Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Firemen, law enforcement officers and volunteers were called out again Sunday afternoon to battle a wildfire west of Florien in the Dess area.  Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Walker said 518 acres were burned.  The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry said the fire originated at a residence and a summons was issued.

Chief Walker said since the statewide burn ban was issued on Aug. 7, eight summons have been issued in Sabine Parish.  He pointed out that persons who start fires during the burn ban can also be held responsible for civil liabilities that might be caused by the fire.  He said there will be zero tolerance on the burn ban, and he urges everyone to please refrain from burning or using anything that might cause a spark and start a fire.

The last rain in the Many area was July 6 and since then, there have been 48 days without rain.  The high temperatures have been in the low 100s and high 90s every day since.  The National Weather Service said the high temperatures in Many will remain in the 100s at least until Saturday.

The Sunday afternoon fire was on Dess Rd. near Rogers Rd.  It was reported around 2 p.m. The initial report said there had been no evacuations.  Local fire districts and the Sheriff’s Department responded to the call.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning earlier in the day due to the extremely dry conditions, high temperatures and higher winds in the area.  According to a 4:30 p.m. release by the Sheriff’s Office, several fires had been reported at the time in Sabine Parish.

At 7 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office reported the fire had jumped the Willie Salter Rd. and was headed west toward Hwy. 191.  Crepe Myrtle, Nichols and Hamontree area residents were put on alert.  The Louisiana Forestry Department had several bulldozers and plows working in the area.

At 8:30 p.m., it was reported the Dess Rd. Fire was spreading over two areas.  It spread south across Dess Rd. toward Nelson Rd.  Another part of the fire was reported spreading west toward Hwy. 191 toward Shadows Rd. and Old Hwy. 476.  The fire was uncontrolled at the time.

The Sheriff’s Office reported at 10:45 p.m. that both parts of the Dess Rd. fires were contained.  They said there might be small flare-ups, but Sheriff’s deputies, fire districts and forestry department officials would be monitoring any future threats.

The South Sabine Fire Dept., Wds. 1 and 2, issued a statement at 12:13 a.m. that the fire was contained.  It stated that trucks continued to hit the hot spots, patrolled and monitored the affected areas all night.

The South Sabine Fire Dept., Wards 1 and 2, reported at 9:30 a.m. on Monday that the Dess Rd. fires were still contained.  South Sabine Firemen continued to patrol and monitor the affected areas and put out any hot spots.  Dozer crews continued to work the lines.

On Monday afternoon at 1:22 p.m., a woods fire off Pineridge Ave. near Hwy. 191 close to Shadows Rd. was reported.  This was not far from the fire on Willie Salter Rd. that occurred Sunday.  Fire units contained the Monday afternoon fire rather quickly.  At 1:53 p.m., a fire on the Dess Rd. near the Police Jury Road Maintenance Building was reported.  It, too, was contained quickly.

We were greatly impressed when the tired firemen, volunteers and law officers returned to the South Sabine Fire Department after bringing the Dess fire under control, that Chief Douglas Downs spoke to the group and then led them in prayer.  At this time, we need God’s help more than ever, and a lot of prayers are being sent up.  We very impressed with Chief Downs’ prayer.  He asks that everyone continue to pray for rain and for all of our first responders.

We are very proud of the job that our firemen, law enforcement officers and volunteers have done during this rash of wildfires in Sabine Parish.  Think about fighting a fire in the terribly dry, hot conditions we’ve been having.  They all are to be highly commended.  And, yes, say a prayer of thanksgiving for these brave men and women.

Shannon’s Butcher Block of Many was on the scene again Sunday afternoon and Monday morning with free food for all involved.  They were also on the scene Monday, Aug. 14, when the terrible wildfire hit near Florien.

Jason Butler stepped up and offered two bulldozers free of charge if needed.

