Community Seeks Solutions For Poverty
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
"What is
the definition of poverty?" This was the first question posed by
facilitator Barbara Monzingo during a Community
Conversation held Thursday, November 4 at Claiborne Electric. Some responses included 1) children who
qualify for free and reduced lunches, 2) having no money, 3) lacking the
necessities of life, 4) when income does not meet the daily needs, 5) multiple
families living under one roof, and 6) substandard housing.
In Claiborne
Parish, there are more than 2,000 children who qualify for free or reduced
lunch in the public school system. According to the 2000 Census, 4,141
Claiborne Parish residents
were living below the poverty level, which means they had an
annual income of approximately $11,000-$12,000, a rate much lower than the
national poverty rate at $17,000-$18,000. In Louisiana in 2000, 26.5% of
individuals live below the poverty level compared to 12.4% nationwide.
Monzingo said she thought it was a little overwhelming that
in 2003, the number of people living in poverty in Louisiana increased by
42,419 people. Louisiana now has the highest poverty rate in the United States.
Poverty affects all of us. This is one of the reasons Governor Kathleen Blanco
decided it was time to bring this issue to the forefront and for the state to
begin working together to find a solution for reducing poverty.
After a lengthy
discussion, the group concluded the two areas they felt to be a priority issue
were 1) education and 2) employment and economic development. Some of the
specific needs included transportation, housing, proper day care, accessibility
to services, and the need for more skills training for adults provided by the local
Northwest Technical
College. Educational needs included an emphasis on early childhood education,
more parental involvement, and a focus on providing basic literacy skills to
those adults who could not read or had no math skills.
Church Burglaries Investigated
Webster Sheriff's Office Arrests Two
Claiborne Residents
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Webster
Parish Sheriff's Office arrested two Claiborne Parish residents following an
investigation into a string of church burglaries over the past two months.
Sheriff Gary Sexton said his office worked closely with the Claiborne Parish
Sheriff's Office to nab the two suspects who were arrested last Friday in
Magnolia, Arkansas. Thomas Dewayne Jackson, 25, of Homer and Gwendolyn Monk, 27,
formerly of Haynesville were both charged with possession of stolen property in
connection with four church burglaries in Webster Parish.
Claiborne
Parish Sheriff detectives are also investigating
several church burglaries that have occurred within the last two weeks.
According to Detective Chuck Talley, on November 15, Mt. Olive Baptist Church in the
Marsalis community reported a Magnavox television had been stolen. The same day
Mt. Olive Baptist Church located at 199 Holly Springs Road reported someone had
broken into the church by breaking a window near the rear entrance but
apparently nothing had been taken.
On November 16,
Emmanuel Baptist Church in the Hurricane Community reported a burglary, where
cash money, one Canon camera with accessories, one Yamaha cassette deck and one
Teac CD player and recorder had been taken. The following day, on November 17,
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church located at 6828 Hwy. 9 north of Homer
reported one Teac dual cassette recorder had been stolen.
Sheriff Sexton
said there have been reports of other church burglaries across North Louisiana
and South Arkansas_three in Bossier, two in
Bienville, one in Union County, Arkansas and four in Columbia County.
After receiving
information on a tip, Sheriff Sexton said Webster Detective Dustin Reynolds and
Claiborne Detective Duffy Gandy traveled to Emerson, Arkansas where they
gathered more information. This led them to a motel in Magnolia, Arkansas where
they arrested Monk without incident.
Jackson fled on foot and was apprehended 45 minutes later. The two
suspects are being held in Magnolia awaiting extradition back to Louisiana.
Sexton said,
"We had a good joint effort between local agencies, especially between the
Webster and Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Offices, and our good working
relationship really paid off."
A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION on "Solutions
for Poverty" was held at Claiborne Electric
November 4. Approximately thirty people from various agencies, organizations
and businesses spent two hours discussing ways to address poverty in Claiborne
Parish as part of a statewide initiative being promoted by Governor
Blanco.
BARBARA MONZINGO served as facilitator at the Solutions to Poverty meeting held at
Claiborne Electric, assisted by Janet Holland (left).
.
Juvenile Arrested For Theft Of Gas Express
The
Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office received an Emergency 911 call from the
Chick-A-Dilly on Friday, November 19 in reference to a robbery that had
occurred at the Gas Express located at 108 West Main (Hwy. 79) in Homer. After arriving on the scene, Homer police
officers were advised by the store clerk that a black male had entered the
store wearing dark jeans, a red and white shirt and a stocking mask.
