At about 11 a.m. Monday morning, Josh McAllister and his family were milling around the foyer of the Winn Parish courthouse. At the same time, Sheriff Cranford Jordan was in his office, carrying on the business of Winn’s top law enforcement officer where he’ll continue his duties for the next seven months.

A recount of mail-in (paper) ballots for the Nov. 18 General Election had been recounted by the Parish Board of Election Supervisors under the watch of two representatives from the Secretary of State’s Office in Baton Rouge. The findings upheld the initial election results: McAllister will become Winn Parish Sheriff in July 2024.

In the recount, McAllister actually picked up one additional vote from a paper ballot that had been classified as an “under vote” (meaning that neither candidate seemed to be indicated when the ballot was scanned). Registrar of Voters Bryan Kelley explained that when this ballot was examined, the board saw that the voter had made a mark to the side but in their opinion had clearly meant to cast the vote for McAllister. The final tally gave the challenger of 17-point edge over the incumbent.

Explaining the process, Kelley said that Jordan had filed papers in a timely manner for the recount of absentee ballots. Two representatives from the Secretary of State’s Office reported to the Registrar’s Office where they met with the Parish Board of Election Supervisors at 10 a.m. “I called the meeting to order and Paul Blanchard from Baton Rouge explained several different ways we could do the recount. We chose to do it by hand. There were 283 paper ballots.

“We then went through the ballots and placed them individually into three stacks, one for those going to Cranford Jordan, one for Josh McAllister and the third for under votes.” He explained that while those in the last stack (there were only 3) may have voted in other races but not for sheriff. For those absentee votes, the final tally was 174 for Jordan and 106 for McAllister, giving the total vote of 2,157 for McAllister and 2,140 for Jordan.

Kelley said that following the recount, the board certified the recount results then went down to the Clerk of Court’s Office and certified the overall election results for Winn. Members of that board are Clerk of Court Chesney Chandler, Registrar of Voters Bryan Kelley, Democratic Party Rep Deano Thornton, Republican Party Rep Carl Bryant and Governor’s Appointee Danny Parker.

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Santa is coming to Winnfield this Friday night when the Piney Woods Express rolls down Main Street for the city’s annual Christmas Parade.  From start (with official vehicles with sirens sounding) to finish (with Santa in his workshop), there will be plenty of family fun with floats and lights and candy-tosses and more.

Time for the parade is 6 p.m.  While Thursday looks to be a rainy day, Friday is projected to be cool and clear, a good night for a parade.

Responsibilities for bringing this big event to the public is shared by three organizations and, of course, the many church, school, civic and business organizations that provide the floats and entries that make up the parade.

City Hall is responsible for the first and the final phases of the parade.  The city will hold a reception from 4 until 5 p.m. at the Winn Parish Library main branch (200 North St. John Street) in honor of the Grand Marshal who this year is Carolyn Phillips, being recognized for her long record of community involvement.  The public is invited to enjoy the reception.  The grand finale of the parade will also be thanks to the city which is providing an impressive fireworks display to fill the night sky with lights and sounds.  

The Winn Chamber of Commerce, which came on board to Christmas Parade activities about three years ago, has provided the second critical link towards the parade’s success by first coming up with the 2023 theme, “Piney Woods Express.”  Patterned around the popular book and movie, “Polar Express,” the theme was tweaked to fit the Piney Woods environment and economy of Winn Parish.  They have also sought groups to participate in the parade. Traditionally, that number won’t be known until just before the parade.  Explains chairman Jason Tarver, “We might just have a handful signed up early in the week and then have 60 by parade time.”

Providing the most manpower for the Dec. 1 event will be the Kiwanis Club which normally has about 16 members handling various duties to keep things rolling smoothly.  Included duties are selection of the Grand Marshal, the lineup and control, judging and trophies.  Kiwanis has produced the parade since 1992.  Prior to that time, the local Jaycees ran the parade until that civic organization folded.  City Police took it over for an interim period until Kiwanis become involved.

Families won’t want to miss the “Piney Woods Express” this Friday, December 1.

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Families hoping to be part of the “Toys for Kids” project still have time to sign up but they have to hurry, according to the sponsoring Winnfield Kiwanis Club.  Thursday, Nov. 30, is the application deadline.

The needs-based program that provides toys for 300 to 400 children each Christmas season has been operating in Winn Parish for some 20 years, the past 8 of those under the auspices of Kiwanis.  Many applications have already been turned in but more are available at each of the library branches parishwide and at the Police Jury office in the courthouse and at Winnfield City Hall.  

Families should leave the filled applications where they picked up the blanks.  It’s vital that a good telephone number and street address is included on the form so that the family can be reached if they are unable to pick up the toys in a timely manner.