Chief Downs offered thanks to the following for their assistance:  Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Central Sabine Fire Dept., Natchitoches Parish Fire Dist. 7, Hornbeck Volunteer Fire Dept., Sundown VFD, Sandy Hill Fire Dept., Newton, TX Volunteer Fire Dept., Med Express Ambulance Service and to all those who brought food, drinks and snacks.

It is a blessing from God to see this kind of helpfulness.

The Town of Many won a “Community Achievement Award in Technology and Creativity” at the annual Louisiana Municipal Association Convention held in Alexandria on Aug. 3-5. The award was given to honor the Town’s installation of new, digital water meters.

Some time back, Mayor Robert Hable and the Town of Many began to research the best way to replace aging, broken manual meters with new ones that would offer improved accuracy, immediate leak detection, and require fewer staff and less time to read water usage as well as less time to input water data for issuing bills to residents. They wanted to accomplish this without raising water rates, and they hoped to increase water sales revenue through more efficient, accurate water meter reading and streamlined billing.   

The Town first did an analysis on how many people and hours it took to read 1,444 analog water meters, record water usage on paper, then turn over all the “water meter books” to the Water Clerk for data entry into the billing system. Findings showed it took 240 hours for six employees to complete their monthly tasks to send out water bills each month. Those hours totaled over 4,000 man-hours per year at a cost of more than $51,000.

Another finding was that many residents on the water system had meters that didn’t work properly, and they were only being charged the minimum amount of $ 38.18 (inside city limits) or $54.56 (outside city limits) each month and not for their actual water usage. The conclusion at the end of the analysis was that it was costing too much money and time as well as too much lost revenue to not replace the water meters and increase staff efficiency while at the same time lowering labor costs to produce water bills.

After going through the necessary steps according to Louisiana law for a project of its size and scope, a vendor was chosen to provide and install Neptune 360, ultrasonic, self-reading water meters. The system included integrated billing software to reduce the time and costs of the old, manual system.

Improvements yielded in the new electronic system were precise, accurate water usage reporting with integrated billing software, immediate detection of water leaks (eliminating high water bills for residents and businesses resulting from undetected leaks), a significant reduction in man-hours to read meters (previously requiring one week per month), allowing crews more time to perform routine maintenance, flush water, test, and handle emergencies effectively and efficiently. 

Woods fires continue to burn in Sabineland as high temperatures continue in the 100s with no rain in sight.

Sabine Sheriff Aaron Mitchell said he cannot stress strongly enough how this area has a dangerously dry situation.  He asks everyone to be vigilant and report any hazardous situation to the Sheriff’s Office.  He again reminds everyone that the state is under a burn ban and persons starting a fire stand the chance of being arrested.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16:  An uncontrolled woods fire was reported near the Sabine/Vernon Parish line at 5:30 p.m.  It was near Mill St. and White City Rd., west of Hwy. 171 north of Hornbeck.  Residents on Mill St., Ashby Rd., Glaspie Rd., Country Rd. and White City Road were evacuated.  Deputies closed White City Road to through traffic.  It was reported at the time that the matter was serious.  It was later reported at 7 p.m. that the fire was contained.  As this incident happened, around 4:30 p.m., a firetruck backed over Assistant Chief Kenneth Alford of the South Sabine Fire Department.  He was flown by helicopter to an Alexandria hospital.  At the time he was reported in stable condition and expected to be okay.

THURSDAY, AUG. 17:  At 1:30 p.m. a woods fire was reported about one mile down Middle Creek Rd. off Hwy. 6 near Many.  At the time it was reported the fire had been contained and posed no threat.

THURSDAY, AUG. 17:  At 7 p.m. a group of prayer warriors met at the Freestate Festival Ground in Florien to pray for the parish.  “We need relief and rain,” Nan Arthur, one of the organizers commented.  “Our parish is suffering from a major drought and pop-up wildfires.”

THURSDAY, AUG. 17:  At 8:45 p.m. a woods fire was reported by the railroad tracks near Mill St. off Hwy. 171 north of Hornbeck.  This is the same area as a fire was reported the previous day north of the White City Rd.  It appeared a passing train caused a spark that started the fire.  There was no threat to homes or property, and the fire was extinguished.

