Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Sales tax collections in Sabine Parish for February totaled $1,626,329.64. This is an increase of $116,271.76 or 7.70% over the amount collected in February 2018.
This includes $46,709.00 for the School Board and $23,355.26 additional for the Police Jury over last year. The Town of Many collected $100,091.98 in February, which is a little less than that collected a year earlier.
But it was a $198,874.47 less than the amount of sales tax collected in January of this year. Total collected in January amounted to $1,825,204.11. The School Board received $684,667.11; the Police Jury $342,266.12; and the Town of Many $138,547.69. This means the Town of Many received $38,455.71 less in February compared to January.
Nolan H. Rivers, Sales/Use Tax Administrator, said there has been a general increase in sales tax collections in 2018 over 2017 because of gas activity in the parish.
Tickets for the 22nd Annual Sabine Hall of Fame Induction Banquet are now on sale. Linda Curtis-Sparks will receive the coveted Hall of Fame Induction honor at the banquet to be held Tuesday, March 26, at Siloam Baptist Church located at 35480 Hwy. 191 near Many. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Dr. Ted Mims of Springfield, IL will be presented the Achievement Award and many other deserving Sabine natives will be honored during the evening.
Tickets may be purchased at Pete Abington’s office at 1030 San Antonio Ave. in Many, at Nichol’s in Many, and from Hall of Fame board member William Ruffin.
The installation of AstroTurf on the Many High School Football field has started between rain showers. AstroTurf is an artificial grass surface used for athletic fields.
The baseball and softball fields at MHS have already had AstroTurf put down.
Cost for the total project, $1.4 million dollars.
Work continues on the Gas Compressor Station located just off Hwy. 171 a couple of miles north of Many. This photo shows one of the four giant cranes lifting a huge coil into place.
I talked to Mr. Jeremy Tingler, Manager of Land and External Affairs for Monentum Midstream LLC, owner of the project, last week. He said the company is not ready at this time to issue much information about this project or the pipeline being laid in the Sabine Parish area.
He did say that Momentum, based in Houston, feels like a neighbor since they have the projects going on in Sabine Parish.
The site of the Gas Compressor Station is 33 acres. The contractor for the pipeline is Comcap Co. of Henderson, TX. They have rented a yard from Clauriste Byles next to Byles Welding and Tractor Co.
Observations will try to continually obtain any information available and will keep our readers posted.
Signs Along Life’s Highway
Saw this one on the front door of The Relay Station convenience store at the I-49 Frierson exit south of Shreveport.
Sean Kennon of DeQuincy caught this 14 lb. bass on Toledo Bend Lake on March 2 at the Fort Polk Bassmaster 29th Annual Spring Open Team Fishing Tournament.
We had occasion last week to do business at the Sabine Clerk of Court’s office at two different times.
And Clerk of Court Tammy Foster and her staff do a wonderful job of serving the public. A visitor is always greeted with a smile and friendly word. The staff consistently goes the extra mile to supply the necessary service a person might need.
So we wish to recognize Clerk Foster for the superb, professional job that she and her staff do.
While some people have passed laws to legalize late-term abortions and have even voiced support to end life shortly outside the womb if a mother wishes, there are others who are committed to the sanctity of life – all life, including that of the mother. Some of these folks work very hard to provide meaningful options to young ladies facing crisis pregnancies.
Cheat Treats, a healthy food boutique business owned by Kresha Matkin, and Camp217, a fitness boot camp owned by Mistidawn Lee, both of Florien, just hosted a super-successful 5K Color Run to benefit Heart of Hope Ministries, a Christ-based maternity home in Keithville.
“This was started because I couldn’t handle the new abortion laws… especially revoking the Right to Life law,” co-organizer Kresha Matkin said. “I called Mistidawn and told her we had to do something! That night we started planning it all and found Heart of Hope, and knew we wanted to donate to them,” she shared.
Over 150 people from Florien and surrounding areas came out from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, to participate by running, donating, buying auction and raffle items and enjoying good food. The event, organized in only a few weeks, raised a grand total of over $8,300.
The Heart of Hope – Sanctuary for Women was thrilled with the local fundraising effort. “Thank you, Camp217, for your passion and pursuit to [live] out the heart of God for His children, the unborn and their mommas!” the group shared on Saturday. “Love in action!” a spokesperson for Heart of Hope shared, “Thank you, Kresha and Camp217 for choosing to support… a home where unborn children are given life and their moms a second chance!”
Photographer Jessica Lowring, who documented the event, shared her delight afterward about how the Color Run all came together: “The weather went from showing ‘extreme thunderstorms’ on Friday to it being the most beautiful day – over 100 runners and all same-day registration packets gone. The donation goal was $5K, which was surpassed BEFORE the day of the race. If you were there, you know the heart of God was there, and it was such a blessing.”
The maternity home’s stated goal is to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of young ladies facing a crisis pregnancy by walking beside them as they decide whether to parent or to place for adoption.
“We help them set career goals by instituting a plan of action,” the ministry explained. “We are committed to the aftercare of those who are not ready or able to return to their former life.”
This Christ-centered maternity care home is designed for ladies, age 11-23, who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. You can learn more information by visiting their web site at www.heartofhopeministry.org or by calling (318) 925-4663. Their facility is located at 10420 Heart of Hope Way in Keithville, LA.
Big, big kudos to Kresha Matkin and Mistidawn Lee for demonstrating to all of us how a passion to honor life can create tangible results in the lives of those who most need our love and support.
“The Greatest Showman,” a Hollywood blockbuster, will play at the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] this Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m.
Inspired by the imagination of P. T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum, an impresario who created the acts and magic of the circus. Barnum and Bailey Circus was and still remains the greatest circus of them all.
“The Greatest Showman” debuted in 2017 and quickly became a blockbuster at the box office.
It’s a movie for the whole family, and small children to grandparents will love seeing the circus acts and also learning about Barnum’s family and personal life.
The Town of Many Cultural District Committee, Mayor Ken Freeman, and the Many City Council sponsor Movies in Many and show free movies for everyone on the first and third Saturday of every month.
“We’re especially pleased to offer Movies in Many that the entire family can enjoy, and the movies we show are rated G, PG or PG-13. Only in very special cases do we show an R movie. We screen every film in advance to be sure it is suitable for the entire family,” said Mary Brocato, chairperson of the Cultural District Advisory Committee.
Mayor Ken Freeman stresses every movie is free, and everyone is invited to attend. “We also have refreshments available at a very reasonable price. Soft drinks and water cost only $1, and our hot, freshly popped popcorn is also $1. A family of five can enjoy a great movie on our giant 32-foot, state-of-the-art movie screen and everyone can have popcorn and a soft drink. The grand total of this evening at the movies would only be $10 for the entire family. If you saw the same movie at a commercial movie theater, you’d spend a hundred dollars,” said the mayor.
That will do it for now! Thanks for reading. I love to hear your ideas and suggestions for future articles, so please call me at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. Older Observations are archived on our Facebook page under Photos and listed in Albums by date. More recent columns are found below. To print this week’s Observations, simply right-click anywhere on the content and select “Print.”
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