Having a criminal record can make it difficult to get a good job.
In order to address this issue the United Way of Central Louisiana will host a Second Chance Job Fair at the Alexandria Mall from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on April 21, 2023.
For more information, please contact Carmen Coutee at Carmen.Coutee@la.gov.
Tyler Pyles, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, has opened Winnfield Physical Therapy in Winnfield on Highway 167. They started out 3 days a week and are now open 5 days a week as of April 4th. Tyler’s connections to Winnfield include his father Coach Andy Pyles and his mother Angela Audirsch. His goal was to bring a new business to the community which is also a service to the community. He believed that a PT clinic would thrive in Winnfield. It would be beneficial to the community so people would not have to travel to get physical therapy. The general public’s knowledge of physical therapy is not adequate. Physical therapy began as a bachelor’s degree, then became a master’s decree and is now a doctorate degree. Pyles attended PT school in St. Augustine, Florida. After graduation he worked a the University of Georgia, then took a travel job in Virginia close to Washington, D.C., and then returned to Shreveport and worked in Stonewall. He has a business partner who owns the clinic in Stonewall, one in Benton and now Winnfield. Patients now have access to physical therapy without a doctor’s order. The first exam is a full body check and they do look for red flags that would indicate that the patient needs to see a doctor. Physical therapists are trained in anatomy and biomechanics which gives them more knowledge than a physician would have. At Winnfield Physical Therapy they also help you sleep better, eat better and help with ways to relieve stress. They accept insurance, Medicare and some Medicaid plans. They also accept cash. They do not treat children under 7.
Pyles said he is happy to be here and offer a service to the community
Date: 4-6-23
Name: Trabarion D Powell
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Charge: First Degree murder, Simple battery
Date: 4-7-23
Name: Takara Duncan
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Age: 36
Charge: Possession of schedule 1 and 2, Expired plates
Date: 4-8-23
Name: Domonique Deshawn Walker
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Charge: Direct contempt of court, Possession with intent
Date: 4-8-23
Name: Deauntrez D Brown
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 32
Charge: Prohibited Acts, Prohibited Acts with a scheduled 2
Date: 4-9-23
Name: Howandre F McCardie
Address: Jonesboro, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Charge: Carless operation of vehicle without accident, Open container
Date: 4-10-23
Name: Tristan James Hill
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Charge: Criminal trespassing
Date: 4-10-23
Name: Desiree S James
Address: Jonesboro, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 28
Charge: Failure to appear
Date: 4-12-23
Name: Evelynn M Coleman
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 64
Charge: Direct contempt of court (x2)
Date: 4-12-23
Name: Allison Carpenter
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 36
Charge: Court order
Date: 4-13-23
Name: Gregory T Rayner
Address: Chatham, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 26
Charge: Theft (<over 5,000)
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.
Melrose, LA – The 49th Annual Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival is set to take place on April 15 and 16, 2023, at Melrose on The Cane. This highly anticipated event will feature vendors selling their hand-crafted goods, food vendors, and music.
The Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival has been a staple of the community for nearly half a century, and continues to draw thousands of visitors from across the region. This year’s festival has an impressive lineup of talented artists, craftsmen, and food vendors.
“We’re thrilled to once again host the Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival, and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors from near and far,” said Executive Director, Leah Dunn Witman. “This year’s festival promises to be a truly unforgettable experience, with something for everyone to enjoy.”
In addition to the numerous vendors selling handmade jewelry, pottery, woodworking, and other crafts, visitors can also enjoy delicious food from a variety of local vendors.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival and the role it plays in bringing our community together,” said Leah Dunn Witman. “It’s a true celebration of the arts, and a great opportunity to support local artists and businesses.”
The festival will take place rain or shine. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children 6-12. To purchase tickets please visit the Melrose webpage at: www.melroseonthecane.com/festivals.
You can also purchase tickets on Eventbrite by searching Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival.
The 49th Annual Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival is sponsored by: Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Bank of Montgomery.
When he signed up for the Navy during World War II, John Glen Jackson didn’t figure he’d be assigned to shore duty. But that’s what he got.
Jackson was 17 and the Pacific campaign was looking dire as Allied forces were making their way to invade the Japanese islands themselves. Casualties were predicted to be even higher than they’d been during the fierce fighting on the string of Pacific islands leading up to Japan.
