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: 10-6-23
Name: Machen S Hucoby 
Address: Homeless 
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 18
Charge: Simple battery (juvenile)

Date: 10-8-23
Name: Daniel W Norris 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White 
Sex: Male 
Age: 42
Charge: Theft (<1,000)

Date: 10-9-23
Name: Crystal B Jordan 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White 
Sex: Female 
Age: 34
Charge: Cruelty to juveniles 

Date: 10-9-23
Name: Cameron Wyatt
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black 
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Charge: Theft (>500) (misd)

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.

Janet Teresa Navarre Gilcrease
January 18, 1930 – September 26, 2023
Funeral Held: Tuesday, September 28, 2023 at Southern Funeral Home

Karen Lynn Franks
March 23, 1957 – October 1, 2023
Funeral Held: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at Southern Funeral Home

Early voting in Winn Parish is now under way for the Oct. 14 election and activity through the first three days (Saturday, Monday and Tuesday) have been brisk, according to Registrar of Voters Bryan Kelley.

In that time, 801 have walked through the doors of the Registrar of Voters Office, Winn Parish Courthouse, while another 135 have sent in absentee ballots through the mail, for a total of 936.  That number broke down by race to 745 White, 185 Black and 6 Other.  By gender it was 421 male and 514 female.  By party the numbers were 296 Democrat, 433 Republican and 207 other.

Kelley noted that on Saturday, Sept. 30, there were 407 in-person voters which appears to be a single-day record.  He said it would be hard to speculate whether the high turnout is due to voter interest in the Oct. 14 ballot or if it’s a reflection on growing participation in early voting since the practice has been publicized by the Secretary of State’s Office.

By way of comparison, the turnout for early and absentee votes four years ago in the 2019 gubernatorial primary was 1,747.  The 936 so far this time is 53.5% of that total, with four more days including another Saturday of early voting ahead.

Early voting will continue through this Saturday, Oct. 7, with voting hours from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.  Sample ballots are on the wall, outside of the Registrar’s office.  Kelley pointed out that changes were made in some ward/precincts due to recent redistricting  which may affect some polling places or police jury districts of votes.  Voter ID cards were mailed to affected voters but anyone with questions is invited to call the Registrar of Voters Office at 628-6133.

Besides the state and local candidates, there are four constitutional amendments on the Oct. 14 ballot.  Louisiana’s Public Affairs Research Council explains them as follows:

Amendment 1.  A “Yes” vote supports banning financial (and other) donations from foreign or other nongovernmental sources to administer elections.  A “No” vote supports allowing election officials to decide whether to accept financial (or other) donations from outside sources to conduct elections.

Amendment 2.  A “Yes” vote declares the highest level of constitutional protection for freedom of worship in a church or other place of worship, requiring courts to apply the strictest level of judicial review to challenge when government bodies restrict access.  A “No” vote supports keeping current constitutional protections, which provide that the free exercise of religion is a fundamental right subject to the highest level of scrutiny under Louisiana law but do not specifically single out house of worship.

Amendment 3.  A “Yes” vote supports requiring lawmakers to use 25% of any state surplus to pay retirement debt for the four state retirement systems.  A “No” vote supports leaving the current requirement that lawmakers spend 10% of any state surplus to pay retirement debt for two state retirement systems through 2029.

Amendment 4.  A “Yes” vote supports allowing local government officials to remove a property tax exemption from nonprofit organizations that lease houses and have repeated public health or safety violations.  A “No” vote supporting maintaining the current system of property tax exemptions for nonprofit organizations, including those that have repeated public health or safety violations.  

The registrar suggests that residents may wish to download the Secretary of State’s GeauxVote app to view their sample ballot and monitor Election Night results.

There was little good news when the Winn Parish School Board committee received its report for ongoing insurance coverage.  Overall costs will be up 25% from 2022 coverage, with a total tab of $114,359.

The policy covers general liability, automobile liability, school leadership liability and a relatively new category providing cyber crime coverage.

A presentation was made Sept. 25 at the board’s committee session by agents from McGriff Insurance Services.  Coverage is provided through a risk-management group of 26 Louisiana school systems which includes Winn.  Louisiana Public Schools Risk Management Agency (PARMA) was formed in 2002 when other insurance companies were no longer willing to write policies due to costs.

Annually, each system pays in to cover PARMA’s loss fund.  In instances of claims, the parish is responsible for a deductible of $25,000 while the PARMA loss fund is responsible for the balance which may be considerably higher.  The agents called this a “layered approach.”

This past year, there were more awards, some of them being large, that resulted in the LARMA board announcing the increased rates for the new school year.  If there is a silver lining to the cloudy report, it was that in years when claims are lighter than pay-in, LARMA can approve dividends back to the individual school systems.

