Winn Parish braced for a predicted winter storm this week but while the below-freezing temperatures did arrive, the snow and freezing rains, with the downed limbs and power lines that these storms often bring, did not happen.

Last week, daily low temperatures were around the freezing mark but warmed as the days wore on.  Once the thermometer dropped below 32 degrees Sunday night, it did not rise above freezing either Monday or Tuesday.  Early morning temperatures today were down in the mid-teens but expected to rise to the mid-40s.

The good news was that despite the severe cold, significant precipitation on Monday didn’t arrive as forecast. There was some misty snow and light sleet, creating icy road conditions especially on bridges.

As a safety precaution, parish schools, already closed Monday for the four-day schedule, remained closed Tuesday and today.  Supt. Alfred Simmons had announced at the school board’s January meeting that cold alone would not have been enough to close schools but said safety factors would be monitored.  On Sunday, the board issued the following:

“Due to the forecast of dangerously cold temperatures over the next several days and the threat of winter precipitation, all Winn Parish schools will be closed and all school activities and athletic events cancelled on Tuesday, 1/16/24, and Wednesday, 1/17/24.  If it becomes necessary to make additional cancellations or closures, further announcements will be made.  Otherwise, school and activities will resume on Thursday, 1/18/24.”

Many churches and organizations around the community also cancelled services and activities as a safety caution due to the weather.

The Krewe of Kingfish has set Winnfield’s Mardi Grad Parade for Saturday, February 3, beginning at 2 p.m. to roll down its Main Street route.  This will come just 10 days prior to Mardi Gras itself on Tuesday, February 13.  The Grand Marshal of the 2024 parade will be Winnfield Mayor Gerald Hamms.  

The festive theme this year will be “Huey 5-0,” borrowed from the popular old TV series, Hawaii 5-0.  The purple, gold and green floats first appeared in Winnfield in 1993 when the community celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Huey P. Long, “The Kingfish,” and the Krewe has derived a different Long-based theme each year.

For those planning to participate with floats or performers, lineup will begin at noon at the Earl K. Long Park.  Judging will take place shortly before the parade begins at 2.  Registration forms can be found on the Krewe of Kingfish Facebook page, with those forms to be sent to Hannah Austin at 270 Zion Hill Church Road, Winnfield.

The Krewe has already contacted those who participated in the 2023 parade and anticipates a great turnout in the upcoming event.

For added visitor interest on February 3, the Krewe will be offering something new for those who arrive downtown ahead of time.  Amanda Hubbard says it might best be described as a “Block Party” for adults and children alike.  Still in the planning stages, there should be food, music and games for kids, providing a social setting as they wait for the parade to begin.  Watch for details.

Goldonna Baptist Church will resume their Operation Christmas Child collections for 2024. January’s items will be Christmas cards, stockings, stationary, etc. What better time to collect these items than when they’re on sale? Pastor Ben Dupree would like to formally challenge all of the area congregations to join them in this tremendous opportunity. The church will be posting each month’s theme to their Facebook page.

Kingdom Kids resumed on January 10th but will not be meeting on January 17th. A full meal, transportation to and from GBC and an opportunity to learn about our Lord Jesus will all be provided. Everyone is welcome! Dr. Wiley Cole’s “Walk through the Bible” lessons resumed on January 7th at 5 pm, followed by supper, and are these lessons are always available on YouTube. They are currently studying the book of Acts. The church will host their wild game cook-off will be on January 21st at 6 pm. $5/entry fee and the winner gets their name published in the weekly bulletin as well as our Facebook page. All proceeds will benefit the Operation Christmas Child shipping costs.

Goldonna Elementary Junior High announces that Muffins with Mom will be held Friday, January 26th from 9:00 until 10:00am. Please RSVP and pay the fee of $3.00 by Friday, January 19th. Forms were sent home after the holiday break. The school will host a Mardi Gras Parade on Friday, February 16th at 9:00am. They are also selling Mardi Gras t-shirts as a fundraiser. Be sure to visit the school’s Facebook page for additional information.

If you have news to share please email Reba Phelps at jreba.phelps@gmail.com

The Winnfield City Council received a quick report at its January 9 session when members heard that a special 7-year loan program has been extended for qualified small businesses and nonprofits that were financially impacted by Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

The Restore Louisiana Small Business Loan Program was supposed to have ended sooner but has been extended with an application deadline now in June* 2024, the city leaders were told.  Financed through HUD and administered by the Louisiana Office of Community Development, the program is offered to 48 of the state’s parishes.

