Raffle to benefit Burham family
Bryon Burham to undergo leg amputation following fall
The Guardian-Journal
A Claiborne Parish Police Jury
employee has taken a step backward in his recovery, and because of that, the
family is asking the community for its support.
According to a flyer, a raffle
for a $100 gas card is taking place by several friends of Bryon Burham’s family
for $5 each with the drawing set for May 1.
Burham will now have to undergo surgery to amputate his
leg from the knee down because of a recent fall. Currently, Burham is at
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. He said his leg is now
immobilized with an exoskeleton brace until the surgery. He is expected to have
the surgery later this week, but he said he wasn’t sure if it would be Thursday
or the first part of next week.
“This is going to leave the
Burham family in need of love, support, prayers and financial means, for Bryon
will have to take off of work until the doctor has released him back to duty,”
the flyer states. “He will have to dedicate an extreme amount of time to
physical therapy after surgery just to be able to get around and someday walk.”
In a telephone interview with
Burham, he said his spirits were high and he felt he’d made the right decision
to have the lower portion of his leg amputated.
“I’m confident in the decision I
made toward the amputation of my leg,” he said. “I feel really good about it
versus a straight leg infusion.”
Due to the extensive injuries he
suffered from a motorcycle accident in May 2012, he’d had several surgeries to
correct and fix a broken femur, toes and a shattered ankle. Things rocked along
with his therapy and recovery and he was released to return to work at the
first of this year. However, when he fell, his leg went out from underneath
him, bending it all the way back, reinjuring his leg.
The doctors, he said, gave him a
choice of amputation or the straight leg infusion.
“It would have fused my knee
together where I wouldn’t have had any movement at all,” he said. “Everything
was going good and I had a slip and fall. We’re taking one day at a time.”
While his wife, Cindy, will be
able to work some, she will also have to devote much of her time to caring for
her husband and her family as Burham recovers.
And during his time of recovery
last year, he said the police jury stood beside him throughout all of it.
“The police jury is really
awesome and they’re standing behind me 110 percent,” he said. “They’ve been
really awesome.”
Tommy Durrett, Claiborne Parish
Police Jury Road Superintendent, said that no matter what, the police jury and
all of Burham’s coworkers are very supportive of him.
“The police jury is supporting
Bryon 100 percent, and I feel if and when he’s turned loose, I feel like he’ll
have a job,” Tommy
Durrett said. “I feel like after everything is said and done, and I can’t speak
for the police jury, he’ll probably be able to come back to work. He’s
definitely an amazing person.”
Everybody’s very supportive of
him, Durrett said,
“All we can do is pray for him,
and hope that he’ll come out of this better,” Durrett said.
The family is asking that
everyone keep him and his family in their prayers as he undergoes surgery and
during his time of recovery. To purchase a ticket, please call Cindy Burham at
318-433-1389, Christy Coleman at 318-517-3293, Angela Burham at 318-245-2844 or
Tammy LaRowe at 318-523-9988.
Recreation Committee meeting set for April 4
Homer’s
Annual Easter Egg Hunt
2 p.m. Sunday, March 31, at Mayfield Park. For more
information, please call Town Hall at 318-927-3555.
A recreational meeting has been set for 6 p.m.,
Thursday, April 4, at City Hall.
All sports organizations that utilize the Town of Homer’s
fields and other resources are being asked to provide a schedule of upcoming
games and events.
Anyone wishing to have an event at any of the three
parks (Mayfield, Armory or Joe Michael Memorial Park), simply need to call the
Town of Homer at 318-927-3555 to schedule your event. If you wish to have a
fundraiser, you must have an approved nonprofit on file with the Town of Homer
prior to the scheduling of your event.
However, the parks are open and free to the public
to use at any time as long as your event is not a fundraiser or restricts
access to the public.
The Town of Homer has been a small municipality with
big desires to provide the best access to recreation for all citizens and their
families. The town has positions available in various areas of recreation for
upcoming activities. For a list of those, please contact the town office at the
number listed above.
The Homer Baseball League and the Homer Co-Ed
Softball League have been ongoing activities that we hope will continue; please
make your request in writing to the town as soon as possible.
Recreation funds were expensed in 2012 as follows:
• Claiborne Boys and Girls Club: $10,000
• Homer Dixie Baseball Program: $6,000
• The Homer Golf Club: $15,000
• Parks’ maintenance (all three): $18,000
• Annual salaries (includes 12 summer pool employees and
director of recreation’s salaries): $35,000
• Utilities (includes all parks, lights, phone, etc.):
$8,000
• Legal fees (Colvin Law Firm): $2,000
• Payroll expenses (FICA, Medicare, etc.): $3,150
The above expenses include restoration of the
Mayfield Pool, which was closed for several years. In 2012 alone, approximately
500 youth and families were served through these programs.
This comes as a result of the Town of Homer
allocating funds for a wide variety of activities, safe and well-lit parks as
well as those visiting from other areas to partake in recreational competitions.
