Kirk arrested without bond
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A Homer woman accused of second degree murder
has turned herself in after learning of a warrant by the district attorney’s
office filed Friday in Claiborne Parish.
Patishi S. Kirk, 24, address listed as
Ruston, was arrested around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, June 11, on a warrant
from the Second Judicial District Court revoking her bond.
According to the warrant, signed by Judge
Jimmy Teat, Kirk is “wanted as an imminent danger to the community.” She is to
be held without bond.
She was placed under arrest by Homer Police
Captain Donald Malray and Officer Johnnie Hough, and once processed at the
Homer Police Station, was transported by Hough to the Claiborne Parish Women’s
Jail.
The warrant was filed on Friday, June 7, and
according to Homer Police Chief Russell Mills, Kirk turned herself in
willingly.
“She, along with a family member, came (to
the police station) and turned herself in,” Mills said. “I applaud her for
that, because it’s very possible that she may not be given another bond.”
The order was signed following a motion to
hold defendant without bail pending trial.
Kirk awaits trial in the stabbing death of
her then boyfriend Vincent Dunn. Trial is set to begin Monday, July 22.
According to police, Kirk admitted to
stabbing Dunn in July 2010. Police say they found Dunn in a bedroom inside a
residence on Hunter Street where he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Records indicate officers had been dispatched to the Hunter Street residence in
the past in reference to domestic issues.
Kirk was also awaiting a court date in Ruston
City Court for a charge of simple battery for fighting after a dispute in May
2012 between her and her boyfriend became physical.
She was also arrested later that same year,
in August, by Homer Police after witnesses claimed to have seen Kirk at
Mayfield Park riding around the park holding a gun out of a car window. She was
charged with aggravated assault.
Homer Heritage highlights education
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Dr. Don Haynes was named this year’s captain at the
Homer Heritage Golf Tournament and luncheon at the Homer Country Club. Dr.
Haynes is a native of Claiborne Parish and has a private medical practice in
Homer with two of his sons, Drs. Mark and Scott Haynes.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The Homer Heritage is about paying tribute to
the Town of Homer, but this year’s highlights were all about education.
During the 25th annual event, Dr. Don Haynes,
79, was named this year’s Homer Heritage captain, and he talked about his
education, saying he’s lived most of his life in Claiborne Parish. While he is
not a graduate of Homer High School, he owns a private practice in family
medicine, the Claiborne Family Medical Clinic, along with his sons, Dr. William
Mark Haynes and Dr. Donald Scott Haynes. His son, John, is an OB/GYN in
Shreveport, and he has two daughters, Keitha and Lisa.
“Looking back over the years, I’ve lived
almost my entire life in Claiborne Parish,” Dr. Haynes said. “I’ve enjoyed a
lifetime here, and I think this (the medical field) was destined for me. It was
just doors opening to me at the time I needed them. I’ve really enjoyed my many
years in practice, and I still do.”
A graduate of Lisbon High School in 1951, he
obtained his medical license from Louisiana State University, School of
Medicine in New Orleans, while obtaining his pre-med courses through Louisiana
Tech University in Ruston. He is currently a clinical professor at Louisiana
State University Health Sciences Center, and for many years, was a staff
physician at Homer Memorial Hospital, serving as chief of staff from 1987 until
2005.
In June 2012, Dr. Haynes was awarded the
Lifetime Award for Teaching Excellence, Comprehensive Care Clinic with 41 years
of service.
Dr. Haynes has a long list of accolades which
is attributed to his love for the medical profession.
Dr. Pat Bates, an integral part of
scholarship awards to Homer High School students, updated members and guests of
the role scholarships have played in Claiborne Parish education.
To date, she said, the Evelyn Holcomb
Hightower Scholarship fund balance is $63,545.39. At least 37 scholarships have
been awarded to Homer High School students since 1995. This year, two
scholarships were awarded.
The Hightower Scholarship goes to Homer High
School alumni who will attend college in Louisiana.
The Haley Scholarship, established three
years ago in honor of the Haley family, is one given to a Homer High School
sophomore, and currently, the balance is $13,516.
Another education fund is the Claiborne
Education Endowment Foundation, which funds teacher awards. Also funded was the
first ever community garden established by Willia Hatter, a recipient of an
award from CEEF, in Haynesville.
“This fund goes towards awards for teachers
in Claiborne Parish,” Dr. Bates said. “This year, we sponsored a (grant)
workshop in which we had 30 participate. They went on to write grants to seek
awards for their classrooms.”
The CEEF fund currently has a balance of
$39,825.18.
Denice Owens, a recently retired teacher from Homer High School,
exemplifies the dedication of educators, Bates said. Owens’ daughter, Afton,
was a recipient of the Hightower award.
