Both chambers of the Louisiana legislature mustered the 2/3 vote of its membership necessary to override a Governor’s veto clearing the way for the “Stop Harming Our Kids Act” (HB 648) to become law. The bill prohibits healthcare professionals from providing gender-affirming care or altering a child’s appearance to validate the minor’s perceptions of his sex. The Legislature adjourned following the vote of the Senate.
The Louisiana Constitution mandates a veto session on the 40th day after adjournment of the Regular Session unless a majority of either the House or Senate votes not to return. This year only 12 members of the Senate and 31 members of the House mailed in ballots stating the veto session was unnecessary. The 2023 Veto Session, which convened on July 18, is only the third in the state’s history since the 1974 Louisiana Constitution was adopted.
“Today was a huge win for the children of Louisiana,” said Gabe Firment, District 22 State Representative. “I’m proud of my colleagues in the state legislature for standing up to protect the children of our great state. We made it clear today that our children are worth fighting for. This great victory would not have been possible without the prayers and support of parents, grandparents, pastors, and grassroots organizations from around the state who rose up and declared with one voice that ‘No one in Louisiana has the right to harm a child’. God Bless the families of our beautiful state!”
The House of Representatives voted 76-23 to override the veto of HB 648. The vote in the Senate was 28-11. The Governor vetoed a total of 26 bills from the 2023 Regular Session including line-item vetoes from the budget package.
Auditor Steven McKay of Alexandria firm McKay, Rozier & Willis CPA gives an upbeat report during the July 11 meeting of the Winnfield City Council.
An audit report delivered during the July 10 meeting of the Winnfield City Council was long-awaited good news for the city in that it opens the door for grant applications, an option that was not available when the city had been in non-compliance.
Auditor Steve McKay of the Alexandria firm McKay, Rozier & Willis CPA, gave a short and upbeat report of audits that covered two years of city activity and took about four months to complete. He noted that this is a qualified opinion due to some deficiencies but added that an audit will always find something within a system that can be corrected. However, none of those issues point to non-compliance.
“The good news is that the city is on time with this report for the first time in a long time,” opened McKay. The qualified opinion is in part tied to the point that the city has debts yet the report points out that “the City has sufficient assets to meet its ongoing obligations to creditors and other interested parties for the foreseeable future.”
The city was still in the process of recovering from several devastating storms “and yet you still have $3.5 million in the bank. That’s a good sign. Winnfield is on track to be able to seek some grant funding,” McKay informed the council members.
In other action, the council voted to seek Community Block Grant funding that they have been told is available to help with the removal of dilapidated buildings described as hazards and eyesores. In the application, the city will compile a list of the properties and the steps involved in this effort to “clean up the city.” Officials have heard that LCDBG funding is now available.
On a matter that was presented during the June meeting of the council, the council’s July vote authorized Mayor Gerald Hamms to meet with JLC Power, LLC, to formalize a contract to perform an “attachment audit” of the estimated 10,000 power poles within the city. The mayor met with company representatives since the June meeting.
The JLC presentation represented that perhaps 75% of the poles have “attachments,” lines like telephone and cable, which are not the city’s and could be attached in a manner counter to federal guidelines. The fees the attachees are currently paying the city are also likely far below industry standards, JLC suggested. As a result of the audit, the city and the attachees alike will be access to an online mapping system of the poles while the city should receive more income annually from those companies using city poles.
Out-of-pocket costs to the city are expected to be in the $13,000 to $15,000 range with the bulk of additional costs to be borne by the attachee companies, said JLC which also said they will handle all dealings with the third parties. It was estimated that the audit would take at least until year’s end to complete.
The council also set its tax millage for the new year at 7.410 mills, unchanged from the present rate.
After a sensational show at the 2019 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame River Fest, Rockin’ Dopsie and The Zydeco Twisters are back for more on the Natchitoches riverfront stage in a free concert Friday evening, July 28
Quick quiz on what might happen Friday evening, July 28, in Natchitoches at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Rockin’ River Fest, free to everybody on the beautiful downtown Rue Beauport stage:
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning might croon a tune after he’s introduced
Former LSU baseball coach Paul Maineri could dance a jig as he did after steering the Tigers to a 2009 College World Series crown
Rockin’ Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters will have everybody in a deep Louisiana musical groove
Shreveport native Alana Beard, whose family hails from Cane River country, may water ski to the stage
All of the above, and who knows what else?
