News

Phil Troha is Sabine Parish’s Hall of Fame’s Achievement Award recipient. The 2023 Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Tuesday, March 28 at Saint Joesph’s Catholic Church in Zwolle, Louisiana. Doors open at 6 pm and the program begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $50.00 a person and can be purchased at The Sabine Parish Tourist and Recreation Commission, Robert Gentry’s office or by calling (318) 2943362. Profits will benefit SWAG of Zwolle and HELP of Sabine.

Phil Troha was born in Magee, Mississippi. Phil moved to Many, Louisiana in the summer after his 7th grade year where he finished out his high school degree at Many High School. Many became his hometown and till this day I still call Many home.

With all the rain in early February, Toledo Bend Lake was finally on the rise. Fishermen flocked to the boat ramps with lake levels reaching 170.91 msl. Any seasoned bass angler knows that storms have a significant impact on the feeding habits of fish. February fishing proved to be fantastic for anglers in search of lunker bass weighing over ten pounds.

For five fishermen, February has started extremely well.

Cody Pitt, of Elmer, Louisiana, caught this 13 lbs 6 oz pound bass on February 4, 2023. He weighed it at the MLF-Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament held on Toledo Bend Lake. Cody Pitt catching the biggest bass ever that has been weighed in at the BFL competition sacked up 39 pounds, 15 ounces, which included the big bass of the event, a 13.6!

Kevin Lasyone, of Dry Prong, Louisiana, caught a 10 lbs 13 oz bass on February 4, 2023. He weighed it at the MLF-Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament held on Toledo Bend Lake.

Many Jr High 7th and 8th grade 4-H members created Valentine Cards to donate to the residents of Many Health Care. The following members served on the Valentine Card Committee. On the back row are AJ Brumfield, Eli Salley, Zykeria Little, Ryleigh Morales. Pictured up front are Kainen Ammons, Janya Brown, Keelan Maxie, Emelyn Plascencia, Caroline Cedars

The Natchitoches Soil & Water Conservation Tree and Shrub Sale gets underway Wednesday, March 8 and continues through Friday, March 10, on the vacant lot at the corner of St. Clair Ave and Williams Ave in Natchitoches. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday; Friday 9 a.m. to noon.

Available for purchase are a variety of bare root and potted trees and shrubs, including River Birch, Red Maple, Live Oak, Sawtooth Oak, Strawberry Bush, Chinquapin, Chinese Chestnut, White, Red and Pink Dogwood, Crape Myrtle, Fern, Azalea, Native Azalea, Gardenia, Hydrangea Red, Jane Magnolia, Sunshine Ligustrum, Sweet Olive, Sago Palm, Mayhaw, Apple, Peach, Pear, Plum, Blueberry, Fig, Native Sweet Pecans, Satsumas, Lemon, Avocado, Pomegranate, Paw-Paw, Crabapple, Buckeye and many others. Plants are listed on website.

This is the week that Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month starts. Our colors are always orange and our theme is “Be About It”. There are teens everywhere going through some kind of abuse that we don’t even recognize. We are going to talk about empowerment today.

Be About Empowerment: Empowerment means you have power and control over your own life. When you seek out ways to empower one another, everyone benefits. You’re actively participating in your own life by creating a better sense of community for yourself and others.

Self-Care: Self-care is incredibly important for your individual health, but not everyone know what it is or how to start.

You have yourself to take care of first: Get enough sleep Eat healthy food Attend to personal hygiene

Wear clothing you like Exercise or take a walk Do something new or that you’re not an expert in.

Last week, Sabine Parish was saddened and devastated by the death of the Rev. Wilton Anthony, whose longtime association with Siloam Baptist Church and the parish’s religious community made him a beloved local figure.

A native of Sabine Parish, the Rev. Anthony, or Brother Tony as he is called by many, claims to be related to everyone is Sabine Parish. When he first meets someone new, he’ll quickly establish a family or friend connection.

The caring pastor is a likeable fellow, with silver hair and a big smile. His voice is booming and his height makes him stand out in any crowd.

He has entered his 66th year of ministry and has been pastoring the Siloam Baptist Church since 1998.

State Representa-tive Larry Bagley (R - Logansport) announces his candidacy for re-election for his final term to House District 7. Larry Bagley is certainly no stranger to the people of House District 7; consisting of Caddo, DeSoto and Sabine parishes. As a resident of Logansport, having dedicated 44 years to teaching and coaching, and being an active participant in the local governmental and civic organizations; there is no part of District 7 that Bagley hasn’t impacted. During his time as a teacher and coach, he served as President of the DeSoto Parish Teachers Association and as President of the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches.

Graduating class contributes more than $100,000 in pro bono work for Louisiana companies New Orleans, La. (January 20, 2023) – The Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) celebrated the graduation of Georgia Craven, Executive Director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission from the Louisiana Tourism Leadership Academy (LTLA) at the association’s 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

The 22 members of the LTLA class spent all of 2022 developing their leadership skills while learning from seasoned professionals from throughout the tourism industry. The goal of the program is to equip each class member with knowledge and skills that will enrich their tourism-related organizations, therefore strengthening the statewide tourism industry.

The Florien Police Department has arrested Tarjarez White, 29, a resident of Florien, and charged him with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.

This is in response to two pit bulls seized a few weeks ago when they were found chained up without food or water. Both dogs were emaciated and near death. They were seized and brought to the Sabine Animal Shelter.

White is also charged with flight from an officer and failure to register as a sex offender.

White bonded after his arrest. Bond for the animal cruelty charges is set at $5000. It is set at $10,000 for the other charges.

Florien Detective Summer Carter is credited with handling the investigation and locating White to arrest him.

Northwestern State University hosted the first of this semester’s Louisiana GEAR Up events by presenting an Experiential Learning Day for 110 Sabine Parish high school students Jan 27. Activities included an ACT Prep Workshop led by School of Education professors and the Winning Workshop Series which focuses on mindfulness and career readiness.

Students from Converse, Florien and Negreet high schools workshopped with college faculty from the departments of Psychology, Computer Information Systems (CIS), Fine and Graphic Art, New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts, and Nursing and Allied Health. Lunch was provided so that the visiting students could network with NSU faculty, staff and students between academic workshops.