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

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

NATCHITOCHES:
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

SABINE:
Nancy Carol Tarpley
March 25, 1940 – March 22, 2021
Service: Thursday, March 25 at 10 am at Antioch Baptist Church

Richard Eugene Erwin Sr.
April 21, 1949 – March 21, 2021
Service: Wednesday, March 24 at 12 pm at Toro Cemetery

Saturday, March 20th voters went to the polls in Winn Parish. On the ballot were U.S. Representative for the 5th Congressional District, BESE District 4 and Winn Parish Police Juror District 7.

Winn Parish Results – 

In the Winn Parish Police Juror District 7 race there will be a run off between Jessie Cox and Frank McLaren. 

Multi-parish and Final Results –

Republican Julia Letlow won the US House seat. Letlow is the widow of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who had previously been elected to this seat before his untimely COVID-19 related death.

In the BESE District 4 race Shreveport Assistant Professor Dr. Cassie Williams (D) of Bossier City and Shreveport attorney Michael Melerine (R) are headed for an April runoff.

City of Winnfield Police Department

Name: Johnny E. Powell
Date: 3-15-2021
Address: Goldonna, LA
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 70
Charge: Improper Supervision of a Minor by a Custodian
Bond: Released on Summons

Name: David M. McDaniel
Date: 3-16-2021
Address: Atlanta, LA
Race: White 
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Charge: Failure to Appear
Bond: Not Listed

Name: Donald Barnes, Jr.
Date: 3-19-2021
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Charge: Bench warrant
Bond: P&P Hold

Cassie Williams (DEM, 29%) and Michael Melerine (REP, 28%) will be up on the ballot in a runoff for the April 24 election. The BESE District 4 seat represents ten parishes in Northwest Louisiana, including Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, De Soto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Vernon, Webster, and Winn.

The deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System is April 3. Early voting is April 10-17 (closed Sunday, April 11) from 8:30 am – 6 pm.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is April 20 by 4:30 pm. Request one online at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Voter Portal or by mail from the Registrar of Voters Office (exception: military and overseas voters). The deadline for absentee ballots is April 23 by 4:30 pm (exception: military and overseas voters).

The Bank of Winnfield will re-open its Northside Branch drive thru today. The lobby of the Northside Branch is still being renovated and will remain closed until further notice. The ATM at the Northside Branch is not operable at this time. 

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we do our best to repair the Northside Branch and provide excellent customer service to our customer,” said bank President Buddy Heard.

The COVID-19 vaccine is available by appointment only to those eligible Mondays at the First Assembly of God Church located at 5693 Hwy. 167N in Winnfield. 

To make an appointment click covidvaccine.la.gov or call 211 or 318-628-2148.

If you need help registering you may call Randa Statham CHW at 318-302-9381 for registration assistance.

*Schedule and days are subject to change due to vaccine availability. 

Individuals currently eligible for vaccination are:

Effective Tuesday, March 9, 2021, the State of Louisiana has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccines to include people who have health conditions that may result in a higher risk of disease. If you are between the ages of 18 and 64 (or 16+ if receiving the Pfizer vaccine) and have one of the following conditions, you are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine. If you are pregnant, regardless, of age you are eligible.

Eligibility by Age or Condition

• People 65 and older
• Dialysis providers and patients
• Pregnant people

People with Certain Medical Conditions

• People 18-64 (or 16+ for Pfizer vaccine only) with at least one of the conditions listed below by the CDC. To receive the vaccine, people with these underlying medical conditions should complete the Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form (English | Spanish | Vietnamese) before their appointment.
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Down syndrome
• Heart conditions including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
• Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30kg/m2 or higher
• Sickle cell disease
• Current or former smoker
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
• Chronic liver disease
• Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)
• Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
• Severe neurologic conditions such as dementia
• Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
• Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Eligibility by Workforce Category

• Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff
• Dialysis providers
• Behavioral health providers and staff
• Urgent care clinic providers and staff
• Community care providers and staff
• Dental providers and staff
• Non-emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) providers and staff
• Professional home care providers (including hospice workers) and home care recipients (including older and younger people with disabilities over the age of 16 who receive community or home-based care, as well as clients of home health agencies)
• American Sign Language (ASL) and foreign language interpreters and Support Service Providers (SSPs) working in community and clinic-based settings, and clients who are both deaf and blind
• Any staff working in congregate facilities (prisons/jails, shelters, dorms, rehab/detox centers, group homes)
• Health-related support personnel (lab staff, mortuary staff who have contact with corpses, pharmacy staff)
• Schools of allied health students, residents and staff
• Law enforcement and other first responders
• Louisiana Unified Command Group
• State Legislators
• State and local essential COVID emergency response personnel
• Some elections staff ahead of March and April elections
• Teachers and any other support staff working on site in K-12 or daycare

Priority Group 1B, Tier 2 (effective Monday, March 22, 2021)

All essential workers now eligible:

• Bank tellers
• Child, youth and family service workers
• Clergy
• Construction workers
• Energy workers
• Food and agricultural workers
• Food service (restaurant) workers, hotel workers and other hospitality workers
• Frontline government workers
• Grocery store workers
• Institutes of higher education faculty/staff
• IT and communications workers
• Judges, court staff, clerks of court and staff, district attorneys and public defenders
• Manufacturing workers
• Media workers
• Postal workers
• Public and private security and emergency preparedness workers
• Public health workers
• Public safety engineers and other workers
• Transportation workers including river pilots
• Veterinarians and support staff
• Water and wastewater workers
• Waste management workers

The Winn Parish School Board Committees will meet Monday, March 22, 2021 at 5 PM.