Anything is possible during the riverfront concert, which runs from 6 p.m. to 10:30. One of the highlights: at 9 o’clock, the Hall’s impressive Class of 2023, headlined by Manning, Mainieri and Beard, and presenting a very distinct LSU flavor, will be introduced on stage, and celebrated with a 10-minute fireworks show set to sports-themed music over Cane River Lake.
And yes, you read correctly. It’s free. There will be food and beverage vendors on the riverfront, and of course, Front Street’s always fun watering holes/restaurants are just a few steps away.
It’s family friendly. A free interactive kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers will include basketball, football, golf and science games for all ages to enjoy.
If you want to beat the summer heat and enjoy a tasty collection of Louisiana foods and specialty refreshments, you can visit LaSportsHall.com to snap up a few of the fast-disappearing $100 tickets to the VIP Taste of Tailgating presented by Hancock Whitney.
That party runs from 7-10 p.m. in the air-conditioned comfort of Mama’s Oyster House and Blues Room that will provide exclusive access to the 12-member 2023 Induction Class.
Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters are back as the headline act, just as they were when Eli’s big brother Peyton was in the Class of 2019. Dopsie has played the White House to the Jazz Fest, boogied with James Brown and John Fogerty, and wowed crowds all over, described as “Mick Jagger of the marsh” and note “a party seems to break out whenever and wherever Dopsie and his band show up.”
The opening act is Jason Ashley & The Hot Sauce Band, featuring the Alexandria native and regional country music star playing hits from yesterday and today, putting on shows popular around the Gulf Coast and all the way to Nashville.
The trio of Manning, Mainieri and Beard headline the 2023 inductees. Mainieri is one of five representing the Tigers of LSU, joined by Shreveport native and NFL receiver Wendell Davis, 14-year Major League Baseball pitcher Paul Byrd, two-time USA Olympic jumper Walter Davis and former baseball player M.L. Woodruff, going in on the strength of coaching 11 state champions at Parkview Baptist.
Beard was one of the brightest stars in women’s basketball at Duke and in the WNBA after an incredible high school career at Southwood in Shreveport. Tulane star Matt Forte became a Pro Bowl running back for the Chicago Bears. Walter Imahara won almost three dozen national weightlifting gold medals while competing into his late 60s. New Orleans native Ron Washington managed the Texas Rangers to two World Series, then won it all as the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, and remains in that role at age 71.
Acclaimed south Louisiana sports journalists Bruce Brown and Lori Lyons round out the Class of 2023.
Join the fun and celebrate some of Louisiana’s sports greats, for free, on Friday evening, July 28, in downtown Natchitoches. For information on all of the events during the July 27-29 Class of 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
The Hebrew word רוּחַ (ru-Akh) in the Bible is translated as wind, breath and spirit interchangeably. However one chooses to interpret it, God was undeniably hovering over our family this past Independence Day holiday in the form of רוּחַ. In humble awe, I reflect on how His firm hand guided us safely through the storm.
In the hustle of church activities, work, summer sports, camps, trips, and more, summer in this season of life with two adolescent kids is not quite as free and easy as is often advertised. That said, this past 3rd and 4th of July came as a surprise to us as we realized that all four of us were free on the same day. Since this occurrence was nearly unprecedented, we had made no plans. Quickly brainstorming, we discussed that some of our best family memories have been formed while primitive camping on one of the many TVA-owned islands on Douglas Lake. Here, we are disconnected from electronics and the outside world, connected to each other, and surrounded by the beautiful works of God’s hands in the mountains, the water, the trees, sunrises and sunsets, and a blanket of stars at night.
Excited by the possibility, with very little planning and a quick glance at the weather forecast to see all was fairly clear, we loaded our four kayaks with camping gear and put our boats in at the launch across the street from our house.
