This Sunday, March 19th, Winn residents are invited to come together to showcase our pride and support of our local basketball teams, the Tigers and Tigerettes, with a little community spirit and a big parade!
Said parade will kick off at 2 pm with a downtown tailgate featuring food and music to follow immediately after. Residents will also be able to meet and greet with both teams within the Allen Building! Pictures and autographs from these all-stars are encouraged!
Jermesia (Niquee) Anderson (organizer) is soliciting participants and volunteers! All businesses, churches, civic groups, and private citizens with ATVs/UTVs/motorcycles are welcome! Registration for participating floats ends Friday, the 17th, at 3 pm.
Don’t hesitate to contact Jermesia Anderson at 318-209-0950 for float registration or comments and concerns!
A walk-off error led Calvin Varsity Cougars past Delta Charter Varsity Storm 9-8 on Saturday. The game was tied at eight with Calvin Varsity Cougars batting in the bottom of the eighth when an error scored one run for Calvin Varsity Cougars.
The base paths were crowded in this highscoring game. Calvin Varsity Cougars collected six hits and Delta Charter Varsity Storm had seven.
Delta Charter Varsity Storm captured the lead in the second inning when Ethan Keith doubled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Calvin Varsity Cougars tied things up at eight when Kaden Browning singled on a 1-1 count, scoring one run.
Calvin Varsity Cougars put up four runs in the sixth inning. Calvin Varsity Cougars offense in the inning was led by Aden Coleman, Gunnar Yocum, Mason Carter, and Browning, all knocking in runs in the inning.
Delta Charter Varsity Storm scored four runs in the second inning. Kyle Whatley, Lawson Reyes, and Keith powered the big inning with RBIs.
Alex Camp took the win for Calvin Varsity Cougars. The lefthander allowed two hits and two runs over four innings, striking out two and walking one.
Riley Butts took the loss for Delta Charter Varsity Storm. The hurler allowed two hits and one run over two innings, walking zero.
Browning started the game for Calvin Varsity Cougars. The righty surrendered six runs on five hits over four innings, striking out seven Tyrin Singleton started the game for Delta Charter Varsity Storm.
Carter, Layton Higgs, Camp, Coleman, John Bradley Griffin, and Browning all had one hit to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars.
Whatley led Delta Charter Varsity Storm with two hits in five at bats.
Winn Parish – On March 11, 2023, Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a one-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 34 west of Louisiana Highway 471. The crash claimed the life of 37-year-old Thomas Evans.
The initial investigation revealed that a 2012 Chevrolet Impala, driven by Evans, was traveling west on Louisiana Highway 34. For reasons still under investigation, Evans’ vehicle left the roadway, struck multiple objects before overturning onto its roof.
Evans, who was not restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Routine toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
While not all crashes are survivable, proper use of seat belts can greatly decrease an occupant’s chance of death and may greatly reduce the extent of injury. Always ensuring every occupant is properly restrained can often mean the difference between life and death.
In 2023, Troop E has investigated 12 fatal crashes, resulting in 13 deaths.
Karen Shirley’s job is 4H Youth Development and she is very passionate about her job. Her enthusiasm showed through as she spoke to the Kiwanis club Tuesday, March 14th. We have 700 students enrolled in 4H in Winn Parish. When they have their meetings Mrs. Shirley greets every student with a hug. There are many opportunities available to 4Hers in Winn Parish. There is the Junior Leadership Conference which is for grades 8 – 12 and is held at Camp Grant Walker. 4H University is held at LSU every year. 4H is all about service and service activities are part of 4H. They want the students to learn service at a young age and continue service into their adult years. The Winn Community Food Pantry is a recipient of 4H service with the smallest school, Atlanta, giving the most and Winnfield Primary school with the youngest students also giving generously. Students receive a newletter each month that tells what is going on in 4H.
