Haynesville moves forward in Bush case
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Town of Haynesville is ready to move forward and put behind them a case that
has plagued them for years.
Mayor
Sherman Brown and the town council met in a special-called meeting Thursday,
July 30, with Attorney John Campbell in order to move forward “expeditiously”
in settling the case of Marilyn Bush, who is accused of stealing hundreds of
thousands of dollars from the town.
“I told
them (town council) that this has been dragging on long enough as far as I’m
concerned,” Brown said. “He was authorized to try to bring this case to an
end.”
Campbell updated the council on where the case stands, and told
them what their options were. As of press time, Campbell did not return phone
calls seeking comment as he was out of town.
In
February, the Louisiana State Supreme Court denied the writ seeking
post-conviction relief.
Her
sentence of 10 years at hard labor was reinstated. In early February, the state
supreme court would not hear her requests.
The
entire case has been through three cycles of Bush going to jail, getting her
conviction overturned and getting the conviction reinstated.
On the
eve of her retirement in October 2000, Bush was placed on administrative leave
by the Haynesville Town Council after town auditor Mike Rabinowitz discovered
missing funds while conducting the town’s annual audit. She was later arrested
in November 2000 by Louisiana State Police and charged with felony theft over $500
and malfeasance in office.
In
other news, a request was made to increase the cleaning of fair building, but
instead of the increase being granted, the council chose to bid out the
service, because they can get the service for the same or less.
Brown
was authorized to select the lowest quote without having to come back to the
council for approval.
Also
discussed was the fact that the discount store, Fred’s, is still dealing with a
leaking roof. After the recent rains northwest Louisiana has experienced, the
roof still needed some work. Brown has contacted the original contractor in
regards to the leak to fix it.
The
community center also leaks, Brown said, and he’s now awaiting contact from the
treasury department on an appropriations request submitted. He requested
$46,000, but he’s hopeful to get $25,000. If the request is approved, that
money will go to replacing the roof.
“One
way or another, we’re going to have to do something,” he said. “I did not know
the roof was leaking, and until it started raining, it started spotting after
all that work that had been done. After that last rain we had, water was
actually dripping on the floor in the back of the building.”
The
next regular session of the Haynesville Town Council will be held at 6 p.m. in council chambers, located behind City Hall on Thursday, August 20.
HMH safe from Medicaid cuts
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
With
Gov. Bobby Jindal cutting millions from Medicaid, the medical industry is
feeling the pinch.
According
to reports, Jindal cut approximately $9 million from the state’s projected
budget for the Medicaid program, which went into effect Tuesday, August 4.
According to the Department of Health and Hospitals Budget Impact, several
northwest Louisiana hospitals will be affected by the cuts, including Minden Medical Center. However, Homer Memorial Hospital (HMH) is safe from these cuts.
Homer
Hospital Administrator Doug Efferson said that because several people went to Baton Rouge and fought to keep rural hospitals exempt, Claiborne’s only hospital will not
be affected by these cuts.
“Homer Hospital is not being affected by this 6.3 percent reduction,” Efferson said, “but
hospitals like Willis-Knighton and (Christus) Schumpert are. The bottom line is
the Louisiana Hospital Association represents not just rural hospitals, but
urban hospitals as well. All the big hospitals are going to get a reduction.”
But
that doesn’t mean that rural hospitals weren’t on the chopping block. The
Louisiana Rural Hospital Association, a group of 46 rural hospitals, showed up
in force – along with others – in protest of the looming budget cuts.
“And we
are the ones who fought tooth and nail, but the bottom line is that this isn’t
affecting us,” Efferson said. “Nobody knew that the Louisiana Medicaid program
was doing this. I knew it, and we did a lot of work. It got scary towards the
end, before they finally put us in as an exemption. Before this came in, we
were in those cuts.”
Homer Hospital is
considered a rural hospital, which is one of the several areas that were
considered exempt from the reductions. Other areas, according to a letter from
John Matessino, president and CEO of the Louisiana Hospital Association,
include preventative medicine evaluation and management, immunizations, family
planning services, select orthopedic reparative services, physician services to
patients 16 and under, and any physician services not currently reimbursed at
80 percent of the Louisiana Medicare fee schedule shall be increased to that
level.
“From
my perspective, Homer Hospital dodged a bullet,” he said. “But when it comes
down to how bad it is, 20 to 25 percent of those payments to hospitals are
Medicaid.”
