Winn Dixie Youth’s 2023 Opening Day is this Saturday, March 25th beginning at 10 AM.
Winn Dixie Youth Opening Day 2023 is Saturday, March 25th
Month: March 2023
Final Early Voting Stats for the March 25th Election
Early Voting began in the Registrar of Voters office in the Winn Parish Courthouse on Saturday, March 11 and will run through Saturday, March 18 (closed Sunday, March 12) from 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM. Enter through the Main Street entrance. The election will be Saturday, March 25. On the ballot is a parishwide Police Jury sales tax renewal.
Download the GeauxVote app which allows you to view your sample ballot and monitor results on Election night.
Parishwide Proposition – 1% S&U Tax Renewal – PJ – 10 Yrs.
Shall the Parish of Winn, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), under applicable constitutional and statutory authority, be authorized to levy and collect a tax of one percent (1%) (the “Tax”), for a period of ten (10) years, commencing March 1, 2024, upon the sale at retail, the use, the lease or rental, the consumption, and the storage for use or consumption, of tangible property and on sales of services in the Parish, as defined by law, (an estimated $2,200,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), with the proceeds of the Tax (after paying the costs of collecting the Tax), to be allocated and divided as follows (i) 60% to the Parish for first, constructing, acquiring, maintaining, improving and operating a solid waste collection and disposal system for the Parish, with the balance of the proceeds for maintaining and supporting the Winn Parish Courthouse and providing other Parish services, and (ii) 40% to the City of Winnfield for providing solid waste collection and disposal, including the operation, maintenance and improvement of its Waste Compaction Station, and for providing other municipal services?
Absentee/early voting stat as of 3/14/23 (this includes the mail ballots received prior to early voting)
| Total | In Person | Absentee (Mail) |
| 248 | 150 | 98 |
| White | Black | Other |
| 210 | 38 | 0 |
| Male | Female |
| 104 | 144 |
| Democrat | Republican | Other |
| 90 | 116 | 42 |
Calvin Varsity Cougars Nabs Win Over Lakeview Despite Early 3-Run Inning
Calvin Varsity Cougars managed through a push by Lakeview in the fifth inning where Calvin Varsity Cougars coughed up three runs, but Calvin Varsity Cougars still won 9-5 on Monday. The offensive firepower by Lakeview was led by #4 and #10, all driving in runs in the frame.
Calvin Varsity Cougars fired up the offense in the first inning. John Landon Poisso hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring one run.
Alex Camp was the winning pitcher for Calvin Varsity Cougars. The southpaw lasted five and two-thirds innings, allowing two hits and five runs while striking out six. John Bradley Griffin threw one and one-third innings in relief out of the bullpen. Griffin recorded the last four outs to earn the save for Calvin Varsity Cougars.
#10 took the loss for Lakeview. The bulldog lasted four and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and four runs while striking out three.
Griffin went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars in hits. Calvin Varsity Cougars tore up the base paths, as three players stole at least two bases. Kaden Browning led the way with three.
Winnfield Police Department Arrest Report
Date: 3-11-23
Name: Bobbie W Harlan
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 79
Charge: Simple Battery
Date: 3-18-23
Name: Brandon Brown
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 47
Charge: Violation of a protective order (warrant)
Date: 3-18-23
Name: Ryan Farley
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 32
Charge: Bench warrant
Date: 3-19-23
Name: Terrance Powell
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 46
Charge: Simple assault, Simple battery of the infirmed
Date: 3-20-23
Name: Mandi Taylor
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 46
Charge: Theft (under 1,000)
Date: 3-20-23
Name: Karen Taylor
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Age: 45
Charge: Theft (over 1,000)
Date: 3-20-23
Name: Tristen Hill
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Charge: Theft (over 1,000)
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Window to Winn with Bob Holeman
(Bob Holeman conducted this series of interviews with local World War II in 2011-12. Most of those 34 American heroes have passed away in the decade since).
