School Board Appoints New Principals
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne
Parish School Board appointed new principals at Pineview,
Homer Jr. High, and Haynesville High at their regular meeting on June 9. Sandra
Boston was appointed principal at Pineview, Keith
Beard at Homer Jr. High, and William Kennedy Jr. at Haynesville High.
Boston was the
principal at the Alternative School and will be replacing Pineview
Principal Felton Evans, who retired. Beard will replace Clifton Lewis at Homer
Jr. High. Board members approved transferring Lewis to the Alternative School
to replace Boston. Kennedy will replace Steve Craig who replaced David Frye as
Title 1 Supervisor.
Tommy Davidson
wanted each of the new principals to know they had his backing, to run these
schools with discipline. He said schools
cannot operate if they do not have discipline in the classroom. Stewart Griffin
said the foremost job of principals was to supervise instruction, to make sure
learning was taking place and to make sure teachers were doing their job. He said, "I strongly feel principals
must visit the classrooms regularly, to send a message to teachers and
students." A.D. Williams added, "If you don't have discipline, you
cannot teach." Griffin said he favored corporal punishment over suspension
and asked principals to try to resolve conflict between students before it
escalated to suspension.
All
appointments were recommended by Superintendent James Scriber and unanimously
approved. Griffin said our main concern is the quality of education in the
classroom. He said he supported these recommendations by the superintendent.
These individuals are in new positions and they should not be too hard on them.
He said, "As long as they have the serious interest of the students, I
think they will do alright."
Scriber said,
"I have every confidence they have the welfare of Claiborne Parish
students at heart and I have every confidence in each one of them."
HOMER POLICE OFFICERS
Donald Malray, Norah Banks and Jim Faulkner package evidence confiscated in several drug-related arrests to be sent
to the crime lab. The items included bags of marijuana,
blunts (marijuana in a cigar), glass device used for smoking crack cocaine, and
some powdered cocaine. Several arrests were made from possession of marijuana
and cocaine to possession with intent to distribute.
Homer Police Make Drug Arrests
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Homer Police
made several drug arrests this month. While looking for a juvenile who escaped
Friday, June 3 from the Claiborne Parish courthouse after being sentenced to
serve time in the Ware Youth Center at Coushatta, Homer officers observed
several men getting into a gray Malibu around 8:20 PM on North 4th Street. One
of the individuals fit the description of the escapee.
As officers
Donald Malray, Ken Wood, and Anthony Combs approached
the vehicle, they noticed driver Terrell Walker, 19, of Homer, stuffing
something under the seat. Derrick Carter, the front seat passenger, was seen
stuffing what appeared to be marijuana into his right pocket.
Upon search of
the vehicle, officers discovered fourteen $10-20 bags of marijuana in Carter's
possession. Carter, 17, of Homer was charged with possession of marijuana with
intent to distribute. Walker had a small bag of powder cocaine and a small bag
of marijuana. He was charged with possession of both.
In a separate
incident on June 1 just after midnight, Homer Police officers Ken Wood and Anthony
Combs were patrolling Pearl Street in front of Homer Junior High when they
noticed two men in a car parked close to the school. They found Ozie Burns, 27, and Nathan Kyle Carpenter, 20, each in
possession of a "blunt", a cigar that has been filled with marijuana.
Both were charged with possession of marijuana in a Drug Free School Zone.
On Saturday,
June 11, Homer Police officers Donald Malray, Jimmy
Hamilton, and Anthony Combs stopped a black Riviera for speeding. As they
pulled the vehicle over near Lane Chapel Church, driver Frederick Reynolds
exited the car and ran behind the church. Passenger Bennie Warren admitted to
officers he was in possession of a glass smoking device used for smoking crack
cocaine. He told officers the owner of the vehicle, Christopher Reynolds, could
be found at 908 Hudd Drive. When officers arrived at
that residence, they noticed a strong odor of marijuana and observed small
amounts of marijuana on the kitchen table.
Combs went to
Dixie Mart 1 to pickup Chaka Holmes, the person who resides at 908 Hudd Drive. Officers proceeded to search the house and
found marijuana on the dresser in one bedroom and more in a shoe box under the
bed. Christopher Reynolds was seen stuffing a bag of marijuana between the
seats of the sofa.
Chaka Holmes,
23, of Homer, was charged with possession of marijuana. Bennie Warren, 45, of
Homer, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of
marijuana. Christopher Reynolds, 24, of Dallas Texas was charged with simple
possession of marijuana.
Homer Police
have an arrest warrant for Frederick Reynolds for speeding and flight from an
officer.
THIS MOUNTAIN OF APPLIANCES can be found at the residence of Willie Drew Ferguson at 271 Kidd Drive
off Forest Grove Road. Ferguson was hired by the Claiborne Parish Police Jury
in March 2001 to pick up and dispose of white goods in rural areas of the
parish for a price of $10 per item. The Jury paid Ferguson over $4,600 in 2004.
