At the Harrington Law Firm, we spend a great deal of our time fighting with insurance companies in order to compensate our clients for legitimate damages resulting from car, big truck, and motorcycle wrecks.

Because of that, it may seem a bit odd that we are recommending to our clients and other drivers to buy more insurance. On its face, it may look as if we are trying to help out the very same companies that we are fighting. What we are actually doing is urging all drivers to protect themselves and their families by purchasing Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage as part of their automobile policy.

It probably won’t come as a surprise to many reading this to learn that statistics show that over 1 in 10 drivers on our Louisiana highways are driving with absolutely no insurance coverage. Of the drivers who do have insurance in non-commercial vehicles, more than half have “minimum limits” liability coverage. (Under Louisiana Law, non-commercial drivers are required to carry a minimum of $15,000/$30,000 in liability coverage.)

What this means is that when someone has minimum limits coverage and the driver negligently causes an accident resulting in injuries and damages to another person, the most that the insurance company will have to pay is $15,000 for a single injured party and a cumulative total of $30,000 for all injuries and damages to all parties, no matter how many there are and no matter how much the injuries and damages are.

These limits include damages for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost income, disability, etc., etc.

In other words, if a person sustains serious injuries in an automobile accident as a result of another person’s negligence with huge medical bills, loss of income, etc., and if that person only had minimal limits insurance the most that claimant will be able to collect is $15,000.

Of course, even worse, if the driver negligently causing the accident has no insurance, then there is no one to collect from and party or parties are, simply put, out of luck!

One might think you could simply sue the person who caused the accident individually and make them pay. While that is true that person would be individually liable for the damages he or she caused, our experience at the Harrington Law Office is that in situations where the driver causing the accident is uninsured or has minimum limits, it would be extremely rare that they would have the personal financial assets or income to compensate the injured party. Even if you sued them personally and got a judgment, in most cases they could simply file bankruptcy and get out of it.

So as Louisiana drivers, how can we protect ourselves and our families against these potentially devastating results? The answer is simple. Make Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage a part of your automobile policy.

Louisiana Law requires that when a person purchases a policy of automobile insurance, Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage will be a part of the policy unless the purchaser rejects that coverage. In other words, when you buy car insurance, you must sign or initial your application rejecting that type of coverage, or you will automatically have it.

Unfortunately, because of high insurance costs, many people simply tell their agents they want the cheapest coverage possible and end up rejecting Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage. Thereby, they are leaving themselves vulnerable to those Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists who are traveling our highways.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOU FAMILY AGAINST THOSE DRIVERS! Make certain that your automobile policy includes Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage! It is relatively inexpensive and could help you avoid a catastrophic financial loss should you or someone you love be injured or damaged by an Uninsured/Underinsured driver. Also, do not try to save a few dollars by purchasing “Economic Only” Uninsured/Underinsured coverage. This would only compensate the injured party for medical bills and lost income but not for pain and suffering, which often can be substantial.

Again, the difference in cost between regular Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist and “Economic Only – UM,” is fairly insignificant.

In conclusion, while it may seem strange for us, Personal Injury Attorneys, to recommend that you help the insurance companies by buying more insurance, what we are really doing is recommending that you protect yourselves, and the only way to do so is making sure that you have Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage.

The main office of the Harrington Law Firm is located at 459 Jefferson Street in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and partners, Rodney and Eddie Harrington represent clients all over Louisiana in all types of injury cases including automobile accidents, slip and fall, and medical malpractice. They also handle bankruptcy and debt negotiation, Social Security claims, and successions. For a free appointment, call 318-352-5900.

In 1962, the U.S. Army created the Army Material Command, commonly referred to as AMC.  This Army entity has been developing and delivering “material readiness solutions to ensure globally dominant land force capabilities.”  In layman’s terms, the AMC is the primary provider of materials to the Army.  It operates ammunition plants, arsenals, depots, and other facilities on land and afloat.  The AMC sells Army equipment and services to allies of the United States.  It also negotiates and implements agreements between the United States and foreign nations for the joint production of weapons.  The AMC created a motto to simplify their purpose even further: “If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, communicates with it or eats it – AMC provides it.”