According
to hospital records, Efferson said HMH receives revenues of roughly 18 percent
from Medicaid alone. The net revenue of the hospital itself is approximately
$17 million, which includes self-pay and commercial health insurance. Payments
from Medicaid per year are roughly $3 million. If Medicaid reimbursements had
been cut, that would have resulted in a loss of approximately $200,000 per
year, he said. But, just because they are reducing reimbursements, does not
necessarily mean the state is cutting necessary services.
“They
are not reducing covered services,” Efferson said, “they are simply paying
less.”
According
to a joint statement released by Matessino and Paul Salles, CEO of the
Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, released Friday, August 7, these
cuts equal 6.2 percent statewide.
“Hospitals,
which had already begun to implement many cost-cutting strategies because of
the national economic environment and the mid-year 3.5 percent Medicaid cuts,
are making even tougher decisions that will involve their staff, their patients
and their communities,” the statement said. “Some hospitals have begun to
institute hiring freezes, evaluate services and reduce benefits to some
employees, and this is just the beginning.
“In the
coming months, as hospitals have ample time to evaluate the Medicaid
reductions,” the statement continued, “we will see even more drastic measures
taken to reduce expenses in order to remain solvent.”
The
statement goes on to say that if Medicaid is cut much more, hospitals that are
already being paid below cost for Medicaid patients, individuals and businesses
with health insurance will pay higher premiums to cover the shortfall.
“If the
state continues to cut Medicaid funding, everyone who pays for insurance can
expect their health insurance premiums and co-pays to keep rising,” the
statement continued.
Rep.
Jean Doerge, a member of the Health and Welfare Committee, said because the
entire budget is fairly complicated, there is a possibility that a rule change
will have to be done.
“This
is very complicated, and with all the cuts coming down, then DHH is going to
have to look again at how the cuts will be done,” she said. “This is called a
rule change, but we haven’t heard anything on that yet.”
According
to a budget schedule released by the Department of Health and Hospitals, the
budget reflects an overall reduction in funding for the 2009-10 fiscal year of $240
million.
“DHH
estimates the Federal Medical Assistance Program (FMAP) relief provision of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 will yield approximately
$1.4 billion to be received over a 27-month period beginning October 1, 2008 and ending December 31, 2010,” stated the budget analyst Connie Percell in
the schedule. “Of this amount, $626.5 million is appropriated in Medicaid for
FY 09-10.”
According
to Doerge, the cuts to Medicaid were to help close a funding gap, with this
year’s operating budget set at approximately $8 billion. In the 2010 budget,
she said, this amount will have decreased to approximately $7.9 billion, with a
12.2 percent decrease. The schedule also shows, she said, that the FMAP funds
will decrease to 63.3 percent, anticipating a loss of $500 million for the
Department of Health and Hospitals.
Although
reimbursements have been slashed for hospitals and physicians, the schedule
does say there are some additional funds coming to Medicaid. Several areas will
see increases including reimbursement rates for nursing home services, funding
for mandatory price increases for pharmaceuticals and allowances for payment
for pharmaceuticals and increase in Medicaid enrollments as a result of the
economic downturn.
Several
other areas were included as well, and according to published reports, the
federal government could help “cushion” the effects of the cuts. With federal
money coming in to help cover expenses for Medicare Parts A and B as well as
Medicare Part D (prescription drugs), this could help.
To find
out more information in regards to the Medicaid cuts as well as other
health-care funding cuts, go to the Department of Health and Hospitals website
at www.dhh.louisiana.gov, or go to the Louisiana Rural Hospital Association’s
website at www.lhaonline.org.
Arrest made in Pearl Street shooting
The Guardian-Journal
A Homer
man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that occurred in July on Pearl Street.
Wallace
Ridley, 42, of Homer, was arrested on Wednesday, August 5, on two warrants with
charges of possession of/carrying a concealed weapon, with bond set at
$500,000, and illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities, with bond set
at $500,000.
Homer
Police Officer Van McDaniel made the arrest.
On the
date of the incident, Sunday, July 12, reports say the Homer Police Department
was dispatched to Pearl Street in reference to shots fired in the area. Captain
Donald Malray and Officer John Bailey responded to the call, going to Homer
Memorial Hospital (HMH) where the two victims were said to be. Upon arrival,
Malray spoke with the victims, both saying they didn’t know who fired the
shots. However, according to reports, Malray received information that Ridley
and the second victim had fired the shots.
In the
follow up investigation, a witness claimed Ridley and the second suspect had
fired the shots.
The
first victim was transported to Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, while the other stayed at HMH for observation.