With no applications fees or closing costs, Restore Louisiana is offering loans from $10,000 to $150,000, and perhaps more, at 0% interest and a 40% forgiveness once the first 60% of the awarded loan amount is paid, says administrator Cullen Curole.  “Business owners are strongly encouraged to apply.”

Eligible business much have employed from 1 to 50 full-time employees and have grossed at least $25,000 in revenues before the hurricanes.  It must have been in business at the time, currently be open (or demonstrate the ability to reopen) and have an eligible, unmet financial need.

A representative handed printed materials to the council members.  Information and applications for the Restore Louisiana program is available online at www.scpdc.org, Curole said.  (*Note that while materials show a “June deadline,” they also state an earlier “April 30 deadline.”)

What do you do if you’re a big church with a small congregation that wants to pay for building maintenance and the light bill? “Hold fundraisers, of course,” replies Carolyn Phillips who says First Presbyterian Church will be holding five fundraisers this year, the first on Monday, February 5.

Jamie Maxwell will be preparing chicken and sausage gumbo with rice which the church will be selling for $12 per quart. Pickup that Monday will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and all meals will be take-out. The church is located at 302 S. Bevill Street. (Delivery can be provided for orders of 10 meals and more).

“This is a great hot meal for these cold, cold times,” she says. “We’ve got to repay loans for the church and manse, exterior lighting, heating, cooling, you name it. We work hard to do what we can.”

For ticket information, contact Carolyn Phillips at 318-332-0796.

As an outdoor writer, my paths cross with interesting people. Some are adept at fishing; some at hunting; some that are just flat-out interesting.

A couple of years ago, I met just such a person in Anna Ribbeck. She lives in Baton Rouge, works at LSU Ag Center and just received her graduate degree in plant science including her thesis on invasive aquatic plants. 

There are lots of folks who have done what she’s done scholastically, but it’s here where Anna Ribbeck sets herself apart from others, especially young attractive women. Meet Anna the Archer, someone who got hooked on archery and is carrying her knowledge and expertise to a pretty high level.

Introduced to archery at the beginning of her years as a student at LSU, she is accumulating a reputation, not only as being deadly on the archery target range but in carrying it another step. She is a serious bow hunter, having already taken several deer with her bow.

From hunting deer, she became interested in using her bow to try and put a dent in the burgeoning population of nutria, the orange-toothed rodents that are decimating the coast line habitat by uprooting and foraging on the valuable plants that hold the marshland together.

Upon learning that she would take her introducing women to archery to the Claiborne Parish Library a couple of years ago to present a seminar, I contacted her for material for my columns and for my radio program.

“I want to educate the public, especially women, on archery. I do a lot of You Tube videos on social media under the name, Anna the Archer and I visit bow shops to teach women about archery.  I also participate in competitive archery and that has not only been lots of fun but getting to hang out with others in the sport has been a big help in developing my skills and my love for the sport,” she told me during our interview.

Her love for the sport has attracted another entity that may seem like something females would have little interest in, alligator hunting. She is now a vital part of the popular television series, Swamp People, aired every Thursday night at 7:00 on the History Channel.

“To get to do this with these well-known alligator hunters, like star of the show, Troy Landry, and to do it with my bow is like nothing else,” Ribbeck said.

She is a member of an all-girl team featured in the show. Her partner, Ashley Jones joins her to form the Double A team.

“I’ve lost count of how many alligators Ashley and I have taken. It’s in the hundreds, I’m sure,” she added.

Ribbeck is also involved in another venture that is featured on the show. Landry assisted her in starting the Swamp Mysteries portion of the show where she chases down and dispatches feral pigs with her bow. 

“We have so many hogs on the landscape that are harming the environment down here, much like you have in north Louisiana. We go after them with bows, with guns and even hunting them from helicopters,” she said.

I have had the privilege of interviewing a wide variety of individuals over the years but have found few as interesting as Anna the Archer. 

Visit her site on Facebook, Anna the Archer, for a veritable plethora of stories, photos and video clips of her chasing nutria, alligators and feral hogs. Mark your calendar to watch her in action Thursday nights at 7:00 on the History Channel. You won’t be disappointed.

It was one of those NFL playoff weekends that suggested someone put another log on the sideline bonfire.

The National Frozen League.

Consider the piercing minus-4 degrees in Kansas City Saturday afternoon when the Chiefs beat Miami, 27-7, easily a record for the coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium. That hard part was the 25 miles-per-hour wind gusts that equated to a tear-inducing minus-27.