After we had paddled about 100 feet from shore, the blue sky turned black, and a heavy downpour commenced for roughly five minutes. As we could not communicate in the storm, my husband and the kids continued to paddle forward while I turned back towards the shore, assuming the trip was over. When the rain stopped, the blue skies returned as if no storm had happened. In retrospect, this was likely God’s loud whisper nudging us to change our plans. Unfortunately, we four do not always respond obediently to subtlety.
From the boat launch, I could see that the rest of my family had pulled their boats ashore on an island about a half-mile away. I joined them shortly and was informed excitedly that they had found a camping spot and still wanted to stay despite the recent shower. I paddled over, we hung out what needed to dry, set up camp and jumped in the lake for an afternoon of swimming and playing on our little island oasis.
As the sun began to set, we ate a hearty campfire supper and were on our way for an evening swim when a boat pulled up next to our kayaks. We were puzzled as two game wardens stepped out of the boat and approached our campsite. They informed us that although the lake has a multitude of islands where camping is allowed, we had unfortunately chosen the one island, a Wildlife refuge, where it is not. Since the inlet we had chosen was bereft of signage stating such, and we were clearly ignorant of our transgression until that moment, the agents benevolently did not ticket us. They did, however, inform us that our night would have to come to an end, and we would have to make our way home. They left us with a warning to watch out for other boats in the dark and made their way back out away from the island.
The sun had set by this point, so we packed up our campsite by flashlight illumination. We set out in our kayaks with makeshift navigation lights. Dad led the way with a cell phone flashlight app in one hand balancing a paddle in the other; 12-year-old sister followed with a small camping lantern between her knees; 10-year-old brother came next with a headlamp; and mom (me) trailed with a flashlight in my mouth.
Once again, about 100 feet away from the island, the sky clouded over. Soon after, lightning began spiderwebbing across the sky and the wind began to pick up. About a quarter of our way into our journey, despite our lights, a large wake boat passed in front of us and almost clipped the front of my daughter’s boat. The wake that followed combined with the wind and pushed us off course nearly capsizing us all in the process. My husband and the boat owner exchanged some loud words concerning child safety as he passed further into the main channel.
The kids were losing control of their boats and their emotions. As the wind picked up, neither were able to effectively paddle any longer. We were now widely separated and were being continually pushed further off course towards another shoreline. We considered towing the kids behind our own boats, however, at this point, the wind was making forward progress nearly impossible. Over the sound of our own distressed utterances, we heard voices coming from the shoreline where the wind had been pushing us: “Are you ok?” “Do you need help?” “Come over here!”
My husband and I communicated with a glance of relieved surrender. The wind guided us smoothly to the shore where about a dozen people from the permanent campground were waiting for us. There was no boat dock, only a sheer dirt and grass cliff face. Nevertheless, these selfless people first walked our kids up and held and comforted them in their emotional turmoil. Then, they helped us, piece by piece, unload our kayaks and made a ramp out of ladders to bring the boats up from the water. They then loaded my husband and kids into their truck to take them home.
While I waited with the boats, the remaining campers took me under their porch covering as the skies finally opened with rain, wind, thunder and lightning that would continue for most of the night. When my husband returned, as their final act of kindness, they helped load all four boats on the trailer.
We returned home minutes later to be greeted by two shaken kids looking for comfort and reassurance. Knowing that all of us have professed to serve a God who is sovereign over wind and waves and our household, we reflected on our last several hours and shared with them what God had revealed.
First, we looked out the back door at the tremendous storm that had not been predicted but was currently happening outside. We agreed that camping that night would have been quite dangerous. Had we not been camping on the only prohibited island in the lake, no one would have come to tell us to leave. As it was, God sent word in the form of two Wildlife Resources Agents.
Once we were on the water, the wind—the רוּחַ—increased just as the big boat passed a little too closely to our kayaks eliciting a verbal response. The wind carried our distressed voices in the dark across the water to the ears of our rescuers, turning their attention to our poorly lit, tiny vessels.
Finally, I recalled when my daughter lamented to me that she could not paddle anymore because the wind was too strong. She said in a panicked voice, “What do I do?” I told her, “Stop paddling against the wind. Just let go and let the wind push you into the shore.” God took us from the middle of a storm and, through His wind, guided us safely home.