“All of my children are graduates of Homer
High School,” Owens said, “and I really appreciate all of you who have donated
to those scholarships. I’m very proud of my children.”
While the Homer Heritage program is an
important part of the day, a day of golf is always in order at Homer’s Country
Club.
Playing sponsors this year include Jimmy
Bates, Sam Camp, Butch Fincher, Bob Haley, Jean Hall, Donald Johnson, Joe
LeSage, John McDaniel, Joe Ellis Michael, James R. Michael, Mike Staggs and Loy
Weaver.
Non-playing sponsors include Stuart Butler,
Andy Fisher, Ben Haley, Tommy Johnson, George Meadors, Pete Pearson, Joe
Richardson and Warren Thornell.
“We’ve made substantial progress because we
have at our head table our first female golf participants in the history of the
Homer Heritage,” Butch Fincher, Heritage sponsor, said.
He introduced them all to the audience,
saying he was proud to have them on the golf course. They are: Fran Calhoun,
Jimmie Ray Zey, Linda Tuggle, Saundra Pixley and Michelle Hightower.
Each year, the captain award is to honor
those who have shown outstanding merit and citizenship. This reflects the
highest esteem of the recipient in the eyes of their peers.
Some of the past recipients included Fincher,
the Homer High School “Iron Men” football team of 1955, Bob Haley and many
others.
Homer man dies in crash
A Homer man has passed away from injuries in
a crash.
On June 8, 2013, at 9:42 p.m., troopers
assigned to Louisiana State Police Troop G responded to a single vehicle fatal
crash on Louisiana Highway 2 Alternate east of U.S. Highway 79.
The preliminary investigation revealed that a
1996 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by 52-year-old Michael Waganer of Homer, was
traveling west on Louisiana Highway 2 Alternate when it ran off the right side
of the road. The Chevrolet traveled into a ditch and struck a tree.
Waganer was not wearing a seatbelt and was
partially ejected. Waganer was transported to a hospital in Shreveport where he
died.
Alcohol use is suspected. A toxicology sample
was obtained and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under
investigation.
Poor decisions in a vehicle, such as driving
while impaired and not wearing a seatbelt, lead to serious injuries and deaths
across the state each year. Making the responsible decision can mean the
difference between life and death. Troopers remind motorists to never get
behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming alcohol, never get into a vehicle
with an impaired driver and never allow an impaired person to get behind the
wheel.
Chief finally makes it to agenda
Special called meeting June 20
The Homer Town Council will meet at 1:30 p.m., for a
public hearing on the Citizen Participation Plan for the Community Development
Block Grant program. For more information, please call Homer City Hall at
318-927-3555.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Homer Mayor Alecia Smith finally spoke out at
the monthly town council meeting after months of ignoring Homer Police Chief
Russell Mills.
She said the “nitpicking” needed to stop so
they could move forward with the town’s business.
“This is much more important,” she said,
referring to $247,000 in grants approved for several things that need to be
done in Homer, “fixing our buildings, fixing our infrastructure, trying to fix
our elevated water tanks, as opposed to coming in here nitpicking about the
small things that are going on. We’re here to provide adequate facilities to
the citizens, and we don’t even discuss grants. We have pipes that have been
here since the 1960s, and nobody cares. When is the last time you read about
grants in the newspaper?”
During public comments, Mills once again
asked to be placed on the agenda to cover several items, many of which he’d
asked to be discussed before. And it was only after town council members
approved a motion to amend the agenda that he was given a chance to discuss
them.
He circulated a handout with the listed items
to council members.
“I’ve been trying to hire a part time officer
for the past couple of months now, and that hasn’t been done,” Mills said.
“When I ask to be put on the agenda, it’s to discuss business. Is there a
certain manner I need to go about to be placed on the agenda so that we can
discuss business?”
“There’s no reason he shouldn’t be placed on
the agenda,” Councilwoman Carlette Sanford, District 4, said. “Everything needs
to come out, and we need to have everything in the open. We have got to start
working together.”
Smith told Mills that he’d have to confer
with Hiring Committee Chair Linda Mozeke, District 1.
Councilwoman Patricia Jenkins, District 5,
told the chief all they’d asked was that he turn over the records requested by
the council in May.
Those records requested in a letter by Mozeke
included certifications and other documentation on the current officers on the
force. The issue boiled down to what information was private and what was
public, given the police officers’ bill of rights and other laws that come into
play.
“If you remember at the last meeting, when
she (Mozeke) gets the information she requested, she said she would be more
than happy to set up a meeting,” Smith said. “She has not received any
information requested from the police chief.”
