You can now receive text messages for important news from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Below are instructions on how to sign up for text message alerts specific to your area of interest (e.g. Commercial Fishing, Hunting, Recreational Fishing, etc.).  Alerts will be limited to only the most important news in the categories you select.

Steps to Sign up for Text Alerts

• Visit: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/communication/subscribe?email=
• After clicking the link, be sure that all fields are completed. (All fields below are required for text alerts)
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email Address
  • Cell Phone Number (area code first and make sure you use the correct format 555-123-4567)
  • And Select a cell service provider from the dropdown list.
• Check the box next to each topic that interests you.
• You may choose how you will be alerted by selecting “Email, Text, or Both”, but to be notified by text “Text” or “Both” and provide a phone number and cell service provider.
• Select the “I’m not a robot” check box and click the “Submit” button.

You will then be directed to a “Thank you for your interest” page that informs you to check your email that you provided on this form for a confirmation email from LDWF.

In order to be placed on the text alert list, you must “opt-in” by clicking on the link above.

*If you are unable to click on the link, please cut and paste the entire link into your Internet browser to complete the subscription process. Message and data rates from your provider may apply when receiving messages.

By Steve Graf 

Last week we looked at one of America’s best bass lakes by breaking down Lake Fork Texas. This week we’re going to hook up the boat and load the rods and head to Southeast Texas and another legendary bass fishery in Lake Sam Rayburn. I think it’s safe to say that no other body of water gets more pressure than this one. If you’re looking to get your line stretched or catch that fish of a lifetime, Sam Rayburn is the place to go. Anglers can literally lose sleep the night before they launch their boat on this lake. Today I’ll give you a better idea as to what I’m talking about and why this lake continues to rank in the top 5 nationally and has recently been ranked number one by Bassmaster Magazine.

Sam Rayburn is located on the Angelina River just east of Lufkin, Texas. It’s an Army Corp of Engineer lake built in 1965 as part of the development plan for the Neches River Basin. It’s main purpose; flood control and hydroelectric power generation. It had an estimated cost of $66 million which also included recreational facilities all over the lake.

If you looked at the Sam Rayburn calendar of events from January thru September, you’ll see what I mean by fishing pressure. There’s not a single weekend during this entire stretch of time in which there’s not a bass tournament or two. Yet week after week and month after month, Sam Rayburn puts out huge numbers of bass as anglers are known to weigh-in 5 fish limits with as much 40 pounds of bass. It’s commonplace for anglers to weigh-in 5 fish limits over 25 pounds each and every event. This is another popular lake (like Lake Fork) that you could end up waiting in line to launch your boat.

Sam Rayburn is a bass fishing factory in that you can catch both quality and quantity. It’s loaded with hydrilla (grass) and coontail moss especially south of the 147 bridge. This is a fishery in which you can catch bass deep (20 to 30 feet) or go shallow in the 2 to 5 foot range. You have great structure with humps and ridges, you have cypress trees and bushes in shallow water all over the lake that hold bass when the lake is at pool stage (164.4) or higher. If you’re not sure where to start, main lake points are always a good place and can hold good schools of fish. When you get north of the 147 bridge up to the 103 bridge you’ll find standing timber and it’s in this part of the lake you’ll need to be careful as there’s not a marked boat run. Once you get north of the 103 bridge, you’ll find an abundance of cypress trees, bushes and river type of fishing the farther north you run. If you’re going to Rayburn on a weekend, you might want to avoid both Umphrey Family Pavilion and Cassels-Boykin boat ramps as this is where the majority of the bass tournaments go out of and can be extremely crowded Friday thru Sunday.

One good thing about Rayburn is that there’s no shortage of boat ramps and you can find one just about anywhere that’s close to where you want to fish. One word of caution, Sam Rayburn can get extremely rough when winds blow out of the south/southeast at 15 to 20 mph. But again, you can pretty much find a boat ramp that will allow you to launch your boat safely. Some of my scariest moments as a bass fisherman have been on big Sam when the winds start to blow as this lake is not very forgiving. Bottom line, keep an eye on the weather.

