Louisiana Should Respond to Climate Change

The punishing heat wave in the western United States and heavy flooding in the Northeast from Tropical Storm Elsa provide more evidence that the world’s climate is changing.

I think of Al Gore. The former U.S. senator and Vice President held the first Congressional hearings on global warming in the 1970s. His 2007 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, offered a clear-cut message of the threat of climate catastrophe and won him a Nobel Peace Prize.

Gore’s public acclaim made him a threat to the special interests under pressure to change their climate-warming ways and the politicians who defended them.

Now we know from legal proceedings and independent reporting that fossil-fuel interests knew in the 1950s their products were warming the Earth. An ExxonMobil internal document in 1982 declared the science on climate change was “unanimous” and would cause “significant changes in the earth’s climate.”

But the oil industry publicly doubted its own science, much like Big Tobacco did when its research blamed smoking for cancer and heart disease. Exxon and other companies launched a systematic campaign to question the science of global warming and prevent meaningful action.

My home in Bossier Parish lies in the middle of the Haynesville Shale gas fields. As a landowner, state senator and utility regulator I have had a great deal of involvement with Louisiana’s oil and gas industry. It has provided tax revenue, good jobs and economic benefit. But I have seen firsthand the industry’s heavy hand on our political leadership.

In the early 1980s Governor Dave Treen, a conservative Republican, proposed the Coastal Wetlands Environmental Levy. CWEL was designed to address industry’s damage to our fragile coast with a tax on oil and gas produced offshore and processed in our state’s refineries and facilities.

In reply, industry and its allies, supporters of Treen when he ran in 1979, turned on him and helped defeat him for re-election in 1983.

Oil representatives in the 1990s similarly rejected my plan to modernize Louisiana’s 1920s system of taxing oil and gas. I said taxing only the oil and gas produced in Louisiana was wrong when far greater volumes of hydrocarbons produced offshore but processed in Louisiana were untaxed.

These hard lessons have convinced me that Louisiana suffers from the Resource Curse. The phrase refers to a nation (or state, in my example) with its wealth concentrated in a few industries. The industries develop enough influence and power to undercut the public interest and bend the government to their will.

For Louisiana, the Resource Curse helps explain why our state finishes poorly in measures of economic wellbeing despite our fossil-fuel resources, forests, rich soils and assets like the Mississippi River.

At the Public Service Commission, I have urged Louisiana electric companies to favor energy efficiency and solar and wind power. This has proved a challenge due to our abundant natural gas, cheap lignite coal and low rates for electricity. Early in my tenure I promoted power from offshore wind and rooftop solar.

The utilities, confident of backing from other PSC members, ignored wind and actively opposed rooftop solar.

In our last debate over rooftop solar I predicted the utilities would begin building their own solar plants to replace some of their fossil-fuel generation.

That is where we are headed. We are an energy state, not just an oil and gas state. We have a task force studying climate change and are promoting offshore wind. Our coastal industries are helping to build a wind-power sector. Utilities are investing in renewables.

Al Gore was right on climate. Louisiana is now recognizing that it is vulnerable to rising seas and damaging storms. We can fight climate change, develop new industries and jobs, and watch our state prosper. It is not too late.

WINN:
None to report

NATCHITOCHES:
Terry Wayne Davis
September 04, 1953 – July 20, 2021
A graveside service will be held at a later date where he will be interred next to his sister Carolyn at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches.

Patricia Burford Churchman
April 25, 1944 – July 21, 2021
Service: Monday, July 26 at 10 am at the Gloster Trinity Cemetery in Gloster

Otis Lil’ Bug James Williams
October 01, 1984 – July 23, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Shirley Ann Grappe Eiland
June 22, 1943 – July 23, 2021
Service: Tuesday, July 27 at 3 pm in the chapel of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

Juanita Virece
April 18, 1967 – July 25, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Alice Lovick
July 21, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Sam Telsee
July 22, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Cynthia D. French
May 15, 1958 – July 05, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Winnfield Police Department Press Release 7-23-2021

Yesterday at approximately 6 PM Winnfield Police were alerted to a car chase that began in the small village of Creola about 40 miles south of Winnfield.  Winn Parish Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to use spike strips just south of town but were unsuccessful.  The fleeing vehicle entered the Winnfield city limits from US 167S, then made a turn onto South Jones Street and just past the Moss Street intersection crossed into the opposing lane of traffic striking another vehicle head-on. 

