Petition Asks Scenic Rivers To Deny Permit
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Area residents are circulating a
petition to the Scenic Rivers Division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries asking they deny approving a permit to cross the Dorcheat Bayou in the proposed I-69 Corridor 1d.
Petitioners believe the wilderness quality, the scenic beauty, and recreational
opportunities of the middle and upper areas of the Dorcheat
Bayou should be preserved for present and future generations. These areas of
the Dorcheat have much better public access than the
more southern area of the bayou.
They believe crossing the Dorcheat Bayou further to the south will have a far less
negative impact since there is limited access to the public in the area between
Dixie Inn and the LA-160 crossing. Crossing in this area would also mean a
shorter span of elevated highway across the Dorcheat
which would not only save millions in construction costs but would lessen the
risk of an accident that could potentially contaminate the Bayou in an area
that serves as a recharge zone for the Sparta Aquifer.
The water levels
in the Sparta Aquifer, which provides drinking water for 16 north Louisiana
parishes, has been dropping at an average of two feet per year. Studies have
been conducted and steps are being taken to reverse that trend.
One potential crossing of the Dorcheat Bayou within the two mile wide Corridor 1d is
located about 1/4 mile north of the boat landing at Cox's Camp and south of the
Sykes Ferry crossing. Although privately owned, Cox's Camp has been accessible
to the public for years and is located on Fire Tower Road (formerly Hwy. 3008)
north of LA-160 between Leton and Cotton Valley.
According to Cotton Valley resident Lane Merritt, this area of the Dorcheat is by far the most scenic portion of the bayou,
where the bayou takes on the appearance of a river.
Merritt said regular flooding of the
roadways in that area indicate it will take more than 7,000 feet of elevated
highway to cross that particular span of the wetlands. In contrast, the lower
portion of the Dorcheat, which is less accessible to
the public and does not have the scenic beauty, has at least at one point where
the railroad crosses which would require less than 1,500 feet to cross.
Merritt and his wife are presently
soliciting signatures for a petition, in hopes of preserving a portion of
Louisiana's rich natural heritage which can be found in the beauty and serenity
of the middle and upper areas of the Dorcheat Bayou.
Petitions are being distributed at a number of locations in both Webster and
Claiborne Parish.
Haynesville Police Nab Drug Suspect
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Haynesville Police officers Jimmy
Mitchell and John Barnett were only stopping an individual with a headlight out
on his pickup. Normal police procedures require a record check with the
Sheriff's Department to determine if the driver of a vehicle has any
outstanding warrants. In this particular case, the driver Carlton L. Martin,
also known as "Duckman," who resides at 140
Chapel Road in El Dorado, did have at least one outstanding traffic warrant and
one warrant for failure to appear on a theft of utilities charge.
The officers, still following procedure,
asked if they could search the pickup. Mr. Martin (Duckman)
said, "Sure, there ain't no
gun in there." The officers discovered something more potential than a
gun, if used for the purpose officers believed to have been their final
intended purpose.
Numerous items were discovered in the
vehicle used to manufacture Crystal Meth. Not only
was Martin arrested on the warrants, he was also charged with "possession
of drug paraphernalia with the intent to manufacture and distribute Schedule
II, a controlled and dangerous substance."
It was determined later that "Duckman" was on probation on a charge originally heard
in and disposed of by Arkansas authorities. The possibility of the subject
being released any time soon is problematical in view of the "holds"
placed against him.
CPSO Make Arrests In
ATV Theft Ring
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
An investigation started by the Minden
Police Department with the assistance and cooperation of the Webster and
Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Offices led to several arrests in the past month in
connection with a series of thefts of 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers valued at
around $45,000.
Detectives Scott Tucker and Dan Weaver,
investigating officers for the Minden Police Department, stopped a pick-up
truck on Sheppard Street in Minden on Wednesday, March 3. In the back of the
truck was a stolen dirt bike. According to Minden Police Chief T. C. Bloxom, this was the break they had been waiting for.
Arrested by the Minden Police were William Bridwell,
21, and Marty Randall Garrett, 20, both of Claiborne Parish. The two young men
led detectives to a wooded area in Claiborne Parish where they found several
four-wheelers and three-wheelers that had been stolen from the Germantown Road
area.
Bridwell was arrested on one count of felony
possession of stolen things and Garrett on three counts of felony theft.
On Thursday, March 4, Minden Police
arrested Mark Anthony Warren, 19, of the 2900 block of Germantown Road in
Minden. The following Monday, March 8, they arrested William's brother, Samuel
James Bridwell, 18, of Kemp Road in Minden (Claiborne
Parish) on seven counts felony theft. All are being held in the Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center with holds from Claiborne and
Webster Parish Sheriff's Offices.
The suspects also are alleged to have
stolen several newspaper stands from the Minden Press-Herald and Shreveport
Times.
On Friday, March 5, 2004, detectives
Weaver and Tucker with the Minden Police and Dustin Reynolds with the Webster
Parish Sheriff's Office and CPSO Detective Duffy Gandy met two divers from the
Minden Search and Rescue Squad and recovered five newspaper rack stands from a
creek off Hwy. 518 west of Athens. The racks were valued at $650 each.
Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office issued
warrants for thefts of two newspaper racks, one stolen at the Dixie Mart in
Athens on or about February 9 and the other around February 10 at the R&S
Hardware in Athens. The racks which had been thrown into a creek off Hwy. 518
west of Athens were valued at $650 each.
On March 9, the Claiborne Parish
Sheriff's Office arrested Kenneth Wade Hollowell, 17,
of Hwy. 371 in Minden, and one 16-year-old juvenile on one count theft, two
counts simple burglary, and one count attempted simple burglary.
