.
Citizens
may visit www.sos.la.gov/tabid/87/Default.aspx to view contact information for
each parish registrar of voters as well as a list of scheduled statewide
events. For more information about the Secretary of State’s Election Division,
visit www.GeauxVote.com or call 225-922-0900. Or call the Claiborne Parish
Registrar of Voters Office at 318-927-3332.
Theft leads to drug charges
The Guardian-Journal
A
Haughton man was caught by Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s deputies and charged with
theft. His passenger ended up racking up charges of drug possession.
According
to a news release, on Tuesday, August 16, Deputy Everette Lewis was dispatched
to a call of theft of gas from Kel’s Kove gas station on Hwy. 146. The
suspect’s car was discovered at the state park, where Park Ranger Jimmy
Richardson detained the driver.
Deputies
Roger Ellerbe and Randy Pugh, and Agent James Spillers made contact with the
suspect, Seth E. Brattin, 31, of Haughton, and the passenger in the vehicle,
Amber L. Harrison, 18, of Shreveport.
A
subsequent search of the vehicle involved revealed 11 blue round tablets
identified as Klonopin pills, a Schedule IV drug.
Brattin
was transported for paperwork to be completed and during the process, Brattin
grabbed the pills and tried to eat them. He was charged with theft of gas,
resisting an officer, obstruction of justice and possession of Schedule IV CDS
(Controlled Dangerous Substance), Klonopin. Brattin’s bonds are to be set.
Harrison
was placed under arrest and charged with possession of Schedule IV CDS
Klonopin, with bond set at $5,000.
Homer PD may get more patrol units
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Homer Police Department may be getting some relief on its astronomical repair
bills each month on their patrol cruisers.
Homer
Mayor Alecia Smith, on behalf of Homer Police Chief Russell Mills, went to the
City of Shreveport Monday afternoon to the city’s work session, where a
proposed resolution will be on their council meeting agenda September 13 to
donate four of their police department’s patrol units that were declared
surplus to Homer’s police department.
Shreveport
Police Department Assistant Chief Duane Huddleston told Smith during the work
session that it was better to donate their outgoing fleet to smaller
municipalities than to send them up for auction, she said.
“He
agreed that it was better to leave these vehicles in the law enforcement
community,” Smith said.
The four
cars , if the resolution is approved, includes three 2003 Ford Crown Victorias,
and a 2006 Chevy Impala.
Shreveport
Mayor Glover said that Shreveport is connected with all surrounding communities
by donating these cars to them, and he and Huddleston are glad to do it, Smith
said.
“I’d
like to extend a warm thank you to the City of Shreveport for the (proposed)
donation of these cars,” Smith said. “It’s a blessing because of the small
municipalities’ budgetary issues. On behalf of Homer Chief Russell Mills -- in
his absence due to illness -- and myself, we thank you very much.”
Mills,
in a separate interview, praised Officer Scott Glen for his work in contacting
larger municipalities and getting the ball rolling.
“Officer
Scott Glen made contact with the assistant chief (in Shreveport) and they’ve
been corresponding with for the last couple of weeks,” Mills said. “It’s looks
promising that we’ll receive four cars. And if it does come to pass, it will be
a blessing for the Homer Police Department. We’ve been having mechanical
problems with our cars including transmission problems, radiator problems, and
air conditioning problems.”
At one
time, the department was down to two cars, but through a donation from the
Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, the department gained another car. Also, a
couple more well used vehicles were purchased, however, maintenance issues
still plague the department’s budget.
“Anything
we can get right now will be a blessing to us, especially at no cost to us,”
Mills said. “Fortunately, when he made contact, the City of Shreveport was in
the process of declaring some of their cars surplus.”
If he
gets these cars, he plans to assign some of these cars to individual officers.
Currently, they have four cars that are being 24 hours a day, because when one
shift ends, another officer is getting in that same car on the next shift. This
way, when one shift ends, that car will be parked at least 12 hours. Hopefully,
this will be a savings to the town, because they won’t be run 24 hours a day.
“Shreveport
did this several years ago, and they found that cars did last longer,” Mills
said.
When
they assigned cars to individual officers, those officers were responsible for
keeping up the maintenance on the vehicles, and the cars were lasting longer.
Currently,
the Homer Police Department is in the process of applying to the USDA for seven
new cars, but as of yet, they have not received any word on whether the grant
has come through or not.
In the
meantime, the department will use these cars to help not only update their
fleet, but to supplement what they already have as well as possible savings on
vehicle repairs.
Look
for future editions of The Guardian-Journal for the possible final approval of
the resolution, which will be voted on by the Shreveport City Council on
Tuesday, September 13.
Butterfly Festival slated for September 10
The Guardian-Journal
Haynesville’s
13th Annual Celebration of Butterflies is fast approaching, so get ready for
lots of fun and activities.
To be
held on Saturday, September 10, at the Claiborne Parish Fairgrounds in
Haynesville, admission for adults is #4, and $1 for children ages 6-18.
Children ages six and under are free.
The day
is packed full of fun activities for kids of all ages (adults too!), beginning
with the parade to be held at 9 a.m. Dump Hatter, renowned vocalist and
inspiration for the book “The Famous Caterpillar,” will be the grand marshal.
The parade, butterfly-themed, will include a pet parade with trophies awarded
for the largest, smallest, most unusual and best-decorated pets.
To
enter, please contact Linda Knox at 318-624-1606.
At 10
a.m., Michael Seal, owner and operator of “The Funny Farm,” will be speaking on
Bromeliads: Easier to Grow than to Produce. He has been in business and growing
and propagating bromeliads since 1990. A longtime member of the Mississippi
Nursery and Landscape Association, Seal has given programs to flower and garden
shows, garden clubs, master gardener groups and their state conferences, and to
college seminars throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee,
Alabama and Texas. He has been a speaker at the Flower and Garden Show in
Little Rock, Ark., every year since 2006.