“We sailed out of Oakland, California, into the Pacific for a destination we weren’t sure of,” said the veteran. “But on our way, we got the news that the Japanese had surrendered. I liked to tell my family that they heard I was coming so they just quit.”
But it had taken Jackson nearly 18 years of his life before that ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. He was born in Winnfield in August 1926, the only son of Shirley and Marion Jackson. His father had been an All-American halfback with the Winnfield High School football team and went on to become the first licensed druggist in Winnfield, with his degree from Tulane. His mother had been a teacher, and after all three of their children had begun their schooling (his two sisters are Sara Shell and Marilyn Shaw), she returned to the career she loved.
While Jackson seemed to inherit the interest in football from his dad, his mom’s love for learning didn’t seem to rub off. He got by, “but my grades weren’t all that good. I guess I wasn’t mature enough to understand the importance of study.”
His build and abilities on the gridiron were another story. “I played football from the eighth grade on up. I graduated in 1944.” In the process, he’d gotten the attention of a number of collegiate coaches.
He has another recollection from those school days. At the time, the bus line made all its stops and departures in front of Phoenix Drugstore. “Me and my two sisters watched as all the men leaving for war got on those buses. We’d also watched the Maneuvers held here before the war.”
After graduation, though, he went to work for A.T. Drewitt at Mobile Oil & Gas. “I went to church one Sunday in late May 1944. When I came home, my suitcase was packed and on the front porch. If you were in college, you could be exempt from the draft, and my mother had made some calls. Red Swanson, a line coach from LSU, picked me up to go down to Baton Rouge. I didn’t want to go but I went.” Jackson enrolled at the Ole War Skule a couple of days later.
“One day in the dorm, another player, Andy Lay from Houma, said we were going over to Texas to pick up a new quarterback recruit, Y.A. Tittle. I got to meet a lot of good people while I was at LSU. I stayed there one semester but my grades weren’t good enough to keep me out of the draft. I was still 17 so Daddy signed me over to enlist in the Navy. I didn’t want to take my chances with the Army.”
Jackson was shipped to San Diego for training…and “to play a little football.” Then he boarded the ship that would take him to the Pacific for the remainder of his service.
The men were initially unsure of their destination, but when word came down about the dropping of the atomic bombs and the end of the war, they found they were heading to Japan. “We landed at Sasebo at the southern end of Japan. It was their second largest naval base. I’d joined the Navy so I never figured I’d be assigned for shore duty but I was. We built all the accommodations for our occupying forces: barracks, kitchens, dining halls, latrines. There were some huge warehouses there and we used them.”
On Christmas week in 1945, Jackson had the opportunity to travel to Nagasaki, the site where the second atomic bomb was dropped. “It was about 2 hours from our base. They didn’t know anything about radiation at that time. We looked at the crater from a distance. There was nothing but debris. The only thing that remained standing was the remnants of a church. The roof was gone but statues of disciples that surrounded the church still stood.”
Occupying forces remained in Japan following the war’s end. In the spring of 1946, Jackson accumulated enough quality points to return home. “The problem then was finding a way back,” said the veteran. “I wasn’t in a hurry. When my commander found out that my admission to Annapolis had come through, he got me back to Virginia quick.”
However, Jackson had seen all of the Navy he cared for and couldn’t imagine an extended commitment, even when officials dangled a college football scholarship in front of him. So he resigned his commission after he had returned stateside and made his way back to north Louisiana.
The veteran had dated a young Betty Jo Purser some back in high school. They met again. She was then attending Louisiana Tech. In the fall of 1947 when Jackson decided to play football at NSU, Miss Purser followed him. He studied some and played football a lot. (He was named an All-Conference fullback that first year.) “I enjoyed Northwestern and made a lot of good friends there.” Betty Jo graduated in 1948, while Jackson graduated the following year.
The couple was married in July 1946 and began not only a family but also a successful string of businesses. In 1947 they bought the local Conoco service station where he’d worked before the war. Later, they acquired the Conoco bulk distributorship, Jackson Oil & Gas. Then in 1952, they opened Jackson Motor Co., the Dodge-Plymouth dealership which ran here for 27 years.
