Winn’s State Representative Jack McFarland, Dist. 13, commended actions of the Winn Parish lawmakers as the year draws to a close and gave some words of encouragement and advice to the new jury members who will come on board January 8.

“This is a bittersweet time, when the terms of service for some come to a close while the opportunity for service opens for others.  I can tell you that the public does not realize how much work and personal time is taken in being on the Police Jury,” he began.

Before his election as state representative in 2015 (he will begin his fourth term in January), McFarland himself served on the Winn Parish Police Jury from 2008 to 2015, serving as president the whole time.

The representative said he has worked well with the parish leaders who have worked hard to bring benefits to the parish.  “Winn has done well on getting finances and projects that we would not have gotten if we hadn’t worked so hard and asked for them,” he emphasized.  By way of example, McFarland said Winn received some $81 million for much-needed work on rural water systems and this represented about 10% of the total state funding.

“I appreciate the efforts you have made and I look forward to working with you for the next four years,” he concluded.

Outgoing president Josh McAllister responded that the police jury is “fortunate to know our state representative.  We probably received more money for Winn over the past four or eight years than any time in the past.”

By Bob Holeman

I was working on a story recently that caused me to go back to a box of keepsakes from my original 2011-12 series on World War II veterans.  There is found some binders of student essays plus my notes from an interview with Roy Jones.  He was not a WWII vet and I believe I’d planned to use his story later.  But a tape recorder malfunction caused me to lose several interviews and Roy’s was among them.  I’d forgotten that I had this handwritten copy from early 2012.  I was particularly interested because like Paul Green, Jones was involved with early tests of the atomic bomb.

He was Judge Eroy Jones.  “Judge” was not a title.  It was a name chosen by his grandmother on his birth certificate and again on his honorable discharge papers.  Born in Winn, delivered by Dr. Bryant, his twin sister, Mary Elaine, died at birth.  Jones died June 10, 2016, at the age of 86.

“We grew up on a 40-acre farm.  Daddy worked in the logging woods while Mother and six kids had to survive on what we made.  We raised about everything we ate including hogs and cows.  Maybe that’s why I like to raise gardens now.”

While Jones did not serve in WWII, his brother W.S. Jones did.  He’d been in the invasion across the English Channel and went to Germany as part of the same unit with J.W. Kennedy.  The younger brother was 12 or 13 at the time and recalled how it was living back on the home front.  

“It was about two miles from our house to the mailbox on Hwy 84.  Mamma sent me every day for mail from him.  Sometimes I’d walk, sometimes ride a horse.  Once we got a telegram and we feared it was a notice of his death but he was just saying that he was OK.

“We survived by raising our own food.  Everything was rationed: gasoline, sugar, coffee, things we couldn’t grow ourselves.  But because Dad had a truck with the farm, we got T-rations, more that city folks got.  The first time I got to Winnfield, I was 5 and we went on a wagon with a bale of cotton to the gin.  Dad gave me a quarter to spend.”

Jones graduated from Winnfield High School in 1948.  He was 21 in 1951 and “got an invitation on March 18 to join Uncle Sam.”  Physicals and training took his to Alexandria, Shreveport, Fort Chaffey, St. Paul “then back on a train west through the Rockies to Portland and on to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, WA.”

Then things got historically interesting.  In September 1951, he was shipped to Camp Desert Rock, NV, about 65 miles southwest of Las Vegas with A-Company Combat Engineers.  The full battalion went down.  “We were sent into the atomic testing area and spent three months building emplacements for them to drop atomic bombs.  We were only seven miles away and the first one I observed was set off on a tower.  The next four were dropped by planes on the emplacements built by the Army and civilians.”

“The sun was hot, it was about 120 degrees, but when that bomb dropped it was even brighter, like a welding torch.  We never went back to the site because of radiation.  But scientists did.  They went on to hydrogen bombs.  I saw some of those tested.”  The soldiers then went back to the state of Washington.  Of the 132 men in the company, only five did not go on to serve in Korea.  Jones was among that handful.

