Wednesday, October 6, 2021
The Law Office of Verity Gentry, with locations in Many and Shreveport, has announced the addition of Joseph “J.R.” Stevens to the firm. J.R.’s practices include Successions, Wills, Divorce, Custody and Property Disputes. Gentry continues to handle the firm’s Criminal Defense and Personal Injury cases.
A career in law came naturally for J.R. During his childhood, spent mostly in Northern Nevada, he became a dedicated debater, making it to Nationals on multiple occasions.
When Stevens was offered a scholarship to Tulane University, he couldn’t pass it up. During his time at Tulane, he was taken by the charm of the South. So much so, he invested his time and talents to establish a middle school debate league in New Orleans.
After J.R. graduated cum laude with degrees in Political Science and Economics, he decided to stay down South a bit longer to make sure the debate league would be able to continue after he returned home to Nevada.
Just a few months later he met his future wife Taylor, a NOLA native, and it didn’t take long for him to realize she would never leave Louisiana. After being offered multiple scholarships, J.R. accepted the offer made by Tulane University Law School.
At Tulane Law School Stevens was first Vice President, then President of the Federalist Society, as well as the Associate Justice for Business Affairs for the Tulane Moot Court Program. He graduated cum laude and also obtained a certification in Civil Law.
The attorney made the move to North Central Louisiana when he was offered a judicial clerkship at the 11th Judicial District, which serves Sabine Parish. After almost four years working under District Judge Stephen B. Beasley, Stevens decided it was time to strike out on his own. Having fallen in love with North Louisiana, he and his wife made the decision to remain in the area they now call home.
J.R. is already serving multiple clients at the law firm, working mainly in the Many office at 690 San Antonio Ave., Suite B, (across the street from the historic Sabine Theater.) He may be reached at (318) 701-8127 to make an appointment for a free consultation.
Nolan Rivers, Sabine Parish Sales Tax Administrator, will make a special appearance on the very popular radio program “Open Line” with Tedd Dumas and me on Monday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 a.m.
It will be an informative session: he will talk about the Sales and Use Tax Commission and how it operates.
The main emphasis will be to explain the Constitutional Amendment creating a centralized sales tax collection system that will be voted on Nov. 13. If the amendment passes, he will explain what will change and, specifically, what will change in Sabine Parish.
In addition, Nolan will talk about what he has been told about the amendment by the Speaker of the House, Sen. Louie Bernard and Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn, and share their opinions that there are benefits to the amendment passing.
Speaking of sales tax, here is the report for September issued by Nolan. It shows an increase in sales tax collections of $479,141.39 over September of last year.
Many Mayor Robert Hable has taken what he feels is a very good step to welcome tourists to Many and Sabine Parish. He has the following ad running on Many radio:
“If you are visiting Toledo Bend Lake, we hope it is a great visit and you will come back often. When you are here, I invite you to take a few hours and come to Many. We have some really good restaurants featuring seafood, chicken, barbecue and Italian. Plus, we have a good selection of fast food stops. We have some great shopping, designed for you, including one large, general merchandise store that is over 100 years old. We have so much to offer! The best part when you come to Many is that it is like coming home.”
At its Aug. 17 meeting, the Many Town Council voted that before Nov. 1, all water accounts in arrears will need to be brought current and that partial payments would no longer be allowed.
A letter from Mayor Robert Hable stated, “Beyond Nov. 1, if your past due bill is more than $50, your water will be disconnected until the bill is brought current and all past due charges are paid for in full. Also, any account that is past due for 31 days will be sent to a collection agency that will charge the customer 30% of your bill as their fee to collect.”
Persons with any questions should call Lisa King at (318) 256-4011.
Over the weekend, Observations received several questions about the Sabine School Board live stream of the Superintendent applicant interviews, saying that the video had been taken down, and that it had been edited. We asked Supt. Sara Ebarb for an explanation, and she provided the statement below:
“The Special Called Board Meeting on Sept. 20, 2021, to interview applicants for the position of school superintendent was streamed live on YouTube. The stream originated from a laptop computer running OBS Studio. OBS Studio is a free and open-source streaming and recording program. This program allowed us to provide a high-quality stream for the citizens of Sabine Parish to view the meeting.
“The main microphone and camera were a pair of devices called Meeting Owls. The Meeting Owl Pro is a premium 360-degree camera, mic and speaker combined into one device. The Meeting Owl recognizes and highlights the person speaking by directing the camera at the speaker. It does this automatically along with two or three-way views of anyone speaking simultaneously.