Applications will be accepted through the deadline for children ages 2 through 10, boys and girls.  The family must be on some sort of government assistance, even if parents have jobs.  “We want to ensure every child has a smile on their face Christmas morning,” said Rita James who has chaired the project since Kiwanis took it on.  “This might include grandmothers who are raising those kids or folks who have been recently laid off.  We want to look out for those in need.”

Mrs. James says she picks up the applications and sorts them.  Over the first 10 days of December, Kiwanians purchase gifts, sort and bag them by each qualified family.  Then on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 10 and 11, the families report to the courthouse basement to pick up their Christmas bags.  She added that Toys for Kids works with the Shop with a Cop program to try to avoid double-dipping.  “We hope to ensure that as many difference children as possible can enjoy these gifts.”

The program costs a lot of money, covered by grants, business sponsors and individuals and an annual “Boot Drive,” she said.  Anyone wishing to support this may send a check to the Kiwanis Toys for Kids mailbox which is open year around:  P.O. Box 205, Winnfield.  

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Photos Courtesy Tiger Snaps Photography

The Winnfield Senior High School boys basketball team has hit the courts with wins in the early going of their 2023-24 season.

In their Nov. 9 Jamboree bout against Jonesboro-Hodge, the Winnfield Tigers outplayed the other Tigers for a 54-24 win.  Player of the Game was C.L. Davis who scored 13 points, with 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 assist.

In their Nov. 20 opener against Ouachita in the Natchitoches Central High School tournament, the Tigers downed the Lions by a score of 78-68.  Player of the Game was Jaylon Jackson who scored 10 points with 5 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 6 assists and 1 dunk.

On the second night of the NCHS tournament Nov. 21, WSHS defeated Barbe High School of Lake Charles.  The Tigers outran the Buccaneers by a score of 55-50.  Player of the Game was Craig St. Cyr who put up 14 points while pulling down 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.

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Winn Parish apparently won’t get much help from the state for its Off-System Bridge Program for some years to come, according to a report from road superintendent Perry Holmes at the Police Jury’s November meeting.

Holmes said a letter from the state indicated that the parish balance for the program stands around a negative $918,000.  But he indicated that the problem tracks back to an accounting issue in 1999 rather than a construction issue.  At the time, the state was estimating bridge repair and replacement costs at about half of what they actually were.

The state soon revised those figures upwards but the problem resulted because bids on six bridges had already been let and had to be built at the old prices.  This resulted in the large cost overrun.  Now when state monies are appropriated for the bridge program, anything that might have come to Winn is instead paid against the debt.

He guessed the parish won’t see any new bridge monies for the next 30 years.

In other road-related action, the lawmakers accepted contract bids on various road materials and supplies for 2024. They also agreed to assist the Village of Sikes by repairing potholes on First, Second and Fifth streets, as well as repairs to the turn-in on Second & McMurray and at the end of Caney Street where the school bus turns around (this pending school board approval).

The body agreed to engage the same firm of Kolder, Slaven and Company, LLC. to perform the Police Jury audit for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025. President Josh McAllister said secretary Karen Tyler and the staff were pleased with the firm which they described as thorough. “There were no findings in our most recent audit which was one of our best.”

Also agreed by the lawmakers was the engagement of Mrs. Shanna Jones, CPA, to review the draft report of the Winn Parish Police Jury for calendar year 2023.

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The annual Winter Coat Distribution and Drive sponsored by the local Caring & Sharing organization will be held this Saturday, December 2, in the Winnfield Civic Center which is located at 2000 South Jones Street (Hwy 34) on the fairgrounds.

Time for the distribution will be 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Organizers say that families will be able to get their child a free, warm coat, jacket or sweater for the winter.  Citizens are also encouraged to bring in their gently-used coats, jackets and sweaters to be used to benefit others.

For questions, contact Mary Lou Blackley at 318-481-0227 or Shelia Mitchell at 318-209-0089.

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Supt. Alfred Simmons told the Winn Parish School Board in committee session Nov. 27 that he is proud of the growth shown by the recent release of the LA Department of Education’s School & District Reference Scores.  Yet it was apparent when central office staff took time to explain the ins and outs of this statewide assessment, it’s a pretty complex and confusing formula to arrive at those scores.

The individual schools and the parish system as a whole receive letter grades like in the classroom.  Simmons told the board that while he always pushes “because I want the parish to have an ‘A,’ but our efforts are really for the children.  We want them to succeed in life.  A better education allows them to do whatever they choose better, whether that includes post-secondary education or not.  They can have a happier, healthier life.”