Additionally, the individuals and organizations
managing receipts of these funds are aware of the accounting process.
The Town Council and I believe these are worthwhile
causes supporting a well-rounded community for all to enjoy, and that the
citizens would like to see continued, and in some cases enhanced.
Submitted by:
Mayor Alecia Smith and the Town of Homer City Council
Spring has arrived...
Common tree issues plague homeowners
The Guardian-Journal
Spring has arrived and with it some common
yard tree issues homeowners sometimes must deal with.
Ricky Kilpatrick, area forestry agent for the
LSU AgCenter Extension Office in Bossier Parish, recently spoke to the Homer
Lions Club on the issue. While he primarily works with forestry -- the biggest
agricultural commodity in the state, he said he frequently gets phone calls and
questions in regards to several issues facing homeowners who want their lawns
and trees to be healthy.
One of the major issues homeowners deal with
is drought and heat, he said. According to a handout, that can be found on
their website, this area is still feeling the effects of the drought from the
summer of 2010.
“Many problems are actually secondary
problems that attack weakened trees with some initial stressing factor -- in
this case drought,” he stated. “Often, extreme environmental conditions that
occur over a prolonged period of time are the primary culprits that result in
the decline and death of trees.”
He listed what he calls his top 10 yard tree
problems with a few honorable mentions. Among those honorable mentions are the
Eastern Tent Caterpillar and the Fall Webworm. And while these insects don’t do
much damage to the trees themselves, their webs take away from the “aesthetic
value” of the tree.
Another honorable mention is the species of
tree and the site selection. Some soils have a higher pH level than others, and
that can severely hamper a tree’s ability to grow and thrive.
“A tree located on the wrong site or soil
will always be unhealthy if it even survives,” he said. “Pines and certain oaks
on high pH soils are good examples.”
A good hint to get healthy trees in your yard
is to look at what grows naturally nearby. Also, take a soil sample and use the
results to select appropriate trees for the soil type.
Another issue is grafting compatibility.
People buy trees from arborists or they want to transplant trees, and in some
cases, that might not be a good idea.
“After closer inspection, many trees are
found to have been grafted and it appears that the root stock is growing slower
than the top material,” he said.
In other words, the tree looks great from the
ground up, but once you get down into the root of the tree, it may be growing
at a slower rate. This means the roots are growing deeper into the ground and
the material below the top soil may be different, causing it to grow at a
slower rate if the tree is not compatible with the deeper earth.
Bad pruning and yard care also make the top
10 list. While homeowners want to prune their trees, sometimes it might not be
a good idea in that the tree will produce weaker limbs than the limbs pruned.
Also, harsh chemicals play a part in how well a tree grows when homeowners
improperly use lawn chemicals -- whether it be fertilizer or herbicide.
“An herbicide that may be good for the lawn
because it kills unwanted weeds and releases the lawn grass may cause may cause
a problem when it gets into tree roots,” he said. “If the product is used
frequently, there’s a chance for the herbicide material to build up just
beneath the grass roots right where the tree’s roots are located.”
Another issue he said he’d run across many
times is that many homeowners have sprinkler systems in their yards that spray
directly onto trees. While the frequent watering may be good for the grass, it
might not be so good for the tree. For example, if a tree is planted in good
top soil and there is clay underneath, the water from the sprinkler system
would build up underneath the topsoil and just sit on top of the clay. The
tree’s root could become over-watered, essentially drowning the tree over a
period of time.
Another issue homeowners deal with is wounds
and decaying areas. He gave a couple of tips on how to handle them, which
include: 1. Remove all the loose, decaying material back to solid wood using a
screwdriver or similar tool, 2. Spray the area with a pyrethroid or other
insecticide labeled for wood-infesting insects, 3. Do not use pruning paint or
sealer, but leave the area exposed to open air.
There may be extreme situations or areas that
hold water that warrant additional treatment. If a wound area covers more than
about one-third of the trunk circumference, it may be best to remove the tree.
Other areas he covered included construction
damage, landscaping, ips engraver beetles, leaf fungal diseases, hypoxylon
cankers and wildlife damage.
For more information, go to their website at
www.lsuagcenter.com and click on Forestry. Or, to speak with Kilpatrick, please
call the Bossier Extension Office at 318-965-2326.
Library loan notices change
The Claiborne Parish Library did not send
overdue notices for February or March because of the move.
Beginning in April, overdue notices will
resume being sent. As a reminder to library patrons, there is no automatic
renewal of library materials. If you have items renewed, please call the
library at 318-624-0364.
Loan periods are as follows at the Homer and
Joe W. Webb Memorial Library: Books 14 days, periodicals seven days, videos and
DVDS three days and audio cassettes seven days. All materials for the
Bookmobile are 14 days.
