News

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.

Responding to the state’s COVID-19 situation, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has canceled National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) events scheduled for September 25 across Louisiana.

“This was a tough decision, but we think the right decision,” said LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet. “Like so many others, I looked forward to attending the events and watching families, especially young people, learn about hunting, fishing, shooting, and other outdoor activities. But, the risk to the public’s health to hold the NHFD events was too great.”

NHFD is a national event celebrated in all 50 states on the fourth Saturday in September. It was created in 1972 when Congress passed two bills establishing a specific day to celebrate the conservation contributions of the nation’s hunters and anglers.

In celebration of its 150th year anniversary, Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Many will host a fishing tournament fundraiser on Saturday, September 4th (Labor Day weekend) at Big Bass Marina on Toledo Bend Lake.

Along with the tournament, there will be a BBQ dinner sale and a Split the Pot and custom fishing rod raffle. The tournament is slated to begin at 6:30 a.m. that morning and weigh-in is at 2p.m. Early boat registration will be held on Friday from 4-8 p.m. and on Saturday from 4 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Entry fees are: Team, $80; Kayak Division, $50; Big Bass, $10; Children (12 and under), no charge. Fishing is allowed off the bank. There will be lots of good food, live music by Flatt Country from 2 to 4 p.m., door prizes and lots of fun.

Entry forms can be picked up at the St John’s Church office in Many and are also located on the church’s website: www.stjohnsmany.org

International Paper Foundation, through the Mansfield Mill, has donated $9,000 to the Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) Natchitoches and $9,000 to the Sabine Valley Campus.

Thanks to the generous ongoing support of the International Paper Foundation, students enrolled in CLTCC’s Industrial Manufacturing Technology and Electrician Technology programs will have access to state-of-the-art precision tools and trainers, which will very closely simulate that used in local business and industry. These new tools and trainers will provide for handson, practical learning experiences.

“The collaboration with IP is vital to the success of the programs offered at CLTCC. IP serves an integral role in helping to develop courses that are relevant to today’s jobs.

With machinery rapidly evolving, this type of deeper engagement with industry partners is critical to address workforce needs and opportunities,” said CLTCC Chancellor Dr. Jimmy Sawtelle.

SWEPCO Lineman Dincel Newton will tell you he is always looking for potential hazards while driving. The morning of Wednesday, July 7, was no different as Newton drove to a job site in Many, Louisiana. “I happened to look to my right and saw what I thought was someone lying under a truck.” After a closer look, Newton noticed a distance of about 25 feet between the person on the ground and the truck in the driveway.

Newton stopped his truck and ran toward the man, who was lying face down. When Newton rolled the man over — 80-year-old Ken Busby — the man looked up and smiled at Newton, saying, “I’m glad to see you.” “I’m glad to see you, too,” Newton replied, noticing Busby’s clammy-like skin and red bites on his face. Busby had fallen in a fire ant bed the day before after returning from lunch with his family. He had been on the ground approximately 19 hours.

Bo Dowden’s joyous scream that day along the choppy St. Lawrence River in upstate New York could be heard all the way back in Natchitoches.

The professional angler had just hauled in a 6-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass for his fifth and final fish on a blustery, rough day on the waters, which secured him his first professional bass fishing tournament victory.

His first win also just so happened to be at the sport’s most prestigious event -- the 1980 Bassmaster Classic.

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By Heather Kirk-Ballard, AgCenter Horticulturist

Although it doesn’t feel like it because it’s still so hot, it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden.

Fall is my favorite time to grow vegetables because all my personal favorites thrive in the cooler weather of fall and winter. It is when many brassica family vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale and greens such as collards, mustards and turnips grow.

These vegetables are some of the easiest to grow and the most nutritious you can prepare. This group of vegetables contains high levels of vitamin C, potassium, beta carotene and fiber.

In addition to vegetables in the brassica family, tomatoes, peppers, okra and eggplant can continue through the fall to make another crop before temperatures drop. Artichokes, carrots and spinach can also be grown in the fall and winter. With so many options, it’s time to get busy planning — and planting.

The Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana System have appointed a Presidential Search Committee for Northwestern State University that will host a meeting and public forum at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24 in Magale Recital Hall.

The agenda will include roll call and introductions, charge to the committee, discussion of the search process and tentative timeline and discussion of advertisement.

The meeting is open to the NSU community and the public and will be streamed live on the UL System YouTube Channel.

UL System President and CEO Jim Henderson, a former Northwestern State president, will chair the committee as a non-voting member. The committee includes select System Board members and the Northwestern State Faculty Senate president as voting members as well as non-voting community members to serve in an advisory capacity.

The Presidential Search Committee is made up of the following members:

(The Center Square) – A state education hearing ended early Wednesday as public attendees refused to wear masks in defiance of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ indoor mask mandate and after multiple requests from board members to comply or leave.

The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) was considering a list of agenda items, but the hearing was flooded with parents and concerned residents who are at odds with state and local COVID-19 mask mandates for K-12 children.

Many appeared in support of Attorney General Jeff Landry’s opposition to the COVID-19 precautions, which Landry outlined in a recent legal opinion.

In a letter to Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, Landry concluded on behalf of the Louisiana Department of Justice that the BESE could promulgate its own mask rules separate from the governor or local school districts.

(The following arrests were made in Sabine Parish last week according to the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Department. The arrest reports are obtained weekly directly from the operations center of the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Dept. (SPSD). Any questions should be referred to the Sheriff’s Office at 256-9241.)

August 16

Robert Weldon Thompson II, 39, was arrested by the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office (SPSO) on a charge of contraband in penal institutions prohibited.

Sadarius Laquan Watson, 23, was arrested by the SPSO on charges of illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of minors, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of schedule I with intent to distribute, and possession of schedule II with intent to distribute.