The other vehicle was driven by Jason James, 18, of Dodson.  His young juvenile sister was a passenger in the vehicle.  Both were transported to the Winn Parish Medical Center where they were treated and released with relatively minor injuries.

The fleeing vehicle, registered in Texas, was occupied by Tarik Rouchon, age 21, of Baldwin, LA.  It is unclear if he was the driver or a passenger.  He was trapped and was extricated from the vehicle by Winnfield Fire Department personnel. 

Officers from Creola recovered THC crystals, THC oils, and over $14,000 in cash from the vehicle, as well as several weapons.  Rouchon was transported by ambulance to Rapides Regional Medical Center in guarded condition. 

This incident remains under investigation by the Creola Police Department. 

Chief Carpenter stated he was pleased with the cooperation between departments which included the Winnfield Fire Department, Winnfield Police Department, Creola Police Department, Advance EMS Services and the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office who also assisted with the tracking team from the Winn Parish Correctional Facility. 

By: Bob Holeman

Jacque Derr retired Dec. 31, 2020, after serving 12 years as Judge of the Eighth Judicial District Court in Winn. But due to COVID protocol, there was no celebration, no sendoff. That delayed event would come six months later when on Friday, July 16, the retired judge was finally able to hang his portrait on the courtroom wall together with the judges who preceded him.

Those portraits belong to Cas Moss, Robert W. Oglesby, Harwell L. Allen, Hiram T. Wright, Douglas H. Allen and Jim W. Wiley.

One morning earlier in the week, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a fig muffin served to me by Laure, his wife of nearly 51 years, at their breakfast table. Jacque sat at his chair of honor at the table’s head. No black robe. Just casual clothes and an LSU cap firmly and proudly atop his head throughout the interview.
In his familiar gravelly voice, he tells me he was born in Ruston on Oct. 24, 1947, the first child of John Chester Derr and Elinor Anne Love Derr. The couple met at Kilgore College in Texas where Anne was one of the famed Kilgore Rangerettes and Chester had recently returned from World War II where he had flown as a radio operator for Army Air Corps.

Chester used his GI Bill to attend Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, graduating with a degree in forestry and working briefly in the forestry industry before an opportunity opened up at the Winn Parish Enterprise. Anne was a niece to the Riser family. At the age of 5, Jacque moved to Winnfield.

In 1965, Jacque was part of the first graduating class of the new Winnfield Senior High School. His path to law school took a little turn when he initially enrolled in the Air Force Academy Preparatory School. But by fall of that same year, he decided on his new course and resigned. He enrolled at his father’s alma mater, Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, receiving his BS degree in Business Administration in 1970, the same year the school officially changed its names to Louisiana Tech University.

July 25 that year was also significant when Laure Spatafora of Monroe whom Jacque had been dating since fall 1967 became his wife.

Jacque entered Law School at LSU that fall and was graduated October 1973.

During his college years, Jacque was in the Air Force Reserve and received an educational delay because of his studies. “I was supposed to be a pilot but the war in Vietnam was winding down and they didn’t need pilots. So, I ended up at Barksdale AFB as a JAG (Judge Advocate General) officer to fulfill my obligation to the Air Force. I remained there until January 1974 and was Captain when I received my honorable discharge.”
He was able to hang out his law shingle a month later when they moved back to Winnfield, and he went into partnership with Kermit M. Simmons. “I continued 28 years, with a general office practice specializing in real estate and business transactions.”

In 1996, Jacque was elected Winnfield City Judge, following Jim Wiley who had been elected District Judge. In 2008, he was elected District Judge, again following Jim Wiley who had retired.

One of the legacies that Jacque left for his successor, Anastasia Wiley, was a backlog of criminal cases due to the COVID shutdowns of 2020. “We were ordered by the Supreme Court not to have court. I was not allowed to fashion my own safety plan which I could have done easily due to the few numbers of cases that normally come before my court. Jury trials were prohibited. The Supreme Court gradually eased restrictions but those were not totally lifted by the time I retired.”

Jacque was 73 when he retired. The state constitution prohibits anyone running for a judgeship after the age of 70. When Jacque took office for his final term in 2017, he had not reached that benchmark. “Even without that law, I would not have run again this time anyway.”