War is for the young. Richard Wayne Skains, like so many young men…or boys…of the World War II era, found that to be true.
Richard (to his business associates) Wayne (to his friends) was only 16 when he graduated from Winnfield High School in 1942, eighteen months after Pearl Harbor. “There were only 11 grades back then. I went to work for the A & P Tea Company, under Earl Whiteapple. My birthday is July 4. In 1943, I turned 18.
“They had this thing that if you volunteered for the draft, you could choose your branch of service. I chose Army Engineers. I was interested in that kind of stuff. My family did some construction and I had friends and family already serving in the Engineers.”
Skains was processed through Camp Beauregard—a two-week process, then shipped to Camp Claiborne for basics.
“I wasn’t particularly tough. But it was a good thing for a young man like me who hadn’t been exposed to a great number of things. We grew up in a hurry. I’m grateful that I learned how important discipline is in life.”
In March 1944, Skains was shipped to England as the Allied Forces were gathering for the inevitable invasion of Europe. “It wasn’t a luxury liner, either. It was a British refrigeration ship that usually brought in meat from South America. This time, it picked up a load of American ‘meat’ and carried us to England.”
When the ship arrived, “there were all sorts of fireworks (bombing and artillery) going on in the port so we stayed on board for a while.”
Skains went to the little town of Cheltonham where a warehouse had been converted into a depot. There they worked on cataloging equipment that would be shipped to France. Items were marked “D-1” or “D+1”, based on its shipment relative to the invasion.
“You could pretty well tell by that the date they were going to invade France. But everything was top secret. You couldn’t say nothing.”
On the night of the invasion, there was a constant roar of aircraft heading across the English Channel. Then it was suddenly quiet. “We knew the invasion was underway.”
Skains did not participate in the D-Day landing. But after the invasion, the depot operation was shifted closer to the fighting men. Skains found himself in an LST headed to Normandy. “It was nighttime. I remember the front end of that ship dropping down in the middle of the ocean and we stepping out in it with all our equipment. The water was about waist-deep.”
Unlike those in the initial assault, these soldiers met no enemy resistance. “We waded maybe 100 yards to the beach, then up an incline. Some of the beaches had cliffs but not us.”
In a staging area at the top, soldiers were given their assignments, then loaded into trucks or transports to their locations. “I had Paris. I stayed there four months. We were in the Shell Oil building where we did the same thing we’d done in England, handling supplies and dispersing them to the front.”
The Germans had vacated Paris as the Allied Forces approached so the immediate danger to troops was not such a concern. But they’d been warned against eating local food or drinking their wines. “I never heard of any problems with that but the Army provided us with hot meals every day. It was not like in the States, but better than the poor boys on the front.”
In early January 1945, there was a shortage of replacement personnel on the front line. “They sent some of us for retraining, then to the front line with the 75th Division.”
Skains carried a Browning automatic rifle. “We did a lot of walking, a lot of trying to hide. We were subject to enemy fire but the German lines had begun to weaken and they were retreating.”
In war service, Skains saw England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. When the war in Europe ended, he was in Werdohl, Germany. With the news came “a period of excitement and personal satisfaction that the danger had passed. This relieved some stress.”
Skains then moved to a place called Camp Chicago, France. Again in the cataloging business, they were now recycling personnel going home. “The way they discharged people was by a point system. We processed them through up to a certain point level.”
One more assignment took him to Chalons, France, with a labor supervision unit. “We had a lot of displaced people, refugees from many areas. We got them food, clothing, medical allocation.”
Finally with 49 points of his own, Skains was sent home and discharged March 30, 1946. “I’d received an education in my 2 ½ years in the military that I could not have received anywhere else. I’m thankful to the Lord that I was physically able, under the hand of God, to serve the United States of America.”
More than six decades later, that time is like a dream, as if it didn’t happen. “You just don’t dwell on it.”