Hearing this, the kids’ demeanor changed immediately from shaken and confused to excitement and awe. They were astounded to see an undeniable demonstration that the God of the universe, ruler of the land and the seas and all that is in them, is mindful of a meager family of four on a Tennessee lake. Our family has been camping many times and will be many more, but this camping trip that wasn’t will be one these two will always remember.
Physically experiencing the pushing of the רוּחַ is something I will not soon forget either. I often try to power through any struggle in life on my own strength and generally fall short. I would do well to take my own advice and remember who is in control: “Stop paddling against the wind. Just let go and let the wind push you into the shore.”
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” Zech 4:6
(Writer Laura Holeman Trahan is 1998 graduate of WSHS and received her doctorate of pharmacy degree from the University of Louisiana in Monroe. She lives with her family in Dandridge, TN. Please don’t forget to click to the right of the photo below to see the full slideshow.)
Young Silas on an early kayak outing
Laura Trahan and 10-year-old son Silas come ashore in their kayaks
Brother and sister, Silas and Lydia, on overlook of Douglas Lake
Maintenance Takes Kenneth Box with 371st Fighter Group from D-Day to Battle of the Bulge to War’s End
Bob Holeman conducted this series of interviews with local World War II veterans in 2011-12. Most of these 34 American heroes have passed away in the decade since.
Kenneth Box was ready to get out of Ward 10, Winn Parish, and take on the world in 1942. He was just as eager to get back to his familiar roots at home when World War II ended.
Box was born around Dodson on February 25, 1925, the son of James Wesley Box and Lela McFarland Box. His dad worked in the logging woods and while Box was young, the family moved to the Calvin area. That’s where he went to school. He didn’t think of himself as a scholar but did well enough with the books. “I got by.” But despite a good physique, he said, “I didn’t participate in sports of any kind.”
When the United States declared war after Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Box was just 16 and too young to fight for his country. But he felt the pull of duty more than he felt like following his father into the piney woods. “I never finished school,” he said. “When I turned 17 in February 1942, my folks gave their permission and I joined the Army Air Corps. This was the first big event of my life.
“I first went to Sheppard Field in Texas. I didn’t have a degree so I wouldn’t be flying any planes. They put me in maintenance. That’s where I’d begin my training. Then we went out to San Diego where we learned more about the maintenance of planes. Specialization? Yessiree. It was mostly fighter planes but we had to learn it all. And that’s where we were formed into units.”
Box’s 371st Fighter Group was activated July 1943 and was assigned to the European Front. They moved to the east coast for training. As Allied forces prepared for the invasion of Europe, Box perhaps experienced his next “big event” when the 371st shipped to England where it was attached to the 9th Air Force. Before the invasion, their P-47s flew over France, conducting fighter sweeps and escort missions and dive bombing targets like railroads, gun emplacements, vehicles and buildings.
“The fighter planes would go out every day,” Box recalls. “When they came back, our job was to make repairs, conduct complete maintenance, refuel them and reload ammunition so that the pilots could take them out the next day.”
The intensity of the air support increased with the invasion June 6, 1944, and with that came an increased workload for the maintenance units. The fighters provided an aerial barrage throughout Normandy Invasion and again in advance of the Allied breakthrough July 25, 1944, to prepare the way for the ground troops.
Box’s unit was stationed in England at the time of the initial assaults but as the Allied forces advanced, the unit followed to continue their maintenance support for the fighter planes. “We met the Germans and they whooped us at first. But then we began making advances. We moved all over northeast France. We were lucky. Our base was only hit one time and no one was killed. I was never wounded.”
Fighters from the unit supported offensives throughout the campaign, including the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium during the bitter winter of December 1944 and January 1945. “It was wintertime and it was cold,” he recalls. “We had tents. We did anything we could to keep warm, I tell you,” showing how they might have built a fire in a drum to huddle around.
“But a lot of those Army boys who were out on the road and on the move again, they had no way to keep warm. I don’t know how they made it.” Asked about food for the ground units, Box seemed noncommittal. He worked on fighter planes. At least he didn’t have to canned rations. “A squadron was in charge of cooking. At least it was hot.”
Once the Allies crossed the Rhine River into Germany, Box added a new country to his travel list. As in France, the 371st base moved from place to place. “I saw Gen. Patton. He liked to go around the air bases. He wasn’t a very big fellow. I guess I didn’t think much of him, one way or the other. But he was a general and I didn’t see any of the others.”
