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By Bonnie Culverhouse

(Editor’s note: a recent coyote attack on a small dog within Minden city limits prompted a Webster Parish Journal Facebook post that resulted in more than 80 comments from all over Webster, Bienville and Claiborne parishes and leading to this story.)

Coyotes are like deer in one way, they have become almost accustomed to living in the city limits of towns all over the state – including cities such as New Orleans. Like deer, they are born into city, and their fear of humans is almost nonexistent. However, that’s where the similarity ends.

According to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Zane LeBlanc, coyotes in populated areas will become even more prominent as the weather gets colder.

“It’s a matter of prey availability,” LeBlanc said. “They are looking for small animals, rodents and trash that’s been left outside.”

Many of the Facebook comments were from owners of missing or injured cats and small dogs.

“It’s a good idea to feed your animals inside,” he said. “Bigger dogs, like Labrador Retrievers and such can usually handle themselves. But when you feed your animals outside, that often attracts rodents, which in turn attracts coyotes.”

LeBlanc said coyotes are no longer isolated to rural areas of the state and are now very common in urban and suburban areas as well as city storm drains.

“Major changes in our landscape, habitat loss and fragmentation due to human expansion and development, increased food availability, easily accessible food sources, such as garbage, gardens, loss of predators and available shelter have led to an increase in coyote-human sightings and interactions,” he said.  

Coyotes are a species with a complex social structure involving both resident and transient individuals which makes control measures particularly difficult, he added.  

However, there are ways to “attempt” to control the numbers.

“They are not an endangered species,” LeBlanc said of coyotes. “That means, if you are not under a city ordinance prohibiting firearms, you can legally shoot them.”

In the case of municipalities, most – including Minden and Springhill – have laws prohibiting the shooting of firearms within the city limits.

“In those cases, coyotes can be trapped by persons with a trapping license for nuisance animals,” he said. “Several highly-experienced individuals are available in the Webster Parish area to assist homeowners in dealing with nuisance wildlife.”

The direct web link for the permitted trappers can be found at: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/nuisance-wildlife-control-operator-list. This list can be sorted by both parish and animal of concern.  

The best long-term solution for residents, said LeBlanc, will be to utilize nuisance wildlife prevention techniques around their homes which include measures such as:

 1) Not leaving any pet food, bird feeders, or unsecured trash outdoors during the nighttime hours as this practice will often attract coyotes, rodents, opossums, raccoon, and other wildlife.

2) Remove any unnecessary structures, shrubbery, brush piles, and or other items near homes that could serve as a place for coyotes and/or their prey to seek shelter.

 3) Keep outdoor pets such as cats or dogs within a protective kennel or indoors during early morning, late evening and nighttime hours when coyotes are most active.

 Once the neighborhood is free of these items that can potentially serve as food and sheltering areas for nuisance animals, coyotes will naturally begin to spend less time near the home sites and will revert back to areas of natural cover and resources.  

Some additional information can be found on the Living with Coyotes Brochure: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Landowner_Assistance/Living_with_Coyotes_low-res.pdf .

 All things urban coyote can be found at: https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info

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A Minden man has found himself booked into the Claiborne Parish Detention Center.

On Wednesday, Dec. 13, Trever Travez Larnett, 29, of the 300 block of East Street, Minden, was pulled over by the Minden Police Department during a routine traffic stop at Martin Luther King Drive and South Gum.

Upon the officer asking dispatch the check for active warrants, they confirmed Larnett had active warrants through Lafayette for simple escape, aggravated escape, careless operation, no seatbelt, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and negligent injuring.

Larnett also had an active warrant through Claiborne Parish for failure to appear on a traffic ticket for speeding; 73mph in a 55 speed zone.

He was taken into custody by the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, but released the next day, Dec. 14, and booked into the Claiborne Parish Center.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Summerfield and Homer High School Juniors and Seniors completed their last step in the LYFE curriculum yesterday by doing their simulation day.

The LYFE Course curriculum states that their mission is to “empower young adults with the essential life skills and practical knowledge needed to confidently navigate the complexities of adulthood. We are dedicated to providing a comprehensive, engaging, and accessible learning experience, guided by industry experts and tailored to the diverse needs of our students.”

As students come into the simulation, they are given a folder with their career on it and their monthly income. The students then used their monthly income and traveled to eleven stations where they had to purchase their housing, groceries, vehicle, different insurances, retirement plan, telecommunications, etc.

One station held life events where the students had to draw a random event that caused them to make money to add into their income or lose money from it as well. The purpose of the course and simulation was to give the student real world experience that taught them budgeting skills, how to write checks, make purchases, and many other life skills that are important for when they graduate.

Claiborne Parish 4-H would like to thank all of the volunteers that helped the Claiborne Parish AgCenter put on this simulation, Homer High School for hosting this event and Summerfield High School for allowing their students to partipate. 

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By Wesley Harris
(Claiborne Parish Library Historian)

“What fancies we weave, what dreams we dream over a piece of homely old china!”—Alice Morse Earle

A kitchen cabinet in our home is full of old glassware we rarely use. With a second cabinet full of larger beverage containers—insulated cups, plasticware, fruit jars, and two full sets of nicer drinking glasses—there’s no need.

