Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Hannah Savell Accepts Limited Partnership

Hannah Savell, an Edward Jones financial advisor in Many has accepted an invitation to become a limited partner in The Jones Financial Companies, L.L.L.P., the holding company for the St. Louis-based financial services firm.

“I am honored to be invited to become a limited partner in the firm,” said Savell. “I value working at a firm with such a strong sense of purpose – to make a positive difference for our clients, colleagues and community.”

Savell joined Edward Jones in 2018 and has served investors in Sabine Parish for the past five years. She is active in the community and currently President of the Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce.

Edward Jones currently employs 50,000 associates throughout the United States and through its affiliate in Canada. This is the firm’s 18th limited partnership offering in its 100-year history.

The Jones Financial Companies, L.L.L.P. was created in 1987 to enable the firm to expand into new business areas while allowing it to remain a partnership. The Jones Financial Companies, L.L.L.P. owns Edward D. Jones & Companies, L.L.L.P., which operates under the trade name Edward Jones, as well as other affiliates including the Edward Jones Trust Company, Olive Street Investment Advisors, LLC, Edward Jones SBL, LLC, and an international financial services subsidiary in Canada, Edward Jones (an Ontario limited partnership).

Edward Jones is a leading financial services firm in the U.S. and through its affiliate in Canada. The firm’s nearly 19,000 financial advisors serve more than 8 million clients with a total of $1.6 trillion in client assets under care in 2022. Edward Jones’ purpose is to partner for positive impact to improve the lives of its clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society. Through the dedication of the firm’s 50,000 associates and our branch presence in 68 percent of U.S. counties, the firm is committed to helping more people achieve financially what is most important to them. The Edward Jones website is at edwardjones.com, and its recruiting website is careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.

The Fire Chiefs, Administration and the Sabine Parish Fire Board for Dist. 1, Wards 3 and 4 announced on Jan. 17 that the Central Sabine Fire Dept. has now achieved a Class 5 fire rating from the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL). The rating affects insurance premiums paid by homeowners and business owners within the fire district. An improved rating can mean lower insurance premiums.

Central Sabine Fire noted that they are the only fire district in the parish to have achieved this rating. They held a Class 6 rating prior to the most recent designation. The PIAL class rating system ranges from 1 to 10, with Class 1 being the highest rated class.

They credited the improved rating to the hard work of Chiefs, Duty Crew personnel, volunteers and the Fire Board.

“The department staffed two firefighters working 24-hour shifts to ensure that the department was able to respond to calls for assistance. Our Duty Crew personnel also handled preplan inspections, trainings and call logs,” Public Information Officer Salvador Cruz said.

Their Chief of Training held an in-house Firefighter I and II course that was open to other fire districts. Dept. members participated as well as recruits from Leesville Fire. Class was held twice weekly and skills classes were held on Saturdays at the new North Sabine Fire facility, whom the group thanked for use of their training facility.

In addition, credit was given to the Fire Board, who approved the purchase of replacement and new equipment to allow the Fire Dept. to operate efficiently while operating on a limited budget; the Fire Prevention District, who increased community, school and public presence through education efforts and the supplying of smoke alarms at every event possible; and the encouragement to firefighters to acquire certifications available through LSU FETA and the Alabama Fire College.

State Farm Insurance Agent Buddy Wood said, “We salute the dedicated and tireless work of the men and women who service our fire districts and the efforts to achieve this improved rating. Customers should see some immediate positive change in their premiums, both residential and business, due to the rating improvement.”

Those who have specific questions regarding their policies are encouraged to contact their insurance companies directly.

The Dept. also thanked the public for their support. “This new rating signifies growth and improvement for us and our citizens,” Cruz said.

Congratulations to Sabine Parish Tourist Commission Director Georgia Craven, who recently was graduated from the Louisiana Tourism Leadership Academy. We wish her well as she continues to lead the Tourist Commission.

Troy’s Butcher Shop has expanded from Provencal with a Many location. Wednesday, Feb. 1 is their first official day at the new spot in Wright’s Shopping Center at 210 Elizabeth St. in Many. The store is located between Nichols and True Beauty. Their hours are seven days a week, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

On Monday the shop reported, “We will be at it all day tomorrow and through the night to try and get our cases stocked with our amazing products. We are super excited to see everyone and to offer you quality fresh and specialty meats along with our customer service.” They added, “We ask everyone to please be patient with us as we train our team members.”

