Col. Ted Cox Shares Iraq Experience With
Lions
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
With 38 years experience with the U.S.
Army Reserves and National Guard, Shreveport attorney, Col. Ted Cox recently
volunteered for active duty and spent a year in Iraq. He shared his story with
members of the Homer Lions Club at their regular meeting April 8. Cox, who grew
up in Homer, told Lions he started his career as a public defender. He then
moved to the district attorney's office, and now serves as judicial
administrator for the Caddo Parish Juvenile Justice Center in Shreveport.
It was while completing his position as
brigade commander with 95th division in Oklahoma City last March that he
decided to volunteer for active duty. At first he was given orders to go to
Afghanistan for 179 days. He okayed it with his wife
and notified the three judges, but while being processed at Ft. Benning, Georgia, his orders changed. He was soon headed
to central command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, this time for a full year.
From there he was assigned to Qatar. While in Qatar, he convinced his superiors
to let him investigate some problems they were having at POW camps in Baghdad.
Claiborne
Jubilee - Art Show
Reclaiming Our Heritage
After a long absence, noted area artist
Anita Peterson will once again direct the Homer Sidewalk Art Show as part of
the 2004 
Claiborne Parish Jubilee. Mrs. Peterson founded the show in 1959 and
was known for presenting one of the finest art shows in the south. Assisted by
her daughters Judy Buckner and Belinda Hayes, she plans a show and sale which
will include various two dimensional media as well as flower arranging and wood
sculpture.
Artists are urged to come for the day
and bring materials to demonstrate their art. Pack a picnic or share in the
delicious foods to be available from vendors around the Square. The ancient
oaks on the courthouse lawn provide a delightful place to spend the day, or you
can visit area antique and gift shops or enjoy Lake Claiborne State Park.
The theme of Jubilee 2004 is Honoring Families on the Homefront. A program of patriotic music is planned and
presentations will be made to families of those serving in the military who are
attending.
In addition to professional artists,
students of all ages are welcome. Prizes including cash and gift certificates
for art supplies will be awarded in all categories. The prize for Best of Show
is $300.
Art will be received from 8-10 am and
should be removed by 6 pm.
All artwork must be mounted and matted
or framed and completely prepared for handling. No saw tooth hangers will be
accepted. Incorrectly presented works will not be hung.
Pre-Registration is encouraged. Simply
complete the Entry Form and mail to us with your entry fee.
Deadline to pre-register is May 10,
2004. Contact Cynthia Steele at
318-927-2566 for more information.
Judge Upholds Ruling On
Recall Petition
Judge James Stewart issued a ruling in
the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport on Wednesday, April 7 to
uphold the September 11, 2003 decision by District Judge Jimmy Teat that
ordered Claiborne Parish Registrar of Voters Patricia Sanders to place 66 names
back on the petition to recall Homer Mayor Huey Dean.
Shreveport attorney Larry English had
filed a Writ of Mandamus on behalf of Willie Young, Sr., Lurry
Crew, Maxine Wilson, Linda Robinson, Vannessia
Thompson Kirk and Leamon Cheatman,
asking the district court to direct Sanders to provide reasons for
disqualifying 148 names.
Sanders had disqualified 380 of the 989
names on the Petition. Some had missing information,
other names either were printed or did not match the signature on the voter
registration card. Teat's ruling placed nine more names than were needed on the
Petition for the Governor to call for an election.
On September 18, 2003 former Attorney
General Richard P. Ieyoub appealed Teat's decision in
Second Judicial District Court on behalf of Sanders. Ron Mongrue,
Director of the Civil Division for the AG Office, said the whole purpose of the
Registrar of Voters is to make sure the signature of the voter matches the
voter registration card. He said if a name was printed on a voter registration
card, that would be considered a valid signature, but if they signed in script,
they must do the same on the recall petition. English had argued before Teat
there was no clear definition for a handwritten signature.
Mayor Huey Dean says he plans to pursue
his lawsuit against Recall Chairmen Lurry D. Crew and Maxine Wilson,
for failing to provide him with copies of the recall petition as he had
requested by certified mail four times between March 7 and June 2, 2003. By
law, they were required to provide a copy of the petition within 72 hours of
the receipt of a request or be subject to fines up to $100 per day. Their
failure to provide the list as required by law left Dean with little time to
examine and verify the signatures.
According to Asst. PIO Pam Laborde,
Attorney General Charles Foti's office
will apply for a writ of certiorari to the Louisiana Supreme Court in this
case. The writ application will be due on or before May 7.
Police Jury Denies Bottle Club Permit
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne Parish Police Jury voted
6-2 to deny a request by Alice Beaver for a permit for a bottle club at 137
Antioch Road. Lavelle Penix
said James Spillers is opposed to bottle clubs. He said they were the worst
thing they've had to deal with. They are hard to regulate and people don't do
what they are supposed to. Adkins said he didn't think they were going to
approve any more permits. Roy Mardis said he knew the
situation has been discussed in the past, but he made the motion to approve the
request only because the Jury had never taken any action to make any changes.
This will open up the possibility. Scott Davidson suggested they put it on next
month's agenda.