A relatively new but now high profile player in the public entity insurance picture is cyber crime.  The board heard that up to three years ago, cyber insurance was easy to get and inexpensive so PARMA simply provided it for the school systems from its loss fund.  But that changed after recent, high-profile cyber crimes.  “All of a sudden, big hacks, big headlines.”

Public entities like school boards have large amounts of sensitive information stored within their files.  But they don’t have much money to protect it apart from traditional firewalls.  One way to increase security (and in turn make insurance possible) is the use of Multi-Factor Authorization (MFA).

With MFA, once a person signs in for School Board access, a notification and temporary passcode is sent back to a device-of-record (like phone or email) to confirm that the person seeking information is who they say they are.  Business manager Jennifer Vidrine advised the board that while setting up an MFA system for school personnel can be done, working out an MFA program for students will be more complex.

Some other parishes have accomplished this by setting up a system for students that is separate from that of personnel, though still connected to the system’s database.

The Winn Parish Police Jury met with parish engineer Henry Shuler in special session Sept. 26 to view priorities on parish road projects to be presented to the Louisiana legislature in hopes of receiving capital outlay funding next year.

This is a process that parishes go through annually, hoping to receive monies from the state’s Capital Outlay program to help maintain and repair some of their roads.  The legislature does not provide a lump sum payment to a parish to make repairs at-will.  Instead, it acts on a project-by-project basis, examining the nature and costs of each project as drawn up by the engineer, then submitted by the Police Jury.

Not all projects are approved, explained Shuler.  Large budget projects, for instance, may stand a better chance of winning funding if broken into smaller phases over several years.  Those that are approved may come back as a Priority 1, 2 or 5, depending on how readily available that money will be.  And sometimes, as happened on the Old Alexandria Road, funding may come through but when clay soil issues were found that will increase costs way over budget, that work is sidelined.

“So what are you asking us?” Shuler was questioned.

“I need the jurors to tell me which roads are their priorities so that I can begin working on the plans for the jury to submit to the state before the Nov. 1 deadline.  I’m the consultant.  It’s up to you to tell me what to do.  But remember, while there is a lot of money available, the Police Jury still has a minimum of a 25% match to receive it.  I do want to tell you that, compared to many other parishes, you have been blessed with the financial assistance you’ve received in recent years.”

Josh McAllister credited that blessing to the work of Winn’s legislators on our behalf.  He then observed that although he has several projects within his district that need attention, he’d itemize only one so as to not jeopardize the chances of funding on projects in other jury districts.  Other lawmakers followed suit in an effort to minimize the “asking” list while maximizing the hopes of funding for each.

One of the roads that would likely need to be approached in phases is the Gum Springs Road.  For its entirety, due to its length and width, Shuler said, “We’re talking millions. That one project could cost as much as everything else on the list.”  The fact that there is a federal facility (Winn Correctional) on the road could prove a helpful factor, it was observed.

The engineer worked around the table, questioning each of the lawmakers about roads in their districts, taking notes and developing a list so he can begin working on proposals for Winn to submit before deadline.

Those that will be re-submissions include the Eugene Garrett Road, Aunt Marie Road, Old Alexandria Road, L. Sullivan Road, Frank White Road and Brownville Road.  New requests to be submitted include the Blewer Road, Welcome Home Road, Mars Hill Road, Gum Springs Road, Collins Camp Road, Louisiana Avenue and Arkansas Avenue.

Campaign Announcement

Chet Atkins is a candidate for Winn Parish Tax Assessor. He, his wife Miranda, and their sons, are proud citizens of Winn Parish. Chet grew up in East Winn Parish and was raised with Christian morals and values. He loves Winn Parish and is committed to preserving it, while also working for economic growth.  As a licensed real-estate agent, he is uniquely qualified to serve in this office.

Winn Parish is one of the last four parishes in the state that does not have parcel maps on the internet. As our next tax assessor, Chet is committed to putting maps of property ownership online. He wants to create an easily accessible website for the Assessor’s office with information on tax data, as well as links to other related resources. This will be done with the intent of gaining the interest of out of state investors, therefore inducing economic advancement. 

He also intends to work with fellow parish officials, fireman, police officers, school board members, and others, and desires “effective communication, cooperation, and coordination.” He states that he plans to “network with business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors to highlight Winn Parish as a centrally located hub in our State that can provide numerous job and business opportunities.” 

The candidate asks that you vote for Chet Atkins, #49, this October 14th!

