Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Thursday is Veterans Day and we remember and honor all veterans who served our country. This week Observations pays tribute to a very special Navy veteran who celebrated his 103rd Birthday last Sunday. The gentleman is Edwin Pousson who lives down on Toledo Bend.
He was born Nov. 7, 1918, the third child of Cerenic and Leonore Pousson in Iota, where he was raised on a rice farm and primarily spoke Cajun French. He joined the Navy June 21, 1939. After boot camp, he came home on leave and met the love of his life, Marguarette, from the nearby town of Egan.
The first ship Mr. Pousson served on was the USS Broome, a World War I Destroyer that had been recommissioned for service in World War II. The unit first patrolled the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico out of Key West, FL and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Following that, he was transferred to the USS MacLeish and they started doing escort duty on convoys of supplies to England. On a return voyage they were in Reykjavik Harbor when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941.
He was again transferred to a new ship and while in transit he married Marguarette in December 1941. The third ship he served on was a minesweeper, which sailed from New Orleans through the Panama Canal to Brisbane, Australia towing an ammunition barge. He continued serving in the Pacific and was transferred to a sub chaser until VJ Day when he was finally sent home.
Mr. Pousson was discharged June 20, 1945 after serving six years, with the rank of Gunners Mate First Class. He was finally able to see his first born, a son who had been born in September 1943.
He was able to find employment in Baton Rouge where he and Marguarette raised nine healthy children. After 36 years with Humble Oil/Exxon, he retired and they moved to Toledo Bend to build their retirement home and enjoy their golden days.
Thanks to our good friend Mrs. Bonnie Fox-Miles for pointing us toward this story and thanks to Mr. Pousson’s sons, Mike and Nick, for providing us with information and pictures of their father.
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
– John Wooden
As early voting came to an end Saturday, 314 persons had cast their ballots in Sabine Parish, according to Registrar of Voters Zack Faircloth. As of Monday, about 250 ballots had been mailed in, with the deadline being Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday is Election Day in Sabine Parish. There are four state Constitutional Amendments on the ballot and two renewals of taxes – the Library and Health Unit. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.
The Library Tax is the renewal of 5.05 mills for 10 years. The Health Unit Tax is 1 mill for 10 years.
Amendment 1 authorizes streamlined electronic filing, remittance and collection of sales and use tax. A vote for would allow a single authority to oversee the collection, electronic filing and policy guidance for state and local sales tax. A vote against would continue to constitutionally require separate collection, filing and policy oversight of sales by state and local governments.
Amendment 2 lowers the maximum allowed rate of income tax and allows proving a deduction for federal income taxes. A vote for would lower the maximum rate of the income tax and allow removal of a major state tax deduction, triggering statutory reforms for individual and corporate income and franchise taxes. A vote against would keep the Constitution’s current tax rates and the requirement to allow a deduction for federal taxes paid, which would stop all the statutory reforms.
Amendment 3 allows certain levee districts to levy an annual tax for certain purposes. A vote for would allow the boards of the levee districts created since 2006 to raise up to a 5-mill property tax without voter approval. A vote against would continue to allow levee districts created since 2006 to get voter approval for any tax milage.
Amendment 4 increases the amount of allowed reduction to certain dedicated funds when a budget deficit is projected. A vote for would allow the transfer of most dedicated funds to fix a state budget deficit. A vote against would keep the current 5% limit for tapping dedications to fix a deficit.
Do your civic duty and be sure to go out Saturday and cast your ballot.
There has been a strong concerted move asking voters to cast their ballots against the renewal of the Library tax for several different reasons. Leading the move has been Conrad Cathey, who has had a heavy radio presence for the past several weeks. In addition, there has been a gathering of Sabine business people who have joined the protest against renewal of the tax.
Those who oppose the tax are not against a Library system for Sabine but feel that the 5.05 mills is more than is needed for the operation. Cathey, who is a former Tax Assessor, said the tax as it progresses will bring in more than a million dollars a year. The Library budget for operation has been about one-half million per year.
The Library Board, appointed by the Police Jury, has saved over $5 million dollars from the millage and is now planning to build a new Library. But the tax is for operation and maintenance and not for a new building. Some opponents of the tax take exception to this, as the public voted down a tax for a new building some years back.