Board members heard that while improvements were generally shown across the parish for the 2022-23 school year compared to the prior year, “we can’t keep doing what we have been doing even to stay where we are,” reported Nancy Crain.  The state’s grading scales increase, meaning that standing still means moving backwards.  She pointed out that while supervisors can work hard to translate the state standards, the real difference in a child’s education is made in the classroom.

Amanda Taylor noted that funding through grants makes a difference in areas like remediation sessions.  These are shown to work better in small daily small groups rather than one longer session weekly.  “We don’t want to see growth just for a school score,” she said.  “We want growth for our students to be able to better perform and contribute to society.”

Asked how the state’s convoluted assessment system was drawn up, Simmons suggested it was developed by individuals, come now retired, and committees.  “But it’s what it is and we do the best we can to play the game.  There was a battle at BESE last year about the difficulty of the system.  There could be changes next year with the new BESE and we’ll work with that new system then.”

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The election primary of October 14, 2023, was the subject of Winnfield’s Rotary meeting on November 15. Bryan Kelley, Winn Parish Registrar of Voters as well as a longtime Rotarian, gave the club members the low down on the voting statistics for the day.

At present, Winn Parish has 8,417 registered voters, of which 35.25% are registered Democrats, 37.91% are registered Republicans, and almost 27% are registered as other or no party. Of those registered voters, 4,657 or 55.33% voted in the most recent election. Only 52.44% of registered Democrats voted, whereas 66.69% of registered Republicans voted.

Early voters comprised 43.23% of all voters in the October 14, 2023, election, and 56.77% of those voting did so on election day itself. Republicans were the largest percentage of those voting early, with 46.65% of early voters, and early voting Democrats were only 33.23% of the total. 23.92% of all registered voters voted early. Early voters include those voting by mail.

Those voting on election day were 56.77% of the turnout, but only 31.41% of all voters in the parish.  Mr. Kelley noted that early voting has increased steadily over the past 16 years, from 20.35% in 2007 to 43.23% in 2023. 

Significant shifts in party registration have also taken place over the last 16 years, with registered Democrats comprising 61% of registered voters in 2007 and only 35.25% in 2023. Registration of Republican voters has increased from 18.09% in 2007 up to 37.91% in 2023. Those registered as members of “Other Party” have slowly gone from 20.73% in 2007 to 26.84% in 2023, almost the same percentage as four years ago.

Mr. Kelley mentioned the committee appointed to recommend a new voting system which must contain a paper backup for all ballots has completed its work, but it will still be some time before the results make their way through our legislature and a new system is implemented. There will certainly be modifications of election law after adoption of a new system. These anticipated developments could affect future trends in voting.

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As a kid growing up, teachers would ask the question of what do you want to be when you grow up? For boys, this was a trick question because we never grow up! Back in my day, the standard answers were policeman, fireman, teacher or for the super smart students in my class they would say…. a doctor or lawyer. Some had even greater aspirations of becoming an astronaut, mainly due to the fact we had just landed on the moon. But you never heard anyone say, “I want to be a professional bass fisherman.”

Another thing you never heard was that someone was going to sell water for a living. Can you imagine how your classmates would have reacted back in the 1970’s if you had announced you were going to bottle and sell water. You would have been the center of all their jokes from that day forward. But it turns out, you would have gotten the last laugh as you became wealthy selling water.

You probably would have gotten the same reaction if you said you were going to be a professional bass fisherman. Today, this is a real career choice for a select few. I have always compared it to being a professional athlete. The odds are not in your favor and these two are very comparable. Let me expand on this. Only 1 out of every 10,000 baseball players in the country gets drafted and only 1 out of every 5,000 makes it to the Major Leagues.

I tell you this because it just might be the same odds for becoming a professional bass fisherman. There are literally thousands of anglers across the world who want to make it to the United States and become a professional angler. Not only are you trying to be the best in this country, but you’ll be competing with anglers from Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and Australia for what amounts to about 80 slots in either B.A.S.S. or the MLF Pro Tours.

Bass fishing has become an international sport and is very competitive for those who want to try and make a living doing it. Catching fish is only a small part of what it takes to fish for a living. Today, you must be good with social media, understand business, be a great salesman and you better have good communication skills with the ability to talk to people.

Now let’s look at the sacrifices you’ll have to make. First, prepare to eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while learning how to sleep in your truck or camp out to save money. Just to enter a B.A.S.S. or MLF event will cost you at least $50,000 up front and you have not even wet a hook yet. Travel expenses today with gas, hotel and food is off the chart. Hence, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and campgrounds to try and save money.