The seldom-opened cabinet contains all manner of glassware my grandmother collected through 84 years of life. No, it’s not some priceless collection of princely crystal. Rather, it’s a hodgepodge of jars-turned-drinking-glasses and cheap, mass-produced glass from the Great Depression to the 1960s.

My grandmother’s fine china came from an oatmeal box.

Most of Grandmother’s glassware was collected as purchase incentives. Buy a big box of oatmeal and you might find a juice glass buried deep in the oats; the next time, perhaps a coaster or saucer or sherbet bowl. She wasn’t about to buy a set of dishes as she raised three kids alone or later in life when Social Security only went so far.

I remember the tiny oatmeal box juice glass of orange juice Grandmother poured when I had breakfast after an overnight stay. She offered a big glass of milk drawn from her own cow, but I always passed. I believe it was the smell of fermenting buttermilk in the kitchen churn that turned off my interest in milk.

Instead, I wanted orange juice in that big glass. I had to grow up to realize little cost came with those gallons of milk, but orange juice was an expensive luxury.

Depression glass was cheap mass-produced glass made during the Great Depression of the 1930s. A type of pressed glass of humble origin, depression glass came in a variety of appealing patterns, shapes, and colors. Manufactured in large sets between 1920 and 1940, it was inexpensively produced by several companies like Anchor Hocking, the maker of tons of “oatmeal” glass.

For decades, some companies placed a glass item in with the goods to encourage purchases. Quaker Oats bought trainloads of glass to include with its product. Duz Detergent by Proctor & Gamble offered an array of tableware one piece at a time. Each time a box was purchased, a hand dug dig into the soap to retrieve a coffee cup or a soup bowl.

Other enterprises got in on the promotional gimmick. Movie theatres gave glassware or dishes away at the door; grocery store chains provided a single dish weekly to get shoppers in the door. Larger pieces like platters or gravy bowls could be purchased to round out a complete table setting. I remember my mother getting the weekly free dish at the Piggly Wiggly, but she never bought the more expensive pieces.

These low-cost mass production items have become modern-day collectibles. The attraction lies in the humble beginnings of the glassware. It was given away, meaning much of it was discarded in more prosperous times. Some of the draw is nostalgic charm. Items of an earlier time like butter dishes, lemon squeezers, and juice glasses reflect memories of family, of times when penny-pinching frugality was the norm, of gatherings around the dinner table.

I collect “old stuff” but not glassware or pottery and the like. Never had an interest. But when I open that cabinet, I don’t see a bunch of glass.

I see my grandmother.

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After spending almost 100 years of life with family, friends, students and her beloved Summerfield; Janis Daniels closed her eyes for an uninterrupted sleep on December 13, 2023.

Janis was born August 22, 1925, one of four daughters and one son to W.A & Selma Fielder in Summerfield. She married Andrew Jack Daniels on December 25, 1945. Janis taught school at Summerfield for many years, and even in Florida for one year. She graduated from Louisiana Tech, along with her three sisters-all became school teachers.

Janis was the last of her immediate family, and will be able to finally join them and love them the way she did while she was with us. Her family that preceded her in death were; her parents, her husband, Jack Daniels; twin sister, Jean Fielder Bass (Lloyd); brother, Alton Brown Fielder (Irene); sister, Dorothy Fielder Ferguson (John L.); sister, MaryJo Fielder Zappa (John); a niece and two nephews.

Janis leaves behind three nieces, Barbara Ann Williams, Jan Smith and Kim Stewart; three nephews, Al Fielder, Mike Zappa and Kerry Hanna; as well as, many grand and great-grand nieces/nephews, and an extended family of cousins and life long friends that she loved very much. She will be missed by all.

Graveside Service will be Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., in Summerfield Cemetery in Summerfield, LA, with Rev. Johnie Adkins, officiating. Visitation will be at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 405 East 5th Street, Homer, LA, on Sunday from 1-2 p.m.

Honorary pallbearers will be Darrell Pepper, Bucky Bailey, Al Fielder, Kerry Hanna, Mike Zappa and Allen Williams.

In lieu of flowers honoring Janis, her family suggests memorials be made to Summerfield Cemetery Fund, Summerfield Baptist Church or Claiborne Parish Library System, where she served on the board for many years.

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Let’s talk about failures. The holiday season may seem like a peculiar time to air personal disappointments, but stick with me.

My father died when I was a small child. An even more unorthodox way to begin an inspirational pre-Christmas column, but that event still holds as the worst thing that ever happened to me. I’m putting that aside for the sake of this narrative and focusing on three of the worst things that happened to me in within a short, six-year period in my twenties.

Worst thing #1: I flunked out of college. 1981.

Worst thing #2: I got a DUI and ended up in alcohol and drug rehab. May 25, 1983

Worst thing #3: We fired our chef on opening night of my first restaurant. 1987.

In college I’d been majoring in communications because that’s all I knew from my work experience as a disc jockey in high school. I wasn’t interested in communications; I was interested in partying. Embarrassed and ashamed after flunking out, I moved back home to my hometown of Hattiesburg, Miss., looking for a job. There were two ladies who were opening a delicatessen. They didn’t know much about the restaurant business, which is evident, because they hired me as the manager. I fell in love with the restaurant business instantly and set a new course for my future: To open a restaurant of my own one day. Had I not flunked out of college I would have never gotten into what I believe is the career that I was born to do — the restaurant business.