FRIDAY, AUG. 18:  At 2 p.m. a call came in that there was a woods fire east of Hwy. 171 between Old Pleasant Hill Rd. and Hwy. 120 near Zwolle.  The fire was right behind the North Sabine Fire Station.  Citizens were asked to evacuate on Thunder Rd., Mallard Rd. and homes near the area on Hwy. 120 and Old Pleasant Hill Hwy.  This fire started again Monday afternoon and was contained shortly thereafter.

So many firemen, law enforcement officers, folks from the State Agriculture and Forestry Commission, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and volunteers have joined Sabine Parish in the fight against these wildfires.

One of those was the St. George Fire Department of Baton Rouge which sent two aficionados who assisted the South Sabine Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal in locating resources and fire containment in the Florien fire on Aug. 14 and 15.

11th Judicial District Judge Verity Gentry was notified recently that she has been chosen by the United States Secret Service to attend a Digital Evidence for Judges Course at the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI) in Hoover, AL this fall.

Judge Gentry is one of only 25 judges nationally to be selected to take the class, which is specifically designed for state and local trial and appellate judges who handle criminal cases and have a basic level of understanding of digital evidence and its forensic process.

“Almost every crime in Sabine Parish includes a digital component,” Judge Gentry noted. “A deeper understanding of the various ways electronic communications, storage, use of social media, forensic artifacts, and other digital aspects relate to crime will help me preside more effectively over cases involving digital forensic evidence,” she said.

The five-day Digital Evidence for Judges course components include:

Introduction to Cyber Crime and Computer Forensics

Computer Hardware

Operating Systems and their Respective Forensic Artifacts

Data Concepts

Search and Seizure of Digital Evidence

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and Authorizing the Collection of Digital Evidence from Third Party Providers

The Forensic Process

Electronic Evidence

Introduction to Networks and the Internet

Social Media

Evaluating Expert Testimony

Fifth Amendment: Encryption and Passwords

Judge Gentry was nominated for participation in the special course, then had to submit an application to be considered. From nationwide applications, a total of about two dozen judges from across the country made the Secret Service’s final selection.

The NCFI is a federally funded partnership between the United States Secret Service, Dept. of Homeland Security and the State of Alabama to train state and local law enforcement, prosecutors and judges in the areas of computer forensics and digital evidence at no cost to the participants.

(Special thanks to the 11th Judicial District for the information shared above.)                                                   

Well known Mansfield native Nancy Ford Jones, widow of the great Country Music legend George Jones, will be on Tedd Dumas’ ever popular “Open Line” radio show Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 7:30 a.m. She will be talking about her new book, Playin’ Possum, which goes into detail about her marriage to the man a lot of people regard as the best Country Music singer ever. I will be joining Tedd in the interview and am really looking forward to it. My wife Laurie and I visited with Nancy last summer at a concert in Shreveport, and she shared about the tough time she had battling COVID during the pandemic. She credits God and her faith for bringing her through. Several years ago, I was honored to help provide photos for Nancy’s very successful book, Nashville Wives.

As one of the most revered and respected women in the Country Music community, Nancy Jones has proven her business skills as well as her personal integrity and perseverance in managing George Jones’s career and his intellectual properties. With her winsome smile and “sweet Southern charm,” Nancy is an excellent communicator both in public and private. Winner of the Country Music Association’s prestigious Source Award in 2016, for “Women Behind the Music,” Nancy genuinely loves interacting with people. Her vivacious personality and enthusiasm are contagious, and everywhere she goes, people want what Nancy has to offer. Ken Abraham is a New York Times best-selling author known around the world for his collaborations with high-profile public figures. A former professional musician and pastor, he is a popular guest with both secular and religious media. 