While Jacque was practicing law, Laure was teaching school and rearing a family. She taught for 30 years as a fulltime teacher and another 15 as an interventionist, helping students who are having problems in classrooms.
They are active members of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Winnfield.

The Derrs have three children: Jean Anne Bushong, a CPA; Jamie Lynn Gonzales, an RN; and Jacque D. Derr Jr., a PT and OT. They have six grandchildren: Laura Bushong, Mia Gonzales, Cole Derr, Sean Derr, Lainey Derr and Cooper Derr.
I’d wrapped up the essence of my interview and thought to add an anecdote or two to lighten the feature’s tone. Jacque and Laure shared some thoughts for the next 20 minutes or so while I took notes. Jacque chuckled over several. I put down my pen and drank the last of my coffee, now cold. As I later wrote this feature, I saw it was long enough, so any other tales died on my notepad.

However, as I prepared to leave the breakfast room, Laure made a final observation and I picked up my pen once more.
“The focus,” said the longtime educator, “should be on little kids. You see, Jacque came from a modest background. A hard-working Christian family. And he accomplished so much. The message to children is that you can do anything you want if you’ll work for it. ‘Firm but Fair,’ that was Jacques’ motto.”

Pictured above: The Winn Parish courtroom was filled with friends and courthouse associates Friday, July 16, for a retirement celebration for District Judge Jacque Derr.   While Derr retired at the close of 2020, the reception was postponed some six months due to COVID protocol.  Family members able to attend are shown with the retired judge. From left are wife Laure, grandson Cole Derr and son Jacque Derr Jr.

Youngsters will have one last chance for some summer adventure before school begins here in Winn in early August with Vacation Bible School activities in the Joyce community at East Winnfield Baptist Church.

There will be a lot of construction underway at East Winnfield Baptist Church as children work with leaders to build faith on the foundation of Jesus during Vacation Bible School during the week of July 26 through 30, Monday through Friday.

Activities will be held each evening from 5:30 until 8:30 for children who have completed Pre-K through Grade 12. Included will be the traditional kid-friendly VBS Bible stories and lessons, games, crafts, music and snacks.

The theme this summer is “Concrete & Cranes: Building Our Faith on the Strong Foundation of Jesus Christ.”

Parents or guardians are encouraged to pre-register children by coming by the church office at 6586 Hwy 34 north which is just past the flashing light intersection of Hwy 84 east. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. If you are unable to pre-register, registration will also be held on opening day, Monday, July 26, beginning at 5 p.m.

Transportation on the church van will be available for children needing it. To sign up for transportation, please contact the church office.

Pastor Jeff Shows invites children from across the area to come and take part in this exciting ministry. “Vacation Bible School is always a marvelous summer opportunity for children to gather not only for fellowship but to learn more about Jesus. How great is our theme of Building Our Faith on Jesus?”

For more information, please call the church office at 628-5998 or VBS director Michelle Nugent at 318-413-0344.

If you provide a service or product to families, the Winn Parish Health Coalition has an excellent opportunity for you. Do you offer piano lessons, dance lessons, maybe karate or gymnastics? Do you help with counseling services, or perhaps medical services?  Are you a business that provides rentals for birthday parties? Are you a civic organization looking for new members?

The Winn Parish Health Coalition is hosting our annual Back to School Bash Friday, July 30th, at the First United Church of Winnfield from 9 AM – 1 PM.  At this event, each vendor that provides a service or product will have a table to showcase what they can do for the community. 

We want to show the community what is available in Winn Parish to help their families thrive.  This event is free to parents, children, and vendors.

As a parent who wants to get off work and travel 30-40 miles to make sure their child has every opportunity to flourish when all we need could be right here in our community?

For further information, please call Kimberly at 318-413-0040 or 318-729-6756. 

Let’s be completely honest with one another. Southern moms just know how to dress children. Boys and girls, Southern kids are generally the cutest kids on the block. Southern moms also know the power of classic smocked outfits and pinafore dresses. Outfitting a newborn for a first-time mom is one of the sweetest ventures that one could undertake. When I found out my first child was going to be a girl, I eagerly began the planning and plotting to make sure she was adorable and presentable.

As a child, I was never the best dressed. In all my childhood photos I always appeared like I had just rolled out of bed with a bad haircut and I truly wanted to avoid this with my own children.

I spent so many hours planning her coming home outfit, outfits for her first photos and of course they would have to have the matching bows. Most Southern moms would agree that they have spent most of their hard-earned paychecks to buy the biggest bows that their child’s head can support without regard to the possibility of future chiropractic care.

