None to report

---

By Brad Dison

It was New Year’s Day 1958. The place was one where you would least expect a celebration, the oldest prison in California, San Quentin. For the previous 42 years, the Musicians Union in San Francisco had provided entertainment for the prisoners on New Year’s Day. This was the 43rd annual New Year’s Day show.

Prior to the show, the prisoners began a letter-writing campaign to the performer they wanted to see most. They had heard that the artist would be in the area at the time. They considered this artist one of their own based on the lyrics of a hit song he had recorded in 1955 and requested that he perform the song at the New Year’s Day event. The song was Folsom Prison Blues. Their letters were addressed to Johnny Cash.

Playing prisons was not new to Johnny Cash. He began receiving letters from inmates all over the United States immediately following the release of Folsom Prison Blues and had previously performed at prisons. Johnny Cash was winding down a string of personal appearances in late 1957. The last paying show on this tour was on New Year’s Eve in Oakland, California. Johnny Cash agreed to play at San Quentin for free.

Most entertainers would have had at least a slight reservation at the thought of playing in front of 4,000 hardened criminals, some of which were scheduled to die for their crimes, but not Johnny Cash. When Johnny Cash walked onto the stage, the prisoners cheered. Their applause died down as Johnny Cash tried to speak. He had almost completely lost his voice from his previous performances.

In the audience was a 20-year-old prisoner number A45200. This prisoner had spent much of his youth in juvenile detention centers for various crimes and was serving a three-year sentence in San Quentin for attempted robbery. Although he had never met Johnny Cash, the prisoner was concerned for the singer’s safety. If he was unable to perform as expected, the prisoner knew the event could easily turn into a riot.

Johnny Cash was struggling to sing. In between songs, Johnny Cash asked one of the prison guards for a glass of water. The guard stood like a statue; his only movement from exuberantly chewing gum. With the whole captive audience looking on, including prisoner number A45200, Johnny Cash mimicked the guard’s gum chewing. This single act, which none of the prisoners would have attempted for fear of reprisals, won over the audience. Prisoner number A45200 was mesmerized by the power Johnny Cash had over the crowd.

The prisoners applauded after each song. When he played Folsom Prison Blues, according to news reports, the prisoners “practically tore down the place applauding.” Johnny Cash said it was one of the most appreciative audiences he had ever had, even if it was a captive audience. Another newspaper reporter wrote the fitting headline “Johnny Steals The Show At San Quentin.”

Johnny Cash’s New Year’s Eve performance at San Quentin changed the direction of prisoner number A45200’s life. The prisoner saw how enthralled the other audience members were at Johnny Cash’s performance. The prisoner knew how to play guitar but had not seriously considered a career in music until that performance. He spent the remainder of his prison term, including his 21st birthday, writing songs. In 1960, prisoner number A45200 was released from prison. In 1963, he had his first hit single. Two more followed in 1964, and in 1966, he scored his first number one hit song. In his decades-long career, the prisoner topped the country singles chart 38 times.

Had Johnny Cash not played the San Quentin New Year’s Day show, the world might never have heard of prisoner number A45200. He once wrote that he turned 21 in prison, and no one could steer him right. Prisoner number A45200, who was steered right by Johnny Cash, was Merle Haggard.

Sources:
1. The Memphis Press-Scimitar (Memphis, Tennessee), January 3, 1958, p.13.
2. Daily Independent Journal (San Rafael, California), December 31, 1958, p.21.
3. YouTube.com. “Merle Haggard Talks About Watching Johnny Cash in Prison.” Accessed August 29, 2022. youtu.be/Lc0ixeDxkh0.

---

In a dark and sinister speech last Thursday night President Biden misused a primetime presidential address to attack, not an evil foreign government that has threatened our Nation with economic or military destruction, but rather, tens of millions of his fellow Americans.

I was stunned as I watched and couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. Traditionally, a primetime presidential address is used to speak swiftly and directly to the country about a pressing national issue in order to provide leadership toward a unified national solution.

