The Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission (NHDDC) and its partners kickoff Spring and Summer celebrations and encourage residents and visitors to download the GoNatchitoches app. The app serves as your one-stop-shop trip planner and a community calendar that serves as an interactive way to map out everything visitors and residents want to see and do in Natchitoches.
The GoNatchitoches app provides a new way to explore what Natchitoches offers, including upcoming events, popular attractions, restaurants, tours, lodging, shops, landmarks, and much more. Users can view it all at once or search by categories like Attractions, Dining, Arts & Culture, Lodging, and many others.
See a festival you don’t want to miss? Click “Add,” and the event will be added to your plan, and you’ll be sent a reminder.
That restaurant everyone keeps telling you about? Click “Add,” and you won’t forget to try it.
Want to invite some friends? Share your plan with them via social media, email, or SMS text message.
Need a reminder for upcoming events? Turn on the push notifications for the app!
No need to waste time or another sheet of paper. With this planner, GoNatchitoches can help you get organized and maximize your time so that you can have more fun in Natchitoches.
Already on your way to Natchitoches or live here? Download the app for your iPhone or Android and take your plan with you! Just type “GoNatchitoches” in the search box of your app store.
The “GoNatchitoches” project is a coalition between the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the City of Natchitoches, Cane River National Heritage Area, Northwestern State University, the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission, the Natchitoches Historic District Business Association, the Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce, and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQAadYlDPok
May is all about moms and I am very blessed to share Stephanie McKinney’s story with you this week. She is teacher in Natchitoches Parish who cherishes the fact that she can use her past hurts and life lessons to assist parents and students as they go through the same things that God has delivered her from. These are Stephanie’s words…..
Beyonce praises it but it is very challenging to go from a, what you thought, happy family of four to a single mom raising two boys ages 13 and 8.
When I was married, I worked as a Teacher’s Aide in my hometown in Texas. I brought home about $800 a month. It was fine when I was married because he had a good job. I just worked to pay a few bills and then had some fun money leftover. After the divorce, I was broke. I had a house note, all the bills, and two sons to raise. I received a little child support. And my parents helped when needed but they couldn’t do much financially.
But guess what?
Every month my bills were paid, we never did without meals, and I had a little left over so we could continue to do occasional fun things. Every single month. I worried how I was going to make it happen? How can I pay my bills not to lose my home? I had so many worries and fears but God always provided. I vividly remember, I was down to my last few dollars and my monthly paycheck was still a week away. Thankfully, every bill was paid that month but I still needed gas money and one of the boys needed something for school. I could either get a few dollars in gas or give the money to my son. I chose my son. I always chose my sons.
I would have enough to get back and forth to work but we couldn’t go anywhere else. When I opened my wallet to give him the money, tucked behind my few one dollar bills there was a twenty dollar bill. He knew what I needed and He provided it for me. I swear it wasn’t there before. I cried thankful tears for hours
A year after the divorce, I decided to go to school for my teaching degree. I had an amazing group of teachers and administrators helping me and encouraging me. Every time I thought I couldn’t make it, one of them would step in, without even knowing it was needed, and encourage me to keep pushing.
My entire college education was provided by grants and it would have been impossible otherwise.
It took me longer than the average person because I had to work while raising two kids alone. But, with God, I made it. My whole reason for wanting to be a teacher is because my oldest son has a learning disability. In third grade he was considered a bad kid. Talking and disruptive, the whole nine yards. He’s actually a great human, but the teachers only saw the bad. In fourth grade, he had amazing teachers who knew right away that he didn’t have ADHD, he had a reading comprehension problem. They helped guide us through what accommodations he needed and it helped tremendously.
I remember crying in the meetings thinking that I somehow let my baby down. They assured me that I hadn’t and that we would all get through it together. And we did. I learned many things I could demand for him. I learned to push him when he needed it but mostly, I learned to stand up for his rights. It took a year but he got on the right track.
God laid it on my heart to get my degree so I could help other mom’s get through that.
