Gerald Glen Fogger
November 5, 1937 – February 19, 2025
Service: Funeral services for Mr. Fogger was held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 22, 2025, in the First Assembly of God Church in Winnfield (5693 U.S. Highway 167). Interment will follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Winnfield under the direction of Southern Funeral Home.

Larry Daniel Wise
September 9, 1963 – February 20, 2025
Service: A memorial service for Mr. Wise took place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 2777 LA-1232, Winnfield, LA 71483.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 11, Winn Parish deputies conducted a traffic stop on LA 501 after observing a vehicle towing a trailer with no taillights. The driver, identified as William Cloud of Calvin, was found to be operating the vehicle with a suspended driver’s license and was arrested.

The passenger, Bobby E. Martin, also of Calvin, was found to have an expired driver’s license. During an inventory search of the vehicle, deputies discovered a firearm, two plastic baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, and glass pipes commonly used for smoking narcotics.

Both William Cloud and Bobby E. Martin were charged with the following:

• Possession of Schedule II Narcotics (methamphetamine)
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (glass pipes)

Additionally, William Cloud faces an additional charge of Possession of a Firearm in the Presence of CDS.

Both suspects were booked into the Winn Parish Detention Center on the aforementioned charges. The evidence will be sent to the crime lab for processing.

Sheriff McAllister expressed his appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the deputies involved in this case. He also reminds the public that all individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty.

For further inquiries, please contact the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Rotarian of the Day Delane Adams invited and introduced Christina, Lance and Solomon Walsworth of Bienville Parish and Jeanine Ford who regaled Winnfield Rotarians at their meeting on February 12 with tales of their adventures working with Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization which has helped meet the needs of victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is probably most well-known for its Operation Christmas Child.

Jeanine Ford is Samaritan’s Purse’s regional director for Operation Christmas Child, which collects shoeboxes filled with goodies to give to children around the world at Christmas. She described the resources she observed during her visit to SP’s Texas headquarters: eight 18-wheelers with another on order, a mobile commercial kitchen, shower trailer and bunk trailer for SP staff, along with stockpiles of essentials like water, Bibles, t-shirts and the like.

The Walsworth family had just arrived back at home in Louisiana from North Carolina two days before Hurricane Helene hit eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. They wanted to go back to help those affected by the storm, so Christina’s friend with experience in disaster relief work suggested they sign up to work with Samaritan’s Purse.

Upon their return to the area, they stayed in a campground in their tents and commuted to Samaritan’s Purse staging area at Alliance Baptist Church in Boone, NC, to get their assignments each day. All the sites they worked were in the community of Trade, TN. This is one of the easternmost communities in Tennessee located northeast of Asheville, NC. The work sites were scenes of rocks relocated by the high winds of the storm and mud created by the torrential rains. 

Much of the work involved wielding a shovel and moving mud and rocks away from shops and residences so people could get into the buildings and clean up the mud and mess inside. The Walsworth family worked afternoon shifts on a crew which worked at five different locations where they moved rocks, mud, fallen trees, and damaged merchandise and furnishings. Samaritan’s Purse provided all equipment and supplies needed for the work. 

At the end of the day, the volunteers were able to meet with the people receiving their help and share the Gospel with them. At each job, all the volunteers signed a Bible which was presented to the shop or homeowner at the end of the day. A record number of volunteers came to the area to help those in need. They overflowed from the church where they gathered each day for their assignments.

Besides the U. S. Disaster Relief program and Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse also has an International Crisis Response program, World Medical Mission, Children’s Heart Program, Operation Heal Our Patriots and many others as they seek opportunity to share the Gospel with the world wherever they can. Alumni of Heal Our Patriots are enabled to assist with disaster relief efforts with specialized trucks, and track chairs a paralyzed veteran can use to work on disaster sites.

Samaritan’s Purse is still rebuilding in North Carolina and Tennessee as well as Maui, and working on water systems to help with wild fires in California. 