Cathey called upon the Library Board to postpone the election until more information was made available to the public, but they did not. In the proposed budget for 2022, there is a $513,750 expenditure for capital outlay and capital projects, which is assumed to be architectural fees for a new building to be located on the former campus of the old Many High School.
Observations proposed the Library Board should consider purchasing the old Many Post Office Building in downtown Many to completely remodel and use for a Library. Sabine Bank’s Jim Cole said the building is for sale for about $150,000, maybe less. Cathy told Observations he made the same proposal some years back but had no takers. Our position was that such a move would save a beautiful old building, would provide plenty of parking, would keep the Library in downtown, where we feel it needs to be, and could be done at a lot less expense than a new building. Once again, no takers.
Another point to consider is whether libraries are used now as much as in the past. A lot of things have gone digital, so we doubt they are. And has the Library Board given any consideration to the poor old taxpayer? Does Sabine Parish need to spend $5 million for a new Library? The voters hold the answer in the palm of their hands Saturday. We’ll wait and see.
The Sabine Parish Tourist & Recreation Commission (SPTRC) Board of Directors elected a new Executive Director at their regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday afternoon. Nov. 9.
The Board of Directors elected a three-person Interview Committee last month and the Committee received 124 resumes with only 15 completing the application process as requested in the hiring notices that were placed locally, state-wide and nationally. The Interview Committee consisted of board members Martha Henderson, representing Zwolle, Suzanne Williams, representing Florien, and Board President Lauren Moore.
After picking the top 10 candidates, the Interview Committee enlisted the help of three outside people representing Tourist Commissions from across the State to narrow the list to five candidates after they reviewed the applications and checked their references. Four people were interviewed Tuesday prior to the Commission’s Board meeting. The Interview Committee then recommended Mrs. Georgia Craven of Many to the entire SPTRC Board of Directors, who unanimously voted to hire her as the next Executive Director.
Mrs. Craven will begin working on December 2, 2021. The entire Board of Directors along with the current SPTRC staff report they are excited to welcome the new Director. “[We welcome Mrs. Craven] aboard to lead our organization and our Parish to the next level,” they said.
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church’s 150th Anniversary celebration continues. All are invited to attend a special Mass for all veterans, living and deceased, celebrated by Bishop Francis Malone, and the unveiling and dedication of the church’s Louisiana State Historical Marker on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. Immediately following the Mass, the historical marker will be unveiled, blessed and dedicated in front of the church. There will be a reception after the unveiling in the cafeteria. All are invited to attend, pray for veterans, and enjoy the unveiling. The Louisiana Historical Marker commemorates places prominently identified with the history of Louisiana, and it is an honor for Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church to have been chosen.
Sales and Use Tax Collector Nolan Rivers has released the following report for October. Total sales taxes collected was $2,535,833.33, which is $399,181.76 more than was collected in October of last year. This represents an increase of 18.68 percent. Only the Town of Many had a decrease in sales tax collections.
An attractive new sign, shown above, has been placed in front of the Many Depot.
The sign, which was funded by a grant from the William C. Pomeroy Foundation, reads as follows: “Kansas City Southern Railway Depot has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 by the United States Department of the Interior.”
Many street workers installed the sign at the depot last week. The metal sign is printed on both sides so it may be read by motorists traveling Hwy. 171 Bypass in both directions.
Mary Brocato, chairperson of the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee, said “We are so pleased to have obtained this sign honoring our historic old depot.” She thanked Many’s grants writer Suzanne Williams for finding the grant opportunity and writing the grant proposal that made having the sign possible.
Brocato said another building in Many will also soon receive one of the signs designating Many’s old Sabine High School as a national historic place, thanks to a second grant proposal that the Pomeroy Foundation approved. The sign recently arrived and will be erected just as soon as the street crew can get to it.
(Special thanks to Mary Brocato for the above material.)
Author Dorsey Ebarb Bronson, a member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb and the author of “America’s First ‘Trail of Tears,’ the Story of the Choctaw Apache Tribe of Louisiana,” and Nichols owner Lauren Moore recently donated $1000 to help fund the Choctaw-Apache Exhibit Room at the Town of Many’s upcoming “No Man’s Land” Museum at the Many KCS Depot.