The DUI saved my life. Seriously. I’ve been clean and sober ever since. I am 100 percent convinced that, at that point, I wouldn’t have lived much longer. At 21 years old I had resigned myself that I wasn’t going to live to see 30, and sadly, I was OK with that. The truth is — the way I was living, and the amount of alcohol and drugs I was consuming daily — I probably wouldn’t have made 25.

In 1987, I sold the only thing of value I owned: a landlocked piece of land in rural Perry County that my grandfather left me in his will. That $25,000 was my stake in opening the first restaurant. My mother begged me not to open a restaurant. “You’ll ruin the family name,” she said. At that point I couldn’t have done much more harm the family name than I had already done in my misspent youth.

We hired a chef from the Florida Panhandle. He was a legend. He was a legend for two reasons: 1.) His food was excellent, and 2.) He was a binge drinker who could start drinking on Wednesday and not be seen again until Sunday. We hired him on the promise that he would not drink. On the opening night of the first restaurant, I learned my first business lesson: Lock the beer cooler. The chef drank a case of beer out of the walk-in cooler and a bottle of Dr. Tischner’s from across the street at the gas station. We fired our chef opening night which forced me back into the kitchen. The extent of my cooking experience at that point was that I had asked for, and received, an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas when I was six years old. Had we not fired our chef that night I wouldn’t have spent the next four years working 90 hours a week in the kitchen which gave me the valuable foundation to succeed going forward.

It is said that missing a bus could change one’s entire life going forward. My story doesn’t start with a bus. It starts with The Beatles and their 45 rpm single of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” It was one of the first records I ever owned. It had been out several years by the time my babysitter gave me her copy. That scratched up, worn out record opened up whole new world as I not only fell in love with The Beatles, I fell in love with all music.

Music became my friend and constant companion from that day forward.

I was raised by a single mom who raised my brother and me on a public school art teacher’s salary. My brother and I had no choice but to work as soon as we could. At 15, after a couple of years of mowing yards and working as a janitor in my school, I needed a full time job. My mother approached the owner of a local radio station and told him that her son loved music and would love a job at his radio station. I was hired.

For expediency’s sake I will put this narrative on the fast track going forward. If my babysitter hadn’t given me that Beatles record, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with music as hard as I did, and never would have gotten a job at the radio station which led me to major in communications in college, which led me to flunk out of college because I wasn’t interested in communications.

After I flunked out of college, I ended up getting the only job I could find which was in a restaurant. Had I not gotten that job I would have never fallen in love with the restaurant business. Had I not gotten into the restaurant business I never would have employed more than 10,000 people over the past 37 years, and never would have founded Extra Table which is feeding hungry Mississippians more than 6,000,000 free meals a year. The restaurant business also led me to writing this column which led me to authoring books and producing and hosting television shows, which led me to taking my family on an extended six month trip to Europe.

From that Europe trip came a new career of hosting tours. But without hosting tours Anthony Thaxton and I never would have spent time with John Anderson at the Walter Anderson Museum one night which led to the idea of a documentary on Walter Anderson, and had that documentary not been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, for more than 1,100 airings on more than 325 public broadcasting stations, and won two Southeastern Emmy Awards, we wouldn’t have been approached by Mississippi College to open the Institute for Southern Storytelling.

In the end, things that seem like the worst things that could happen in the moment can turn out to be great blessings given time. A large portion of the 670,000 Mississippians who suffer from food insecurity are eating today, and the positive stories of Mississippians are being spread across the country. All because of a silly pop song that was released in 1964.

So, the Christmas message here is that one never knows what influence one is going to have on another. Take time with young people. Be caring. Be giving. Be patient in those youthful days. Give them second and third chances. You never know when you’re giving a little kid their version of a spark that could be as simple as a Beatles’ record.

That Easy Bake Oven is now on display in the culinary wing of the Max Museum in Meridian, the Beatles’ record is on my office bookshelf. It keeps me ever grateful and is a constant reminder that I am blessed way beyond what I deserve.

I still fail, almost daily. But I do my best to keep moving forward and try to get just a little bit better each day.

I’m not a winner, far from it. I’m just a loser who refuses to give up.

Onward.

Italian Cream Cake

1 cup Butter, softened
2 cups Sugar
5 large Eggs, separated
2  1 /2 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1 cup Buttermilk
2 /3 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 can Flaked coconut (3 1 /2 oz.)
1 /2 tsp Cream of Tartar
3 Tbl  Grand Marnier
1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting

Grease and flour three nine-inch round cake pans.  Line pans with wax paper; grease paper, and set aside. 

Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Combine flour and baking soda.  Add buttermilk and flour alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Stir in pecans, vanilla, and coconut. 

Beat egg whites at high speed in a large bowl until foamy.  Add cream of tartar; beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter. Pour batter into prepared pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 or 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in pans 10 minutes, remove from pans; peel off wax paper; and let cool completely on wire racks.  Brush each cake layer with 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Spread cream cheese frosting between layers and on sides and top of cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz.) pkg Cream cheese, softened
1 (3 oz.) pkg Cream cheese, softened
3 /4 cup Butter, softened
1  1 /2 Powdered sugar, sifted
1 1 /2 cups Pecans, chopped
1 Tbl Vanilla extract

Beat first three ingredients at medium speed of electric mixer until smooth.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy; stir in pecans
and vanilla.

