“I never met a man I didn’t like,” Will Rogers was quoted as saying.  It’s likely that Leroy James never met a piano he didn’t like.  Leroy, who will be the Grand Marshal of the December 6 Christmas Parade in Winnfield, has been known through the years to sit down and begin playing anywhere he saw a piano, perhaps Lynda’s Country Kitchen or Pea Patch.

Folks enjoyed it and those lining Main Street the Friday night of the parade will hear the Grand Marshal playing his Grand Piano as his float moves slowly along the route.  He has had a love of music since a young age and comes from a “musically-inclined” family. 

Born March 15, 1945, in Gaars Mill, Leroy continues to serve his community well with his engaging musical talent.  He has sung to bless people at the nursing home, comforted families in loss of love ones (singing at funerals), and played and sang at different churches.  This affable gentleman never meets a stranger. 

While music is his love and avocation, his vocation is in oil & gas.  He launched James Drilling Co. Inc. in 1977.  He’d been making a living in the logging industry when he gained interest in drilling for oil & gas.  A man by the name of O.C. Warren found him a pole rig but it was in really bad condition.  Leroy was logging during the day and refurbishing his first pole drilling rig at night and on weekends.

Leroy drilled his first well on George Larson’s property.  It was a dry hole.  He drilled his second well which was also a dry hole.  In 1978 Leroy drilled his third well and was successful, hitting natural gas.  At this point Leroy started contract drilling to offset expenses and survive in the oil & gas industry.

He made headlines early in this pursuit when the Winn Parish Enterprise declared “New Shallow Well Drilling Record Set” in its January 9, 1985 edition.  A week earlier, James Drilling had dug a 1,100-foot well in the Oil City Oil Field in just six hours.  The feat was believed to be a state “and possibility a national” record.  Not surprisingly, the story read, “James gave most of the credit to his outstanding crew.”

Through the years there have been lots of ups and downs, with market crashes and more, but Leroy always had his finger in other pies and remained successful.  Long hours and hard work are no strangers to this man.

Going back in time, Leroy was born fifth of seven children to Walter Edward James and Myrtie Mixon James.  They were cotton farmers. Leroy attended Dodson High School and got his first taste for the gas & oil field when he started working part time for Pinky Jacobs of Winnfield at the age of 14.  After graduating DHS in 1963, he continued working fulltime for Jacobs. 

He began a career cutting logs for Hunt Lumber Company’s Dodson District where he remained until Hunt sold to Willamette in 1969.  That same year, he started his own logging company and went to work for Willamette in a self-employed capacity.  After he proved he could make a living in oil & gas, he sold his logging company to his nephew Tony James in 1988.

He is married to Pam James.  Leroy has three children, Larica James Fair (husband Robin),Stacy James and Jody James (wife Amanda) and two bonus daughter’s, Brandi Johnson (husband Dustin “Dusty”) and Haley Brown (husband Donald Brown, Jr.)  Grandchildren are Grayson & Connor Fair, Chloe’ & Rhett James, Jake & Jaxson Johnson.

 

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Early voting will end this Saturday evening, November 30, as Winn and all of Louisiana voters will go to the polls to decide on four Constitutional Amendment issues offered by the legislature.  The election itself will be Saturday, December 7.  

Registrar Bryan Kelley says Early Voting, which has been going on for a week, will continue only today and Saturday since the office will be closed Thanksgiving Thursday, and Friday, November 28 and 29.  Hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.  Voters should enter through the Main Street entrance.  

Sample ballots are posted on the wall outside the Registrar of Voters Office.

Those wishing to participate through Absentee by Mail ballots still have time but are reminded that ballots must be received in the Registrar of Voters Office by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 6.  The deadline to request an Absentee by Mail ballot is December 3.  But that may cut it too close to ensure time for a voter to receive and return the ballot.

Kelley always recommends “voters download the GeauxVote app which allows you to view your sample ballot and monitor results on Election night.”  

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Statewide School and District Performance Scores for the 2023-24 school year were released by the Louisiana Department of Education Wednesday morning, November 20. The Winn Parish School System’s district score increased by 1.8 points to 78.8 and the district’s letter grade remained a B.  

Highlighting the release of school scores were the letter grades for Calvin High School and Winnfield Senior High School.  Each of those schools was rated as an A school by the state’s accountability formula.  “We are very proud of the achievement of the students of our district, especially those at Calvin and Winnfield Senior,” stated Superintendent of Schools Al Simmons.

Calvin was honored as a “Top Gains School” by the State Department and was also among the top 10 high schools for growth in the state.  Winnfield Primary School, although only rated as a C school on the letter grade scale, also was honored as a “Top Gains School” by the State Department due to the amount of academic growth demonstrated by students on last year’s assessments.