“We used a static third camera on a tripod to allow the viewing audience to see the applicant directly. The OBS Studio software allowed us to provide a welcome screen, share the applicant’s PowerPoint presentation and the scoreboard view of the Board Docs software used to conduct all Sabine Parish School Board meetings. The scoreboard showed the agenda at the beginning of the meeting and the results of the vote at the end of the meeting.
“A staff member directed OBS to lead the primary camera during the live stream to allow the audience to focus on the speaker and place the other subjects of the video in a picture-in-picture window in the upper righthand corner of the screen. This allowed the public to view the applicant responding and the board member asking a question or offering a comment.
“The view setting for the video was set to private at the conclusion of the live streamed meeting because the official record of the meeting is the audio recording and the minutes. Per requests from citizens and staff, the view setting was reset for public viewing on Tuesday morning, Sept. 21. The video has not been modified or altered from the original recorded live stream.
“The District’s YouTube account was reported to have gone down on Friday afternoon, Sept. 24. Technology staff were not at work on Friday, due to Friday being Fair Day. Staff worked from remote locations to determine the cause of the problem and corrected it by 7 p.m. on Friday.
“The accessibility problem was caused by a recent policy change by Google for all accounts in a K12 Google domain. This September, Google provided additional security settings regarding students under the age of 18. The age setting is to restrict certain privileges for accounts of students versus the privileges provided for staff accounts. The YouTube stream was hosted on a recently created account that did not have the correct age setting. This setting restricted the viewing of this account’s YouTube stream as the system viewed the account to be a student. We are not sure why it took several days for this problem to appear. The video is original from the live stream and has not been modified or altered in any way. When viewing the video, the viewer is seeing the exact recording of the live stream that occurred during the Special Called Meeting on Sept. 20, 2021.”
It was quite the celebration on Sunday, Sept. 26, when the First United Methodist Church of Many held a special service and luncheon to mark the church’s 175th year.
Sen. Louie Bernard and other distinguished guests attended, including Sabine Sheriff Aaron Mitchell, Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley, FUMC District Superintendent, the Rev. Karli Pidgeon and former FUMC-Many pastors, the Reverends Hulen Warren and Ray Spiller. (Spiller now serves as the church’s Minister Emeritus.) During the luncheon Bernard offered congratulations on behalf of the Louisiana Senate on the church’s long, vital history.
“This celebration comes at an important time as our leadership discerns next steps for our church,” Pastor Brian Coplin remarked. “Part of knowing the way forward is knowing where we’ve been,” he said.
The First United Methodist Church of Many was founded in 1846 and as part of its 175th Anniversary festivities, the church’s history, written by the late Viola Carruth back in 1978, was re-published and lengthened to include the years up until 2021. Donna Smith Ammons wrote the additional history. Limited copies are available at the church, and books may also be ordered on Amazon. Search “First United Methodist Church of Many: A History.” The nice paperback is only $4 and includes lots of interesting information about the church, its work, locations, pastors, members through the years and intertwined throughout, lots of fascinating Many and Sabine Parish history.
Another interesting publication for the 175th celebration was a handmade cookbook full of historic Many First United Methodist recipes. They are beloved and vintage, the kind you can’t find easily anymore. There were enough cookbooks printed to supply each church family with a copy. Perhaps if there is more demand, a few more may be produced.
For their special service, the church presented a great drama production, complete with actors, special music, the reading of scriptures and congregational singing spread throughout.
The program story centered around a modern-day church elder, (played by Chuck Boudreaux) and two children (played by Hampton Hable and Anna Claire Coplin) who discover an antique trunk in the church’s attic. The children slowly unpack the trunk finding several items that tell the story of the church’s work and activities through the years.
Featured in the cast were narrators Donna Ammons and Gary Elam, Rev. James Stephenson – the church’s circuit-riding preacher of 1833 (played by Mayor Robert Hable), Mrs. Paralee Williams (played by Tammy Luster), Sisters Ruth and Leella Middleton, Sunday School teachers of the 1950s (played by Janet Elam and Linda Boudreaux), a Sunrise Service Singer (played by Vicki Weaver) and a group of Hurricane Relief Workers (played by youth group members Issabella Berry, Madeleine Berry, Marilyn May, Maliyah McCullough and Patrick O’Neal.)
The opening scene featured the discovery of the old trunk. The following scenes were Circuit Riders, Building, Preaching, Teaching, Music, Missions and The Future.