(Robert St. John is a chef, restaurateur and published cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)

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Have you ever wondered why some people are so successful no matter what they do? With some people it seems that everything they touch turns to gold. We all know folks who fall into this category and who seem to have something special that you just can’t put your finger on. You can’t measure it, but it’s something average people just don’t have. We call it the “It” factor!

Of course, there are some physical skills you can develop in a person that will help them to achieve great things. With help from the right mentor or coach, you can develop certain skills that may put you on the path to success by making you faster or stronger. But the “It” factor is something you’re born with. Let’s face it, the good Lord blesses certain people with abilities and skills others will never have.

Now, it’s doesn’t mean you can’t be successful, but those born with “it” just take success to another level. The “it” is the gift that allows people to do things you can’t explain. They do things instinctively while the rest of us wonder why and how they did it. We question what makes them so good? Let’s look at an angler who falls into the “it” category.

 In the bass fishing world, it’s the man from Kalamazoo Michigan…. Kevin Van Dam (KVD), the man who many call the greatest bass angler to ever wet a hook. One day while having a conversation with Kevin’s brother, Randy, we talked about Kevin’s instincts and what makes him so good.  Randy told me that even as a young kid, Kevin did things that defied explanation.

Kevin, Randy, and their dad fished often when the bites were few and far between. For reasons unknown, Kevin would switch to another bait and start catching fish immediately. This was something, according to Randy, Kevin did frequently. For no apparent reason he would pick up a different rod and just start whacking them while Randy and his dad just stood there in amazement shaking their heads and wondering why. Over his entire career, Kevin would zig when others would zag. These are instincts not all anglers have and is what separates the great anglers from the average ones.

In the bass tournament world, there are certain anglers who seem to always make the right decisions at the right time. It’s because, like Kevin Van Dam, they have the “it” factor on their side. In tournament fishing, this is the difference between those that win tournaments and those that don’t. If you’ll notice and look at tournament standings over the years, there are certain guys who seem to always be at the top.

Obviously they are good anglers, but they also have something special that allows them to win more often than others…. they have ”it!” You can’t teach it or learn it, you must be blessed with it. I’m not sure why God only hands “it” out to a select few. If you’re one of those who has this gift, be thankful. Because if you use it correctly, it will serve you well.

There’s a radio show that’s been on air for over 16 years. The Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show that also has the “it’ factor as they cover all things related to the great outdoors. Rated as the #1 outdoor radio show in the Ark-La-Tex, you can catch this program every Wednesday from 11:00 till 1:00 CST on AM 1130 The Tiger or FM 103.3. You can also catch these guys on Facebook live or their web site at www.hutdshow.com.  Till next time, good luck, good fishing and even though it’s cooler now, you still need to wear your sunscreen. Melanoma does not discriminate! 

Steve Graf                                                                                        

Angler’s Perspective

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Please send all non-profit calendar events to cpjnewsla@gmail.com

Now until December 20

Homer Holiday Toy Drive – Drop off at Homer City Hall

December 16 (7 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Concealed Carry Class hosted by Claiborne Parish Sheriff Sam Dowies

Contact Detective Taylor Folmar at 318-464-0289 to sign up. 

December 17 (10:40 a.m.)

First Baptist Homer – “Emmanuel, Celebrating Heaven’s Child”

A Christmas Musical Celebration

 December 17 (11 a.m.)

 Rocky Springs Baptist Church, Lisbon – Christmas Cantata ” Glorious Song Marvelous Light” 

December 18 (8 – 2 p.m.)

Virtual Bake Sale in support of Summerfield Yearbook

Items will be posted to the school’s Facebook page.

December 18 (8:30 a.m.)

Homer Elementary Christmas Program in the Auditorium

December 21 (11:30 a.m.)

Holiday Cake Auction – Homer City Hall

December 23 (6 p.m.)

Town of Haynesville’s Christmas in the Park 

Polar Express Parade – 6 p.m.

Fireworks Show – 6: 30 p.m.

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Notice of Death – December 14, 2023

Charles Daniel Davis 

July 14, 1956 – Dec. 06, 2023

Farmerville, La.

Visitation: 2 – 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, Memorial Funeral Home, Farmerville.

Graveside service: 12 noon Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Lanes Chapel Cemetery, Downsville.

Louis Russell Standley

April 09, 1950 – Dec. 09, 2023

Homer, La.

Memorial service: 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Memorial Funeral Home, Homer.

Billy Joe Vise, Sr.

Nov. 16, 1938 – Dec. 13, 2023

Jamestown, La.

Visitation: 5 – 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Rockett Funeral Home, Ringgold.

Funeral service: 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Rockett Funeral Home Chapel, Ringgold.

Kathy Jo Malone

Aug. 11, 1954 – Dec. 05, 2023

Homer, La.

Funeral service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Memorial Funeral Home, Homer.

Interment: 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Antioch Cemetery, Homer.

Kelvin Lemar Gipson

Aug. 31, 1955 – Dec. 06, 2023

Homer, La.

Visitation: 9:30 – 10:59 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Hopewell Baptist Church, Dubach.

Funeral service immediately following visitation. 

Interment: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Hopewell Cemetery, Dubach.

Janis Fielder Daniels

Aug. 22, 1925 – Dec. 13, 2023

Summerfield, La.

Visitation: 1 – 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, Kilpatrick Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Homer.

