The Winn Parish School Board Committees will meet today at 5 PM in the meeting room of the Winn Parish School Board.

Battery Warehouse INC. d.b.a. Tony’s Body Shop & Collision Center & Towing Service in Natchitoches, La is looking for a full-time, experienced Auto Body Technician to join our team. We are dedicated to serving our customers by providing exceptional service in a timely manner. Applicants must be able to work at production shop pace and demonstrate concern for quality in accordance with dealer and factory standards.

Apply in person:

2170 Hwy 6
Natchitoches, LA
318-357-0677

WINN:
Dorothy Lee Breithaupt
December 30, 1931 – February 15, 2021
Service: Monday, February 22 at 2 pm at First Baptist Church

Doris Pendarvis
February 16, 2021
Service: Wednesday, February 24 at 11 am at Beulah Church

Lamaye Rice
February 15, 2021
Service: Monday, February 22 at 11 am at Sardis Cemetery

Kenneth Simmons
February 14, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Gloria Folden
February 13, 2021
Arrangements TBA

NATCHITOCHES:
Betty Jo Rogers Williams
September 06, 1926 – February 11, 2021
Service: Monday, February 22 at 2 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home

Mattie Mae Casson
August 6, 1961 – February 16, 2021
Service: Saturday, February 27 at 11 am in the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel

Nathaniel Scott
February 19, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Rodney Brossette
January 27, 1953 – February 12, 2021
Service: Tuesday, February 23 at 12 pm in the chapel of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

Ada James
February 15, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Alvin Smith
February 16, 2021
Service: Saturday, February 27 at 2 pm in the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel,located at 318 North Street in Natchitoches

Stafford Bill Moses
February 16, 2021
Arrangements TBA

RED RIVER:
Randy Lynn Quick
June 01, 1974 – February 16, 2021
Service: Monday, February 22 at 2 pm at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel

Kate Elizabeth Harrison Frick
August 03, 1924 – February 19, 2021
Service: Tuesday, February 23 at 12:30 pm at Greenwood Cemetery in Ruston

Winn Parish and all of North Central Louisiana experienced extreme winter weather conditions last week.  Very low temperatures and heavy snow and ice have resulted in destructive conditions in many school buildings that could jeopardize the safety of students and staff.  Maintenance crews are working diligently to restore safe school conditions.  Restoring safe school environments is of profound importance to the Winn Parish School Board.  Damage such as broken water lines and mains, compromised electrical systems, and extensive roof damage were caused by unprecedented winter weather.

Consequently, all Winn Parish schools will be closed for face-to-face instruction Monday and Tuesday, February 22-23, 2021.  Virtual instruction will be utilized during this time for all students.  Schools will also create paper packets as needed for students without electricity or internet.  Principals and teachers are prepared to work with parents and students to facilitate any inconveniences this plan may create.  Please contact your school if you have any questions.

Thank you to the citizens of Winn Parish for your support of education for our children.  

Steve Bartlett
Superintendent of Winn Parish Schools

Like many Winn Parish residents, the Bank of Winnfield’s Northside branch received extensive damage from a broken water pipe. 

“The Northside branch (including the ATM) will be closed until further notice for repairs.” said bank president Buddy Heard.

All operations will move to the main branch located at 200 W. Main Street in Winnfield. 

The main branch drive-thru hours will be:
Mon-Fri           7:30AM-6:00PM
Saturday          7:30AM-12:00PM

The lobby of the main branch is still closed to regular business except by appointment only.

Please contact the main branch at 318-628-4677 with any questions. 

Due to continued icing issues between Monroe and Shreveport, westbound traffic on Interstate 20 has been closed with a detour established for the safety of our citizens. Motorists traveling westbound on I-20 entering Monroe will be required to exit onto the detour. Motorists traveling through Louisiana are encouraged to utilize Interstate 10.

From I-20 west, exit at Hwy 165 south. Continue on Hwy 165 south until reaching I-10 in Lake Charles.

Please see attached map for the detour route and follow all detour signs.

Travel on I-20 at this time is highly discouraged. Please avoid the area and use alternative routes.

For road closure information, motorists can utilize the 511 phone system, 511la.org, or Louisiana 511 smartphone application.