Not Biden. This can’t be chalked up to just another of the President’s addled, incoherent remarks. This attack on millions of Americans was fully pre-meditated, employing an unnerving red and black backdrop eerily reminiscent of footage of past dictators exhorting a nation to initiate an unjust war of conquest.

Speaking in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall—where the U.S. Constitution was painfully forged and courageously signed—he labeled a large swath of American society an “existential threat to the nation.”

He specifically targeted President Trump and his 74 million supporters stating, “Trump and the “Maga (Make America Great Again)” Republicans “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic.” As such, he characterized the midterm elections as “a battle for the nation’s soul.”

Why would President Biden deliver such a harmful and dishonest speech?

Because his party is in poor shape heading into the midterm elections and he desperately needs to distract the country from his 40-year high inflation, exorbitant gas and food prices, mountainous new debt, foreign policy debacles, Wokeness Insanity, rising crime, the immigration invasion on the southern border, and his own administration’s discernable drift toward socialism.

He hopes that if he attacks President Trump and his “fascist” supporters—coupled with things like the Mar-A-Lago raid for which there is still no credible legal justification—maybe his party won’t be so blown out in November.

Let’s look at who these “MAGA fascists” really are.

They include 75-80 million Trump voters.

We are basic Americans who believe in a traditional, constitutional form of government; Who embrace and cling to the American ideal that government is not God and that our fundamental rights are from God and thus are ‘inalienable’ and can’t be taken away, and that we fully reserve the right to live as we choose, to work, pay our bills, educate our children, raise our families and worship as we see fit; That we—not government—know best how to live our lives and nurture and protect our families.

MAGA people are never going to live as science deniers, believing a boy becomes a girl simply because he wakes up one morning and thinks he is; or that transgenderism and sexual grooming perversions—in the classroom!—are appropriate for vulnerable, trapped children; or that the cruel and violent hate crime of aborting babies without anesthesia up until the moment of birth is moral or tolerable in a civilized society.

We’re never going to care about Jan. 6th until the criminals responsible for the orgy of violence, looting and murder in the Summer of Riots 2020 are arrested and prosecuted. We’re never going to view the heating and cooling of the planet as the doomsday scenario the Climate Change Religionists demand in light of the fact that the contribution of humanity to climate change is in fact “unsettled” and that there are credible opposing viewpoints—and because the real inconvenient truth is that the worst environment by far is to be cold, hungry, and unemployed.

We cherish our freedom of speech—and refuse to be silenced or cancelled—and our religion, prize our 2nd Amendment right of self-defense at a time of surging crime and defunded police; respect our police and military.

We reasonably fear that 87,000 new, armed IRS agents are going to be auditing our struggling middle-class economic existence, now rife with the punitive tax of inflation. We’re not “globalists” but, on the contrary, embrace the historically rare social and political values of the America we grew up in—this ‘last best hope of earth’ as President Lincoln stated it.

Those are the people Biden has labeled “fascists.”

Can you imagine the outcry if President Trump, or any Republican, had made comments like these?

President Biden is correct about one thing; we are in a fight “for the soul of America.” However, what millions of us mean by that and what he means by that are drastically different.

Pictured above: Royal Alexander is an attorney, writer, and former politician in his native Shreveport, Louisiana. In 2007, he was the Republican candidate for Louisiana Attorney General. In addition to his law practice, Alexander is an opinion writer, a guest lecturer at public events and education forums, and a frequent guest on various TV and radio outlets.

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.