Make no bones about it, Sam Rayburn is an awesome body of water that’s full of bass big and small. It’s definitely in my top 3 of the best bass fisheries I’ve ever fished and it continues to amaze me and other anglers just how good it is even with all the fishing pressure day after day and week after week. Next week, we’ll break down another lake that has a great past in Toledo Bend. Till next time, don’t forget to set the hook!

Steve Graf
Owner/Co-host
Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show
And Tackle Talk Live

POSITION AVAILABLE

JOB VACANCIES:

SITE LOCATION(S): Natchitoches Central High School

QUALIFICATIONS: Certification according to State Department of Education as a Guidance Counselor.

SALARY: Starting salary:  According to parish school salary schedule.

DEADLINE: Monday, March 29, 2021; 4:00 p.m.

WHERE TO APPLY:
Linda G. Page, Personnel Director
Natchitoches Parish School Board
P. O. Box 16
Natchitoches, LA 71458-0016
(318) 352-2358

POSITION AVAILABLE

JOB VACANCIES: Kindergarten Teacher

SITE LOCATION(S): Natchitoches Magnet School

QUALIFICATIONS: Louisiana Teaching Certificate
Masters’ Degree Preferred
Minimum – Five years of successful teaching experience.

SALARY: Starting salary: According to parish school salary schedule.

DEADLINE: Thursday, April 1, 2021; 4:00 p.m.

WHERE TO APPLY:
Linda G. Page, Personnel Director
Natchitoches Parish School Board
P. O. Box 16
Natchitoches, LA 71458-0016
(318) 352-2358

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WINN:
Larry Jack Casey
November 09, 1932 – March 19, 2021
Service: Tuesday, March 30 at 11 am at the Bandy family plot in the Atlanta Community Cemetery in Atlanta

Mary Lee Sproles Ortego
May 29, 1949 – March 18, 2021
Arrangements TBA

NATCHITOCHES:
Sammy Jackson
September 24, 1958 – March 24, 2021
Service: Friday, March 26 at 2 pm at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches

Garry Augustus Cole
October 14, 1942 – March 25, 2021
Service: Saturday, April 3 at 1 pm in the chapel of Blanchard-St. Denis

Mike McCart
April 11, 1961 – March 21, 2021
Service: Monday, April 5 at 7 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

Martha Jean Howington Jordan
February 13, 1928 – March 19, 2021
Service: Saturday, March 27 at 2 pm at Blanchard – St. Denis Funeral Home

Van Thomas Barker, Jr.
January 03, 1945 – December 26, 2020
Service: Friday, April 9 from 5-6:30 pm in the chapel of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

Annie M. Law
August 17, 1947 – March 17, 2021
Service: Saturday, March 27 at 11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Natchitoches

Frankie Hunter
November 30, 1954 – March 16, 2021
Service: Saturday, March 27 at 2 pm at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Natchitoches

Stephen “Bumpy” Hudson
May 5, 1996 – March 6, 2021
Service: Saturday, March 27 at 11 am in the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Natchitoches

RED RIVER:
Alice Lee Doskocil
June 29, 1935 – March 25, 2021
Service: Saturday, March 27 at 10 am at Bethany Cemetery

Nita Joy Dupree
July 28, 1937 – March 23, 2021
Service: Friday, March 26 at 2 pm at Clear Springs Cemetery in Martin

The Community Easter Event is returning this year! Saturday, April 3, 2021, from 11:30 AM – 1 PM at the Earl K. Long Park located at 1401 Maple St. in Winnfield. 

Don’t forget to bring an Easter Basket for the Easter egg hunt that begins at 11:30 AM. Other highlights of the event include a scavenger hunt (from now until the event) a free bagged lunch, inflatable obstacle courses, and a cakewalk.

This community event is sponsored by the Winn Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, Winnfield City Council, Winnfield Rotary Club, Winn Parish Journal and area churches. 

Each edition of the Winn Parish Journal will feature a clue for the scavenger hunt that will take place from now until the event. Use the clues to figure out the location of the prize eggs. There will be six in all.