I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion, especially when I only had one daughter to dress. One of the best compliments I ever received was from a neighbor who told me she could always spot Meredith down the street because she was the only child who matched. That still makes me smile to this day. My child matched….

However, having a stylish child was all thrown out of the window when my second daughter came along. Yes, Kathryn wore smocked dresses but would only wear Crocs with them. Yes, she wore bows, but she was also known to throw them out of the car window when no one was looking or simply place them in the trash. No, she did not match and had no desire to wear anything that I put on her body. She had an affection for wearing fake high heels with her soccer uniform and everything that was glittery, gaudy, and sequined to the hilt.

If she didn’t look so much like me, I would have sworn that I brought home Dolly Parton’s child.

Somewhere along the way I merely gave up and let her dress herself. Since I was an older mom and more confident in my mothering skills, I did not even apologize for her appearance or her lack of bows and smocking. It was truly painless, I just let her dress herself and my house was much more peaceful, and my budget applauded what it saw.

Although I had a newfound freedom in caring less about what my daughter is wearing it does not stop me from trying to micromanage her style from time to time. This summer while on our way home from vacation we stopped for coffee and gas and I noticed that Kathryn was wearing bright pink shorts, turquoise Jesus sandals with socks, and a tourist t-shirt she found in one of the shops in downtown Jackson Hole. To top it off, literally, she had shimmery tinsel from Amazon that was weaved into her hair.

I mildly scoffed at her outfit under my breath and laughingly told her she looked like Rainbow Brite. She was not phased, she said she felt beautiful.

As we were leaving a lady walked up to Kathryn and said, “I am loving so much about your outfit right now….the bright colors, the shoes, the hair….who did your hair? I would love some of that in my hair”

After Kathryn gave me an “I told you so” glance they then began a ten-minute-long discussion about the proper way to care for the shimmery tinsel once it was weaved into place. As I watched them converse about style, I could only think about the hours upon hours of time that women spend worrying about their clothes, hair, makeup and just their appearance in general.

We have multibillion dollar industries designed to cater to women and their insecurities about the way they dress or look. So much wasted time worrying about our outer appearances when all of this is just a distraction from what is really going on in our souls.

Worrying about what to wear, when to wear it and how to wear does not even register on the radar of worries in the Kingdom of God. But yet it was addressed for us in Mathew 6:28. It tells us to consider the lilies of field…how they grow and how they toil not. They do not worry about a thing; they know God will take care of them. God is not concerned about our fashion choices; he is more concerned about whether his children live with him in eternity.

“Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? Or in what shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom, and his righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you.”
Mathew 6:31-33

Here’s an interview I did last week with the 2021 Bassmaster Classic Champion Hank Cherry. Hank just accomplished what only three other anglers have ever done in history by winning back-to-back Classics. Today you’ll see from his perspective how this tournament unfolded and allowed him to win once again. Financially, a Classic win is worth $300,000 but the impact it has on an angler’s career is huge. Now let’s here from the man himself…Hank Cherry!

Angler’s Perspective: Hank have you recovered from the Classic and the high temperatures you all experienced at Ray Roberts?

Hank: “The heat was unbearable and just the grind of the Bassmaster Classic getting up at 3:00 in the morning every day takes a toll on you both mentally and physically. Now I’m just trying to figure out what happens next and where do we go from here? At the same time, I’m trying to get the family settled back down and make sure they are taken care of before setting out and completing the 2021 regular Elite Series season.”

Angler’s Perspective: This being your second go round with winning the Classic, you should have a pretty good idea for what lies ahead. Compare last year’s win to this year.

Hank: “Well last year I won this event during the Covid 19 pandemic and this year’s win has already been a lot different. I missed out on several promotional opportunities last year with all the restrictions of Covid 19. But this go round, it looks like I’ll be traveling more and doing more speaking engagements which I really like. I enjoy the interaction with other anglers and the fans. Heck, I might have to hire a travel agent! This year I’m really looking forward to a true victory tour.”

Angler’s Perspective:: Hank, several anglers who many thought would win this event really stumped their toe and struggled. Was it an advantage for you to not have any experience or history on this body of water?