“After I got out of the service, I got tons of letters from the Atomic Energy Commission asking about effects from radiation.  I finally got a letter saying they’d cover any cost of treatment at the VA for certain cancers.  I never felt the need.”

After his discharge, Jones went to work for South Central Bell’s Minden office “but Tremont Lumber kept calling.”  He’d worked at Tremont after his high school graduation, before being called into service.  He went to work for Tremont and remained there until retiring at the end of 1988, having seen the company name go from Tremont to Crown Zellerbach to Manville/Riverwood.”

At the time of his interview, Jones quipped that he’d been “retired for 23 years and haven’t missed a meal yet.  I still like to garden.”

Presiding over his final meeting as a Winn Parish police juror, Josh McAllister pointed out to fellow members that while they have had disagreements at times, they have all come together at the meeting table to work for the betterment of the parish as a whole.

He praised jurors who have stood up for the residents of their own districts yet have also voted for the good of the people of the parish.  “We’ve had a little to work with and have accomplished a lot.”

There will be three new members on the Police Jury when it meets in an early session next month on Monday, January 8.  They are Dist. 3 Darrell Franks, Dist. 4 John Garrett and Dist. 5 Kyle Potts, all present at the year-end session.  McAllister addressed them along with the ongoing jurors when he pointed to the momentum of the jury.

“Keep things going.  I hope the next jury will get along as well as we have.”  He pointed to the staff and suggested that the new jury continue to lean on the knowledge and sound work ethic of these employees.  He cited the secretary Karen Tyler and staff, calling them “instrumental to work with” and road superintendent Perry Holmes and his crew for their understanding and commitment of the jobs facing them.

He then went around the table, commending each of the jurors for their specific contributions and for their dedication to their elected positions.  “This service takes much of our time,” he concluded.  “My family has sacrificed a lot because of my commitment to the parish.  It’s meant the world to me to serve with you.”

McAllister has served as vice present from 2016 through 2019 and as president from 2020 through 2023.  He will assume duties of sheriff in July 2024.

Not to be overlooked as he steps down from parish service, vice president Kirk Miles spoke up to re-emphasize that working as a juror is “a trying position.”  From the outset, the parish has dealt with nine natural disasters, from floods to Hurricane Laura then Hurricane Delta, ice storms and COVID.  “We’re learned that while we first look out for our own districts, we have to work for the betterment of the whole parish.”

Pastors come and go all across Winn Parish so the Journal doesn’t often interview them. But readers here seem to enjoy local history and when the new pastor at First United Methodist Church started using words like “great grandfather” and “circuit-riding preacher” and “brush arbor,” interest was piqued.

Rev. Joel Carter arrived at FUMC in Winnfield in July of this year. But a family footprint was already in place since his great grandfather James Henry Lewis (he went by “Henry”) was born here Nov. 22, 1862. Ironically, he also died on Nov. 22 in 1946. His wife Alice Smith was a local girl as well. Lewis spent most of his life here, attending Pleasant Hill Methodist as a youth and licensed to preach in 1905 at Winnfield Methodist. He went on to preach 16 years at the South Winnfield church.

The story got interesting when Carter said his great grandfather was a leader in establishing Lewis Chapel, originally a brush arbor about a mile from Beulah Baptist Church. A brush arbor is an open brushwood-built shelter often used for camp meetings. Carter said he can’t show evidence but family history indicates that his ancestor was a circuit-riding preacher. If that meant horse and buggy, he can’t say.

Back to 2023. When Carter arrived here, he had not strayed far from his starting point, born in Shreveport then grew up in Plain Dealing. He tried his hand as a chef in Dallas then Arkansas, met and married his wife, Crystal, and moved back to Plain Dealing where they got back involved with the church.