Mills countered, saying Mozeke and the hiring
committee have had the information on the officer he wishes to hire for at
least the last two months, and state law gives him the authority to recommend a
hire without the authorization of a hiring committee.
“The law was amended in 2011 that elected
chiefs of police do have the authority to make recommendations to the council,”
he said. “The (town) policy merely is a policy put forth by the attorney and
the council at that time. But you cannot set a policy in place that violates
state law. State law supercedes policy and procedure.”
The debate continued about who has the
authority to hire an officer until a motion was approved to put Mills on the
agenda.
Susan Herring, a former town council member,
reinforced what Mills said, saying the council has the authority to hire
someone without a committee’s recommendation.
“I can tell you that the town council has the
authority to do away with the hiring committee,” she said to Smith and council
members. “The only authority they have is what this board gives them. They do
not supercede y’all.”
The issue was brought up because of the
vacation time given to all town employees, which includes Homer Police
officers. They all receive 200 hours of vacation time per year, with the
exception of Captain Donald Malray, who receives 260 vacation hours. Town
Treasurer Shenovia Harris also receives 260 vacation hours.
Mills’ concern is his budget simply cannot
cover the enormous amount of vacation time.
Mills also said retirement payments have been
as much as three months late, and one of his officers lost his life insurance
due to nonpayment.
The additional items were also added to the
agenda:
• Policy on individuals renting Town
property,
• Policy on the chief’s responsibility in
signing special activity request forms,
• Policy and procedure for any prospective
hire other than a police officer,
• Policy and procedure on any Town of Homer
employee who is paid as a salary employee,
• The purpose for not signing purchase orders
for Gordon’s Service Center when the bid was less expensive, and
• The possibility of starting up Citizens on
Patrol program.
The following day, Mills took the records
over to the town hall office, and he said, Harris has a file on each officer;
however, Mills conceded that some records that should have been in town hall
were not there.
Bridging the gap
Teachers get help to meet needs of students
Special called meeting June 27
A special called meeting of the Claiborne Parish School
Board will be at 6 p.m., June 27, for the purpose of accepting recommendations
for new hires. For more information, please call their office at 318-927-3502.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The Claiborne Parish School Board is getting
a little help for its teachers to help them make sure the kids in their
classrooms are meeting the goals set forth for the school year.
In Thursday’s meeting, the board approved
hiring Dr. Sue Barfield, an instructor at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School at
Louisiana Tech University, as a facilitator of curriculum and data analysis.
Dr. Barfield will serve in a 10-month position, to be paid from Title II
professional development funds.
The sole purpose of Dr. Barfield’s position,
said Schools Superintendent Dr. Janice Williams, is data-driven in that she
will take the numbers and work with the teachers to see where they need to be
working with students to make sure they are learning the material needed to
meet requirements.
“In light of new mandates coming down the
pike as far as Common Core state standards, teaching curriculum and test scores
(from this school year), we’ve had an astronomical number of students attending
summer school,” Williams said. “To foster support for our teachers, our
administrators to work with our teachers to take a look at the data to make
sure the teachers are presenting in the classroom to meet the needs of the
students.
“In order to bring all that full circle,
there is a definite need to change the way we are doing things in Claiborne
Parish,” she continued.
In looking at the numbers from the last year
or so of School Performance Scores, Claiborne Parish has two “F” schools, two
“D” schools and two “C” schools.
“When we take a look at the mandates coming
from the state, they are looking at teacher collaboration, building
professional learning communities, getting teachers involved in the learning
process, and also making data-driven decisions,” Williams said.
Curriculum is now moving away from the
traditional textbook and is moving towards more technology-driven learning.
“She’s going to be instrumental in making
sure the teachers are using this,” she said. “She’s going to bridge the gap
between the textbooks and the Common Core standards.”
Williams explained to board members in more
detail about how Dr. Barfield’s job will work, giving teachers more immediate
feedback, thereby allowing teachers to make the needed changes sooner.
“Hopefully, this will impact student
achievement, because that’s where the rubber meets the road,” she said. “With
Dr. Barfield’s expertise, I think this may be where we bridge our gap.”
A motion was made by Dr. Haynes and seconded
by Mrs. Willis, which passed unanimously.