Graveside service: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, Summerfield Cemetery.

Claiborne Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or cpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are no charge.)

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By Paige Nash

Last Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury (CPPJ) voted to establish a Parish-wide Utlities District with the general consensus of having funds in a reserve if any of the smaller and privately owned water systems in the parish fall on hard times and are not able to individually sustain their system.

“Water systems in this parish are heading, at some point, down a bad road for various reasons – price increases and age of the systems,” said CPPJ President Scott Davidson.

Recently, Pine Hill Water System Water and Central Claiborne Water System had the opportunity to take advantage of a $6M grant if they consolidated. If the systems mutually chose to combine, the grant would allow upgrades to larger line sizes, new lines and a new water well. Ultimately, Pine Hill Water System made the decision not to consolidate.

“We had senators that were involved in this and still couldn’t get anything done,” said Davidson.

Consolidations of water systems like this are taking place across the parish and are accredited to funding made available through Louisiana’s Water Sector Program which falls under the American Rescue Plan Act.  Lisbon and Middlefork Water Systems combined and received approximately $3.5M to be used for needed repairs and upgrades.

The state allocated $300M to the program for Round One and $450M for Round Two.  

The newly established Parish-wide Utilites District would be put in place to be used in the future if needed. Davidson made the recommendation to initially fund the district with $500K with $100K being added every year beginning in 2025 until it reached an amount of $1M.

“This money will not be touched. It will just be sitting there dedicated to the water district, but we could put it back if we needed it to be used elsewhere. It wouldn’t be locked in,” explained Davidson. “When they (water systems) come to us, it is going to be a money issue. They will need something reparied or something done right then and we need to have some money that is loose that we can use to address whatever issue it is.”

According to the Louisiana Health Department website, as of early 2023, there were a toal of 13 water systems in Claiborne Parish.

“We do not want one of these little water systems to go bankrupt one morning and a private one step in and take it over and triple the water bill overnight. If we have the district, then we can take them over,” added Juror for District 5 Paul Cook.

Forming a Parish-wide Utility District can take approximately 60-90 days to form.

“We are not doing this to come and take your water system. At some point, maybe not your water system, but some of these water systems are going to get in trouble and they are going to need a back up plan,” said Davidson. “You start putting these water systems into this parish-wide district, you hold cost down but you also bring us into the envelope to be able to help these systems in a cooperative endeavor agreement and save a bunch of money on things that are being done by outside contractors. I think that’s a big deal. There are a lot of pluses.”

If one of the smaller privately-owned systems go down it would move into the district. This money allocated for the Parish-wide Utilities District cannot be loaned or used by individual systems for repairs or upgrades. The money in reserve will only be used to repair or upgrade a system after it enters into the Parish-wide Utility District.

“We are not coming for your water system, but what we are preparing for is a tightening of the budget from a state level with less money flowing to our water systems through grants. If a well goes down, that’s 400k. some of our small water systems cannot afford to do that. They do not have the financial stability,” said Davidson. “It has to be so catastrophic that they can’t continue to operate and they come to us and say they are at the end of their rope and they want us to take over.”

The jury unanimously voted to begin the process of forming the Parish-wide Utilities District and named a committee made up of Paul Cook as the Chair, Mary McDaniel, Gil Dowies, Reverand Willie Young and Mark Furlow.

Funding for the Parish-wide Utilities District is expected to be included in the 2024 budget.

By Shawn White

(Under the Radar NWLA)

The LHSAA released the final district alignments for the three local Claiborne Parish schools were released last week. 

The biggest change in the parish is Homer who will move up to 2A from A.  The Pelicans will be competing against Calvary Baptist, Magnolia School of Excellence,  Green Oaks, North Caddo, and Union Parish (dropping from 3A to 2A).  

Haynesville will remain in District 1-A along with Glenbrook, Arcadia, Plain Dealing, and Ringgold.  Although the district mostly remains the same Jonesboro-Hodge drops from 2A into District 1-A.  Also, Cedar Creek and Lincoln Prep will move from the Northeast Louisiana-based district into District 1-A mainly because Ouachita Christian moved up to 2A.

Summerfield will remain in District 1-C along with Givsland-Coleman and Claiborne Christian.  Saline will move into District 1-C and replace Family Community which will move up to Class B.  

The above districts will be used for football, basketball, softball, baseball, and track and field.

Haynesville and Summerfield will be in Division V District 1 for cross country.

Haynesville will compete in Division IV District 1 for boys golf.  The ladies’ golf team will compete in Division II District 1

The Golden Tornado swim team will compete in Division IV.

The new district will begin in the fall sports of 2024.

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H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is once again causing mortalities in wild birds in Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said. The disease started last year with the arrival of infected migratory waterfowl to Louisiana and abated when they moved north in the spring of 2023. 

This year’s fall migrations have created a resurgence of HPAI-induced waterfowl disease in Louisiana.

Many different species of wild birds can be infected with HPAI. Geese and other waterfowl are particularly susceptible to HPAI and may exhibit neurological symptoms, which ultimately lead to the death of the bird. Scavenging raptors, including vultures, are also susceptible to the disease.

Although public health officials consider this strain of HPAI to be of minimal threat to humans, sick birds should not be handled. Additionally, as this disease is highly contagious to other wild birds and domestic poultry, sick birds should not be comingled with other birds.