If motorists should become stranded, they may utilize the *LSP (*577) system from a cell phone to contact the nearest LSP Troop to request help.

Last updated 2-19-21 4:58 PM

Emergency Shelter Location 

Grove Street Recreation Center

800 N Grove St, Winnfield, LA 71483

Closed – 

8th JDC Court	Closed Until Monday
Clerk of Court	Closed Friday
District Attorney	Delayed Open at 10 AM
Police Jury Office	Closed Friday
Bank of Winnfield	Open Friday with limited hours Main Branch Drive-Thru open Saturday 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM Northside Branch – closed until further notice
NSU	Closed
Winn Parish ROV	Closed Friday
CLTCC Huey P. Long Campus	Closed
Lynda’s Country Kitchen	Closed Friday – Plan to open Saturday at 11 AM
Winn Community Health	Closed Friday – Plan to open Saturday
Food Pantry at First Presbyterian Church	Closed this week
Sabine State Bank	Open with limited hours – Call branch

Cancelled – 

Waste Connections Trash Pick Up	Canceled Trash Collection
Rotary Club of Winnfield	Canceled Wednesday Meeting

If you have a closings or delayed open, please send the information to: 318-302-0210 or wpj@winnparishjournal.com

UPDATE: 2:00 am

At 11:30pm, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office has been informed by Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development that US-84 from Clarence in Natchitoches Parish to Winnfield in Winn Parish is closed due to a disabled eighteen wheeler blocking the roadway.

The road is blocked.

Road closure barricades have been placed by DOTD.

Use an alternate route.

Please check 511La.org before you travel.

Mrs. Jane Purser, Rotarian of the week, presented the program for the Rotary Club of Winnfield’s meeting on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Mrs. Purser chose a timely topic, the history of the Mardi Gras Krewe of Kingfish in Winn Parish, as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) falls on February 16, 2021 this year.

Mrs. Purser spoke about the initial organization of the Krewe of Kingfish and the inaugural Mardi Gras Parade sponsored and led by the Krewe. It occurred in the year 1993, the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Huey Long. Max Kelly, the Mayor of Winnfield at the time, organized a yearlong celebration of the occasion with a special event planned for each month of the year, and asked Mrs. Purser’s husband, Don Purser, to plan the special event for the month of February 1993. Mr. Purser, who had resided in South Louisiana for several years and observed the Mardi Gras parades and celebrations in that area, as well as the renewal of the festivities in North Louisiana cities such as Shreveport and Bossier City a few years before, decided a Mardi Gras parade was just the thing for February. He set about organizing the Krewe of Kingfish, which began with 33 charter members, and continues the celebration of Mardi Gras to the present. It was an audacious idea for this area, and the Krewe had to do a lot of hard work to perfect the float with which it led the parade, but when the float rounded the corner from Pineville Street to Main Street for the first time, Main Street was packed with crowds all the way to the end of the parade route at the Methodist Church and the parade was a rousing success, which continues to the present.

Mr. Bo Walker, a longtime Rotarian and a charter member of the Krewe of Kingfish, spoke of the work he did as a Krewe member in the early days to prepare the float and prepare for the parade, including carpentry, painting, decorating. He spoke fondly of the new friends and close relationships that developed within the Krewe members as they spent time together working toward their common goals of creating community as well as economic benefits to the local area.

Mr. Keith Gates, a current member of the Krewe of Kingfish, spoke about the current status of the Krewe, which is thriving and active. He mentioned the Krewe has recently changed the title of Treasurer to that of  Purser, the title of one who handles the finances on a ship and also the name of the inaugurator of the Krewe. Mr. Gates reported that the parade will not take place this year, but the Krewe fully expects to resume parading in 2022, and the date is already set.

The Rotary Club of Winnfield meets every Wednesday at Noon for lunch at Lynda’s Country Kitchen. For more information about the Rotary Club of Winnfield, you may contact President, Jodi Taylor (832) 573-5085. You can also find club information on Facebook at Rotary Club of Winnfield Facebook Page or online at Rotary.org.   

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne announced that state offices will be closed in the following 29 parishes Friday, February 19, due to hazardous conditions caused by severe winter weather: Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.