I wanted to be there to hug them when they are scared when educators are telling them, “Something isn’t right with your child.” I can say, ”I honestly know how you feel. I promise, we will get through this.” Even though the chips were stacked against me, God knew what He had called me to do and He provided the path for that to happen. Next year, I will be doing SBLC full time on my campus, and I truly believe this was my calling from the beginning.
Divorce is hard. Being a single mother is hard. I would honestly do it all over again. I’ve learned so much about myself.I have wonderful memories of just me and my boys all piled into my full size bed for the first few months after he was gone because we all wanted to be close to each other. Memories of special times, birthdays, holidays, and just regular days. My sons and I have a very close bond that is unbreakable. It is because of what we went through together and what they saw me go through alone. With God’s help, I picked myself up, and pushed on because not doing so would have negatively impacted their lives and they deserve better than that. God made sure the three of us came out of top.
If I had to give advice to women going through a divorce or separation, it would be this: It’s hard. There are times you want to scream, cry and be angry. Keep your dignity and your pride. Hold your head up. You’re walking through darkness right now and it might seem like you’ll never come out of it, but I promise you will. And the other side is so much better than your past life. Just keep moving, reach out for help when needed, pray, and always remember, you not only have God but you also have a lot of people who support you that He has placed along your path. They are there for a reason. And if you don’t have anyone like that, I’ll be happy to hold your hand until the sun is shining on you again.
One verse that held true during that time was this, “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.” Because I never once, did I want.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10
In April, I fished the American Bass Anglers Ray Scott National Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee. This is a four-day event you have to qualify for by finishing in the top ten overall in your division. There are divisions all over the United States especially the Eastern half of the country from Texas up to Minnesota over to Maine and down to Florida. For me, this makes my fifth Ray Scott Championship that I have qualified for in the last 6 years.
Covid 19 has had a big impact on this event the last two years and all the protocol that goes with it. Don’t get me wrong, ABA (American Bass Anglers) does a great job with organizing this event. We no longer have a pre-tournament banquet to honor the Anglers of the Year and we don’t have the great door prizes anymore; something the anglers really miss. The night before the event we do a personal check-in and pick up some free products, caps and t-shirts. We still have a meal but it’s in a to-go box and this year we had beef nachos. If there’s one thing anglers can do, it’s eat! This is also when you have to be on guard for fishing information designed to throw an angler off his game. We call this ‘dock talk” and its people who like to talk to hear themselves. While none of us are fishing for a living, we are fishing for thousands of dollars and a new loaded 20-foot Triton boat and the one and only opportunity for one of us to be a true national champion.
Day one was not what I expected as I only weighed two fish for 5.21 lbs. Now even though I felt good about what I thought I could catch, the first thing I noticed as I arrived at my starting spot, was how the water level had dropped. From the time I arrived at Chickamauga on Sunday, the lake was 3 feet low and continued to fall each day. But I was able to find fish in two areas on the northern end of the lake. One was a creek that held some good quality fish, and the other was a spawning flat with fish on beds. As I have said before, tournament fishing is a game of decisions and if you choose wrong, you will take yourself out of the competition. This is exactly what I did by choosing to fish the northern end of the lake instead of the south. Now I did pre-fish on the south end with some success but, it was very crowded as there was not a fifty-yard stretch that did not have a boat on it. I don’t fish well in crowds, and it was at this point (day 2 of practice) that I decided to fish north. I really felt good about this decision especially after my day 3 practice with the fish I found. One thing you have to understand about river systems like Chickamauga, the water closest to the dam (south end) remains more stable than the water level up the lake. So, while the south end remained more stable with little effect on the fishing, the northern end had a constant drop in water level every day which pulled the fish out of the areas I had, or they were so shallow I could not even get to them by day two of the tournament. These are not excuses but just the facts as to how all the anglers that committed to going up the lake, struggled to weigh not just quality but even a five fish limit.