Troy’s Butcher Shop may be reached at (318) 581-0640 in Many or (318) 315-3329 in Provencal. They also have a Facebook page, Troy’s Butcher Shop, but patrons are advised to call rather than messaging the page for best service at this time.

Matthew Yerby, who has ties to Sabine Parish, has written, produced and directed a move that was recently filmed in Natchitoches.  The movie is entitled The Dirty South.  It’s about a bartender who strikes a deal with a mysterious out-of-towner to keep her family’s deed to the bar out of the hands of a small-town big shot. The story was written in memory of Yerby’s father who passed away in 2017.

Many folks in Sabine know Yerby as a talented artist. He has made a name for himself painting beautiful murals the last several years, including all the ones in downtown Mansfield some years ago.  He is the son of Lisa Wright Yerby, former instructor at BPCC Sabine Valley Campus in Many, and the late Frank Yerby.

Yerby came from Winnfield to Natchitoches to attend Northwestern.  There he played baseball, earned a degree in psychology with a minor in theater and worked at the Point Place Marina.  After being graduated he did modeling and acting in Shreveport and New Orleans before moving to California in 2017 to do a screen play.

While on the West coast, Matthew was offered a writing position, but soon got tired of proofing and re-writing other people’s work.  He then started writing his own script.

The folks in Natchitoches, we are told, went all out to assist Yerby with the filming.  “People are more than willing to help out here in the South,” he commented.  “It’s been unbelievable because it doesn’t happen anywhere else.”  He said he always had Natchitoches and Cane River in mind for the filming location as he started writing the script four years ago.

He stated it is such a beautiful area, adding that no one has ever made a movie in Natchitoches Parish focused primarily on Cane River, which is a part of almost every scene.  In addition, Matthew wrote the annual Christmas Festival and its fireworks display into the script.

“It’s a dream come true to bring this film to Natchitoches,” Yerby shared before the movie wrapped filming. “[to be] surrounded by the people and places I grew up around,” he said. “I wrote the script four years ago based on the small-town lifestyle I know so well, and watching it come to life has been nothing short of incredible. None of this would be possible without the stellar cast and team that continues to go above and beyond on a daily basis, as well as the many friends from Natchitoches that have moved mountains to make this happen.”

Back in late December, Yerby shared the following update on The Dirty South.

“First of all, thank you to God for blessing my faith and vision beyond my wildest expectations. The cast He provided for my first film was extraordinary. The crew He delivered was the hardest working, creative problem solvers I’ve ever worked beside, and now consider all of them my family. Everything was set into motion in Your time, and I see why now,” Yerby posted on social media.

He went on to thank many others – from those who dreamed with him some eight years ago about making the film, originally titled Runaround Sue, to those who made it happen.

The Dirty South stars Willa Holland (Arrow, Legion), Shane West (A Walk to Remember) and Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding).

Matthew is a fine artist and has painted murals in New Orleans, Shreveport, Natchitoches, Converse, Mansfield, Bossier City, Monroe and elsewhere across Louisiana and places as far away as Silicon Valley and Los Angeles. CA.  He plans to return to Natchitoches as his schedule permits and paint a mural on the side of the Point Place Marina depicting one or several scenes from the movie.

The first final cut of the movie is due in May of this year.  A premier will be held in Natchitoches just prior to the release in November.

We send best wishes out to regular Observations reader Ken Dew. We appreciate his note and his appreciation of our efforts. Thanks, Ken.

“The Nov. 8 election brought some changes to the assessment of property owned by veterans in Sabine Parish,” according to Tax Assessor Chris Tidwell. “This information is important for veterans who own, live and qualify for homestead exemption. Amendment 2 passing has updated exemptions for veterans, and I hope this information will be helpful.”

He said Amendment 2 extended to the surviving spouse even if the disabled veteran’s exemption was not claimed when the veteran was living. Also, there was only an exemption for the 100% disability up to $15,000 assessed value. Now 100% disabled are 100% exempt from parish taxes. The percent disability rating for 50-69% and 70-99% are also included.

Here is more information that Chris provided:

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