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February 22, 2001

 

Former Inmate Shows Potential For Rehabilitation At Wade

By Susan T. Herring, Editor, The Guardian-Journal

On January 22, 2001, David Wade Correctional Center’s Medical Department Became The First In The Nation To Receive Accreditation Under The New Prison Medical Standards, Receiving 100 Percent Compliance With All Standards.

Thirty years ago, Kelly Ward began his career as a correctional officer at Angola State Prison. At the time, Angola was one of the most violent prisons in the country. The following year, in 1972, the prison had 22 murders and hundreds of stabbings and rapes. It was typical of what many picture prison life to be.

Claiborne Invincibles Attend Program To Honor Black Confederate Soldier

Stories about the Civil War today sometimes get mixed emotions and many people are not aware of contributions made by Black Confederate soldiers. One such soldier was honored on Saturday, February 17. Members of the Claiborne Invincibles 797 Homer Camp attended and participated in the Levy S. Carnine Memorial Service held in Mansfield, LA.

Engineering Firm Has Concerns About Proposed State Groundwater Policy

By Susan T. Herring, Editor, The Guardian-Journal

Senator James David Cain, Chairman of the Louisiana Senate Environmental Committee, recently conducted a number of public hearings around the state to discuss the need for a state groundwater policy. Cain said, "While it is clear that other states have taken steps to protect their groundwater, Louisiana has not taken necessary steps to protect our own groundwater. I have been personally told by a Texan legislator that Texas is looking to Louisiana with plans to take our groundwater since we have no law to prohibit such taking." To voice your support of a state water policy, call Representative Rick Gallot at (318) 251-8480, Senator Robert Barham at (318) 728-6830, and Senator Foster Campbell at (318) 746-2078

Six Qualify For Mayor Of Haynesville, Lisbon Gets New Police Chief

The Town of Haynesville will soon have a new mayor, since Mayor Tom Crocker decided not to run this year. Crocker first ran for town council in 1981, then for mayor in 1985, where he has served for the past sixteen years. Crocker said, “It’s just been incredible,” but since he just turned sixty-one, it is time for someone else to take a leadership role. Although he is stepping down as mayor, he wants to remain active and will continue to do all he can for Haynesville and all of Claiborne Parish. Persons who qualified for the April 2, 2001 election are as follows: Haynesville Mayor: J. Larry Jordan, Mickey C. Mayfield, Johnnie Meadors, Alvin L. Moss, DaVince Taylor, Rex C. Williams Haynesville Police Chief: "Jim" Garner, Larry P. Jones, Anthony C. Smith. Haynesville Alderman District 1: Alvin J. Kendrick, Monica Beene-Ridley Haynesville Alderman District 2: H. U. "Mutt" Slaid, Rudolph Presley Haynesville Alderman District 3: Joyce Major, Uria D. Logan Haynesville Alderman District 4: Otto Black , Lorenzo Jackson Haynesville Alderman District 5: Kenneth R. "Kenny" Killgore Lisbon Chief of Police: Jimmy L. McDonald Homer Selectman District 3: Jess Robertson Claiborne Parish Police Jury, District 10: Billy Kirk Jenkins, Willie J. Young, Sr.

Young Announces His Candidacy For Police Jury District 10

Willie J. Young, Sr. brings “proven leadership” to his candidacy for Police Jury, District 10. He understands the first responsibility of a true leader is to be a public servant. He is committed, compassionate, and courageous. As a leader, he has a vision for the growth, health and vitality of Claiborne Parish. He is committed to rural development, recreation, economic development, health care, the Sparta water system, fire protection, roads and the environment, law enforcement, networking relationship with local, state, and federal officials, and a quality education for our children.

Mayfield Announces Candidacy For Position Of Haynesville Mayor

In announcing his candidacy for Mayor of Haynesville, Mickey Mayfield made the following statement. "I, Mickey Mayfield, am announcing my candidacy for Mayor of Haynesville. I see a need for a strong leadership in local government and would like to be a part of an ongoing effort to make our town a source of pride and prosperity.

Rebel's Story To Be Featured On Dateline NBC March 2

The story of Rebel McCleskey's tragic death will be one of several stories featured on Dateline NBC on Friday, March 2--the one year anniversary of the 3-year-old’s death. The show will air at 8 PM CST, one day before his mother, former Homer resident Edith McCleskey, is set to go on trial for the murder in Shelby County, Texas where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Local resident Cynthia Hill, Edith’s sister, and husband Mark tried unsuccessfully to adopt Rebel when he was a baby. McCleskey lost custody of Rebel just days before the shooting and was to turn him over to his father the following Monday. Cynthia, fearing for Rebel’s safety, made numerous calls to Child Protective Services in Texas and in Louisiana, pleading for help. The Dateline program will also address opposing views over gun laws in this country.