I still had a great time on this trip and like my previous five Ray Scott National Championship events, it was a huge success. ABA Tournament Director Chris Wayand does an outstanding job running this tournament and I encourage anyone who wants to fish a really good circuit, jump on board with the ABA Open Series or fish the new ABA Top 150 Solo Tour. By writing these articles, I hope you learn from my mistakes. The one great thing about any sport is that once that event is over (win or lose) you have the opportunity to redeem yourself and get better. Even at 60 years of age and all my experience as an angler, I’m still learning. Remember, it is through failure that we become better. 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
The 2021 turkey harvest in Louisiana was down almost 11 percent from 2020 and the culprit was likely heavy spring rains that plagued the state for much of the season, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Small Game Program Manager Cody Cedotal said. A total of 1,886 birds were harvested during the 2021 season, based on turkey tag validation data, down from 2,117 in 2020.
Since 2009, the harvest has averaged 2,006 birds per season.
“Unfavorable weather conditions for much of the season likely affected the overall success of turkey hunters in 2021,’’ Cedotal said. “We had good weather for the Good Friday (April 2) opener and it stayed favorable for much of the first week of the season. During this first week, with the good hunting conditions that existed, harvest was slightly higher compared to the first week of the 2020 season.’’
But the weather for the final three weeks of the season turned sour and harvest figures declined for those weeks from previous year reports for the same time period. Cedotal also said that hunter effort and harvest were likely elevated in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic as many more hunters entered the field with additional time on their hands. The 2021 turkey season ended on May 2.
Cedotal said reports and season assessments from hunters ranged from poor to very good. Many hunters indicated increased encounters with jakes, which is an indicator of moderate to good reproduction. Similar reports were noted in 2020.
“However, the intense rain events we continue to experience in some parts of the state are of immediate concern,’’ Cedotal said. “These rain events will likely have a negative impact on reproduction for this year causing nest failures and increased mortality of young wild turkey poults. Hopefully, we can begin to see some dry weather soon which will improve nesting and brood rearing conditions.’’
An Artists Rendering of the Amazon Robotics Building in Shreveport
Governor John Bel Edwards and Amazon announced the company’s first robotics fulfillment center in Louisiana, with over 1,000 jobs and a $200 million capital investment coming to an LED Certified Site in north Shreveport. Located in the Hunter Industrial Park, the site is near Interstates 20, 49 and 220 and provides ideal access for Amazon’s logistics operations.
The Amazon robotics fulfillment center will include contemporary robotics technology, inventory and shipping operations in a multi-level building with a 650,000-square-foot foundation. The project will create over 1,000 full-time jobs with starting pay of $15 per hour and comprehensive benefits beginning on day one — full medical, vision and dental insurance; and 401(k) savings with a 50 percent company match. The development will generate 800 construction jobs, and Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 1,118 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 2,100 permanent new jobs in Northwest Louisiana.
“This new Amazon project is a major advancement for the Shreveport-Bossier City metro area and for Louisiana’s economy,” Gov. Edwards said. “In addition to providing strong benefits, Amazon will pay workers double the minimum wage or more in a state-of-the-art technology environment. Only a year ago, we dedicated Hunter Industrial Park as one site in a growing inventory of LED Certified Sites that now numbers 126 statewide. Through partnerships with our elected officials, economic development allies and utility partners, we are proving that great things are possible in Louisiana when we make smart plans for the future.”
One of every five U.S. residents lives within a 500-mile radius of Shreveport, making the location enviable for distribution and logistics companies. Amazon will begin construction of its Shreveport fulfillment center immediately, with plans to open the site in September 2022 in time for its busiest e-commerce season.
“Amazon may be a global business, but it’s made up of small businesses and communities. From the local jobs we bring, to the local people we employ, train, and upskill – our business is made up of people from communities like Shreveport,” said Amazon Regional Director of Operations William Hicks. “We’re thrilled to be able to expand our operations in Northwest Louisiana and we look forward to becoming part of the fabric of the local community.”
The Amazon robotics fulfillment center in Shreveport is the largest of seven Amazon facilities operating, announced or under construction in Louisiana. The company’s committed investment in the state to-date is more than $600 million and includes seven Whole Foods Market locations. In Shreveport, Amazon employees will pick, pack and ship smaller customer orders, such as books, toys, electronics and other household items.
