Students Return To
School Next Week
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The first
official day of school for all Claiborne Parish public schools is Monday,
August 15. All students are expected to be in attendance daily. Louisiana State
law requires students to be in attendance at least 160 days per year to receive
credit in subjects taken. They cannot be promoted if they have more than 16 unexcused
(without doctor's excuse) absences in one year. Their age does not exempt them.
The Claiborne
Parish School Board and the District Attorney's Office of Truancy are working
together to keep students in school. The DA's Office will be contacted when a
student has 5, 8, 11, 15, and all subsequent absences. Each step has serious
repercussions.
Claiborne
Academy will hold their Annual Back-to-School Bar-B-Que
on Monday, August 15 beginning at 5 PM in the school gymnasium. Tickets are $7
and are available at the school or by calling 927-2747. Students' first day of
school will be half day on Monday August 15.
Homer
Elementary School students are invited to meet their teachers on Friday, August
12 between 8 AM-3 PM. Children will not stay at school this day. Pre-K students must have copies of Social
Security card, birth certificate, shot record and 911 verification by August 15
or they will not be allowed in the program.Students
should report to their homeroom by 7:45 AM each day. Classes begin at 7:55 AM.
Students who arrive after 7:50 AM are considered tardy and must by signed in at the
office by a parent. Three tardies count as one
unexcused absence.
Junction City
High School will conduct orientation sessions for junior high students and for
new students on August 15-16 in room 2 at the high school. The purpose of these
sessions is to allow students and parents to meet with the principal and pickup
schedules. New student orientation will be Monday, August 15 at 5 PM. Seventh
grade orientation will be Monday, at 5:45 PM for A-F, 6:30 PM for G-N, and 7:15
for O-Z. Eighth grade orientation will be Tuesday, August 16 at 5 PM for A-E,
5:45 PM for F-L, 6:30 PM for M-R, and 7:15 PM for S-Z. The first day of school
for all students will be Friday, August 19. Students will not be in the new
junior high building until the middle of September.
Junction City
Elementary School will hold a Back-to-School Night and Open House on Thursday,
August 18 from 6:30-7:30 PM. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians
to meet their child's teachers in their classrooms as well as gain an overview
of activities and expectations for the upcoming year. It is recommended that students not attend. You may bring your child's school
supplies at this time.
Mt. Olive
Christian School will hold an Open House on Sunday, August 21 from 2:30-4:30
PM. Following a short assembly, parents and students can meet their teachers,
bring school supplies, pickup schedules and assign lockers. The first full day
of school will be Monday, August 22, beginning at 7:55 AM. Students will be
tardy at 8:00 AM.
Faculty members
at Claiborne Parish schools for the 2004-2005 school year
are as follows:
Homer Women Arrested For Extortion
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Two Homer women
were arrested August 5 on extortion charges, after threatening to blackmail
another individual according to Sheriff Ken Bailey. The Louisiana State Police
North District Detectives made the arrest assisted by CNET agents and Claiborne
Parish Sheriff deputies.
Bailey said his
office was contacted in late July by a man who told authorities he was being
blackmailed for $25,000. Due to a conflict with other cases, LSP Detectives
were asked to assist . Once the investigation got
underway, agents soon discovered a strong tie to illegal narcotics. This led to
a joint investigation with LSP North District Narcotics and Claiborne Narcotic
Enforcement Team (CNET), formerly Metro Narcotics.
Last Friday, arrest warrants were served on Veronica R. Williams
of Memphis Street in Homer for extortion and Gloria R. McDaniel of Richardson
Loop for conspiracy to extortion and distribution of Schedule III CDS (hydrocodone, a prescription pain killer).
Both subjects
were booked into the Claiborne Parish Jail with bond to be set. Extortion,
threatening another person with the intent of obtaining something of value,
carries a maximum penalty of not more fifteen years at hard labor.
The penalty for
distribution of Schedule III CDS (controlled dangerous substance) is
imprisonment at hard labor for not more than ten years; and, in addition, may
be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than fifteen thousand dollars.