February 22, 2001

Claiborne One Website Features The Guardian-Journal Briefs - The Claiborne One website at www.claiborneone.org features news from Homer, Haynesville, Junction City, and all of Claiborne Parish, To contribute news or to purchase an advertising banner, call Joel Ponder at 927-9787 or Al Lynn at 927-6197.    Deadline To Register For April 7 ACT Test Is March 2 - The next nationwide ACT Assessment Test is April 7, 2001. The test fee is $23 and registration postmark deadline is March 2. For more information, contact your high school guidance counselor or register online at www.act.org. The website has helpful information, sample tests, and info on ordering test prep materials.    Claiborne Parish Science Fair Set For Friday, February 23 - Claiborne Parish Schools will host the annual Claiborne Parish Science Fair on Friday, Februuary 23 at the Fiar Building in Haynesville. There will be approximately 200 entries from students in grades K-12 who will be judged throughout the day. An awards ceremoney will be held for the winners at 5 PM.    Phil Cross And Poet Voices To Perform At Methodist Church - Phil Cross and the Poet Voices of Ringgold, Georgia, will perform at the First United Methodist Church in Homer on Saturday, February 24 at 7 PM. No admission, but a love offering will be collected.    American Legion Baseball To Host Team Bass Tournament - Claiborne Parish American Legion Baseball will host a Team Bass Tournament on Lake Claiborne on Saturday, March 10, from 6 AM to 3 PM. Entry is $60 per boat, with $10 optional Big Bass Pot. Prizes to the top five places with a payback of 80 percent. Applications are available at several local stores. For more information, call Bill Herring at 927-9312.    Homer High Baseball Season Tickets Now On Sale At School - Homer High School baseball season tickets, for all regular home games, are on sale at the Homer High School office for $20.    Legion Auxiliary Unit To Present US Flags To Athens High - Yvonne Winzer and Judge Jenifer Clason, representing American Legion Auxiliary Unit 73, will hold a formal presentation of U.S. flags to Athens High School on Thursday, March 1 at 1 PM. Auxiliary members expect to present flags to other Claiborne Parish schools. Interested persons or other Auxiliary members are welcome to attend.    Claiborne Parish Science Fair Set For Friday, February 23 - Claiborne Parish Schools will host the annual Claiborne Parish Science Fair on Friday, February 23 at the Fair Building in Haynesville. There will be approximately 200 entries from students in grades K-12 who will be judged throughout the day. An awards ceremony will be held for the winners at 5 PM.    Trailblazers, Inc. Is Collecting Newspapers For Recycling - Trailblazers, Inc. of Ruston is collecting newspapers for recycling and will be picking up newspapers at the following locations--Homer City Hall, Haynesville City Hall, and Athens City Hall. Papers can be bound with string or placed in paper bags. No plastic bags. People are encouraged to drop off newspapers ONLY. Please do not place colored ad slicks or magazines in the bins.    Webster Parish Head Start Now Recruiting Homer Area For 3 And 4 Year Olds - Webster Parish Head Start is now recruiting and accepting applications in the Homer area for three and four year olds born before October 1. Children with special needs are given first priority. Any person desiring to enroll a child must have a certified birth certificate from the state the child was born, proof of income, child’s social security card and current immunizations. For further information, visit the ABC Head Start Center at 1003 Pearl Street in Homer or call Connie Joyner, Family Services Specialist at (318) 377-7022 Ext. 144. Head Start is an Early Childhood Development Program sponsored by the Webster Parish Police Jury Office of Community Services.    Second Community “Ole Time” Gospel Singing Saturday, March 3 - The Second Community “Ole Time” Gospel Singing will be held Saturday evening, March 3, at Trinity Southern Methodist Church, beginning at 6:30 PM with the audience singing from the “Heavenly Highways” songbook. Jerry Thompson will again be master of ceremonies. Many area singers, Wayne Smith, Pat Gladney, Rodney Hollenshead, Mike Calhoun, Ronald Day, Carolyn Musgrove, David Fowler, Nancy Nelson, Sandra Langley, Jerry Thompson, and others who participated in December are expected back, along with many others. Jane Talley and Sandra Langley will serve as accompanists. All are invited to come and join in the Saturday night fun.    Claiborne Council On Aging February Calendar Of Events - Bingo is played every Friday after Lunch. Lunches are serveddaily Mondy thru Friday. Exercise treadmills and rowing machines are available. Slip and molds are available for ceramics. Feb 14 Blood Presure & Sugar Checks 11am-Noon Feb 15 Beau Bridges 11:30am Feb 16 Alternative Touch 11:30am Feb 19 Doctor Woodall 11:30am Feb 20 Craft - Stained Glass 1pm-till Feb 22 Legal 10am-noon Northwest Legal Services, Inc. will visit the be at the Council on Aging Feb 8 & 22 from 10am to noon. Individual professional counseling is available from an attorney on a non-fee generating case basis. Appointments may be made by calling the Council of Aging at 927-6922 or 800-308-8951 or Northwest Louisiana Legal Services at 800-624-2488.    