Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Our good friend Pete Abington celebrated his birthday for several days last week. His birthday was Wednesday, April 26, but he kept it going as long as he could. Here a group of restaurant servers is shown singing “Happy Birthday” to him as lovely wife Ellen looks on.
A reward of $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who fired gun shots near the Sabine Fairground ball fields on Friday evening, April 28, at about 8:20 p.m.
Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley said it was dark when the incident happened and details are sketchy, but her department is working hard to solve the case. According to witnesses, it seems the shots were fired just beyond the bridge going toward Hart Airport. It was reported that a dark colored car peeled out afterward.
Chief Wooley said no one was hit and they could not find any evidence of damage. She does not know exactly but said more than two shots were fired. They have searched the area for any bullets or shells, but thus far have not found any. In addition, they are checking security cameras in the area for possible evidence.
District Attorney Don Burkett said five- and six-year-olds were on the field when it happened. “The community is really upset about this happening,” he commented. “Persons from all walks of life care and are concerned.”
Chief Wooley said patrolmen from the Many Police Department will have a presence at the field on all future games.
Burkett was the first to offer a $500 reward. The Many Police Department then joined in with another $500. Burkett said two other persons put in $500 each and others offered $100 each.
The state of lawlessness in our country today is very sad. Now it is seeping down to the smaller towns and parishes. We do not want it in Sabine Parish. We are thankful for the law enforcement officials who care enough to put forth every effort to arrest the culprits.
If you have any information, we urge you to please contact law enforcement. Let’s put a stop to these kinds of actions. Who knows? Any of us could be victims next.
Well, the recall against Jeff “Gilligan” Davidson, Dist. 5 Police Juror, carried in voting Saturday. Returns showed 208 were in favor and 37 were against. That means 85% voted for him to be recalled.
The battle to recall Davidson was led by the Sabine Parish Citizens for Better Roads, led by Pat Scarborough, his wife Joy and his sister-in-law Rebekah Stiegemeyer. Their claim was that he was wasting taxpayer’s money and was not receptive to the voices of his constituents.
The group had to gain signatures on a petition in order to have the recall placed on the election ballot. They worked hard and got 625 signatures of the 1,700 registered voters. Just less than 14% of registered voters cast their votes on Saturday.
According to Registrar of Voters Zach Faircloth, the deadline to contest the election is Monday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. If nothing is filed, that will be Davidson’s last day in office. After that, the Police Jury has 10 days to appoint someone to take Davidson’s place.
Scarborough said he felt one of the two people who were in the race with Davidson almost four years ago will be appointed. They are Randy McNabb and Matthew Murdock Adams. We hear loud and strong it will be former Juror Ronnie Bison.
Conrad Cathey, Sabine Parish’s advocate for financially sound government has a thought about how the Police Jury should go about appointing someone to take Gilligan’s place.
He suggests that before an appointment is made, the Jury should take applications from all interested persons interested. He said the Jury should then interview all and later take a vote.
In addition, he feels the person who is appointed probably shouldn’t seek election this fall.
Look for Pat Scarborough to announce soon that he is running for the Dist. 5 Police Jury seat.
Someone asked what the costs were to conduct the recall election on Dist. 5 Police Juror Jeff “Gilligan” Davidson.
Registrar of Voters Zack Faircloth said it totaled about $15,250. There were five precincts with five commissioners in charge, eight commissioners and five custodians at about $3,250. The Secretary of State estimated their costs to be about $12,000. The Police Jury will be billed the total cost.
Ms. Mary McDonald, who lives in the Noble/Converse area, posted some photos of damage done to her property after the hailstorm came through Sabine Parish last Wednesday, April 26. Some places were hit with huge, golf ball-size hail which damaged cars and unprotected items, while other places throughout the parish saw smaller hail. In the Blake Addition of Many hail was about pea-size.
The left photo above shows major back glass damage from hail to Ms. McDonald’s vehicle, and the right photo, shared by Mr. Tyler Williamson, shows the size of some large hail that fell in the area.
Our prayers and thoughts are with all who sustained damage in Wednesday evening’s storms.
Pink Sisters of Sabine, the local non-profit that has served breast cancer patients since 2019, held a future leadership Luncheon and Tea for several members on Monday, May 1. Attending the luncheon were several Pink Sisters who have indicated they have the passion or time to become more actively involved in the group’s work.
“Since we organized, Pink Sisters has served close to 100 breast cancer patients,” President Betsy Godfrey shared. “Today we are excited to welcome several Pink Sisters to leadership roles, who will serve alongside the original board of five and are committed to our areas of focus – pink needs recovery gift totes, our Facebook page, mentoring, sending cards and texts of encouragement to new Pink Sisters, helping process financial assistance applications and handling other details.”
The event’s special speaker was former Nurse Practitioner and breast cancer survivor Monica Coplin, who moved to Many in the summer of 2021 only a couple of months before receiving her diagnosis.
“As I broke the news to my children, I realized God had placed me exactly where I needed to be. He brought my husband Brian to pastor a church that was home to several breast cancer survivors who were very active with Pink Sisters. The encouragement, help and love given to me and my family from Pink Sisters and our church family was such a gift,” Coplin shared.
Also attending the event was Tanya Storey Conlay, a breast cancer survivor from Natchitoches who recently published a book, “Big Girl Panties,” which chronicles her breast cancer journey, God’s goodness and navigating breast cancer during a global pandemic. The book is for sale on Amazon, and it’s available free of charge to Kindle Unlimited customers.
Pink Sisters of Sabine was organized in March 2019 by founding members Betsy Godfrey, Laurie Gentry, Nancy Spiller, Laurie Morrow and Ginger Jordan, all breast cancer survivors and all of whom continue to serve.