More Drug Arrests Made
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Agents from the
Claiborne Narcotic Enforcement Team (formerly Metro Narcotics), were involved
in a number of drug related arrests in past weeks according to Sheriff Ken
Bailey. The first incident involved an investigation by CNET, the Claiborne
Parish Sheriff's Office, Ouachita Parish Metro Unit and agents from the DEA
Monroe Field Office. A series of undercover buys ultimately led to the arrest
on July 13 of David P. Heldreth, 45, of the Marsalis
community in south Claiborne Parish.
The
investigation began after Ouachita Metro agents
contacted CNET agent James Spillers inquiring about Heldreth.
A search of Heldreth's home at 470 Hodges Plant Road
resulted in the seizure of approximately 4 oz. of methamphetamine (Ice), 9 long
guns, and 2 pistols.
Heldreth was indicted July 20 by a Federal Grand Jury in
Monroe for possession with intent to distribute Sch
II CDS methamphetamine (Ice), conspiracy to distribute Sch
II CDS methamphetamine (Ice), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
If convicted, Heldreth faces a minimum of 10 years
and up to 20 years in prison. The case is ongoing, with the possibility of more
arrests in California. Heldreth is currently being
held in the Ouachita Parish Detention Center.
According to
Sheriff Bailey, four individuals were arrested August 2 in a rural area of
Natchitoches following a separate investigation by CNET, the Claiborne Parish
Sheriff's Office, the Louisiana State Police, the Natchitoches Drug Task Force,
and Louisiana Meth Task Force. Bailey said.
"This is a great example of how one phone call from a concerned citizen in
Claiborne Parish led to the seizure of a top-producing meth
lab in a three to four parish area."
Immediately
after receiving a call advising authorities a person was purchasing supplies
for the manufacture of methamphetamine in Homer, LMTF agents from the CPSO
started surveillance of local businesses and quickly identified an individual
who had purchased pseudoephedrine-based cold medicine
and was attempting to purchase more. After he left the Homer area,
investigators stopped his vehicle. This led to the seizure of several items
used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Upon further
investigation, agents revealed the lab site was located in either Natchitoches
or Red River Parish. They contacted agents in that area and were told, the
suspects in question were the number one problem for the Tri-Parish Task Force
in Desoto, Red River and Sabine Parish.
A search
warrant secured for the lab site on August 2 led to the seizure of an
active Red Phosphorous Meth Lab and the arrest of
Eddie W. Scallion, 29; Todd W. Smith, 32; Edward M. Scallion, 62; and Kimberly
M. Scallion, 28. All four were charged with creating or operating a clandestine
lab, manufacture of Schedule II CDS (meth),
conspiracy to manufacture Sch. II CDS (meth), and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sheriff Bailey
thanked the individual who made the call and urged anyone else with information
about any crime in Claiborne Parish to call the Sheriff's Office at 927-2011,
the Homer Police Department at 927-4000, or the Haynesville Police Department
at 624-1355.
In an unrelated
incident on Saturday, August 6, Claiborne Parish deputies arrested Kenneth J.
Wyatt, 19, of West Monroe, and charged him with possession with intent to
distribute Sch. IV CDS (Xanax).
Sheriff Bailey said Deputy David Morgan responded to a possible motor vehicle
accident in the area of Lake Claiborne State Park. After arriving on the scene,
he determined it was not a vehicle accident, but he did realize unusual
behavior of the individuals involved.
Morgan went to
the camping area and was given permission to search a camper located at
campsite 86. With the assistance of CPSO Lt. Jimmy Brown and Lake Claiborne
State Park Ranger J. T. Williams, a search uncovered 75 Xanax
bars and a syringe containing an unknown substance. Wyatt admitted the pills
were his and that he had obtained them illegally. He was transported to the
Claiborne Parish Detention Center, booked, and charged with possession with
intent to distribute Schedule IV CDS (Xanax). Bond is
to be set.
ARTIST GINGER SHARP stands in front of the colorful mural she drew in the new library at
Homer Elementary. Library Teacher Maggie Harris asked Sharpe to draw the mural
with Paul Bunyan as the main focus. Sharpe included a sketch of Harris above.