Hank: “I’ve never been a huge practice guy, but this tournament if you knew anything, then you really knew nothing due to the high-water conditions and the lake changing every day. There were bushes that are normally on the water’s edge, that were now 4 feet under water. Also, that late winter freeze they had in this region back in the early spring, really set everything back about a month. So, for this event, you really had to fish the moment and disregard what you might have learned in practice due to the constant changing conditions.”

Angler’s Perspective:: Tell us about day 1 and 2 and what you did to catch a good limit both days.

Hank: “Well the first 2 days I got off to a great start by catching a 6 pounder and 5 pounders early. This really put me in position to fish the way I wanted to by flipping the bushes and throwing a jerk bait along the dam. The problem in this event was the fact that there was an early shad spawn bite up until 8:00 or 8:30. Then it got really tough, and it became a true grind as the bite really slowed down. But I was able to weigh-in a really good bag on day 1 at 20 pounds 4 ounces and 17 pounds 10 ounces on day 2. This was really unexpected but allowed me to get off to a great start one days one and two which set me up to go for the win on day 3.”

Angler’s Perspective: Talk about how tough it was on the final day.

Hank: “The third and final day was really tough, hot and humid. Caught one early on a jig and then I went forever without a bite. Then I caught another fish that was a 4 and 3/4 pounder that was probably the dumbest fish in the lake as I pitched to a bush and the bait ricocheted off the bush 4 feet and the fish swam out and ate the bait and went back to the bush. The turning point for me on the final was when I hung up my jig and broke it off in a bush and I decided to downsize with smaller line and a smaller profile bait which is how I caught my last three fish and finished out my limit. I actually went the last two hours of the tournament without a bite.”

Angler’s Perspective: Hank did you know you had won the Classic as you headed in or were you thinking someone probably busted a big bag toady?

Hank: “No, but I knew I had done my best considering the conditions and how tough it seemed. As I got to the weigh-in I heard that my buddy Matt Arey had caught them pretty good, but I also knew after doing the math in my head that someone would have really had to crush them to beat me. The thing about this event was that every guy in the top 5 had lost enough fish to win the Classic including Matt Arey who lost two really good fish that would have sealed the deal for him had he landed those fish. But that’s the nature and unfortunate reality of this sport. You’re going to lose some fish; you just hope it does not cost you the win.”

Angler’s Perspective: Hank earlier you talked about feeling good about how you fished this event and that you gave it your best. Have you ever fished a tournament where you did not feel this way?

Hank: “I’m sure there’s been an event or two where I defeated myself mentally. As a former baseball player, there were times when I felt like I was just going through the motions and just didn’t perform at a high level or the level that I expect. It’s not something I make a habit of but there are times when fishing is comparable to any other sport in that the mental approach is just as important as the physical approach.”

Angler’s Perspective: Hank, talk about the frame of mind going into the final day as the leader versus being a few pounds back of the leader and having to come from behind.

Hank: “Well, I’ve always said it easier doing the hunting versus being the one hunted. Your approach is totally different in the fact that you don’t have that pressure of trying to close out the tournament. Mentally when you’re chasing someone, you can just go out and fish and swing for the fences so to speak. But when you’re leading and things aren’t going your way on the final day, you start to second guess yourself and what you’re doing. But for me, I pride myself on being a closer and I can’t think of any time when I wasn’t able to close out a tournament when I did have a lead. Winning an event of this level and having won last year, gives you a tremendous amount of confidence knowing that you’ve been there and done it before.”

Angler’s Perspective:: Hank, thank you taking the time to share your incredible victory and I’m looking forward to watching you go for the three-peat in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic that will be held on your home body of water at Lake Hartwell.

Hank: “Hey thanks for having me today and I’m really looking forward to next year’s event. Hopefully I’ll being doing another interview with you!”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this interview and insight with 2021 Bassmaster Classic Champion Hank Cherry held at Lake Ray Roberts outside of Ft. Worth, Texas. Hank has done an outstanding job of representing the sport over the last year. He’s truly been a great champion and will once again do another awesome job of promoting the sport. Till next time, good luck and good fishing and don’t forget to set the hook!!