A Winnfield Council-approved system will allow inmates housed in the city jail to make phone calls with more privacy than the visitation room.  Funding that installation is Correct Solutions Telephone.  

A benefit to law enforcement is that the department will have access to the recorded conversations,  City Attorney Clay Carroll explained at the Council’s February 11 meeting.  “At the end of the day, a phone is needed.”

The jail which should be fully reopened by this summer currently has no dedicated phone system for inmates.  Asst. Chief Charles Curry explained that Correct Solutions is the same company that the city used when the jail was previously operational.  The installed system will provide privacy for the calls while leaving the visitation room open for use.

In other action, the council adopted Ordinance 1, previously introduced to transfer the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame on Main Street to the State of Louisiana.  The action was taken to allow a $1.2 million state grant to move forward to combine the old depot and the former Youth Shop/Girlfriend building into a single complex with a new entrance and façade.

The council also declared as surplus a red bucket truck from the Electric Department that council member Chiquita Caldwell said needs work and has a broken bucket.

And for the Fire Department, Robert Jones was approved for his move from volunteer to part-time firefighter.

The hope of planners this Saturday is that everyone “Bundle Up” and come downtown for the annual Mardi Gras Parade that is slated to roll down Main Street beginning at 10 a.m. this Saturday, February 22.  The weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with light rain only later in the evening and should not affect the activities.  Temperatures will be chilly.

There will be two big changes from the Mardi Gras parades folks have seen in Winnfield since 1992, says organizer Shannon Thompson.  First, there won’t traditional floats.  Instead, participants will drive golf carts, side-by-sides and 4-wheelers.  “This will give a new look to the Main Street parade.”  

The second change will be an addition at the conclusion of the parade where Mardi Gras Festival will begin at the Farmers Market.  It will feature vendors, food, crafts and free children’s activities.  Planned for the kids will be face-painting, cupcake walk, a station for creating their own Mardi Gras masks and maybe more.

The festival will also include adult activities.  Lined up so far will be a Split-the-Pot Bingo, a silent auction and a Split-the-Pot raffle…maybe more, said Thompson.  There will be two or three different food trucks on the site.

For information on how you can be part of the festivities, contact Shannon Thompson at 318-623-0477.  

“As best we can, we strive to keep our children in school while allowing parents to remain at work.”  That’s the explanation given by nurse practitioner Candace Hubbard at Winn Community Health Center’s School-Based Center of their services.

Located in the building that city residents remember as the former Adult Education building (403 W South Street) by the Intermediate School, the school-based health center has a team of five:  nurse practitioner Candace Hubbard, nurse Kristan Guilliams, coordinator Claudia Franks, bus driver Lynn Hopper and weekly, counselor Matthew Whitaker.

Serving children at all schools whose parents have signed them up at the start of school, the center handles wellness visits and sick visits.  There are also dental service for routine cleaning and cavity fillings (though parents need to be in attendance for that).  Behavioral health is available once a week.  “There are a lot of pressures and stress at school, at home, through social media,” explains Hubbard.  “We’ve seen a lot of kids though here who need help.”

The center also offers vision and hearing screenings.  With parental approval, immunizations are given.  For the sick visits, the center deals with “all kinds of things, from the common cold to flu and strep.”  For most, with approved medication the child can remain in school without the parent needing to miss work.  Fever, she says, is another matter and the child must go home.

The center can also handle calling in a prescription for the parent to pick up, easing the hassle.  Sickness symptoms can generally be eased through over-the-counter medicines when parents gave their OK at signup.

As to signup, Hubbard stressed that there is not problem to get signed up should new families to the school system or those who have decided they now want to be part of the WCHC school-based program wish to do so.  This can be done in person at the Center’s office or online at www.winnchc.org/our-locations/winn-sbhc.

It’s important to know, she added, that while students are receiving medical help independent of their parents, there is a lot of communication between the center and parents.  “A child leaves with a complete visit summary so they will know exactly what we did.  It’s also a big benefit that we have direct communication with the children for the time they are with us.  They can better understand, take control for their own health care.  It’s good to start early.”