LIBRARY TEACHER MAGGIE HARRIS is excited about the upcoming school year at Homer Elementary. One of
her new duties this year is Reading Enrichment. Students in grades Pre-K-Grade
3 will come to library class on a rotating basis where they will have access to
computers and resource materials as well as a nice selection of Accelerated
Reader books. Students (l.-r.) Brent Aubrey, Demarious Combs, Haidyn Herring, Kalei Sherrrill, Ragan Beard, Iyshia Tims, Jabrenthia
McDaniel, and Iyana Marcel are also looking forward
to spending time with Mrs. Harris in the new air conditioned library.
Mural Brings Life To
Homer Elementary Library
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Homer
Elementary Library Teacher Maggie Harris asked Ginger Sharpe to paint a mural
on the north wall of the new school library with Paul Bunyan as the central
focus. She picked Bunyan because logging is one of the main occupations in
Claiborne Parish. Randomly scattered around Bunyan are many other colorful
story characters, all meant to inspire students to "read."
This year, Homer
Elementary will have 39 classrooms with more than 600 students in grades Pre-K
through fifth grade. Every students will go to the
school library on a rotation schedule where they will have access to computers
and resource materials, as well as Accelerated Reader books. Prior to the 2004-2005 school year, the school had no organized library, only a collection
of books in each classroom. Beginning in October 2004, with the help of
volunteers, Mrs. Harris began processing over 3,000 books. All the new books
are Accelerated Reader books with computer tests in each one. These books were
purchased with approximately $4,500 raised during the "Buy A Book, Build A Child" campaign from cash donations
from local businesses and individuals, and from $1,500 received through two
grants. "We still have lots of empty shelves that need to be filled,"
Harris said. "Any $25 donation to the Homer Elementary Library will be
used to purchase more books for our students." They will continue to accept donations until
all the shelves are full and donor labels will be placed in the front of each
book.
THIS PICTURESQUE VIEW OF LAKE CLAIBORNE was one of the reasons Doug and Patti Folts
selected this particular site to build their retirement home. After one visit here,
they fell in love with the Courthouse, the Town of Homer and the people here.
They moved here in the early 1990's nd remain one of
the area's biggest advocates of Lake Claiborne, the Town of Homer, and
Claiborne Parish.
VIEW OF THE FOLTS' spacious home from the lakeside (left) shows the amount of work to keep the many plants
bordering the walkway so beautifully manicured. Floral bushes and lush greenery
(right) provide a beautiful, picturesque view of the lake.
Claiborne's Unofficial Ambassadors Of Goodwill
BY JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer, The Guardian-Journal
"Advocates"_"promoters"_"champions"_all
these words fit Doug and Patti Folts like comfortable
shoes. They might be called Claiborne Parish's unofficial "Ambassadors of
Goodwill."
Doug and his
wife Patti, who live on Lake Claiborne, were both born in Tennessee. They were
high school sweethearts and married in 1956. After moving around for 30 years
in the Air Force, Doug retired. Over the years they have lived in Illinois, Oklahoma,
Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, the Azores Islands, and the Philippines.
What led this
urbane, affable couple to put down roots in the backwoods of North Louisiana?
The answer goes back over 30 years ago to the early 1970s. Doug was still in the
Air Force when he and Patti visited Jim and Pat Brown in Shreveport. Jim and
Doug were Air Force buddies. All came to Lake Claiborne to the Brown's lakehouse. "We fell in love with the lake, the town of
Homer, the Courthouse, the people—with everything about the area," says
Patti. "We were interested in lake property back then but just couldn't
afford it, what with college expenses for the kids and all," says Doug.
Even so, they kept their eye on the lot next to the Brown's. They continued to
visit the Brown's from time to time. During one visit they learned the lot they
wanted had been sold. Doug wrote the buyer and asked if he ever decided to
sell, to be sure and let them know. For several years, Doug wrote the buyer
reminding him of their interest in the property. "Then that 1987 stock
market drop happened, and he called me with an offer to sell the
property," says Doug.
However, it
wasn't until 1992, after having been retired from the Air Force for six years,
that they got serious about moving to Claiborne Parish. "I went to the
bank here at Homer to arrange financing to build our house. I was blown away
that they didn't even require an application, just told me to let `em know what I needed when I needed it, and it would be
taken care of. They were such a friendly, helpful bunch to deal with."