In January 1973, after 11 years in operation, the AMC was getting a new and more modern national headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama.  To boost morale, the AMC held a contest to name the new headquarters.  People came up with all sorts of names for the new headquarters.  When the deadline for suggestions was reached, the AMC had received more than 500 entries.  The official contest committee to name the new building carefully studied each one.  Some of the suggestions were comical.  Some were too colorful or risqué to list here.  Some were just downright strange. 

Finally, on January 14, 1973, Major General Charles T. Horner, the AMC chief of staff announced that the lucky winner was Francis Sikorski.  Along with the pride of winning the contest, Francis received a monetary award of $100.  After announcing the winner, the major general proudly announced the winning entry.  “The name of the new AMC building,” the major general said, “is…the AMC building.”  The choice was met with disappointment. 

More than 40 years later, officials in Britain had a similar situation in which the public was disappointed in a naming contest.  In 2016, Britain’s Natural Environment Research Council held an online poll to name its new £287 million polar scientific research ship.  The Natural Environment Research Council suggested dignified names such as Shackleton, Endeavour, and Falcon.  Members of the public also made their own suggestions.  Someone suggested naming the ship after the late David Bowie.  BBC radio host James Hand put forth his suggestion, but he eventually cast his ballot for another suggestion to name the boat in honor of English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author Sir David Attenborough.  Eventually, officials selected, not the entry which had the most votes, not the one with the second most votes, but the one which came in fourth place in the poll.  Officials named the boat the RRS Sir David Attenborough. 

People who had voted in the online poll were upset that National Environmental Research Council disregarded their choice in favor of one that came in fourth place.  They asked why they held a poll at all.  Science Minister Jo Johnson responded that there were “more suitable” names.  The online pollsters rallied behind BBC radio host James Hand’s suggestion because it came in first place with more than 124,000 votes.  Finally, to quell the row, the Council agreed to name a miniature yellow submarine onboard the ship as James Hand had suggested.  If the council had adopted the name based on the “name our ship” poll, the RRS Sir David Attenborough would have been named Boaty McBoatface.   

Sources:

1.      The Atchison Daily Globe, January 15, 1973, p.2.

2.     Whitehorse Daily Star, March 21, 2016, p.13.

3.     “‘Boaty McBoatface’ polar ship named after Attenborough,” BBC News, May 6, 2016, accessed March 10, 2023.  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36225652

4.     Tampa Bay Times, October 18, 2016, p.T11.

Spring is in the air!, and so is love and so is pollen — in the air, in your hair, your eyes, your nose, on your car.

You take the bad with the good when the payoff is spring.

Before we meet again it’ll be Officially Spring, so says The 2023 Old Farmer’s Almanac. Monday at 4:24 p.m. (Saw that on Facebook too, so it must be true, right?)

That moment in time marks the spring equinox, which I have never had the patience to study enough to see what it really means in terms of the Earth’s tilt and what not and this and that and to and fro.

I do know “equinox” comes from two Latin words that mean “equal” and “night.” The day and night are basically the same length. And after that, our hemisphere starts tilting toward the sun which means the days are longer and it’s about to get hot up in here.

But you don’t need an almanac to tell you spring is coming. You hear a ball pop into a mitt or you start filling out your NCAA March Madness bracket, and you know what’s up.

Or, you just look outside, through the yellow pollen mist, and there’s springtime, waving back.

A month ago, a warmish February morning, six robins and two cardinals were in the backyard, scouting. They’ve been there since.

The willows are greening, bulbs shooting and blooming. Little pictures of springtime.

Like me, you’ve probably already mowed once, which is mainly mowing clover, and leaving a little of that for the bees since they don’t have much else to enjoy right now. My yard looks like a drunk person mowed it. With thinning shears.