Dodson High School was rated as a B school by the state’s accountability system, maintaining last year’s letter grade while increasing their numerical School Performance Score.  Winnfield Middle School earned a grade of C for the 2023-24 school year, maintaining their previous grade.

“Although in a given year individual school scores may fluctuate, the overall pattern for Winn Schools as a whole has been to increase student performance each year.  Our professional educators at every level and at every school are dedicated to improving the lives of the students of Winn Parish as evidenced by this growth,” concluded Superintendent Simmons.

“Although the states accountability system will be changing and the letter grading system for school and district performance will become more stringent, I believe that with the support of our School Board, school faculty and staff, and our district leadership we will continue to improve the academic performance of the children of Winn Parish.” 

CHS Principal Justin Tinsley said when that school was in the monthly “Spotlight,” he brought a teacher because teachers did a phenomenal job, focusing on those students who are not performing as expected.

WSHS Principal Chase Bartlett said that scores last year “showed where we needed to attack and our teachers did.”

WPS Principal James King said “our teachers worked hard and growth was tremendous.  We want to teach hard in the lower grades so students can perform better by fourth grade.”

WMS Principal Brian Savell said “we’re pleased with our direction but not satisfied where we are.  We’re expecting a lot better because improvement is where we’re headed.”

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Student truancy, especially in the lower grades, is still a problem in Winn Parish but a joint effort between principals, the District Attorney and District Judge is beginning to show a positive change, the School Board heard in committee session November 25.

“This is a problem we take seriously,” said Supt. Al Simmons.  “If a child is not in school, we cannot teach him.”  Joe Llaine Long indicated that when a child misses out on learning opportunities in the earliest grades, that student may not be able to make it up by fourth grade and may tend to “fall through the cracks” of the system.

Lance Underwood asked with concern if Winn is making headway on the problem of truancy.  Winn Primary School Principal James King responded that his office tracks absentees and contacts the District Attorney’s Office when problems appear.  “Letters go out to the parents and they realize that it’s for real.”  He explained that the FINS officer in the District Judge’s Office is processing these referrals.

Previous information on this program showed that the legal notification through the DA’s office, with consequences before the district judge, do not target the children but the parents or guardians who are supposed to have those children in school.

Harry Scott also voiced his concern, expressing his unease of seeing young children out of school on school days, with him being unable to tell if they are home-schooled or just missing classes altogether.

“I think we’re seeing improvement,” said Simmons.  “It will take time but I think the attendance numbers will go up.  We don’t have the authority to go out and cast a net to bring them in.”

Underwood stressed that the board will stand in support of the school leaders in reporting cases of truancy to the legal authorities.

In other action, the superintendent advised board members to remain tuned in to tax issues within constitutional amendment proposals that grew out of the just-ended special legislative session.  Those issues would affect funding for school systems if the amendments are approved on the spring ballot.

But exactly what that impact would be is yet unclear.  Simmons explained that “there’s a lot of information but at the moment there are more questions than answers.  It appears that while state income tax would be lower, state sales tax would be higher.  It would not affect our local rates.”  He added that it is unsure if the changes would be wrapped in one all-inclusive amendment or broken into several as they affect various topics of taxation.

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A person walking along U.S. Highway 167 North was struck and killed by a motor vehicle in the early morning hours of Saturday, November 23.  The accident was reported at approximately 3 a.m.

Lacey Allen, age 54 of Jonesboro, was pronounced dead at the scene.  Initial investigation indicates that Allen was walking southbound on the improved shoulder, on or close to the white line, when he was accidentally struck by a northbound 2006 Mazda SUV driven by Crystal Harstad Layfield, also of Jonesboro.  Ms. Layfield had just left her place of employment when the accident occurred.

No foul play is suspected.  No charges have been filed as of today as the investigation is continuing.  Routine toxicology and autopsy results are pending.

The Winnfield Police Department urges those who walk on or near streets to wear bright clothing.  Reflective vests are even better.  Always walk facing on-coming traffic.  It is illegal to walk on a roadway when sidewalks are available.  

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Members of the Winnfield Kiwanis Club went to local schools to recognize the “Terrific Kids” for the month of September, a tradition for the organization

 

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Support for the Community Food Pantry and the giving nature of Winn residents was proven as volunteers gave out a one-day record number of food bags, plus lagniappe, to those coming to First Presbyterian Church for a little holiday help on  November 21.

Volunteer Jan Beville confirmed that 116 families were served that day.  Food Pantry policy allows two bags for large families and a total of 125 bags were issued.  Included is a grocery bag filled with regular commodity items plus a separate “Lagniappe” bag of “a little something extra” that may vary from one bag to the next, depending on the extra items that have been donated or purchased for that purpose.