In other news, the school board approved:
• a resolution to establish and levy property
tax millage rates for 2013,
• the Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire for
the audit ending June 30, 2013,
• bids for milk, bread and ice cream,
• policy revisions,
• job description for the following: a part
time custodian, school food service janitor, school food service manager and a
school food service technician,
• items declared surplus, which include
equipment, school buses and tractors,
• out of state travel for Career Clusters,
• appointment of Jane Brown as the elementary
principal for Homer Elementary,
• the resignation letter of CPSB Business
Manager Fred Evans,
• permission to advertise for the position of
business manager,
• employee transfers,
• permission to advertise for an
administrative assistant position at Homer Elementary,
• permission to advertise for
middle school principal position at Homer Junior High School, and
• personnel actions, which include the hiring
of Joshua Willeford at Homer High School as a teacher/coach, replacing Katrina
Harris, Julie Alexander at Homer High School as an English teacher, replacing
Denice Owens, Misty Laster, at Homer Elementary, a special education teacher,
replacing Kathleen Mahn, and Joshua Utley, a vocational ag teacher at Homer
High School, replacing James Mahn.
Resignations include that of Business Manager
Fred Evans, effective December 31, Kevin Phillips, Homer High School, English
Teacher, and Beth Craft, a teacher at Haynesville Jr./Sr. High School.
Resignations that were one year appointments
only included Eleanor Key, a teacher at Homer Elementary, Katrina Harris, a
teacher at Homer High School, and Catrenia Scott, a counselor at Homer High
School.
Terminated was LaDarien Amos, a special
education teacher at Haynesville Jr./Sr. High School.
The next school board meeting will be at 6
p.m., Thursday, July 11, in the meeting room at Central Office. For more
information, or for questions, please call their office at 318-927-3502.
A Fun Day with Firemen!
The Guardian-Journal photo/Jenni Williams
A number of local firemen spent the day having a blast
with a huge crowd of park visitors this past Saturday at the annual Fun Day
with Firemen event. The event includes ton of water and fire safety games with
the firemen, along with a lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs grilled on the spot.
Above, teams of firemen and children compete to see who is strongest at Tug of
War. See more in this week’s edition of The Guardian-Journal.
Homer man charged with battery
The Guardian-Journal
A Homer man has been arrested after he allegedly
twisted the ear of a woman and threw his hat at her.
Van Lee Cupples, 46, of Homer, was charged on
Thursday, June 6, with domestic abuse battery with bond set at $10,000.
According to reports, the victim, Avylon
Staggs told police she and Cupples were grilling outside. When the grill would
not work, she took the food back inside to finish in the kitchen. At that time,
reports say, Cupples came inside the house and began yelling at her and twisted
her ear, then throwing his hat at him.
At the time Homer Police Officer Scott Glenn
arrived upon the scene in the 300 block of West 4th Street, both parties had
been separated.
Cupples was placed under arrest and
transported to the Homer Police Station for paperwork. He was then transported
to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center for booking.
Junction City man to face theft charges in Claiborne
The Guardian-Journal
A Junction City man will now face charges in
Claiborne Parish for an alleged crime in 2012.
Brian M. Dunsworth, 44, was arrested on Monday,
June 3, and charged with failure to appear with bond set at $500, criminal
trespass with bond set at $500, theft over $500 with bond set at $2,000 and
unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.
According to Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken
Bailey, Dunsworth was arrested by his deputies after charges on him in Union
County were taken care of.
“He was serving (time) on charges in Union
County (Ark.),” he said. “These charges are our charges and we had put a hold
on him.”
Bailey said the charges stem from theft of
tools in Haynesville in October 2012.
All dried up?
Company could affect Claiborne’s water supply
The Guardian-Journal
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) has gotten its feet wet in a debate in Union Parish regarding several million
gallons of water drawn from the Sparta Aquifer, potentially affecting water
resources in Claiborne Parish.
According to an article published June 5 in
the Farmerville Gazette, Southwestern Energy entered into a contract with the
Town of Farmerville to pump 17 million gallons of fresh water from the Sparta
Aquifer, rather than use surface water from Lake D’Arbonne.
“When word came out that the ground water
supply was being drawn, it raised some questions in (Commissioner of
Conservation) Jim Welsh’s mind because he had been assured multiple times by
Southwestern agents they would make every effort to use surface water,” said
DNR Communications Director Patrick Gourreges.
After hearing about the groundwater contract
through an article in the Farmerville Gazette two weeks ago, DNR began to
investigate Southwestern’s activities in the Brown Dense Play and found that
although no violation was committed in the contract with the Town of
Farmerville, the company had failed to register a drilling rig supply well as a
frack well between the months of June and October of last year, and therefore,
has been fined $12,000 plus extra liabilities by DNR.
The Sparta Aquifer is the major source of
groundwater for all or part of 16 parishes, including Union and Claiborne
parishes, in north central Louisiana, according to the Sparta Commission’s
website, www.spartaaquifer.com.
