Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry was on Tedd Dumas’ popular “Open Line” radio program Wednesday morning, Aug. 11, and reported that Gov. John Bel Edwards does not have the constitutional authority to require school students to wear masks. Might remind you that Landry is Louisiana’s top lawyer.

Also on the program with Landry was Kresha Matkin who started the Facebook group page “Unmask our Kids Sabine Parish.” Just recently organized, already there are some 1,100 members who are concerned about the physical, emotional and psychological effects of masking schoolchildren.

In the radio interview, Landry supported Ms. Matkin and her group one hundred percent. He urged persons to start calling their School Board Members, and to let them know how they feel. He added if School Board Members won’t listen to the public, then next election vote them out.

The Attorney General told the big radio audience that it is up to the School Board of each parish to decide whether or not the students should wear a mask.

Now just over the line in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have issued Executive Order GA-38 which prohibits governmental entities and officials from mandating face coverings. It has the force and effect of state law and supersedes local rules and regulations. Any school district, public university or local government official that decides to defy the order will be taken to court.

Said the Governor, “The path forward relies on personal responsibility – not government mandates. The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”

The COVID-19 report for Sabine Parish was released Aug. 11 and was for the previous week. It showed total positive cases at 132, up by 43. Deaths in the parish remained at 64 with no change. The positivity rate was 12.40 percent. Total parish residents vaccinated was 7,142, up by 390. And the percentage of parish residents vaccinated had risen to 30 percent, up by two percent.

Sabine Sheriff Aaron Mitchell recently issued the list of Felony Narcotics arrests for July. There were 19 persons arrested on drug charges.

Approximately 187 grams of marijuana, 865 Xanax pills, 407 Ecstasy pills, 160 grams of methamphetamine, five firearms including one that was stolen, and various drug paraphernalia were seized during the arrests.

Sheriff Mitchell, Chief Deputy Brad Walker and the Tactical Narcotics Team and Patrol Deputies continue the fight against illegal drug use and sales in Sabine Parish. Keep up the good work!

I want to thank and compliment Sabine Sheriff’s Detective David Wade “D.W.” Seegers for the great job he is doing in handling news for the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.

In October of last year, Sheriff Aaron Mitchell and Chief Deputy Brad Walker asked him to handle the Sheriff’s Department’s news releases through social media on Facebook and for the Sheriff’s App, and to also supply the office’s news to local and area media. It is very important that the public stay informed, and Sheriff Mitchell has taken steps to see that happens. He’s got a good guy on the job.

Seegers, 48, was graduated from Many High and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Northwestern. He has worked at the Sheriff’s Office for 20 years, starting in the jail, moving to patrol, then as a patrol sergeant for four years. He has been a Detective since January 2018.

He completed the P.O.S.T. Academy in 2001 at Bossier Parish Community College Criminal Justice Institute in Bellevue, where he received the Academic Award and qualified as Expert in firearms.

In addition, he was fortunate to work for the State Police for a short time and completed the intense LSP Training Academy in Baton Rouge in 2007. He handled digital forensic investigations including digital device extractions, cellular phone records and tracking, and social media.

Seegers received the FBI-LEEDA (Law Enforcement Executive Development Association) Trilogy Award in October for attending the Supervisor Leadership Institute, the Command Leadership Institute and the Executive Leadership Institute training courses during the past year. Each of the three five-day training courses teach law enforcement how to become an effective leader, how to build more leaders, personality traits, credibility, liability, trust and dealing with change.

And the training continues. On Aug. 23, Seegers will attend the FBI-LEEDA Media and Public Relations five-day training course in Lafayette. He enjoys his job, and it shows. And we are thankful to have him as a Sheriff’s Deputy. He is passionate about his work. Thanks, my good man, and stay safe.

Remembering The Hanging Tree

It was back in October of 1970 when I received a call from the now-late Marion Tannehill. He asked if I knew about “The Hanging Tree.” I told him I had heard about it but did not know much else. He asked if I would like to go and look at it and, of course, I accepted. He picked me up at the Sabine Index office a few days later, and we drove out a short way from Fisher on The Hanging Tree Road. It’s still called by that name.

The term “Hanging Tree” is somewhat deceptive, making most folks imagine a place where justice might have been carried out. But this “Hanging Tree” was different. It was Southern Long Leaf Pine all the way from top to bottom. And it was a logging oddity.