After a few years, he explained, “the Lord placed on my heart a call to ministry.” But like many pastors, he turned away from that call. That turn was for 19 years until tragedy struck and Crystal died suddenly. “It was at that time that I was one-on-one with God. I could have turned away in anger for the loss but I turned instead towards Him.”

It was during this time also that he was reacquainted with a former middle school friend, Nichole, who had also been through a loss. Understanding and romance led to a second marriage five years ago. Through Nichole, Carter acquired a family of three grown children and three grandchildren.

The new pastor received his license in 2018 and has ministers in Plain Dealing, Oak Grove and now Winnfield. He smiles as he says he likes the place and its people.

The Winn Parish Police Jury at its final meeting of the year wrapped up 2023 business and set in motion its routine for the new year.  There were no public comments during a special session on its amended budget for 2023 or its proposed budget for 2024 so the jury approved both.  President Josh McAllister noted that anyone may come to the Police Jury office to view those documents.

Road superintendent Perry Holmes gave what he called “a short and sweet” summary of December roadwork in Winn.  Grading is going well and weather has even allowed ongoing bushhogging to knock down vegetation that may hamper drivers’ line of vision at intersections.  The crew has been able to work on pothole patching three or four days a week and the parish is still getting rock.  Work on the FEMA projects “is going good and we may be done by next year.”  He also said that requested work in Sikes has been completed.

In other action, when Kirk Miles reported that monthly invoices totaled $897,969, he remained fellow members that while this is higher than normal, a large portion of that was payment on repairs to the Joe Frazier Road which came out of DOTD monies.

Frank McLaren recommended renewal of Workers’ Comp insurance through A.J. Gallagher & Co. for $24,763 with Bridgefield Casualty Insurance, a savings of $7,000 over 2023 costs.

Deionne Carpenter recommended renewal at the same price of the mowing contract with J.T.’s Lawn Care.  Jurors agreed that his work is good.

Tammy Griffin recommended a resolution to assist the Village of Calvin with repairs to Front Street and to 3rd Street, 4th Street, 5th Street, 6th Street and 7th Street.

McAllister recommended the appointment of Chad Blundell to the Saline Lake Game & Fish Preserve Commission for a two-year term to replace Joe Kelley and the reappointment of Lionell Johnson to the Winn Parish Library Board for another five-year term.  Also to the Winn Parish Fire Board, he recommended the reappointment of each Brad Cooper and Josh Hood, both of whom he noted have been assets to the board.

The lawmakers also agreed to the authorization to transfer federal opioid funds to offices of the District Attorney and District Judge as discussed at a prior meeting.  The jury “will essentially act as a clearinghouse of the funding to the Judge and DA while the Sheriff’s Office will receive funding directly,” explained McAllister.

By Brad Dison 

For much of the English-speaking world, the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree inside the home became popular in the Victorian era. For hundreds of years, people had decorated Christmas trees, but they were kept outside. Prior to 1840, when Queen Victoria married her German-born cousin Prince Albert, indoor Christmas trees were normally a tradition only held by the royal family. A few upper-class families adopted the tradition, but the popularity of indoor decorated Christmas trees quickly spread when commoners saw an etching of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children celebrating around a festively decorated tree. Other countries, including the United States, quickly adopted the tradition. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to celebrate in the same fashion as the royal family. Well, almost everyone.

In September of 1901, Junior, his second wife Edith, and four of their children, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin, moved into a new-to-them house. The house was over a hundred years old when they moved in. Junior and his family loved to celebrate Christmas, but they had never adopted the tradition of having a decorated Christmas tree in the home. Although his children would certainly have enjoyed a festively decorated Christmas tree with all the trimmings, Junior ultimately decided not to get a tree. Junior had nothing against Christmas trees in particular, there was just not enough room in the home for a tree. Can you imagine not having a Christmas tree as part of your holiday decor?

Late in the afternoon on Christmas day, Junior and his family gathered around the table for Christmas dinner. As Edith and the children looked on with watering mouths, Junior carved the 32-pound turkey. After they ate their fill of turkey and all the trimmings, they turned their attention to the mince and pumpkin pies. What a feast it was.