One more aspect of the school-based center involves sports physicals.  All Winn schools are involved, with the event generally coordinated by CEO Deano Thornton and athletic directors at the schools.  Usually held at WSHS, the athletes arrive at staggered hours by school, going to stations to see three different providers.

Note that school employees also have access to the program for acute care and flu shots.  Cooperation with school nurses is good, she tells the Journal.  “If they believe the student needs to see the clinic, they call us.  We have a bus that picks them up, brings them here and back.  We then contact the school nurse to report what we found.”

Finally, the nurse practitioner echoes the theme of the CEO:  “We accept no money.  We bill the insurance company but if they don’t pay, we don’t charge the family.  In that case, we just don’t get anything.”

A total of 19 students recently completed the first evening Practical Nursing cohort offered at Central Louisiana Technical Community College’s (CLTCC) Huey P. Long Campus in Winnfield.

“Since I began working at this campus, I have wanted to offer an evening course for the Practical Nursing program,” said Campus Dean and CLTCC Director of Adult Education Jeff Johnson. “Providing an evening option provides opportunities for students who cannot attend day classes, due to jobs or other obligations.” 

The inaugural evening class began in January of 2023 and completed with a pinning ceremony in December of 2024. That’s slightly longer than the 18 months for the traditional daytime course. “With the night class, students are coming to class from 5-9 p.m. three times a week versus fulltime Monday-Friday classes,” Johnson explained. He noted Huey P. Long is the third CLTCC campus to offer an evening option for PN students, joining Alexandria and Ferriday. 

“Our Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, Mignonne Ater, was instrumental in getting this program started, as was lead instructor Melissa White. We just started our second evening class,” Johnson said. “We had great enrollment for the first class and the second, and we plan to continue offering the evening option.” 

Graduates of the initial class include: Maegan Bell, Antonyia Bradford, Tamara Bradley, Alexia Breaux, Kaitlin Bryant, JaCari Burks, Molly Connor, Melissa H. Dorsey, Renika Gibson, Cassandra Holmes, Jakeela Humphery, Raven Martin, Megan Parker, Bria Pikes, Kaiesha Russell, Grace Smith, Rebecca Walker, and Dinaya Wiley. 

Applications for the upcoming semester are now open. For information about enrollment visit http://www.CLTCC.edu/apply. For more information, contact the school via email at info@cltcc.edu or call 800-278-9855.

Winn resident Cas “Bub” Moss was recently honored by the Louisiana State Bar Association as among a group reaching “half a century and beyond in their professional careers.”  Moss marked 70 years as a member of the LSBA.

The LSBA and its Senior Lawyers Division co-hosted a reception for honorees reaching the 50-, 60- and 70-year memberships on January 17 during the LSBA midyear meeting.  Eight of those, including Moss, have been members since 1955.

Moss commented that he did not feel up o the trip to Baton Rouge to make the reception at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel but did receive his ribbon and medal in the mail.  He added that four of the eight 70-year recipients were from his class at LSU.

Photos Courtesy Tiger Snaps

In an exciting buzzer-beater finish February 11, WSHS Tigers defeated the Red River Bulldogs by a score of 50-49.

In the back and forth duel, the Tigers took the first period lead 19-14 only to have the Bulldogs come back to take a 2-point 27-25 lead into the locker room.  The Tigers grabbed a 6-point edge in the third period but it looked like the Bulldogs were in control through the final period, outscoring Winnfield 16-9 as time was running out.

As the final seconds were ticking off, Jaylon Jackson made a shot from 3-point range but missed it.  However Ja’Ven grabbed the rebound and scored as time expired.

Although it was Ja’Ven who hit the game-winning bucket, it was Craig St. Cyr who led the Tiger offense with 15 points (including a 3-pointer), while Ja’Ven added 14 (including a 3), Jaylon had 10 (with a pair of 3s), Kendrick Davenport had 9, Damascus Lewis had 4, Germany King had 4 and Jordan Washington had 3.