When the War in Europe ended in early May 1945, Box and his unit were stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. But the war wasn’t over quite yet for young Kenneth Box. “After a year of intensive fighting, suddenly there were no more planes to repair. But we still had routine maintenance of the aircraft. We also began working with the locals, training them how to make the transition from wartime to peacetime. That took six or seven month. We headed back to the United State in October.”
Because he was with the Air Corps, Box flew back to home, landing in New York. Over the 18 months that Box had been in Europe, he’d gotten especially close to a group of 10 or 12 men. But after their return home, they didn’t keep in touch. “I don’t know what any of them did or if they’re still alive,” he observed.
“It seemed like it took us a long time to get there but we finally got to Mississippi and that’s where I received an honorable discharge. I came straight home by bus, going through Ruston to Jonesboro. I spent the night there and the next day I was back in Ward 10. Then I took a little time off.”
When he decided it was time to earn a living, he went into the logging woods, as his father before him. But it didn’t take Box long to realize that there was a better way to make a living while still working with wood. He went into the carpentry business. “I worked as a carpenter for 40 years, working with contractors on houses, mostly here in Winn Parish. I helped build lots of houses in that time.”
Kenneth Box and Ava Brewton had gone to school together at Calvin but had paid little attention to each other. After his return, they met at Antioch Bibleway Church. “It was a little old wooden church house back then,” they recall. “We knew each other for about three years, then we got married in 1947.”
They have three daughters, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
The Winnfield Civic Center was the site of a “Back to School Bash” organized and sponsored by Caring & Sharing in Unity of Winnfield and Winn Parish Healthy Initiatives Coalition on July 14, 2023. At least 175 children attended along with parents and grandparents and received free hygiene kits, school supplies, backpacks, sack lunches, sweets and door prizes. Bouncy houses and a fire truck were also available for the children.
Many thanks from the community and the organizers of the event go to the City of Winnfield for complimentary use of the Civic Center. Other organizations with representatives, gifts and treats attending the event include the Winn Parish Health Unit, Humana Healthy Horizons in LA, Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office, Winn Parish Library, Central Louisiana Health Services Department, Central Louisiana Health Education Center and Winnfield Fire Department.
Private organizations participating and bringing information and treats to the community were Winnfield Kiwanis club, Winnfield Lions’ club, Strengthening Families program presented by Winnfield Community Health Clinic, Families Helping Families, Tobacco-Free Living, and Eckerd Connects.
Caring & Sharing and WHIC want to say a special thanks to the donors who contributed to help cover the expense of providing hygiene items, school supplies and sack lunches for the children, Sheriff Cranford Jordan, Winnfield Kiwanis Club, Winnfield Rotary Club, Winnfield Lion’s Club, Josh McAllister and First Assembly of God. Also many thanks to our hotdog cook, Jessie Phillips!
Caring & Sharing and WHIC want everyone to know this is an annual event planned for the latter part of July each year, so keep your eyes and ears open at the beginning of July each year for details of the date and location.
CLHSD (central louisiana human services District) booth serving smiles and help info on substance prevention
WPL (winn parish library) participates in Back to School Bash
Attending children and parents enjoying the bounce houses provided by the Back to School Bash
Children ages 3 through Grade 12 are invited to enjoy a week of fun and Bible learning July 24 through 28 when East Winnfield Baptist Church opens its doors to all for Vacation Bible School 2023, announced pastor Jeff Shows. “We expect this be a wonderful summer event.”
The theme this year is “Keepers of the Kingdom” where children will be taught how to stand strong in today’s battle for truth. The Monday through Friday VBS programs will be held nightly from 6 until 8:30 p.m.
“Our church is located on Hwy 34 north, just past the flashing light on Hwy 84 east by Pro-Burger,” said Bro. Shows. “Parents can bring their children to the church and we’ll take them from there. And on Sunday night, when we hold commencement and the children demonstrate what they’ve learned, we hope proud family members will fill the pews.”
If children require transportation to VBS, a church van pickup can be arranged by calling East Winnfield Baptist Church at 628-5998 in advance.