Special music was presented by Mike Morris, the FUMC-Many choir, Gary Elam, Laurie Gentry, Zelma Broussard, Patsy McCormick, Carole Troha, Austin Isgitt and Gail Thomas.
The Rev. Coplin, who has served at the church since early July, welcomed worshippers at the start of the special service and read all the scriptures included in the program.
Afterward, a delicious potluck lunch was served in the FUMC Family Life Center. It included several historic dishes prepared from the church’s vintage recipe collection. Interesting history displays and other items were available throughout lunchtime.
The FUMC youth, who number about forty and meet on Wednesday nights, were featured helpers during the event. They showed off their large time capsule at the lunch, explaining they have all filled out information sheets to place in the capsule and invited all the church adults to do the same. The capsule will be buried and unearthed in ten years. The youth and others also enjoyed an old-fashioned cake charm pull.
The successful celebration was the brainchild of longtime member Nancy Spiller, wife of FUMC-Many Minister Emeritus Ray Spiller. As Chair, she prepared the production and worked tirelessly to make sure all the elements of the event came together seamlessly. Janet Elam directed the drama, Carole Troha planned and directed music, Carolyn Dove coordinated the celebration meal, Chris Nolen created the Old Recipes Cookbook and also arranged the preparation of historic favorites to be made for the luncheon, Amanda Lambert and Vicki Simpson created the memorabilia displays, and Laurie Gentry designed a logo, commemorative items and the newly-published history book cover. As noted earlier, Donna Ammons wrote the church’s modern history, 1978-2021, for inclusion in the new book.
“Today began our church’s 175th year of ministry in Sabine Parish,” Pastor Brian Coplin later posted on social media. “We celebrated God’s faithfulness to this congregation and our community in song, story, and scripture. It is kind of amazing to me to experience how much talent our midsize congregation is blessed with. Proud day for a rookie pastor. PS The potluck afterward was the real deal.”
It is our understanding that the special service was only the beginning of a year of celebration, so be sure to watch Observations for future announcements on the church’s activities.
Congratulations to the First United Methodist Church of Many on this historic milestone. We wish you many more fruitful years of service.
Many High School Tigers Head Football Coach Jess Curtis, right, accepts a donation as the Bank of Montgomery (BOM) continues its support of the program. Presenting a check on behalf of BOM was Tiffany Miller, left.
A good friend provided us with this picture showing a sticker on a gas pump in Many. Wonder how many of those stickers are around?
“Don’t look, Ethel!” You never know what will turn up on San Antonio Ave. in Many. This pair of red Hanes lay on the sidewalk in front of SatCom for several days last week. Then they disappeared.
Our deepest sympathy to the family of Ernest and Charlotte Constable Jr. of Robeline. Ernest died Sept. 22 and Charlotte died two days later on Sept. 24.
Some weeks ago, Observations proposed the Library Board look into purchasing and remodeling the old Many Post Office Building as a new library. We think it would make a wonderful library, save an old historic building and be a great location in downtown. We heard from a lot of folks who agreed. Ellen Abington was one of those who called and said she had many fond memories of the old building and would fully support its use as a library.
The building is owned by Sabine State Bank and we contacted the head man, Jim Cole, about it. The building was last used by the bank and has been vacant for years. He said it is for sale and he put the price tag at $150,000 and added the word “negotiable.”
The election for renewal of a 5.5 mill library tax is on the ballot on Nov. 13. The Library Board has more than $5 million in the bank and has proposed to build a new library on the corner of Church St. and Alabama Ave. in Many. We are all for a nice, state-of-the-art Library, but we are also in favor of saving the taxpayers’ money. Already there is opposition to renewing the tax.
Maybe the old Post Office building is not suitable. But if so, the public needs to know why.
The old Post Office has a lot of square footage, including a full basement, and a small space upstairs as well. Having a relatively small purchase price compared to “new build” expense would allow the old building to be gutted inside as needed and renovated, or some of its historic trim and character could be preserved along with a renovation to entirely repurpose the space.
With so many people now using the internet and the advent of electronic books, we also wonder about all libraries’ future use. If the old Post Office building is suitable, seems it could be brought up to date for a reasonable amount of money.
The old Sabine Theater, now called the Many Community Center, got its neon light restored recently. The photo was snapped while the work was going on.
Recently we wrote an article in Observations about Jenny Adams, 37-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Will Adams, and of her love for dolls. We asked that anyone who might have some they were willing to dispose of, to please keep Jenny in mind. Jeannie Curtis, widow of Doug Curtis Sr., brought in her collection of dolls, and when Jenny received them, she was thrilled beyond words. She also was interested in some DARE items, and Sheriff Aaron Mitchell and Chief Deputy Brad Walker were happy to help her out in that regard. Thanks to those who provided these items.