A
second arrest is pending in the case.
In
other crime news, Daniel Branton, 24, of Haynesville, was arrested Monday,
August 3, for possession of marijuana, second offense, with bond set at $5,000.
According
to reports, Officer Steve Harbour was patrolling Hwy. 79 and stopped his patrol
unit to speak with Branton at a local convenience store. Upon contact, the
officer observed that Branton was acting nervously.
Branton
was patted down for officer’s safety, at which time, a bag of suspected
marijuana was found in his pants. Officer Van McDaniel arrived on scene to
assist, and Branton was taken into custody and transported to the Homer Police
Station on the above charge. He was then transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center for booking.
In an
unrelated incident, Larry Kimble, 29, of Athens, was arrested on the same date
for simple battery. Bond was set at $500.
According
to reports, police were dispatched to the 900 block of Hudd Drive in reference
to a disturbance. Upon arrival, Officer John Bailey observed Kimble and his
girlfriend exiting a residence, appearing to be arguing. Bailey spoke with
Kimble’s girlfriend, and during the interview, he observed an injury to her
head. Reports say she stated Kimble had pushed her down.
Officer
Mario Thomas assisted in the investigation of this incident.
Kimble
was then placed into custody and arrested on the above charge.
Back to School Bash
Health unit to donate supplies to
students
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
The
Claiborne Parish Health Unit, in partnership with Region 7 Medicaid, Area
Health Education Center (A-HEC) and LaCHIP, will be hosting a back to School
Bash at Homer City Hall, located at 400 East Main, on Monday, August 17, from 4
until 7 p.m.
Staff
members from each of these organizations will be distributing the free, filled
backpacks to any student who attends the event with a parent and discussing the
center’s no or low cost health care programs.
Inside
the backpacks are basic school supplies, including pencils, crayons, loose-leaf
paper, notebooks, glue and many other items, for any school-age child attending
any Claiborne Parish school.
Backpacks
will only be given to students that attend with a parent or legal guardian.
Children are not to come alone.
There
is no charge for the backpacks, nor is there any type of requirement or
qualification.
Staff
members will also be assisting in Medicaid enrollment as well as replacement of
lost or stolen Medicaid cards. Citizens are also invited to attend to ask
questions, and/or wish to apply for Medicaid or need to update Medicaid
information.
The
event will consist of a first-come, first-serve basis and will be closing early
if supplies run out.
Many
area businesses made worthy donations to the event, including Capital One Bank
in Homer, State Farm Insurance, Claiborne Drug, Bobby Mims with Vision of
Tomorrow, First Ebenezer Baptist Church, The Raven Bookstore, Homer Auto
Supply, Claiborne electric company and the Town of Homer donated the use of
City Hall for the event.
Claiborne Electric plans short outage
Claiborne
Electric Cooperative has scheduled a planned outage in the Homer substation for
Thursday, August 20, beginning at 1 a.m. The co-op has been making system
upgrades in several areas which are fed by this substation, and the outage is
necessary so that final ties to the substation may be completed.
The
outage is estimated to last about three hours. Members affected by the outage
will include those who are served by Claiborne Electric between Homer and Lisbon, Homer to Colquitt, Homer to Ruple and Homer to Summerfield.
“We are
planning this work for the wee hours of the morning in an attempt to limit the
impact it will have on those people who will be affected by the outage,” said
Mark Brown, Claiborne Electric’s general manager and CEO. “When possible, we
always try to schedule these major maintenance events at a time we feel will
have the least impact.”
For
more information, please call Claiborne Electric at 318-927-3504.
Fans really go to those in need
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
With
the temperatures soaring again, fans are the only way some elderly can keep
somewhat cool in their homes.
Over
the course of the summer, several organizations have held fan drives to make
sure that those who need them get fans to stay cool. With so many fans being
purchased and donated, where do they really go? Do they stack up somewhere and
gather dust, or do they really go to the people who need them?
These
were questions that were asked of Jean Reynolds, director of the Claiborne
Parish Office of Community Services (OCS) and Josephine Miller, director of the
Claiborne Council on Aging (CCA).
This
year, 34 fans were either purchased or donated to OCS. Twenty were purchased by
her office and 14 were donated, while 45 were donated to CCA along with 15
other fans.
“We
gave them to the elderly and the disabled all over the parish,” Reynolds said.
“We make them sign for them when they come in.”
When
asked if the fans were really going where they are supposed to, she gave an
emphatic “yes.”