Steve Graf

Owner/Co-host

Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show

And Tackle Talk Live

WINN:
None to report

NATCHITOCHES:
Mae Belle Bynog Troquille
April 10, 1938 – July 19, 2021
Her wishes were to be cremated and a committal service after cremation will be scheduled at a later date in Gorum Cemetery in Gorum

Alice Lovick
July 21, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Bennie Mitchell
July 13, 1969 – July 20, 2021
Service: Saturday, July 24 at 2 pm in the Winnfield Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, located at 318 North Street in Natchitoches

Sam Telsee
July 22, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Cynthia D. French
May 15, 1958 – July 05, 2021
Arrangements TBA

SABINE:
Obie Travis Stewart Sr.
April 19, 1935 – July 21, 2021
Service: Friday, July 23 at 1 pm at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church

Steven Touchton Glassco
July 23, 1985 – July 16, 2021
Service: Saturday, July 24 at 10 AM at Belmont Cemetery

Yesterday at noon, the Louisiana State Senate convened a veto override session for the first time in modern history. 

It appears the primary motivation for the legislators to return for the historic veto override session was two bills – Senate Bill 156 that focuses on transgender people in female sports, and Senate Bill 118, which would allow gun carriers to carry a concealed gun without a permit. 

Senators voted 26-12 for the transgender sports ban veto override, the exact number of votes needed. The vote fell along party lines, with Republicans (including Winn Parish Senator Louie Bernard) supporting the measure and Democrats (Including Winn Parish Senator Jay Luneau) in opposition. “I’m convinced this bill is a solution looking for a problem,” said Sen. Jay Luneau.

 In the House, Republicans will need to pick up some backing from Democrats and independents to overturn the veto and enact the ban into law.

The vote to enact SB118, the concealed-carry measure, was 23-15, three votes short of the two-thirds requirement. Four senators voted for the bill during the regular session but refused to overturn Edwards’ veto: Connick; Louie Bernard, a Natchitoches Republican; Franklin Foil, a Baton Rouge Republican; and Gary Smith, a Norco Democrat.

The WPJ spoke to Louie Bernard about his change of heart regarding SB118 yesterday. “Since the regular session ended, I had time to reflect on the manner in which passage of SB-118 would affect law enforcement personnel. Many felt this would create yet another level of risk to a job already dangerous enough. I have to respect that view.

I have voted for every piece of firearm legislation since becoming a Senator. I believe wholeheartedly in the 2nd Amendment and in the right of a citizen to carry a concealed weapon. But with great freedoms come great responsibility. Therefore, I believe that SOME level of training should be in place before carrying a concealed weapon. We owe that not only to our law enforcement community but for the safety of the general public and the individual who carries the weapon.

I totally respect the views of those who believe that no training or permit should be required. In future legislative sessions, I will support efforts to make the requirements for concealed carry less onerous to our citizens,” said Bernard. 

Voting to override Gov. Edwards’ veto of permitless concealed carry (23): President Cortez, Sens Abraham, Allain, Cathey, Cloud, Fesi, Henry, Hensgens, Hewitt, Lambert, McMath, Milligan, F. Mills, R. Mills, Mizell, Morris, Peacock, Pope, Reese, Talbot, Ward, White and Womack.

Voting against overriding Senate Bill 118 (15): Sens Barrow, Bernard, Boudreaux, Bouie, Carter, Connick, Fields, Foil, Harris, Jackson, Luneau, Peterson, Price, Smith and Tarver.

The House plans to start debates on veto overrides tomorrow and one thing is certain Winn Parish will be watching to see how their representatives vote.

Eight of the elite Class of 2021 high school football scholar-athletes in north Louisiana were spotlighted last week in Shreveport, including Winnfield Senior High School’s Micah Griffin.

The setting was the pandemic-delayed National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame’s  S.M. McNaughton Chapter Scholar-Awards dinner Tuesday night at East Ridge Country Club.

Griffin will use his scholarship award while enrolling at Northwestern State, where he will study health and exercise science. He graduated from WSHS in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA, valedictorian of his senior class of 72 students.

Academic All-State in football and baseball, Griffin was a second-team all-district linebacker as a senior and second-team all-district at H-back and tight end as a junior. He was the Tigers’ defensive MVP for the 2020 season. Griffin won the 2019 Frank Iverstine 110% Award.

He also earned all-district honors as an infielder in baseball, and won the team’s 2019 Coaches Award.

He was a National Honor Society member. Griffin participated in BETA Club, FBLA, 4-H and was a Special Olympics volunteer. He served on the WSHS Student Council and was president as a senior. He was also president of Tiger Mentors, which plans and leads freshman orientation during the summer then mentors them in their first year of high school.