“Almost a quarter million people rely on the
Sparta’s excellent quality water for their drinking water,” it continues. “The
Sparta has been heavily pumped for more than eighty (80) years. In the past
thirty (30) years, well water levels have declined at average rates of one to
three feet per year and have dropped below the top of the aquifer in many
areas.”
During the months of June through October
2012, Southwestern had registered one drilling supply well and one industrial
well to be used for fracking. However, the company decided to use the drilling
supply well for fracking and 13 million gallons of groundwater went unaccounted
for, the Gazette reported in its June 5 article.
Not only will Southwestern face the civil
penalty of a fine, Welsh has requested the company provide documentation for
their current and future plans on the prevention of using groundwater for
wells.
Mike Allen, Farmerville Public Services
supervisor, said the contract with Southwestern was a “one-time thing.”
In addition to its contract with the Town of
Farmerville, Southwestern has also entered into a short-term groundwater deal
with the D’Arbonne Water System and General Manager Eddie Lee of Bernice.
“They didn’t tell me they even had the option
to buy water from the lake,” Lee
said in the Gazette article. “They said they could either buy it from me, or
they would drill their own well next to mine, so they are going to be taking
water from the Sparta either way.”
Lee said the company would not tell him how
many gallons they would be drawing from the well, located in Spearsville, but
was assured it would be used for a rig supply well and not a frack well.
Courreges said it was hard to tell how much
water will be needed for a rig supply well, but typically a few hundred thousand
gallons are taken over the course of a couple of months.
Lee said he will be monitoring the well
closely.
Sparta Groundwater Commission, formed in
1999, has worked tirelessly to teach consumers about the importance of water
conservation and that it is a regional problem. What one industry does effects
the whole Sparta region, regardless of whether it’s in favor of conservation.
The commission hired a
conservation educator, Lindsay Gouedy, to help come up with ways to teach those
in the Sparta region about water conservation.
According to the Gazette, many letters,
emails and phone calls have been sent by board members of the Sparta Commission
and groundwater conservationists who are disappointed in the decision to use
groundwater for any reason.
“I just can’t believe some people still
aren’t getting the message about our Sparta,” said Sparta ex officio Gary
Hanson, who has an extensive background with the oil and gas industry as well
as groundwater systems and the Environmental Protection Agency.
(Much of the information contained in this story was
published in the Farmerville Gazette and was reprinted with written
permission.)
LCDBG public hearing set for June 20
The Guardian-Journal
The Homer Town Council will meet for a public
hearing on Thursday, June 20, at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the Louisiana Community
Development Block Grant program for the 2014-15 year.
In the monthly meeting of the town council,
members adopted Resolution 13-005, a citizen participation plan for the LCDBG
program.
“This plan describes how the Town of Homer
intends to involve citizens in the planning, implementation, and assessment of
the local Community Development Block Grant Program,” according to the
resolution. “Federal and State regulations give ultimate responsibility for the
design and implementation of the program to local elected officials and also
require that citizens be given an opportunity to serve in a key advisory role
to the elected officials. All aspects of citizen participation will be
conducted in an open manner with freedom of access to information for all
interested programs.”
The resolution was adopted four to one, with
Councilwoman Linda Mozeke, District 1, absent.
“These are resolutions that we have to pass
in order to be in compliance to be able to apply for these grants,” Homer Mayor
Alecia Smith said.
In other grant news, Smith said the town has
gotten approval letters from different entities for three different grants that
have been in the works for a while.
The biggest is the awarding of $150,000 in
capital outlay funds from House Bill 1, which will go towards the re-roofing
project of Homer City Hall and the Homer Police Station. Over city hall, the
unique Spanish-like tiles will be removed and the roof will be relaid. The
tiles will then be placed back over the new roof, and some tiles will be
replaced as needed.
Also, the funds will go towards the
renovation and construction of new council chambers for the town council.
Currently, town council meetings take place in the kitchen area inside City
Hall, just off the auditorium. Before, meetings took place in the back room of
the Homer Police Department. Council chambers were moved to City Hall to allow
the police department more space in which to work.
Another grant that will go towards the roofing
project of Homer City Hall is the Louisiana Government Assistance Program
(LGAP) grant in the amount of $27,000.
Also, the town has been awarded a $35,000
Community Water Enrichment Fund (CWEF) grant for the removal of the old water
storage tank at Joe Michael Memorial Park.
This totals $212,000 in grants and funding
for infrastructure improvements for the Town of Homer.
Also, Resolution 13-006 was adopted, allowing
Smith to execute a cooperative endeavor agreement on behalf of the town with
the Claiborne Parish School Board for the property used by the Boys and Girls
Clubs of Timber Ridge, Homer unit.