March Events At Lake Claiborne Park - For information on upcoming events at Lake Claiborne State Park Call 888-677-2524 toll free or 318-927-2976. March 3 - Jeb Johnson's Great Escapades, 7 PM. Visitors can learn more about the life of a local legend who lived in Claiborne Parish and fought in the Civil War. March 10 - Woodpecker Wonders, 7 PM. Visitors are invited to a program that discusses different types of woodpeckers, their niche in nature, their biology and their nesting habits. March 24 - Storytelling, 7-8 PM, Visitors are invited to hear stories about Native Americans, animals and plants. March 31 - Miniature Wonders Nature Walk, 9:30 - 10:30 AM. Join the park naturalist for a nature hike to discover small plant and insect life often overlooked in the natural world.     New Cabins At Lake Claiborne State Park Are Open - Ten new vacation cabins opened at Lake Claiborne State Park on January 9. Units rent for $65 with a 2-night minimum on weekends. and have everything but towels and soap. To reserve your cabin, call toll free (877) CAMP-N-LA (226-7652) from 8 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.    Attention: Girls, Grades 1-6 Invited To Join Girl Scouts - Girl Scouts of American Troop 344 invite all girls in grades 1-6 to "Where Girls Grow Strong,". For more info call Melissa Smith at 927-4585 or Stacey Hollenshead at 927-4601.    Claiborne One Site Additions Under Construction! - The complete Community Service Directory originally produced by The Family First Coalition will be presented online. Information covered includes: Educational Programs & Resources, Hotlines, Health && Medical Resources, Social && Community Programs, Clubs && Organizations, Related Internet Resources and much more. Portions are now online with additions monthly. The Internet Multi-Search page searches/opens up to six sites with one entry. A variety of links are now online: Search Engines, Meta-Search Engines, Health/Medical, International News, Online Newspapers, News/Discussion Groups, Sports News, Software, Entertainment, Acceptable Sites for Teens, Kids/Educational, Travel, Job Search, Financial/Stock Market News, Online Shopping and now Metric Conversion Calculators. Coming soon will be Clip Art, HTML and Javascript Repositories.				The Jonquil Jubilee - A Garden Related Festival Celebrating the Arrival of Spring - The Jonquil Jubilee to be held in Gibsland, Louisiana on Saturday, February 24, 2001. You are cordially invited to Gibsland to join in the Celebration of the Advent of Spring. Festival will feature Arts & Crafts from area and commercial artists, an Antique Mall, plants and related goods, entertainment by local musicians, talks by gardening experts, and more...    The LSU AgCenter To Host Spring Horticulture Seminar Feb. 28 - Spring is near and hopefully everyone is making big plans for new landscape projects around the home. If you are in search of educational information to jump start your brainstorm, the LSU AgCenter has a horticultural program scheduled for you on February 28 beginning at 9 AM at the Hill Farm Research Station in Homer. Dr. Allen Owings, state horticulture specialist, will present educational information relative to warm season bedding plants along with recommended culture practices. Dr. Bill Branch, state irrigation specialist, will speak on drip irrigation and how to get the most out of your plants and conserve water at the same time. Registration begins at 8:30 AM. There is no charge. They will also be prepared to answer questions. For more info, call Jason Holmes or Rafash Brew at 927-3110.    Scouts To Deliver Goodwill Clothing Bags Saturday, March 3 - Boy Scouts will deliver Goodwill clothing bags on Saturday, March 3. Troop 72 Boy Scouts will pick up filled bags at 9 AM on Saturday, March 10. Clothes donated will benefit the local Clothes, Etc. on the square in Homer.    Haynesville High Class Of 1981 To Hold Reunion Meeting - Haynesville High School Class of 1981 will hold a reunion meeting on Saturday, February 24 at 10 AM in the Haynesville Band Hall.    Cancer Society To Hold St. Paddy’s Day Patty Drop - The Claiborne Parish American Cancer Society and members of the Relay of Life Team are selling tickets to the 2nd Annual St. Paddy’s Day Patty Drop scheduled for March 17 at the Homer High School practice football field. For more info, call 1-800-ACS-2345.    Used Sweat Suits Needed By Claiborne Parish FCE Clubs - The Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs in Claiborne Parish are looking for new or used sweat suits to recycle into teddy bears for their Christmas project. Please drop your sweat suits off at the Thrift Store located on the east side of the Homer Square any Tuesday or Saturday. All donations appreciated.    