Speaking of lame brain, it was three years ago this week that the world shut down, semi-thwarting the man-made things that complement spring. It was 2020 and Friday the 13^th (which was Monday of this week) when college basketball tournaments and then baseball games were cancelled, and then Monday the 16^th (tomorrow, Thursday, is the 16^th) is when schools quit and all sports quit and Weird Spring started.  

(Somebody messed up!)

Thank goodness THAT’s over. At least I think it is …

And, speaking of loopy, those birds in the back yard might have had one too many, and I’ll tell you why.

There is a window-sized mirror along the fence, placed there before we moved in, I suppose for decoration. It’s confused at least one of the robins. She keeps flying into its reflection of grass and water and leaves, landing at its bottom, and trying again. Dozens of times. Flying into the mirror.

It happens almost every day, and maybe it’s the same robin and maybe they are all giving it a whirl, trying to figure it out, trying to fly right into springtime.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu or Twitter @MamaLuvsManning

Shelia Stringer
March 8, 2023
Service: Friday, March 17 at 2 pm at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Winnfield

Jackson B Boydstun Jr.
Service: Saturday, March 18 from 2-4 PM at the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home with Crematory in Inverness, Fla.

Monday, March 6th, The Winn Parish School Board convened at 5:30 PM for their regularly scheduled meeting. Among their business topics for the meeting was accepting the ‘Academics and Instruction Committee Report,’ which included the results of the ’23-’24 four-day school calendar survey issued to parents February 6th to the 17th. Though the results were initially presented in the committee meeting on February 27th, they were re-stated in the report read by Mrs. Long (District 7).

According to the data collected, 1,758 people participated and submitted a response to the survey, sixty-two percent were firmly for it, fifteen percent were mildly interested in the possible transition, eleven percent were firmly opposed, and the other remaining eleven percent were undecided, or neutral to the change. After reading the results, the board opened the floor to public comments. Many concerned parents, faculty and staff were present and eager to express their concerns, questions and criticisms. Critics of the survey allege that data integrity was an issue as participants were anonymous and could take the survey multiple times. 

The urgency for able and qualified teachers wasn’t the only thing on the list brought to address by those in attendance; questions regarding the data security for the survey and its results, clarity on pay for all staff if such a change takes place, bus operation and routes, lack of communication and preparation between the board and the public, and the need for more community accessible after school care were just a few of the point in circulation that evening.

After closing public comments, the board moved on to a vote. Only four members, McManus (District 1), Vines (District 5), Riffe (District 6) and Taylor (District 9), voted yes. As a result, the ’23-’24 four-day school calendar did not pass. However, due to the sensitivity and tension surrounding the matter, Mrs. Long stated that a committee would be formed to allow readdressing, more research and better understanding. This meeting should occur Monday, April 3rd, at 5:30 PM.

The biggest concern of our school district and the leading reason this motion was said to be introduced is retaining certified teachers and guaranteeing the quality of education within the classroom for all students at all levels. Knowing that Louisiana is already short two-thousand certified teachers statewide puts even more strain on our district’s current plight. Whether you’re for it, opposed or undecided, now is the time to voice your needs and opinions to your district’s peers and the school board representative.

SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR DISTRICTS:

Lacey McManus/District 1 (318-302-2427)
Harry Scott/District 2 (318-542-6294)
Amber Cox/District 3 (318-471-7783)
Michelle Carpenter/District 4 (318-413-2757)
Steve Vines/District 5 (318-413-1253)
Michael Riffe/District 6 (318-302-3171)
Joe Llaine Long/District 7 (318-413-4614)
Patrick J Howell/District 8 (318-623-8612)
Dan Taylor/District 9 (318-451-0456)
Joe Lynn Browning/District 10 (318-471-0192)
Lance Underwood/District 11 (318-374-0505)

The 2022-23 basketball season has been great for Winnfield Senior High School, and could get unforgettable Saturday afternoon in Lake Charles.

