Relay for Life slated for April 16
The
annual Claiborne Parish Relay for Life will be held from noon until midnight on
Saturday, April 16, at the Ronnie G. Beard Memorial Stadium at Homer High
School.
In case
of bad weather, the event will be held at the Homer High School gymnasium.
For
more information, please contact Nancy Mason at 318-927-2517 or Elbie Dickens
at 318-927-2360.
Stolen pipe leads to arrest
The Guardian-Journal
Pipe reportedly stolen led to the arrests of two Webster
Parish men after Claiborne Parish authorities were informed that the pipe
possibly came from Claiborne Parish.
According to a Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office (CPSO)
news release, on February 24, their office received notification from the
Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office (WPSO) of a vehicle crash on Hwy. 157 in
Webster Parish. The sheriff’s office was informed that the vehicle was hauling
pipe that was possibly stolen from Claiborne Parish.
Claiborne Detectives Randy Smith and Charles Buford went
to the scene of the crash and interviewed Jared Seth Coleman, 21, of Sarepta
and Carl Elza Bassinger, 31, of Springhill. Detectives proceeded with an
investigation and learned that the pipe was stolen from a well location on
Kilpatrick Road in Claiborne Parish and warrants were issued for Coleman and
Bassinger.
On Tuesday, March 1, both were arrested on one count each
of criminal trespass and theft of oil and gas equipment. Bond was set at
$12,000 on the theft of oil and gas equipment charges and $1,000 on the
criminal trespass charges.
Coleman
and Bassinger were booked into the Claiborne Parish Detention Center.
In other crime news, a string of charges led to the
arrest of another Webster Parish man.
According to a news release, on Wednesday, March 2,
Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Deputy David Morgan was on routine patrol on Hwy. 79
South and noticed a vehicle that had an expired MVI sticker.
Upon initiating a traffic stop, Morgan came into contact
with the driver, Shad Randall Sawyer, 35, of Heflin. A driver’s license check
on Sawyer showed that it was expired. Subsequent followup by Morgan revealed
rolling papers in the vehicle. A search of Sawyer’s person produced a clear
plastic bag with a green leafy-type substance that appeared to be marijuana in
his right front pocket.
Sawyer was advised that he was under arrest for
possession of marijuana and transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention
Center.
He was charged with no MVI sticker with bond set at $500,
expired driver’s license with bond set at $500 and possession of marijuana with
bond set at $500. CPSO also discovered Sawyer had an outstanding warrant from
Webster Parish on a failure to pay fine and cost. Total bond for the Claiborne
Parish charges was $1,500 and the Webster Parish charge was set at $25.
Crash claims Athens man
On March 1, at 11:44 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop G
responded to a single vehicle crash on LA 518 just east of LA 9 in Claiborne
Parish. The crash claimed the life of a 33-year-old man from Athens.
According to investigating troopers, David R. Sanders of
Athens was traveling east on LA 518 in a 2004 GMC truck when for unknown
reasons, the vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a tree,
and overturned.
Sanders was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the
crash and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Claiborne Parish Coroner.
Routine toxicology tests results are pending and the
crash remains under investigation.
Troop G troopers have investigated 5 fatal crashes for
the year of 2011, which resulted in 5 fatalities.
Housing authority gets reprieve
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The Homer Housing Authority has gotten a reprieve from
the Town of Homer on back payments of what they owe the town.
In Monday night’s regular meeting of the council, Housing
Authority Executive Director Michelle Green asked the town to forgive three
years’ worth of back payments they owed the town on what’s called a PILOT
payment. PILOT stands for Payment In Lieu Of Taxes, which are voluntary or
negotiated payments made by tax exempt organizations to local governments,
according to the agreement. The Homer Housing Authority is a tax exempt
organization which does not have to pay the town for property taxes, which is
where the PILOT payment comes from. These payments, according to records, “are
largely symbolic donations by a tax exempt organization to a jurisdiction to
cover the cost of police, fire and other local services the tax exempt
organization receives.”
Also discussed was the corporation agreement, which has
not been updated or changed since the 1960s. According to Town Attorney Jim
Colvin, the PILOT payments can be waived, and the town has waived 90 percent of
those payments already.
“The statutes say you (the town) have the authority to
waive payments on the taxes,” he said, “but you don’t have to. Typically, what
you want in place is an agreement as to what they will pay, and it’s a partial
waiver.”
The other 10 percent must be paid to the town every year.
However, since at least 2006, the Housing Authority has not made those
payments, which add up to roughly $15,000.
District 5 Councilwoman Patricia Jenkins asked Green why they
waited so long before coming before the council on this issue, and Green
responded that she sent a letter a few years ago and got no response from then
Mayor David Newell.
“Nobody’s even asked me for a payment,” she said. “I
called up here to the town and asked what it would take for the auditors to get
it written off. Right now, our books are showing a deficit.”