Minden Forestry Office To Hold Annual Shade Tree Sale March 5-9 - The Louisiana Office of Forestry’s Annual Shade Tree Sale will be held March 5-9 from 8 AM to 5 PM at the forestry office, 1304 Lewisville Road, Minden, LA. Hardwood packets will include one each of: red maple, green ash, redbud, river birch, and 2 baldcypress (total of six). Pine packets will have 20 superior loblolly pines. All packets are $3 each. Packets are available on a first-come basis and cannot be reserved in advance. Sometimes they sell out of a certain species, so they recommend coming early in the week. For more info, call 318-371-3007.    Business Incentives Seminar To Be Held At Bossier Civic Center - A seminar concerning the State of Louisiana’s business incentives programs will be held in the Barksdale Room of the Bossier Civic Center on Benton Road on Thursday, February 22 from 10 AM - noon, sponsored by the Coordinating & Development Corporation. As part of its overall effort to induce businesses to expand or to open new facilities in Louisiana, the La. Dept. of Economic Development administers a number of incentives programs designed to make doing business in La. more attractive. They include the Enterprise Zone Program, the Restoration Tax Abatement Program, the AdValorem Tax Exemption Program, and the Quality Jobs Program. The latest information on these and other programs will be provided to all participants. The public is invited. No admission. For more info, call Gray Stothart at 318-632-2022.    Friends Of Genealogy, Inc. To Hold Meeting In Shreveport March 3 - Mary R. Zimmerman will speak on "Migration Routes to North Louisiana" (1800-1860) at 1 PM on March 3 at the meeting of Friends of Genealogy, Inc. to be held at the Louisiana State Exhibit Building at 3015 Greenwood Road in Shreveport. Admission is free. For information or directions, call Laura Duffy at (318) 424-7648 or John Head at (318) 929-1701.    Law Enforcement Panel To Discuss Drugs At Public Forum - The Louisiana Small Town Program Drug Committee will hold a public forum to address the drug problem in Homer on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 PM. Those invited to serve on the panel are Sheriff Kenneth Volentine, Police Chief Rodney Hollenshead, Warden Kelly Ward, CDC Asst. Warden Loyd Manuel, Judge Jenifer Clason, CPSO officers Ben Booth and James Spillers, and School Superintendent Gary Jones.    Bank Account Set Up For Family Whose Home Burned - An account has been set up at First Guaranty Bank for the family of Beverly Crew, whose home was destroyed by fire on January 25. Anyone who would like to donate clothes can drop them off at Sunrise Bakery at 206 North Main, where Beverly is employed. The couple have four children and one grandchild. Bianca wears ladies 5-6, Ricky wears boys husky size 16, Julia wears size 15-16, Arien wears 36w-34l pants, Grandbaby wears 4T, Beverly wears 2X-3X and Harry wears 32w-33l pants.    March 7 Last Day To Register For April 7 Election - According to Registrar of Voters Patricia Sanders, the last day to register or to make any changes to your voter registration status for the April 7 election will be Wednesday, March 7. Absentee voting will begin March 26 and continue through March 31, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday, and 8:30 AM till noon on Saturday.    Claiborne Baseball/Softball Schedules and Scores Online - Claiborne One to feature baseball and softball schedules and scores for Claiborne Parish Schools. Now online: Homer, Haynesville, Summerfield, Mount Olive and Junction City. Coming Soon: Athens, Pine View and Claiborne Academy. Please email updates to schedules and scores to GJ_Editor@ClaiborneOne.org.    Claiborne One Site Now Features Area Image Archive - Archived images from the recent Homer Christmas Festival and Parade are now online. Upcoming image archives to include: Haynesville Butterfly Festival 2000, Homer Christmas Festival 1999, Claiborne Parish Scenery, Lake Claiborne State Park and more. To submit your images for inclusion in the Claiborne One Image Archive you may email them to webmaster@ClaiborneOne.org.    HMH offers MRI's - Homer Memorial Hospital is proud to announce the availability of MRI procedures two days a week in Homer.     The JCAHO-accredited system, provided by Alliance Imaging, is a Siemens 1.0 with a fast pack. The moblie MRI produces images as good as an on-site MRI.     MRI procedures performed in Homer by Alliance Imaging specialists are read by radiologists from Diagnostic Associates; films become part of the patients permanent record and stay on-site at HMH.     Appointments should be made through your physician; the ordering physician does not have to be a local physician.     "We are proud to offer this service to our community. Residents no longer have to drive to Shreveport to receive a state-of-the-art MRI examination." reminds Homer Memorial Radiology department.    Country, Bluegrass, Gospel Music Every Friday In Homer - Every Friday night in downtown Homer, amateur musicians from all over the Ark-La-Tex meet at the Homer Fire Station to enjoy a little country, bluegrass, gospel, and fellowship. Anyone is welcome to join in, or just sit back and enjoy. For more information, call Ed Dettenheim at 927-5253 or Jerry Brown at 927-3792.  «Full Story»
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