---

Table scraps…

Sad, even discouraged, that no big country star or even a little one has bought my latest song, Losing Your Love in Fractions, One Fifth at a Time. Have semi-coveted a novelty hit ever since I was a boy and heard the timeless If There’s a Ring Around the Bathtub, I’m Coming Clean Home to You …

Remember Wordle, how everyone back at the turn of the new year was crazy about this word game? Could not swing a cat without someone asking, “You done the Wordle today?” People texting you their “Wordle Score.” I seldom think of Wordleing during these non-Wordleing times, but I did on Father’s Day: the answer was “LOSER,” which is also my now-grown daughter’s pet name for me. I texted her a screen shot of my answer. She wrote back, “They must have known.” Kids …

Lots of talk since the Field of Dreams game in Dryersville, Iowa back in August about the term “have a catch,” which, in the semi-mythical Field of Dreams movie, Kevin Costner’s character asks his dad: “Want to have a catch?” Had never heard that until 30 years ago when I watched the movie. It means “throw the baseball to each other to loosen up,” but we always said, “Do you want to play pitch,” and maybe I’d heard somebody say, “Do you want to play catch,” but never “have a catch,” and you don’t really ask it as much as you just say it. “Do you want to have a catch?” sounds too much like a proposal. Stick with “play pitch” or “play catch” …

Chicago’s Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2, in that game, by the way. Wonder if before the game, the Cubs asked the Reds, “Want to have a loss?” …

The book the movie’s based on is Shoeless Joe Comes to Iowa, by W.P. Kinsella, which is better than the movie (and I like the movie) and it’s got one extra character in it the movie doesn’t have, The Oldest Living Chicago Cub. Think about reading it, and investigate other books by the late Canadian author who passed away in 2016 at 81, a gracious gentleman who loved baseball and Scrabble and championed the oppressed. The Iowa Baseball Confederacy and a short story collection, The Thrill of the Grass, are good places to start. “Go the distance…”

Speaking of baseball, when was the last time you saw kids in a yard playing whiffle ball? …

My friend Jimmy, who knows a lot of things about different stuff, asked me an “irony” question last week because I’m the self-appointed Irony Sheriff of these here parts. Sports commentators are the worst; it’s often something like, “The Cowboys lead the Chargers by 10 here in the fourth, and ironically, the Cowboys beat the Chargers by 10 last time these two teams played.” Sigh … That’s not irony. That’s a coincidence, and not even an interesting one. If the fire station burns down or the police station gets robbed, that’s irony. Jimmy, wise to this way of thinking, had surgery lately (a very non-ironic surgery) so has been laid up with time to think and asked, “If the FedEx truck shows up at the UPS building with a delivery, is that irony?” It’s such a brilliant question that I’ve A) deputized Jimmy and B) farmed the question out to an Irony Sub-Committee. Meanwhile, what do YOU think? (I think if FedEx is somehow delivering a UPS package to UPS, maybe that would be ironic. Or what if the FedEx guy and the UPS guy were standing in your hard “having a catch” with your package?) Jury still out …

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

---

NATCHITOCHES:
Judy Lynn Kavanagh
February 26, 1959 – September 3, 2022
Service: Wednesday, September 7 at 10 am at Coldwater Cemetery in Hagewood

Sadie Maggio Dark
November 22, 1921 – September 2, 2022
Service: Friday, September 9 at 10 am at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Church

Dorothy “Dot” Williams
Service: Saturday, September 10 at 11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, located at 318 North Street in Natchitoches
Interment: Pentecost Baptist Church Cemetery on Old River

Charles Henry Christopher
September 8, 1939 – August 26, 2022
Service: Saturday, September 17 at 11 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Isle Brevelle

WINN:
Glynda Gail Boren
February 23, 1964 – August 30, 2022
Service: Saturday, September 10 at 11 am in the chapel of Southern Funeral Home in Winnfield

RED RIVER:
J R Sessions
August 6, 1932 – September 4, 2022
Service: Wednesday, September 7 at 2 pm at the Wesley Chapel Cemetery in Coushatta

---

The Winnfield Police Department as well as other departments from around the state have been concentrating on detecting and arresting impaired drivers in conjunction with the US department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Labor Day “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.  The City of Winnfield was awarded a grant by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to put more officers on the streets with a concentration around the Labor Day holiday Weekend.  The following is an exert from a news released on August 17^th by the NDTA:

 “The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kicked off its annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Labor Day enforcement campaign today. 