The clerk
advised the officers that the suspect demanded money from her and and threatened her with what appeared to be a homemade
knife. At one point, she attempted to flee from the suspect causing him to fall
and hurt his left leg.
While the
officers were at the store processing the scene, Homer Chief Rodney Hollenshead said his office began receiving information
concerning a possible suspect. Officers followed up the call and were able to
get the name and whereabouts of the suspect.
Captain Donald Malray, Cpl. Cedric Millage, and
officer Kenneth Wood found the suspect in a vehicle at the Handee
Pak located at 4243 Hwy. 79 South and arrested him. Officers recovered $346
from inside the vehicle and $105 from behind the Dialysis Center in the
McLemore Shopping Center on West Main.
The juvenile
confessed to the robbery and was later transported to the Green Oaks Juvenile
Detention Center in Monroe. According to the store clerk, the
amount of money taken totaled $1,109.
Chief Hollenshead would like to alert citizens and business
owners that this is the time of year when more robberies and burglaries take
place as students are out of school for the holiday season. Also during this
time of year, more criminals will use sweater hats to cover their faces and will
wear heavy overcoats and hand protection.
V. Ethel Willis White - March 2000
ETHEL WILLIS WHITE (right) shown here with the five Wyman children in 1956.
Endowment Named For Homer Native
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
In September
1947, at the age of 27, Ethel Willis boarded a train in Kansas City, Missouri.
Shortly after arriving in Seattle, Washington, she took a position with a young
couple, Helen Marie and David Wyman. For the next 28 years she would serve as
more than a housekeeper to the Wymans. She would help
Helen Marie care for their five children, even taking them with her on personal
outings. They would even attend church with her at First A.M.E. Church. Through
her wisdom and love, Ethel would soon be regarded as a member of the family.
According to an
article in the Summer 2004 Newsletter of the University of Washington Press,
Ethel was one of eight children born to Arthur and Nora Willis and grew up
on a farm in Homer. Her parents' constant care and nurturing gave her a strong
belief in the value of family, a belief she apparently carried with her
throughout her life. It may have been
one of the reasons she never discussed Jim Crow standards of the South or matters
of racism with the Wyman children. Instead "she made an example by the way
she treated others, how she wished to be treated herself."
For more
information on how to make a donation to the V. Ethel Willis Endowment Fund,
contact Nina McGuinness at the University of
Washington Press at (206) 543-4053 or email her at ninamg@u.washington.edu.
THE LAKE CLAIBORNE ST. JUDE Car and Bike Show
Committee presented $11,000 last week to Ashley Cannady (left) Event Marketing Representative for St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Chairman Rickey Bearden (holding
check) thanked committee members for their hard work and the five parish
schools for their Pennies for St. Jude program which raised $5,490. This year's
Car Show had 62 cars and 26 bikes in spite of the rain and, over the past three
years, the Car Show has raised a total of $31,739. Cannady
said, "You all are phenomenal...what this community has done to raise this
much money in one event. Nothing I can say or do is enough because you are
helping these kids beat cancer."
Sheriff Bailey Advises Holiday Shoppers
"Deck The
Malls With Safety First"
Anxious
shoppers and retailers alike look forward to this day all year, the day after
Thanksgiving. It's usually the biggest Christmas shopping day of the year. And
this year will be no different. Shoppers are making their lists and checking
them twice. But they are probably neglecting to check their safety. Just how
safe is shopping at this time of the year? Perhaps not nearly
as safe as people assume it to be, according to Sheriff Ken Bailey, especially
if people shop alone.
This time of
year has a tendency to attract more shopping-related criminal activity because
of larger crowds and extended store hours. These factors, combined with the
usual distractions related to shopping, create a more favorable environment for
petty thieves and other offenders.
In light of
these factors, Sheriff Bailey warns shoppers to be on their guard so that they
do not become one of the tens of millions of people a year who are victimized
by some sort of criminal activity.
Across the
U.S., malls and shopping centers are heightening security measures by hiring
additional security personnel and installing surveillance cameras in areas such
as parking lots and entrance ways.
"Unfortunately,
when shopping, people sometimes have a tendency to become distracted and lose
sight of their personal safety," said Sheriff Bailey. "However, there
are several precautions busy shoppers can take to help eliminate their chances
of becoming a crime statistic."
Those safety
precautions include:
∙ Always try to shop with another
person. A single shopper is the ultimate target for theft.
∙ When going shopping, make sure
you tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return home.