The bunny inside of an egg hidden at each location will reveal the prize information.  Please bring your prize-winning card to the Earl K. Long Park at 11:30 AM on Saturday, April 3rd to receive your gift!  If you are unable to attend the event please contact the Chamber of Commerce between the hours of 8:30 AM and noon at 318-628-4461.

Clue #1 – He stands in Washington DC, Baton Rouge & in Winnfield

Clue #2 – He is resting OK

Let us help you with your Easter baking so you can concentrate on family time.  Krewe de La Winn is hosting an Easter Bake sale on Saturday, April 3^rd from 9a.m. to 2p.m. at 103 Lafayette Street, in front on T&L Vinyl next to former Flowers by Design.  We will have cakes such as Carrot, Italian Cream, Ding Dong cakes, Pecan, German Chocolate as well as pound cakes.  Special pre-orders can be made by contacting any Krewe member or by messaging us on our Facebook page @ Krewe de La Winn.   Cupcakes will also be there along with Easter cookies and Easter Egg-shaped Cookies.  For further information, please contact Kimberly Bruce @ 318-413-0040 or Kimberly Nation @ 318-729-6756.

Krewe de La Winn provides activities for children with special needs or children who are at risk.  All monies received from this bake sale will go to purchase and install playground equipment for these children.

Name: Chad Everett Johnson
Date: 3-17-2021
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 46
Charge: Driver Must Be Licensed-Never Obtained, False/Imitation MVI Sticker, No Tail Lights Or Defective Tail Lights, Stop Lamps Required, No Vehicle Registration

Name: Tony Jerome Phillips
Date: 3-18-2021
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 50
Charge: Arrest Warrants: Hit and Run, Criminal Damage To Property, Driving Under Suspension W/Accident

Name: Thomas Truman Burnette, III
Date: 3-19-2021
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Charge: Resisting an Officer By Flight, Driving Under Suspension W/O Accident, Possession Of Marijuana, Possession Of Schedule II Drugs, Prohibited Acts; Drug Paraphernalia, Failure/Owner Secure Registration, No Insurance, No Motorcycle Endorsement, Illegal Carrying Of A Weapon, Criminal Trespass

Name: Abraham Lovelace
Date: 3-20-2021
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Charge: Maximum Speed Limit (Highways), Driving While Intoxicated-1^st Offense (W/O Test)

Name: Whitney D. Berry
Date: 3-21-2021
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Charge: Failure to Appear

Name: Sarah Marie Cardin
Date: 3-22-2021
Race: Female
Gender: White
Age: 35
Charge: Speeding 1 To 14 Mph Over Limit, Driving Under Suspension W/O Accident

Louisiana Tech University has announced the names of students on its fall quarter president’s and dean’s honor lists.

 Students whose names are followed by an asterisk earned recognition as members of the president’s honor list. That distinction signifies achievement of at least a 3.8 academic grade point average on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher), with no grade lower than a B.

 To be eligible for the dean’s honor lists, a student is required to earn at least a 3.5 academic grade point average with no grade lower than a C on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher).

 Courses yielding satisfactory/failure grades and courses audited do not count toward eligibility for either recognition. Only undergraduates with no incomplete grades are eligible to make either list.

Honor students are listed below by their hometowns, with all Louisiana students listed first by parish.

Winn

• Atlanta: Alan M. Fitts, Edward Hilton Teal*                                                                                        
• Dodson: Kaylen Paige Walker                                                                                                       

Winnfield:  Mikayla Nicole Barber, Julie Denice Bartley*, Payton Elizabeth Bates, Kaylee Elizabeth Bombard, Kiarra Grace Bombard, Christian A. Evans, Elizabeth A. Heard*, Brooklynn M. Martinez*, Cameron Thomas Moore*, Baylee N. Tarver, Samantha Lynn Taylor, Ashley N. Thomisee, Karlie M. Zimmerman*                       

By: Brad Dison

Robert “Bob” Craig needed direction in his life.  School was boring to him.  He craved excitement.  He was an adrenaline junkie.  Bob decided that he had had enough of schooling and quit Butte (Montana) High School in his sophomore year.  He was anxious to get out into the real world.  