The group’s work has been supported over the years by several faithful, individual contributors as well as special donations from the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta, the Sabine Hall of Fame, “Paint Many Pink” pink ribbon sign fundraiser, Mary Kay and “Worship in Pink” offerings from various Sabine church members during October, breast cancer awareness month.
In addition to the tote bag of recovery supplies, the group now offers gas and food cards to help offset breast cancer treatment travel costs, as well as up to $500 of assistance toward prosthetics or other needs not covered by insurance.
(Thanks to my wife Laurie for the above article.)
Signs Along Life’s Highway
We saw this neon sign on Saturday afternoon hanging by the back door of Good Gracious in Many. It’s a girl gang, alright. Grace Manasco, her mother Paula Thomas and their helpful staff – all female, take care of their boutique and floral customers in fine style. We are fortunate to have them here. Good Gracious is located across the street from the historic Sabine Theater in downtown Many. They’re easy to spot as their doorway is always dressed to the nines.
Last week it was announced that customers of Louisiana Entergy will soon start receiving refunds as part of a $36 million-dollar settlement between the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Entergy related to the overcharge of customers for Entergy’s operation expense at the Port Gibson, MS Grand Gulf nuclear plant.
District 3 Commissioner Davante Lewis said, “Louisianans and anyone actually across the south in Entergy’s portfolio were being overcharged for a power plant that was not working.” The PSC sued Entergy over the matter.
District 4 Commissioner Mike Francis said how much money customers will eventually get back is still to be determined. He said of the refunds, “…these millions of dollars will be spread out over the next few months, maybe a year or two, in lower, lower electricity rates.”
Entergy serves a number of customers in Sabine Parish.
(Thank you to my wife Laurie for the above.)
Congratulations to Principal Moses Curtis on Many High School’s recent recognition for excellence. MHS came in at #17 for “Best Public High Schools in Louisiana” in a list published last week.
The state’s Top 30 high schools were featured on a list compiled by Stacker using data from Niche, an online resource which provides in-depth profiles on every school and college in America with over 140 million reviews and ratings.
The ranking was based on eight weighted factors, including a majority of the score dependent on academics and grades. Other factors, such as culture, diversity, health and safety, clubs, activities, resources, surveys of parents, teachers and students rounded out the ranking criteria.
Many High beat out Benton, D’Arbonne Woods Charter School, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, C. E. Byrd in Shreveport, Airline in Bossier and other prominent schools from around the state to earn its spot.
(Special thanks to Mary Ellen Freeman for drawing our attention to this achievement.)
Congratulations to Miss Caroline Godfrey on being named the 55th Queen of the St. Denis Art League Spring Festival Court in Natchitoches. Caroline is the granddaughter of Mrs. Betsy Godfrey and the late John P. Godfrey of Many, and she is the daughter of former Many residents John and Susan Godfrey. Caroline reigned as Queen during the annual Spring Court Ball on Saturday evening, April 29.
She follows in the footsteps of several family members who have been honored as Court royalty over the years. Caroline’s older sister, Madeline, was Herald to the Queen in 2011 and reigned as Queen in 2021. Her mother, the former Susan McCain of Natchitoches, was Herald to the Queen in 1989 and Lady of the Court in 1998. And, last but not least, Caroline’s grandfather, Steve McCain Sr., was King in 2013. At that year’s festival, Caroline served as her grandfather’s Herald.
The festivities hearken back to an era when young ladies and gentlemen were formally presented to society as they came of age. Today, in addition to being a grand social event, the beautiful rituals teach several almost-lost traditions of etiquette, including how to escort, curtsy, bow and present one’s self graciously to others.
Congratulations again to Caroline and her family on the honor of her selection as Queen.
We are happy to learn Duncan Craft and wife Laura, the son and daughter-in-law of Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley and her husband Donnie, are expected to be released from the hospital this Thursday. The couple and their unborn baby were hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light as they were headed out to dinner to celebrate Laura’s birthday on April 5.
Their injuries were serious and numerous, but thankfully the baby girl, Alora Jane, could be delivered early and is doing well. Both Duncan and Laura have had multiple surgeries, especially Duncan. Chief Wooley said her son will have to have one more foot surgery.
We encourage all who can to visit GoFundMe online and support this family. Due to their numerous injuries, neither Duncan nor Laura will be able to work for some time. Follow this link to give: https://gofund.me/7a0f1d05.
Noticed a new roof going up on the Sabine Parish Library building in Many.
Also last Saturday, voters in Zwolle cast their ballots on whether or not the town should adopt the Lawrason Act. The vote was 160 for, representing 71.43%, to 64 against, which is 28.57%. The Lawrason Act is the fundamental municipal operating act.
Paul Harvey was a wise, courageous and devoted American broadcaster who lived in an era when journalists could still speak truth to the masses without losing their platforms, much less “followers” and personal friendships. In a broadcast from 1965, Paul Harvey shared what he would do to destroy culture, societal norms and social mores if he were “the devil.”
His words of almost 60 years ago have proven prophetic in so many ways. He continued to share this writing well into the 1990s, and it rings even truer today.
“If I Were the Devil”: A Warning to America from Paul Harvey
“If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree – Thee. So, I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first – I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please.’
“To the young, I would whisper that ‘The Bible is a myth.’ I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is ‘square.’ And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington…’
“And then I’d get organized. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
“If I were the devil, I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions – just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
“Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography – soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money. If I were the devil, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
“If I were the devil, I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.
“And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution against extremes in hard work, in patriotism, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus, I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure. In other words, if I were the devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.”
After sharing his heart, Paul Harvey bid listeners a cheerful, “Good day,” as he always did.
(Special thanks to our friend Darrin Vincent for sharing this with my wife Laurie.)
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