Mr. Tannehill did not know the exact details. A tree had been cut many years prior and when it was cut, it lodged in the top of another nearby pine. The loggers did not have any way to get it down, so they simply left it alone. Somehow the cut tree that lodged got nourishment from the standing tree and lived. When we looked at it back in 1970, some fifty years ago now, the tree that had been cut was lodged on the other at a height of about 35 feet. The butt of the cut tree was about four feet off the ground.

When the story ran in the Index, we asked anyone who might have information about it to let us know. The next week, Mr. S. P. “Pete” Randolph, who lived on the Texas Rd. near Toledo Bend Lake, said he remembered the happening very well. He had lived west of Fisher at one time.

He said the tree was cut down in 1918 by two African Americans who were making railroad ties. Some of the old-timers around Fisher said the tree was cut in April or May. He said they had no way to get the hanging tree down, so they just let it hang because the standing tree was too big to make ties. Even though it was cut, the bark was apparently skinned off both trees, so the cut one was able to take nourishment from the standing tree.   

Mr. Randolph said he remembered the year the tree was cut because it was the same year they took up the logging tram that came into Fisher.

He recalled the ones cutting the tree as being either George Smith or Coleman Drew. It has also been reported that they worked for Louisiana Long Leaf Lumber Co. at Fisher.

We recently asked Mr. Tannehill’s son, Brian, if the hanging tree was still standing. He said he understood it was cut down some years ago. Too bad. It was a very interesting story and a very interesting sight.

The Big Boy is on his way! Union Pacific’s No. 4014, the world’s largest steam locomotive, is currently rolling through ten states on a month-long tour. The train weighs a whopping 1.2 million pounds and during its 1941-1961 heyday, traveled more than one million miles. It is scheduled to stop in Natchitoches on Monday, Aug. 23, then be on display in Shreveport starting Monday evening and continuing Tuesday, Aug. 24, before leaving the area Wednesday morning, Aug. 25.

The historic steam locomotive departed from Cheyenne, WY on Thursday, Aug. 5, and you can see this impressive piece of machinery in person at the locations we have noted below on the Louisiana portion of the 2021 Steam Route schedule.

The Big Boy’s journey so far has taken him through Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Tomorrow, No. 4014 makes its way into Louisiana with arrivals and departures in several of our states’ cities and towns as follows. We have marked its closest stops to Many in red.

Thursday, Aug. 19

Lake Charles, 100 N. Ryan St. – arrival at 11:15 a.m.; departure at noon

Kinder, 14th Street Crossing – arrival at 1:15 p.m.; departure at 1:45 p.m.

Opelousas, North Court St. Crossing – arrival at 3:30 p.m.; departure at 3:45 p.m.

Livonia (no public access) – arrival at 5 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 20

Livonia (no public access) – departure at 8 a.m.

Plaquemine, Main St. Crossing – arrival at 9 a.m.; departure at 9:15 a.m.

Donaldsonville, Railroad Ave. – arrival at 10:15 a.m.; departure at 10:45 a.m.

Luling, Gassen St. Crossing – arrival at 12:30 p.m.; departure at 12:45 p.m.

New Orleans, Audubon Butterfly Riverview Park – arrival at 7:15 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 21

New Orleans, Audubon Butterfly Riverview Park – on display from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Sunday, August 22

New Orleans, 2021 Union Pacific Museum Special – ticket information available at uptraintix.com

(Visit  https://www.up.com/forms/steam-trace.cfm to see the Steam Locomotive Tracking Map for information about where No. 4014 will be turned around for Sunday’s New Orleans departure.)

New Orleans, Audubon Butterfly Riverview Park – departure at 8 a.m.

Luling, Gassen St. Crossing – arrival at 10:55 a.m.; departure at 11:10 a.m.

Donaldsonville, Railroad Ave. – arrival at 12:55 p.m.; departure at 1:40 p.m.

Plaquemine (no public access; passengers disembarking) – arrival at 2:30 p.m.; departure at 3 p.m.

Livonia (no public access) – arrival at 4:15 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 23

Livonia (no public access) – departure at 8 a.m.

Bunkie, Oak Street Crossing – arrival at 10 a.m.; departure at 10:45 a.m.

Natchitoches, Trudeau St. Crossing – arrival at 2 p.m.; departure at 2:45 p.m.