Bob enjoyed his newfound freedom from school and he lazed around for a short while.  Pretty soon, though, Bob realized that he needed money to survive.  Bob found employment at the Anaconda Mining Company where he worked as a diamond drill operator in a copper mine.  Shortly thereafter, Bob earned a promotion and drove an earth mover, work he considered unimportant.  Just like school, Bob quickly became bored working in the copper mine.  Bob’s boredom had become too great for him to quell.  Rumors persist that Bob somehow rode a wheelie in his mammoth piece of heavy equipment and ran into Butte, Montana’s main power lines.  The massive machine damaged the power line infrastructure which shut off the electricity in the town for several hours.  Bob’s boss fired him immediately.  Bob liked the rush he got from making the gigantic machine pop a wheelie, and searched continually for ways to feel that sort of feeling again.  

On March 7, 1959, twenty-year-old Bob entered in Butte, Montana’s fourth divisional ski jumping championship in the men’s class.  Lou Buckmaster skied down the slope of the long jump, launched, soared through the air using his body movements for steering, and landed the jump successfully.  Officials recorded Lou’s jump at 86 feet.  Paul Maxwell performed his jump with precision and reached a distance of 99 feet.  Bob was the ultimate competitor.  He was determined to win.  Bob shot down the ski slope, used his legs to spring himself higher into the air, and soared toward the bottom of the hill.  His landing was perfect.  Officials recorded his distance at 111 feet.  Of the three people who competed in the men’s class, Bob won by a distance of twelve feet.  Of the seventeen people who competed that day, Bob came in second overall.      

Skiing was fun, but Bob needed money.  Bob went through a host of jobs.  He played with the Charlotte Clippers of the Eastern Hockey League.  He formed, acted as owner, manager, coach, and player of a semiprofessional hockey team called the Butte Bombers.  He ran a hunting guide service and once hitchhiked from Butte to Washington, D.C. carrying a 54-inch set of elk antlers along with a petition to stop the planned slaughter of 5,000 surplus Elk in Yellowstone National Park.  Bob was not an animal rights activist; he had an angle.  Bob’s plan was for the transplantation of the elk to the area where he ran his hunting guide service.  Rather than incurring the expense of transplanting the elk, and in an effort to appease the public, the commission abandoned the planned slaughter.  Bob ran a Honda motorcycle dealership where he offered $100 off the price of a new motorcycle to anyone who could beat him at arm wrestling.  He claimed to have been a swindler, a holdup man, a card thief, and a safe cracker.    

According to former U.S. Representative from Montana Pat Williams, “No one had more guts than Bobby.  He was simply unafraid of anything.”  Bob was good at self-promotion and was always comfortable in the limelight.  Few people remember Bob as a skiing champion, a hockey player, hunting guide, owner of a Honda dealership, or any of the negative jobs Bob claimed to have had.  Even fewer people knew Bob by his real name, but Bob certainly became famous.  Bob once claimed that he “made $60 million, spent 61. … Lost $250,000 at blackjack once. …Had $3 million in the bank, though.”  In the mid-1970s, the Ideal Toy Company released a series of toys and other merchandise based on Bob, which became best sellers and are still sought after.  Hanna-Barbera produced a series of Saturday morning cartoons based on Bob.  Bally created a pinball machine based on Bob.

Bob was an entertainer whose performances were dangerous.  Bob still holds the Guinness World Record for the “Most broken bones in a lifetime.”  According to Guinness, by the end of 1975, Bob had suffered 433 bone fractures.  Bob received most of his bone fractures while performing in front of a live audience.  Bob was a stunt performer and entertainer.  His real name was Robert Craig…Knievel.  The world knew Bob as Evel Knievel.  

