The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame will stage its 32nd Annual Hall of Fame Induction on April 6 at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capital Center at 201 Lafayette Street. This event will pay tribute to seven distinguished Louisiana political leaders with induction into the Political Hall of Fame in Winnfield.  Also presented will be the Political Family of Officeholders Award.The celebration opens with a public reception from 6-7 p.m., followed by the banquet and induction ceremony. Tickets are $250 for open seating and can be purchased through the Louisiana Political Museum’s website at lapolmushof.com or by calling (318) 628-5928 before the March 25 deadline. Advanced reservations and payments are required for all tickets.Following is a little information on each of the inductees:

New Orleans native Edmund “Ed” Anderson is a notable figure in journalism with a career spanning decades. Anderson focused on state government, politics, and the Legislature for 24 years, navigating the administrations of six governors. His tough yet fair reporting style earned him numerous writing awards and accolades, including a role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning news team for coverage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2006.

Deacon Dan Borné boasts a diverse career spanning over 50 years across media, government, education, industry, healthcare and more. Alongside his professional accomplishments, Borné’s commitment to community service shines through his involvement in healthcare, arts, education, and charitable organizations. Notably, he’s chaired the General Health System board and led initiatives for economic education and community welfare. His passion for LSU athletics extends to his role as the longstanding public address announcer at Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Baton Rouge native Joseph A. Delpit has made significant strides across various sectors. Notably, he represented minority business interests at the White House under President Bill Clinton. Delpit made history as the first Black councilman in Baton Rouge and served in significant capacities, including Mayor Pro Tempore. He held various political positions, serving as State Representative and achieving the title of Speaker Pro Tempore, marking a milestone in Louisiana’s political landscape.

John Bel Edwards, Louisiana’s 56th Governor, embodies a life dedicated to service. Under his leadership, Louisiana prioritized education, infrastructure, and economic diversification, culminating in record-low unemployment rates and a vision to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. After concluding his term on January 8, 2024, Edwards left a lasting impact on Louisiana politics and governance.

James R. Engster, a distinguished Louisiana journalist and radio host, is the owner and president of the Louisiana Radio Network (LRN) and renowned for his captivating show “Talk Louisiana” on WRKF, Baton Rouge’s NPR affiliate. He was honored as the 2008 Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations Association of Louisiana and in 2011, received the Racial Justice Award from the YWCA Greater Baton Rouge. Engster remains committed to media as the Media Board Chairman of the Press Club of Baton Rouge and president of the LSU Media Board.

Louis Joseph Lambert is a seasoned Louisiana politician and attorney who won a State Senate seat in the 1971-1972 election cycle and represented District 18 until 2004. He served as a Public Service Commissioner, chairing the PSC for multiple terms. Beyond politics, he significantly influenced Louisiana’s educational landscape as a member of the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors. Lambert’s enduring impact on Louisiana’s political history is marked by unwavering resilience and dedication to public service, including a closely contested gubernatorial race

Richard A. Lipsey has had a remarkable career. His diverse experiences include U.S. Army service, witnessing the autopsy of John F. Kennedy, and participating in the historic March on Washington in 1963. He has received numerous accolades, including induction into the LSU Military Hall of Honor and the National Shooting Sports Foundation Hall of Fame. Lipsey has been awarded Outstanding Citizen of the Year twice by the Boy Scouts of America and has been honored as the Baton Rouge Business Report Laureat, among other distinctions. His humanitarian efforts during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita garnered the 2006 Humanitarian Award from the Anti-Defamation League. 

The Political Family of Officeholders Award recognizes the Carter family’s multi-generational commitment to public service. The late Judge Burrell Carter and his son, Robert J. Carter, are honored for their remarkable contributions. The late Judge Carter served as Mayor of Greensburg and as Chief Judge of the First Circuit Court of Appeal. In retirement in 2012, he provided expertise to various courts. The Hon. Robert J. Carter served as State Representative, District 72, from 1996 to 2008, and resumed the role in 2016. He was appointed Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in 2024. His leadership, including Dean of the House of Representatives, reflects the family’s commitment to public service.

Visit lapolmushof.com to read more about this year’s honored Political Hall of Fame inductees.

The Louisiana Regents Region 6 LaSTEM Center (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), at NSU’s Alexandria campus at England Airpark, hosted their annual “Find the Recipe for Rural STEM” at the Megashelter south of Alexandria Friday. February 8.