The $13 million paid media campaign will use a mix of television, radio, digital, social media and billboards to educate drivers about the dangers of impaired driving. As part of the high-visibility enforcement campaign, law enforcement officers will be working with their communities from August 19 through September 5 to prevent and stop impaired driving. 

The initiative includes a number of public service messages: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over; If You Feel Different, You Drive Different; Drive High, Get a DUI; and Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over. 

As friends and family gather to celebrate the end of summer, we want everyone to make it home safely. Driving impaired often has fatal consequences – and it’s completely preventable. There is no excuse for anyone to drive drunk or impaired by drugs. When you’re planning your Labor Day celebrations, plan for a sober drive home.

NHTSA urges everyone to plan ahead and never drive after consuming alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. Instead, designate a sober driver to make sure you get home safely. Even one drink can begin to impair your driving ability. If you see an impaired driver on the road, call 911. Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is illegal in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.”                            August 17, 2022 | Washington, DC

---

On Monday, August 29th, from 2 pm to 4 pm, local literary lovers and library board members gathered together within the Lawerence I. White meeting room of Winn Parish Library to celebrate the coming and going of their directors.

The years of warm and creative service to our community’s library by Mona Bamburg were honored that afternoon with plenty of reminiscing, thoughtful conversation, elegant decorating, and a tasty spread. Though Bamburg will undoubtedly be missed, we won’t have to look too far; she’s accepting a position closer to home as Assistant Director of the Natchitoches Parish Library and would love visitors should they find themselves in the neighborhood. She’s extremely pleased to make way and pass the tricks of the trade-off to the Parish’s newest Director (effective September 1st), Priscilla Massey.

Massey, who is no stranger to Winn Parish Library, has over twenty-five years of time and love already amassed within its walls. From adolescence and working under Bamburg’s predecessor, Mary Doherty, to now beginning her new role as Director, Massey’s journey has been lit with an evident love of literacy and what it provides for us in our everyday lives. The function of the library and its staff is ever-evolving; it’s an asset that doesn’t always get the support and consideration it deserves. It’s no longer just physical copies. It’s ebooks, computers, opportunity beyond means, and a safe space where our children are provided patience, comprehension, and a love of reading that they can carry into adulthood.

Thank you to Winn Parish Library, the members of the library’s board, Mona Bamburg, and Priscilla Massey, for the opportunity to witness a big moment in our little town. It’s exciting to see a fresh face take up arms and commit to its growth and upkeep for the betterment of this community. We expect great things under Priscilla Massey, and we look forward to bringing you more updated and consistent information about the library and its upcoming fall calendar.

The number one cause of preventable death is blood loss. In light of recent National tragedies, we find it of utmost importance to equip our schools with the resources that they need for emergent bleeding control. Trauma that results in blood loss may be caused from acts of violence, a fall, sports related injuries, a saw mishap in the Ag department, etc.

Through the Stop The Bleed initiative, it is our goal to donate hemorrhage control kits to the Winn Parish School Board to distribute to each of the 6 schools. These kits could potentially save the life of one of our own children.

It is especially important to have in our more rural facilities, where EMS response may take a little longer. It is clear that time is a critical factor and outcomes are directly related to how quickly bleeding control is achieved.

Each classroom kit will include a C-A-T tourniquet, Quikclot gauze, gloves, etc. Each of these kits cost roughly $50 per classroom. We have set our goal at $5,500. We are hopeful, that with your help, we will be able to make this plan a reality. We appreciate any contributions that you are able to make!

You may donate using the following link https://gofund.me/57703d58

Thank you,
Hanna Williams, RN CEN CPEN
Donice Fletcher, RN CEN CPEN

---

This past Tuesday, August 30th, Winn Primary School had the pleasure of participating in a “Read with Malcolm Reading Rally” as a part of a three-day Geaux READ tour presented by the Share the Magic Foundation and the Rapides Foundation. The Geaux READ Tour consists of nine “Read with Malcolm Reading Rallies” presented by Share the Magic Foundation and The Rapides Foundation at schools across Central Louisiana from August 29th-31st. The Reading Rallies are connected to The Rapides Foundation’s ninth annual Symposium, which will be held on Thursday, September 1st, from 3:30-5 pm at the Randolph Riverfront Center in downtown Alexandria. 

