AxsomAir and Plumbing is very proud to announce their partnership with Southwestern Electric Power Company or SWEPCO! AxsomAir has been selected for the second year to join the SWEPCO Louisiana 2018 Residential Solutions program. When you buy your new high efficiency Heat Pump or Air Conditioner from AxsomAir, SWEPCO incentive program will pay up to $2000!

“SWEPCO cares about our customers and wants their home to be comfortable and their energy bills to be affordable,” said Jeff Thigpen, SWEPCO’s energy efficiency and consumer program coordinator. “We partner with HVAC contractors like Josh Axsom of AxsomAir to offer incentives as high as $2,000 to our customers toward the purchase of high efficiency heat pumps and air conditioners. That makes a big impact on such a large purchase.”

“The major energy users in most homes are the heating and cooling systems. With an expected life span of 15 to 20 years, it’s important to purchase the most efficient unit you can afford. This program is designed to help SWEPCO customers offset a portion of the cost to purchase these more efficient heat pumps and HVAC units. This improves the comfort level in the customer’s home, and helps save them money through reduced energy bills over the life of the unit.”

We are really excited about this continued partnership with SWEPCO, says Josh Axsom with AxsomAir. The incentive funds are limited and when they are gone, they are gone. Also for a limited time Trane is offering a rebate of up to $2000 off of a new high efficiency Trane Heat Pump. Josh Axsom explained, “now is the best time of the year to go ahead and change out your old system with the incentives from Trane and SWEPCO making it the best price of the year!”

If you are a SWEPCO customer call us today at 352-7777 to schedule your free estimate and find out how big your incentive check will be!

(Pictured is the 3 generations of Axsom’s, Josh Axsom, Ethan Axsom, and Matthew Axsom)

The 2019 Chief Invitational Powerlifting Meet was held Jan. 12. There were 215 total lifters at the meet from schools all over the state. The Natchitoches Central girls team won 2nd place and the boys team finished 3rd.

The Chiefs brought home a good amount of hardware with the following lifters taking home medals:

Boys

Rodney Robinson -1st place with 1145 total pounds (165#) and Outstanding Male Lifter – Lightweight Platform

John Waskom – 3rd place (181#)

Tucker Henderson – 2nd place (198#)

Jacoby Timms – 3rd place (220#)

David Dumars – 1st place – 1300 total pounds (currently 1st in the state in the 242# weight class)

Patrick Dessources – 2nd place (242#)

Girls

Courtney Edmonson – 2nd place (97#)

Ladiamond Kelly – 2nd place (114#)

Talasia Miller – 1st place, with 580 total pounds (123#)

Kaylie Delacerda – 2nd place (132#)

Justys Wiley – 1st place (165#) with 785 total pounds (2018 3rd place finisher in 165# weight class)

Mali Simmons – 2nd place (165#)

Sharissa Johnson – 2nd place (Super Heavyweight)

Sara DeMattie – 1st place (181#) with 920 total pounds and Outstanding Female Lifter – Heavyweight Platform (Sr returning State Champion 181# weight class – currently ranked 1st in the state in the 181# weight class).

Regionals will be held in Marksville on Feb. 23. The State Meet will be in Alexandria, at the Rapides Parish Coliseum, on April 15.

Join Trini LIVE Monday morning for the return of the Mystery Sound Cash Contest.  Your chance to win begins at 7 am on 94.9 The River.

In order to play and win you’ll need the River Lines phone number: 318-581-4025. Save it to your speed dial for your chance to guess.

On-Air:  94.9/94.3 The River

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/949theriver/

By Jonathon Zenk, NSU Sports Information Graduate Assistant

The Northwestern State women’s tennis team surged to an early lead Friday at Tulane before dropping a tough dual-match opener 4-3.

After winning the doubles point, the Lady Demons (0-1) won four of the first six singles sets of the before the Green Wave stormed back to win four singles matches.

Even in defeat, NSU scored its first point in three matches against Tulane (1-0) after being shut out 4-0 in 2018 and 2017.

“We had a very good and tough match today,” said NSU head coach Patric DuBois. “I felt we had Tulane on the ropes at times, yet they never went away. Hats off to them for playing a very good match today.”

The Lady Demons started by winning the doubles point with two doubles wins.