“The City of Shreveport is committed to developing a diverse business community,” Mayor Adrian Perkins said. “We are excited to be the new home for a state-of-the-art distribution center. This will be a valuable asset to our community and will provide employment opportunities to hundreds of our residents. This project could change the life trajectory for many of our citizens who are still dealing with the financial fallout from the ongoing pandemic.”
LED and its economic development partners began formal discussions with Amazon about a potential Shreveport fulfillment center in August 2020. To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered the company a competitive incentive package that includes the comprehensive workforce solutions of LED FastStart®, the nation’s No. 1 state workforce training and talent attraction program. To offset site infrastructure costs, Amazon will be eligible for a $5 million performance-based grant payable in two installments during 2022 and 2023. In addition, the Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board is negotiating a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, agreement with the company.
“Great things are happening in Caddo Parish, and we are delighted to welcome Amazon into our parish and region,” said Caddo Parish Commission President Lyndon B. Johnson. “The arrival of such a large and multidimensional distribution center to Caddo Parish will undoubtedly have a significant impact on our area’s economy. The ability to utilize over 1,000 members of our community’s diverse and talented workforce will enhance the quality of life for our residents, and is a result of the strong collaboration between our governing bodies and community partners to create a winning opportunity for Amazon and the parish.”
In 2020, Amazon ranked Louisiana No. 5 among all states for the fastest annual growth among its digital entrepreneur partners. More than 14,500 small and medium-sized businesses in the state participate in Amazon’s fulfillment network and collectively recorded a 49 percent growth in recent year-over-year sales.
“We are thrilled to have Amazon become a new major employer in North Louisiana,” said Chairman Chap Breard of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership. “Their decision to locate in Shreveport confirms that North Louisiana’s competitive strategic location, strong stakeholder partnerships and project-ready industrial sites are critical for success in economic development.”
The hiring of most employees for Amazon’s Shreveport fulfillment center will begin in the summer of 2022, approximately three months prior to the launch of the facility. To keep up-to-date with career opportunities at Amazon in Shreveport, visit https://opportunities.ledfaststart.com/AmazonShreveport.
About LED Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state’s business environment and creating a more vibrant Louisiana economy. LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunities for the people of Louisiana and promotes business opportunities for employers of all sizes. In 2020, LED attracted 58 new economic development projects representing 11,600 new jobs, 8,600 retained jobs and $12.7 billion in new capital investment. LED’s Small Business Services team, in conjunction with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network, assisted more than 17,500 Louisiana small businesses and entrepreneurs in 2020. For more information, visit OpportunityLouisiana.com.
DESCRIPTION: Ecco Ride is now accepting applications for Bus Drivers in Natchitoches Parish.
Health, Life, Dental, Vision, 401K
Drivers have daily minimum, plus charter opportunities
Air-conditioned buses
QUALIFICATIONS: Must be 21 years of age with a clean driving record, no criminal background, pre-employment drug screen, ability to obtain a CDL Class B license with P and S endorsements, and a passion for children and giving back to the community. Full training is provided.
CONTACT: Call to learn more 318-352-6465 or apply online at www.eccoride.com
WINN: Thompson Beth Ramona December 25, 1945 – May 11, 2021 Service: Saturday, may 15 at 10 am at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Winnfield
Robert Hall, Sr November 7, 1936 – May 4, 2021 Service: Saturday, May 15 at 11 am in the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, located at 117 MLK Drive in
NATCHITOCHES: Earnestine Durahm May 10, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Dan P. Roberson May 12, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Margaret Carter Cooper November 2, 1961 – May 10, 2021 Arrangements TBA
James “J.T.” Vertner June 30, 1953 – May 11, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Brenda Gail Rachal Knight December 01, 1963 – May 08, 2021 Service: Tuesday, May 18 at 1 pm at Christian Worship Center, located at 1513 Hwy. 494 in Natchitoches
Clyde Ray Jackson October 19, 1951 – May 7, 2021 Service: Saturday, May 15 at 11 am at the Winnfield Funeral Home
Willie Carr May 23, 1945 – May 07, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Phillip Lloyd Gillis March 13, 1968 – April 29, 2021 Service: Saturday, May 29, 2021 from 1-5 pm at the home of Ryan and Bekah French Home, located at 1615 Williams Ave. in Natchitoches
Ruben Sawyer September 13, 1959 – May 04, 2021 Service: Saturday, May 15 at 2 pm at the Lake Street Church of Christ
SABINE: Jo Ann Richards March 11, 1957 – May 8, 2021 Service: Friday, May 14 at 10 am at Hornbeck Full Gospel Church
RED RIVER: Charlene Pueblo October 22, 1957 – May 10, 2021 Service: Friday, May 14 at 2 pm at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel
Rotary Club of Winnfield is hosting a 5K Run/Walk on May 15, 2021, in downtown Winnfield at the Winn Parish Courthouse.