Sources:
1.  The Montana Standard (Butte, Montana), March 9, 1959, p.7.
2.  The Montana Standard, November 22, 1961, p.8.
3.  The Montana Standard, December 1, 2007, p.7.
4.  Guiness World Records. “Most Broken Bones in a Lifetime.” Accessed March 12, 2021. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-broken

At a moment in time where the state’s highest offices are rife with sexual abuse scandals, Louisiana elects first female republican to Congress 

Julia Barnhill Letlow! Let that name sink in for a moment, because soon enough we are going to start seeing it in the history books. Louisiana elected Julia Letlow as its first republican Congresswoman. She is the first in Louisiana’s history. Those of us who know Julia had no doubt that she could and would do it, but her path to victory was rather non-traditional. Most players in Louisiana’s political world ascend to positions of power by starting on a local level first, and through a series of elections ascend to higher and higher offices, perhaps finally to a larger area like a congressional district. Most of those political players tend to be men who grew up thinking about their political futures and which office they would seek. Discussions about their future tend to be with their family and are clear about their path forward. For women, especially in Louisiana, that path is not usually laid out and it certainly is not expected by our culture. That’s why Julia’s ascent to Congress is incredible in so many ways.

 

Julia’s husband Luke had just recently been elected to represent District 5 in Congress. As most are aware, Luke tragically passed away from COVID-19 before he was sworn in. This left a big hole for Julia especially considering that they have two very young children. In those days and weeks after Luke passed away, a decision needed to be made to fill Luke’s seat. An amazing decision was made. Julia decided to run. As I type this, it still gives me chills. Such an extraordinary person making such an extraordinary decision: A decision to show her children that through faith and her belief in Christ, we can overcome many obstacles and we can rise above the ashes like a phoenix from the flames. During one of our recent Campaign Conversations, Julia told us that you can be “Full of grief and full of hope at the same time.” Wow. If you talk to Julia, you pick up on how extraordinary she is right away. We should celebrate this characteristic. But in true Louisiana political fashion, not everyone could see the extraordinary picture.

 

There were the at-first-quiet, and then very public comments criticizing that Julia shouldn’t be running because of her young children. Let me ask a question: Are these comments made when men run for office? In Julia’s distinctive grace, she brushed those comments off and leaned on her faith knowing she made a decision after many discussions and much thoughtful prayer. 

If you take a moment to consider reality, telling someone else when to run for office or not and why (especially based on the private matters of their family!) is inappropriate. But thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, the endless scroll of social media, and our cancel culture, we believe we have a right to an opinion about everyone else’s decisions, and that it’s our right to be offended when we disagree. And Louisiana culture typically disagrees with center-right women in office in Louisiana.

This opinionated, offended posture is part of our culture that we must take on in our state. Women belong in all of the places where decisions are made. Why? For one, the headlines should make you sick.  Louisiana is home to a deeply flawed and pervasive culture not with just your run-of-the-mill misogyny, but we have now seen rampant cases of sexual harassment and abuse at the highest levels in our state. This scandal occurs daily on college campuses and political offices and those in office are using their power to cover it up! 

Do you know what that means? It means several people are sitting in a room together and making a conscious decision to collude on the cover-up. To not protect the victims and prosecute the criminals, but to protect the perpetrator. Only in Louisiana. It’s a despicable and disgusting part of our culture in this state and it has to stop. To boot, we have heard other women state that the victims share the responsibility in these sexual harassment and abuse cases. This mindset belongs back in the 1950s. It needs to be brought to light and shown for the ignorance that it is then buried so deeply that we never hear those words uttered again.

 

The solution? To get power in the hands of the right decision-makers, including center-right women, who will stand up for justice instead of protecting perpetrators. But that can’t happen unless more women run for office. So this is my clarion to all the women of Louisiana…it is time for us all to stand up. Stand up for our sisters, mothers, and daughters. Stand up for our brothers, husbands, fathers, and sons. Those of us who can, must stand up and take extraordinary steps. Amazing steps. Answer the call just as Julia Barnhill Letlow did. As Julia said, we can be full of frustration, anger, or grief for our state and full of hope at the same time. Decide where you fit in the political world and take the step to do more, to get involved, to run for office. Make history! Be extraordinary. Be the next Julia!