Redshirt freshman Rhea Verma and sophomore Patrycja Polanska were put into the No. 2 doubles slot and won 6-4 over Adelaide Lavery and Christina Sisti to clinch the doubles point. The junior duo of Judit Castillo Gargallo and Emilija Dancetovic defeated Laura Fabrizi and Alex Alegre in No. 3 doubles to help earn the point.

Senior Polina Mutel showed why she is the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year by dominating Elena Muller 6-1, 6-2, to get the singles scoring started and put NSU up 2-0.

Castillo Gargallo also earned a win at No. 6 singles. The 2018 All-SLC Second Team member fell in the first set 7-5, but rebounded to win tight second and third sets 7-6 and 6-4 to earn the victory.

Polanska, Verma and junior Ela Iwaniuk all took the first set before dropping their final two sets and falling in three. In her first regular season match as a Lady Demon, Verma performed well in No. 1 singles, but ultimately dropped a tough one 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Iwaniuk, the 2018 SLC Newcomer of the Year, took the first set 6-0 before dropping a pair of 6-3 sets. Polanska had Sisti on the ropes, leading 5-0 in the second set after winning the first, but Sisti came back to defeat Polanska in the second set 7-6 and then took set three convincingly 6-1.

“I thought we had a great effort today from all of the girls today,” DuBois said. “In the end, a few points made the difference. We’ll learn from this and move forward.”

NSU returns to action Jan. 25 when it travels to Boca Raton, Florida, for the Florida Atlantic Owl Cup. The Lady Demons return to Natchitoches Feb. 2 when they play UL Lafayette.

Tulane 4, Northwestern State 3
New Orleans, La.
City Park Tennis Center
Singles competition

1. Laura Fabrizi (TUL) def. Rhea Verma (NSU) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5

2. Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Elena Muller 6-1, 6-2

3. Ivone Alvaro def. Maria Skyba (NSU) 6-4, 6-1

4. Christina Sisti def. Patrycja Polanska (NSU) 6-7, 7-6, 6-1

5. Daniela Lafuente def. Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3

6. Judit Castillo Gargallo (NSU) def. Alex Alegre 5-7, 7-6, 6-4
Doubles competition

1. Ivone Alvaro/Elena Muller def. Polina Mutel/Maria Skyba (NSU) 6-1

2. Rhea Verma/Patrycja Polanska (NSU) def. Adelaide Lavery/Christina Sisti 6-4

3. Judit Castillo Gargallo/Emilija Dancetovic (NSU) def. Laura Fabrizi/Alex Alegre 6-3
Match Notes:

Tulane 1-0

Northwestern State 0-1

Order of finish: Doubles (1, 3, 2); Singles (2, 3, 5, 1, 4, 6)

Photo Credit: Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the application process for the 2019 Governor’s Fellows Program in Louisiana Government is now open.

The program provides college students a hands-on opportunity to learn about policy-making and how the state’s governing process works.

“The mission of the fellowship program is to cultivate and inspire the next generation of leaders in Louisiana,” Gov. Edwards said. “I encourage all college-aged students to apply if they have a sincere interest in better understanding how state government works to serve the citizens of our great state and who have a desire to learn how they can help our state move forward. Our young people are our future, and this is an extraordinary opportunity to help them gain more knowledge and learn how to get involved.”

Fellows will be assigned to cabinet-level agencies to observe first-hand how the governor leads and how policies are developed, advanced and implemented. Fellows will also participate in a weekly speaker series and take field trips designed to enhance the overall experience and understanding of Louisiana government and current affairs.

The program is open to all students currently attending a Louisiana higher education institution as well as Louisiana residents enrolled in out-of-state colleges and universities. Fellows will be chosen based on students’ commitment to leadership, public service and good government.

Participating students will receive housing on the Baton Rouge campus of Louisiana State University (LSU) for the duration of the fellowship, a stipend up to $1,500 and three credit hours through the LSU Public Administration Institute.

“You get a great overview of state government as a whole,” said Lindsay Cooper, a graduate of Tulane University who spent her time as a Fellow in the Department of Coastal Activities. “It’s an unparalleled experience that challenged me and helped me grow.”