A day at the beach compared to Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, where the Wild Card Round matchup between the Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers was delayed until Monday because of high winds and blinding snow.

“When I heard they were delaying it I told somebody that sets a bad precedent,” said Bo Harris, who starred at Captain Shreve and LSU before playing eight years for Cincinnati, including a start in Super Bowl XVI in 1982, a 26-21 loss to San Francisco inside the Pontiac Silverdome (while outside, a blizzard semi-paralyzed Detroit).

“Hours later I saw what was happening in Buffalo and had to call the guy back and say, ‘Check that,’” Harris said with a laugh. “My mind wasn’t understanding what was happening.”

What was happening was you couldn’t see the field. Visibility near zero. The team even hired fans to shovel show for $20 an hour Sunday to help clear the stadium. The online video of Buffalo crazies doing just that is as fun to watch as the game was, won by the Bills, 31-17, in a clear but cold Highmark Stadium.

Kyle Williams watched that game from the comfort of his couch in Lincoln Parish, six seasons removed from a 13-year career playing defensive tackle in Buffalo after four years starting for Ruston High (he was a hard-to-bring-down running back as a freshman!) and after helping the Tigers win a national championship at LSU. Grew up hot, but figured out quickly that life in the National Football League can be a cold business.

“In Cleveland my rookie year, during warmups it looked like just a normal winter day game,” said Williams, a father of five who helped coach Ruston High to a state football championship this fall in his semi-retirement. “Field was green … perfect. Twenty minutes later we come back and the whole field is snow.”

Then there was December 23, 2007, “the coldest I’ve ever been,” he said. Final regular season game, the Giants needing to win to get into the playoffs, New York at Buffalo, and it’s a first-half downpour, a storm front off Lake Erie. “After halftime, it drops down to 19 degrees and the wind starts blowing. It got colder the more we kept trying to hang on to (Ahmad) Bradshaw (151 yards rushing) and (Brandon) Jacobs (143 yards). We never got going.”

The Giants won, 38-21, and went on to upset New England in the ‘Helmet Catch’ Super Bowl. Good news?: Williams, a Class of 2022 Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer, lived to play another day.

“You can never really prepare, gear-wise, for the cold,” said the sneaky funny Williams, a master of understatement. “You’ve got Spandex pants, a Spandex jersey, cotton socks, and athletic shoes. Your attire’s not covering all your parts that need covering.”

There’s chicken broth on the sidelines, and those welcoming and lush heated benches thank the good Lord, but it’s a “never ending tango,” Williams testifies, of what to keep warm and just how warm to keep it, like managing your helmet’s insides so the plastic pads will stay warm and loose instead of getting too cold so they’re brittle or too hot so holes are burned in them.

“All kinds of issues,” said Williams, recalling from the warmth of his den a time of ice and mud, a calm man with a security blanket, a man who can now go to bed at halftime if he wants. “Easy for guys in those conditions to make a mistake doing what they’re needing to do to stay warm.”

This weekend when he heard about the delay in Buffalo, he knew how bad it must be. A decade-plus of living there coached him up on how prepared Erie County is for the worst. “The world does not stop,” he said, not for any ol’ storm; businesses and road crews are ready to counteract just about anything.

“In all my years up there, only one time did the weather affect us where we had to postpone or cancel,” he said, recalling a “wall of snow” halfway up the house he and wife Jill shared with their very young, very cold family.

Once the county got 80 inches of snow in a 48-hour period. The Bills Emergency Alarm went off — picture the Bat Signal above Gotham — and players were hiking to the interstate to get rides on snowmobiles to the airport so the team could fly to Detroit, practice a couple of days, and play a “home game” against the New York Jets in Ford Field. Weather won, the Bills won, the Jets lost.

If you’re in the mood to shiver, you can Google “Freezer Bowl” and watch Bo Harris and his Bengals teammates beat San Diego, 27-7, in Riverfront Stadium in January 1982 to win the AFC Championship. The temperature was between minus-8 and plus-5, but it was the wind chill — a mind-numbing minus-57 during gusts — that made it the coldest NFL game ever.

“San Diego came out during warmups with ski masks on under their helmets and defensive backs were backpedaling with their hands in their pants,” Harris said. “I looked at one of my guys and said, ‘Oh yeah. We’re winning today.’”

Dan Fouts. Gary Johnson. Louie Kelcher. Kellen Winslow. Wes Chandler. Charlie Joiner. Chuck Muncie. San Diego had a very good team. That Sunday in Cincinnati, they had a very cold team. And the Bengals had a secret weapon.