Free from the military, the veteran caught a train from Rockford, Ill., to Alexandria, then the Salter Bus to Winnfield. He went back to work at A & P. Just 20 years old, he’d fought for his country but was still unable to vote.
His army training took him to a career as city clerk under Mayor Eli Harrell, personnel director at the hospital, and administrator with the National Guard unit in Winnfield. He retired July 1985 as chief warrant officer.
“I have a wonderful family life,” he says. “I’d known Wardell McCarty since childhood. We got reacquainted after the war and got married 64 years ago…November 27, 1947.”
They had three sons, Lamar, Terry and Mark. There are also four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
“My life has been controlled by my belief in God. I believe if we put everything we have in His hands, He’ll guide us.”
Skains, 86, is a member and deacon at East Winnfield Baptist Church.
Remember This? The Residents of the Fourth Precinct
The residents of Washington Township’s Fourth Precinct in Ames, Iowa were unenthused about the upcoming 1972 presidential election. The Democratic Party’s nominee was Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against the incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon. The residents of the Fourth Precinct cared nothing for the campaign promises of either candidate. In fact, because of a new redistricting plan, the residents of the Fourth Precinct showed no emotion at all about the upcoming election.
In the spring of 1971, the Iowa Supreme Court drew up new legislative districts in an effort to produce House and Senate districts of equal size. Iowa state law required all precincts to be of nearly equal population but the precincts could not cross legislative lines. The law about legislative lines took precedent over the population provision. In not so simple terms, a precinct had to be wholly contained within a legislative district. No part of the precinct could extend into another legislative district. As the Des Moines Tribune explained, “the precinct is bordered on the north by a legislative line, and on the other three sides by the City of Ames to which it cannot legally be attached for voting purposes.” Therefore, the new redistricting plan created the Fourth Precinct.
On election day, Nixon won in a massive landslide and received nearly 18 million more votes than McGovern, the widest margin in presidential history, and all without the help of the Fourth Precinct. Not a single resident of the Fourth Precinct visited the polls on election day. Not one. None of the residents of the Fourth Precinct gave an opinion on the presidential election before or after the election. You see, due to the quirk in the Ohio State Legislature’s new redistricting plan, there was only a single building in the Fourth Precinct, a facility known as the Experimental Animal Production Area. All of the residents of the Fourth Precinct were pigs.
Sources:
1. Des Moines Tribune, November 2, 1972, p.1.
2. Sioux City Journal, November 3, 1972, p.15.
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love
This was a favorite time of year for Rolly Walker, not that he didn’t appreciate the other times because Rolly was if anything a day-to-day guy, not a prima donna or a guy demanding to sing lead. Rolly was blue-collar DeQuincy, Loooosiana, ready to chop wood and carry water soon as the sun came up.
“You always get to choose your attitude,” Rolly would say, then he’d strap in whether it was a cold day in January or his turn to go off on No. 10 in the Fall Church Scramble.
But springtime was his wheelhouse. Long and lean and smart and resourceful, he was a good athlete and natural at so many things, a hoops player who appreciated the wonder of March Madness and a track star — track was his favorite — and a golf nut because it put him outside in his Father’s World and with friends and you could play it forever and you could mess with people and do funny stuff, enjoy the pace, be at peace with the way the round and the day dripped away. You could slowly “celebrate the temporary,” another thing he’d say that kept this athlete-turned-coach-turned-preacher in the moment.
Years ago, a member of his Methodist congregation, Mrs. Loretta, she started writing down those sayings. She called them “Walker Wisdom — gems to ponder in your heart and live by daily,” and she drew a big heart in the script and around it wrote many of these “gems” so the sayings expanded into bigger hearts …
Don’t take yourself too seriously … Life is full of choices … Say, “I love you!” … You can’t please everybody …
And she splashed color all over it and his family appreciated that. So much so that at the recent celebration of his extraordinary 84 years, there were stacks of reprints at Trinity Methodist in Ruston, and anyone could get one, and I did, standing way in the back behind all those people there to honor Rolly.