4H teaches life skills. They won 25 blue ribbons at the latest competition. After many years of not being invited to the National 4H Conference in Washington, DC they have now had 4 delegates in the last 4 years. Grades 6 – 12 had 2 teams (a middle school team and a high school team) participating in a Food Challenge. The middle school placed 4th. Last year they hosted a STEM camp at Caney Lake that involved students from Winn and Jackson parish. There is also an Ag Awareness at the Winn Parish Fair that involved students from Winn, Grant and Jackson parishes. Achievement Day is held at the Forest Festival and involves participation in forestry and food. There are 75 members in the Junior Leaders Club and they are involved in shooting, livestock and other activities. There are 5 local scholarships given each year that have over 120 applicants from all over the state. Mrs. Shirley said that in Winn Parish we are fortunate because the 4H and the Ag programs at the schools work well together. This means that the students in 4H and FFA have activities that overlap which helps them in the public speaking and their presentations.
We are very fortunate in Winn Parish to have such an active 4H and leaders that truly care about the children.
The Winn Parish Police Jury is accepting applications for a Truck driver. The position will be full-time with benefits. Duties will include operating such equipment as a dump truck, small farm-type tractors with a blade or bush hog, or other equipment as needed. Provide routine maintenance on equipment, perform physical labor as required and maintain simple records of equipment operations.
MUST POSSESS CLASS A OR B CDL LICENSE.
Minimum qualifications: 3 months of experience operating one or more kinds of equipment specified for the class or 6 months to 1 year of experience in general labor or maintenance work.
Applications for employment may be picked up at the Secretary/Treasurer’s office located in the Parish Courthouse, 119 W. Main Street, Room 102 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Applications will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2023.
JOSHUA MCALLISTER, PRESIDENT KAREN TYLER, SECRETARY/TREASURER
The Winn Parish Police Jury is an equal-opportunity employer.
(Bob Holeman conducted this series of interviews with local World War II in 2011-12. Most of those 34 American heroes have passed away in the decade since).
As interviews of World War II veterans progresses, it is apparent that most recall specific times or numbers related to their service, even 65 years after the fact. Dugan Bell knows that his time of service, mostly as an MP in the Army, was 22 months and 12 days.
What could have gone on to be a full career with the American military ended suddenly when, on a mountain road, he was thrown from a jeep, breaking his shoulder, back and jaw. But it could have been worse. At the end of basic training at Camp Hood, the 196th Division, 76th Battalion, was preparing for deployment to the Pacific. “They announced that they needed 20 MPs and proceeded calling out names. I was the last name called. If I’d gone with my unit, I probably would have been in the Bataan Death March.”
Bell’s story starts in Bienville Parish where he was born. While he was still in school, his father died and the young man went to work at the paper mill in Hodge. When war broke out, the Army had a signup table at the mill gate and they assumed that Bell (only 16 at the time) was an adult since he was working there. He was drafted.
As the rest of the unit headed for Pacific duty, Bell and the other 19 selected went to Camp Chaffey, Arkansas, for training as military police. “We learned how to handle guns and people. In my duties, I mostly hung around PXs and got my jaw broke a couple of times.” He explained that the PX is the post outlet where military personnel could buy clothing and supplies and, more troublesome, inexpensive beer they could drink on-site.
“The beer was 22 cents downtown. It was only 11 cents at the PX so it’s not hard to figure out where they’d drink when they could. And those jokers could drink that stuff. I guess they had to have a place like that but it was a bad thing.”
Bell explained that his duties over his time of service saw him mostly at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and crisscrossing Texas. “But once they flew me from New York to Germany to pick up a guy who was AWOL from seven battles. They’d caught him and staked him to the banister of a house there. But a big wind came up and blew away the house. He was still there, staked to the banister, and you could see a clearing cut through the trees where the wind and house went.” To travel back to the U.S. base where the prisoner would face punishment, he was constantly chained to the MP. “We traveled, ate and slept together. But we didn’t take any baths…in those days, you didn’t get to take baths anyway.”