The attending crowd for Saturdays 4H Outdoor Skills Banquet
Our local 4H held their ‘Outdoor Skills Banquet’, the largest annual fundraiser for their calendar year, this past Saturday (July 15th) at the Winnfield Civic Center.
Attendees enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner complete with dessert, a live and silent auction, door prizes, and the opportunity to share in the fellowship and support of a well-loved student program.
Agent and speaker Donny Moon kicked off the proceedings with nothing but praise for the kids within 4H, and the community and staff that continue to encourage their endeavors, reminding the crowd “, this, everything we do is for our kids, and we’re thankful we live somewhere that supports us the way you (all) do.”
4H will be participating in the upcoming Winn Summer Sizzler Livestock Show (August 11th-12th) at the Winn Parish Fairgrounds and hopes you’ll come out in support once again. For more information, contact Donny Moon- (318-628-4258 or (318794-2288/wmoon@agcenter.lsu.edu. Melinda Miles (3186285408 or (318-471-8364).
Donny Moon speaks to banquet crowd about participants and program
Left to right: Chloe Whisonant, recipient of Rotary’s Tommy H. Harrel Memorial scholarship, Rotary President Kim Futrell, Addison Jacobsen, recipient of Rotary’s Lawrence White Memorial Scholarship
Addison Jacobsen and Chloe Whisonant, recent graduates of Winnfield Senior High School, were the special guests of the Winnfield Rotary Club at its meeting on July 12, 2023. Addison was the recipient of the Rotary Club’s Lawrence White Memorial Scholarship, and Chloe the recipient of Rotary’s Tommy H. Harrel Memorial Scholarship.
Rotary’s Lawrence White Memorial Scholarship is available to any senior graduating from Winnfield Senior High School, and the Tommy H. Harrel Memorial Scholarship is available to any senior graduating from any high school in Winn Parish. Winnfield’s Rotary Club also awards the Don Purser Memorial Scholarship to any senior graduating from any high school in Winn Parish and enrolling in Central Louisiana Technical Community College. That scholarship has not yet been awarded this year and the application process is still open at this time.
Addison is the daughter of Jessica Arcement. Addison began her education in Bossier Parish schools, but moved here with her mom when she was in fourth grade. She believes that moving to a smaller town and attending school in Winnfield was an advantage over growing up and attending school in a city environment. Addison’s most meaningful accomplishment in her high school career was taking the ASIST [Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training] course and becoming an advocate for persons with mental health issues. She will attend LSU—Shreveport and plans to attend medical school thereafter.
Chloe is the daughter of Brandi Whisonant. She has always lived in Winnfield up to now and been educated by the Winn Parish school system. Chloe’s most meaningful assignment and most important accomplishment in her high school career was leading the staff of the Tiger Roar, WSHS’s newspaper. Chloe has a love for cooking and feeding people delicious food and will attend LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge in the fall to major in nutrition and food science. She even has a TikTok channel on which she shares cooking skills and recipes.
The weather has started to heat up here in the middle of July and for the bass fisherman, he knows that some of the day’s most exciting and often best action occurs at the break of day. There is something about being on the water this time of year while all is quiet with a growing glow in the east as he casts a topwater lure next to the trunk of a cypress or willow.
When the twitch of the lure results in an explosive strike, it just about doesn’t get any better than this. Once the day brightens, the early morning action usually slows and the average bass angler heads home for the air conditioning once old Sol peaks over the cypresses.
For anglers who want to extend their bass fishing experience longer, the search is on for one lure to keep the bites coming, even after daytime temperatures rise. The Wobblehead meets all the characteristics of just such a lure.
This rather non-descript device features a slender curved slab of metal with a single hook onto which is attached a plain straight tail six inch plastic worm. Incidentally, there is no lure easier to retrieve than a Wobblehead; you simply cast it out and bring it back in a rather boring straight retrieve. However, there is nothing boring when a big bass gulps down the bait.
The curved metal body of the Wobblehead gives the lure its name; it wobbles side to side and gives the plastic worm tail an enticing swimming motion which resembles a favorite food for a foraging bass, a small swimming snake. Remember the last time you saw a snake swimming across the water? That’s the exact image you get when you reel in a Wobblehead.
