Lake Claiborne Boat
Parade, Fireworks Show this Friday
The 2013 Lake Claiborne Boat
Parade and Fireworks Show is this Friday, so make plans to spend the evening on
the beautiful Lake Claiborne!
This year’s boat parade begins
at 7:15 p.m. with line up at Pleasure Point Marina. The parade will make its
way around the lake to Lake Claiborne State Park. A commemorative hat will be
given to each boat parade captain while supplies last, with one hat per boat only.
This year’s show is expected to
be a huge success with more fireworks this year than any other time! Beginning
at 9 p.m., the fireworks show will be a spectacular event with 1,330 display
effects. Handling the fireworks show again this year is Artisan Pyrotechnics of
Wiggins, Miss.
Even with the show coming up
this weekend, there is still time to make a tax deductible donation to help
make this year’s show a bigger success than the previous year. To donate,
please make checks payable to Fourth of July Fireworks for Lake Claiborne,
Inc., and mail it to P.O. Box 181, Homer, LA 71040.
Three hurt in oil rig fire
The Guardian-Journal
Three men were hurt in an oil
well fire last Friday and as of press time, the investigation into its cause
continues.
According to Claiborne Parish
Sheriff Ken Bailey, his office received a call at the time of the incident and
he went to the location on Tiger Creek Road between Homer and Haynesville
around 4 p.m. that day.
“(They) were circulating the
well and for unknown reasons the tank exploded,” Bailey said. “It burned three
men near it.”
Haynesville Fire Chief Mark
Furlow said it was a flash fire that burned approximately five seconds, which
also set a rig tank on fire.
“They’re out there breaking some
stuff apart to look for the source,” he said. “There’s nothing been found so
far.”
Two men were airlifted to
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center with severe burns, the other
taken to Homer Memorial Hospital, treated and released that night.
Furlow, one of the owners
Stateline Vacuum Services in Haynesville, said Chris Pickens, one of the three
burned that afternoon, is now at home recovering from minor burns to his arms,
face and neck. The other two men are still hospitalized at this time, he said.
Furlow said three companies were
on the location at the time of the fire, and all three are conducting its own
investigation into the incident. Those companies include AIX Energy, Dykes Well
Service and Stateline Vacuum Services.
“We’re all doing our own
investigation but we’re working very closely with each other,” he said. “It’s
unfortunate that men got hurt. We’re trying to determine what happened, because
we want to pass this along to everybody else to make sure it doesn’t happen
again.”
Homer Town Council meeting rescheduled for July 8
The
monthly meeting of the Homer Town Council has been rescheduled for Monday, July
8 at 6 p.m. in council chambers, located inside city hall. For more
information, please call Homer City Hall at 318-927-3555.
Apartment complex fire under investigation
Photos courtesy of Dennis Butcher
An arson investigation is currently underway in a fire
that occurred Sunday evening, June 30, at Claiborne Place Apartments in the
office area (pictured above). Homer Fire Chief Dennis Butcher said the state
fire marshal’s office, the Homer Fire Department and the Homer Police
Department have investigators at the scene this week to determine the cause of
the fire. According to Butcher, damage occurred to some apartments (pictured
below) and investigators are looking to see if any items are missing. Butcher
said the fire could have been set to cover up other criminal activity.
Vandalism appears to have taken place in some of the other apartments. The fire
was reported around 11:15 p.m., and no injuries were reported.
Council recall petitions fail
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Recall petitions for three of
the five Homer Town Council have failed.
According to letters from the
Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, recall petitions for Linda Mozeke,
District 1, Carlette Sanford, District 4 and Patricia Jenkins, District 5 did
not meet the requirements of the governor to call for an election.
The one closest to being
recalled was Sanford, whose petition was turned in by Claiborne Registrar of
Voters Patricia Sanders with 175 signatures.
“However, the certificate only
verifies one hundred fifty-four (154) validated signatures on the petition,
which equates to thirty-eight point nine (38.9) percent of the qualified
electors,” according to the letter from the attorney general’s office.
“Therefore, the effort to recall Selectman Carlette Sanford failed to gather a
sufficient number of signatures to warrant the governor to issue a proclamation
ordering an election to be held for the purpose of voting of the question of
recall.”
According to records, District 4
has 395 registered voters. In order for Gov. Bobby Jindal to issue a
proclamation ordering a recall, at least 158 signatures would have to be
validated.
The petition for Jenkins was
turned in with 147 signatures, of which 117 were validated, or 33.6 percent.
District 5 has 348 registered voters. The petition would have had to have 139
valid signatures.