Shortly after 8 am, special guest Malcolm Mitchell led students, staff, and attending parents in high energy pep rally-styled assembly, which included a magic show and a read-along to Mitchell’s Children’s book, “The Magicians Hat,” in the school’s auditorium. Each of our students returned home with a copy of Mitchell’s book to keep and plenty of memories from such a magical day. Mitchell, an author, Super Bowl Champion, and founder and CEO of Share the Magic Foundation, considers reading his most outstanding achievement. He founded Share the Magic with the sole intent of transforming our children’s lives through literacy. Mitchell’s mission is to inspire young people to read by bringing book ownership to students in Title I schools and under-resourced communities. His organization has reached more than 400,000 students across the country and internationally through Read with Malcolm Literacy Initiatives, with more on the horizon!

Geaux READ Tour Participating Schools:

• Allen Parish: Oakdale Elementary 

• Avoyelles Parish: Bunkie Elementary

• Catahoula Parish: Jonesville Elementary

• Grant Parish: Colfax Elementary

• LaSalle Parish: Olla Elementary

• Natchitoches Parish: Weaver Elementary

• Rapides Parish: Huddle Elementary

• Vernon Parish: West Leesville Elementary

• Winn Parish: Winnfield Primary

Thank you to Malcolm Mitchell and his foundation’s efforts, the Rapides Foundation, Winn Primary School’s staff and students, and anyone else who participated in bringing this fantastic event and opportunity to our children! 

---

In its mission to ensure outstanding cancer care for the region, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center is pleased to welcome cancer specialist, Dr. Furqan Akhtar, to its active medical staff. A fellowship-trained medical oncologist/hematologist, Dr. Akhtar will provide care for patients at the NRMC Cancer Center.

Using powerful cancer-fighting drugs such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Dr. Akhtar creates care plans designed to target cancerous cells, destroy them, and prevent them from spreading. He joins radiation oncologist Dr. Troy Richards and Advanced Practice Provider Latoya Howard at the NRMC Cancer Center on Medical Drive, just off Keyser Avenue in the heart of Natchitoches. The Center has advanced technology including radiation therapy, a state-of-the-art infusion center, and an experienced team. Most importantly, the Center is backed by the full services of Natchitoches Regional Medical Center.

“As an oncologist and hematologist, I’m fellowship trained to treat all kinds of cancer, but patients need much more from me than just my medical training and experience,” explained Dr. Akhtar. “When my father had pancreatic cancer, I learned the patient and family side of this disease. It is very emotional.
Even though I was a physician, it was hard for us to wait for scans or test results, to go through surgeries and procedures, or deal with infections and disappointing news. Because I intimately understand the emotional and personal weight of a cancer diagnosis, I will always do whatever I can to support my patients and their families and make life better for them as we fight cancer. Cancer is personal, and when I care for patients, their journey becomes personal to me.”

“Dr. Akhtar is an outstanding medical oncologist and hematologist who has dedicated his life to caring for patients and fighting cancer,” explained Kirk Soileau, NRMC Chief Executive Officer. “He will help patients better understand their illnesses, what their treatment options are, and provide expert care. We are grateful for his commitment to our community and welcome him to our amazing cancer care team.”

About Natchitoches Regional Medical Center
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center began as a community hospital in 1955 and has grown into a 216-bed healthcare system with over 850 Associates and more than 100 active and consulting physicians on its medical staff. The system is comprised of a 96-bed acute care facility, a skilled nursing home, a cancer center, specialty services, and an extensive network of clinics throughout the parish.

---

The Winn Parish School Board will hold a public budget hearing for the 2022-23 Consolidated Budget on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the Winn Parish School Board in Winnfield, Louisiana.

PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA
Winn Parish School Board
September 6, 2022
5:30 p.m. – WPSB Meeting Room

A. Call to Order
B. Roll Call
C. Adopt Order of Business
D. Budget Hearing – Consolidated Budget 2022-23
E. Adjourn

The Winn Parish School Board will meet in regular public session Tuesday, September 6, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. or immediately following the public hearing in the meeting room of the Winn Parish School Board in Winnfield, Louisiana.

AGENDA
Winn Parish School Board
September 6, 2022
5:30 p.m. – WPSB Meeting Room

A. Invocation
B. Pledge of Allegiance
C. Roll Call
D. Executive Committee Report
E. Adopt Order of Business
F. School Spotlight
G. Approval of Minutes – August 1, 2022
H. Academics and Instruction Committee Report
H1. Consider Winn Parish Pupil Progression Plan 2022-23
H2. Consider COVID-19 CDC School Operational Guidelines
I. . Finance and Budget Committee Report
II.. Consider a Resolution to Office of Group Benefits for Health Insurance Premiums
J. Consider Approval of Consolidated Budget 2022-2023
K. Consider Approval of General Liability, Auto, E/O Coverage and Crime Bond Insurance Renewals
L. Consider a Louisiana Uninsured/Underinsured Resolution
M. Consider Adopting the millage rates for the tax year 2022
M1. Consider Awarding Bids for WSHS Track
N. Personnel Information
O. General Fund to Actual Report – August 31, 2022
P. Superintendent Comments
Q. Board Member Comments

**R.S. 42: 14(D) requires public comment period before every action or vote. After each agenda item, the WPSB has a public comment period before the vote is taken.

---

By: Dr. James Lee

The opioid crisis is as ubiquitous as covid.  Not only have we become fatigued from hearing about it, but the overall death rate from overdose exceeds that of covid.  A recent study out of British Columbia found that not only did the mortality due to overdose increased during covid, but it also exceeded the death rate due to covid.

Opioids are a class of drug that include natural or synthetic drugs that are derived from the opium poppy.  Commonly used opioids include hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, Norco), oxycodone (Percocet, Oxycontin), codeine (Tylenol 3), morphine, heroin, fentanyl, methadone, and opium.  Opioids attach to receptors in the spinal cord, limbic system of the brain, and brainstem. The action of opioids on the spinal cord receptors decreases the feeling of pain, even to serious injury.  The effect on the limbic system, which control our emotions, creates feelings of euphoria—pleasure contentment, and relaxation.  This is why opioids are addictive.  The action of opiates on the brainstem, which controls things we do automatically, specifically breathing, are why these drugs are dangerous and cause death. 

Long term use of opioids creates a condition called tolerance.  This means that more amount of drug is needed to produce the same desired effect be it pain relief or euphoria.  For those who develop tolerance and those who become addicted, there is a significant number that will transition from oxycodone to heroin, either due to tolerance, availability, or search for a better euphoric state.  The effect of these increased doses and increased potency on the brainstem receptors makes it more likely that overdose and death will occur.

There has been increased awareness of addiction and crackdown on prescriptions for opioids and other restricted medications by state and federal agencies that have arisen out of the Opioid Crisis.  This has forced people with chronic pain to seek other options and unintentionally resulted in an increase in illegal drug use.  The restrictions have cut down on the number of opioids available through legitimate pharmacies and have resulted in a rise in counterfeit pills.  Cartels have produced look alike medications down to the color, shape, and pill identifier codes.  There is no regulation of the dose, or which opiate ingredient and its potency is in these pills.  There has been a rise in Fentanyl, a very potent synthetic opiate that can be created in a lab.  Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and a hundred time more potent than morphine.  Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal.  Fentanyl is on the rise in our state and community and is often added to heroin or counterfeit pills.  Another synthetic opiate Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than Fentanyl.  For those who choose to get their pain medications illegally, it is quite literally a game of Russian roulette.