The event was attended by over 1,400 students from schools throughout central Louisiana including Winn Parish. The youngsters got to see displays, demonstrations and try hands-on educational activities from over 27 agencies, colleges, and firms.

The annual event is one of many initiatives sponsored by the LaSTEM centers to spark an interest in the sciences, math, and engineering among the state’s young minds. The day was anything but dull as the youngsters listened to their heartbeats, saw a penny get a coating of shiny metal using electricity, and looked through microscopes among many other activities. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had a popular exhibit featuring two baby alligators.

The scene showed that faculty, industry leaders and college students have an obvious passion for what they do, sharing that knowledge and passion with the area’s young people.

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.

Hubert Joseph LaCour
March 13, 1937-February 3, 2024
Service: The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, February 17, 2024 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Cloutierville, LA.  A public visitation at the church will begin at 10:00 a. m. and last until the Mass at 11:00 a. m.  Burial with Military Honors will follow in the Church’s cemetery.

Winn’s Students of the Year were presented to the School Board at the opening of their February session Monday.  Students in grades 5, 8 and 12 from each school are selected for the honor, with an overall parish winner from each level chosen.

Mia Whisonant, Winnfield Middle School, was named as the 5th grade winner. Emily Grace Adams, Winnfield Middle School, was named as 8th grade winner.  Alyssa VanBlaricum, WSHS, was named as 12th grade winner.

Mia, daughter of Brandi Whisonant and Hugo Vargas, has placed first in science fair two years in a row.  Emily Grace, daughter of Chad and Carolee Adams, has maintained a 4.0 GPS since kindergarten and earned a perfect 850 on the ELA LEAP test last year.  Alyssa, daughter of Christy VanBlaricum, placed fourth in the nation in FFA competition for Parliamentary Procedure.

Nancy Crain, Student of the Year Coordinator, explained that the route from school Student of the Year honors to state recognition is arduous, going from school to parish (district) to zone to regional and finally to state.  Each step along the way involves education committee reviews of the student’s academic achievements, projects and activities.  Students are also required to write essays and sit for interviews each step along the way.  “It’s a difficult competition.”

Introducing the presentation, Supt. Alfred Simmons said that all of the students selected at each school are winners, a point of pride to the board, their schools and their families.  The 8th and 12th grade winners, Emily Grace and Alyssa, have moved through zone and will advance to regionals.  “It won’t be easy but Winn has had state winners in the past,” observed Simmons.  “We wish them well.”

The other winners of the Student of the Year contest were recognized in a PowerPoint presentation directed by Mrs. Crain.  For 5th grade, Jaxon Griffin, son of Hana and Brian Griffin won the honor at Calvin High School.  Twice selected as a “Terrific Kid,” he has maintained a 4.0 GPA for the past four years.  Hayden Stoner, daughter of Heather Williams, was selected at Dodson High School.  She considers her top performance as being the DARE program essay winner.

Kolt Keiffer, son of Justin and Tamala Keiffer, was the 8th grade winner at Calvin High School.  He’s been able to combine baseball and basketball and still maintain a 4.0 GPS since pre-K.  At Dodson High School, the 8th grade winner was Judson Jordan, son of Valerie and Brent Jordan.  Enjoying the school’s close community of students and teachers, he has served as 4-H reporter for two years running.

For the 12th grade honors, Kayden Corbitt, daughter of Denise Corbitt, was named at Calvin High School.  Friends and teachers at CHS are important to her and she’s been accepted at Northwestern State University.  Anna Worthington, daughter of Melanie and Eddie Worthington, is the Dodson High School winner.  Enjoying the small school setting, she won individual silver at national FFA competition in Environmental & Natural Resources.

Simmons presented plaques to the three parish winners as well as the three school winners from Dodson who attended Monday’s meeting.

Police and first responders reported to two separate and unrelated accidents on US Hwy 84 west last week.

On January 29, shortly before 11:30 a.m., Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop E began investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash on U.S. Highway 84 at the intersection of Morningstar Road. This crash claimed the life of 37-year-old Johnny Dubois III of Natchitoches.       

The initial investigation revealed that a 1995 Nissan, driven by Dubois, was northbound on Morningstar Road. As the Nissan approached the intersection of U.S. Highway 84, Dubois failed to properly clear the intersection before proceeding. As a result, the Nissan entered the westbound travel lanes of U.S. Highway 84 and was struck by a westbound 1999 Peterbuilt.