Since 2001, he has received between $5,500 to $7,000 every
year. After neighbors on Kidd Drive complained to the Jury at their last
meeting, Ferguson was contacted. He has scheduled to have the appliances picked
up in July. Jurors agreed to follow up at their next meeting.
Appliances Pile Up On Kidd Drive
Jury Hears Complaints About
Man Hired To Dispose Of White Goods
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Elmer Kidd Jr.
addressed members of the Claiborne Parish Police Jury at their regular meeting
on June 9 regarding the stockpile of appliances accumulating at the residence
of Willie Ferguson on Kidd Road. Kidd said Ferguson, who had been hired by the
Jury in 2001 to pick up and dispose of white goods, had apparently been storing
the junked appliances near his home.
Kidd told jurors
the pile of metal was beginning to smell. Residents on Kidd Drive were worried about
possible threast of contamination from rust and freon as well as insects and snakes. He said, 'It is an
eyesore and is threatening to contaminate our water supply." Kidd was he
was bothered that nothing had been done after repeatedly contacting Ferguson.
He asked jurors who would be responsible if the water was ever contaminated.
Roy Mardis said he had spoken with Ferguson and was told he had
scheduled to have Tom Adams, a scrap dealer from Shreveport, pick up the goods
the first of July, which Mardis verified. Ferguson
assured Mardis he would not place any more goods at
that site.
Mardis said, "We don't have ordinances in place with
any teeth in them for us to respond."
We need to get some ordinances in place to deal with future problems.
Weldon Kilpatrick said the Jury may need to consider adopting an ordinance to
address these problems, where junk is piled up on private property, which are
worsening all the time.
Mardis said they need to have someone study what ordinance
they have now and what they could do in the future. President Roy Lewis said he
would put the issue on the July agenda.
Jurors approved
Mardis' motion to send a letter to Ferguson notifying
him the Jury is aware of the problem and although they realize he intends to
get it cleaned, they will place it on the July agenda to follow up.
THE REMAINING HALF OF THE PEARSON HOME rolled down Bonner Street in front of Homer Elementary headed for its
new home on Arlington Drive to make way for construction of a new $2.8 million
junior high school building on the Homer High campus. The Pearsons,
who built the house in 1953 and who had lived at that same location for over 51
years, sold the house last fall to the Claiborne Parish School Board. The house
was then sold in February to the highest bidder, Charlie and Christi Weaver,
for $11,333. That same month, Pete and Elaine Pearson purchased the home of Mozelle Andrews on Edgewood Drive behind Homer Elementary.
Pete said they didn't have to go too far and they have great neighbors, yet
they will still be able to hear the noise from fans at the Homer High football
games.
Grant Funds Released For Sewer Plant
Treatment Plant Should Be Online By Next
June
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Plans to
renovate the Town of Homer's wastewater treatment plant have been ready since
the first of the year, but grant funds totaling $860,900 awarded to the Town
last year have been on hold for almost six months. While in Homer last June,
Senator Mary Landrieu informed Mayor Huey Dean the Town's application for the
2004 Louisiana Development Block Grant for Public Facilities had been approved.
The engineering
firm, Balar Associates of Shreveport, immediately
began working on plans to upgrade the facility, to correct operational
deficiencies and to address recurring permit violations. By the time plans were
completed, the Town had been informed by Doyle Robinson with LCDBG, they may
take the grant back if the town did not take steps to raise water rates as
required under the agreement with the Farmers Home Administration. The bidding
process which was to begin early in 2005 was delayed.
Last Wednesday,
Mayor Dean made a trip to Baton Rouge and was told grant funds had been
released. The same day, Hagan received written notice from LCDBG that the
release of grant funds had been approved. Advertising for bids on the project
will start this week. Bids will be
opened at the regularly scheduled meeting on July 11. The low bid should be
awarded by the first of August and construction should begin in September.
Renovations will take about nine months to complete. If all goes as planned,
the new plant should be on-line by June 2006.
Officials To
Speak At Watershed Meeting
About Claiborne Waters
The quality of
water in Claiborne Parish rivers and lakes will be
discussed at the Watershed District meeting on Thursday, June 19 at 5:30 PM in
the Police Jury complex. Chris Piehler of the La.
Dept. of Environmental Quality will engage the audience in using DEQ website
tools, including mapping, so citizens can perform the kind of local assessment
that DEQ performs at the state level. Mr. Piehler
will tie this in with a "sneak preview" of DEQ's plans for the future. USGS Ben Magee will also
be present to answer questions about critical areas of the Sparta Aquifer.
Water resources development and control of surface water use will also be
considered at the meeting.