There has been a lot of discussion about how we got here, blaming physicians and big pharmacy companies.   While there certainly has been overprescribing by well-intentioned physicians, “pill mills” by not so well-intentioned physicians, and inaccurate statements regarding the safety and risk of addiction by pharmaceutical companies perhaps driven by the bottom line, there is one culprit that has not been widely discussed: the federal government. 

In 1996, the American Pain Society instituted the use of pain as the 5^th vital sign.  Vital signs include temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and respiration rate.  They are a way of rapidly assessing physical health, help diagnose possible disease, and show progress in treatment.  Shortly after the institution of this policy, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through patient satisfaction surveys of all patients admitted to hospitals across the U.S., began linking hospital reimbursement to patient satisfaction with how well their pain was managed.  Questions like “How often did the hospital or provider do everything in their power to control your pain?” and “During this hospital stay, how often was your pain well controlled?”  Setting aside the fact that those patients who had a negative experience are more likely to complete a survey than those who had a positive experience (think Yelp reviews), by CMS decreasing reimbursement to those hospitals that got bad surveys and bonuses to those hospitals where patients said their pain was always controlled, it is easy to see how this resulted in the overprescribing opiate pain medications.  Many small hospitals keep their doors open through reimbursement by CMS.  Anything but the top response from a patient, counts against the hospital. Of note, CMS continued to use these questions up until 2017, well into the opioid crisis, and it has directly contributed to the prescribed opioid epidemic.

Next week we will look into the numbers, what is being done, and what you can do to help.

Dr. James Lee serves as the Coroner of Winn Parish. He is a General Surgeon and Surgical Oncologist who has been practicing in Winnfield for over ten years. Dr. Lee attended the University of Colorado for his medical degree. He completed his residency in Surgery at the University of Oklahoma before completing a fellowship in Surgical Oncology and Endoscopy at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Lee and his wife Scarlett live in Winnfield with their son and are active in the community.

---

By Steve Graf

Anglers who are trying to reach the highest level of professional bass fishing just had the rug jerked out from under them. For any serious bass fisherman, their dreams as youngsters of making it to the highest level of professional bass fishing (the B.A.S. S. Elite Series) are no different than those kids dreaming of making it to baseball’s Major League level. To put this in perspective and to illustrate how difficult this task can be…. less than 2% of all high school athletes get the chance to play at the collegiate level. Making it to the highest level of professional bass fishing is on par with this same stat.

To say the odds of making it to the Elite Series of professional bass fishing are not good is an understatement. I will say this, many anglers have gone bankrupt and kept divorce attorneys quite busy over the last 30 years trying to achieve this dream. Not to say it’s not possible, but the odds are not in your favor. Today, there are so many anglers pursuing this goal that our lakes have gotten very crowded with guys looking to make it. They’ll work (or fish) their way up the food chain any way possible in order to get that one opportunity. Now let me make this clear, some will lie, cheat, steal or sell their firstborn for this one chance of making it as a professional angler.

B.A.S.S. (Bass Angler’s Sportsman Society,) which is home of the Elite Series, has just made a change to the path, or yellow brick road, of getting there. Originally you had to fish what was called the “Opens.” By fishing the “Opens” first you had to commit to all three tournaments in one of three divisions called Southern, Central, and Northern. If you finished in the top 3 in the Angler of the Year standings for your division, you got an invitation to fish in the Elite Series. You then had to decide if you would accept the invitation or pass. This is where guys would refinance their homes, take out major loans or maybe sell their own blood. But if you accepted the invitation, now you had to put up the entire season’s worth of entry fees ($5000 per event) and prepare for life on the road for a total of 9 events all across the country.

You basically have over a $50,000 investment into this tournament trail, and you have not even wet a hook yet. Guys scramble to hopefully convince businesses to help them offset this cost by becoming a sponsor of this individual angler. Anglers are then at the mercy of these sponsors who made this commitment. The sponsors will use these guys for advertising and promotional needs of whatever product or products they offer. Today’s sponsors are looking for anglers that can sell and have great communication skills. They must be able to sell, or the sponsor doesn’t need them.