Registration will begin at 8:00 AM and the start gun will sound off at 9:00 AM.
Early registration is $25.00 per person. Registration at the event is $30.00 per person. An event t-shirt will be included with the entry fee for those who register early.
Contact Jodi Taylor at 832-573-5085 or jodidawnt@gmail.com to find out about team discounts.
You may also drop off your registration form and money at the Gates Law Firm / Winnfield City Court, 200 N. Church Street, Winnfield, Louisiana.
Pick-up Registration forms at one of the following locations:
Gates Law Firm
Mayor’s office
T&L Vinyl
Sunshine Cleaners
The Rotary Club of Winnfield has served Winn Parish since it was chartered in 1927. The Rotary motto “Service Above Self” embodies what our club members strive to be, a thoughtful and helpful person in all one’s endeavors. We, as Rotarians, undertake activities to improve the quality of life in our community. Our service projects frequently involve assistance to youth, the aged, handicapped and others who look to Rotary as a source of hope for a better life. Just a few of the services we provide and projects we are involved in are:
Annual college Scholarships $6,000 (award four $1,500 scholarships to graduating seniors)
School Uniform Program (provide school uniforms to +/- 70 income challenged students)
Annual Rotary Dictionary Project (give a free dictionary to every 3rd-grade student in Winn Parish)
Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camp sponsorships for 3 High School Students
Annual Hot Dog cookout for youth baseball
Support efforts to boost local adult literacy program (support and tutor local adult literacy)
During World War II, allied forces used naval mines, self-contained underwater explosives, to destroy enemy ships and submarines. Sailors armed and deposited the mines in key areas where enemy ship traffic, especially German submarines known as U-boats, was likely. The slightest nudge ignited the mines. Sharks became an issue in the allied forces’ naval mining operation. Naturally curious, sharks frequently swam up to the naval mines for a closer look. In trying to determine what the mines were, sharks often bumped into the mines which triggered the mines and led to explosions. The military was not as much concerned for the welfare of the sharks as they were for the loss of the mines. Naval mining operations were time consuming, tedious, dangerous, and expensive. They needed some way to repel sharks from the mines.
Soon after the United States entered World War II, Carolyn McWilliams felt drawn to the war effort. She said later in life that “Everybody that I knew was in the Army or the Navy or down in Washington, so that’s where I went.” Carolyn tried to join the Women’s Army Corps (WACS) and the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), but was rejected by both because, they claimed, she was too tall. Carolyn stood 6’2” tall. Undeterred and eager to do her part, Carolyn volunteered to work in the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Carolyn was just one of 4,500 other women who worked for the OSS. She worked as a file secretary and typed up thousands of names on small note cards for a system which was used to keep track of officers’ locations in the era before computers. Carolyn was well-educated and ambitious. Within a short time, she was transferred to the Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section, a top-secret experimental research project.
One of Carolyn’s tasks within the OSS was more suited to a chemist than someone whose previous work was as a file secretary. Carolyn’s job was to develop a chemical shark repellent. Her superiors hoped that in addition to keeping sharks away from naval mines, downed pilots in the ocean could use a shark deterrent to stave off shark attacks while they awaited rescue.
Sharks have a heightened sense of smell, hundreds of times more powerful than a human. They have the ability to detect trace amounts of various compounds in millions of gallons of water. During her experiments, Carolyn learned that sharks avoided dead sharks. With this information, Carolyn set out to develop a recipe that smelled like a dead shark.