Mammals are, for the most part, resistant to H5N1 HPAI but rare fatal infections have been documented in dogs, cats, foxes, black bears and even dolphins. It should be noted that while many waterfowl hunting dogs contact birds with HPAI, no dog infections have been reported in Louisiana. Contact between pets and birds showing neurologic signs should be avoided.

Wildlife rehabilitators should be careful not to bring potentially HPAI-infected birds into their rehabilitation facilities to prevent introduction and spread of the disease within the facility.  Clothing and other objects, or even seemingly healthy waterfowl, which may touch infected should be washed thoroughly and kept away from other birds, especially domestic poultry.

Once again, sick birds should not be handled and no bird exhibiting signs of disease or found dead should be utilized for human consumption.

Sick or dead birds should be reported to regional LDWF:  Hammond Office: 985-543-4777, Lake Charles Office 337-491-2575, Lafayette Office 337-262-2080, Minden Office 318-371-3050, Monroe Office 318-343-4044, Pineville Office 318-487-5885.

More information about HPAI may be found on the following websites:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-birds.htm

https://www.fws.gov/avian-influenza

For more information or questions, please contact State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. James M. LaCour at jlacour@wlf.la.gov or Assistant State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Rusty Berry at rberry@wlf.la.gov

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The office of U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) will host two Constituent Assistance Events in Webster and Claiborne Parishes next week, for constituents needing assistance with federal agencies ranging from the Social Security Administration to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. A staff member for Senator Cassidy will be on hand to help constituents fill out privacy release forms.

More information is as follows:

WHAT:         Constituent Assistance Event in Webster Parish

WHEN:         Monday, December 11 at 1:30-2:30 PM CT

WHERE:      Minden City Hall, 520 Broadway St. Minden, LA 71055

 

WHAT:         Constituent Assistance Event in Claiborne Parish

WHEN:         Thursday, December 14 at 11:00 AM-12:00 PM CT

WHERE:      Haynesville Town Hall, 1711 Main St. Haynesville, LA 71038

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Do you enjoy meeting new people and greeting old friends?

You may be perfect for an account executive’s position with the Claiborne Parish Journal. You don’t have to fit a particular profile, you just need to be as passionate about spreading the news as those with whom you will be working.

CPJ subscriptions are – and always will be – free. We depend on businesses and advertising to help us meet our goals and keep the public informed. That’s where you may be able to help. We need an outgoing individual to sell advertising for CPJ – the fastest growing publication in Claiborne Parish.

Contact us at cpjnewsla@gmail.com, if this describes you.

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Each year on Christmas Eve, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Cologne, Germany hosted a Living Crèche, what you and I know as a nativity scene or manger scene.  Church members dressed as shepherds, angels, wise men, Mary, and Joseph, stood as motionless as possible to show their reverence for such an important and sacred event.  If one was available, a newborn child played the part of baby Jesus.  The recreated nativity scene often included various animals.  In some years, a parishioner read the story of the birth of Christ to be sure that everyone, regardless of age, understood the occasion.  A well-rehearsed choir of children broke the silence by singing a religious hymn, followed by a period of silence, then another hymn. 

In the years leading up to the Living Crèche of 1670, the children in the choir became bored between songs.  The choirmaster instructed them not to move from their assigned spots and not to talk.  The period between songs was reserved for absolute silence.  The children followed the first instruction and remained in their spots, but as they became bored, their natural inclinations slowly took over.  One would give another a look.  Another would whisper.  The progression continued as long as they went unnoticed by the choirmaster.  Before long, the children were talking.  A stern look from the choirmaster quelled their conversations, but only for a few moments and the progression began again. 

The choirmaster was determined that the Living Crèche of 1670 would be different.  In previous years, the choirmaster had threatened and meted out different types of punishments, but they had little effect.  Nothing seemed to keep the children quiet.  He planned to find another way to keep the children quiet.  After much consideration of various ideas, all of which he quickly discounted for one reason or another, he decided that the only way to keep the children quiet was to put something into their mouths, but what?  Handkerchiefs?  Pieces of wood?  Surgeons used items such as these for their patients to bite down on during operations, but the parishioners would never have allowed that to happen.  Finally, the choirmaster settled on something more positive, food.  If he gave the children something good to eat, something all the children liked, they would not be able to talk.  The choirmaster knew the parishioners would not allow children to eat during such a solemn occasion.  He searched for a loophole and, after a visit to the local confectioner, the choirmaster came up with a solution.  He ordered enough white “sugar sticks” specially designed to resemble a holy symbol related to the story of the birth of the savior. 

The archbishop raised an eyebrow in disapproval when the choirmaster explained that he would give the choir children sugar sticks during the Living Crèche.  When the choirmaster explained how the sugar sticks tied into the nativity scene, the archbishop relented.  On Christmas Eve of 1670, the choirmaster passed out his specially designed sugar sticks to the children.  During the service, the children were silent between songs as they enjoyed their sugar sticks.  His plan had worked.  In the following years, in addition to the children in the choir, the congregation enjoyed the sugar sticks as well.  The ritual eventually spread around the Christian world and became a part of our Christmas tradition which continues to this day.