There is documentation showing the letter, but Jenkins
said she had not seen the letter written back in 2007.
Mozeke asked Green if she included those taxes in their
budget as revenue, and Mayor Smith responded that they did, because she was
told at the time there was no other choice. According to Green, though, the
housing authority has only made one payment of approximately $5,000 in 2009,
which was for 2005. They owed for years 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The payments are based on how many units are open,
because the housing authority’s apartments are rented based on one’s income.
So, when the calculations are made based on how many units are in use as of the
end of their fiscal year, it is then turned in to the town, which then sends
the housing authority a bill based on those calculations.
District 4 Councilwoman Carlette Sanford made a motion
that the housing authority pay those back payments, but without a second, it
died on the table. Another motion was made by District 1 Councilwoman Linda
Mozeke to forgive those payments except for what’s owed for 2009 and 2010. It
passed by 3 to 2 with Sanford and Jenkins voting against.
The Town of Homer is only responsible for placing board
members, but the housing authority is an entity unto itself in that it is a
federally funded program.
In other news, during public comments, Carolyn Jones and
her husband Howard approached the council about a recurring issue that has been
a problem for them for some time. Mrs. Jones said that nothing has been done
for the last several years.
“I wanted to address you tonight to see if something
could be done,” she said.
The Jones live on Howard Street where their home sits
within feet of a deep drainage ditch that runs through their property. In 2009,
northwest Louisiana saw heavy amounts of rain which caused flooding in several
areas throughout Homer, including the Jones’ home. According to them, the
culvert placed in the ditch was too small, and the town removed that culvert.
The culvert was causing back up issues with the drainage, and once it was removed,
it established the flow of drainage again.
However, plats at the Claiborne Parish Tax Assessor’s
Office show the ditch is private property and the town cannot spend taxpayer’s
money to fix it. The Jones first approached the town council and then the Claiborne
Parish Police Jury. The police jury denied their request saying they could not
legally do any work on the property because it is private property.
The couple built an addition onto their home, which is
what put it so close to the ditch, and because of the drainage issues, the
ground has literally eroded out from underneath the addition.
According to Maintenance Supervisor Lee Wells, when they
removed the culvert, he and his crew pushed dirt up under the addition to keep
it from falling into the ditch.
“As of right now, we’re at a standstill because no one
has told me what action to take on the ditch,” he said.
Mrs. Jones told the council that even after the culvert
was removed, they are still having problems. Mr. Jones spoke up then, saying
that he can’t walk around his house because of those drainage issues.
“This has been going on for six or seven years, and I’m
hoping and praying that the town will look into this,” he said. “With all my
years of work in construction, something can be done. It needs a larger
culvert.”
He even suggested a concrete retaining wall.
Mayor Alecia Smith told the Jones that she would meet
with District 1 Councilman Linda Mozeke and Wells to look into the issue.
Mrs. Jones continued, saying that when she bought the
property, she bought the property and not the ditch. She said that a portion of
the price of the land was reduced because the ditch ran through it. She was
told that it was the town’s responsibility to maintain the ditch, but there are
still issues with the ditch being private property.
Homer Police Chief Russell Mills advised the council that
his officers are finally going to get a raise. However, to do so, he has had to
lose two positions within his department. Although he is glad to be able to
finally give his officers a raise, he hated to have to lose the two positions
to do so. In an agreement with Mayor Smith and the town council, he said that
he would not replace one position so he could give raises.
“After studying the budget, I decided not to replace the
second position in order to give my officers raises,” he said.
When asked by District 3 Councilman Don McCalman if he’d
factored in a raise for himself, he said he did not because that decision would
be up to the council as a whole. According to records, the pay for the position
of city marshal/chief of police has not been increased for at least 10-12
years.
In other police news, a hiring committee for the police
department was formed during the administration of then Mayor Newell, however,
there is no record in the town’s minutes of this. So, the council had to go
back and approve a motion to form the committee.
Another issue that was on the agenda was Top Dollar
Scrapyard. There were complaints about all the red mud on Hwy. 79 in south
Homer. Usually, after a heavy rain, the traffic coming in and out of the
business is tracking mud almost a quarter mile on either side of the entrance
onto the highway -- sometimes enough that it covers the entire highway,
obscuring the yellow double lines and the shoulder.
The mayor said they had already spoken with the owners of
the scrapyard, and they are going to power spray the highway to clean the mud
off the street and also renovate the entrance to help reduce the amount of red
dirt tracked out onto the highway.
The next meeting of the Homer Town Council will be held
Monday, April 4, at 6 p.m. in council chambers, located inside the Homer Police
Station. For more information or questions, please call town hall at
318-927-3555.