All agency heads are responsible for determining those essential personnel who should remain on duty, report for duty or those who should report to alternate work sites as necessary. Officials continue to monitor conditions throughout the state, and this announcement may be updated.

This office closure applies to all nonessential employees, including those authorized to work from home due to COVID-19.

State employees should be aware of the following phone numbers to call, which will be updated: 1.800.360.9660 or 225.342.0498.

 

Entergy’s Louisiana restoration team is continuing to return power to south Louisiana communities, while assessing damages and restoring electric service where it is safe to do so in central and north Louisiana. Winter storms brought record-low temperatures and damaging freezing rain and ice.

The first of two winter storms to impact the state in less than a week pushed through Sunday night and into Monday, causing approximately 130,000 customer outages with the hardest hit areas being Greater Baton Rouge and the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. We anticipate that the majority of south Louisiana customers who lost power Monday or Tuesday and can safely accept service will be restored by tonight while those who lost power Wednesday may not be restored until tomorrow. Additionally, trees or limbs can give way days after a storm has passed, damaging electric equipment and causing new power outages.

The companies will continue their work in the north and central regions of Louisiana, where a second winter storm brought additional outages. Roadway closures and hazardous driving conditions have significantly delayed the ability of crews to travel, assess damages and begin restoring power in those areas. Conditions may not improve for some time as forecast call for below freezing temperatures into the weekend.

“Our communities have been incredibly resilient during these severe weather events,” said John Hawkins, Entergy’s vice president of distribution operations for Louisiana. “As we continue into day three of restoration work in one region and day one in another, I assure our customers that our team is giving it our all to restore power as quickly, and above all, as safely as possible. We know it’s tough to ask for patience when temperatures are this low, but we have boots on the ground and a storm team of more than 4,000 strong working to bring power back to our communities.”

Customers are reminded that as service is restored, there will be a growing demand for more electricity. Crews will continue using their cold weather restoration processes to manage instantaneous demand. Customers without power should turn off or unplug electric heat systems and appliances and turn them back on gradually after power is restored. This will help avoid damaging the electric system through instantaneous demand.

Customers should also be aware that low-temperatures are forecast for the state through the weekend and electricity will be in high demand. We ask that all who are able to do so to please continue to conserve electricity.

Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 200,000 customers and natural gas to more than 108,000 customers.

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to more than 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. It has operations in southern, central and northern Louisiana. Both companies are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.

President Biden Approves Gov. Edwards’ Request for Federal Emergency Declaration Due to Impact of Historic Winter Storms
President Joseph R. Biden approved Governor John Bel Edwards’ request for a federal emergency declaration for all 64 Louisiana parishes impacted by the severe and historic winter weather on Feb. 18. Specifically, FEMA will provide emergency protective measures (Category B) for mass care and sheltering and direct federal assistance from federal agencies.

“I’m thankful to the Biden administration for a swift response to my request as our state continues to deal with the bitterly cold temperatures as well as power and water outages that are causing extreme challenges for so many of our citizens and have already claimed three lives,” said Gov. Edwards. “While the second storm has passed through our state, unfortunately, some areas are still facing freeze warnings and we will not begin to truly thaw out until the latter part of the weekend. That is why this assistance from our federal partners is critical. It will help provide much needed relief. This has been a very tough week. In addition to dealing with the historic weather, we are still battling the pandemic. Although our resilience is being tested once again, we are going to get through this. I want to encourage everyone to continue to heed the warnings of your local officials, be very careful in supplementing heat to your homes, be vigilant when you get on the roadways and pay close attention to the weather forecasts where you live.”

Yesterday, Gov. Edwards sent a letter requesting direct federal assistance, specifically commodities and supplies in response to the extended power outage and also Emergency Protective measures under the FEMA Public Assistance program.

Severe weather started in Louisiana on February 11, 2021, with a second round of storms beginning on February 17, 2021. More than 200,000 people were without power on the morning of February 16, 2021 and as of noon on Thursday, February 18, 124,738 Louisiana households were still without power. In addition, there are 98 water outages impacting 245,676 people. In addition, more than 956,000 Louisianans live in areas with boil water advisories.