Not wanting his children to miss out on the Christmas tree tradition altogether, Junior found a solution. Following Christmas dinner, Junior made some excuse and conveniently disappeared. Edith and the children took a carriage to the nearby home of Junior’s sister and brother-in-law, Anna—they called her Bamie—and William Cowles. The two families, minus Junior, were enjoying a festive celebration around the cedar Christmas tree complete with red, white, and blue electric lights when they had a visit from Santa Claus. He had white hair, white beard, and belted out the unmistakable “Ho! Ho! Ho!” However, this Santa had no red suit and hat lined with white fur as we would expect. He wore the khaki uniform of a soldier and a sombrero pulled down low over his eyes. Santa passed out a large number of presents to the children, then they all joined in games and the telling of ghost stories over snacks. As the celebration was winding down, the unusually dressed Santa Claus said a final “Ho! Ho! Ho!” and made a hasty exit. Edith and the children said their goodbyes, wished each other “Merry Christmas,” and returned to their house. With a twinkle in his eye, Junior met them at the door and asked for details of their celebration at the Cowles’ home, which they were only too eager to share. Even without a Christmas tree in their new-to-them house, Junior, Edith, and the children had a most memorable Christmas together.

The home that Junior and his family moved into, which Junior deemed not large for a Christmas tree, now includes just under 100 Christmas trees as part of its annual holiday décor. The house had plenty of rooms to be sure, but Junior was so popular and received so many visitors on a daily basis that all the rooms were required for guests. The house is still popular with guests. Visitors wanting to get a glimpse inside the house must apply months in advance for the chance to take a tour. The Santa Claus that joined the celebration at the Cowles residence was wearing, not a traditional Santa suit, but the uniform of a Rough Rider. Junior, the 26th president of the United States, was Theodore Roosevelt. The house without room for a Christmas tree was the White House.

Sources:

1. The Baltimore Sun, December 22, 1901, p.2.

2. Morning Register (Eugene, Oregon), December 25, 1901, p.3.

3. St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 25, 1901, p.2.

4. The Washington Times, December 25, 1901, p.5.

My friends call it BowlFest, this most wonderful time of the college football year when you can’t swing a cornerback without hitting a Diesel Driving Academy Arkansas Bowl or a Sparkling Caffeine Ice Classic.

It’s a beautiful thing. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the momentum of bowl games and holidays and start betting actual real money on the games. Santa doesn’t want you overdoing it. And he’s watching you … 

The day I quit betting on ballgames was the day I thought I was about to lose $100 plus juice and nearly started crying like a small wet child.

March Madness. 1993ish? Back when having 100 bucks meant something. I’d bet Xavier to cover against Indiana or the other way around. In the past I’d bet $5 here and there, maybe 10. We figured we were betting $5 to have $5 worth of fun, because nothing makes you interested in a game the way “having action” on it does. Suddenly you’re interested in an Oregon State vs. Louisville score, fanatically so.

But now I was stepping out and betting a Buck, like a big boy, like I had $100 to lose.

It went down to the wire. Was listening on a transistor radio. Sitting in a cheap table chair on Archer Avenue in Shreveport. Living and dying. “If I can get out of this, I’ll never bet again.”

My guys covered. I’d won 100 large. And retired. Wasn’t worth it. I had to work too hard for that little piece of money.

Since then, the stakes have gotten back to normal. I’m in a group that “bets” all the bowl games with the overall winner getting the pot. The capital outlay is about 18 cents a game.

The feeling is the same. Pride. Bragging rights. The joy of thinking of where you’ll spend the $5 each of the guys will have to cough up. Even though both the risk and reward are so tiny, you’ll still pay more attention to the SMU vs. Boston College Fenway Bowl than any sane man should.

Before legal betting in our neck of the woods, you had to “know a guy.” Benny the Bookie or Sam the Human Point Spread. Now you just need your smartphone and a credit card. 

