Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Pete Abington, left, and Dr. Virginia Burkett, right, both of Many, are Magnolias sponsors of the Flavor of Louisiana event, the spring seafood and music festival fund raiser at Northwestern State University. The April 8 event starts at 6 p.m. in Prather Coliseum and will feature dozens of chefs from around the state offering samplings of seafood dishes donated by the Louisiana Seafood Board. For information of tickets, sponsorships, vendors and more, visit www.northwesternstatealumni.com/event/fol-2022/.
In only their second year of competition, the Many High School Powerlifting team won their second state championship in the 2A Division. The event was held Thursday, March 24, on the campus of ULM in Monroe. The team is coached by Jesse Curtis who is head coach and Tommy Hill, assistant coach.
The team was led by senior London Williams who set new state records in the squat when he lifted 615 lbs. and the deadlift of 625 lbs. He had a complete of 1,525 lbs. in three events.
Team members and their performance were: Deuce Demario Woods, lst Place, 114, 740 lbs. total; Jeremiah Williams, 3rd Place, 114, 630 lbs. total; Chase Higginbotham, 2nd Place, 123, 830 lbs. total; Kentavious Maxie, 4th Place, 123, 850 lbs. total; Ethan Williams, 3rd Place, 123, 865 lbs. total; Sardavion Darwin, 1st Place, 148, 1120 lbs. total; London Williams, 1st Place, 164, 1525 lbs. total; Cole Pickett, 181, 5th Place, 1085 lbs. total; Dutch Kor, 181, 3rd Place, 1155 lbs. total; Colton Boswell, 198, 7th Place, 1140 lbs. total; and Adam Miller 275, 2nd Place, 1315 lbs. total. The team scored a total of 48 points and the next closest competition was Pope John Paul with 31.
Other members of the team are James Perry, Joe Cryer, Bryan Webb, J. J. Anderson, Evan Williams and Angel Straughn.
In the girls division, Summer Paddie, 148, won 2nd Place with 830 total lbs. and Sonlee Jones came in 3rd Place, 220, with 675 lbs.
Camryn Ford, a senior softball standout at Many High School, has been nominated as the Shreveport Times High School Athlete of the Week. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brad Ford and the granddaughter of Mrs. Evelyn Ford and Mr. and Mrs. Perry Sattler.
Persons wishing to vote for Camryn can go to shreveporttimes.com under Sports to cast their ballots. Voting will end Thursday night and winners will be announced Friday. Athletes were chosen because of their performances last week or because they were nominated by their coach. Camryn has signed on to play ball for Northwestern.
The Town of Many crews brought downtown Many to life last week when they planted ferns and other plants in the brick planters along the downtown sidewalks. Thanks to Mayor Robert Hable, the Town Council and the town crew. We bet the Mayor’s wife, Crystal, also played a part in it. She has a great eye.
Carroll Dean Ellzey has been honored by the South Sabine Fire District (Wards 1 & 2) for 40 plus years of service. He was recognized with a beautiful Fireman’s Axe Plaque. He has served as Plainview Captain, Assistant District Chief, District Chief and President of the Fire Board. The presentation was made by Assistant Chief Douglas Downs, right, and Florien Captain Kelly Stewart, left. Ellzey also served with distinction as Sabine Parish Tax Assessor for several years.
Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) Chancellor Dr. Jimmy Sawtelle has announced two new interim campus deans. Gwen Fontenot has been named Interim Campus Dean for the Natchitoches Campus while Allison Hext is the Interim Campus Dean for the Sabine Valley Campus in Many. The promotions came after former Natchitoches Campus Dean Laurie Morrow of Many accepted a position with Northwestern State University.
“I am honored and excited for this new opportunity,” Ms. Hext said. “While working at Sabine Valley I have enjoyed serving our students and helping them explore their educational options. With this new position, I look forward to working with the community, schools and employers to meet their needs. We have a great team of instructors who take pride in preparing students for the workforce and future endeavors. We are currently gearing up for the summer semester and look forward to the opportunities our transition to Bossier Parish Community College will provide.”
Retiring Northwestern State University Men’s Basketball Coach Mike McConathy was a guest on Tedd Dumas’ radio program at the BDC studios in Many on Tuesday morning. Afterward he joined friends John Curtis and Bruce Gandy for coffee at Bell’s Gulf Station Café. He was raised in Bossier City and played college basketball at Louisiana Tech from 1973-77. He coached at Bossier Parish Community College from 1983-99, then was hired by Northwestern. He is regarded as the “winningest college basketball coach in Louisiana history.”
We have had the pleasure of knowing Coach McConathy for many years and he is a super nice gentleman, always. Not only has he been a good basketball coach, but he has taught his players how to also be gentlemen. Whatever the future holds for him, we wish him well.
The Arc of Sabine (SARC) hosted a fabulous Open House celebration at 10 a.m. Friday. Dozens of community leaders attended the event, toured the Arc’s brand-new facility and enjoyed a delicious early lunch. SARC serves 65 intellectually and/or developmentally disabled clients daily with activities, work programs and life enrichment opportunities. They promote and protect their clients’ human rights and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
As he welcomed those attending, Arc Director Wayne Martinez remarked, “After suffering a devastating fire over three years ago, this is the result. We are happy for you to be here today, and we are happy to be in this new facility. Sometimes bad things that happen put us directly on a path to good things, and I think that’s exactly what happened here. Something bad turned into a good thing, and we’re so proud of it. God is good all the time, and this is His work you see here.”