Bell talked about another interesting case. “There was this guy who escaped from World War I…he’d been AWOL for 23 years. They caught up with him in Memphis. With the war on, there was a plant there making fences and paying $100 a week. I was only making $28.13 a week when I worked at the paper mill. I’d like to have made good money like that myself. Anyway, they fingerprinted him for the job and found out who he was. I took him to Ft. Smith. He was probably 50-something. I don’t know what they did with him.”
But Bell said the best story was a paratrooper who, during a training jump, “hung his britches on a fence and ‘hurt his back.’ He was discharged. But then he went to work for a parachute company in Fort Worth, jumping out of airplanes. When they found out, they sent me to pick him up. He just thought he was discharged but he wasn’t. They got him back and I don’t know if he did time. That was one guy I hated to pick up…he’d already done three years overseas.”
Bell said that most of his work was across the state of Texas and when he wasn’t sent after someone specific, he worked around a PX. “It’s like a marshal. We acted on warrants. We usually worked in pairs. For sure you had to work in pairs when you went over into Mexico.”
When news that the war had ended in Europe came through, Bell was at the Fort Smith PX, “they hollered around and drank a few extra of that 11-cent beer like it was going out of style. But remember, those old boys had to be in bed by 9 at night. I was still in Fort Smith but in town when I heard the war in Japan was over. The A-bomb. We didn’t know much about it. We thought it was poison gas or something that would kill everybody.”
Bell may have envisioned a military career as an MP. But that ended abruptly. I went out driving with a couple of boys who’d been drinking. We went up a nearby mountain in a Jeep. You know, they don’t have doors. Well, they threw me out and broke me all up.” His military career ended July 6, 1946.
As before, this wasn’t all bad. “They paid me a check and I bought 14 different tracts of land back home. Ever afterwards, I was as lucky as anyone you’ve ever seen. I thought I’d be a poor boy all my life but 10 oil wells later, with a monthly check, I’m doing OK.”
Bell married Thelma Lee Candy. They had three sons and a daughter.
The interview complete, Bell went on to mention a couple of post-war observations. “The Veterans of Foreign War” was a big thing back then. The war was really stressful to many and a lot of those fellows came back from overseas and drank themselves to death with that 11 cent beer.”
He was involved with the Disabled American Veterans. “Me and Paul Green and James Womack, we were in the DAV together. I remember a lot of fish fries we had. They gave me a tie pin for being post commander for a while.”
In 1962, the U.S. Army created the Army Material Command, commonly referred to as AMC. This Army entity has been developing and delivering “material readiness solutions to ensure globally dominant land force capabilities.” In layman’s terms, the AMC is the primary provider of materials to the Army. It operates ammunition plants, arsenals, depots, and other facilities on land and afloat. The AMC sells Army equipment and services to allies of the United States. It also negotiates and implements agreements between the United States and foreign nations for the joint production of weapons. The AMC created a motto to simplify their purpose even further: “If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, communicates with it or eats it – AMC provides it.”
In January 1973, after 11 years in operation, the AMC was getting a new and more modern national headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama. To boost morale, the AMC held a contest to name the new headquarters. People came up with all sorts of names for the new headquarters. When the deadline for suggestions was reached, the AMC had received more than 500 entries. The official contest committee to name the new building carefully studied each one. Some of the suggestions were comical. Some were too colorful or risqué to list here. Some were just downright strange.
Finally, on January 14, 1973, Major General Charles T. Horner, the AMC chief of staff announced that the lucky winner was Francis Sikorski. Along with the pride of winning the contest, Francis received a monetary award of $100. After announcing the winner, the major general proudly announced the winning entry. “The name of the new AMC building,” the major general said, “is…the AMC building.” The choice was met with disappointment.