Draft Kings. FanDuel. Promo codes. “Free money” to get you going.

Sounds like fun. And with a limit, I bet it is. I just got to thinking that I might as well flip a coin because … 

How do I know whether or not the starting center just got a “Dear John” letter from his girlfriend;

Or if the quarterback just failed a big math test;

Or if the professional strong safety might have taken something recreationally before the game, the one I just bet a Honey Bun on.

“Too rich for my blood!” I hear a yokel saying …

You can bet spreads, over/unders, moneylines, parlays, teasers. Prop bets. Futures, in which case you’re betting on something that hasn’t happened yet as always, except this won’t happen for a long, long time. (The Orioles are +1,500 to win the 2024 World Series.)

If all these easy ways of betting — even on stuff mid-game, like coin flips or total interceptions — were available by phone 40 years ago, I might still be glued to that chair on Archer, sure I would get rich by the time they were cutting down nets at the Final Four. 

But I backed down. I bet that I really didn’t know what I was doing. And that there would be days when the guys I’d bet on wouldn’t know what they were doing either. 

Probably a good bet.

(But … who you got in the Boca Raton Bowl? Asking for a friend …) 

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.

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.

Florence Oglesby Dubois
February 5, 1933 – December 25, 2023
Service: Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 1pm at Shady Grove Cemetery.

The Winnfield City Jail which has been out of operation since October 2021 could be moving back towards operation, police officials confirmed.

The jail which is attached to the City Police station on South Jones Street was closed due to structural issues two years ago.  Since that time, the department has had to house any of its prisoners in the parish facility.

Any of the deficiencies in the building have been corrected and the city is now working towards the next phase of re-opening the jail, that of personnel.  The City Council took a step in that direction at is December 12 meeting when they went along with the recommendation of the Public Safety Committee by hiring Susan Jordan and Karen McNeal on a parttime basis as jailers.

Indications are that four employees will be needed before the jail will be at full strength in order to operate once more.

In a short meeting December 12, the Winnfield City Council approved several hiring requests from the City Police Department and the City Fire Department, made through the Public Safety Committee.

Council member Teresa Phillips told the council that the committee had met with police Lt. Charles Curry and received a letter of recommendation from Chief Johnny Ray Carpenter for the department to hire Mercedes Perkins on a fulltime basis.  The council also agreed to the hiring of Susan Jordan and Karen McNeal, each on a parttime basis in city jailer posts.

Similarly, Phillips said the committee had met with fire department personnel and agreed with their recommendation to hire Deontrey Means as a volunteer firefighter.  Asst. Chief Cassidy Martin advised the council that adding Means to the roster of volunteers brings that volunteer total up to 20, a number needed for the city’s current low fire rating.

Council member Ada Hall made the recommendation that the council purchase an asphalt hot box and recycler for the street department at a cost of about $67,000.  This would be for pothole repairs, work which members agreed needs to be done.  But Phillips questioned the purchase when the city has pothole repair equipment on hand.  Mayor Gerald Hamms cited some operating difficulties.  Councilman Matt Miller suggested that the council first get more information on how the present equipment is being used by operators.  So he asked that the matter be tabled and this was accepted.

By Daphane Turner

Winnfield Tigers Narrowly Fall To Marksville High School

Winnfield Tigers lost a close game to Marksville, 59-58 on Thursday, December 7.

It was a back and forth affair, with seven lead changes throughout the game. Marksville took the lead for good on a free throw.

Marksville was leading 17-12 at halftime. The Tigers played particularly well in the fourth quarter, outscoring Marksville 18-12.

Craig St. Cyr was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 16 points. De’Cavian Duncan and Craig St. Cyr each hit multiple three pointers for the Tigers. The team shot 6-10 from beyond the arc. Jaylon Jackson pounded the glass, collecting nine rebounds to lead the Tigers. Additional scorers for the Tigers included Jaylon Jackson (15 points), De’Cavian Duncan (13 points), Jordan Washington (5 points), Tank Lewis (5 points), T’Varian Butler-Glover (2 points) and Josh Hayes (2 points)

Winnfield Tigerettes Fall to Fairview

The Tigerettes couldn’t keep up with Fairview 68-21, on Thursday, December 7.