Don’t stir manure … Make every day a master-peace … Are you fun to live with? … Eat dessert first …
I never got to eat with Rolly. Never rode around in the car with him. I think we suggested it a time or two…
He read by stuff for years, and I listened to his sermons, and we saw each other here and there and exchanged many letters and books and he was just a joy. He was a man disinclined to condemn the world for all its injustices, although he understood better than most the dangerous pickle, we were in. Instead, he chose to walk with grace, to make sure grace happened whenever it might be his turn to get in the starting blocks.
Rolly was like a good medicine, a homespun cure. His whole secret, which he never tried to hide, was simplicity. His life was Poe’s purloined letter, left in plain view if we’d only take the time to look.
The jug is always full … Don’t keep score … Shalom.
When Grace and Mercy breathed, they sure did look a lot like my old friend.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu and Twitter @MamaLuvsManning
Notice of Death – March 21, 2023
Early Voting Stats for the March 25th Election
Early Voting began in the Registrar of Voters office in the Winn Parish Courthouse on Saturday, March 11 and will run through Saturday, March 18 (closed Sunday, March 12) from 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM. Enter through the Main Street entrance. The election will be Saturday, March 25. On the ballot is a parishwide Police Jury sales tax renewal.
Download the GeauxVote app which allows you to view your sample ballot and monitor results on Election night.
Parishwide Proposition – 1% S&U Tax Renewal – PJ – 10 Yrs.
Shall the Parish of Winn, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), under applicable constitutional and statutory authority, be authorized to levy and collect a tax of one percent (1%) (the “Tax”), for a period of ten (10) years, commencing March 1, 2024, upon the sale at retail, the use, the lease or rental, the consumption, and the storage for use or consumption, of tangible property and on sales of services in the Parish, as defined by law, (an estimated $2,200,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), with the proceeds of the Tax (after paying the costs of collecting the Tax), to be allocated and divided as follows (i) 60% to the Parish for first, constructing, acquiring, maintaining, improving and operating a solid waste collection and disposal system for the Parish, with the balance of the proceeds for maintaining and supporting the Winn Parish Courthouse and providing other Parish services, and (ii) 40% to the City of Winnfield for providing solid waste collection and disposal, including the operation, maintenance and improvement of its Waste Compaction Station, and for providing other municipal services?
Absentee/early voting stat as of 3/14/23 (this includes the mail ballots received prior to early voting)
| Total | In Person | Absentee (Mail) |
| 138 | 58 | 80 |
| White | Black | Other |
| 119 | 19 | 0 |
| Male | Female |
| 60 | 78 |
| Democrat | Republican | Other |
| 50 | 61 | 27 |
Tigers and Tigerettes Parade and Tailgate!
This Sunday, March 19th, Winn residents are invited to come together to showcase our pride and support of our local basketball teams, the Tigers and Tigerettes, with a little community spirit and a big parade!
Said parade will kick off at 2 pm with a downtown tailgate featuring food and music to follow immediately after. Residents will also be able to meet and greet with both teams within the Allen Building! Pictures and autographs from these all-stars are encouraged!
Jermesia (Niquee) Anderson (organizer) is soliciting participants and volunteers! All businesses, churches, civic groups, and private citizens with ATVs/UTVs/motorcycles are welcome! Registration for participating floats ends Friday, the 17th, at 3 pm.
Don’t hesitate to contact Jermesia Anderson at 318-209-0950 for float registration or comments and concerns!
Higgs’s Walk-off Seals the Deal in Calvin Varsity Cougars Victory Over Delta Charter Varsity Storm
A walk-off error led Calvin Varsity Cougars past Delta Charter Varsity Storm 9-8 on Saturday. The game was tied at eight with Calvin Varsity Cougars batting in the bottom of the eighth when an error scored one run for Calvin Varsity Cougars.
The base paths were crowded in this highscoring game. Calvin Varsity Cougars collected six hits and Delta Charter Varsity Storm had seven.