We buy more of these sugar sticks during the Christmas season than any other time of year.  In addition to their great taste, we often decorate with them.  They still have the same shape as designed by the Cologne choirmaster, but they now come in a variety of flavors and colors.  The most popular, by far, is the peppermint flavored red and white sugar stick.  Back in 1670, the choirmaster had the confectioner bend the sugar sticks in the shape of a shepherd’s crook or hook.  We know these sugar sticks as candy canes.

Sources:

1.      “Candy Cane History & Legends, Spangler Candy.” Www.spanglercandy.com, www.spanglercandy.com/our-brands/candy-canes/legends.

2.     Kennedy, Lesley. “The Twisted History of Candy Canes.” History, 7 Dec. 2018, www.history.com/news/candy-canes-invented-germany.

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Chocolate Chip Santa Cookies are my new favorite Christmas cookie for 2023! They are festive with their pale color and made bright with sprinkles. Using a cake mix makes this easy peasy. I hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup chocolate chips (plus extra for pressing on top of cookies)
Christmas sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In mixing bowl combine cake mix, egg whites, flour and oil. Mix well then fold in chocolate chips. Use cookie scoop to scoop onto baking sheets. Top with extra chocolate chips and sprinkles. Bake 8-10 minutes.

(Ashley Madden Rowton is a wife, mom and published cookbook author who lives in Minden, La.)

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this past week in what observers have deemed the most important tax case in decades.  To answer the question at issue in the case—whether Congress can tax unrealized capital gains as if they were income—the Court will need to define what “income” actually is.

I find this case intriguing both because of my general disdain for over-taxation and over-regulation that Americans are burdened with every day but also because, in deciding this case, the Court will need to examine the U.S. Constitution. 

I begin by sharing that our Constitution did not originally allow for the taxation of income.  In fact, the Constitution originally permitted only two classes of taxation: 1. Direct taxes, which must be apportioned among the states in proportion to their populations; and 2. “indirect” taxes, specifically duties, imposts, and excises, which must be uniform throughout the country.  Only because of the later 16th Amendment is Congress able to impose income taxes on people (as opposed to businesses or other entities). (N. Siegel and Steven J. Willis, National Constitution Center).

These “direct” taxes are specifically laid out in Article 1, Section 9 which states that “no capitation, or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the Census or Enumeration …”  The “indirect” taxes are specifically laid out in Article 1, Section 8 which states that the “Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States—but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.”  

Well, before the 16^th Amendment, Congress did not want to be limited in its ability to tax based upon a state’s population nor did it want to be required to see that its taxes were uniform throughout the country.  These constitutional requirements created obstacles.  So, those in Congress who wanted the federal government to be able to tax individual income circumvented those restrictions with the passing of the 16^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which states: “The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”  The 16^th Amendment was passed and successfully ratified on February 3, 1913, establishing Congress’s right to impose a federal income tax.

With this in mind, we will return to the Supreme Court case at issue.  The case is Moore v. U.S., and it involves a simple set of facts.

As recounted in the Wall Street Journal, “in 2006, Charles and Kathleen Moore invested $40,000 in an 11% equity interest in a foreign corporation.  Between 2006 and 2017, the company was profitable but reinvested all its earnings in the business.  The Moores thus didn’t receive dividends or any other income from the investment.”   Well, “under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Moores became subject to a new federal levy called the ‘mandatory repatriation tax’ applicable to investors in overseas corporations …. This new tax treated their allocable share of the corporation’s undistributed earnings as if they were actually received by the shareholders.” (Emphasis added) (H. Adler and L. Willis, WSJ, Dec. 5, 2023).

The obvious legal issue facing the Court is how these completely unrealized “gains” can be taxed as “income.”   Simply, how can so-called “income” be taxed if it is never received? In fact, “if realization is no longer a requirement for taxable income, then ‘income tax’ has no boundaries in the Constitution, and Congress can directly tax wealth.” (Id. WSJ, 12-05-23).

I note that property taxes are comparable to taxes on unrealized capital gains since such taxes are imposed without a sale of the house. However, as a policy matter, such taxes are justified based upon the need for the taxing entity, generally the city or parish, to establish a source of funding to provide police, fire, public education, and other community and municipal services.

The Supreme Court has not taken on a tax case of this potential significance in many years.  The pro-tax naysayers claim the Court’s “meddling” in this issue could cause the Court to also examine other sections of the Internal Revenue Code.  Would that it were.  And soon. The Court would do a great service to the American taxpayer by simply (re) defining income in the historic fashion it’s been understood.

(Shreveport attorney, Royal Alexander, worked in D.C. in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 8 years for two different Members of Congress from Louisiana. He has witnessed up close several Speaker races.)

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The more things change, the more they remain the same. 

Cries and moans about perceived poor officiating in the NFL this season seem to be louder and more often than usual. Maybe it’s because the season is a game longer now, or maybe it’s because more fans have more TV access to more games than ever before, or maybe it’s because there are more commentators on more platforms than ever and because fans have more ways than ever to express their views.

And who knows? — maybe the officiating isn’t as good this season as it’s been in the past. Only the chief of NFL officials would know that. And he’s not saying.

But a lot of us are. You can slam officials on everything from Facebook to “Insta” to TikTok — if you know how to work all those things. (Some of us don’t.)

Unlike fans, the players and coaches are wise to temper theirs comments about officiating or face getting fined. That threat didn’t stop Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett Sunday for calling the officiating in Sunday’s game against Jacksonville a “travesty” and “honestly awful.”