“He is mature, diligent, and responsible, displaying moral integrity no matter if anyone is watching while volunteering to help his fellow students and setting an example that others should follow,” said Tiger Mentor sponsor and WSHS teacher Jordan Puckett Horne.

Griffin took part in the Judgement House program and the Community Wide Cleanup Day. He has been a Dixie Youth baseball umpire. He is the son of Wayne and Lyndsey Griffin.

Last summer, Griffin worked at the Winn Parish Medical Center during the pandemic.

A crowd of more than 200 attended the scholar-athlete event, typically held at the end of winter. Because of the pandemic, it had not been held since 2019. The McNaughton Chapter board of directors, led by president Leo Sanford (who is in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame), had held the event annually for five decades until last year.

Airline High School’s Bo Meeks was one of three coaches honored, sharing Coach of the Year honors for 2019 with Haughton’s Jason Brotherton. West Monroe coach Jerry Arledge was the winner of the “Contributions to Amateur Football” award for 2020.

Along with Griffin, three more of the eight recent high school graduates honored were in attendance:  West Monroe quarterback Lane Little, Natchitoches-St. Mary’s offensive lineman Patrick Vienne, and Shreveport-Byrd safety Brayden Hermes.

The event was rescheduled after the end of the school year. NSU head football coach Brad Laird and several members of his staff attended, as they have in past years.

Winners unable to attend were Haughton linebacker Jake St. Andre, Captain Shreve kicker Alexander Auer, Cedar Creek lineman Trace Barnett and Oak Grove offensive lineman William Klink. 

Recent Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee Tim Brando of Fox Sports presented the eight scholar-athletes and interviewed the four attending.

The NFF was established in 1947 with the mission to promote the power of amateur football to develop leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic excellence. Archie Manning is the NFF chairman.

The McNaughton Chapter began awarding scholarships in 1980 and has provided over $75,000 to top performers in north Louisiana, receiving several dozen nominees annually before narrowing the field to the final recipients.

Calling all places of service! If you provide a service to families, we have a great opportunity for you. 

We are hosting our annual Back to School Bash.  At this event, each place that provides a service can have a table to showcase what they can do for the community. 

Do you provide piano lessons, dance lessons, maybe karate or gymnastics? Do you help with counseling services, or maybe medical services?  Are you a business that provides rentals for birthday parties? 

We want to show the community what they have on hand in Winn Parish to help them provide for their families.  This is a free event to parents, children, and vendors. As a parent, who wants to get off work and travel 30-40 miles to make sure their child has every opportunity to flourish when all we need could be right here in our own community.

For further information, please call Kimberly at 318-413-0040 or 318-729-6756.  Help the people you want to help by showing them what you got. We never know what service is in our area.  

Name: Deshawn M. Edwards
Date: 7-13-2021
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Charge: Contempt of Court

Name: Leon Arthur Racine, III
Date: 7-13-2021
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 48
Charge: Violation of Protective Orders

Name: Franklin Davis, Jr.
Date: 7-16-2021
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Charge: Illegal Possessiono of Stolen Things

Name: Ashley M. Evans
Date: 7-16-2021
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Charge: Failure to Appear

Name: Jeremy Paul Collins
Date: 7-18-2021
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Charge: Domestic Abuse Battery X2

Name: Jshun Tyrone Evans
Date: 7-18-2021
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Charge: Failure to Appear, Speeding 15 to 24 Over Limit, Driving Under Suspension W/O Accident

Name: Jasmine Marie Smith
Date: 7-18-2021
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Charge: Failure to Appear

USDA’S FARM SERVICE AGENCY WILL ACCEPT PATHH APPLICATIONS FROM JULY 22 THROUGH OCTOBER 15, 2021.

To be eligible for payments, individuals or legal entities must be a timber harvesting or timber hauling business where 50% or more of its gross revenue is derived from one or more of the following:

Cutting timber

Transporting timber

Processing of wood on-site on the forest land (chipping, grinding, converting to biochar, cutting to smaller lengths, etc.).

Payments will be based on the applicant’s gross revenue received from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 1, 2019, minus gross revenue received from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 1, 2020, multiplied by 80%. FSA will issue an initial payment equal to the lesser of the calculated payment amount or $2,000 as applications are approved. A second payment will be made after the signup period has ended based upon remaining PATHH funds. The maximum amount that a person or legal entity may receive directly is $125,000.