Papa John Offers Camping, Fishing
On Lake Alberry
BY JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer, The Guardian-Journal
Papa John's
Campground, open since September 2003, is a few miles east of Homer toward
Summerfield. A sign in the heart of downtown Summerfield directs one to Papa
John's about a mile south. Entering the campground by way of the "Lake Alberry" arch, one is immediately greeted by a
"private 32-acre lake." John Campbell, owner-operator, says the lake
has Florida bass, crappie, and bream. According to Campbell, the lake averages
10 feet in depth and is 22 feet at the deep end.
Nicely-shaded,
the campground includes six pull-through full hook-ups with water, electricity,
and sewer. There are also four back-end sites (water and electricity only).
Thirty and fifty-amp plugs are available. Papa John's offers boat rentals, bait and tackle, a concrete boat ramp, and fishing
pier. Separate hot shower facilities are available for men and women. Those
wanting to bike, walk, and hike may enjoy the three and a half mile nature
trail that winds around the lake. A covered pavilion suitable for group
gatherings up to 300 includes fans and night lighting as well as picnic tables.
Papa John's
website at www.papajohnscampground.com includes pricing and other
information.
Want Information On Social Security?
...Ask An Expert
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Jimmy Dean led an informative discussion about
Social Security to
the Homer Lions Club at their meeting held Thursday, May 26. Dean began by stating,
"Whatever there is about Social Security that I don't know—I don't
know." He went on to explain there is much misinformation commonly
repeatedly about Social Security that is just that—misinformation. He suggested
that if you want correct information, do not go to your neighbor, your
mechanic, whoever. Go to an expert on Social Security.
Dean, who
recently retired from the Social Security Administration after 30 years, is an
expert. He now works part-time as a feature writer for The Guardian-Journal. As
a Social Insurance Claims Specialist in the El Dorado office, he heard many
comments about Social Security, much erroneous information offered by neighbors
or friends. He likened it to butchers and surgeons. He said, "Both cut
meat, but I would not go to the butcher for advice on a surgical procedure."
For that same reason, he advised Lions to seek answers on Social Security from
a professional who can answer their questions accurately.
In discussing
the Social Security funding problem, Dean said the issue was addressed over 20
years ago. As a result the gradual increase in the retirement age came out of
committees set up by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The change first affects
people born in 1938. They will not be eligible to draw their full Social
Security benefit until two months after their 65th birthday. Those born in 1939
will wait four months, in 1940 six months, in 1941, eight months, etc.
Despite the
changes in the full retirement age, reduced Social Security payments are still
paid at age 62. Those payments are figured at a lesser amount (a percentage of
the full benefit), but the average person will still draw out the same amount
of money, just over a longer period of time.
In answer to
the question, was the government siphoning off the excess money collected in
Social Security, Dean said it is true that Social Security lends surplus monies
to the Treasury Department for almost 65 years. He explained that such loans
are accomplished by means of legal instruments of indebtedness. These have
always been repaid with interest. Each year the Trustees Report lists those
loans, which have never been defaulted on and are repaid at an interest rate
between 6% and 8%.
Dean went on to
say that while private insurance agencies allocate 20-30 percent to overhead,
the Social Security Administration spends less than one percent.
Because of
Social Security's reputation for effective, efficient administration of the
program, the agency was chosen in the early 1970s to handle the SSI
(Supplemental Security Income) program. The two programs are entirely different
with totally separate funding.
Dean also
explained why employees who get retirement payments through retirement plans
based on work not covered by Social Security receive lower amounts due to the
Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
He explained
there is a lot of confusion about the two provisions. WEP affects retirement
payments to the worker. GPO affects spousal or widow(er)'s benefits, not retirement payments on one's own record.
Lively questioning continued until the meeting adjourned. Attendees agreed they
must have Dean back again.
Swimming Pools To
Open This Week
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Mayfield
Pool and Homer Natatorium are tentatively scheduled to open at 1 PM on
Wednesday, June 15 if pumps are operational. According to pool manager Maz Bursey, both pools will be
open Monday-Friday 1-6 PM and 12-5 PM on Saturday. Admission is $1.50.
Individual season passes are $30. Bursey said
swimming lessons will be held beginning Monday, June 20 at Homer Natatorium for
two weeks, Monday-Thursday at 6 PM each day. The fee is $15. For more
information or to sign up, call the Mayfield Pool at 927-4859 or the Homer
Natatorium at 927-6007.
In Haynesville,
both city pools opened last Monday. The Woodson Pool is open Monday-Saturday
1-6 PM and Monday-Friday 1-6 PM at City Park Pool. The pool manager at Woodson
is Brenda Jackson and
phone number is 624-2082. Sandra Smith is the manager at City
Park Pool, phone 624-1184. A season pass for a family is $30 and individual season
passes are $20.