Dubois, who was restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the commercial vehicle, who also was restrained, sustained moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Routine toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis.

While the cause of this crash remains under investigation, distracted and inattentive driving continues to be a leading cause of crashes in our state.  Louisiana State Police urges all motorists to stay alert while driving.  A lapse in one’s awareness can have deadly consequences.

Two days earlier on January 27 at 2:30 a.m., a vehicle went off road into the Port de Luce, west of US Hwy 84. The driver was injured and confirmed to be John D Carter Jr. of Plain Dealing. Carter was charged with DWI (2nd) and reckless operation in connection with the accident. 

The Winn Parish Police Jury has received word from Waste Management Corporation that starting on February 20, the following roads will be serviced on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays:

Hwy 1232 North (right side)
J Hobdy Rd
D W Alexander Rd
Long Rd
Hwy 501 (from the intersection of Hwy 1232) only right side up to Collins Rd then both sides towards Brewton Mill /Bienville parish line)
Carpenter Rd
Carter Crossing
Abels Rd
Hubbard Garret Rd
Homer Martin Rd
Yankee Springs Rd
Hilltop Rd
Roton Rd
J S Brewton Rd
Pine Ridge Rd
Blewer Rd
Lucky Rd
Hwy 1233
Coldwater Rd
Lane Rd
Tom Carson Rd
Sand Dump Rd
Meyers Camp
Key Hole Rd
Canal Lane
Brewton Camp Rd

Rotarian of the Day and speaker of the day for Winnfield Rotary members on January 31 were one and the same, Jeff Johnson, Dean of the Huey P. Long Campus of the Central Louisiana Technical and Community College (CLTCC). Jeff is a local native and long-time educator whose mission is to help provide quality education for residents of Winn Parish and surrounding communities.

Mr. Johnson brought club members up to date on developments at CLTCC, particularly our local Huey P. Long campus. Our campus offers four programs: business and office administration with a focus on medical coding and billing, welding, nursing, and forestry technology. Student enrollment in these programs is up 10% over last year.

CLTCC has created its own nonprofit foundation called the CenLa Community Foundation through which it can receive donations directly. This avoids the red tape of donations having to be made to the state before available to CLTCC.

New developments in the nursing program include an evening program which started a class in January 2023. This course takes longer to complete than the two day-time nursing courses because of the shorter time available in the evening but allows students to work during the day and take their classes at night.

HPL has begun a pilot program for patient care technicians in which high school students can complete their high school educational requirements and take courses to complete a certificate in Technical Studies. The school also allows students to be enrolled in high school and CLTCC to obtain college credit in the welding, business and forestry programs.

Completion of the Forestry program now results in the award of an associate degree, rather than the certificate previously awarded. The school also has a transfer agreement with Louisiana Tech that allows Forestry students to transfer credit hours in our program to Tech for further study to obtained advanced degrees.

One may take the HISET course at HPL to prepare for testing for a high school equivalency certificate free of charge. Classes meet four days a week and the testing is also free of charge. Other courses on offer include NCCR welding and Emergency Medical Response, forklift operation, OSHA 10—ten hours of training in workplace and industrial safety rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Commercial driving training is also on offer at the school. It is a full-time course lasting six weeks for which the tuition charges are significant. However, financial aid is readily available through Louisiana’s Workforce Development program or scholarships available through the Murphy J. Foster Promise program.

Further information related to CLTCC’s Huey P. Long campus and the resources it can provide to our local citizens is available on the school’s website or one may call the office to make inquiries.

Local realtor Tommy Straughan spoke to the Kiwanis Club Tuesday, January 30. He gave a little background on himself. He came to Winnfield with his family in 1945 at the age of 10. He graduated from Winnfield High School in 1953 and from Northwestern in 1956 with a degree in education. He started teaching and coaching and did that for 10 years. After 10 years he went into business with his dad at the Conoco station. In the 1960s Sheriff Sanford Jordan asked him to start a youth program which he did. This youth program built the high school baseball field, a football practice field and a sports field in Sikes. He also had a construction company that was involved in the Superfund project.

The Real Estate industry is one of the largest industries because it involves land and what is on that land and what is under that land. He spoke about Winnfield as it was when he was growing up with movie theaters, businesses and the population to support them. Winnfield is an older town with most houses in excess of 50 years old.