Jack Paris, grandson of Jack Welch who grew up in Shamrock, is only 14 and on his fourth day as a high school freshman, committed to play baseball at Texas A&M. He is the youngest student at Kirkland, TX to commit to a collage.
Young Jack, who has been playing baseball since he was four, is a pitcher. But he says he has played since he could hold a bat and ball and loves the competition. He was especially complimentary of the Texas A&M coaching staff and facilities.
W. I. Welch is the great grandfather of Jack Parish and the father of Jack Welch. W. I. was born in Shamrock and died in 2012. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rubye Jones Welch. Among his survivors were Frances and Carl Derrick of Bossier City.
Thanks to Dr. Ted Mims, a native of Sabine who now lives in Illinois, for supplying us with this information.
Freddie Shawn Terrell, age 41, of Pleasant Hill was arrested by the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office early Saturday morning, Oct. 2, for Vehicular Homicide.
Shortly after midnight, Sabine Parish Sheriff Dispatch received a 911 call from Terrell stating he ran over a woman. The incident happened on Emanuel Church Rd. just north of Terrell Rd.
Deputies arrived on the scene and found a 2008 white Dodge flatbed dually truck parked in the road. Deputies discovered Samantha Renee Pool, age 23, of Robeline lying partially in the ditch and roadway. Terrell was beside her. Deputies initiated life-saving procedures on Pool until an EMS unit arrived.
Pool was later pronounced deceased at Sabine Medical Center.
Terrell told investigators he and Pool, his girlfriend, had been drinking and gotten into a verbal argument. Terrell said Pool opened the front passenger door and jumped out. Terrell said his right rear tires ran over Pool before he could stop.
Detectives obtained breath, blood, and urine samples from Terrell as evidence in the case. Terrell was impaired at the time of his arrest.
Pool will be taken to Shreveport where an autopsy will be conducted.
Terrell was booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center for Vehicular Homicide. His bond was set at $10,000 by the 11th Judicial District Court.
(Thank you to Det. Wade Seegers of the SPSO for the above article.)
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 29, a Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office Unit was involved in a crash with another vehicle on Hwy. 171 in front of Many Walmart.
Initial observations revealed a 2017 Honda Ridgeline driven by Theodore Wayne Anthony, age 78, failed to yield at the crossover to the entrance of Walmart. A 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, an SPSO unit occupied by Lt. Jesse Branam (driver), Chief Detective Anthony Lowe Jr., (front seat passenger), and Detective Coby Lang (rear right passenger), was headed south when it struck the Honda truck on its passenger side when the Honda failed to yield at the crossover entrance.
The driver of the Honda truck and the two detectives who were passengers in the SPSO unit were taken to Sabine Medical Center for treatment of minor/moderate injuries. Lowe was later released from Sabine Medical Center.
The driver of the Honda, Theodore Anthony, and the right rear passenger in the SPSO unit, Det. Coby Lang, were taken to Rapides Regional Medical Center for further treatment. Det. Lang suffered a broken left arm, with fractures in three places.
Louisiana State Police Troop E is serving as lead investigator of the crash.
After the wreck, Sheriff Aaron Mitchell asked everyone to please keep the driver of the Honda truck, the Detectives, and all their families in prayer.
(Special thanks to Det. Wade Seegers for the above information.)
Sabine Law Enforcement Partners with Sabine Prevention Alliance to Keep Kids Safe
Recently Sabine Parish Sheriff Aaron Mitchell and Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley joined together with their officers, deputies, School Resource Officers, detectives, K-9 units and with Sabine Parish youth to make it clear they are committed to keeping our children and youth safe. The Sabine Prevention Alliance (SPA) brought these groups together for a photo session to make pictures to be featured on signs in areas where children and youth gather for recreation.
When asked why she wanted to partner with the SPA, Many Police Chief Cheryl Wooley said, “If we don’t have a safe, productive generation of kids and youth, then this community has no future. It’s vitally important that we help provide a safe environment and opportunities for them to thrive.”
The mission of the Sabine Prevention Alliance is to reduce underage drinking through communication and cooperation with various community members in the Parish. Each fiscal year, based on the most recent data, the SPA develops and revises an annual action plan to meet its goals and mission.