The Food Pantry, through donations, sometimes purchases some Lagniappe items.  Much comes in from churches, church groups or individuals.  But by far, the biggest portion of these special offerings comes in from 4-H members from across the parish.

“I don’t know how we’d make it without the 4-H,” commented Mrs. Beville.  “They play a huge role in donations, providing the majority of our Lagniappe.  They collect at all schools, then Donny Moon shows up with a trailer filled with boxes of canned food and boxes and boxes of cereal.  They contact us to see if we have particular needs at the time of their food drives.”

Funding for the basic commodities is also love-driven donations from local churches and businesses, as the Food Pantry accepts no government of Food Bank support.  Contributions to this local service operation are gratefully received.

A good turnout of volunteers from numerous churches arrives at First Presbyterian each Thursday a little early for the 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. service hours.  “We always have room for more volunteers,” Mrs. Beville said.  “Especially in our bag-carrying area.”  (During and since the COVID era, volunteers carry the prepared bags to recipients who remain in their cars.  The entire operation, from sign-ups to preparation to delivery is well-organized by the dedicated volunteers).

Anyone interested may come to any Thursday session to see how things work, then raise their hand and say, “I’d like to help.”

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Greetings, Journal readers in Ireland and Sweden.  And to you in 32 other countries international.  (That’s just the tally over the past two months).

Technology today is amazing.  Back in my years of print journalism at the Enterprise, overseas subscriptions were rare.  A hometown boy serving in the military who wanted an occasional touch of familiarity.  

A publisher could track the out-of-town and out-of-state readers by way of the paid subscription list.  Word-of-mouth was the only way he could track what folks liked to read.  “Hey Bob,” a passerby might say.  “I liked your story on veteran Jack Jones.”  Otherwise, you just had a gut feeling.

But that’s changed with this online Journal and the technology that comes with it.  I can see daily, weekly, monthly the number of folks who read the Winn Parish Journal and, for that matter, how many stories they read.

One fun statistic that’s available is a numbers breakdown by country.  No surprise that USA takes the lion’s share.  Then readers in 34 other countries have logged in over the past two months alone.  They’re from A to U, Algeria to United Kingdom (we’re still waiting on Zimbabwe).  They’re from all continents except Antarctica.  

Any given week, our international readers will number just a few from various countries.  But Ireland and Sweden are of special interest because Journal readers in each range from 25 to 50 weekly.  We appreciate you.  It would be fun to learn what caught their interest so far from Winn.  (See below).

We appreciate our entire readership.  If you’re reading but not subscribing, we would appreciate you becoming part of the Journal family.  Just click the “Join” button at the top of the page.  You’ll be asked your name and email address to automatically receive the Journal in your email early every Wednesday morning.

Write the Journal at:  winnnewsla@gmail.com

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Local attorney and Rotarian of the Day, Mickey Simmons, brought Winnfield Senior High School’s new boys basketball coach Allen Tew to Winnfield Rotary’s November 13 meeting. Coach Tew is a native of Jackson Parish, with his home at Wyatt. He taught at Jonesboro-Hodge High School for 24 years and coached boys’ basketball for 15 years. 

Coach Tew said he was interested in coaching at Winnfield because he was impressed with the record of the boys’ basketball program for the past three years and he has family roots in Winn Parish as his mother grew up in Calvin. One might also speculate that the four-day a week school schedule was appealing, although Tew did not say as much.

As for this year’s prospects, Tew said they are a little behind in their practices because some team members were unable to practice with the basketball team because they were still playing football in the district playoffs. Winnfield lost two important guards from last year’s team due to graduation, but three of the starters from last year are returning. The team’s greatest need is more seasoned guards. 

New to the team are Tew’s son who opted to change schools with Coach Tew for his final year of high school and six or seven freshmen moving up from the middle school. We have 21 players on the team with seven returning as seniors. Tew said a few guys on the team improve their skills by playing basketball at the recreation center two or three times a week every week and really know the game of basketball. 

The team’s assistant coach is the middle school basketball team’s head coach Asante Belton.

Coach Tew says he prefers to play against good basketball teams because it improves the team’s play more than winning games against lesser teams.

As for the season, the team started off with a three-team scrimmage against Jena and Grant High Schools on Thursday, November 14, each team playing the two other teams for 20 minutes each. The opening game of district play will be against Lakeview HS at Lakeview, and the first home game will be against Peabody. Then comes a tournament at Alexandria Senior High, followed by play against Natchitoches Central.

Rotary gave Coach Allen Tew a warm welcome to our community.

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Weep no more, Teddy Allen devotees.  Because of the cost of running his weekly, tongue-in-cheek column are higher than the Winn Parish Journal could justify for the limited  number of his readers, the Journal discontinued him effective November.