For the first time, in Playin’ Possum, Nancy Jones reveals the true “insider” perspectives and little-known poignant and as well as humorous stories about Country Music icon George Jones – his battles with cocaine, alcohol, abusive behavior toward her and others, his battles with himself, and most of all, his battles against the demons that sought to control him and ultimately destroy him. Nancy knew there was a good man inside George Jones, and she felt strongly that God had given her the assignment to help him, even if he hurt her. She refused to give up on Jones. Although Tammy Wynette sang “Stand By Your Man,” it was actually Nancy Jones who stood by George for more than thirty years and helped bring him to the Light. Together, they brought joy and light to millions of people.

Be sure to tune in to “Open Line” or listen on your device at bdcradio.com on Tuesday morning, Aug. 29, at 7:30 a.m.

Yard signs for people running for political office have become even more popular in recent years.  I guess it started about 15 years ago or so and have increased a bit with every election, it seems.

Strange thing is I have not met the first person who said they cast their vote based on seeing yard signs.

Before candidate for Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s campaign kickoff event got underway in Baton Rouge on Aug. 9, he spoke with reporters. Landry answered a few questions and scolded journalists for a lack of interest in covering social media’s election bias in the 2020 presidential election, the extent of which is just now becoming known to the general public. 

“Here’s what’s amazing,” he said, “is that I was the only attorney general in the country to sue [Facebook founder] Mark Zuckerberg over trying to wed the Democratic Party to the election system in this country, and there’s a whole documentary on it, and none of you all did anything on it.”

It was with a great deal of sadness that we learned last week of the death of Branson, MO’s top entertainer for many years, Shoji Tabuchi, the Japanese fiddle player.

I first met Shoji on July 22, 1972, when David Houston and the Persuaders played a concert at Rebel Park.  Shoji had moved to America from Japan and had joined David’s group, which was one of the top Country acts at the time.

Later, Shoji left David and moved to Branson.  He worked his way up and at one time had the most popular, biggest draw in Branson.  We kept up with Shoji through the years.

When he was inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame in Tulsa a couple of years ago, we attended along with our good friends Steve and Phyllis Birdwell of Marthaville.

It was with regret that we learned a year or so ago that Shoji was fighting pancreatic cancer.  We were in Branson recently and had planned to visit with Shoji.  In calling him, we learned that he was hospitalized in Springfield, MO and not able to see visitors.  That was our last contact with him.

He died last Friday at the age of 79.  He was a prince of a gentleman, who was a Christian, very humble and down-to-earth.  We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Dorothy, their daughter Christina Lingo-Tabuchi and a son, John Tabuchi.  He will be greatly missed by those of us fortunate enough to call him friend.

We were also saddened to learn last week of the death of another long-time friend, Lovan B. Thomas, publisher of The Sabine Index, The Natchitoches Times and other newspapers in the region. We first met Lovan in the 1970s when he purchased the Times from Charles Cunningham, who had also owned the Index where I was working.

Through the years, Lovan printed the Index, The Sabine Banner, Around the Bend and other newspapers we published.

Lovan had been in poor health in recent years, facing one thing after another.  We extend our sympathy to his daughter, Tracy Mayo of Jacksonville, FL and his son Maxwell of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Leslie Durr of Leesville is a lady who loves Indian artifacts.  She looks for them in different places every chance she gets.  Recently she found a very unusual piece of petrified wood, with some coloring in it, on private property.

Looking at it on one side, the piece looks like the head of a man. Looking at the other side, it resembles a woman with a feather in her hair.  Very unusual.  She is undecided whether someone made the little piece, which is about the size of a nickel, or if it’s a freak of nature.

If anyone has any thoughts on this item, I would appreciate hearing them.  You may call (318) 332-8653.  Thanks.

Electric, with laser.  Slightly used.  Comes with extra blade and carrying case.  Only $50.  Call Robert Gentry at (318) 332-8653.