Campaign Announcement

My name is Lawrence Desadier and I am your Winn Parish Assessor.  I am married to Kim Desadier and we have three children, Briana, Jacob and Lucas.  We also have one grandchild, Rhett.  We attend the First Baptist Church in Winnfield.  I am a retired law enforcement officer, with 27½ years of service.

In 2007, I was elected Winn Parish Tax Assessor and my first term began January 1, 2009.  I am now serving my fourth (4th) term as Assessor.  During my first term in office, I became a Certified Louisiana Assessor and continue to take classes to maintain my certification.

In the past 15 years serving as Assessor, we have had many updates and improvements.  We now have a public computer to better serve the community.  The most recent update to the office is a new phone system.

During the past few years the Assessor’s Office has searched and telephoned looking for grants for funding for a GIS system.  We are happy to announce in the near future, we will have a GIS online Mapping System with a website.

It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Winn Parish since 2009.

I ask for your continued support and please Vote #50 on October 14th to Re-elect Lawrence Desadier as your Winn Parish Tax Assessor.

Campaign Announcement

I am announcing my candidacy for Police Jury District #6.
I am a retired City of Winnfield Fire Captain.
I was a public servant for 27 years.
I was on the Civil Service Board for 20 years.
I’ve been married to my wife Cindy for 35 years.
I have four children and seven grandchildren.
I am a Cancer survivor with inoperable non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the stomach.
I am a member of the Family Church.
I thank God, Family, Friends and Prayers for me still being here.
I am Cancer-free.
Let me be your Voice in District #6.

Some 700 students from Winn, Jackson and Grant parishes are expected to rotate through a three-day program on Agricultural Awareness on the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the Winn Parish Fair next week.

While the students may understand the program’s purpose, many adults may not so the Journal asked LSU Ag Center agents Donny Moon and Karen Shirley to explain:

“What Ag Awareness does is bring agriculture and natural resources to the kids on a day-to-day basis, helping them understand the farm-to-table process that feeds our country,” said Moon.  “It’s pretty amazing that only 2% of the people in our nation today are involved in the farming sector yet they feed the people of America.  That’s our focus.”

The ag leaders see that students don’t quite understand the “how and why” of the farm system and have devised a five-stage program that gives students a brief hands-on experience.  Moon emphasized that this is more of a “taste” rather than a “training.”  The entire program will take place in the livestock barn area on the hill within the fairgrounds.

A complete session takes about an hour, with students rotating through five different stations for some ten minutes each, plus a little transition time to the next station.

The first station is a petting zoo where children learn a little about animal species.  Second is built around wildlife and timber.  “It’s important,” said Moon, “since 92% of Winn’s land area is timber.  They also hear that regulated hunting if a good management tool for our wildlife.”  Third station is plant/science, with a fun demonstration showing corn that is grown here that is then popped for the students.  At the fourth station, students will make bracelets out of pipe cleaners, with each color representing a different component of the agricultural community.  The final station will be a demonstration of digestion and how foods benefit the body.

A proud statement from the LSU Ag Center agents was that neither Moon nor Shirley will be handling these training sessions.  Instead, that preparation and training will be directed by local 4-H and FFA Junior Leaders, the older students who have come up through the programs to be thoroughly trained and trusted to carry out missions they receive.

By: Daniel Simmons
Photos Curtesy of Tiger Snaps

The WSHS Tigers played their fifth game of the season Friday night, September 29, at Stokes-Walker Stadium against the Bunkie Panthers. Bunkie has traditionally been a challenge for the Tigers no matter how good either team is. The Panthers projected as even more of a challenge than usual this year, coming into town with a perfect 4-0 record, with two of those wins being shutouts. They lived up to those expectations, as they would leave town with a 5-0 record after defeating the Tigers 33-0.

The driving force behind Bunkie’s success in this contest was junior quarterback Dillon Compton. Compton made plays all night on the ground and through the air, showcasing his top-end speed and arm talent. He finished his night with 5 total touchdowns, 4 rushing and 1 passing, including a 90-yard run on the second play of the game. It was an all-around frustrating night for the Tigers, with no points and few highlights. Jake Jones started the game at quarterback and played the first offensive series at quarterback before handing quarterback duties off to Damascus Lewis the rest of the way. Jones had a 12-yard run and a 25-yard pass to Ryan Davis during his one drive under center, but the drive ended with a turnover on downs. The Panthers took over from there and started a long drive, ending with Compton’s lone passing touchdown of the night to top receiver Kyle Johnson. From that point forward, the rout was on. The lone bright spot in the second half for the Tigers was a nice catch by Breylan Starks on an interception in the fourth quarter.