The petition for Linda Mozeke,
District 1, was turned in with 106 signatures, of which 64 were validated, or
15 percent. District 1 has 419 registered voters in the district. The petition
would have had to have at least 167 valid signatures.
According to law, in order to
issue a recall, the petitions must contain at least 40 percent of the total
electors in each district.
Petitions for Don McCalman,
District 3, and Michael Wade, District 2, were not submitted.
A recall petition is also
circulating for Homer Mayor Alecia Smith. The deadline to turn in that petition
is August 18. In order for a recall proclamation to be issued by the governor,
at least 660 signatures must be validated.
Tech’s Rattay remembers past, looks forward to bright
future
Joey White, Special to The Guardian-Journal
Louisiana Tech football fans can
count a lot of outstanding quarterbacks in their school’s football history.
Names like Bradshaw, Slaughter, Dunigan and McCown come to mind as guys who had
outstanding careers at Tech and went on to professional careers at QB.
But there was another guy who
also fit that criteria. He orchestrated a Tech offense that caused college
football to sit up and take notice during his three years at the helm of the
Bulldogs from 1997-99. When he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, he left
Ruston owning every Tech passing and total offense record. He also was second
all-time in the NCAA record book for total offense (12,618 yards), passing
touchdowns (46) and passing yards (4,932).
His name is Tim Rattay, and
after 12 years of playing and coaching professional football he is back at
Louisiana Tech as the Bulldogs receivers’ coach for new head coach Skip Holtz.
Speaking to the Homer Lions Club meeting last Thursday, Rattay said he is
thrilled to be back at his alma mater.
“I am super excited to get back
to Louisiana Tech,” Rattay said. “It is a place that has given me so much, and
it is a program on the rise. I am just glad to have this opportunity to be back
at the school I love, and I want to thank Coach Holtz for giving me the
chance.”
The admiration Rattay has for
his alma mater is reflected back to him by his school’s fans. Bulldog followers
are thrilled to have Rattay return to Tech. They remember the special moments
he provided during his time as Bulldog QB, as he led Tech to a three-year
record of 23-11, their first-ever appearance in the Division 1 Top 25 polls,
and victories over major conference opponents like Cal and Alabama (twice).
Beating Alabama twice was
special, Rattay told the Homer Lions Club members. “We beat them (26-20) my
sophomore season the year after I had redshirted,” Rattay recalled. “We played
them again in 1999, my senior season. We had lost our top receiver (Troy
Edwards) to the NFL, but we still had a bunch of really good receivers. Alabama
was good that year (the Tide went on to win the SEC championship), and they
were waiting for us. They wanted revenge for the loss in Tuscaloosa two years
earlier. It was a fun atmosphere.”
Before a crowd of 80,000 fans in
Birmingham, Tech led the game 12-3 at halftime, as Rattay threw two touchdown
passes. After each of those first two TDs, Tech missed the extra point kick. In
the third quarter, Alabama got back in the game with a 76-yard kickoff return
for a touchdown by future NFL star running back Shaun Alexander. When Alexander
scored on a 30-yard run later in the third quarter, Alabama took an 18-15 lead
into the fourth quarter. Rattay put Tech back in front (22-18) with another TD
pass early in the fourth quarter, but Alexander scored another rushing
touchdown, and a late Tide field goal pushed the ‘Bama lead to 28-22.
Rattay, who would finish the
game with 27 completions in 50 attempts for 368 yards, then started Tech down
the field on their last-chance drive with a little more than two minutes
remaining. He drove the Bulldogs to the Alabama 13 yard line before he was
sacked on a play where his ankle was injured. He had to limp off the field, and
was replaced by seldom-used sophomore Brian Stallworth. Forced to watch from
the sideline, Rattay saw his back-up finish the job he had started. “Stallworth
hit an out route to get us a little closer,” Rattay remembered, “then he found
Sean Cangelosi in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown to tie the game (with
just two seconds left on the clock). We still had to get the extra point to win
it, though, and that was no given thing. We had missed two extra point kicks
earlier in the game. But this time, Kevin Pond made it. It wasn’t pretty, but
it went through. It was great stuff. We beat them in both of their stadiums.”
Now Rattay is looking forward to
being back on the sidelines as a part of the Tech coaching staff. “I think our
future is bright,” he said. “I am excited about the chance to work for Coach
Skip Holtz. I think he understand what it takes to win at a school like ours.
He was successful at East Carolina, and I think that is a similar situation to
the one we have at Tech. I look at him, not just from the viewpoint of an
assistant coach, but also as an alumnus of the school. And, as an alum, I am
excited about what I think he is going to do for Tech. “
Rattay said when he visited Tech
for a home game last season he noticed a much improved game day experience over
what it was like when he played for Tech. “Thousands of people tailgating,
wearing the school colors, excited about the game…,” he said. “I think that
excitement is going to continue to grow, with Tech going into Conference USA
this year.”