By Reba Phelps

The month of February is famous for embodying all matters related to the heart. It is recognized as National Heart Health Month. The ever so romantic holiday, Valentine’s Day, is also celebrated in February. National Wear Red Day is also recognized on the first Friday of the month. Needless to say, it is difficult to let the month go by without paying homage to the beating muscle that resides inside of your chest.

If heart health is a true concern of yours you can even visit heart.org You will see a plethora of health information that covers everything that could possibly go wrong with your heart and how to fix it.

During the month of February many health care facilities will even offer free exams, workshops, and even quizzes so you can calculate your heart health and rid yourself of the dangerous risks associated with not paying enough attention to the beating of your heart.

And, if you do not recognize February as healthy heart month you may fall into the category of celebrating the state of your heart. Your heart could be smitten with a brand new love that you are celebrating for the very first time. Or, your heart could be celebrating the old and familiar love of longtime Valentine. You could also be like many people who avoid Valentine’s Day all together because their heart was broken at some point and they never fully recovered.

Sometimes hearts cannot be trusted because they carry scars that were not caused by genetics or lack of exercise and a healthy diet.

No stone has been uncovered when it comes to the American Heart Association providing health information, they have thought of everything when it comes to tips and tricks to guard your heart. But, there is one disease of the heart that simply cannot be cured by modern medicines, exercise or diet and not many people speak of it. While it seems that there is an endless supply of ways to heal an unhealthy heart found on heart.org, it simply does not offer resolve for a heart of stone. How exactly does one cure a heart of stone?

A stone cold or calloused heart is something that grows gradually through years of emotional aches and pains. It can do extensive eternal damage that often cannot be repaired until it is too late. According to theconversation.com, a study from Concordia University confirms that bitterness can actually affect your metabolism, immune response, organ functions and this can lead to physical disease.

There are many different avenues for the treatment of the health issues caused by the unmanaged heart. You can get your health insurance card ready because there is no shortage of physicians and health coaches just waiting to help you. With the proper care you can make strides in turning your health around in a short amount of time.

However, for the bitter heart, there is one great physician who is waiting to hear from you. There is never a wait for an appointment and you do not have to worry about preferred providers, co-pays or deductibles. He is ready for you to lay your cares, bitterness and worries at his feet. It is normally not cured with just one conversation with him, it takes repeated conversations. Sometimes, multiple times a day. He wants to build that longterm relationship with you and fill your heart with his peace.

He wants to give you joy instead of mourning and beauty instead of ashes. He wants your heart or stone to become one of flesh. He wants you to be healthy and full of love to give others.

“My flesh and heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:26

SWEPCO has prepared a Fact Sheet (SEE DOCUMENT BELOW) to better explain the recent Controlled Outages (Rolling Blackouts) ordered by our regional grid operator, Southwest Power Pool (SPP).

This was an extraordinary event, ordered to protect the integrity of the grid and eliminating larger long term outages.  Our grid includes 14 states and stretches from Louisiana to the Canadian Border.  Correct management of our grid eliminated the issues we are seeing our neighbors in Texas experience with their in-state grid managed by ERCOT.  SWEPCO’s Texas Service Areas in Texas are part of the SPP Grid and excluded from ERCOT.

FAST FACTS

An Overview of the SPP System

SPP has members in 14 states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

SPP also provides contract reliability coordination services in Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

• Service territory: 546,000 square miles (approx.) (2020)
• Substations: 5,054 (2020)
• Generation plants: 818 (in 2020 reliability coordination footprint)
• Miles of transmission: 68,272 (2020)
• Coincident peak load: 50,662 MW (Aug. 19, 2019)
• Winter peak load: 43,584 MW (Jan. 17, 2018)
• Generating capacity: 90,466 MW (based on nameplate capacity as of Jan. 10, 2020)
  • 40.9% natural gas
  • 26% coal
  • 24.9% wind
  • 3.8% hydro
  • 2.3% nuclear
  • 1.7% fuel oil
  • 0.2% solar
  • 0.1% other
• Energy production by fuel type: 
  • 34.8% coal
  • 27.4% wind
  • 25.9% natural gas
  • 6% nuclear
  • 5.6% hydro
  • 0.2% solar
  • 0.1% other