Homer-Claiborne Chamber of Commerce
President J.T. Taylor asked the Claiborne Parish Police Jury to consider the
possibility of moving the Chamber office to the Police Jury complex and
combining efforts with the Economic Development or Industrial Board. The
Chamber recently hired John David Watson as new office manager to replace Mac Brakefield. He asked the Jury to consider some financial
assistance that would help offer him a better salary. The Chamber wants to work
for the betterment of the entire parish and Taylor said he believes he is in a
position to help move the Chamber in that direction. Mardis
said he would like to see the Tourism Commission included.
Police Jury President Weldon Kilpatrick
said he didn't think there was enough parishwide
representation on the Chamber board this year. Davidson said a lot is being
duplicated and they need to make sure different people are not pulling
different ways on the same objective. All who are working on economic
development need to meet together and keep the lines of communication open. Mark Furlow asked why not
change the name to the Claiborne Chamber of Commerce.
Jurors approved Adkins' motion to set up
a committee to meet with the members of the Chamber, new members of the
Economic Development Board when appointed and the Tourism Committee to work out
details for combining the offices and coordinating the efforts. Adkins
commended Taylor for the good work he was doing on the Chamber.
School Board Approves 20-Year Use
Agreement
With Head Start
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne Parish School Board at
their April 8 meeting approved a 20-year use agreement with the Office of
Community Services in Webster Parish for the Head Start program in Haynesville.
Several ladies representing Head Start told the Board they would need at least
a 20 year contract to justify spending approximately $500,000 in improvements
on the building. The Board agreed to pay Head Start a portion of their
construction costs if the Board decides at any time to cancel the agreement,
however, if Head Start decides to cancel the contract, the Board will owe them
nothing. The Board voted to give Sherman Brown, attorney Jim Hatch and Ronnie
McKenzie the authority to work out the details of the agreement.
The Board voted to declare a moratorium
on all travel by students not school-sponsored and to limit financial
assistance only to students who are participating in school-sponsored
activities or programs that are sponsored by the State Department of Education.
Assistance would be limited to students who have qualified to go to State or
Nationals with a sponsor. For those who do qualify, there is a limit of $600
per student during one school year.
Coleson Shaw Fundraiser Set
Thursday, April 22 In
Minden
A Fish Fry Dinner and Basketball Game
will be held Thursday, April 22 to benefit Coleson
Shaw who will turn three on April 21. He was diagnosed with an extremely rare
blood disorder known as Diamond Blackfan Anemia or
DBA. There is no known cause or cure for DBA and the outcome of Coleson's health is unknown. Currently there are only two
treatments available for DBA patients_steroids and
chronic blood transfusions. Both treatments have many possible side effects and
complications.
Since Coleson
did not respond to steroids, he undergoes a blood transfusion every four weeks.
The transfusions cause a buildup of iron in his liver. He has to take nightly
doses of a drug called desferal through an infusion
pump, 10 hours per night, six nights per week.
Coleson has two wonderful people who donate
blood for him on a regular basis, Susan Fields of Gibsland
and her brother, Cliff Smith of Bossier. Coleson's
parents, Alan and Yvette Shaw of Minden, are very grateful to them and their
willingness to come on short notice when needed.
Because there are only a couple hundred
families worldwide who have been affected by this very rare disease, it makes
the task of raising research funds harder. Several fundraisers are being
planned in the Minden area next week. On Thursday, a Fish Fry will be held from
5-7 PM at Minden High School. Plates are $6, dine in or take out. A "Celebrity
Benefit Basketball Game" will be held at 7 PM in the Minden High gym
between the KTBS-Channel 3 All Stars and the Minden High faculty. Judge Harmon
Drew will officiate.
A Celebrity Cake Auction will be held
during the ballgame with Auctioneer Jim Towns and entertainment will be
provided by E. J. Colvin Dancers.
Anyone who would like to make a
contribution can do so by making their tax-deductible check to the "DBA
Foundation" and mail it to Alan and Yvette Shaw, 305 Tanglewood,
Minden, LA 71055.
The Shaws have
two older sons, Cade and Cameron, who are perfectly
healthy. Whether or not you are able to send a donation, the family asks that
you keep them in your thoughts and prayers. If you have questions or would like
more information about DBA, you can call them at 318-377-5157.
Residents Urged To Sign Petition To Deny Permit
For I-69 In
Corridor 1d Area Over Dorcheat
Cotton Valley resident Lane Merritt
plans to present the first 1,000 names he has collected on a petition to
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Scenic Rivers Coordinator Keith Cascio later this week. The petition asks Cascio to deny the permit to construct I-69 over the upper
or middle portions of the Dorcheat Bayou which falls
under the Scenic Rivers protection. The petition suggests there would be less
impact to the Bayou if the I-69 corridor were moved further south where it
would cross closer to Minden. Copies of the petition are available at a number
of businesses and convenience stores in Homer, Haynesville, Cotton Valley,
Dixie Inn, Doyline, Minden, Sarepta,
Sibley, and Springhill. In Homer, petitions are available at Homer City Hall,
Keith's Food Mart, Pak-A-Bag, Delta Interiors, Gas Express, Linder Motor Lodge,
Synco Motors, The Guardian-Journal, Emerson Oil,
Hardee Mart, and Fred Smith & Sons. In Haynesville petitions are at Barnette & Benefield, JB's, Breeze II, Rush-N-Go, and Dixie Mart. Merritt urges
citizens to take time to sign the petition at the earliest convenience as he
would like to turn in all the names within the next several weeks. For more
information or to get a copy of a petition, Merritt can be contacted at (318)
832-4899.