You’ll pull your boat all over the United States with constant wear and tear on your vehicle. Don’t forget, it takes gas to fill up your boat which is an easy $75 to $120 per fill-up which includes all the practice and competition days. To be conservative, you’re probably looking at $100,000 to fish your first season which means you need to finish in the top 50 in every event to collect a $10,000 check and break even. I’ve only known one angler to ever achieve this accomplishment.

If you’re a family man, this just might be the toughest career choice you can make as you will miss birthdays, anniversaries, and some holidays. You will shed a lot of tears as you drive away from your wife and kids waving goodbye while you live the gypsy life away from home for days and weeks at a time.

I’m not trying to discourage anyone from pursuing their dreams, but understand, it’s one of the toughest and most competitive career choices you can ever make. It takes a special angler/person to make it in today’s world as a professional angler. You will need as many sponsors as you can land and if this is your dream, start saving your money now so that when you get that opportunity, money is not an issue. Anglers who are fishing just to get a check are the anglers who will struggle. Tournament fishing is kind of like gambling, anglers who fish to win can take chances rather than having to worry about just making a check so they can fish the next event.

Finally, if you’re married, make sure you have a wife who understands how tough this lifestyle can be. Today, many of the wives act as business managers for their husbands and help with coordinating appearances and interviews that pro anglers are called to do. This allows the angler to stay focused on catching fish and being competitive.

I hope I’ve shed some light on what it takes to enter the world of being a professional bass fisherman. It’s not an easy life, but one that can have great rewards if done correctly. Till next time, good luck, good fishing, and think long and hard if you decide to pursue a career in the professional bass fishing world.

-Steve Graf 

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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.

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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.

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Jewel “Judy” Jones Campbell
May 6, 1952 – November 26, 2023
Service: Saturday, December 2, 2023, 2pm at the Campbell Residence, Dodson.

 

The parish will see a new sheriff take office next July after half of Winn’s registered voters went to the polls and approved the challenge by Josh McAllister over three-term incumbent Cranford Jordan to be its top law enforcement officer by a margin of 16 votes.  Maybe.

Jordan has filed a request in the Winn Parish Clerk of Court’s Office for a recount of those returns by the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.  That action is set for Monday, Nov. 27, confirmed Clerk of Court Chesney Chandler.  “I’d call it a ‘friendly recount’,” said Jordan who by law will pay for this second opinion.  “When your election is that close, it’s something you ought to do.”

The Winn Board of Election Supervisors, in line with normal election procedure, broke the seals of the voting machines Tuesday morning to verify the numbers of Saturday’s election.  That post-election audit was still underway.  Final election results will be certified following Monday’s recount by the state.

On election night, once absentee and early voting numbers were tallied and all 26 precincts were reported, the final count was 2,140 for Jordan and 2,156 for McAllister, so close that both were shown as 50% of the 4,296 total which the Secretary of State’s Office registered unofficially as a 50.7% turnout.  Of that total, Jordan outpolled McAllister by 67 in the absentee (mail-in) tally while McAllister bettered Jordan by 141 in the Early Voting (in-person) tally.

In the other local race, Darrell Franks clinched the District 3 Police Jury seat with a 353 to 338 win over Kevin Pharr.  That 15-vote margin came in from the five precincts comprising the district.

On state races, Winn’s vote tracked the same pattern as the statewide outcome with an all-Republican slate:  Nancy Landry for Secretary of State; Liz Murrill for Attorney General; John Fleming for Treasurer; and Stacey Melerine for BESE Board District 4.  Winn also followed the state trend by supporting the first three Amendment proposals while rejecting the fourth (Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund).

When the final precincts came in and the votes announced around 10 p.m. Saturday, McAllister told the gathering at his Main Street headquarters “It’s official” and invited the group to step outside for comments.  “The Sheriff’s Office is our office, not my office,” he said.  “As we move forward, let’s all work to heal Winn Parish.  The sheriff’s No. 1 job is to work for all people, regardless how you voted.  Let’s win gracefully.”

The crowd gathered in the dim light beside the building was one of assorted races, ages and economic standing.  “This,” McAllister said, indicating that gathering, “is what Winn Parish should look like.  I believe in our future. I don’t want to allow Winn to die.”  The candidate reminded that he filed his position papers with the Clerk of Court during the early stages of his campaign.  “Position papers” are a written report outlining intentions regarding a particular matter.

Jordan also expressed his appreciation to his supporters.  “It was a good, clean campaign.  I owe a lot to my deputies.  It was due to the performance of their duties through the years that the results were so close.  Whatever happens, this office will be financially sound on July 1.  I anticipate a smooth transition.”

For readers who may wonder, there have been other close races for sheriff.  The most recent case was in 2007 when challenger Bodie Little edged out incumbent Buddy Jordan by just 10 votes.  Jordan did not contest the results, perhaps due to health reasons.

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