Emari Evans and Denasia Brown each scored six points to lead Tigerettes. Additional scorers for the Tigerettes included Ja’Nyiah Weary (3 points), Ala’zea McMiller (2 points) and Paige Carroll (2 points)

Despite Double-Double from Jackson, Winnfield Tigers Fall to Alexandria Senior High

Winnfield Tigers lost to ASH, 79-57 on Friday, December 8, even though Jaylon Jackson scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Leading 14-9, ASH went on a 15-2 run to pull further away. Leading 67-51, ASH went on a 9-point run to pull further away.

The second quarter was the best for Winnfield as they outscored ASH 19-16. The Tigers had five assist in the quarter.

Winnfield Tigers were led in scoring by De’Cavian Duncan and Jaylon Jackson who scored 15 points each. Winnfield had a great day shooting from inside the arc, finishing 23-39 on twos. Tigers rebounded the ball well collecting 30 rebounds. Jaylon Jackson led the team with 11 rebounds. The Tigers passed the ball well with 10 assists on 25 made baskets. De’Cavian Duncan led the team with six assists. The Tigers swiped 15 steals in te game. De’Cavian Duncan led the team with five steals. Also, contributing for the Tigers were Craig St. Cyr (8 points), T’Varian Butler-Glover (7 points), Jordan Todd (6 points) and Damascus “Tank” Lewis (6 points).

Tigers Battle Hard In Loss to Natchitoches Central

The Tigers lost to NCHS, 67-64, in a game featuring seven lead changes on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

Trailing 11-9, Natchitoches went on an 11 point run to take the lead.

The fourth quarter proved to be a turning point for Winnfield as they outscored NCHS 13-8. The Tigers shot 5-8 in that quarter.

De’Cavian Duncan was the leading scorer with 20 points. Tigers’ 25-37 shooting on twos was a key factor in the game. Winnfield shot well from distance, going 3-8 from there. Winnfield played stifling defense, blocking three shots and grabbing 11 steals. De’Cavian Duncan hit two threes for the Tigers. Winnfield passed the ball well with 12 assists on 20 made baskets. CL Davis lead the team with five assists. Jaylon Jackson led the Tigers with six rebounds. Also contributing for the Tigers were Craig St. Cyr (13 points), Jaylon Jackson (10 points), Jordan Washington (9points), CL Davis (8 points) and Damascus “Tank” Lewis (4 points).

In the heart of Winnfield, a Christmas tradition continues to shine. For many years, Christmas Eve candlelight services have illuminated the First United Methodist Church and churches around the world, with a sense of peace and unity during the holiday season.

This year at First United Methodist Church the tradition lives on, as Pastor Joel Carter extends an invitation to the community to join in this celebration of faith and light. 

The candlelight service, including Communion, will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 24.
For Pastor Carter, this annual event holds special significance.  “It’s a tangible way for God’s light to enter the darkness that surrounds this world,” he explains.  During the service, candles signifying hope, peace, joy, and love will be lighted. For the first time since last Christmas, the Christ candle at the center of the wreath will be lit.

“The lighting of the Advent candles isn’t just a symbolic act,” Pastor Carter said. “It embodies the essence of the Christmas season. Congregants begin by lighting the Christ candle, then sharing that light with their neighbors, passing it from candle to candle.  It’s a representation of how the Light of Christ is shared with those around us.”

As the congregation sings the carol “Silent Night, Holy Night,” the church sanctuary becomes a sea of light, with candles held high by all participants.

First United Methodist Church welcomes everyone to join them for this experience on Christmas Eve. The service offers an opportunity for the community to come together and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.  It promises to bring comfort and hope to those who attend.