Per a memorandum released by the Winn Parish School Board in order to balance the educational needs of students and the health and safety of students, staff and community all classes and grades in Winn Parish will switch to virtual classes beginning the close of schools this afternoon, November 10, 2020.
This change will remain in effect through Friday, November 27, 2020.
WINN PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Name: Kelvin J. Sepulvado
Date: 10-30-2020
Address: Dodson, LA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Charge: Reckless Operation of a Vehicle, Failure to Appear
Bond: Not Listed
Name: Tori J. Cherry
Date: 11-2-2020
Address: Jonesville, LA
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 39
Charge: Failure to Appear
Bond: Not Listed
Name: Ronnie Milstead
Date: 11-2-2020
Address: WPDC
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 66
Charge: Crime Against Nature
Bond: Not Listed
Name: Morgan Krug
Date: 11-3-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 44
Charge: Defeating, or circumventing the Operation of an Ignition Interlock device
Bond: Not Listed
Name: Raven Goff
Date: 11-3-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Charge: Simple Battery
Bond: $75,000
Name: Blanca P. Lasyone
Date: 11-3-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 38
Charge: Simple Battery
Bond: $75,000
Name: Edward Charles Smith
Date: 11-5-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Charge: Failure to Appear Child Support
Bond: No Bond
Name: Courtney E. Harris
Date: 11-6-2020
Address: Goldonna, LA
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 28
Charge: Possession of Schedule IV (Clonazepam), Possession of Schedule II (Lortab), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Legend Drug Without Prescription x 2, Possession of Schedule II (Hydrocodone), Possession of methylphenidate
Bond: Not Listed
Name: Perry Hastetler
Date: 11-6-2020
Address: Goldonna, LA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Charge: Probation and Parole Warrant
Bond: Not Listed
Winnfield Police Department
Name: Lachan Evans
Date: 10-31-2020
Address: Winnfield
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Age: 51
Charge: Abuse of Children x 2, Cruelty to Juveniles x 2
Bond: $25,000
Name: Sharee Acosta
Date: 11-1-2020
Address: Canton, TX
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 41
Charge: Battery of Emergency Room Personnel, Resisting an Officer
Bond: $8,000
Name: LaTisha Wages
Date: 11-5-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Charge: Possession of Schedule I, Bench Warrant, Resisting an Officer
Bond: Not Listed
Name: Alexander Vines
Date: 11-6-2020
Address: Quitman, LA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Charge: Bench Warrant Arraignment
Bond: Not Listed
The Natchitoches Christmas Festival Committee is pleased to announce their proposed event plan to host the Natchitoches Christmas Season (November 21st, 2020 – January 6th, 2021) has been approved by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and Louisiana Department of
Health.
The Natchitoches Christmas Festival Committee appreciates the public’s support and patience during the planning process of our 94th Annual Christmas Festival and Season. As we quickly approach the Season, the following details and guidelines are part of the plan approved by the
Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and Louisiana Department of Health:
Armbands will be pre-sold ONLY on our website (www.natchitocheschristmas.com) beginning Monday, November 9th, 2020 at 8:00am. A limited amount of 3000 armbands will be sold for each Saturday from November 21st – December 26th, 2020.
Armbands are REQUIRED to enter the Riverbank area on Saturdays ONLY. Adults and children will be required to have an armband regardless of age. This year all armbands will be $10.
On Saturdays during the Season, Front Street will be closed to vehicular traffic but Armbands are NOT required to enter shops and restaurants on Front Street. Fireworks and live music will take place each Saturday during the Season.
Food vendors will be available on the Riverbank 7 days a week. Masks and social distancing will be highly encouraged throughout the Season.
The Winn Chamber of Commerce and Tourism is excited to announce its first vendor event in correlation with their Annual Christmas Open House! The Chamber is hopeful that this will grow into a monthly vendor market.
The event will be a 2 day event on Thursday, November 12th and Friday the 13th in downtown Winnfield from 2:00 Pm to 9:00 PM! Standard booth sizes are 12×12. Electricity is available.
ALL Vendors are welcome, including direct sales! This is an outdoor event, with limited indoor spaces available!
To reserve a booth please use the link below to complete the online form.