And his team WON.

Much more publicized and dramatic was what happened in Kansas City, where the homestanding Chiefs had a touchdown (that included a lateral pass) called back because a KC receiver had lined up offsides. The score and extra point would have given Kansas City a four-point lead with a minute to play; instead, three Patrick Mahomes incompletions later, the Chiefs were 20-17 losers to Buffalo.

After that game, Kansas City players and even some broadcasters complained that such a “little” penalty shouldn’t decide the game. The quarterback blamed it on the ref. The coach said “it’s a bit embarrassing for the National Football League” for a dramatic play and score so late in the game to be wiped out by an offsides penalty.

Which is all fine except the professional wide receiver lined up offsides. He has been playing since he was 6 and has been practicing for this season since July. It was the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 13^th game of the year. 

And it’s the first rule in most sports: you have to be on one side of a line or another at some point. Think of all the lines drawn on fields and courts and tracks. You can’t have a sport without a line like you can’t have a trial with a manila folder.

Yet it’s the fault of the official. It’s not dropped passes or turnovers or blown assignments that have the defending Super Bowl champs at 8-5. Neg. It’s somebody else’s fault. Like the official’s. For calling the receiver offsides. For being offsides. For dropping the flag as soon as the ball was snapped.

What a joke. The officials were right and some people are still mad. 

It’s just a game and not life or death and the world will continue to spin. Still it’s funny when even professionals, obviously in error, blame someone or something else when things are going badly.

Like playing any sport at a high level, officiating is demanding and an inexact science. It’s my pleasure to know officials at every level of sports, and the ones I know love it and train for it and take it seriously, just as the players do. The imperfections of players and officials and even the journalists who cover them will never go away.

None of this is new, even though there have been several stories this fall questioning officiating. I’ve kept a few dozen Sports Illustrated covers through the years. The one I’m looking at today pictures Terry Bradshaw — then Pittsburgh’s quarterback and probably why I kept the cover — pleading with an official. This is the headline:

“The Refs: Uproar in the NFL”

The date is October 9.

Of 1978.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Please send all non-profit calendar events to cpjnewsla@gmail.com

Now until December 20

Homer Holiday Toy Drive – Drop off at Homer City Hall

December 14 

Homer High School presents “The Grinch”

9:30 and 11:30 a.m. showing in the Homer High Auditorium.

December 14 (6:30 p.m.)

Rockin Rebel Tour – Christmas Extravaganza at Summerfield High Auditorium

December 16 (7 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Concealed Carry Class hosted by Claiborne Parish Sheriff Sam Dowies

Contact Detective Taylor Folmar at 318-464-0289 to sign up. 

December 17 (10:40 a.m.)

First Baptist Homer – “Emmanuel, Celebrating Heaven’s Child”

A Christmas Musical Celebration

December 18 (8 – 2 p.m.)

Virtual Bake Sale in support of Summerfield Yearbook

Items will be posted to the school’s Facebook page.

December 18 (8:30 a.m.)

Homer Elementary Christmas Program in the Auditorium

December 21 (11:30 a.m.)

Holiday Cake Auction – Homer City Hall

December 23 (6 p.m.)

Town of Haynesville’s Christmas in the Park 

Polar Express Parade – 6 p.m.

Fireworks Show – 6: 30 p.m.

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The following arrests were made by local law enforcement agencies.

December 04

Deneija Allen, 22, of Homer, was arrested by the Homer Police Department for simple arson.

December 05

De’Avontae Mansfield, 18, of Haynesville, was arrested by the Haynesville Police Department for public intimidation and retaliation. His bond was set at $10,000.

December 08

Torrance Alrdell Black, Jr., 31, of the 2700 block of Old Athens Rd., Homer, was arrested by the Minden Police Department on warrants for theft, forgery and domestic abuse battery. 

December 09

Constance Jameka Black, 36, of Homer, was booked for resisting an officer by failure to be identified, misrepresentation during booking and possession of drug paraphernalia. Black reportedly continued to refuse to give her correct name during the booking process. Black was taken into custody after officers discovered a small baggie with suspected MDMA (Ecstasy) residue in her pocket.

Charles Cottrell, 68, of Homer, was arrested by the Homer Police Department for driving while intoxicated, open container and reckless driving.

December 12

Crystal Ippoliti, 38, of Shreveport, was arrested by the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office as a fugitive.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Notice of Death – December 12, 2023

Charles Daniel Davis 

July 14, 1956 – Dec. 06, 2023

Farmerville, La.

Visitation: 2 – 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, Memorial Funeral Home, Farmerville.

Graveside service: 12 noon Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Lanes Chapel Cemetery, Downsville.

Louis Russell Standley

April 09, 1950 – Dec. 09, 2023

Homer, La.

Memorial service: 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Memorial Funeral Home, Homer.

Kathy Jo Malone

Aug. 11, 1954 – Dec. 05, 2023

Homer, La.

Funeral service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Memorial Funeral Home, Homer.

Interment: 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Antioch Cemetery, Homer.

Kelvin Lemar Gipson

Aug. 31, 1955 – Dec. 06, 2023

Homer, La.

Visitation: 9:30 – 10:59 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Hopewell Baptist Church, Dubach.

Funeral service immediately following visitation. 

Interment: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Hopewell Cemetery, Dubach.

Claiborne Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or cpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are no charge.)

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