But as NC State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano said, “Don’t give up.  Don’t ever give up.”  Though Teddy’s readership was light (about 1% of the Journal’s total visitors), they were dedicated and enjoyed Teddy.

So here’s the good news. Several of Winn’s sister Journals continue to run Teddy Allen and those interested can read him there.  The closest may be the Lincoln Parish Journal.  To get Lincoln for free just as you get Winn for free, simply Google: Lincoln Parish Journal.  When you reach their front page, click the “Join” button at the top.  You’ll land on another page that will simply ask for your email and your name.  The Lincoln Parish Journal will begin arriving regularly at that email address.  For free.

Winn understands that Teddy is carried in their Wednesday edition but check it out.

While we have your attention, casual readers of the Winn Parish Journal are reminded that the process for getting your free Winn Parish news every Wednesday morning on your email is just the same.  If you’re not already a subscriber, just Google: Winn Parish Journal.  We’ll be glad you did.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The Village of Goldonna is preparing for another successful and fun-filled Christmas in the Park. This year’s event will be held on December 14, 2024.

The all-day festival promises to be filled with family style fun, live music, fireworks and free food. Starting at 10:30 am, arts and craft vendors will be available for exploration. There will be plenty of activities for children that include: jump houses, a mechanical bull and there will be surprise visits by some of their favorite Disney characters throughout the day. The characters will also be available for photos. The live music will begin at 10:30am and will end at 4:00 pm. The annual parade will then start at 4:00 with lineup beginning at 2:30 at the school. If you would like to participate in the parade, please contact Audura Fife at 318-413-2737.  

There will be a bon fire immediately after the parade along with free hot dogs and drinks. Santa and Mrs Claus will be at the park after the parade to meet and greet everyone as well as take pictures.  The grand finale of the day will be a fireworks display, which is held downtown.

The newly designed Christmas in the Park t-shirts are available for purchase at The Store. Get yours before they are gone!

The Goldonna Christmas in the Park Committee is looking forward to another successful year as they cordially invite the public to enjoy all of the free events.

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

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Most of Tom’s life was spent in incarceration, but now he was sentenced to death by guillotine.  The date of his execution was set for November 19.  As he sat on death row, he could do nothing but wait.  From his jail cell, he could see others awaiting a similar fate.  Tom knew nothing of their reasons for being there, whether they were innocent or guilty, but Tom was absolutely innocent.  As the old saying goes, “everyone on death row is innocent.”  One by one he watched as they were led away never to return.  Shortly after their cells were vacated, other prisoners took their place in a seemingly never-ending cycle.  Finally, his day had come.  He spoke not a word as he was led out of his jail cell and onto the platform.  The only thing that could save Tom now would be a last-minute reprieve, but it had never happened to someone under Tom’s circumstances.  There was little hope.

Tom’s time had come.  From the platform which had been set up in such a way as to give the public a good view, Tom looked out at the crowd as they looked back at him.  Rather than a somber occasion, the crowd was relaxed and seemed almost cheerful.  The crowd knew something that Tom did not.  A man stood next to Tom and begin to speak to the crowd.  Like the crowd, the speaker was smiling and cheerful as he spoke.  Tom watched the crowd in silence.  During his speech, the man told the crowd that he was commuting Tom’s death sentence to life in prison.  Tom was saved from the guillotine.  After some brief remarks, a quick photo, and a few questions from reporters, the speaker gave the sign and John was whisked away from the podium.  He was transported back to his cell at the Keithley McPherrin turkey breeding farms in Sunnymead, California.  Tom, a white 55-pound turkey, was the first turkey in history to receive a pardon from the President of the United States.

Although other presidents had saved various turkeys from dinner tables throughout the years, the pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey did not become an annual tradition until Thanksgiving 1989 when George H.W. Bush said at a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation ceremony, while animal rights activists picketed nearby, “let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy—he’s presented a Presidential pardon as of right now—and allow him to live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here.” 

As we gather together with family and friends this Thanksgiving, we should remember to be thankful for everything and, more importantly, everyone we have.  We should be thankful for every moment we have on this earth because none of us know how much time we have.  You see, the first turkey to receive a presidential pardon was by President John F. Kennedy.  Kenndy planned to spend that Thanksgiving with his family in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, but first he had to do a short political tour.  On November 22, 1963, three days after pardoning Tom, John F. Kennedy was riding in a convertible in Dallas…

Sources:    

1.      The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), November 20, 1963, p.12.

2.     The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York) , November 18, 1989, p.4.

3.     Betty C. Monkman, “Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey,” The White House Historical Association, accessed November 23, 2024, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/pardoning-the-thanksgiving-turkey.

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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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