Sabine Friends of NRA Announce Banquet, Shooting Sports Winners

For the first time, the Sabine Friends of NRA Committee is made up entirely of Sabine and Natchitoches Parish 4-H members, parents and coaches. They are excited to announce that their Friends of NRA Banquet will be held Thursday, Aug. 31 at The Life Church, 30373 Hwy. 171 S. in Many. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Banquet tickets are available at the 4-H Extension Office or by calling Chris Pearce at (318) 508-3440. There are a limited number of tables and seats available, so interested persons are encouraged to act now. Tickets are $40 per single ticket, $70 per couple, and table sponsorship starts at $500.

“We look forward to seeing you at the Friends of NRA Banquet!” spokesperson Emily Rains said. “Shooting sports programs would not be able to thrive and grow without the support of our community and the Friends of NRA. It’s a huge asset to our community so that our children can continue to be involved in our growing shooting sports program.”

The 501(c)3 group raises money for the NRA Foundation to help fight for Second Amendment Rights, but funds also go towards local, state and national shooting sports programs. Unlike most national wildlife organizations, half of the money raised at Louisiana banquets is kept inside the state to be distributed to local shooting programs. Over $450 million dollars were awarded nationally for grants to help these programs supply needed ammunition and equipment to youth participants.

The banquet will include “a night of auctions, raffles, firearms and fun!” according to event materials, which note the grassroots fundraising helps ensure the legacy of fighting for the future of the Second Amendment.

There are two active shooting sports programs for youth in Sabine Parish that benefit from the Friends of the NRA’s efforts. They are the Sabine Parish 4-H and the Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC). Young people have competed with great success in competitions sponsored by both organizations.

Sabine Parish 4-H offers numerous shooting disciplines to compete in at the regional, state and national level. They are Archery, .22 Rifle, Shotgun and Hunting Skills, to name a few.

In June, two local 4-H competitors went to Nebraska to the National Shooting Sports Competition and competed in Hunting Skills. Westin Airhart and Noah Palmer were assets to the Louisiana Team, leading them to 1st Place Overall. Westin also received High Point Individual and Noah placed 5th Overall in the nation.

In the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, individuals compete in Shotgun, .22 rifle, 3-D Archery, Muzzleloader, Wildlife ID, Safety Trail, Orienteering and a General Hunting Knowledge Exam.

In June, Kent Rains, Allen Walker, Noah Palmer, and Westin Airhart competed at the LA State YHEC Competition in Houma.  All of the Sabine Parish competitors qualified in the Top 15 Junior or Senior Division for a spot on the Bayou Bandit Team. Kent Rains earned 1st Place Overall Junior in the state competition and went on to lead the Junior Gold Team at Central Regional (CRYHEC) competition in Bentonville, AR in July. 

All of the Sabine competitors made the parish very proud. They won the Louisiana Jr. Gold, placing 1st Overall at CRYHEC. Kent Rains won 2nd Place Overall Individual, Ist Place Exam, Ist Place Wildlife ID and 2nd Place .22 Rifle. Allen Walker won 2nd in Shotgun and his Silver Team won 3rd in 3-D Archery.

Those who cannot attend the Friends of the NRA Banquet next week but wish to donate may do so by contacting Chris Pearce at (318) 508-3440.

(Special thanks to Emily Rains for supplying the above information and photos.)

It has been our distinct pleasure on a number of occasions the last few months to hear the Rev. Scott Adams speak at Pleasant Hill Methodist Church. It’s our understanding Pastor Adams has served at the church since early this year, making the long drive every Sunday from Bossier City to serve there and also at Beulah Methodist, near Ajax.

Rev. Adams, a retired Air Force Colonel and Chaplain, is an excellent preacher. The two churches have been quite fortunate to have his service.

We recently learned that next Sunday, Aug. 27, will be Rev. Adams’ last at Pleasant Hill, and the church will honor him with a dinner following morning worship. For those who wish to attend, Worship starts at 11 a.m., and the church is located at 1856 W. First St. in Pleasant Hill.

Though we hate to see him go, we are very pleased we got to hear him preach a few times and make his acquaintance. We wish Pastor Adams the very best in his future endeavors.

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