By donna smith ammons

I am hungry for a good book. Most of my friends are aware that I am an avid reader, but over the past year, I haven’t been reading as much due to other obligations.

I am the one who carries a book in my purse and always has one in the car, whether I am going to the grocery store to visit a friend or to drive to Shreveport. If I can squeeze a few minutes into my schedule, I will grab my book and read. I’ve been known to happily sit in the car as a train passes through town…reading of course!

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Funeral services for Spencer Allen Tarpley, Jr. will be held Friday, March 9 at 3p.m. in Brücken, Germany. Spencer passed away at his home after a sudden illness on February 27, 2018. Spencer was the first of four children born to Allen and Juanita Tarpley. He attended Negreet High School and joined the United State Air Force during his senior year. While in the air force he was stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. There, he met the love of his live, Wilma. He chose to stay in Germany and raise his family. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Wilma; children, Juergen Tarpley and wife, Petra, Mike Tarpley and wife, Gitte, Susan Broede and husband, Matthias, and Mona Bernd and husband, Stefan; seven grandchildren; three grandchildren all of Germany; brothers, Sam Tarpley and wife, Carol, and Dean Tarpley and wife, Reba of Many; and sister, Sue Brown and husband, Harold, of Buchanan Dam, Texas.

Zelmaree Underwood Johnson was born June 8, 1921 near Hampton, Arkansas, as the fifth child of Frances Tenala Pearce Underwood and Christopher Columbus Morrison Underwood. She was eight months old when, legend has it, her father was ambushed on his way into town to testify in a criminal trial. It was a terrible loss, forcing her mother to become the family’s sole provider. Many hated days were spent picking cotton. She had to quit school after the fifth grade because then there were no school buses for the rural children and she had to contribute to the family income. Zelma loved reading and got the education she missed. She was given a used Bible at an early age, and Christianity became her touchstone for life. In bad times in her adult life, her faith was the source of her strength. When she wanted to enroll in a college-level Bible class and was told she would need a high school diploma to enroll, she lost no time in getting a GED.

Joe Edward Skinner passed away February 28, 2018 at his home in Belmont at the age of 96. Funeral services were held March 3 at Union Baptist with a graveside service that followed at the Belmont Cemetery. Officiating the services were the Reverends Glen Howard, John Lewing and a graveside service given by Dr. Bruce Webb. He was raised and lived in Belmont, and attended Louisiana Normal College, now Northwestern State University. He worked in the timber industry for the majority of his adult life and was the owner and operator of Skinner Brothers Saw Mill. Skinner was a lifetime member of Union Baptist Church. He loved his church and all the members of his community dearly. He was a dedicated Christian who lived a life of love, kindness and gentleness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Evie and Lemuel Skinner; brother L.B. Skinner; and sisters, Madelle Agee and Loraine Jarrell.

By Donna Smith Ammons

Winter Olympics where have you been? No matter, they are back and dominating nighttime television in our house.

Gone are the documentaries about Elon Musk and Space X that put a Tesla in space two weeks ago.

Also gone are my NCIS shows….they are showing re-runs, which I have seen numerous times. We really don’t watch much network television anyway. We enjoy Netflix and DVDs. Every once in awhile, I can slip in a Hallmark movie, especially if hubby-dear has dominated the television with World War II, space and other topics I have little interest in. If hubby is watching something special, I grab a book and read.

But now, we are watching ice skating, ice-dancing, snowboarding, short programs and long programs, and even commercials featuring Olympic athletes.

Now is the time to get serious about giving all Americans lasting protections to unfettered access to an open Internet that policymakers know they deserve. A political battle has turned a legitimate policy discussion about the best regulatory framework for an open Internet into a fight over ever-more tangential side issues.

While some have taken issue with how the current chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has sought to bring the discussion back from hyperbole, no one can fault his ultimate objective, which is the bring back policy that promotes further investment and build out of the Internet. Democrats and Republicans alike would benefit tremendously amongst their supporters by taking quick and decisive action to introduce and pass legislation that resolves the issues once and for all.

“The Town of Many has a serious litter problem, and we are going to enforce the litter laws rigidly to clean up our town,” says Many Mayor Ken Freeman.

“We have a great town here, but when people drive through Many or visit our town, the large amounts of litter create a negative impression, and we must correct that to make Many a cleaner place for our citizens and visitors,” the mayor continued.

A Litter Ordinance is now in place for Many, and Freeman says it will be strongly enforced. Freeman has appointed a litter officer who will actively monitor the community and issue citations and fines whenever applicable.

The Litter Ordinance pertains to any waste material: garbage, food wrappers, paper, cans, bottles, cigarette butts, or discarded debris. Intentional disposal of waste material, except in approved locations or containers, will be considered a violation of the Town Litter Ordinance.

Negreet Lady Indian point guard Kelsey Thaxton received a plaque on February 1, or Senior Night, for scoring 1,000 points over the course of this basketball season. To date, she has scored over 3,500 points in her high school basketball career. After graduation, she will play for the LSU-A Generals in Alexandria while majoring in Kinesiology. She is the daughter of Troy and Wendy Thaxton of Negreet.

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“2018 is rolling on and I can’t help but remember what an important year 2017 was for our students in the Sabine Parish School system when it comes to winning the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts Auxiliary state poster contest announced,” said Chris Pearce, Supervisor of the Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District in Many at the Sabine Parish School Board meeting on February 12.

“Tonight, we want to draw attention to the talented artists who hail from different schools,” he continued. “While someone from our office comes to meet with the board year after year this is a first-time experience for most of our winners. Our mission is to point out the accomplishments of all our winners.

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Twelve students from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts participated in the state Beta Convention held February 7-9 at the Baton Rouge River Center and three qualified to attend the national convention to be held this summer.