As bad as the most recent contest was for the Tigers, it was only one game out of ten, and there are five more chances to do better this season, with all five of them being district games. District play opens this Friday, October 6 with the Tigers playing a home game against the Lakeview Gators, who are 3-2 after a 44-38 loss to Delta Charter last week. The Gators are coached by former Avoyelles Mustangs head coach Andy Boone, who has brought his unconventional strategy to Lakeview. Avoyelles has been a common opponent for the Tigers in the past several seasons, so Tiger fans might be familiar with Boone’s strategy of never kicking extra points or punting, and always onside kicking, going for two after touchdowns, and going for it on fourth down. Recovering those onside kicks will be a major key to a Tiger victory Friday night.

This week’s game against Lakeview is also the homecoming game for the Tigers. The homecoming festivities will begin Thursday morning with the homecoming assembly/court presentation in the WSHS auditorium at 8:30, and the homecoming parade is scheduled for that afternoon at 3:30 on Main Street. At the school that evening starting at 6 is the community tailgate leading up to the bonfire pep rally at 7:30. On Friday, the homecoming pep rally is at 8 in the morning in the WSHS auditorium, and that night at Stokes-Walker Stadium, the homecoming court will be presented on the field at 6:30. Finally at 7 PM, the main event of homecoming week will begin as the Tigers face off against Lakeview.

“Tillers of the soil are still the most important citizens of the United States,” says Jasmine Jones, echoing the words of Teddy Roosevelt from the early 1900’s. Jasmine, a junior at Winnfield Senior High School, spoke to the Winnfield Rotary Club on September 27, 2023, about the current mental health crisis amongst the American farmers of the small family farm, on whom we rely for much of our food supply in this country.

Jasmine, the daughter of Gregory and Susi Jones, serves as the Treasurer of the WSHS Future Farmers of America. She also serves in the Louisiana FFA as Vice President of Area 2. Jasmine won the Louisiana FFA Prepared Speaking Leadership Development Event last winter, and this November, she will represent both Winnfield and the State of Louisiana at the National FFA Convention, competing against high school FFA students from across the country.

Jasmine noted that the farmer is important to America because one farmer produces enough food each year to feed 170 people. Yet their income continues to decline as it has since the farm crisis of the 1980’s, going down 19% in the last five years. This decline leads to serious depression and anxiety in increasing numbers of farmers as well as increased numbers of suicide within this population at rates higher than that of the general population, at a time when few farmers have access to mental health treatment due to the high cost of health insurance.

The average U.S. citizen gives little thought to how the loss of family farms and individual farmers across the country will affect our food security, or the way in which this may affect the economy, Hopefully, Jasmine’s research on this subject and advocacy for the family farmer will bring some much-needed attention to the topic. 

Among comments at the conclusion of her presentation, Rotary members wished Jasmine the best in her competition, sayiing they are confident she will represent Winn and the state well at Nationals.

Jasmine was accompanied to the meeting by her fellow FFA officer Alyssa Van Blaricum, WSHS ag teacher-FFA advisor Ryan Riley and director of the Louisiana FFA, Eric Smith. 

Well, maybe there wasn’t an elephant in our room while we traveled to southern Africa this August but we were pretty close to them.  So close and they seemed so friendly, Diane asked our guide what would happen if we stepped out of the vehicle amongst them.  “They’d kill you,” came the short reply.

This is the final of my series on our South Africa and Botswana adventure.  I didn’t want this to become like “My Summer Vacation” as you’ll recall from your grade school days.  But I see readership has fallen to the point of that’s where I am so I’ll wrap it up with elephants.  Short. Lotsa pix.  And maybe a smidge on rhinoceros.

We saw elephants everywhere:  in the grassy fields, at the watering holes, crossing the river, in the mud, in the dust, among the trees.  Most of the time they were eating any greenery they could find so it was no surprise to see the savannah’s trees and shrubbery looking pretty beat-up in the dry winter season.  “Just wait until the wet season,” we were advised.  “All of this will be green as it comes back to life again.”

It was a little surprising to see that these big beasts didn’t stop with just the tender green leaves and grasses.  With their trunks they’d ripe up grass, leaves, and limbs and toss them into their mouths.  But also went saplings and thorn bushes.  And these weren’t like blackberries but you’d imagine like they used to craft Jesus’ crown of thorns.  The elephants didn’t blink…just ate them.

Next thing we learned is that their digestive system is pretty poor.  So better than half of what went in the front came out the back without doing their big bodies much good.  That means a lot more eating and a lot more savannah-tromping.