“Vaseline and panty hose saved the day,” said Bo, who coated himself in the stuff to protect his skin, then layered up with the hose. Any port in a storm; dude had one of Cincinnati’s two sacks in the win.

Also now retired in Lincoln Parish, Petey Perot is a Natchitoches Favorite Son and former Northwestern State Demon and Philadelphia Eagle. And like Bo, he played in a chillier-than-chilly Conference Championship game.

“1980 against Dallas in the Vet,” Perot said. “Minus-17. Santa Claus had gotten beat up in the stadium the week before,” (a true story illustrating that it’s cold in Philly in more ways than one; you can look it up).

“I don’t think it ever really bothered me,” said Perot, who was 23 at the time, an age of blissful unawareness. “I didn’t think about how cold it was. I didn’t even know how cold it was when we went out there. We wore fishnet jerseys and a half shirt and didn’t even try to do anything to keep from being cold. Our deal was, we were just focused on trying to get to the Super Bowl: who cares who cold it is?”

And if he had free tickets and great seats to the same kind of game today?

“I wouldn’t go,” he said with zero hesitation, almost offended at the suggestion, a man warm and wise.

At left guard, Petey and the gang sprang Wilbert Montgomery for a 42-yard touchdown run on the Eagles’ second play from scrimmage that icy day as Philadelphia beat the Cowboys, 20-7, and made it to Super Bowl XV. The bad news? They lost to Oakland. The good news? It was in the Superdome and 72 degrees with no wind.

This Sunday at 7:15 p.m., Kansas City will visit Buffalo in one of four Division Round weekend playoff games. The expected forecast is like Houston at Baltimore at 3:30 p.m. Saturday: 16 degrees with a 15 percent chance of snow and light winds.

Like taking a candy football from a warm baby.

Contact a very toasty Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

What could Victor do?  He was not an architect or carpenter.  He held no political office.  He had no authority to do anything towards preserving the church that he loved so dearly.  Victor was a writer, mostly of poetry.  Oh, dear.  He published a paper entitled War [declared] on the Demolishers in which he argued for the preservation of old buildings such as his beloved church.  Most of the people who read his paper were the ones who wanted to demolish buildings to make room to erect more modern structures.  Victor was distraught.

Victor decided to write a book about the church in his spare time.  For three years, Victor struggled to find the time to work on the book as his other literary projects, ones that earned money, took precedence.  Rather than a clever title which would draw interest to the story, Victor simply used the name of the church as the title of the book.  The church, an inanimate object, became almost a living, breathing character in itself.  Finally, Victor finished the book, sent it to his publisher, and waited.  Would anyone read a book about an almost forgotten church?       

To Victor’s surprise, his book about the church became a hit.  Readers flocked to see the old church which was featured so prominently in the book.  They flocked to the same church they had previously ignored.  The church had not changed, but their perception of it had.  Victor’s book brought new interest in the church.  With each passing year, Victor’s book became more popular.  Thirteen years after Victor published his book, the king of the country ordered the restoration of the church, a project which lasted twenty years.  With the success of Victor’s book, the church became much more than a building of worship.  It became a national icon.

In the years since Victor’s book was first published, millions of visitors, myself included, have flocked to see the church because of the book.  The church is currently undergoing another restoration following a disastrous fire.  You and I know the story and the church well because of the book’s many stage, television, and film adaptations.  Had Victor not written his book, the church which had stood for over 700 years would not have been saved, and you and I would never have heard of the church Notre-Dame de Paris.  The original French title of Victor’s book was Notre-Dame de Paris, but English speaking countries know Victor Hugo’s 1831 book by its adapted title, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  This is just one example of the positive power of words.

Source: Daniel Christian, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Notre Dame Cathedral Paris, July 22, 2019, https://notredamecathedralparis.com/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame/.

January 17, 2024

Have you ever seen the movie Dr. Doolittle starring Eddie Murphy? In this movie Eddie plays the role of a doctor who discovers he can communicate with animals. Now we’ve all had a conversation with our own pets, but the difference is they can’t talk back. But deep in our hearts we know, or at least we think, they truly understand what we’re saying. I’ve often wondered what a bass would say to an angler if they could talk. As an experienced angler who has engaged in several conversations with bass, I’ll give you an idea as to what they really think.