At
10:30 a.m. until noon, will be Creative Fun for Children.
From 11
until 11:30 a.m., Gems of Cairo -- Dancing on Stage will entertain. This group
from Shreveport has been dancing together since 2008, their name coming from
the ancient city of Cairo, where for thousands of years, diverse societies have
come together in a unique mixture of cultures. That perfectly describes the
Gems’ dance style, a blend of traditional Arabic folk dance, and a glittering
contemporary cabaret belly dance with a dash of Spanish flamenco and a
decidedly Gypsy flair -- all performed with appropriate, gorgeous costumes.
Joining the Gems of Cairo in their performance will be the drum troupe, LogJam,
which focuses on traditional Arabic rhythms with an American Tribal style dance
background.
From
11:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m., cheerleaders will be performing on stage. and at
the same time, speaker James Dean will talk about Bluebird Trails Across
America. Dean, a member of the Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society, began a hobby
of building bluebird houses when he retired almost 20 years ago. Using scrap
lumber left from the construction of his family home many years previously, he
erected 15 houses the first year, which expanded to a maximum of 1,100 boxes
over the years.
Because
of the growth of pine trees on much of the land on which he has permission to
place the houses, he only has 250 out this year. Currently, he is building the
boxes from scrap from a friend’s sawmill. Dean will be bringing cypress nesting
boxes to the festival for sale at $5 each.
After
lunch, from 1 until 1:45 p.m., Greg Grant will speak about “Flapping about My
Favorite Butterfly Plants.” Grant, a horticulturist, naturalist, garden writer
and plant developer, is co-author of “Home Landscaping -- Texas” (2004) and
“The Southern Heirloom Garden” (1995). He writes the popular “In Greg’s Garden”
column for Texas Gardener Magazine and contributes regularly to Neil Sperry’s
“Garden Magazine.” “In Greg’s Garden, a Pineywoods Perspective on Gardening,
Nature and Family,” was published as Kindle book in 2010. Greg has introduced a
number of successful plants to the Texas nursery industry for which he has won
several outstanding awards. He serves as a part-time research associate for
garden outreach at Stephen F. Austin University’s SFA Gardens in Nacogdoches,
Texas.
From 1
until 1:30 p.m., Silver Belles will be Line Dancing on stage. Currently, there
are eight active members of Silver Belles, ranging in age from 63 to 78. The
group meets three days per week as a part of the Friends 50 Plus exercise
program emphasizing the conditioning of both mind and body. For the past 10
years, they have performed at such places as festivals, nursing homes,
assisted-living facilities, having been a popular feature at the Butterfly
Festival for a number of those years. Near the end of their routine, the group
invites interested members of the audience to join them on stage.
From 2
until 2:30 p.m., Gems of Cairo will return to the stage. From 2:40 until 3:10
p.m., Strumdingers Ukulele Band will take the stage. The leader of The
Strumdingers, bass player, David Matthews, formed the band consisting of five
members in 2006. Currently, there are nine enthusiastic strummers who play for
their own entertainment as well as for the public. With venues ranging from
back porch to theater, from poolside to assisted-living facilities, they play
for private parties, luncheons, conferences, festivals, all sorts of events.
With an imaginative flair, they tailor their programs to fit the occasion.
From
3:20 until 4:15, Charles Allen, PhD, will speak about Wildflowers of Louisiana.
Allen, a biology professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe before
retiring, is currently a botanist at Fort Polk. He has attended all of our
festivals, giving invaluable contributions with his programs, plant walks and
displays. Active with the Louisiana Native Plant Society and the Cajun Prairie
Habitat Preservation Society, Allen is the co-author of several books on native
plants. He and his wife, Susan, operate Allen Acres B&B, a nature-oriented
facility located in Vernon Parish in west central Louisiana. The site is a
26-acre wooded paradise that is listed as a state Natural Area. The gardens are
specifically designed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds as well as
numerous other birds.
From
4:15 until 5 p.m., Loice Kendrick-Lacy will speak about “A Butterfly Buffet:
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” From 5 until 6:30 p.m., a supper break will be
taken, followed by country, bluegrass and gospel music from 6:30 p.m. until.
Also of
interest will be the photography contest. A nature photography contest and
exhibit will be held with monetary awards made to the winners in four age
groups. For forms and more information, please contact Mary Anna Perryman, at
318-377-1006, 299 Perryman Drive, Dubberly, LA 71024.
Also, a
container gardening contest will be held. An entry must be from your own garden
and can feature any type of flowering of foliage plants growing in a container.
To enter, please contact Beverlee Killgore during the day at 318-624-1122, or
during the evening at 318-624-2432, 2222 Main Street in Haynesville, LA 71038.
On
display for touring from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. will be a locomotive from
L&NW on the day of the festival. It will be located on the tracks across
from the fair building.
Other
festival highlights include lots of fun for the kids, including karaoke under
the pavilion, bumper to bumper kiddie rides from James Roach, spacewalk,
sidewalk art competition and other outdoor activities. Also, don’t forget about
the sale of butterfly plants, books, T-shirts, community art and photography
exhibits, craft and food vendors, and take-home butterfly towers (complete with
caterpillars and food).
Sponsors
for this year’s festival includes the Claiborne Chamber of Commerce and the
Haynesville Garden Club.
For
more information on the festival or for directions, please contact Loice
Kendrick-Lacy at 318-624-1929 or (870) 234-4910. Mailing address is 203 Troy
Street in Magnolia, Ark., 71753. Also, those interested may visit the parish’s website at www.claiborneone.org or
www.haynesvillela.org, and click on “Attractions.”