These lures are especially effective when fished next to moss beds, where bass lurk out of the glare of the scorching sun waiting for something good to eat to pass by. A small snake slowly wagging overhead is often too much to pass up.
Cast out a Wobblehead in the heat this summer next to a patch of weeds and hang on. The results could leave you feeling “cool”.
Bream fishermen can still do their thing with these fighters even in the heat of summer. Both bluegills and chinquapins can be caught even though the spawn is over and they have moved from their shallow spawning beds.
One of the most productive bream fishing forays I ever experienced was one sweltering day several years ago when Eddie Halbrook took me to Grand Bayou lake near Coushatta where we caught at least 50 big chinquapins fishing cold worms on the bottom on an 8 foot deep flat.
If you’re a crappie fishermen, here’s something you may want to try to improve your summertime catch of tasty slabs.
If you want the best service from your waiter at a favorite restaurant, let it be known that you’re a generous “tipper”. You’re more than likely to find him eager and willing to be at your service. Keep this truth in mind the next time you head for the lake after summertime crappie. If you’re a good “tipper”, the crappie just might be much more cooperative.
Tipping explained means that you add something to your crappie jig to make it more enticing. Some anglers regularly tip their jigs with small shiners while others prefer commercial pea-sized niblets, grass shrimp or wax worms.
One of the best times to go for crappie during the heat of summer is to say indoors during the hottest part of the day and head for the lake at night. A bucket of shiners dangled beneath the lights around a pier or off the side of the boat will attract shiners or shad which attracts the crappie. It can be a bunch of fun and you won’t even need sunscreen.
Whether it’s bass, bream or crappie, you can still get your string stretched even in the middle of summer.
Date: 7-14-23 Name: Yolanda Smith Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Female Age: 57 Charge: Bond revoked by the court
Date: 7-15-23 Name: John L Rodgers Address: Atlanta, LA Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 72 Charge: DWI (second), Carless operation while intoxicated
Date: 7-16-23 Name: Lucretia D Williams Address: Dodson, LA Race: White Sex: Female Age: 43 Charge: Battery of a dating partner
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.
Date: 7-10-23 Name: Demonyea Foster Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Female Age: 22 Charge: Direct contempt of court
Date: 7-11-23 Name: Abel Moya Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Hispanic Sex: Male Age: 33 Charge: Unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling
Date: 7-12-23 Name: Braylon Goff Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 18 Charge: Disturbing the peace (violent and tumultuous manner)
Date: 7-12-23 Name: Abel Moya Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Hispanic Sex: Male Age: 33 Charge: Direct contempt of court (x2)
Date: 7-12-23 Name: Charles P Homes Address: Winnfield, LA Race: White Sex: Male Age: 56 Charge: Direct contempt of court
Date: 7-13-23 Name: Benard Tate Jr Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 57 Charge: Operating a vehicle under suspension, Carless operation
Date: 7-14-23 Name: Scotty Crux Address: Winnfield, LA Race: White Sex: Male Age: 38 Charge: Drug paraphernalia, Resisting an officer
Date: 7-13-23 Name: Domonique Walker Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 21 Charge: Theft (felony)
Date: 7-18-23 Name: Derrick Sapp Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 44 Charge: Second-degree aggravated battery, Possession of a firearm, 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.
Thanks to voters who supported the sales tax issues in 1969 and 1994, Winn Parish School System employees enjoy not only a monthly boost to their paychecks but also an end-of-year supplement when any of the non-distributed collections are shared.
Sales across the parish and the related tax collections were higher than usual this year and when the Winn Parish School Board’s fiscal year ended June 30 and the figures were tallied, the total to be divided came to a record $4.513 million.
The two taxes are calculated differently. Under the 1969 tax, all employees receive a 10% addition to their nine-month base salary, while years of experience and level of education are factored in. Under the 1994 tax, 18% of collections are dedicated to school supply costs, with 57% dedicated to certificated personnel and 25% to support personnel.
Collections under each of the taxes that are not paid out in the monthly distribution are divided at the end of a time period. The 1969 tax collections are shared at the end of the year. The 1994 tax collections are shared both at mid-year (December) and at year’s end (June).