Carolyn was pampered in an upper-class household. Her father graduated from Princeton University and became wealthy in the real estate business. Her mother was an heiress to a paper company. Her grandfather was a lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. Carolyn had no experience with recipes or cooking because the family had hired cooks. Undeterred, Carolyn eagerly accepted the challenge.
Carolyn tried various combinations of putrid-smelling recipes, many of which attracted sharks rather than repelled them. Finally, after numerous attempts, she found one which showed a slight repellence. Carolyn’s recipe was a mixture of copper acetate and black dye made into a cake. Although the CIA eventually released Carolyn’s dead shark cake recipe, its use during World War II remains classified. Some sources claim that Carolyn’s shark repellent “was a critical tool during WWII and was coated on explosives that were targeting German U-boats.”
Carolyn learned that the OSS was planning to send people overseas. She had always wanted to travel and pushed for overseas duty. In 1944, the OSS transferred Carolyn to Ceylon, present day Sri Lanka, and Kunming, China, where she worked as Chief of the OSS Registry. The Registry served all American intelligence branches, and Carolyn, who had the highest security clearance due to her position, knew every top-secret message that passed into and out of her office.
While abroad, Carolyn met another OSS officer who was well-educated, well-traveled and loved fine French cuisine. Carolyn and Paul fell in love. In September of 1946, just over a year after the allied victory in World War II, Carolyn and Paul married. With the war over, Carolyn returned to civilian life while Paul continued to work in intelligence. In 1948, Paul was assigned to the U.S. Information Agency in France. Carolyn had always wanted to visit France, but being the driven person she was, she needed a task, a purpose. She enrolled in one of France’s most prestigious cooking schools, Le Cordon Bleu. Up until this point, the only significant recipe she had experimented with was her shark repellent cakes.
In 1951, Carolyn graduated from Le Cordon Bleu. For most people, graduating from such a prominent school would have been enough. Carolyn, however, knew that there was more that she wanted to learn. She studied under several master chefs in France and continued to experiment in the culinary arts. In that same year, she began working with two authors on a French cookbook for Americans. Ten years later, the trio finally found a publisher who was interested in publishing their 726-page Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The book was a best-seller and is still in print.
The book was the first leap in Carolyn’s culinary career. Carolyn became a syndicated author, wrote numerous books which were designed to teach Americans how to cook French cuisine, and became the most widely seen cooking host on television from the 1960s until the 1990s. It is difficult to imagine that Carolyn’s culinary career began during World War II with a recipe for shark repellent. Rather than repel, her recipes have attracted the attention of millions of people around the world. Back in 1948, Julia Carolyn McWilliams married Paul Child and became Julia Child.
Sources:
News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida), July 10, 2015, p.A13.
Naval Aviation Training Division Guide, Shark Sense, March 1944.
Crushing new taxes on job creators, along with workers staying home because they make more money not working, is harming our very productive economy.
President Reagan once stated, “I believe the best social program is a job.” That simple truth remains, and the Biden Administration would be wise to heed it.
The $2 trillion Biden plan will directly reduce wages, eliminate jobs, and restrict economic growth while decreasing private market investment, ultimately causing the U.S. to become less competitive. Why is that?
Because, among several other reasons, the proposal will increase the tax burden on entrepreneurs who create the very jobs a strong economy needs by raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent. Biden also plans to raise the long-term capital gains tax rate from its current 23.8% to a whopping 43.4%. (Note, the top capital gains tax rate for Chinese investors is only 20%. Yes, that means the U.S. will be punishing investors more than Communist China).
The corporate tax rate is damaging enough but that, unfortunately, is not all the Biden plan does. Among other things, it will also add a new minimum 15% tax on “book income” (income corporations publicly report on their financial statements to shareholders), increase taxes on multinational corporations based in the U.S., and undermine and weaken American competitiveness through a new international agreement between high-tax countries. (Heritage.org). It will also continue hammering the fossil-fuel industry, this time with targeted tax increases. (Recall on his first day in office Pres. Biden revoked a permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline and also froze new leases for oil and gas drilling on federal lands and the issuance of new drilling permits).