After the WSHS Tigerettes reached the state semifinals last week, the Tigers have gone one better. Saturday afternoon at 4 in Burton Coliseum, the No. 3-seeded Tigers (24-5) will play No. 1 Port Allen in the Division III Non-Select state championship game.

Winnfield pushed away from French Settlement 57-52 in the second state semifinal Wednesday night, following a triple overtime victory by Port Allen, 77-75 over fourth-seeded Patterson. Port Allen eliminated WSHS last year in the quarterfinals by just two points.

It’s been 10 years since the last time the Tigers made the state tournament. Winnfield is aiming for its first state championship in boys’ basketball.

The Tigers got good fan support Wednesday night and stuck together through a very competitive game, pulling away from a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

“It means the world to us,” said Gerald Robertson, who scored 10 points for WSHS. “We love each other. It’s a group and family. We will always push through, and if we win now, we will take it back to the city.”

The Tigers got a big 3-pointer from Robertson who quickly followed with a conventional three-point play, then Jaylon Jackson scored six straight points to build a 47-38 advantage midway through the fourth period. French Settlement scrapped back within 55-52 in the final minute, but good defense and a clinching Jackson steal and layup salted away the Winnfield win.

Jackson scored a game-high 20 points. De’Cavian Duncan and Robertson each had 10 for WSHS, which got a team-best eight rebounds by Derrick Davis and seven more by Keithan Hamilton.

The Tigers left no doubt in their first two playoff victories.

Winnfield pasted Rosepine 90-73 in the second round, after earning a first-round bye. In the state quarterfinals, the Tigers put away Richwood 77-63 to advance to Marsh Madness.

That victory showed how far Winnfield has come. Richwood had beaten WSHS 60-55 on Nov. 23.

The District 3-2A champion Tigers have won 19 straight games and are unbeaten since the holidays.

The championship game Saturday can be watched on a pay-per-view basis at NFHSNetwork.org.

Pictured above: TOUGH TIGER: Gerald Robertson pulls up for a shot Wednesday night as Winnfield beat French Settlement in the state semifinals. The Tigers play for the state championship Saturday in Lake Charles. (Photo by RODRICK ANDERSON, courtesy Lake Charles American Press)

Aden Coleman would not be denied at the plate when runners were on base on Wednesday, driving in five on two hits to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars past Dodson 11-1 on Wednesday. Coleman drove in runs on a single in the first and a double in the fourth.

Calvin Varsity Cougars grabbed an early lead. Calvin Varsity Cougars scored on a single by Coleman, a single by John Bradley Griffin, and a single by John Landon Poisso in the first inning

Calvin Varsity Cougars tallied six runs in the second inning. Coleman, Griffin, Payton Mercer, Gavin Musgrove, and Alex Camp all drove in runs in the frame.

Griffin led the Calvin Varsity Cougars to victory on the hill. The righthander surrendered one run on one hit over four innings, striking out five. Camp threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.

Duff toed the rubber for Dodson. Duff allowed ten hits and 11 runs over four innings, striking out two.

Calvin Varsity Cougars collected ten hits. Poisso, Layton Higgs, Griffin, and Coleman all managed multiple hits for Calvin Varsity Cougars. Coleman, Griffin, Higgs, and Poisso each collected two hits to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars. Calvin Varsity Cougars stole seven bases during the game as two players stole more than one. Griffin led the way with two.

Statham led Dodson with one hit in two at bats.