But this past July, B.A.S.S. changed the game plan. Now for 2023, anglers must commit to ALL NINE events of the newly formed Bassmaster Elite Qualifying Series in order to qualify for the Elite Series. For the average working man or weekend warrior, their hopes and dreams just got hooked and reeled in. The average working man can’t take off work or ask for 9 weeks of vacation. My perspective on how this came to be…B.A.S.S looked at how many anglers fished all nine Opens in 2021 and saw that 83 anglers made that commitment.

This is when the so-called “lightbulb” moment took place. They thought if we are already getting 83 anglers to fish all nine, then those guys are the ones who are serious about being professionals. So, we’ll just make it a requirement in order to make it to the Elite Series. This is when so many anglers’ dreams were shattered. Now I’m not condemning B.A.S.S. for making this move; it actually makes a lot of sense. Now, anglers that are truly committed to being a pro angler will have fewer anglers to compete against in order to do so. The field of competition just got a lot smaller!

B.A.S.S. is a great organization that has granted a lot of anglers the opportunity to pursue their dreams. They are, and have always been, the gold standard for bass fishing organizations. They have set the bar very high and have a great reputation for changing the financial fortunes of so many pro anglers, along with their affiliated sponsors. Many other organizations have challenged B.A.S.S., and many have failed to knock them off the top of the mountain. They are and will continue to be, the big dog unless another organization can promise and deliver a better product. Till next time, good luck, good fishing, and don’t forget your sunscreen.

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

---

By: Glynn Harris

North Louisiana is known for lakes that produce big bass. Caney Lake holds the state record with other lakes such as D’Arbonne, Claiborne, Bistineau, Black and Caddo getting in on the action as well.

There is one lake, however, that has quietly and without fanfare, been a quality bass producer since it was formed 65 years ago when Kepler Creek was impounded to form 2000 acre Kepler Creek Reservoir, locally known as Kepler Lake.

Billy Willis, 64 year old bass angler from Ruston, has caught bass in virtually all these lakes but had not really tried for big bass on Kepler until recently.

“A guy I work with has a friend who has been telling him about catching big bass on Kepler so I decided to give it a try,” said Willis.

Arriving at the lake around 7:00 on a hot August morning, the lake nestled and virtually hidden in the hills of Bienville Parish, Willis spent several hours without catching a bass. It was not until around 11:00 that his luck changed for the better.

“There were a couple of other bass fishermen on the lake and they were picking up some schooling fish, nothing of any size. They eventually moved on so I moved into the area where they had been fishing. This lake is loaded with stumps and the bass had been schooling around a particular area. I noticed that the stump line was in about three feet of water but there was a drop off next to the stump line that dropped quickly to six feet. I decided to give it a try,” Willis said.

He was fishing with a Shimano reel mounted on a 7’4” Falcon rod with 20 pound fluorocarbon line. His preferred method of fishing is using a Carolina rig and below a swivel, he had tied a two to three foot 12 to 15 pound leader, a 2-0 hook to which was attached a green pumpkin Fluke with gold flake.

“There were lots of shad in the area so this color matched what the fish were feeding on. I caught a couple of school fish around the stumps and I decided to back off and fish the drop off that was away from the stumps,” he said.

Casting to the edge of the drop off, Willis let the lure go to the bottom and immediately felt something hit. He set the hook and knew it was into something pretty big because it hardly budged, he continued.
“Fortunately I was able to work the fish away from the stumps into the deeper water but because it never came to the top, I assumed I’d hooked a big catfish because most bass will come to the surface and try to shake off. This fish just kept pulling until it seemed to give up and I was able to bring it to the boat. It was only then that I saw I’d hooked a really big bass,” he said.

Placing the bass in his live well, Willis noticed that the bass quickly turned belly up. He had planned to release the fish but because of the stress or the heat of the day, the fish soon expired.

He had no scale with him and it was only after he returned home a couple of hours later that he weighed the dead fish which tipped the scales at 10 pounds, 9 ounces. One has to wonder what the big female would have weighed when she was full of eggs in March rather than in August.

---