What does all of this mean? In the simplest terms, if our federal (or state) government too heavily taxes economic activity we will have less economic activity. Taxes create a disincentive to provide or produce goods or services. For this reason, the power to tax is also the power to destroy. (Chief Justice John Marshall). Along these same lines we should also note that one of the most critical elements of job and business creation is the presence of individuals who are willing to take a risk—often a significant financial risk—that their business will succeed. The way you entice these individuals to do that is with affordable financial capital (start-up/investment dollars) to buy the equipment, lease or buy the space and/or location, and hire the people they will need to launch their business. If they cannot afford to borrow this start-up capital the business—and those jobs—will never be created.
Although we never seem to learn it, the lesson never changes when the government dramatically increases spending and significantly raises taxes the result is less economic growth, fewer jobs, and lower wages. Always. And, given that we are still recovering from government mandated Covid shutdowns the last thing we need to do is impose huge new taxes.
Taken together, these plans and the vast new taxes they include serve to put a drag on our increasingly vibrant post-Covid economy. I am hopeful that Congress will reject such harmful tax increases and instead focus on a concrete pro-growth agenda that keeps all taxes low—and job creators and job creation thriving in our economy.
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.
The U.S. Treasury recently released the breakdown of how more than $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds will be distributed.
Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments can spend the money to:
Support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease the spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control;
Replace lost public sector revenue to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs;
Support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses; and,
Address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the unequal impact of the pandemic on certain populations.
The money can be distributed to provide support for households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers, and the communities hardest-hit by the crisis. These funds also deliver resources that recipients can invest in building, maintaining, or upgrading their water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, officials say.
“Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments with a substantial infusion of resources to meet pandemic response needs and rebuild a stronger, more equitable economy as the country recovers. Within the categories of eligible uses, recipients have broad flexibility to decide how best to use this funding to meet the needs of their communities,” the treasury document states.
According to the document, recipients may use Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to:
Support public health expenditures, by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff;
Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector;
Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic;
Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have borne and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors; and,
Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet.
“Within these overall categories, Treasury’s Interim Final Rule provides guidelines and principles for determining the types of programs and services that this funding can support, together with examples of allowable uses that recipients may consider. As described below, Treasury has also designed these provisions to take into consideration the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency on those hardest hit by the pandemic,” the document states.
Here’s the breakdown for the nation:
Type
Amount ($ billions)
States & District of Columbia
$195.3
Counties
$65.1
Metropolitan Cites
$45.6
Tribal Governments
$20.0
Territories
$4.5
Non-Entitlement Units of Local Government
$19.5
Louisiana is slated to receive $3,011,136,886.60. Louisiana’s “non-entitlement units or local government” programs are slated to receive $315,493,318.00
And here’s the break down for Louisiana, by parish.