Date: 3-2-23
Name: Robert Earl Starkey III
Address: Homeless
Race: White
Sex: Male 
Age: 37
Charge: Criminal trespassing, Theft 

Date: 3-3-23
Name: Robert Lewis Snellng 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White 
Sex: Male 
Age: 38
Charge: Criminal trespassing 

Date: 3-3-23
Name: Richard A Rozelle
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White 
Sex: Male 
Age: 61
Charge: Failure to appear, Violation of a protective order 

Date: 3-6-23
Name: Jose Alberto Resahes 
Address: Winn Correction
Race: Hispanic 
Sex: Male 
Age: 43
Charge: Possession of meth, introducton of controband 

Date: 3-6-23
Name: Jacqualine  K McCardie 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female 
Age: 31
Charge: Failure to appear 

Date: 3-8-23
Name: Myron Crawford 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black 
Sex: Male 
Age: 33
Charge: Parole warrant 

Date: 3-8-23
Name: Erica L Cooper
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black 
Sex: Female 
Age: 39
Charge: No license, No child restraints 

Date: 3-9-23
Name: Elizabeth A Crouse 
Address: Joyce, LA
Race: White 
Sex: Female 
Age: 39
Charge: Direct contempt of court 

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.

Early Voting will be held in the Registrar of Voters office in the Winn Parish Courthouse Saturday, March 11 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?

The Winn Parish Police Jury is accepting applications for a Truck driver. The position will be full-time with benefits. Duties will include operating such equipment as a dump truck, small farm-type tractors with a blade or bush hog, or other equipment as needed. Provide routine maintenance on equipment, perform physical labor as required and maintain simple records of equipment operations.

MUST POSSESS CLASS A OR B CDL LICENSE.

Minimum qualifications: 3 months of experience operating one or more kinds of equipment specified for the class or 6 months to 1 year of experience in general labor or maintenance work.

Applications for employment may be picked up at the Secretary/Treasurer’s office located in the Parish Courthouse, 119 W. Main Street, Room 102 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Applications will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2023.

JOSHUA MCALLISTER, PRESIDENT
KAREN TYLER, SECRETARY/TREASURER

The Winn Parish Police Jury is an equal-opportunity employer.

Early Voting will be held in the Registrar of Voters office in the Winn Parish Courthouse Saturday, March 11 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?

Calvin Varsity Cougars defeated Jonesboro 13-3 on Tuesday thanks to eight runs in the third inning. Calvin Varsity Cougars batters contributing to the big inning included John Landon Poisso, Gunnar Yocum, Mason Carter, Layton Higgs, and Aden Coleman, all sending runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning.

In the first inning, Jonesboro got their offense started when #6 drew a walk, scoring one run.

Calvin Varsity Cougars evened things up at two in the top of the second inning when an error scored two runs for Calvin Varsity Cougars.

Calvin Varsity Cougars pulled away for good with eight runs in the third inning. In the third Poisso doubled on a 1-2 count, scoring two runs, Yocum singled on a 0-2 count, scoring one run, Carter doubled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs, Higgs singled on a 2-1 count, scoring two runs, and Coleman’s sac fly scored one run for Calvin Varsity Cougars.

Poisso was credited with the victory for Calvin Varsity Cougars. The righthander lasted four innings, allowing one hit and three runs while striking out seven. Alex Camp threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.

#1 took the loss for Jonesboro. The hurler allowed zero runs on zero hits and walked zero.

Calvin Varsity Cougars racked up 11 hits on the day. Yocum, Higgs, and John Bradley Griffin each had multiple hits for Calvin Varsity Cougars. Griffin, Higgs, and Yocum each collected two hits to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars.

#11 led Jonesboro with one hit in two at bats. 

Both teams were strong in the pitcher’s circle on Monday, but Natchitoches Central was just a little bit stronger at the plate in a victory over Lady Tigers on Monday. Josie Davidson started the game for Lady Tigers and recorded 18 outs.

#2 was the winning pitcher for Natchitoches Central. undefined lasted six innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out 13 and walking one.

Davidson took the loss for Lady Tigers. The righty went six innings, allowing two runs on two hits, striking out 11 and walking one.

Raelynn Bartlett and Riley Lawson each collected one hit to lead Lady Tigers.

#2 went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Natchitoches Central in hits. Natchitoches Central was sure-handed and didn’t commit a single error. Houghtby made the most plays with 13.

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