News

The Many Police Department and Many Healthcare North made headlines in TIME Magazine recently after helping with the evacuation and returning of 80 residents of Marrero Healthcare Center, who were in the path of Hurricane Ida, the Category 4 storm that ravaged large swaths of Louisiana two weeks ago.

Administrators at the LaForche Parish facility took two days to pack their residents for an almost fivehour trip inland to Many Healthcare north.

“It’s so hard on the elderly folks, many of them, just to travel for an hour or two in a car,” said Elizabeth Dowden, nursing home director for Many Healthcare. “But to travel on a stretcher for six hours? That’s a strong generation. Very little complaints, and they did well.”

The trip took much longer, as thousands of others were evacuating from the storm path. Once the group made it to Many, the local police department and Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies were on hand to help the new, temporary residents.

BULLETIN: As online Observations was being posted last week, we learned the Tourist Commission at its Tuesday noon meeting on Sept. 7 voted that Director Chip Davis did not have the authority to fire Assistant Director Linda Curtis-Sparks. Her contract runs through December.

According to one of several who called Observations about the firing, Davis thought he had the authority to do so. It was reported that District Attorney Don Burkett, who serves as Tourist Commission counsel, believed Davis did not have the authority to fire Curtis-Sparks.

Commission President Lauren Moore did not attend the meeting; Vice-President Martha Henderson presided.

Curtis-Sparks was represented at the meeting by Baton Rouge attorney Alicia Corwin.

According to a post on the web site of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, a special called meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Following a board meeting on September 13, ithe Sabine Parish School Board determined that interviews for the position of superintendent will begin on Monday, September 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the school board office.

These interviews will be live-streamed.

On September 1, shortly after 8 a.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a fatal crash on U.S. Highway 171 north of Many. This crash killed 36-year-old Clinton Jenkins of Mansfield.

The initial investigation revealed a 2021 KIA, driven by Jenkins, was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 171. For reasons still under investigation, Jenkins’ vehicle traveled off the highway, struck a culvert, and overturning. As a result, Jenkins was ejected from the vehicle.

Jenkins, who was unrestrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. Jenkins’ passenger, who was restrained, sustained moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital. A toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.

It is hard to pass through the small town of Robeline, Louisiana without noticing the beautiful old church nestled right in the middle of town. The 138-year-old church has with stood the test of time and still stands proud welcoming tourists and travelers.

The town of Robeline was established back in 1881 when the railroad came through town. In 1883 various families and members of the community came together to build the Robeline Methodist Episcopal Church South. The cost of the build back then was around $2,500. The church was built in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, which was not a common architecture style used in Louisiana. The church is the only Victorian gothic style church in Natchitoches Parish and one of the few in the whole state. The original hand-crafted pews, pulpit furniture, and velvet covered altar rails can still be seen within the church. One of the most noticeable features are the double done reflector gasoliers.

During the early morning hours of September 3, Deputy Dylan Alford, Sergeant Donald Williams, and Deputy Colton Branam left Sabine Parish headed to the Lockport area in La-Fourche Parish.

These deputies have volunteered to help in Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in southeast Louisiana. These deputies will stay for a few days assisting the LaFourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Several parish deputies have graduated from the LaFourche Sheriff’s Regional P.O.S.T. Academy in Thibodaux during this past year. Sheriff Aaron Mitchell said he is fortunate for the opportunity to help Sheriff Craig Webre and his department.

Sheriff Mitchell commends these Deputies for taking time away from their families to help others in need.

With a 92^nd birthday approaching, the family of Bobby Williams, of Florien, made arrangements for the war veteran to take a flight on a Boeing B-17 Super Fortress Bomber.

On August 21, many members of the family were present at the Executive Airport in Katy, Texas, to watch this eventful flight.

Williams earned his pilot license in 1963, almost 60 years ago, and has over 3,000 hours as a single engine pilot. He owned and flew three of that type of aircraft.

The B-17 Super Fortress bomber has four separate 1,000 horsepower engines, burns 230 gallons of gas per hour and four gallons of oil. It carried a crew of 10 consisting of the pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer, ball turret gunner, tail gunner, and two waist gunners. It carried a maximum bomb load of 4,200 pounds.

The Super Fortress is widely credited with helping to win World War II.

Sabine Parish educator Phillip Luke Hall, 29, of Many has been released on bond after being arrested and accused of making sexual advances toward a student in November 2019.

The arrest occurred at 12:46 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25. According to booking records he was free on bond less than two hours later. His official charge is prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and student, according to KSLA.

Hall teaches special education and algebra II. He is also head track coach and an assistant football coach at Many High School.

Cleco Power customers who need assistance paying utility bills can still apply for funds from the U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental & Utility Assistance Program being administered by the State of Louisiana.

The state program, which launched in March of this year, helps renters and landlords experiencing homelessness or housing instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was expanded in May to include utility assistance for renters. “Funds are still available for those facing financial hardship, so customers who are renting and need help with their housing and utility bills should apply,” said Ron Smith, director of customer experience. “This is a significant benefit to our customers because the program covers past due and current utility bills. The timing also is good, as energy usage tends to be higher during the hot summer months.”

How does the program works?

Louisiana passed extensive legislation the past two sessions to help bridge the digital divide, including a plan to auction off valuable communications spectrum for broadband access.

Act 237, which tasks the recently created Office of Broadband and Connectivity with supervising an auction of parts of the 4.9GHz band, passed the Louisiana Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted last year to allow every state to lease some of this spectrum to help expand broadband development.

“This is an opportunity that you nor I can afford to miss for our citizens, and we have sought and will continue to seek ways to try and find ways to make this perfect,” said the bill’s author, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Rapides, the Daily Advertiser reported.