Some other elephant factoids:  Elephants don’t sweat so the mud baths and dusting you see in documentaries is to keep them cool.  After a nice dog-paddle across the river and coming out clean, the first order of business is a nice mud bath and a coat of dry dust.  You can tell if an elephant is left- or right-handed by seeing which tusk is worn down shorter due to digging and other tusk work.

It’s the female, the matriarch, rather than the bull elephant who runs the show for the herd.  With all that chewing, elephant teeth wear down.  When they are too stubby to do any good, they fall out and a new set comes in to replace them.  The bad news is that after six cycles, there will not be another replacement set and this massive food machine will waste away and die.

A quickie on rhinoceros.  Some rich Chinese believe powdered rhinoceros horn to be a better aphrodisiac than Viagra and, being billionaires, will pay black market prices for the stuff.  The only way for poachers to get horn is to kill the animal.  In an effort to protect the rhinoceros population, rangers in parks and preserves tranquilize the animals, cut off the horns and release the hornless beasts back into the park.  They are no longer of interest to poachers…until the horn grows back.  They are not bone but collagen, hair glued together like our own fingernails.

Here’s an irony.  The severed horns are locked in vaults in the preserves and parks.  How much are they worth?  Millions?  But only on the black market so they stay locked up in this effort to save the rhinoceros.

As Halloween approaches at the end of October, fall festivals and related events are being announced all around the parish.

Winnfield.  The first holiday appearance will be Judgement House, the biannual event at Winnfield First Baptist with a theme this time of “Deadly Encounter.”  Performances will be Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday nights beginning Sunday, Oct. 15 and concluding Sunday, October 29.  Due to the nature of the performance, Judgement House is not recommended for children younger than 10.  Children 10 and older must be accompanied by an adult.

Reservations for Judgement House may be obtained by contacting the church office as 318-628-3544 from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. until noon on Fridays.  A $2 per person donation is suggested.

Calvin.  Calvin will have a double treat in October with their Fall Fest at CHS on Friday, Oct. 20, then a Trunk or Treat next to Calvin Baptist Church the following Friday, Oct. 27.  The CHS Halloween event on Oct. 20 includes a Trunk or Treat in the student parking lot from 6-8 p.m.  The overall festival sponsored by the PTO runs from 6-9 p.m.  It is the biggest fundraiser of the year for school activities.  With an old time carnival atmosphere with strings of lights up around the area, it features traditional games like a dunking booth, haunted house and popular Bingo with big, big prizes.  There will be food and fun for all ages.

Calvin.  Then a week later, Oct. 27, Bethlehem Baptist and Calvin Baptist churches will combine resources to put on a Trunk or Treat next to Calvin BC.  Time will be 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Atlanta.  There will be a familiar Fall Festival at Atlanta Baptist Church on Sunday, Oct. 22.  Since the school is now closed, Pastor Chad James emphasizes that the doors are open to the entire community, as is always their tradition.  Time for the festival will be 5 p.m. until 7.

Dodson.  Fall Festival Activity shifts to Dodson on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at Dodson High School, where family-friendly activities will take place from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.  Listed by organizers are Bingo, flossy cotton candy, a petting zoo, haunted house, cake walk, games, dunking booth, silent auction plus lots of food and more.  Tickets are available for purchase.

Featured also will be a costume contest that will begin at 6 p.m.  Their age groups will be Pre-K through Grade 2; Grades 3 through 5; and Grades 6 through 8.  Boys and girls will be judged separately.

Sardis.  Sardis Baptist Church will put on a Fall Festival for the community on Saturday, Oct. 28.  Fun will get underway at 5 p.m.

Winnfield.  Then on Halloween night itself, Tuesday, Oct. 31, the Downtown Winnfield Fall Festival will make another appearance, stretching down Main Street all the way from First United Methodist Church to the Louisiana Political Museum.  Those wishing to set up booths, tables or decorated vehicles along the route are invited to contact the museum at 628-0169 for a place assignment.

Everything for the youngsters will get started early on the Louisiana Political Museum end of the route with registration at 5 p.m. and start time 5:30 p.m. for both the Costume Contest and the Pumpkin Decorating Contest.  For the Costume Contest, age groups will be 0-3 years; 4-7 years; 8-10 years; 11-13 years, 14-17 years and 18 & up.  There will also be a Theme Groups category as well as a special contest for pets (one category).  Age groups for the Pumpkin Decorating Contest will be Pre-K through Grade 1; Grades 2 through 5; and Grades 6 through 8.  Entrants are asked to attach to the pumpkin the name and age of the child as well as parent’s name and contact phone number.

There will be more for young and old coming downtown that evening.  Other activities will include bounce houses and a dunking booth located beside the courthouse as well as hot dogs, chips, drinks and other games located at First United Methodist Church.