Tech lost 31 seniors (including
16 starters) from their outstanding 9-3 team of last year. Rattay says the
Bulldog coaches still expect the team to be good. “We have lots of big holes to
fill, but that gives opportunities to other guys, who may not have the
experience but do have the ability.” Regarding his main area of responsibility,
Rattay said Tech definitely lost some key receivers to graduation, including
All-American Quinton Patton. “But I like what I saw from several of our guys in
the spring. Guys like Richie Casey (from Homer), D.J. Banks, Hunter Lee and
Eddie Johnson (a new junior college transfer) all showed me they are ready to
step up and take the leadership role. I am excited about them.”
Tech became a fast-paced
offensive team under Coach Sonny Dykes, and Rattay said that approach will
continue under Coach Holtz and new offensive coordinator Tony Petersen. “Coach
Petersen comes to us from Marshall, and believe it or not they ran even more
offensive plays than Tech last year,” Rattay said. “So the quick tempo will
continue.”
Although a lot of that quick
tempo involves passing, Tech will still feature plenty of rushing plays,
utilizing the talents of their two outstanding sophomore running backs, Kevin
Dixon and Tevin King. In 2012, Dixon set an NCAA record for most touchdowns
(28) by a freshman. “I have been around a lot of good players, but Kenneth
Dixon is the best looking running back I’ve ever been around,” said Rattay.
King was equally as impressive as Dixon during the early portion of his
freshman season in 2012, ranking as the eighth-leading rusher nationally with
123 yards per game. The speedy runner injured a knee during a victory over
Illinois in the third game of the season, though, and missed the rest of season
following surgery. “His rehab has gone well,” said Rattay. “We think he will
come back strong. He has special abilities, and we are going to try to utilize
those the best way possible.”
A major question this season is
who will get the ball to the receivers. With two-year starting quarterback
Colby Cameron having graduated, the competition at QB is between Texas Tech
transfer Scotty Young (a junior who was a four-star recruit in high school) and
redshirt freshman Ryan Higgins. “They both had good springs,” said Rattay. “We
will see which one steps up in fall practices and takes the job.”
“I think good things are ahead
for Louisiana Tech football,” Rattay said. “I am just glad to be a part of it.”
Rattay, a native of Phoenix, AZ,
is married to former Tech volleyball player, Allison Walker. The couple has
three daughters, Riley (8), Taylor 5) and Sloane (3). “We live in Choudrant,
and my wife and kids love it. That’s one of the main reasons we wanted to come
back to Ruston. This is a great place to raise a family.”
Junction City schools can keep Claiborne students
through new charter agreement
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Claiborne Parish students who
attend Junction City Schools now have the opportunity to continue to do so
following a deal between the Arkansas school district and Delhi Charter School.
According to The News Star in
Monroe, the Delhi Charter School Board approved a one-year agreement allowing
some 90 students from Claiborne Parish to continue their education in Junction
City funded by Louisiana tax dollars.
Claiborne Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Janice Williams said she is unsure of just how many of those
students will come back into the Claiborne School District after an approximate
90-year agreement with Junction City Schools ended at the end of the 2012-13
school year.
“I just don’t know,” she said in
a telephone interview. “(In April), we had a parent meeting scheduled at
Summerfield...so that Mr. (James) Scriber could give them an orientation and a
tour of the school, and not one parent showed up.”
Scriber sent notices to all the
students in Claiborne Parish who were attending Junction City Schools, she
said, and she and the Summerfield principal stayed for more than an hour.
“In light of what has taken
place with Delhi Charter, probably none of them will (come to Summerfield),”
she said. “They’ll enroll through Delhi Charter and pending what comes out of
this Northeast Claiborne Charter for the next school year (2014-15), then that
may be the deciding element. I just don’t know.”
In fact, several Claiborne
Schools employees were transferred from Junction City to Summerfield, the
Alternative Site and Homer Junior High. Out of those transfers, only five out
of nine have stayed with the school system: Kim Brantley, an elementary school
teacher, Mitzi Thompson, a counselor, John Rogers, a bus driver, Yvonne
Williams, a paraprofessional and Ellen Conner, an elementary teacher. The rest
have either resigned or retired.
The issue is that either way
it’s still taking money away from the Claiborne Parish School System. It means
Claiborne loses Minimum Foundation Program monies from the state which support
teacher salaries based on the number of students in the school district.
“That will be taken from our MFP
allocation so it will be just like a child that leaves Claiborne Parish and
goes to Webster,” she said.