WINN:
Mandy Dee Sanson
June 16, 1938 – March 19, 2021
Service: Monday, March 22 at 11 am at Prosperity Baptist Church

NATCHITOCHES:
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
Arrangements TBA

Frankie Hunter
November 30, 1954 – March 16, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Stephen “Bumpy” Hudson
May 5, 1996 – March 6, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Today from 9 AM – 5 PM is the last day of the Dugdemona Soil & Water Conservation District’s (DSWCD) Annual Conservation Tree & Shrub Sale. The sale is located on Hwy 167 South next to the old Sonic location in Winnfield, LA.

The District Tree and Shrub Sale is DSWCD’s largest fund-raising event of the year. All donations and proceeds from this event directly benefit our community by helping sponsor area projects such as Feral Hog Control Program, Forestry Awareness, and Restoration of Wildlife Habitats.

This year’s sale includes many different types of trees and shrubs including: fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, plum, blackberry, avocado and more), satsuma trees, lemon trees, Kimberly queen fern, dogwoods, sweet olives, native azaleas, Jane magnolia, mayhaw and many more. If you are looking for something specific not listed here call (318) 628-4438 or email dugdswcd@bellsouth.net. 

Without sponsors who recognize the importance of investing in conservation, education of our students and improving our communities, this event and events like it would not be possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor contact DSWCD at (318)628-4438 or dugdswcd@bellsouth.net. All sponsors will be listed on the District Facebook Page: Dugdemona SWCD, flyers, newspaper releases, and brochures. Levels of sponsorship are Platinum Sponsor $350, Gold Sponsor $250, Silver Sponsor $150, and Bronze Sponsor $100.

Established in the 1930’s the DSWCD is an organization with a mission to help promote conservation of natural resources through stewardship and education. The District hosts different projects each year to help people of Winn, Jackson and Caldwell Parishes understand how to put conservation on the ground and to better educate students about conservation.  

The Bank of Winnfield will re-open its Northside Branch drive thru Monday, March 22nd. The lobby of the Northside Branch is still being renovated and will remain closed until further notice. The ATM at the Northside Branch is not operable at this time. 

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we do our best to repair the Northside Branch and provide excellent customer service to our customer,” said bank President Buddy Heard.

Tomorrow, Saturday,  March 20, 2021, is election day. Polls open at 7 a.m. for SATURDAY elections. Polls close at 8 p.m. All voters in line at 8 p.m. have the right to vote.

Be prepared to show a photo identification card with your photo and signature or a United States military identification card that contains your name and picture when voting. If you do not have a photo ID, you may obtain a free Louisiana special identification card by presenting your voter registration information card to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) or you may vote by affidavit after correctly answering identifying information before voting.

Never wear any campaign shirt, hat, and button or pin when voting. All polling places have a 600 foot campaign free zone.

• The deadline for the Registrar of Voters to receive a voted mail ballot is March 19 by 4:30 p.m. (other than military and overseas voters).

On the ballot in Winn Parish:

Wattsville Center is a convenience store/museum located just outside the Village of Calvin, in the heart of what used to be known as Wattsville.

Owned and operated by Kenneth Bates, the store has recently become a hub of political activity. Bates has taken it upon himself to contact local politicians to request that they come to his store to speak to people about their concerns. “People congregate here, and we talk about different issues, so I thought it would be best if we brought the issues to the people that can actually do something about it,” said Bates.

Bates schedules his guest for 7 AM when most of his regular customers are at the store talking politics and drinking coffee. Local politicians that have stopped by to discuss people’s concerns include District 4 Police Juror Tammy Griffin, Police Jury President Josh McAllister, Winn Parish District Attorney Chris Nevils, Gum Springs Ranger Brad Cooper and District 13 State Representative Jack McFarland.

During the most recent Winn Parish Police Jury meeting, McAllister mentioned his visit to Wattsville Center, commenting that he wished more districts would host small group talks like the one he, Griffin and Nevils attended at Wattsville Center. “I think meetings like that are a huge benefit to the community. It lets us explain to people what we’ve accomplished and what issues we face as a parish. It helps people better understand what the jury is doing.” stated McAllister.

“I’m just trying to make this place a benefit to the community,” stated Bates. Speaking of benefits to the community, Wattsville Center also serves as a museum of sorts. Bates collects and showcases local and military history artifacts. He has a catalog of military veterans from Wattsville, including pictures and service records, doors from the original Calvin High School, photographs of the Wattsville School dating back to 1910 and much more.

If you’re ever driving north on Highway 501 from the Village of Calvin, stop by Wattsville Center, grab a drink and a snack, view some local history and just maybe run into a local politician.