Online Registration From
**Social distancing precautions will be taken.***
COVID-19 testing is provided every Monday, by the National Guard at the Winn Parish Health Unit located at 301 W Main St #101, Winnfield, LA 71483. The testing hours are 8am-12pm. This is a free service for our community.
Register online at health.questdiagnostics.com/stlou
WINN:
Georgia Roberson
September 14, 1944 – November 2, 2020
Arrangements TBA
NATCHITOCHES:
Helen Hall Starnes
February 15, 1941 – November 06, 2020Service: Monday November 9 at 12 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches
Nathaniel Brooks
November 4, 2020
Service: Friday, November 13 at 11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel
The Winn Parish School Board released a Memorandum yesterday stating that in response to the recent rise in COVID cases all students grades 7-12 in ALL SCHOOLS will shift to virtual learning as of the close of school Thursday, November 5, 2020.
All in-person extracurricular and co-curricular activities, practices, etc. in all grade levels are suspended.
These changes will remain in effect through at least Friday, November 13.
UPDATE: November 5, 2020
Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Detectives have arrested the grandmother of a child abused in the Goldonna community in north Natchitoches Parish according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright.
This evening at approximately 9:30pm, NPSO Sheriff’s Detectives arrested Teresa Jurgens, 51, of Goldonna on a criminal arrest warrant signed by a Tenth Judicial District Court Judge for Felony- Principle to Cruelty to Juveniles in connection with her involvement in a child abuse investigation involving her grandchild in Goldonna, La.
The investigation began on Friday October 30, 2020 which resulted in the child being removed from the home by State DCFS case workers on Monday November 2.
Two other people identified as Joe Hines, (the grandmother’s boyfriend) and the child’s mother, 28-year-old Casey Smedley of Goldonna remain incarcerated in the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center charged with Cruelty to Juveniles.
No bond has been set.
On Monday, Sheriff Stuart Wright stated that NPSO detectives were committed to conducting an impartial investigation not based on hearsay or rumors, only following the facts and evidence in the case to be presented to the district attorney’s office.
Due to the sensitivity of this investigation, no further information will be released at this time according to Chief Deputy Greg Dunn.
If you have any information contact Major Reginald Turner or Detective Derrick Sowell with the NPSO Criminal Investigations Division at 318-357-7830.
The Gingerbread House Children’s Advocacy Center in Shreveport, Natchitoches Parish District Attorney’s Office and Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services are all assisting in the investigation.
UPDATE: November 3, 2020
Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Detectives have arrested the mother of the child involved in the child abuse investigation in Goldonna according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright.
On Monday afternoon at approximately 2:35pm, State DCFS case workers removed the juvenile from the home.
The child is now in a safe environment.
Shortly after the child’s removal, Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Detectives executed a search warrant signed by a Tenth Judicial District Court Judge at the home to search for any additional evidence or clues in the investigation.
At the conclusion of the search warrant, detectives interviewed the mother of the juvenile identified as 28-year-old Casey Smedley at the NPSO Criminal Investigations Bureau.
While interviewing Smedley, she admitted to detectives that she participated by recording the incident and forwarding the videos to another unnamed person without stopping the abuse.
Additional details will be released during criminal proceedings.
As a result of this findings and other evidence deputies arrested Casey Smedley, 28, transported and booked her into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center charged with Felony-Cruelty to Juvenile.
Smedley as well as Joe Hines remains incarcerated in the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center without bond at this time.
Detectives say the investigation is ongoing and further arrests are possible.
Our detectives are committed to conducting an impartial investigation, that will follow the facts and evidence in this case to be presented to the District Attorney, not based on hearsay or rumors according to Sheriff Wright.”
Original Story from November 2, 2020
On Friday, October 30, two Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Investigators requested a Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputy accompany them while they investigated a hotline complaint in reference to a juvenile at a home in Goldonna, according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright.
Following the home visit, State DCFS advised the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office that, based on their investigation, there was no evidence of abuse and DCFS decided not to remove the child at that time.
Since that decision, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office opened a criminal investigation into the matter, working throughout the weekend to obtain additional video evidence, witness statements, suspect statements, and interviewing the minor child.
As a result of the NPSO investigation, on November 1, 2020, NPSO CID obtained a warrant from the 10th Judicial Court for the arrest of Joe Hines for one felony count of cruelty to a juvenile.