One of this year’s environmental strategies is to work with and support local and parish law enforcement agencies to implement compliance checks with local alcohol vendors, conduct party patrols to monitor outdoor youth parties, provide sobriety checkpoints during high-risk times and create safe spaces for children, youth and families to recreate.
Aaron Mitchell said, “As Sheriff of Sabine Parish, I am fully vested and committed to ensure an environment that will keep our youth safe, because the youth in our communities now will be the leaders of our Parish in the future.”
Grant monies will pay for signs that show local law enforcement agencies providing safe spaces for children and youth. The SPA feels these signs will send a clear message that parks and recreational areas are Safe Zones where alcohol, drugs and any other high-risk behaviors are not tolerated. Phone numbers to report any violations will be provided on the signs so local citizens can join in the work of keeping area youth safe, sober and successful.
James Wagley, Coalition Coordinator for SPA said, “Sabine Prevention Alliance is grateful to our Law Enforcement and other community sectors who show care, concern and responsibility for the safety and support of your children and youth. Together we can build a strong continuum of care for our youth.”
For more information on how to assist in this effort, call or text (318) 315-0081, go to Facebook / Sabine Prevention Alliance, www.sabineprevents.com or visit the SPA Office at 259 Fisher Rd. in Many.
(Thanks to Suzanne Williams for the above information.)
Tryton Alonzo Thomas, age 32, of Zwolle and Elena Elizabeth Rivers, age 28, of Many were arrested Wednesday morning, Sept. 29, during a traffic stop in Many.
Sabine Parish Sheriff Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) Agents have been investigating Thomas’ illegal narcotics activity since he was released from jail just six weeks ago.
Thomas had been staying with Rivers in a house on Smith St. in Many.
TNT Agents were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Thomas for 4-counts of Distribution of schedule II (Methamphetamine) and a warrant for Rivers for Principle to distribution of schedule II (Meth).
On Wednesday morning when TNT Agents, detectives, and deputies attempted to stop the vehicle in which Rivers and Thomas were traveling, the driver fled from Sheriff Units. As Rivers drove between the Sheriff Units, she nearly struck two TNT Agents with her vehicle.
Sheriff Units pursued the vehicle on Fisher Rd. and then onto Hwy. 171 S. in Many. TNT Agents noticed Thomas threw something from the vehicle shortly before the vehicle was stopped across from Sabine Tire.
Thomas and Rivers were taken into custody and TNT Agents located approximately $1340 in cash inside the vehicle. Agents also found the items thrown from the vehicle just before it was stopped – approximately 4 ounces of suspected methamphetamine.
TNT Agents then obtained a search warrant for the residence and property of Rivers and Thomas on Smith St. in Many.
TNT Agents and detectives located and seized an additional 3.6 ounces of suspected methamphetamine, approximately 1.1 ounces of suspected marijuana, 60 Ecstasy tablets, several Xanax pills, Tramadol pills, a glass smoking device, a measuring scale, plastic baggies, and other items from inside the residence.
Thomas was booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center and Rivers was booked into the Sabine Parish Women’s Jail for numerous felony drug, paraphernalia, and traffic charges, including Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer.
No bonds have been set at this time by the 11th Judicial District Court. (A complete list of all criminal charges in this case will be shared at a later time.)
(Thanks to Det. Wade Seegers for the above information.)
MOVIES IN MANY
“Hocus Pocus”starts off Halloween month this Saturday night, Oct. 9, at the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater.]
The movie will begin at 7 p.m. and is free to everyone, compliments of Mayor Robert Hable, the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee and the Many City Council members. Movie-goers are required to wear masks.
“Hocus Pocus” is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film that follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy on Halloween night. A hilarious battle between the teenage boy, who is trying to save his sister, and the three mean witches makes up the plot of the film.
“Hocus Pocus” is a Walt Disney movie and rated PG. It’s a fun movie that will have the entire family laughing as the young boy battles the witches and desperately tries to save his sister.
The fantasy movie is free to everyone. As usual, popcorn and soft drinks will be available for only $1 each.
Mayor Robert Hable and the Alderwomen of the Town of Many have announced the date and times for the town’s upcoming Halloween activities. They are as follows:
On Friday, Oct. 29, local businesses will hand out candy from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Neighborhood and Church Trick-or-Treat activities will take place from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. the same evening, then a free movie will show that night at Many Community Center [Sabine Theater], “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” which begins at 7 p.m.
It looks to be a jam-packed evening of fun for families and all their little ghosts and goblins, so be sure to mark it down and make plans to enjoy these special events in the Town of Many.
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