Acadia Parish $12,051,514.00 Allen Parish $4,977,744.00 Ascension Parish $24,591,343.00 Assumption Parish $4,252,070.00 Avoyelles Parish $7,797,501.00 Beauregard Parish $7,283,353.00 Bienville Parish $2,571,909.00 Bossier Parish $24,675,836.00 Caddo Parish $46,656,811.00 Calcasieu Parish $39,515,058.00 Caldwell Parish $1,926,455.00 Cameron Parish $1,354,424.00 Catahoula Parish $1,844,098.00 Claiborne Parish $3,043,714.00 Concordia Parish $3,740,835.00 De Soto Parish $5,334,366.00 East Baton Rouge Parish $85,476,302.00 East Carroll Parish $1,332,669.00 East Feliciana Parish $3,716,749.00 Evangeline Parish $6,486,587.00 Franklin Parish $3,887,679.00 Grant Parish $4,348,801.00 Iberia Parish $13,563,659.00 Iberville Parish $6,314,881.00 Jackson Parish $3,058,087.00 Jefferson Davis Parish $6,092,866.00 Jefferson Parish $84,006,695.00 LaSalle Parish $2,892,596.00 Lafayette Parish $47,469,893.00 Lafourche Parish $18,960,375.00 Lincoln Parish $9,079,086.00 Livingston Parish $27,346,613.00 Madison Parish $2,127,103.00 Morehouse Parish $4,831,483.00 Natchitoches Parish $7,411,744.00 Orleans Parish $75,780,898.00 Ouachita Parish $29,772,649.00 Plaquemines Parish $4,505,745.00 Pointe Coupee Parish $4,220,798.00 Rapides Parish $25,182,604.00 Red River Parish $1,639,760.00 Richland Parish $3,908,463.00 Sabine Parish $4,639,187.00 St. Bernard Parish $9,176,593.00 St. Charles Parish $10,314,053.00 St. Helena Parish $1,968,022.00 St. James Parish $4,097,651.00 St. John the Baptist Parish $8,320,585.00 St. Landry Parish $15,951,624.00 St. Martin Parish $10,378,345.00 St. Mary Parish $9,585,270.00 St. Tammany Parish $50,583,338.00 Tangipahoa Parish $26,175,162.00 Tensas Parish $841,829.00 Terrebonne Parish $21,455,754.00 Union Parish $4,294,220.00 Vermilion Parish $11,559,314.00 Vernon Parish $9,212,527.00 Washington Parish $8,972,643.00 Webster Parish $7,447,096.00 West Baton Rouge Parish $5,140,516.00 West Carroll Parish $2,103,601.00 West Feliciana Parish $3,023,901.00 Winn Parish $2,700,689.00
Additionally, metro areas will receive funding. Here’s Louisiana’s list: Alexandria $11,290,002.00 Baton Rouge $79,966,896.00 Bossier City $13,428,592.00 Hammond city $5,242,946.00 Houma-Terrebonne $23,348,003.00 Kenner $13,833,851.00 Lafayette $38,256,658.00 Lake Charles $16,918,986.00 Monroe $18,327,658.00 New Orleans $311,742,151.00 Shreveport $48,240,338.00 Slidell $4,757,764.00 Thibodaux $3,723,957.00
The Winn Parish School Board is requesting applications for the position of Superintendent
The deadline for applying is May 14, 2021
Interested persons may obtain applications and instructions by visiting our website at https://www.winnpsb.us
Completed applications must be postmarked by the application deadline and must be mailed to:
Winn Superintendent Search P.O. Box 1100 Winnfield, LA 71483
Minimum Requirements:
Certified (or eligible for immediate certification as confirmed in writing by LDOE) as Superintendent of Schools in the State of Louisiana
Salary: Negotiated by the Board
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. *Winn Parish School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of service.
NATCHITOCHES: Brenda Gail Rachal Knight December 01, 1963 – May 08, 2021 Service: Tuesday, May 18 at 1 pm at Christian Worship Center, located at 1513 Hwy. 494 in Natchitoches
Taylor Madison Weaver April 2, 2002-May 9, 2021 Visitation will be from 5-9 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at the funeral home. Service: Friday, May 14 at 11 a.m. at Rockett Funeral Home, Ringgold. Cemetery: Hathorn Cemetery, Ashland, Louisiana.
Spencer Castleberry August 27, 1972 – May 10, 2021 Service: Wednesday, May 12 at 2 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Todd Moore August 31, 1962 – May 10, 2021 Service: Thursday, May 13 at 10 am at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Robert Hall, Sr November 7, 1936 – May 4, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Clyde Ray Jackson October 19, 1951 – May 7, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Willie Carr May 23, 1945 – May 07, 2021 Arrangements TBA
Phillip Lloyd Gillis March 13, 1968 – April 29, 2021 Service: Saturday, May 29, 2021 from 1-5 pm at the home of Ryan and Bekah French Home, located at 1615 Williams Ave. in Natchitoches
Ruben Sawyer September 13, 1959 – May 04, 2021 Arrangements TBA
SABINE: Jo Ann Richards March 11, 1957 – May 8, 2021 Service: Friday, May 14 at 10 am at Hornbeck Full Gospel Church
Martha C. Foshee January 19, 1929 – May 9, 2021 Service: Thursday, May 13 at 10 am at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel
