CA’s little ones celebrate Thanksgiving
Claiborne Academy’s Pre-K class
Pre-Kindergarteners at Claiborne Academy
celebrated Thanksgiving with ‘handmade’ Native American costumes and feasts!
Teachers spent time last week teaching students what Thanksgiving really means.
Claiborne Academy’s Kindergarten class
Kindergarteners at Claiborne Academy also
celebrated Thanksgiving with ‘handmade’ Native American costumes and feasts!
Students learned about why we celebrate Thanksgiving.
Memory Tree lights to remember, honor
loved ones
As
everyone recovers from that enormous Thanksgiving meal, it will soon be time to
begin thinking about the Christmas season.
Soon,
the Claiborne Christmas Committee will once again be lighting the traditional
Memory and Honor Tree on the Claiborne Parish Courthouse Lawn.
The
tree will be covered in white lights at first with the goal to have the tree
lit in red lights by Christmas.
Lights
may be purchased “In Memory” or “In Honor” of a loved one. Each light is $5 per
name.
Please
use the form inside the newspaper to send your donation. Please send it to
Claiborne Christmas Committee, Attn: June McClure, 400 East Main Street, Homer,
LA 71040.
A
Memory Tree form will be published each week in The Guardian-Journal until
Christmas.
Troopers urge driving safety during
holidays
The
holidays are here and there is anticipation in the air. It is a wonderful time
of year! At least until you hit the roadway.
“People
can be friendlier during the holiday season, but they can also be more
stressed,” Louisiana State Police Troop G Public Information Officer Matt
Harris said. “You can see both types of driving behaviors on the road.”
Drivers
may yield, letting you advance ahead of them. Shoppers may direct you to a
parking space they are about to vacate. In turn, drivers can also be aggressive
due to the additional pressure that holidays bring. There are planes to catch,
holiday trips to take, shopping lists to complete and special performances and
parties to attend. There is more temptation to speed, push through yellow
lights and run a red light. Drivers may cut you off, take your intended parking
spot and weave in and out of traffic.
Troopers
want to take this time to remind you to drive defensively this holiday season,
not aggressively. By driving defensively, you can significantly decrease your
chance of being involved in a motor vehicle crash. Here are some tips on how
to make your commute safer this holiday season:
• Make
sure you maintain a safe following distance when behind vehicles and reduce
your speed especially during inclement weather conditions. By reducing your
speed, you will increase your stopping distance and reaction time.
•
Always pre-plan your route if possible to avoid the added frustration of
getting lost.
• Make
sure your vehicle is in good condition prior to leaving for your destination;
this will reduce the chance of car trouble and keep you and your family from
being stranded.
• If
you do encounter inclement weather that is dangerous, think about finding a
safe location to stop and get off of the roadway. We would rather you make it
there safely than not at all.
• If
you do encounter an aggressive or frustrated driver, simply put your pride in
the back seat and let them through. Don’t challenge them, it will only make
the roadway more dangerous for everyone.
Troopers
would also like to remind motorists of the importance of being properly
restrained at all times in every seating position in the vehicle. The majority
of fatal and serious injury crashes involve occupants who are not wearing seat
belts. Buckle up Louisiana. Every trip. Every time.
Annual Christmas Food Drive seeking donations
Application deadline set for December 14
Brookshire’s
Grocery Company is partnering once again with the Homer Lions Club to collect
and distribute food to needy families in Claiborne Parish during the holidays,
as the 30th Annual Spirit of Christmas Food Drive gets underway.
The
Haynesville Lions Club has once again agreed to help with the distribution of
the food boxes in the Town of Haynesville. As in years past, the Claiborne
Parish 4-H Junior Leaders, along with their sponsors, Lee Faulk and Teresa
Price, will offer their valuable assistance by helping collect, sort and
package food items for delivery. The First Presbyterian Church in Homer will
continue to allow Lions the use of their Fellowship Hall to prepare the food
boxes for delivery. Applicants who are able to pick up their boxes are asked
to come between noon and 5 p.m. December 21, and food boxes will be delivered
by volunteers to those who cannot come to the church during that time as well.
Applicants with Haynesville addresses can pick up their boxes at the
Haynesville City Hall between 1 and 4 p.m.
Area
residents are asked to make donations by placing non-perishable food items in
designated bins located at Brookshire’s in Homer. People are asked not to
donate homemade goods or items in glass jars. Bulk items, such as flour, sugar
and corn meal, should be donated in smaller sizes to allow for more variety in
the boxes given to the recipients.
In
addition to the public food donations, each family will receive at least one
coupon for a baking hen from Brookshire’s. All food collected in this area
will be distributed to families in Claiborne Parish.
Families
to be assisted by the Spirit of Christmas Food Drive are selected by local
relief organizations or government agencies according to need. The Claiborne
Parish Office of Family Services (OFS) will again provide printouts to be
submitted with completed applications.
Application
forms are available at the OFS located on East 2nd Street next to Piggly Wiggly
in Homer, at the Claiborne Parish Police Jury Office, and at the Haynesville
City Hall. The deadline to turn in completed applications along with OFS
printouts is Friday, December 14. Completed applications can be turned in to
the Police Jury Office, 507 West Main in Homer or mailed to Spirit of Christmas
Food Drive, c/o Cynthia Steele, 309 North Main, Homer, LA 71040.
The
Spirit of Christmas Food Drive began in 1982, when 92 families in Tyler, Texas,
received assistance. Last year some 500,000 pounds of food were collected in the
Ark-La-Tex and distributed to more than 16,000 families. In Claiborne Parish,
more than 185 food boxes were collected and distributed.
“The
success of this year’s Spirit of Christmas Food Drive, as in the past, depends
on the wonderful generosity of our local citizens,” Steele said. “We are very
grateful to everyone who has donated food items in past years, and hope they
will continue to be willing to help those in our communities who are less
fortunate.”
For
more information, please call Homer Lion Chairpersons Dwayne Woodard at
927-2222 or Cynthia Steele at 927-2566.
Santa Train set for December 8
Christmas Festival promises lots of
activities
The Guardian-Journal
It’s
almost that time again! The annual Santa Train, Christmas Festival and
Christmas Parade are just around the corner!
Christmas Festival
Set for
Saturday, December 8, the Christmas Festival will be filled with everything one
needs to get their Christmas shopping done early. With vendors set to surround
the Square in Homer, there will be something for everyone. Vendors will include
gift items, food, hot chocolate and more.
New
this year will be a fashion show sponsored by Necessities, nestled on the
Square just across the street from Homer City Hall. The fashion show will be an
all-day event throughout the day to showcase some of the store’s items. Crista
Cheney, Christmas Festival coordinator, said if other stores want to
participate in the fashion show, they may do so.
Also,
Cheney is asking area churches to volunteer to cookout for the Christmas
Festival to add variety to what festival goers can choose from. Any church
wishing to participate is asked to call her.
Booth
rental for vendors is free this year; however, space is limited, so please
register early to reserve your spot.
The festival
will begin at 10 a.m. and go well into the afternoon until around parade time.
To
reserve booth space, participate in the fashion show or for churches that are
willing to cookout, please contact Crista Cheney at 318-927-5888. Also,
registration forms will be available in this week’s edition of The
Guardian-Journal. Please fill it out and mail to Steel Magnolia, ATTN: Crista
Cheney, 638 West Main Street, Homer, LA 71040. Or you can stop by Steel
Magnolia and pick up a registration form.
Christmas Parade
The
annual Claiborne Parish Christmas Parade will begin at 4 p.m., with lineup at 3
p.m. at Homer High School.
The
parade committee is trying to make this year’s parade the biggest and best ever
with lots of old and new participants. Whatever form of transportation
participants choose to use must be safe. Entrants are required to provide their
own sign of identification.
Individuals,
organizations, groups or businesses are invited to participate.
Please
send the entry form that can be found in this week’s edition of The
Guardian-Journal, to the Claiborne Christmas Parade Committee, Laci Lee and
Sacha Matthews c/o Citizens National Bank, P.O. Box 779, Homer LA 71040. Or
call 318-927-1099 to pick up a registration form.
Santa Train
Come
rain or shine, Santa Claus is coming to town! Santa will come to Claiborne
Parish via train provided by L&NW!
Athens
He will
begin his day-long journey in Gibsland at 9:30 a.m. at the E.W. Merritt
Pavilion and make his way to Claiborne Parish, first stopping in Athens at 10:30
a.m. at La. Hwy. 518 and Athens Avenue.
Homer
Santa
Claus will stop via L&NW Railroad at Delta Interiors in Homer between 11:30
and 11:45 a.m.
Haynesville
The
Santa Train will stop at Church Avenue in Haynesville between 1 and 1:15 p.m.
and go to the Claiborne Parish Fair Complex. There will be goodies for
Haynesville Wee Care, Head Start and children in grades Pre-K through fourth
grade.
More
information will be forthcoming on activities at each site as it becomes
available.
Man caught on warrants
The Guardian-Journal
A Homer
man is behind bars after several warrants were issued for his arrest.
Marquin
L. Wright, 29, was arrested on Friday, November 16, on the following warrants:
simple criminal damage to property with bond set at $1,000, unauthorized entry
of a place of business with bond set at $6,000, resisting an officer with bond
set at $1,000, criminal trespass with bond set at $1,000, theft with bond set
at $1,000 and another count of resisting an officer with bond set at $500.
According
to Homer Police, Wright was sought on these warrants and fled on foot in the
area behind a local grocery store when he saw police. Reports say he ran into a
local beauty shop without the owner’s consent to attempt to hide from police.
Police
apprehended Wright at that place of business.
The
above warrants stemmed from reportedly stealing scrap metal from property
belonging to Roslyn and Booker Merritt, damaging the Merritt’s property in the
process. He was ordered by police to stop running and he refused to do so,
therefore gaining a resisting an officer charge. The trespassing charge is
related to his entering the property of the Merritts without their consent.
Homer
Police Sgt. Van McDaniel was the arresting officer.
In a
separate incident, on Monday, November 12, Jermarcus Curry, 21, was arrested on
school grounds after police were called.
Curry
was charged with disturbing the peace with bond set at $500, and
intimidation/interference in operations of school with bond set at $2,000.
According
to reports, Curry was arrested at Homer High School for disturbing the pace and
threatening a school official. Reports say that during his arrest, he
threatened a school official, which added the additional charge.
Captain
Donald Malray and Officer Frank Evans were the arresting officers.
In
another incident on a different date, Kendrick Dudley, 24, found himself in
trouble with the law after several bench warrants were issued for his arrest.
On
Tuesday, November 13, Dudley was arrested by Homer Police Chief Russell Mills,
Captain Donald Malray and Officers Scott Glenn and Johnnie Hough on these bench
warrants issued through the Second Judicial District Court. Two bench warrants
were for failure to appear, one with a $100,000 bond (on charges of illegal
possession of stolen things, illegal use of CDS in the presence of a minor,
resisting an officer and simple criminal damage to property) and the other with
no bond (on those same charges). The third was for failure to pay, $398 or
serve 10 days in jail (domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace and
interference with medical treatment).
Traffic stop nets drugs
The Guardian-Journal
A
traffic stop ended badly for a Minden man when Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Deputies discovered drugs.
According
to a news release from the sheriff’s office, on Tuesday, November 13, Deputy
David Morgan made a traffic stop on Fincher Creek Road. The driver of the
vehicle was found to be Martin D. Burks, 31.
While
completing the traffic stop, Morgan noted a strong odor coming from the vehicle
that appeared to be the odor of marijuana.
Lt.
Jimmy Brown arrived to assist.
A
subsequent search of Burks revealed a small clear plastic bag that appeared to
contain marijuana in Burks’ shoe.
Morgan
arrested Burks and transported him to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center.
Burks was charged with speeding with bond set at $500, simple possession of
marijuana with bond set at $500 and no registration in vehicle with bond set at
$500.
Haynesville clean up a success
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
citywide cleanup in Haynesville was a big success this year, and volunteers
moved quickly throughout town to pick up trash.
District
2 Councilman Herbert Taylor said approximately 90 bags of trash were collected
throughout the five districts of Haynesville. He was proud of the turnout this
year, but, he said, he’d like to see a little more supervision of each group
during the cleanup. There were 66 volunteers and many of those volunteers were
youth. District 1 Councilwoman Valinda Webb said they all had a good time and
everyone worked hard.
District
5 Councilwoman Carla Smith said through comments that she’d heard there wasn’t
as much to pick up this year, which Mayor Sherman Brown said he took as a good
sign. The cleanup seems to be getting better each year, he said.
In other
news, the council approved the final draft of a resolution to move forward with
the sale of the industrial park to Eastex Crude. The vote of approval was done
unanimously by a roll call vote.
In the
mayor’s FYI, Brown talked about the Santa Train, which will be held Saturday,
December 8 around 1 p.m. There will be activities at the Claiborne Parish Fair
Complex with Santa Claus coming to visit. Santa, coming via train from
L&NW, will visit with the children and get their Christmas wish list.
He also
discussed:
•
Street Grants -- those will be revised and rebid to try to get the cost down.
He said they were bid over-budget, and with gas prices down, they could get a
lower bid. According to David Smith, of Balar Engineers, he will revise the
LCDBG project and try to remove the least cost-effective streets to try to get
the total cost down.
• There
will be no fireworks display this year due to a lack of funds. The town did not
hold its citywide rummage sale, so there was no money to purchase fireworks.
• The
town council meeting agenda will now be posted on the town’s website as an
added feature for Haynesville citizens. Go to www.haynesvillela.org to get a
copy of the next month’s agenda.
•
Thanks to the generosity of an oil and gas company, Haynesville Police Chief
will do the honors of taking a child shopping for Christmas this year through
its “Shop with a Cop” program.
• The
Haynesville Beautification Committee will repaint parking stripes in downtown
Haynesville. The town will provide the paint.
•
Christmas lights will go up this week. Brown said the Claiborne Parish Police
Jury has allotted $500 to the town and he will use that money to purchase two
additional decoration items to add to the town’s supply.
• Joe
Helms and Ken Cooper have resumed work on the HVAC units at the Fair Building.
In
public comments, Peggy Holloway approached the council with a concern that’s
not necessarily a complaint, she said, but she was curious about. She asked the
council why there are no right turns on red on Main Street in Haynesville.
Brown said he would look into it and report back.
This
month, the council and the general public held a moment of silence for those
who passed away since the October meeting. They are: Kelley Ware Garrett, Nora
Hatter Buggs, Mildred Pharr Rogers, Cedric Kingsby, Sally B. Henderson, William
“Pete” Holly and Marshall Nealy.
The
next meeting of the Haynesville Town Council will be at 6 p.m. Thursday,
December 20, in council chambers, located behind city hall. For more
information, or for questions, please call their office at 318-624-0911.