Coach Allen Tew had some more exciting news when he told the Journal that the Louisiana High School Coaches Association (LHSCA) and the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association (LHSBCA) have announced the rosters for the 2025 Basketball All-Star Games.  Included in the Boys East Team roster is Winnfield’s Jaylon Jackson.

The boys game will be played at 1 p.m. this Saturday, March 22, at Legacy Center in Lake Charles with the girls game to follow at 3 p.m.

WSHS Tigerettes Basketball Action

The Rotary Club of Winnfield supports Rotary’s international efforts towards peace, disease prevention, safe drinking water, mother & child care, basic education and community development.

Working locally for education, the club annually presents scholarships to graduating seniors and hands out dictionaries to fourth grade students across the parish,

Over the past two weeks, members of Rotary went to Calvin High School, Dodson High School, Winnfield Primary School and Magnolia Bend Academy of Atlanta where the youngsters enjoyed receiving their personal dictionaries.

Willie Doherty of Joyce recently received from Rusty Reeves, deputy director of Louisiana Rural Water Association, the prestigious 2024 H.M. “Skeeter” Vickers Award for “Outstanding Dedication to the Water Industry.”

Doherty, a representative of the Pleasant Hill-Crossroads Water System Inc. of East Central Winn Parish, has a long record of service to the LRWA and the water industry.  Having served as a Police Juror and on the Sparta Groundwater Commission, he is aware of the need of good, clean potable water.

Reeves, one of the founders of LRWA, had dedicated a large part of his life to the water industry through that organization.

The award was presented at LRWA’s annual Training Conference in Lake Charles in July 2024.  Doherty was unable to attend and Reeves traveled here to make the presentation.  The awards program was established to recognize rural water and wastewater systems and their personnel.  Of the systems statewide, Doherty of the Pleasant Hill-Crossroads system was selected as the year’s winner for dedication to providing safe drinking water.

The organization is a non-profit established in 1978 to aid small water and wastewater systems through training an on-site assistant.  Through those years, LRWA has assisted small towns and rural areas in all 64 parishes, providing the training and help to promote public health and environmental protection.

Pat Thurmon came to the Kiwanis Club to speak about her friend Rae McManus and the cookbook they wrote to help defray medical costs that are going to happen because of a kidney transplant. Rae was not able to come to the meeting because she had been in Dallas for a week undergoing testing and was just not up to it. 

The cookbook is called “Thyme with Friends” and the recipes came from Rae McManus, Pat Thurmon and Sharon Brewton, three totally different cooks. Sharon’s daughters picked out some of her favorite recipes to include in the book. There are tributes in the cookbook and Gail Shelton designed the cover. The cookbook came about when Pat and Rae went to lunch and Rae was talking about the money she would need to help pay for things insurance did not cover and how she was going to get that money. She did not want to do a go fund me page and Pat suggested that they do a cookbook. When you are doing what God wants you to do things just fall into place and that is how the cookbook came about.

This is some of Rae’s story. She brings her own sunshine wherever she goes. She is in a wheelchair and you may not realize it but she only has one leg. When she was 14 she was diagnosed with bone cancer and spent two years being treated with chemotherapy at MD Anderson. After 13 years because the treatment destroyed the tissue in her leg she had to have her leg removed. Now she also has kidney damage and needs a transplant. 

The wonderful news is that her husband Bill, a riverboat captain, is a match and is going to be her donor. In a kidney transplant, a live donor is always best. The money is needed to pay for a 6 to 8 week stay after the transplant and because her husband is the donor he will be off work for about 6 weeks. There are also expenses that insurance doesn’t cover, travel expensed and medication that may not be covered by insurance. 

They set a goal for $15,000 and have reached over $13,000. The Kiwanis Club members were very generous in buying cookbooks and making donations.

“Terrific Kids” at Winnfield Primary School for the month of December received their
certificates of honor from members of the Kiwanis Club of Winnfield.