More than 40 years later, officials in Britain had a similar situation in which the public was disappointed in a naming contest. In 2016, Britain’s Natural Environment Research Council held an online poll to name its new £287 million polar scientific research ship. The Natural Environment Research Council suggested dignified names such as Shackleton, Endeavour, and Falcon. Members of the public also made their own suggestions. Someone suggested naming the ship after the late David Bowie. BBC radio host James Hand put forth his suggestion, but he eventually cast his ballot for another suggestion to name the boat in honor of English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author Sir David Attenborough. Eventually, officials selected, not the entry which had the most votes, not the one with the second most votes, but the one which came in fourth place in the poll. Officials named the boat the RRS Sir David Attenborough.
People who had voted in the online poll were upset that National Environmental Research Council disregarded their choice in favor of one that came in fourth place. They asked why they held a poll at all. Science Minister Jo Johnson responded that there were “more suitable” names. The online pollsters rallied behind BBC radio host James Hand’s suggestion because it came in first place with more than 124,000 votes. Finally, to quell the row, the Council agreed to name a miniature yellow submarine onboard the ship as James Hand had suggested. If the council had adopted the name based on the “name our ship” poll, the RRS Sir David Attenborough would have been named Boaty McBoatface.
Sources:
1.The Atchison Daily Globe, January 15, 1973, p.2.
2.Whitehorse Daily Star, March 21, 2016, p.13.
3.“‘Boaty McBoatface’ polar ship named after Attenborough,” BBC News, May 6, 2016, accessed March 10, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36225652
Spring is in the air!, and so is love and so is pollen — in the air, in your hair, your eyes, your nose, on your car.
You take the bad with the good when the payoff is spring.
Before we meet again it’ll be Officially Spring, so says The 2023 Old Farmer’s Almanac. Monday at 4:24 p.m. (Saw that on Facebook too, so it must be true, right?)
That moment in time marks the spring equinox, which I have never had the patience to study enough to see what it really means in terms of the Earth’s tilt and what not and this and that and to and fro.
I do know “equinox” comes from two Latin words that mean “equal” and “night.” The day and night are basically the same length. And after that, our hemisphere starts tilting toward the sun which means the days are longer and it’s about to get hot up in here.
But you don’t need an almanac to tell you spring is coming. You hear a ball pop into a mitt or you start filling out your NCAA March Madness bracket, and you know what’s up.
Or, you just look outside, through the yellow pollen mist, and there’s springtime, waving back.
A month ago, a warmish February morning, six robins and two cardinals were in the backyard, scouting. They’ve been there since.
The willows are greening, bulbs shooting and blooming. Little pictures of springtime.
Like me, you’ve probably already mowed once, which is mainly mowing clover, and leaving a little of that for the bees since they don’t have much else to enjoy right now. My yard looks like a drunk person mowed it. With thinning shears.
Speaking of lame brain, it was three years ago this week that the world shut down, semi-thwarting the man-made things that complement spring. It was 2020 and Friday the 13th (which was Monday of this week) when college basketball tournaments and then baseball games were cancelled, and then Monday the 16th (tomorrow, Thursday, is the 16th) is when schools quit and all sports quit and Weird Spring started.
(Somebody messed up!)
Thank goodness THAT’s over. At least I think it is …
And, speaking of loopy, those birds in the back yard might have had one too many, and I’ll tell you why.
There is a window-sized mirror along the fence, placed there before we moved in, I suppose for decoration. It’s confused at least one of the robins. She keeps flying into its reflection of grass and water and leaves, landing at its bottom, and trying again. Dozens of times. Flying into the mirror.
It happens almost every day, and maybe it’s the same robin and maybe they are all giving it a whirl, trying to figure it out, trying to fly right into springtime.
Monday, March 6th, The Winn Parish School Board convened at 5:30 PM for their regularly scheduled meeting. Among their business topics for the meeting was accepting the ‘Academics and Instruction Committee Report,’ which included the results of the ’23-’24 four-day school calendar survey issued to parents February 6th to the 17th. Though the results were initially presented in the committee meeting on February 27th, they were re-stated in the report read by Mrs. Long (District 7).