Relay for Life set for April 13
Exciting plans are underway for Relay for
Life here in Claiborne Parish. Relay will be held on Saturday, April 13, from
noon until midnight. For the first year this year’s Relay will be held on the
lawn of the Claiborne Parish Courthouse. This year we have 11 teams
participating and this year’s theme is “Cancer Never Takes a Holiday”. Each
team will decorate their “campsites” with a selected holiday. Several teams
will have games, food and raffles going throughout the day. In addition, we
will have entertainment through the day also. The Relay will begin at noon with
registration and lunch for survivors. Opening ceremonies will be at 12:30
followed at 12:40 by the Survivors walk. Bark for Life will be held at 3 p.m.
The luminary ceremony will be held at 9:30 p.m. This is a very moving ceremony
where all the lights are turned off and bags with a candle and with the names
of those deceased or survivors are placed around the “track” and lit and the
names of those who lost their lives to cancer are read as well as survivors.
Please mark your calendar to joins us on Saturday, April 13 for Relay of Life.
Bring your lawn chair and make a day of it.
Bark! Bark! Bark!
Canine event for a good cause
Man’s best friend, or so it’s been said.
Woman’s too, but here’s something new!
Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society,
fund-raiser, is adding a canine event to help cancer. This event is open to all
dogs. Categories include: fastest dog, cutest trickster and best dressed!
Registration fee of $5 includes bandanna for pet & wristband for owner.
Prizes awarded to three top dogs. Enter as many categories as you want or just
bring your dog to enjoy the fun!!!!!
For more information contact Christina at
(318) 927-3596.
3rd annual Team Cade Benefit May 4
Tour de
Claiborne
The Tour de Claiborne Cystic Fibrosis benefit ride will
be Saturday, May 4. Sign in is between 8:30 and 9 a.m. at Homer High School
with the ride beginning at 9:30 a.m. The entry fee is $50. There will be three
routes this year:
1. 8 miles: South on North Main Street, left onto Highway
3, left onto U.S. 79 Bypass, left onto North Main Street to the finish line.
2. 14 miles: South on North Main Street, left onto
Highway 2, left onto North Main to finish line.
3. 30 miles: South on North Main Street, right onto
Highway 2, left onto Lewisville Road, Highway 159, left onto Pistal Thomas Rd,
right onto Highway 2, right onto North Main Street to the finish line.
Register online at Bikereg.com. Onsite registration will
begin at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 9 a.m. on the day of the event. At
registration, please put your shirt size at the end of your name.
Poker Run
Registration for the poker run will be at 8 a.m. at the
Courthouse Square with the first bike out at 9 a.m. Riders will return to the
Courthouse Square by noon. The registration fee is $25 per person, with the
grand prize at $250.
Raffle
Raffle items include a $250 gift certificate to Delta
Interiors for $2, a four-gallon fish fryer for $2, a Cajun grill for $5 and a
52” Exmark lawn mower at $10.
Silent
Auction
During the Team Cade Cystic Fibrosis Benefit, a silent
auction will be taking place with lots of great items including autographed
sports memorabilia, a day of golf, gift baskets, kids’ toys and much more!
Items will be on display in the police jury building during the benefit.
Chicken
Plate lunches
While everyone is out and about looking at all the silent
auction items, or putting their money in the hat for raffle prizes, or
returning from the bike ride or poker run, chicken plate lunches will be served
for everyone! At $7 each, plates will include chicken, baked beans, potato
chips, bread and a cookie.
Charity
Garage Sale April 6
Team Cade Charity Garage Sale will be from 7 a.m. until
noon at McKenzie Bros. Garage at 635 W. Main Street. It’s a multi-family sale
with items that include furniture, clothes, shoes, small appliances, electronics
and dishes. All money raised will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor
of Cade Liles.
Killgore's Pharmacy & Gift Shop announces opening of their website
Killgore's Pharmacy & Gift Shop announces the opening of their website as of 2012-12-28, online at KillgoresPharmacy.com.
Killgore's Pharmacy & Gift Shop was opened by Pharmacist James "Keith" Killgore and wife/business partner Beverlee Killgore in 1980.
Beverlee is the store manager and catalyst behind the excellent seasonal gift selections and gift displays.
Keith has been a practicing pharmacist in his hometown, Haynesville, for over 30 years. Helping his customers understand the do's & don'ts in regards to their prescriptions is his pleasure not his obligation.
For many years, the Killgore's have selflessly devoted their time to promoting Haynesville & All of Claiborne Parish. Keith, the consummate artist, designed and painted the "Lonesome Drug", "Welcome to Haynesville" and "Main Street Haynesville" murals.
Keith's artistry is available to you through his Gift Personalization Calligraphy on many of the gift items (plates, ornaments, banners and more).
The Killgore's put the family in "Family Pharmacy & Gifts".
Killgore's Pharmacy & Gift Shop is your one stop for medicine when you're sick, vitamins to keep you well, gifts for the bride and groom to-be, custom framing for your most cherished memories, home/yard decorating accessories and hobby supplies.