“I couldn’t have done it all without Betty Jo. She was a very good businesswoman. In fact, we had three daughters who are also very good businesswomen. They are Jo Laine Long, Lynn Spangler, and Jeanne Brewton.” They also had 6 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
Betty Jo died in 1990 following a lengthy illness. In 1993, Jackson would marry a friend and former neighbor, Helen Williams, whom he also called “an excellent businesswoman.” They were together until her death in 2006.
Jackson retired in 2005. Looking back at the people and events in the 85 years of his life, the veteran concluded, “I’ve been very fortunate.”
One of the best sports movies of all time must be Remember the Titans. It’s a true story about a high school in Alexandria, Virginia that describes how the school and community handled the integration of the early 1970s. Denzel Washington plays the role of Coach Boone who takes over the football program and must navigate the unknown of getting black and white athletes to come together and play as a team.
In this movie, there’s a black character by the name of Petey who is very outspoken and pretty much full of himself. During the first team meeting, Coach Boone walks into the gym and starts to call row when he gets to Petey. Now once again Petey with his fist raised high in the air, is not lacking confidence in his ability to play running back as Coach Boone approaches and says “Put your hand down!” Coach Boone berates him for smiling and asks the young man why he loves football. Petey cautiously responds in the form of a question, “Because it’s fun?” Coach Boone questions Petey that it’s fun? Petey sensing that Coach Boone was not humored by his enthusiasm responds, “Zero fun sir.”
This is what bass fishing is slowly becoming for a lot of anglers today….zero fun! First, our lakes and waterways are so overcrowded it’s ridiculous. So many people are on the water not just on weekends, but all week long. Boat ramps Monday thru Friday look like there’s a tournament every day. It makes you wonder if anybody is working anymore. Covid just exasperated the problem as boat sales soared nationwide and people sought refuge on the lakes and waterways of the great outdoors.
Overcrowding is the biggest problem, especially with the growth of both high school and college bass fishing. A good example was one of my latest trips to Sam Rayburn Reservoir as there was a 500-boat high school event, a 100-boat ABA Solo 150 tournament, and several local club events all taking place on the same weekend. While I’m all for high school bass fishing, 500 boats in one tournament should be regulated or better yet have restrictions on how many boats can enter an event. Several tours over the years have put limits on the number of entries and it’s time for high school fishing to do the same.
With so many boats on the water these days, it’s created some tense moments between anglers fighting over territory. Truth be known, there are only so many areas on any given body of water that hold fish. In the good old days (only 10 years ago) it was common to have an area to yourself. But those days are long gone! Here’s what happens today; if you catch a fish on a spot and someone (especially high school anglers) sees you, here they come casting within feet of where you are catching bass with no regard for the angler who is already fishing the spot. This is when an angler’s patience can truly be tested.
Over the last few years, I’ve made an attempt to channel my emotions and calmly educate the younger anglers on fishing etiquette and how to respect another angler’s space. Most take the criticism well and will usually say thank you for telling them what they are doing wrong. Some ignore you and could care less as they troll right past you while making another cast on the same exact spot you just caught a fish. That’s when my blood pressure exceeds its limit and I treat them like the spoiled kids they are! It’s one thing to plead ignorance but it’s another when you ignore someone who is trying to educate you on the unwritten rules of the water.
Fishing is and should be fun! But with all the boating and overcrowding issues facing anglers today, it’s going to be a challenge and a test of patience more often just to go fishing. Till next time, good luck, good fishing and try to respect all anglers and their space next time you’re on the water.
Steve Graf
Angler’s Perspective
Rosa M. Hamilton
February 9, 1944 – April 13, 2023
Arrangements TBA
Dessarine “Dess” Phillips Smith
February 25, 1929 — March 31, 2023
Service: Saturday, April 15 at 11 am at New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1950 Harrisonburg Rd. in Atlanta
Delores Anastasia LaCour
March 7, 1942 — April 7, 2023
Service: Friday, April 14 at 10 am, at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Natchitoches
Birtha Hart
April 7, 2023
Arrangements TBA
Everlean Gibson
April 11, 2023
Arrangements TBA
Eula Mae LeBlanc
February 12, 1934 — April 7, 2023
Arrangements TBA
David Andre Riojas
January 8, 1966 — March 24, 2023
Service: Saturday, April 15 at 11 am at Emmanuel Cemetery in Chopin
This past Saturday, April 8th, Winn residents had the opportunity to gather together on the egg-speckled lawns of the United Methodist Church for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt! Kicking off the event at 11 am with the egg hunt, participants also had the cake walk, bounce houses, face painting, and the day’s special guest, the Easter Bunny himself to hop into and enjoy in celebration of the holiday weekend! Don’t forget to click through the pictures provided, maybe you’ll see a familiar face or two!