According to the data collected, 1,758 people participated and submitted a response to the survey, sixty-two percent were firmly for it, fifteen percent were mildly interested in the possible transition, eleven percent were firmly opposed, and the other remaining eleven percent were undecided, or neutral to the change. After reading the results, the board opened the floor to public comments. Many concerned parents, faculty and staff were present and eager to express their concerns, questions and criticisms. Critics of the survey allege that data integrity was an issue as participants were anonymous and could take the survey multiple times.
The urgency for able and qualified teachers wasn’t the only thing on the list brought to address by those in attendance; questions regarding the data security for the survey and its results, clarity on pay for all staff if such a change takes place, bus operation and routes, lack of communication and preparation between the board and the public, and the need for more community accessible after school care were just a few of the point in circulation that evening.
After closing public comments, the board moved on to a vote. Only four members, McManus (District 1), Vines (District 5), Riffe (District 6) and Taylor (District 9), voted yes. As a result, the ’23-’24 four-day school calendar did not pass. However, due to the sensitivity and tension surrounding the matter, Mrs. Long stated that a committee would be formed to allow readdressing, more research and better understanding. This meeting should occur Monday, April 3rd, at 5:30 PM.
The biggest concern of our school district and the leading reason this motion was said to be introduced is retaining certified teachers and guaranteeing the quality of education within the classroom for all students at all levels. Knowing that Louisiana is already short two-thousand certified teachers statewide puts even more strain on our district’s current plight. Whether you’re for it, opposed or undecided, now is the time to voice your needs and opinions to your district’s peers and the school board representative.
SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR DISTRICTS:
Lacey McManus/District 1 (318-302-2427) Harry Scott/District 2 (318-542-6294) Amber Cox/District 3 (318-471-7783) Michelle Carpenter/District 4 (318-413-2757) Steve Vines/District 5 (318-413-1253) Michael Riffe/District 6 (318-302-3171) Joe Llaine Long/District 7 (318-413-4614) Patrick J Howell/District 8 (318-623-8612) Dan Taylor/District 9 (318-451-0456) Joe Lynn Browning/District 10 (318-471-0192) Lance Underwood/District 11 (318-374-0505)
The 2022-23 basketball season has been great for Winnfield Senior High School, and could get unforgettable Saturday afternoon in Lake Charles.
After the WSHS Tigerettes reached the state semifinals last week, the Tigers have gone one better. Saturday afternoon at 4 in Burton Coliseum, the No. 3-seeded Tigers (24-5) will play No. 1 Port Allen in the Division III Non-Select state championship game.
Winnfield pushed away from French Settlement 57-52 in the second state semifinal Wednesday night, following a triple overtime victory by Port Allen, 77-75 over fourth-seeded Patterson. Port Allen eliminated WSHS last year in the quarterfinals by just two points.
It’s been 10 years since the last time the Tigers made the state tournament. Winnfield is aiming for its first state championship in boys’ basketball.
The Tigers got good fan support Wednesday night and stuck together through a very competitive game, pulling away from a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
“It means the world to us,” said Gerald Robertson, who scored 10 points for WSHS. “We love each other. It’s a group and family. We will always push through, and if we win now, we will take it back to the city.”
The Tigers got a big 3-pointer from Robertson who quickly followed with a conventional three-point play, then Jaylon Jackson scored six straight points to build a 47-38 advantage midway through the fourth period. French Settlement scrapped back within 55-52 in the final minute, but good defense and a clinching Jackson steal and layup salted away the Winnfield win.
Jackson scored a game-high 20 points. De’Cavian Duncan and Robertson each had 10 for WSHS, which got a team-best eight rebounds by Derrick Davis and seven more by Keithan Hamilton.
The Tigers left no doubt in their first two playoff victories.
Winnfield pasted Rosepine 90-73 in the second round, after earning a first-round bye. In the state quarterfinals, the Tigers put away Richwood 77-63 to advance to Marsh Madness.