 

Louisiana Women Lead was formed in 2020 to engage more center-right women in politics. Lead’s goal is to increase the number of women elected or appointed to leadership positions in Louisiana by breaking down barriers, create a statewide network for support, and provide tools to women so they have a leg up when running for or being appointed to office. For more information, visit http://www.louisianawomenlead.org.

By: Royal Alexander/Opinion

While not a Constitutional requirement, invoking cloture and cutting off legislative debate currently requires the agreement of 60 Senators and it is wise and prudent to retain that requirement

The Framers of our U.S. Constitution, by design, intended for the U.S. Senate to serve as a very different kind of legislative body than the U.S. House of Representatives.  They insured this in the Constitution by seeing that U.S. Senators only face reelection every six years—versus every two years in the U.S. House—and by putting in place other traditions to be certain the Senate functioned with collegiality and—compared to the House—as a highly deliberative body with a calmly dispassionate sense of purpose.  As we know, the U.S. Senate has famously been described as a “cooling saucer for the hot tea” of the U.S. House to spill onto.  A backstop of sorts.  Or, as James Madison described it, “a necessary fence” against the fickleness and passion of the U.S. House—the “People’s House.”

We may recall that Senate Democrats eliminated the filibuster for lower court judicial nominees in 2013, when Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was in control; Republicans made the same move for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 which led to justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett joining the Supreme Court.  However, neither side has moved decisively to eliminate the legislative filibuster.

What eliminating the legislative filibuster essentially means is that the majority party in control of the Senate no longer needs to alter or moderate the bills it introduces in order to attract enough votes from the minority party to reach 60 votes needed to cut off debate and go to a vote on the legislation itself.  And, while the legislative filibuster is not required by our Constitution, history has shown that it is not wise or prudent to ram through major changes in our law and in our society based upon the raw political strength of a simple majority.  Minority interests and considerations are easily overlooked and damaged that way.

When the Senate moves to pass major legislation like multi, multi-billion-dollar appropriation bills, the national defense authorization bill, farm bill, and huge infrastructure bills like the highway bill, it should have at least 60 Senators wanting to end debate to do so.  Without this kind of “buy in” from the minority party a new law is often never fully accepted, and the law’s opponents spend years trying to repeal or undermine it.

Please recall the Obamacare law that passed the U.S. House and U.S. Senate on a strictly partisan, party-line vote and was signed by Pres. Obama. Republicans, who never had any input in the crafting of that major and far-reaching piece of legislation, have now spent years trying to repeal it and have it declared unconstitutional.

Yes, the 60-vote filibuster rule for legislation can be highly frustrating at times and yes it seems far preferable for a simple majority to be all that is necessary to cut off debate when the party we favor controls the Senate.  But, what about when the party we favor does not control the Senate? If the legislative filibuster and 60 vote-requirement is abandoned all that will be necessary to cut off debate and vote to impose harsh and draconian laws like, for example, massive new taxes, the Green New Deal, mandatory unionization of states that favor right-to-work, and adding Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. as two new states with many new liberal members of Congress—are the votes of a simple majority.

Again, the Senate is supposed to be a fundamentally and structurally different kind of legislative body than the U.S. House—which most often does operate based upon the will of pure majorities—and it should remain that way.  Legislation—particularly bills bringing about major changes—is supposed to be difficult to pass and require consensus and that should continue in the Senate. 

The views and opinions expressed in the My Opinion article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Winn Parish Journal. Any content provided by the authors is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

POSITION AVAILABLE

JOB VACANCIES: Kindergarten Teacher

SITE LOCATION(S): Natchitoches Magnet School

QUALIFICATIONS: Louisiana Teaching Certificate
Masters’ Degree Preferred
Minimum – Five years of successful teaching experience.

SALARY: Starting salary: According to parish school salary schedule.

DEADLINE: Thursday, April 1, 2021; 4:00 p.m.

WHERE TO APPLY:
Linda G. Page, Personnel Director
Natchitoches Parish School Board
P. O. Box 16
Natchitoches, LA 71458-0016
(318) 352-2358

EOE