The thefts occurred on or about February
9, one at Three Bucks Hunting Club on Bois D'Arc Road
approximately one mile west of La.-534. A simple burglary was attempted at the
Whistle Stop Bar at 2571 Fincher Creek Road just off. Hwy. 79 at 7-Mile Hill.
The simple burglary occurred at the Country Place Bar on Bicycle Road, the
first blacktop road off Maddry Road about two miles
north of Hwy. 79.
A 3-wheeler belonging to Lindzay Candella of Luling, LA was stolen from a hunting camp owned by Jody and
John Blackwell across the road from Country Place. The 3-wheeler was later
recovered in the woods off Kemp Road.
Gandy said two pickup loads of stolen
items, items such as microwaves and air conditioners, have been recovered from
in and around two different ponds, one located off the Harris Road and the
other located off Kemp Road. The investigation is ongoing and there could be
additional charges and more arrests.
Arrest Made In Burglary At Haynesville Farm
Nathan Lee Tarpein,
24, of Magnolia, Arkansas was arrested Tuesday, March 23 by the Claiborne
Parish Sheriff's Office in connection with theft of a number of items taken
from Wilbur Lewis' farm located about three miles west of Haynesville on
La.-Alt. 2.
According to Chief Detective Chuck
Talley with the Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office, a call was received early on
the morning of Wednesday, March 17 from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
One of their patrol deputies had pulled over a station wagon for a routine
traffic stop and noticed a number of unusual items in the vehicle. He made
notes and took some photographs, then contacted the Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office to
see if they had any reports of such stolen items.
Later that morning, around 9:30 AM, the
Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Officer did receive a call from Wilbur Lewis who
reported someone had broken into three barns and one storage building on his
farm. Items taken included a McCullough chainsaw; Sears chainsaw; an air
compressor; an assortment of hand tools, clamps and chains; one black electric
fence charger, one antique cow de-horner; a brown
metal table on wheels, an old dutch doll quilt;
several lengthy pieces of rope; a complete leather saddle and bag; a leather
carpenter's belt; a Stihl chainsaw; a small dark blue
mailbox; and several other items.
Some of the items appeared to match the items
seen in the station wagon in Columbia County.
Detectives Charlie Buford and Duffy Gandy contacted Columbia County and
met with the Magnolia Police detectives. Their investigation led to the Tarpein's arrest. He was charged with simple burglary and
bond was set at $10,000.
Police Jury Tables Library Tax
The Claiborne Parish Police Jury met in regular
session on Thursday, March 11. At the request of Library Board Secretary Pam
Suggs, the Jury voted to table a request for a tax millage
increase of 10.75 mills. She told jurors the tax would be used for
constructing, improving, furnishing, equipping, operating and/or maintaining
the public libraries in Claiborne Parish. The existing millage
will expire with the 2005 tax roll.
"I don't feel like any of you are
against the library," Suggs said. "I need your support, but I want
all of it." She said she would prefer giving jurors more time to meet with
the Library Board so they could further
explain their plans which include setting up a building fund to finance
building expansion of the main library to include a larger meeting facility,
more parking, workroom space, painting and refurbishing, a new bookmobile, new
books, materials and equipment. They hope to continue the great service they
have provided in the past and increase the hours open to the public, and they
would like to have the Jury's unanimous support before a vote is taken.
Homer Airport To
Get $450,000 For Safety Improvements
Andy Velayos
with the Federal Aviation Administration told Homer Mayor Huey Dean and
Councilmen J. C. Moore and Billy Kirk Jenkins that he expects to receive
authorization of $450,000 in federal grant funds to make safety improvements to
the Homer Municipal Airport in 2005. Velayos, Gordon
Naquin and Robert Fisher with Alliance, Inc. of Shreveport, and Moe Songy with DOTD Aviation met at the Airport with Dean,
Moore, Jenkins, Homer-Claiborne Chamber President J. T. Taylor, Mark Perot,
Jerry Whitton, and Brandi Ware to discuss the plans. Velayos said, "We want to try to improve safety first,
then we will start working on efficiency."
The FAA is trying to come up with a
standard for airports which will include certain runway length, appropriate
runway safety areas, and parallel taxiways. The lights are okay for now, but they
may later add lights to help guide the pilot in.
Naquin, who is responsible for designing
the $450,000 project, said 5-10 foot wide shoulders would be added along both
sides of the 3200 foot runway.
Velayos said they made the trip to Homer to inspect the
airport, to make sure the Town had cleared the trees as part of the contract
signed last year for a grant to do engineering work. The Town's obligation was
to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the airport.
Perot said the clearing of the trees has
helped considerably, especially if you were to have to abort a flight during
takeoff. He said, "We are in the right direction to go to the next step
now."
ACS "Relay For Life" Set For
Friday, April 2
The American Cancer Society "Relay
for Life" will be held at Homer High's Ronny G. Beard Memorial Stadium on
Friday, April 2 beginning at 6 PM and will continue until 6 AM Saturday, April
3. The event will honor area cancer victims and celebrate cancer survivors. The Survivor Walk will begin at 7 PM and the
Luminary Ceremony will be held at 9 PM Friday night. Luminaries are $10 and can
be purchased at Clawson Chiropractic Clinic or on the day of the event. There
will be concessions and entertainment from 6-9 PM. Entertainment will be
provided by Amie Newman, Charmie
Burrows, Marvin Lewis and Moses Johnson with the Singing Palmers, Rudy, Paul
Hughes Band, Joanne Lay's School of Music students, and The One Eighty Band.
Let us join hands with all those whose lives have been touched by cancer. No
admission fee. For more information, call Chairman Linda Tuggle
at 927-2024.