Delta Charter Varsity Storm captured the lead in the second inning when Ethan Keith doubled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Calvin Varsity Cougars tied things up at eight when Kaden Browning singled on a 1-1 count, scoring one run.
Calvin Varsity Cougars put up four runs in the sixth inning. Calvin Varsity Cougars offense in the inning was led by Aden Coleman, Gunnar Yocum, Mason Carter, and Browning, all knocking in runs in the inning.
Delta Charter Varsity Storm scored four runs in the second inning. Kyle Whatley, Lawson Reyes, and Keith powered the big inning with RBIs.
Alex Camp took the win for Calvin Varsity Cougars. The lefthander allowed two hits and two runs over four innings, striking out two and walking one.
Riley Butts took the loss for Delta Charter Varsity Storm. The hurler allowed two hits and one run over two innings, walking zero.
Browning started the game for Calvin Varsity Cougars. The righty surrendered six runs on five hits over four innings, striking out seven Tyrin Singleton started the game for Delta Charter Varsity Storm.
Carter, Layton Higgs, Camp, Coleman, John Bradley Griffin, and Browning all had one hit to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars.
Whatley led Delta Charter Varsity Storm with two hits in five at bats.
Atlanta Man Killed in Winn Parish Crash
Winn Parish – On March 11, 2023, Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a one-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 34 west of Louisiana Highway 471. The crash claimed the life of 37-year-old Thomas Evans.
The initial investigation revealed that a 2012 Chevrolet Impala, driven by Evans, was traveling west on Louisiana Highway 34. For reasons still under investigation, Evans’ vehicle left the roadway, struck multiple objects before overturning onto its roof.
Evans, who was not restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Routine toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
While not all crashes are survivable, proper use of seat belts can greatly decrease an occupant’s chance of death and may greatly reduce the extent of injury. Always ensuring every occupant is properly restrained can often mean the difference between life and death.
In 2023, Troop E has investigated 12 fatal crashes, resulting in 13 deaths.
Winnfield Police Arrest Report
Karen Shirley Speaks to Kiwanis Club
Karen Shirley’s job is 4H Youth Development and she is very passionate about her job. Her enthusiasm showed through as she spoke to the Kiwanis club Tuesday, March 14th. We have 700 students enrolled in 4H in Winn Parish. When they have their meetings Mrs. Shirley greets every student with a hug. There are many opportunities available to 4Hers in Winn Parish. There is the Junior Leadership Conference which is for grades 8 – 12 and is held at Camp Grant Walker. 4H University is held at LSU every year. 4H is all about service and service activities are part of 4H. They want the students to learn service at a young age and continue service into their adult years. The Winn Community Food Pantry is a recipient of 4H service with the smallest school, Atlanta, giving the most and Winnfield Primary school with the youngest students also giving generously. Students receive a newletter each month that tells what is going on in 4H.
4H teaches life skills. They won 25 blue ribbons at the latest competition. After many years of not being invited to the National 4H Conference in Washington, DC they have now had 4 delegates in the last 4 years. Grades 6 – 12 had 2 teams (a middle school team and a high school team) participating in a Food Challenge. The middle school placed 4th. Last year they hosted a STEM camp at Caney Lake that involved students from Winn and Jackson parish. There is also an Ag Awareness at the Winn Parish Fair that involved students from Winn, Grant and Jackson parishes. Achievement Day is held at the Forest Festival and involves participation in forestry and food. There are 75 members in the Junior Leaders Club and they are involved in shooting, livestock and other activities. There are 5 local scholarships given each year that have over 120 applicants from all over the state.
Mrs. Shirley said that in Winn Parish we are fortunate because the 4H and the Ag programs at the schools work well together. This means that the students in 4H and FFA have activities that overlap which helps them in the public speaking and their presentations.
We are very fortunate in Winn Parish to have such an active 4H and leaders that truly care about the children.