Martinez thanked everyone in the community who helped SARC during the time their operations were affected by the fire’s devastation. He also gave a special thank you to his “awesome staff.” He said they stayed strong and went the extra mile every day during the rebuilding period to keep their daily programs, activities and services going. After the fire, he said “It was really tough” to be displaced and still provide services to about 65 clients on a daily basis without having access to their normal building and resources. “Thank you, staff, for staying strong and doing all that extra. I also want to thank our clients and their families for being so patient. They really were,” Martinez said.
President of The Arc Board of Directors Pete Abington recalled the days long ago when the SARC location was Buddy’s Milk Plant, and he would rise at 4 a.m. as a sixth grader to deliver milk all across Many. “This place has served a lot of needs over the years and now, look at it, and look at the amazing history of SARC here,” he said.
Abington explained how the entire SARC concept began years ago with John and Mary Harrell. Mary served on the board until her death at “well into her 90s,” Abington remarked. John used to have the restaurant adjacent to the Starlite motel.
Among their many current projects and work opportunities, The Arc recycles paper and produces from it cotton rags and shop towels, they operate the SARC Thrift Store in downtown Many, they have a large lawn crew, a rental building downtown, as well as auto detailing and inspection sticker services.
The organization also operates five community homes for their clients in Many and one in Zwolle. In its entirety, the Arc employs 75 people and serves about 65 clients daily.
In addition to Abington, others on the Arc’s Board of Directors are Vice Pres. Wilton Anthony, Vicki Sistrunk, Jean Raines and Suzette Anderson. “We meet often and try to plan for the betterment of our clients,” Abington said. He said the Arc’s Human Rights Committee includes Ray and Winona Sepulvado, Dean Crittenden and Fran Morris, who all serve as client advocates to the Board.
“We couldn’t have done any of it without the amazing leadership of Wayne Martinez,” Abington concluded.
Abington also encouraged everyone to place their used newspapers and magazines in the big box out in front of the Arc so the items can be recycled into usable products.
The Arc of Sabine is located at 545 San Antonio Ave. Their office may be reached at (318) 256-2025.
It seems we have again drawn ire for exercising Freedom of Speech and reporting on events and issues of our town. The latest involves the rental of a local business property to groups for events and the nature of those events.
Does it matter when a local business owner whose parent serves on the Town Council allows a party with 150-200 attendees when, according to law, the business space was deemed safe for use by only about 50? Yes, we believe it does.
For the record, now that the property’s safety deficiencies have been officially identified by the Fire Marshal, we feel sure the business owner is already making the needed adjustments. And we wish her well in all.
Further, does it matter what kind of entertainment comes to the Town of Many? If the event attracts those who choose to go downtown by the dozens and fight openly on San Antonio Ave. placing in potential jeopardy our citizens and law enforcement – yes, we believe it matters.
We do not wish to see anything come to Many that attracts troublemakers to our streets. Call us old-fashioned. That’s fine. Though we may be old-fashioned, we are not naïve. We know there are already very serious issues, including rampant drug use, here in our town and parish. But we have not had open fighting in the streets (described by some as a “riot”) until now.
As an aside, a few have tried to conflate this issue with a totally unrelated matter, which involves our family. Observations has been accused of conveniently “looking the other way” because we have not written about a family member’s new home on Trace St.
Though we owe no one an explanation, in the spirit of transparency, here are the facts:
A family member had a vacant lot on Trace St. She is a hard worker with two children, doing her best. She applied to the Town of Many Zoning Committee to place a new manufactured home on her lot and was denied. As is the right of every Many citizen, she decided to appeal the Zoning Committee’s decision before the Town Council. At her appeal, she received just enough “yes” votes to override the Zoning Committee’s decision and was approved to place a new home on her lot.
There was nothing shady, nothing underhanded or deceitful in the matter. Nothing. Her being approved on appeal could have just as easily been voted the other way.
She did nothing wrong in the matter, nor did she or anyone involved attempt to do anything wrong in the matter.
On a positive note, we are happy to report she loves her new house and continues to work hard to improve her lot and home.
Regarding the events venue article, to our knowledge not a single person has called any of the facts we shared erroneous. The truth is the truth, and it always stands. There are folks who enjoy lashing out at the messenger, but the messenger is not the issue.
DON’T FORGET! It all happens this weekend! That’s the big “Bloom on Main” downtown Many festival with vendors, music, food and more this Saturday, April 2 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on San Antonio Ave. across from the Town of Many City Hall. There will be all kinds of fun stuff to welcome spring on display to buy, and you don’t want to miss this chance to stroll San Antonio with your friends and neighbors. During “Bloom on Main,” Many Alderwoman Anita Darwin will lead an Autism Awareness Walk starting at 11 a.m. from Many City Hall. All are welcomed to join! We will see you there.
On the local schedule next weekend is the 42nd Annual Battle of Pleasant Hill re-enactments and festivities. See the poster below for all the details:
Beware. There’s a new virus making the rounds.
Here’s how to tell if you have it: If you sweat when you put gas in your car and get sick at your stomach as you pay for it, you have the CAROWNERVIRUS!
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