Special thanks to all volunteers and sponsors!
1st Assembly
The Family Church
South Winnfield Baptist Church
1st Baptist of Winnfield Church
Winnfield’s Police Jury
Teen Challenge
Mt. Grace
First UMC
Mt. Zion Missionary
Goldonna Baptist Church
Winnfield’s Rotary Club
Winnfeild’s Kiwanis Club
Winnfield’s Lions Club
Winnfield’s Pilot Club
Caring and Sharing
Brookshires grocery
Winnfield’s Political Museum
Josh McAllister for Sheriff
Winnfield Police Department
Winnfield Chamber of Commerce
Early Voting will be held in the Registrar of Voters office in the Winn Parish Courthouse Saturday, April 15 through Saturday, April 22 (closed Sunday, April 16) from 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM. Enter through the Main Street entrance. The election will be Saturday, April 29. Download the GeauxVote app which allows you to view your sample ballot and monitor results on Election night.
On the ballot are:
Parishwide Proposition
(Millage)
Shall the Parish of Winn, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), through the Winn Parish School Board, the governing authority thereof for school purposes, levy a special tax of nine and twenty-five hundredths (9.25) mills on all property subject to taxation in the Parish (an estimated $768,500 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2025 and ending with the year 2034, for the purpose of providing funds for maintenance and operation of the public schools of the Parish?
Consolidated School District No. 11 Proposition
(Millage Continuation)
Shall Consolidated School District No. 11 of the Parish of Winn, State of Louisiana (the “District”), continue to levy a special tax of three and forty-four hundredths (3.44) mills on all property subject to taxation in the District (an estimated $78,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2025 and ending with the year 2034, for the purpose of acquiring, improving, maintaining, operating and supporting public schools and school facilities, equipment and programs in and for the District, said millage to represent a forty-four hundredths of a mill (.44) increase (due to reappraisal) over the 3 mills tax authorized to be levied through the year 2024 pursuant to an election held on November 16, 2013?
Date: 4-7-23
Name: Domonique D Walker
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: N/A
Charge: Production/manufacturing, Distributing and Posession with intent to sell. Direct contempt of court.
Date: 4-7-23
Name: Aaron Hanson
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 23
Charge: Direct contempt of court
Date: 4-8-23
Name: Deauntrez Brown
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 32
Charge: Prohibited acts (schedule 2) (x2)
Date: 4-10-23
Name: Jacqualine Mccard
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Age: 31
Charge: Theft (affidavit warrant)
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.
The Kiwanis club is very grateful for all the people who contributed to our Boston Butt Scholarship lunch held Monday, April 3rd. Jimmy Dale Zimmerman and Autumn Leaves Nursing Home provided the potato salad, Sheriff Cranford Jordan and Don Reading at the Winn Detention Center provided the green beans, Mac’s Fresh Market provided the bread and Kiwanis President Kim Futrell provided the cakes. Those seasoning the meat and doing the cooking were Jim Nicols, Dr. Bill Gaddis, Lamar Tarver, Joe Evans, Dylan Womack, Ronnie Dubois, and Troy Rogers. Many Kiwanis members and friends were available to put the plates together and deliver those that were delivered. Thanks to our wonderful community for supporting our fundraiser that provides scholarships for 2 seniors in the parish and also a scholarship to the Technical College.
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers improving the world one child and one community at a time.
Date: 3-31-23
Name: Quinton C Harrington
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 36
Charge: Simple Burglary, Theft (>$500)
Date: 4-1-23
Name: Christy Larae Jordan
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 45
Charge: Failure to appear, Theft, Simple burglary
Date: 4-1-23
Name: Arminda J Desadier
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 43
Charge: Simple burglary, Theft (>$500)
Date: 4-2-23
Name: Robbie Fountain Jr
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 30
Charge: Posession of a firearm or carrying concealed, Flight from an officer
Date: 4-4-23
Name: Mario Armbrister
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Charge: Failure to appear (x6)
Date: 4-4-23
Name: Jay Loyd Hennigon
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 50
Charge: Failure to appear
Date: 4-4-23
Name: Jamal Trenton Fobbs
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 30
Charge: Theft (felony), Simple battery
Date: 4-5-23
Name: Courteny E Cole
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 42
Charge: Criminal trespassing, Posession of a scheduled 2, Posession of a schedule 4, Prohibited acts (paraphernalia)
Date: 4-5-23
Name: Daniel Wayne Bearden
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 47
Charge: Criminal trespassing, Posession of a scheduled 2, Posession of a schedule 4, Prohibited acts (paraphernalia)
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.