Under the old agreement,
Claiborne Parish sent MFP money to Junction City for those students, also
providing teachers, paraprofessionals and bus drivers. However, when Gov.
Jindal’s education overhaul came into play, the agreement could no longer be
considered valid, because the students were not being tested under Louisiana
standards, among other factors.
According to The News Star article,
the new agreement will allow the Claiborne Parish students who attend Junction
City to enroll through Delhi Charter and still attend Junction City schools.
The decision, according to the article, was made possible through a decision
made by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education allowing the charter
school to amend its contract. Junction City would be considered a service
provider.
Under the new agreement, these
students will take the same tests as Louisiana students.
According to the Associated
Press, some $700,000 in state aid would be routed through Delhi Charter School
for the Claiborne Parish students.
Junction City Superintendent
Danny Thomas was not available for comment, because he is out of the office
this week.
Patrolman stops physical altercation
The Guardian-Journal
Two Homer citizens were arrested
after a Homer Police officer intervened in a physical altercation.
Andre Gilbert, 33, was arrested
on Sunday, June 30, on a charge of simple battery with bond set at $500, and
three counts of possession of legend drugs, with bond set at $2,000 per count.
Kisha Moore, 36, was arrested on
the same date on a charge of simple battery with bond set at $500 and a warrant
for failure to pay child support. Bond was set at $2,000.
According to reports, Officer
Frank Evans was parked in his patrol unit in the vicinity of the 600 block of
South 4th Street and could hear noises coming from inside a residence.
At that time, he walked up to
the residence and could see through the window that Moore and Gilbert were
involved in a physical altercation with the victim, Raquel Warren. Reports
indicate Moore and Gilbert were instigating the altercation.
Evans called for backup, but he
entered the residence before backup arrived because the incident began to escalate.
At that time, Evans subdued both
Moore and Gilbert. Homer Officer Scott Glenn arrived on scene and placed Moore
under arrest without incident and transported her to the Claiborne Parish
Women’s Jail.
Upon further investigation,
police say, Gilbert was placed under arrest as well on the above charges and
transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center. During booking, a pill
bottle was found in Gilbert’s pocket filled with various pills. The pills were
identified as legend drugs and those charges were added to Gilbert’s initial
charge of simple battery.
In a separate incident, Jerry
Henderson, 39, of Homer, was arrested on a warrant for failure to pay child
support on Monday, June 26. Bond was set at $1,000.
According to reports, Officer
Glenn was dispatched to the 400 block of Meadow Drive in reference to a subject
refusing to leave.
Upon arrival, Glenn made contact
with Henderson and placed him under arrest on the outstanding warrant. He was
transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center for booking.
Grass fire heats up U.S. 79
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
A grass and woods fire on U.S. 79 slowed down traffic
some Monday afternoon as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. The fire
was on U.S. 79 near Maritzky Road. According to Homer Fire Chief Dennis
Butcher, the cause is unknown and the fire was under control within minutes of
their arrival. The U.S. Department of Forestry out of Webster Parish was called
in to dig a fire line around the affected areas and fly over to make sure it
did not spread. Pictured right, these Homer firefighters walk into the woods to
make sure the flames do not spread any farther back.
Registration going on now for Hunter’s Ed Course
The Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s
Office (CPSO), along with David Wade Correctional Center (DWCC), will be
sponsoring the hunter education courses for 2013.
The course will be conducted at
the Homer Fire Station at 411 West Main Street on August 7, 8 and 10. The class
schedule is as follows:
• August 7: from 6 until 9 p.m.
• August 8: from 6 until 9 p.m.
• August 10: from 8 a.m. until
noon.
Anyone interested in this hunter
education class must pre-register with CPSO at 318-927-2011 or by contacting
Col. Brad Rogers at 318-927-0400, ext. 455.
In 1985, hunter education became
mandatory in Louisiana. Anyone born on or after September 1, 1969 is required
by law to complete the Louisiana Hunter Education course before purchasing a
hunting license.
The minimum age for
certification is 10.
Older hunters who plan to hunt
outside the state should check the state regulation where they plan to hunt.
All 50 states now require some
form of mandatory hunter education certification prior to issuing a license.
Hunter education programs have
always taught young hunters the practice of firearm and hunting safety. Today,
hunter education programs are about more than safety.
They have been expanded to produce
knowledgeable, responsible and involved hunters -- hunters who understand the
importance of complying with hunting laws and behaving ethically.
These programs give beginners a
good foundation, and they provide a refresher for veteran hunters.
Ultimately, the mission of
hunter education is to ensure the continuation of the hunting tradition.