Minnie
Grigsby, an elderly resident of White Oak Road, said she is very appreciative
of the fan she received from OCS. Because her home is not well insulated, she
said, it’s very difficult to keep cool in the summer months – and after all the
rain, the humidity doesn’t help either.
“After
it’s rained, it’s getting back hot,” she said.
Grigsby
also has two older fans that help cool her house, but one of those is on its
last leg, she said.
“I
thank you all (OCS) for it,” she said of her fan. “I really appreciate it and
it’s really helped.”
At CCA,
Miller said all those aged 60 and over are eligible to receive fans and they
are screened when they come in.
“Usually
when they come in, we do an assessment to see about all of their needs, not
just the fans,” Miller said.
CCA would
like to thank the following: Dick Dorrell, Bob Robinson and the Homer Lions
Club, Bro. Willie Johnson, The Women’s Mission Ministry and Mt. Superior
Baptist Church, and Magnolia Respiratory Care (15 fans), for donating fans for
the elderly.
The
Town of Homer donated fans to OCS as well as Entergy, who donated money for OCS
to purchase fans. Family Dollar Store, in conjunction with the Homer Lions
Club, also donated several fans as well as helped coordinate the purchase of
the fans.
“So
many elderly persons in Claiborne Parish are in desperate need for fans and
cannot afford air conditioning or fans,” Miller said.
Many of
the fans donated to or purchased by CCA have already been passed out, but there
are some box fans and stand fans left. For those age 60 and over who still need
a fan, please call the Claiborne Council on Aging at 927-6922 and ask for
Deanie Dorrell, respite coordinator.
Corrections staff, offenders ready for
indoor smoking ban
Voluntary bans at AVC, DCI going
smoothly
BATON
ROUGE – Voluntary smoking cessation programs at two state correctional
facilities have proven successful in the first months of implementation as the
department readies for a full ban on indoor smoking by August 15.
State
correctional facilities are on target to comply with the Louisiana Smokefree
Air Act, passed by the Louisiana Legislature in 2006. However, a
provision in the law gave state correctional facilities more time to implement
the indoor smoking ban.
Warden
Jerry Goodwin, of David Wade Correctional Center (DWCC), said those in his
facility have been preparing for the ban for the last few years.
“We’ve
been working towards that goal for the last few years,” he said. “Currently, 75
percent of our facility is non-smoking. There will be smoking areas for the inmates,
but they won’t be able to smoke inside any of the buildings.”
Department
of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) Secretary James M. Le Blanc says
the department has revised its smoking policy for both offenders and staff and
educational programs and training have been implemented department-wide.
Smoking inside areas of public buildings and places of employment
operated by the department, including work release programs, is prohibited for
all employees, visitors and offenders beginning August 15.
Treatment
staff at DWCC is providing smoking cessation classes in conjunction with the
American Cancer Society. He said patches are available for those who wish to
purchase them.
Some
facilities, however, chose to implement the ban prior to August 15 as allowed
by regulation. Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport, and Dixon
Correctional Institute in Jackson, voluntarily banned all indoor smoking on May
15.
“An
indoor smoking ban is a big deal for both offenders and staff, but it’s the
right thing to do,” said Secretary Le Blanc. “The department started the
educational process months ago in an effort to ease all parties toward this
significant change.”
DPS&C
Medical Director Dr. Raman Singh says employees and offenders at the two
facilities are cooperating with the new procedures and understand the overall
goal of the ban: to create a safer, smoke-free environment for all who live and
work at state correctional facilities, and, perhaps indirectly, to reduce the
number of smokers resulting in healthier individuals and reduced medical costs.
“Some
employees and offenders see the ban as an opportunity to quit smoking for
good,” said Dr. Singh. “Smoking is one of the biggest ‘preventable’
causes of morbidity and it also becomes more important to help people break the
habit because our beloved state of Louisiana has some of the highest numbers of
cancer and heart disease rates in the nation.”
Certain
indoor areas in state correctional facilities were off-limits to smokers
already, such as cellblocks, infirmaries and hospice areas. The new
regulation bans smoking in all indoor areas. Offenders will have the
option to smoke in designated areas outdoors. However, offenders assigned to
Administrative Segregation, Extended Lockdown, Working Cellblocks, and Maximum
Custody Dormitories for disciplinary reasons are prohibited from possessing,
smoking or using tobacco products under any circumstance.
Goodwin
said a large number of his inmates smoke, but he doesn’t anticipate any
problems, but disciplinary measures have been put in place for those – inmates
or staff – are caught smoking inside any building of the facility.