Thus far, 21, and soon to be, 22 states, including Louisiana, have adopted some form of school choice in education.
What is behind this rapid “pro-choice” trend in education?
The China Virus pandemic—and its galactically incompetent handling by the federal government—has caused great personal, social and economic harm for millions of Americans. However, it also exposed some things that millions of American parents were not aware of regarding what, and how, their children were being “educated.”
Through the online education of their children during the pandemic, parents discovered both that many public schools have not truly educated children in decades and that today many public schools serve more as a breeding ground for indoctrination in cultural Marxism than as institutions designed to impart even the most basic knowledge of language, math, science, or history.
The indoctrination includes Critical Race Theory (CRT) which argues that America is historically and hopelessly racist and ignores the enormous legal and social advances America has made to address the sin of slavery and racism.
Educational indoctrination also includes transgender confusion policies, Drag Queen Story Hour at the local library, and curriculum and library materials containing graphic sexual content forced upon their young children in taxpayer-funded public schools.
However, when parents responded—including vocally at school board meetings, please recall the letter to Pres. Biden from the National School Boards Association referring to these concerned parents—who were already understandably frustrated with lockdowns, school closures, mandates and inappropriate educational materials and library content—as “domestic terrorists.”
Recall in the 2021 Virginia governor’s race, Democrat nominee for governor, Terry McAuliffe, slipped up and said out loud what the Left truly believes about public education and school children. “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Think about that stunning comment. However, those are the views of the Left which firmly believes that the supreme authority in children’s lives is the state, not their parents and not God.
It’s become so insane that LA. State Rep. Raymond Crews has introduced a couple of bills, including one bill that would prevent teachers and other school employees from being forced to refer to a student by the student’s “pronoun” rather than the time-honored method of simply referring to a student by the name and/or pronoun on their birth certificate.
The cultural cesspool we live in today has contributed to gender confusion that may burden a small percentage of young people, and tragically even lead some to suicide. But the answer to that is parental engagement before medical interventions, social kindness and mental health counseling, not upending natural law and the universal understanding of gender as signifying male and female.
So, parents are now much more interested in their ability to place their children into the schools they feel are of the best quality and best for their children.
What does “school choice” really mean?
Simply, when a state adopts a school choice law it is simply deciding that its state education dollars will follow the student to his or her choice of public, private, religious or charter school, rather than going directly to the public school in his or her zip code.
This represents a tectonic shift in American public education.
The late Milton Friedman, the Nobel prize winning economist, first advanced the principle that parents, not government and not school boards, should decide where the public education funds used to educate their children will go.
Please know I don’t intend here to bash or criticize the large majority of teachers in Louisiana and across the country who are deeply committed to their jobs and try very hard to educate their students. My focus here is on the school boards and school administrators who demand that these teachers—rather than concentrate on imparting the basic knowledge that will be necessary for their students to function in our society—instead “teach” highly inappropriate topics including sexual perversion, gender identity and racial politics.
In a nutshell, the goal of school choice is education, not indoctrination.
This national trend of school choice by parents is really a reflection of nothing more than parents re-asserting their eternal primacy over the education, health and moral development of their children.
As President Reagan said, “Our leaders must remember that education doesn’t begin with some isolated bureaucrat in Washington. It doesn’t even begin with state or local officials. Education begins in the home, where it is a parental right and responsibility.”
Pictured above: Royal Alexander is an attorney, writer, and former politician in his native Shreveport, Louisiana. In 2007, he was the Republican candidate for Louisiana Attorney General. In addition to his law practice, Alexander is an opinion writer, a guest lecturer at public events and education forums, and a frequent guest on various TV and radio outlets.
The views and opinions expressed in the My Opinion article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Winn Parish Journal. Any content provided by the authors is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.