That victory showed how far Winnfield has come. Richwood had beaten WSHS 60-55 on Nov. 23.
The District 3-2A champion Tigers have won 19 straight games and are unbeaten since the holidays.
The championship game Saturday can be watched on a pay-per-view basis at NFHSNetwork.org.
Pictured above: TOUGH TIGER: Gerald Robertson pulls up for a shot Wednesday night as Winnfield beat French Settlement in the state semifinals. The Tigers play for the state championship Saturday in Lake Charles. (Photo by RODRICK ANDERSON, courtesy Lake Charles American Press)
Winnfield’s Javen Jackson stares down French Settlement’s Braden Simoneaux during a Division III nonselect semifinal on Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Winnfield’s Gerald Roberson takes a shots in the lane during a Division III nonselect semifinal against French Settlement on Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Winnfield’s Derrick Davis guards French Settlement’s Maxwell Allison during a Division III nonselect semifinal on Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Winnfield’s Jaylon Jackson tries to take the ball from French Settlement’s Joel LeLeBourgeois during a Division III nonselect semifinal on Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Winnfield’s Keithan Hamilton beats French Settlement’s Daniel Bantaa for a rebound during a Division III nonselect semifinal on Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Winnfield’s Gerald Roberson shoots a jump shot during a Division III nonselect semifinal game against French Settlement on Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Winnfield’s Gerald Roberson dribbles in from the top of the arc during a Division III nonselect semifinal game against French Settlement at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles on Wednesday. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Aden Coleman would not be denied at the plate when runners were on base on Wednesday, driving in five on two hits to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars past Dodson 11-1 on Wednesday. Coleman drove in runs on a single in the first and a double in the fourth.
Calvin Varsity Cougars grabbed an early lead. Calvin Varsity Cougars scored on a single by Coleman, a single by John Bradley Griffin, and a single by John Landon Poisso in the first inning
Calvin Varsity Cougars tallied six runs in the second inning. Coleman, Griffin, Payton Mercer, Gavin Musgrove, and Alex Camp all drove in runs in the frame.
Griffin led the Calvin Varsity Cougars to victory on the hill. The righthander surrendered one run on one hit over four innings, striking out five. Camp threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Duff toed the rubber for Dodson. Duff allowed ten hits and 11 runs over four innings, striking out two.
Calvin Varsity Cougars collected ten hits. Poisso, Layton Higgs, Griffin, and Coleman all managed multiple hits for Calvin Varsity Cougars. Coleman, Griffin, Higgs, and Poisso each collected two hits to lead Calvin Varsity Cougars. Calvin Varsity Cougars stole seven bases during the game as two players stole more than one. Griffin led the way with two.
Date: 3-2-23 Name: Robert Earl Starkey III Address: Homeless Race: White Sex: Male Age: 37 Charge: Criminal trespassing, Theft
Date: 3-3-23 Name: Robert Lewis Snellng Address: Winnfield, LA Race: White Sex: Male Age: 38 Charge: Criminal trespassing
Date: 3-3-23 Name: Richard A Rozelle Address: Winnfield, LA Race: White Sex: Male Age: 61 Charge: Failure to appear, Violation of a protective order
Date: 3-6-23 Name: Jose Alberto Resahes Address: Winn Correction Race: Hispanic Sex: Male Age: 43 Charge: Possession of meth, introducton of controband
Date: 3-6-23 Name: Jacqualine K McCardie Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Female Age: 31 Charge: Failure to appear
Date: 3-8-23 Name: Myron Crawford Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 33 Charge: Parole warrant
Date: 3-8-23 Name: Erica L Cooper Address: Winnfield, LA Race: Black Sex: Female Age: 39 Charge: No license, No child restraints
Date: 3-9-23 Name: Elizabeth A Crouse Address: Joyce, LA Race: White Sex: Female Age: 39 Charge: Direct contempt of court
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.