There is no zoning which hurts comps. The first new house built in the city limits in 10 years is being built right now on Center St. We are losing younger people because few that graduate from Winnfield Senior High School come back here after college. People pass away, their family doesn’t live here and houses deteriorate. We are losing 150 – 175 families per year so our population is dwindling city and parish.

We need to capitalize on what we have and bring in small businesses with 10 – 12 employees and not try to bring in some big company with a hundred employees. When people call Mr. Straughan about our town, they want to know about education. When communities lose schools, those communities lose their identity.

We need to come up with ideas to make it attractive for people to come here. A small group of concerned citizens working with the police jury and city council could get some things accomplished.  There are grants and other monies out there that we need to be competing for. The political climate in our state now is such that we have a good opportunity to get elected officials to help our town and parish. 

He spoke about the Port De Luce Reservoir which has been in the works for years and the size has now been decreased. As originally planned it would have done wonderful things for our area. We need legislative help to put it back the way it was.

Real estate is 16% of the gross national product. The average home value in Winnfield and Winn parish is $75,000 – $100,000. This makes the note about $550-650 per month. There are fewer than a dozen houses in the city that are over $250,000. We need a loan originator in Winnfield to help with pre-approval. A 640 credit score is needed for home loan.

Mr. Straughan concluded there are a lot of possibilities in Winnfield and Winn Parish, we just need citizens to step up and help make a difference.

Winnfield’s City Council, in special session January 31, granted provisionary status to two new fulltime patrolmen at the recommendation of Chief of Police Johnny Ray Carpenter.

The Public Safety Committee met at City Hall prior to the council session to hear the chief’s recommendation and to pose questions to the applicants, Jacob Howell and Timothy Schmidtenforff.

Howell told the committee that he had lived in Texas where he had worked.  Schmidtendorff told the panel that he is a Winn resident who has worked at both Winn Detention and Winn Correctional and is ready to be “outside” of the prison system.  He has also been a volunteer firefighter.

Chairman Teresa Phillips told the council that the committee had been impressed by the applicants and concurred with the chief’s recommendation.  The council approved.

The recent hires by the department were made to fill vacancies.  The provisional status will be met when the patrolmen pass their Civil Service and drug tests and medical screening.  Four officers are set to attend Police Academy this July, the department confirmed.

Superbowl Crack (or just plain foodie crack if you do not plan to watch the big game)!  This recipe is an easy 10/10.  I foresee this appetizer as being my new go-to for any party or weekend snack marathon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag wavy potato chips
• 1 packet Ranch seasoning
• 8 oz block cheddar, shredded
• 10 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped (or bacon bits)
• 1 cup sour cream for dipping 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl mix cheese with ½ ranch seasoning.  (Mix the other half in the sour cream)!  Pour potato chips evenly onto a baking sheet.  Make sure chips are close together but not in a pile.  Sprinkle cheese over.  Top with bacon.  Bake 5-6 minutes.  Serve with ranch sour cream.

Ashley Madden Rowton is a wife, mom and published cookbook author who lives in Minden, La.

County Agent Donny Moon is encouraging area residents involved in any aspect of forestry to consider participating in the 38th annual Ark-La-Tex Forestry Forum which is set for Tuesday, Feb. 27, on the campus of LSU-Shreveport.

The one-day workshop is slated to get under way at 8:30 a.m. and adjourn at 4 p.m. This forum brings together private forest landowners, forestry professionals, researchers, and specialists to share up-to-date information on forest management in the northwest region of Louisiana and surrounding states.

This year’s topics include information on Short Rotation Woody Crops; Prescribed Fire; Cost Share and Management Opportunities; Current Issues for Ark-La-Tex Forest Landowners; Drought and Wildfire; ROW and Legal Issues for Forest Landowners.To register, Google “38th annual Ark-La-Tex Forestry Forum.” Follow the EventBrite link to find the registration form. Advance fee is $25 while fee at the door is $30. Included are lunch and a link to the program proceedings.

A virtual option is available for those unable to attend in person. The fee of $15 includes the opportunity to watch the recorded meeting at your leisure. For information about this virtual option, contact Valerie West at 318-965-2326.

Door prizes will be given by several exhibitors for both in-person and virtual participants. CFE and CLE credits will be available.

For additional information, contact Dr. West at vwest@agcenter.lsu.edu.