Shreveport, 6215 E. Jewella Road – arrival at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 24

Shreveport, 6215 E. Jewella Road – Viewing Only

Wednesday, August 25

Shreveport, 6215 E. Jewella Road – departure at 8 a.m.

After the big steam locomotive completes its Louisiana stops, it visits northeast Texas, then Arkansas, and back to Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. It completes its journey on Sept. 7, returning to Cheyenne, WY.

Major cities the historic train is visiting along the way are Ft. Worth, Houston, New Orleans, St. Louis and Denver.

Visitors should be aware that parking at overnight stops and display locations is limited. There should be additional available parking facilities surrounding these locations.

Visit https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm to learn more.  

We’ll see you at the Natchitoches stop.

WE GET LETTERS:  This one, right on target, from Ronald Byrd of South Boston, VA, as follows:

“Robert:  Kresha Matkin, Dale Skinner, other Board members, and the many protesters present deserve everyone’s praise. Ms Matkin and her supporters have legitimate complaints and are presenting their case in an impressive and positive manner, unlike what you see regularly when leftists protest. It is really refreshing to see the system working without rancor, finger-pointing, and name-calling. Both the Board and the protesters really should be commended. Board member Dale Skinner’s comments which you quoted were reasonable and on-target and seemed to represent the general feeling of both those inside and outside of the venue. However, the problem lies with the Governor’s dictate and that was based on information and opinions from the CDC, which shift and change with the weather. The only thing that is clear is that we seem to be moving towards a model in which the Marxist collective dominates over individual freedoms. Freedom of speech is no longer a fact in the liberal-dominated big cities. The Second Amendment to the Constitution is under constant threat, and fear-mongering by the present administration is a tool being used to fight dissent over masking and vaccinations. One problem is that we no longer know who or what to trust. I have faith in America and believe that what is happening in Many and Sabine Parish is occurring or going to occur across our Nation and that we will ultimately defeat the advocates of totalitarianism, socialism, and Marxism. Common sense will tell you that’s so; those all have a long history of eventual failures. We will prevail, my friend! Ronny”

Laurie and I attended a singing by her parents, Bill and Vicki Sky, down at Pisgah Baptist Church in Toro community a couple of Sunday nights ago which we enjoyed much. We are told the Pisgah Church Loop Road had been worked for the Sabine Parish Police Jury the first week in August, including putting some rock in the really bad spots. “It is better than it’s been in a long time,” one gentleman told us. And the members of the Pisgah Baptist are thankful. The Rev. C. M. Kelly is pastor there.

We recently noted in this column the higher gas prices we’re all paying. As gas costs steadily climb, we saw Pres. Biden urging OPEC last week to boost oil production. And why wouldn’t he? Depending on sometimes-unfriendly, sometimes-hostile foreign countries for oil has worked so well for fifty years. 

Now, with the left’s closure of pipeline projects in this country and their renewed eagerness to source oil from anywhere but here, we see the leader of the free world begging OPEC to please play nice. And gas isn’t the only thing getting more expensive. Milk, eggs and other necessities are going up, up, up.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: MOVIE CANCELED THIS SATURDAY DUE TO HEALTH SAFETY CONCERNS.

MOVIES IN MANY

“Spider Man:  Far from Home,” the last in the Spider-Man series, is the adventure/fantasy movie playing at the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] this Saturday, August 21.

 “The movie is free, the concessions are free, and there are some great door prizes for kids. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday night in Many,” said Mary Brocato, chairperson of the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee that hosts Movies in Many.

The movie, which the entire family will enjoy, begins at 7 p.m. Theater doors will open at 6:15 p.m.  Everyone is required to mask in order to enter the theater.    

Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) returns in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Our friendly neighborhood Superhero decides to join his best friends, Ned, M.J., and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter’s plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks is quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks. Spider-Man and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) join forces to fight the havoc unleashed across the continent, but all is not as it seems.

Many Mayor Robert Hable is pleased that so many families attend Movies in Many. He said, “This is our way of providing affordable, good entertainment for the families of our town. We hope people will mask up and come out to this last family summertime movie and have a great time watching it. To be on the safe side, we will ask that everyone masks. We’ve added free concessions and door prizes to make the evening even more fun. So bring the entire family.”

Movies in Many is sponsored by the Town of Many, Mayor Robert Hable and the City Council, and the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee. 

(Special thanks to Mary Brocato for the above article.)

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