He is currently incarcerated at the NPDC with no bond.
At approximately 2:35 p.m., Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies confirm that State DCFS caseworkers have removed the juvenile from the home in Goldonna according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright.
Detectives from the NPSO are in the process of executing a search warrant signed by a Tenth Judicial District Court Judge at the home to search for any additional clues or evidence in the investigation.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health website on November 5, 2020, Winn Parish reported 13 new cases of COVID 19 bringing the total positive case count to 708. One additional deaths in Winn Parish was reported this week brining the parish total to 20. There are 69 active positive cases in Winn Parish.
The week of 10/8 – 10/21 Winn Parish two week cumulative incidence was 219.33. Placing Winn Parish in the “High” category.
According to ICE.GOV as of 11/04/2020 there are 15 detainees with confirmed cases of COVID 19 currently under isolation or monitoring at the Winn Correctional Center (WCC). There have been no additional deaths keeping the total number of deaths of a detainee who died after testing positive for COVID-19 while in ICE custody at WCC at one. There have been 240 total confirmed COVID-19 cases at WCC since testing began in February 2020. (These numbers have not changed since the last update)
There have been no official numbers reported by Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office or LaSalle Management regarding number of positive COVID cases or deaths amongst staff at WCC.
The latest Nursing Home Report dated November3, 2020, reflects two new cases among residents, and five new case among staff reported for this week at Autumn Leaves Nursing & Rehab Center. Winnfield Nursing & Rehab reported no new cases among residents, and no new cases among staff.
| Facility | Autumn Leaves | Winnfield Nursing & Rehab |
| Parish | Winn | Winn |
| Resident Census | 88 | 77 |
| Total COVID-19 Cases Among Residents | 23 | 48 |
| New COVID-19 Cases Among Residents Since Last Report (10-28-20) | 2 | 0 |
| Of Total Resident Cases, Number Whose Infections Began at this Facility | 21 | 44 |
| Total Residents Recovered | 18 | 38 |
| Total COVD-19 Deaths Among Residents | 2 | 10 |
| Total COVID-19 Cases Among Staff | 22 | 25 |
| New COVID-19 Cases Among Staff Since Last Report (10-28-20) | 5 | 0 |
| Total Staff Recovered | 17 | 25 |
Having grown-up around loggers and worked in several different industries, I can undoubtedly say that the logging community is like no other. The culture in which logging is rooted has remained the same even when everything else in the world has seemingly changed. It is a unpretentious culture of perseverance, hard-work, and community.
This year has been particularly challenging. Covid-19 has had a significant impact on logger’s profitability across the country. In Louisiana, it is estimated that production has dropped more than 30% from the beginning of March. Most logging companies are small, family-owned, and operate with high operational costs and low margins. A few months of diminished production has serious effects on their solvency.
As if Covid-19 did not cause enough financial ruin, back to back hurricanes ripped through Louisiana. Hurricanes Laura and Delta brought violent winds that wreaked havoc like we have never seen before. The total economic loss to the Louisiana timber industry because of the hurricanes exceeds well over $1 billion.
In Winnfield Louisiana, where handshakes still mean something and so does taking care of your community. You find folks like the McManus Logging family, out using their own equipment and resources to clear the roads and debris from houses, even before the utility-workers could respond. “The damage was immeasurable. Trees decimated our infrastructure. Loggers were working 15+ hour days in 100+ temperatures. The national guard and linemen did a tremendous job, but when it came to major stuff, they left it to the skilled cutters. I am so proud to be from the logging community in times like these,” said Toni McManus McAillister, McManus Logging.
Loggers will never get the same recognition as the utility-workers and that is fine by them. That is not why they did it. Nobody asked them to help, they just did what they do – because that is who they are.
Now as we watch the wildfires incinerate the west, we see the same response. Loggers using their own assets to fight fires in forests that they were not even allowed to help manage. This genuine eagerness to selflessly help others seems to be a common occurrence with loggers, no matter the geography. Loggers embody the fabric of what it means to be a community. To be an American. To just simply be a good human being.
BATON ROUGE, LA. – State Treasurer John M. Schroder today announced Louisiana citizens voted in favor of amending the constitution to create a trust fund that will protect Unclaimed Property money. The amendment passed with 65% voting in favor of it.