Bass are like people; they all have different personalities. Some are quiet and shy, some are aggressive, and some like to be a part of a gang or school (as we call them). The bigger fish called trophies, six pounds or larger, like to isolate themselves and tend to be loners. That’s why you’ll catch larger fish out of brush tops or isolated clumps of hydrilla and stumps.

As an angler growing up, I’ve always heard other anglers say that if you’ll listen, bass will tell you what they want. What anglers are referring to is how to catch them. The first fish you catch can be a clue on what, how and where you need to be fishing that day. For example, if you catch a bass off the very end of a boat dock in 10 feet of water, near a creek channel, you might want to find other boat docks with the same characteristics. This is what we would call a pattern. 

So far over my many years of fishing and listening, not a single bass has verbally conveyed anything to me that would help me solve the fishing puzzle….or have they? The key is you have to listen and pay attention. Now it may require some interpretation, but if you’re focused and observant, it will all come together. 

One professional angler who is known for his ability to talk to the fish is the legendary pro Rick Clunn. Considered by many as the greatest angler of all time, Rick has won 4 Bassmaster Classics (the Super Bowl of bass fishing). Now Rick is a unique kind of bird as he tends to do things a little different. He’s a guy who likes to stay away from other anglers at an event by camping out and getting as close to nature as he can. In his words, he wants to become one with nature.

Not all anglers take this approach, but it has served Rick Clunn well as he has amassed over $2.6 million in winnings. That means after 496 tournaments fished, he has earned over $5000 per event! Rick has even written articles about what he calls “zenning” which is a form of meditation and mental state of mind. It’s his way of getting what athletes call “in the zone.”

Whether you take Rick’s meditation approach or come up with one of your own, it is important for a tournament angler to be focused. Bass fishing is as much a mental game as it is physical. A lot of anglers are good at many different techniques and can catch fish. But the anglers who are strong mentally are usually the ones who are the most successful.

Till next time, good luck, good fishing and always remember, that if you’re not sure it’s a bite, set the hook anyway. Because it just might be the fish of a lifetime!

Steve Graf                                                                                                                                     

Anglers Perspective

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.

David Earl Kelley
July 5, 1946 – January 14, 2024
Service: Saturday, January 20, 2024, 1pm at Gloryway Church, Brewton’s Mill

Mary Caroline Roberts
June 7, 1938 – December 3, 2023
Service: Saturday, January 20, 2024, 2pm at Sanders Chapel Cemetery, Calvin.

The Winn Parish Police Jury met in an early January session this week to see in its new slate of members for the next four year.  Normally gathering on the third Monday each month, the lawmakers held this session January 8 when members took their oath of office from District Judge Anastasia Wiley.

District Attorney Chris Nevils presided over the early stages of the meeting, as the jury at that point was without a president or vice president.  Newcomers are Darrell Franks (Dist.3), Stanley Garrett (Dist. 4) and Kyle Potts (Dist. 5) but returning members were also sworn in at the outset of this four-year term.  After Judge Wiley administered the oath individually to each of the seven jurors, Nevils called the first order of business, election of the president and vice president.

Longtime member Frank McLaren (Dist 7) was nominated with a motion by Author Robinson, second by Deionne Carpenter and with no other nominations, McLaren won the post by acclamation.  Another longtime member Deionne Carpenter (Dist. 2) received a nomination for vice president from Phillip Evans with second by Author Robinson.  Again there were no other nominations and she won that position.

The members heard words of encouragement from DA Nevils who said he is looking forward to working with the new jury, noting the local judiciary has worked well with past juries.  Outgoing president Josh McAllister also attended the meeting and challenged the lawmakers to work for all of Winn Parish, knowing they will face some long days in their jobs as jurors.  “Believe in a better Winn.

In business that night, members agreed to a resolution calling for a special election for a Road Tax renewal to be placed on the April 27 ballot.  “We really need to promote this,” said McLaren.  “Without it, we’d be in terrible shape.”

Members also agreed to reappoint Karen Tyler as jury’s secretary/treasurer for another two-year term.  “We can’t go wrong with her,” quipped McLaren.

Efforts are being made to breathe life into a project that’s been discussed for decades.  “They’ve been talking about the Port de Luce water project since I was a boy,” claimed Author Robinson.  “Folks don’t know how big an area that drainage covers or the impact this project could have.”

Approved was a motion to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement between the Office of Community Development and the Winn Parish Police Jury for a watershed grant.  McLaren said this could be a reservoir for flood control and perhaps a lake.  Discussion indicated that $7.5 million could be “conditionally awarded.”