For
more information on the program or the new law, please call DWCC at
318-927-0400.
Berry Plastics goes green
JENNI WILLIAMS, The Guardian-Journal
Berry
Plastics, Claiborne Parish’s largest manufacturer, is making a conscious effort
to go green.
In an
effort to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the Earth, Berry Plastics is now
giving away some of the raw mat products that were previously considered
unusable.
According
to a press release, the manufacturing facility has begun donating left-over
stub rolls of paper. After an order of each specific type of paper has been
completed by the facility, excess paper may be left on the cores. Each core
averages three inches in diameter, and is typically discarded, where it would
later end up in a landfill.
When it
was realized that these excess rolls of paper could be used by area schools,
churches and other nonprofit organizations, Berry made the decision to offer
these rolls of paper free of charge.
“We
[Berry Plastics] are having a double impact on the environment - we are no
longer throwing away our raw materials, but we are also helping teachers by
supplying them with paper they would otherwise have to purchase,” Berry
Plastic’s planning coordinator Tina Webb said.
“We
have had individuals come from as far north as Little Rock and as far south as
below Lafayette. Of course, we gave them enough products to make it worth their
time and long drive,” she continued.
This is
an unprecedented opportunity for churches and schools to save a large amount of
money for paper products that would otherwise be purchased.
The
paper is available in small to medium-sized rolls of 50-500 feet and is between
36 inches and 96 inches in height, with most being approximately 48 inches.
Depending
on what the facility has run in the week prior to each appointment, there could
be up to five different weights, or thickness, of brown craft paper and five
weights of white paper - which includes wrapping-type tissue paper, cardstock
and poster board by the roll.
Periodically,
Berry Plastics may also have rolls of plastic, film and fabric.
The
facility will be requiring an appointment for each pickup and reserves the
right to limit the amount received, but the number of times each organization
requests a return appointment will not be limited.
Tuesday
and Thursday afternoons will be the only day appointments will be available.
Individuals
will be required to show some sort of proof, including school or church
letterhead, that can be verified and will be asked to sign a waiver to pick up
the paper upon arriving at the manufacturing facility.
For
more information, please contact Webb at 927-1515.
School registration date, times
**Please
note that notaries will be on site at each school during registration time, at
no cost to the parents. For more information, please call central office at
318-927-3502.
August 13
1 until 7 p.m.
Summerfield
August 17
9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Athens
August 18
3 until 8 p.m.
Athens
Please take note of school registration
changes
The Guardian-Journal
The
time is getting closer for school to start, and with the implementation of a
40-year-old court order, some changes have been made for parents and students.
This
school year (2009-10), every student must fill out a new residency form and
submit at least two of six required documents showing proof of residency.
After
this school year, beginning with the 2010-11 school year, only new students or
transferring students will have to fill out the residency form.
Every
student attending school on a transfer will have to renew a residency form
every year in order to remain at the school of choice, unless the student has
received a minority to majority transfer.
According
to the 1970 court order, those documents include:
-
property tax records,
-
mortgage documents or property deed,
-
apartment/house lease or residential rent receipt clearly indicating the date
and amount of the rental payment, the person(s) who made the payment and the
person who received the payment,
-
utility bill received within the preceding 30 days or application for utility
service made within the preceding 30 days,
- valid
voter registration indicating the voting precinct and residential street
address,
-
current valid Louisiana driver's license clearly showing a residential street
address.
A post
office box address will not be accepted.
"If
it's not a proper transfer outlined by one of the reasons in our document and
it's questioned, then that child will have to withdraw from that school
system," Claiborne Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. Janice Williams said.
It will
take three years, she said, because this year, every student in the Claiborne
Parish School System will have to fill out new residency forms and its transfer
policy now "has some teeth," she said.
There
is a process in which the school system will have to follow. In short, if a
child's residency is questioned, then the principal of that particular school
will pay a home visit to make sure the child lives where they claim.
The
principal then will send a notification to the parents and take his/her
recommendations back to a committee for a final decision.
She
said it's important to note that the committee's decision will be final. There
will be no appeals process.
In
other words, when the committee makes its final decision, the child's parents
may not come before the school board or the superintendent and plead their
case. Once the decision is made, it's a done deal.
This
committee is comprised of the child welfare and attendance supervisor and two
designees appointed by the superintendent.
For
more information about the residency forms or the transfer policy, please go to
the school board website at www.claibornepsb.org, or call Central Office at
318-927-3502.