∙ Plan ahead. If you know you are going to return to
your car after nightfall, park in a well-lit area. Note your parking place.
Parking lots have a tendency to look very different as cars come and go.
∙ If you are in a store and sense
that you are being followed, locate a store employee or security personnel. Be
prepared to give them a complete description of the person you suspect.
∙ If carrying cash, keep it in a
front pocket. This makes it more difficult for a pickpocket to remove.
∙ Store car keys in a pant or jacket pocket. If your purse
is stolen, you will still be able to drive home.
∙ Take only one or two credit cards and a couple of checks
with you.
∙ Make a list of all credit card numbers and the numbers
to call in case they are lost or stolen. This will make the incident a lot
easier to report.
∙ If you feel uneasy returning to
your car alone, find a security guard and ask him to walk you to your car.
∙ When returning to your car,
check around it and in the back seat.
∙ Have your car keys in your hand to avoid spending
unnecessary time unprotected from the security of your vehicle.
Sheriff Bailey
concluded, "By taking these simple, safety precautions, you are kicking
off your holiday season in a responsible, savvy way. Don't let some would-be
criminal ruin your holiday season. Be on guard!"
Claiborne Christmas Festival
Saturday, November 27 ∙ 9 AM-5 PM
The Claiborne
Parish Christmas Festival will be held this Saturday, November 27 from 9 AM - 5
PM in downtown Homer. The Christmas Parade will begin at 1 PM with Angie Mills,
well-known local artist, serving as Grand Marshal. A number of local units will
participate in the parade. Great family activities are planned including live
music throughout the day. Performers include Angie Mills and Jim Chester, a
magician from New Orleans. More than 40 vendors have signed up to provide arts
and crafts, face painting, and great food. The Festival will also feature horse
and buggy rides and Oreo the Bull. Christmas T-shirts, caps, posters, and
cookbooks will be on sale. Christmas lights will be turned on that evening
around the Courthouse Square and at the Homer City Park. Members of the
Festival Committee would like to invite everyone to join them for the best
Festival ever. For more information, call (318) 927-9009.
Willie Burns To
Provide
Thanksgiving Dinner For Needy
Willie Burns
Jr. will sponsor a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings for
elderly and needy residents in Claiborne Parish on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday,
November 25 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Homer City Hall. Burns had
originally planned to provide dinners at two locations, but was unable to do
so. Burns said he would provide transportation for those who need it. Contact
him by calling 560-8563.
CLAIBORNE ACADEMY REBELS traveled to Clinton, Mississippi last Thursday to take on the Lee Academy.
It was a hard fought contest, but the Rebels were victorious by a score of
43-36, returning to Claiborne Parish with the First Place trophy.
Christmas Memory Tree
In Memory Of—Given By
Nancy Ann Williams Howell - Delores Menere
Jessie & Maude Sanders - Marlene Sanders
Eva & Perry Hammontree - Perry Hammontree family
Repo Hejtmanek -
Mary Hejtmanek
Anne & Noah Birdwell - Perry Hammontree
& family
Paxton & Puellar Pair - Marlene
Sanders
Vernice Tyler - Don & Bea Grimes
Sam Tyler - Don & Bea Grimes
Bill Grimes - Don & Bea Grimes
Earlean Huntington - Don & Bea Grimes
Jason Ware - mother Connie Gray
Lanoma Gibson - Randy & Megan
Jack Harmon - Vanice, Julie, Dinah,
Tommy John, Kelly , T.J
Van , Myrtis Brantly-Vanice, Julie, Dinah,Tommy,
John, Kelly ,T.J
Betty
Gilbert - Vanice, Julie, Dinah, Tommy, John, Kelly , T.J
Steve, Leola Harmon - Vanice, Julie,Dinah,Tommy ,John, Kelly,T.J
Perry Hammontree - Michael, Tammy Hammontree & family
Eva Hammontree - Michael, Tammy Hammontree & family
Savanna Hammontree - Michael, Tammy Hammontree & family
Jerry Wayne Bridges - Tammy Bridges Hammontree
In Honor Of—Given
By
Mildred Winn - Mary Hejtmanek
Ruth McKnight - Don & Bea Grimes
Mack McKnight - Don & Bea Grimes
James "Tobe" Owens - wife
Connie
To
purchase a light for the Christmas Memory Tree, send $5 with name of person
(indicate whether in "memory" or "honor") and who the gift
is from to Claiborne Parish Christmas
Festival at 400 West 3rd St., Homer, LA 71040 or take to Miss Lizzies For more info, call 927-9009.