‘Why Dreams Matter’
MLK National Memorial topic of CCC
seminar
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Dr. James Chaffers speaks to Community
Coordinating Council Inc. members about the national MLK Memorial being built
on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
What’s the difference between a monument and a memorial?
That was a question asked among architects who have
designed a “living” memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which is almost
completed on the National Mall in Washington D.C. That’s also the place several
members of the Community Coordinating Council Inc. (CCC) plan to be in August
when the ribbon cutting is held.
A proposed trip to Washington DC, the ribbon cutting of
this historic “living” monument will be one of the stops among others members
will make as they tour several sightseeing locations throughout the area.
However, this one would be considered the most important, because they will be
going to a place where they can interact with the vision and movement Dr. King
became a part of so long ago.
Dr. James Chaffers, a senior juror with the Martin Luther
King Jr. National Memorial, spoke to CCC members about the memorial. Chaffers
is also one of the architects who helped design the memorial.
According to Chaffers, the memorial is on the National
Mall, where Dr. King’s likeness will be placed where viewers will be able to
see the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the U.S. Capitol and the White House.
“It’s a people’s place,” he said. “A place for education,
contemplation and celebration. The idea is, it’s an oasis.”
When discussions first began on building the site, Dr.
King’s family, including his wife Coretta Scott King and their daughter
Yolanda, a monument was mentioned. Mrs. King emphatically said, “No monument to
Martin,” Chaffers said. Instead, they wanted a memorial.
So what’s the difference between a monument and a
memorial? A memorial is a “living” tribute to the values King taught and shared
with so many. Using live elements to represent the values King taught, the
memorial will become home to more than 400 trees, 8,000 flowers and the flow of
water.
A 14-foot high wall, two football fields long, has been
erected where many of King’s best quotes will be displayed while water flows
down through his words. The idea is to be soothing and cooling, he said. The
water will also help dampen the noise of from Independence and Constitution
Avenues during the day.
Will quotes from his “I Have A Dream” speech be quoted?
Surprisingly, no. According to Chaffers, many of his greatest thought-provoking
quotes came from his sermons. Never, ever speaking of himself, King used two
references, Chaffers said -- the Bible and the U.S. Constitution.
Chaffers talked about refocusing the concept of a dream,
that it’s not abstract. “It’s a path you take, a vision,” he said.
According to Harry E. Johnson Sr., president and CEO of
the MLK Memorial Foundation, the memorial is based on four principals --
justice, democracy, hope and love.
The natural elements utilized in this project are used to
“underscore” King’s themes of these four principals.
According to www.mlkmemorial.org, water is used to
symbolize the powerful theme of justice.
“Drawing on its location at the edge of the Tidal Basin,
water is used as an essential element that builds on King’s words and on the
crescendo effect of his sermons and speeches,” the website said.
The use of stone is meant to symbolize “the different
ways King and other civil rights activists acted out their faith that the
democratic ideals of the founding fathers (symbolized by the Jefferson
Memorial) can be realized through struggle and sacrifice.”
The other themes of hope and love are intertwined
throughout the memorial, honoring heroes such as Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou
Hamer, of the struggle for social justice and nonviolent social change.
A likeness of the man himself has been carved into what
they call the “Stone of Hope.” Chaffers said Dr. King spoke much about the
“mountain of despair” in his sermons. His statue is a part of that mountain,
but the entrance to the memorial “two stones are parted and a single stone is
pushed back in the horizon appearing as the missing piece of what was once a
single boulder,” the website said. Thrust forward is the likeness of King
emerging from the Mountain of Despair.
The entire project has cost nearly $120 million. So far,
the foundation has raised $111 million, with just $9 million left to reach the
goal.
A special thank you goes to Chaffers for speaking to the
group as well as the Town of Homer for providing the use of the auditorium and
the coordinators and participants for their never-ending cooperative spirit and
continued support.
Before Chaffers spoke, an awesome praise dance
performance was done by the Homer Golden Raiders.
Again, the ribbon cutting is expected to take place on
August 28, where President Barack Obama is scheduled to be the keynote speaker.
For those CCC members who wish to go on the Washington DC trip, the deadline is
July 6. CCC members will leave Friday, August 26, and return Tuesday, August
30. For more information, please contact a CCC member.
Also, just to note, the next seminar will be held
Thursday, April 7, with the topic being the “Ten ‘S’ Commandments.” A proposed
trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas, is also in the works for May 19, which will be a
one day event. Also a proposed annual Senior Extravaganza is slated to be held
June 30 in Gibsland.
Fireworks committee seeking
contributions
The Guardian-Journal
That time of year is approaching fast and the Fireworks
for Lake Claiborne Committee is gearing up for the annual Claiborne Boat Parade
and Fireworks Show.
On Saturday, July 2, people from all over the area will
converge at Lake Claiborne for the parish’s one-of-a-kind boat parade and
fireworks show. Each year, the fireworks show and boat parade gets bigger and
better. Last year, the committee contracted a new company to do the fireworks.
There is no charge for the event, however, the committee
must pay for the fireworks show and other things. That’s why it’s important for
the community to come together to help make the show a success. The committee
depends on donations every year to put on a spectacular show.
The committee is comprised of Fred Lewis, Joey White,
Jerry Atkins, Sheriff Ken Bailey, Dwayne Woodard, Patricia Jenkins, Kelly
Waller, Monte Bank and Klint Dorrell.
To make a donation, please mail donations to Claiborne
Fireworks, P.O. Box 181, Homer, LA 71040.
For more information on the Fireworks Show and Boat
Parade, contact Fred Lewis at 318-927-9180.
All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax
deductible.
“We thank you -- the community -- for your support,”
Lewis said. “Without donations from you, we could not do such a tremendous show
every year. It’s because of you that we are able to provide this fun-filled
event for our community.”
Healthcare Foundation receives
contribution
from Homer Lions
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
The Homer Lions Club donated $1,000 to
the Claiborne Healthcare Foundation on Thursday, March 3. The Lions Club is a
Business Partner with the healthcare foundation. The foundation has now reached
roughly $840,000 towards its mark of $1 million to renovate Homer Memorial
Hospital’s intensive care unit as well as the nurses’ station and the
cafeteria. Pictured above, from left, is Hospital Administrator Scott
Barrilleaux, Homer Lion Bob Robinson, treasurer, Homer Lions Dwayne Woodard and
Pat Gladney, Foundation Chairman of Business and Industry Joey White and
Foundation Coordinator Lisa Ledbetter.
Local leaders travel to LMA conference
Submitted photo
Some of Homer’s local leaders traveled to
the LMA’s Mid-winter Conference in Baton Rouge last week. Those members are
from left, District 5 Councilwoman Patricia Jenkins, Mayor’s Assistant Shaquaila
Lewis, District 2 Councilman Michael Wade, District 1 Councilwoman Linda Mozeke
and Homer Mayor Alecia Smith.
BATON
ROUGE -- Some of Homer’s local leaders were among more than 300 attendees from
Louisiana’s municipalities who participated in the Louisiana Municipal
Association’s Mid-Winter Conference on February 22-24 at The Crowne Plaza Hotel
and Conference Center.
Those
from Homer who attended were Council members Patricia Jenkins, Michael Wade and
Linda Mozeke, Mayor’s Assistant Shaquaila Lewis and Mayor Alecia Smith.
According
to LMA President Bobby R. Washington, mayor of Cullen, this annual conference
is aimed at updated elected and appointed town and city officials -- including
newcomers to public service -- on state laws that affect municipal government
and providing the latest information on current issues facing the state’s
municipalities.
Mayor
Washington presided over the two-day program which included these workshops:
• The
Louisiana Code of Ethics for government officials, which mandates ethics and
personal financial disclosure for all elected municipal officials.
• State
statutes governing open meetings and public records.
• Complex
issues regarding contribution rates paid by municipal employers to statewide
retirement systems for municipal employees, police officers and firefighters.
•
Ensuring order and decorum at public meetings.
•
Review of web-based salary and benefits survey tools, including the
SurveyNavigator for LMA operated by The Waters Consulting Group.
•
Advancing environmental protection and economic development through wastewater
system improvements.
• An
orderly process for municipal budgeting.
•
Mayor’s Court
• The
Lawrason Act, a state law providing for the mayor-board of alderman form of
municipal government for some 255 municipalities.
•
Improving relationships among municipal officials to strengthen communities.
• LMA
services for municipal governments, including insurance premium and
occupational license tax collection services, information technology for small
and rural communities, and risk management services provided to Louisiana
municipalities through LMA’s wholly-owned subsidiary company Risk Management
Inc.
During
the conference, the LMA delegates honored Gov. Bobby Jindal at a reception held
at The Crown Plaza.
The conference
also featured Scott Angelle, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of
Natural Resources, who was the luncheon speaker, and Dr. Alexander Appeaning,
who facilitated the workshop on wastewater infrastructure system challenges and
opportunities.
“This
successful conference equipped our members with valuable tools and information
they need to become more skilled in confronting the difficult challenges of
municipal governance,” Mayor Washington
noted. “In addition, the local leaders participating in this conference
received critical information regarding their roles as public servants and
their responsibilities in working with federal and state leaders to advance
local priorities and improve conditions in all of Louisiana’s villages, towns
and cities.”
Also
assisting with presiding duties were LMA First Vice President Glenn L.
Brasseaux, mayor of Carencro, and LMA Second Vice President Hilda Dagre Curry,
mayor of New Iberia.