Doug goes on, "As I was leaving the bank, one of the employees, a
Hightower, wished us well." Doug says that same day he went to the
Department of Motor Vehicles to get his driver's license, and "the person
who helped me was named Hightower." He continues, "Then I went to the
tax assessor's office, and, yep, another Hightower." When they got to
Linder's Restaurant later that day, "I told the waitress, `Don't tell
me...your name is Hightower.'" It turns out, the waitress wasn't a
Hightower.
The Folts went on to build their 5000 square foot house beside
the Brown's. They say they tell everyone who will listen about the virtues of
Claiborne Parish, the relatively low cost of living, the competitively priced
lake property, the relaxed pace of living, and the friendliness of the people.
Doug and
Patti's scattered friends frequently visit. "We probably average
houseguests every other week during the summer and monthly the rest of the
year," they say. A few months ago a number of friends from Doug's days at
Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines gathered at the Folts'
for a "Clark Reunion."
Hospitality a
la Folts includes what he calls "Doug's Taste of
Homer Tour." He describes it this way. "We usually start off with a stop
by Rex Young's Barber Shop. We just sit around and listen for half an hour or
so. We go to the Old Homer Cemetery, and note the inscriptions and old
monuments. Next is a stop at Sonic for lemonade, then if it's Friday_I try to do the tour on a Friday_we
take them to what I call the `Harmonica Juice-Harp Festival,' those local
musicians who gather to make music. One time when I told my granddaughter where
we were going, she rolled her eyes, so I said, `It's Old Folks' Rock `n Roll.'
We also take them to the Ford Museum, and, of course, the Courthouse. And Patti
takes them to Miss Lizzie's." Patti adds, "Miss Lizzie's is
wonderful! She offers gourmet stuff that you would have to drive to Dallas to
get. And I also like to take them to Interior Designs and to Lois Jean's up at
Magnolia. While we're up there, we eat at Backyard Barbeque. We sometimes take
them to Moon's at Antioch for steak and to Follette
Pottery, who recently moved to Ruston. People just love the tour!"
When asked what
one thing could help Claiborne Parish most, Doug says, "To get the word
out about what a great place this is." Patti says, "We were amazed
when we went to get tomatoes, and they said to just pick `em,
weigh `em, and leave the money. Where
else but in Claiborne Parish!?" Patti adds, "One other thing
that could boost the parish is for the community to overcome the racial
division. I yearn for a reaching out, a bridging of the gap that separates so
many. You would think it could start in the churches. There seems to have been
some effort, but we're not there yet. I have noticed that music is a common
denominator, the connection that can overcome what divides us. As a starting point, maybe an exchange of choirs between the
churches. And it can't be a one-time thing. Whatever it takes to finally
get this behind us, we need to do it."
Albert Crews: Homer's Tiger Woods
BY JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer, The Guardian-Journal
Albert Crews is
putting Homer, Louisiana on the map. This 53-year-old concrete mason, Baptist
minister, and professional golfer is self-taught and
uses a rare "cross-handed" grip. He has been featured on Channel 3,
in a number of newspaper articles, and in a national golf magazine. Just last
month, he qualified for the 2005 U.S. Senior Open Championship held July 28-31
at the NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio.
Crews, the only
participant from Louisiana, competed in a field with such names as Arnold
Palmer, Jim Thorpe, Fuzzy Zoeller, Jim Dent, Tom
Watson, Ben Crenshaw, and Greg Norman.
Of 156 individuals on the Senior PGA Tour, only sixty made the cut.
Crews shot 72 and 76, and missed the U.S. Senior Open cut by three strokes.
Something he said he never does, he double-bogeyed two of the last three holes.
In an article
written by Grant Wittenwyler in 2001 at BlackAthlete.net,
he said, "It is tempting, but somewhat unfair, to cast Crews as a
middle-aged, blue-collar counterpart to Tiger Woods," but both are
breaking color barriers and Crews routinely launches Tiger-like drives of
300-plus yards.