“I fought for years to make this day a reality. This amendment will stop government from spending your Unclaimed Property money,” said Treasurer Schroder. “That means your Unclaimed Property will always be there, whether you claim it or your great-great grandchildren claim it. Unclaimed Property is your money. Claim it!”
The Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund will be created beginning July 1, 2021. Interest earnings from the trust fund will create a state revenue source without raising taxes or spending people’s Unclaimed Property money.
To search for Unclaimed Property, visit www.latreasury.com
Northwestern State University’s Office of Electronic and Continuing Education will offer an online Notary Public Exam Prep Extensive Review Course on Saturday Nov. 14 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. The fee is $65 is paid before Nov. 8 and $85 if paid after,
The class will cover exam format, potential content, exam tips and last-minute study suggestions. If you signed up for the Notary Public Exam Prep, then this class is a part of that class. The instructor will provide you with a conferencing link to join the class once enrolled. In order to take the Louisiana State Notary Exam, students must be Louisiana residents and registered to vote in Louisiana.
Participants must have broadband access, a camera and sound. The test is based on the Louisiana Secretary of State’s newest edition of “The Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice,” only available at www.sos.la.gov.
For more information or to register for classes email ece@nsula.edu.
By Reba Phelps
Before I had children of my own, I vividly remember my Uncle Mickey telling all of his nieces not to let a television raise their children. That stern warning still echoes in the “should have listened” part of my mind to this very day. It was probably the best advise that I never took. I sincerely tried as long as I could not to introduce them to the amazing black entertainment box in the living room. The exact moment I gave in escapes me. If I had to pinpoint it I would assume it was around the terrible twos of the first child, not the second one.
Before I knew it, both girls had their very own black box in their bedrooms. My youngest child could not even go to sleep at night without the soothing bright lights of a television. Trying to outwit her addiction I told her she could have her TV but I chose the channel. I always chose the Jewelry or Home and Garden channel.
What six year old could stay awake for either of these? I soon ate those words.
Once my daughter began to give me decorating advice and insisting that we buy a house to flip… I quickly discovered she outwitted her mother. This girl was wide awake for Fixer Upper and Flip or Flop and enjoyed every minute of it. Not only was she enjoying the shows she was gleaning tips to share with her family and friends.
She wanted shiplap all over the house and even wrote fan letters to the stars of the show asking them to fix up our boring house. She even tried to plan her own field trip to the Magnolia Silos in Texas. Every single time we would pass a dilapidated home she would acknowledge that it would be a good candidate for the show. She was now trying to recruit talent for her favorite TV duo.
This beloved show soon became something we watched together. If you can’t beat them, join them. It was simply astounding to watch people work with their bare hands and morph a junked out, old, left for ruins home into a mini showcase that would soon be the envy of the entire neighborhood or even town. The pure talent of someone using their craft to rescue property from despair will always be a magnificent sight to behold.
There was nothing they could not turn into a masterpiece. I would be telling a lie if I told you I never day dreamed about someone remodeling our boring house.
Some people just have a true talent for fixing every single thing that crosses their path. Whether it be a home project or even people, they can fix it all. Some people are just fixers at heart and will carry your burdens until there is a solution. It is so easy to get caught up in the fixing of other’s problems that you forget it is not our place to fix anyone. One the hardest things for me to realize was that somethings merely cannot be fixed with human hands. Sometimes, even people can become so broken and beyond repair that only there is truly only place to turn with a project of this magnitude.
This doesn’t stop my stubborn self from trying though….With guidance from above, I am slowly but surely learning my limits.
This is exactly why we need a Savior. We are not meant to carry burdens beyond the cross. Even when someone is remodeling a home it is natural for the owners to check the project often for progress. When we assign a project to him we should not check on progress because it is being handled in God’s timing.
He will never leave us, never forsake us, and is capable of way more than we think is humanly possible. He is the one true, “Fixer Upper” and never makes mistakes with his handy work.
“And looking upon them Jesus said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’”
Mathew 19:26
COVID-19 testing is provided every Monday, by the National Guard at the Winn Parish Health Unit located at 301 W Main St #101, Winnfield, LA 71483. The testing hours are 8am-12pm. This is a free service for our community.
Register online at health.questdiagnostics.com/stlou