The goal is to have the museum open in Spring 2022.
On Nov. 4 and 5, Bronson autographed her book at the Many Nichols location during their Tax Free Weekend Sales event. Copies of the book are kept on hand at the chain’s Many store and are $25.
“We appreciate their generosity!” Mayor Robert Hable said of Moore and Bronson’s donation.
(Thank you to Mary Brocato for much of the information above.)
Children and their families strolled down San Antonio Street in their Halloween costumes Oct. 29 at the annual Trick or Treat activities sponsored by the Town of Many.
Some 1,500 children stopped at Many City Hall, stores and businesses downtown to ask for candy to fill their Halloween buckets and bags.
Posing for pictures and calling out “Trick or Treat,” happy, laughing children crowded the sidewalks and streets of Many.
Many Mayor Robert Hable deemed the Halloween activities a big success and was pleased to see so many children with their families enjoy the perfect weather and trick or treating together.
The day was capped off with a special Halloween movie, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” at the Many Community Center. Concessions were free for all the children, and after the movie, they left with a trick or treat bag filled with candy.
Melissa H. Sepulvado, 59, of Zwolle was sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 2, by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 12 months and 1 day in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, on Wire fraud charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. Sepulvado was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $145,000.
Sepulvado pleaded guilty to one count of Wire fraud on May 13, 2021. According to information presented to the court at the guilty plea hearing, Sepulvado and her husband were employed by Weyerhaeuser Company (“Weyerhaeuser”) at the company’s mill located in Zwolle. Sepulvado was employed as a Senior Support Specialist and had been with the company for 17 years, and her husband was employed as an hourly worker. Her primary duties were to review and approve payroll entries for the hourly workers at Weyerhaeuser’s Zwolle mill through its internet based, electronic payroll system. In addition, she reviewed vacation payout requests by hourly workers. Vacation payout was an employee-benefit service that Weyerhaeuser provided to some of its hourly workers, which was earned vacation time based on tenure with the company and wages paid to them for the vacation time they took.
From November 2014 to April 2017, Sepulvado defrauded Weyerhaeuser of $145,000 by exploiting her position and access to the payroll system. She regularly entered vacation payout requests for her husband for hours he did not earn, and although she was not supposed to review or approve her husband’s pay requests, she did approve them and sent the approved requests via electronic wire to their payroll department which was outside of Louisiana. Weyerhaeuser then deposited money into her husband’s bank account based on the fraudulent pay requests. Sepulvado took steps to conceal the fraud by backdating numerous vacation payout requests, entering the requests for completed pay periods from months or years earlier. These actions concealed the requests from regular audits of the system.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cadesby B. Cooper.
Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce reports they had a very successful fall banquet. Observations congratulates all who made it possible and all the honorees of the evening.
An attendance of some 130 people made it one of the largest Chamber banquets held. Entertainment was provided by the Rising Sun Youth Group and Amelia Rivers of Five Star Catering provided the dinner.
“Thank you to every one of you attending and all that helped to make this a great success,” the Chamber posted afterward. “Please contact us at (318) 256-3523 to include your business and become a member today. All are welcome whether large or small. Shop local,” they noted.
A special congratulations to Curtis Family Pharmacy, who was named the Sabine Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. Co-owner and Pharmacist Leslie Curtis, shown above center, was presented the award by Sabine Parish Chamber Director Shanna Gaspard, left, and Chamber President Pollie Brandon, right.
The City of Biloxi declared Thursday, Nov. 4 as “Dr. Virginia ‘Ginny’ Rose Burkett Day.”
The Biloxi native was presented the “Biloxian Made Good” award that evening at the 28th Annual Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Several persons from Sabine Parish attended to see the honor bestowed.
Dr. Virginia Burkett graduated from Biloxi High School in 1968. After college she began her career specializing in environmental science.
She is now a longtime resident of Many, LA and the current chief scientist for climate and land use change at the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington DC.
Surrounded by family and friends, Dr. Burkett said she was, “…honored to be selected as the Biloxian Made Good by the Chamber and I was surprised. I’m just a research scientist. So, I’m used to focusing on the environment and the Coast and it’s very humbling.”
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