The Governor’s Fellows Program in Louisiana Government is a partnership between the Office of the Governor, Louisiana State University, Southern University and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. The program is funded entirely through philanthropic contributions managed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

For information about requirements for participation and application procedures, click here. The application process is now open and will close on March 1, 2019. The application is available here: http://www.gov.louisiana.gov/fellows

In partnership with Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Cane River National Heritage Area and the Friends of Fort Jesup, the No Man’s Land Bicentennial Committee announces the kick-off of the Bicentennial Celebration of Louisiana’s No Man’s Land. Set for Friday, February 15th and Saturday, Feb. 16 at Fort Jesup State Historic Site, the event will include living history demonstrations, cast-iron cooking, music, and children’s activities that uncover the legends and celebrate the culture of Louisiana’s Final Frontier.

The Neutral Strip region, (a.k.a. No Man’s Land) draws its name from the area’s brief stint as an official buffer zone between Spain and the United States following the Louisiana Purchase. When the United States purchased the territory from France; Spain and the U.S. were in conflict over the boundary south of Natchitoches. The region’s use as an official buffer between Louisiana and Spanish Texas lasted roughly from 1806 until the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty that established the Sabine River as the territory’s western boundary.

Sometimes described as a place filled with an outlaw culture or as a region with a reputation for a tough and isolated place, the region is better understood as a stronghold for those cultural groups who wished to find a home where they could preserve a way of life they cherished in Louisiana’s No Man’s Land. Today, No Man’s Land is the place where the pirate met the cowboy, and where Native Americans, French, Spanish, Africans, Creoles, Cajuns, and American pioneers from the South and West met to build communities and a culture like no other.

The No Man’s Land – Becoming Louisiana Bicentennial Celebration is a collaborative effort between the seven parishes who are historically tied to the geographic area of Louisiana’s Final Frontier. Partner members include Desoto Parish Tourist Bureau, Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission, Vernon Parish Tourism, Beauregard Tourist Commission, Allen Parish Tourist Commission, Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana CVB and Cane River National Heritage Area.

The kick-off celebration begins on Friday, Feb. 15 with an official opening ceremony at 10AM featuring remarks from Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. The Louisiana State Fiddle Champion, Clancey Stewart will perform and an authentic No Man’s Land lunch will be served after the ceremony. Living historians and reenactors will be on hand to demonstrate life on the Louisiana frontier. Local schools and homeschool groups are invited to participate on this day, to reserve your group spot please contact Cane River National Heritage Area at 318-356-5555.

The celebration continues on Saturday, Feb. 16 from 9AM to 4PM with living history demonstrations, music and children’s activities. Both event days are free and open to the public. Fort Jesup SHS is located just off Highway 6 near Many at 32 Geoghagan Road. For more information, please contact Sabine Parish Tourist Commission at 1-800-358-7802.

Beginning in the Fall of 2018 and continuing into the Fall of 2021, the No Man’s Land Bicentennial Committee will jointly promote the culture, history, art, folklife, natural resources, cuisine, attractions and events of No Man’s Land. To learn more about No Man’s Land visit our website at www.VisitNoMansLand.com.

NPL – In the year of the Natchitoches Parish Library’s (NPL) eightieth anniversary, the NPL is thrilled to provide an always-growing and varied list of programs and opportunities for self-guided learning. The first of many planned celebrations is the launch of adult ukulele classes. The Friends of the Natchitoches Parish Library (FONPL) have donated ukulele kits for program participants in memory of Dr. Hurst Moreland Hall, Sr. Among Dr. Hall’s many talents and gifts was his love of folk music and various folk instrument combinations. In his honor, the FONPL has donated six ukuleles for the use of patrons enrolled in the library’s ukulele class.

“It is our hope that through the offering of these lessons, Natchitoches residents will be inspired by Dr. Hall Sr.’s legacy to pursue knowledge and love of the various forms of folk music,” says Alice Bryant, FONPL President.

Ukuleles are small, four-stringed instruments, resembling a miniature guitar, which are easy to transport and even easier to play. Starting this month, the NPL has begun circulating these instruments and offering classes on how to play them for fun and enjoyment.

Due to the limited number of ukuleles, there is a sign-up requirement for patrons who wish to participate in the program. There is currently a wait list for those wishing to use one of the NPL’s ukuleles as interest has been very high. If you have your own instrument and would like to get to know it better, you may sign up for the class and bring your own ukulele!

Four classes, taught by Library Technical Assistant Allison Weatherford, will be offered on a rotating schedule: Intro to the Ukulele, Basic Chords, Strumming, and Fingerpicking. Because the classes repeat, it’s simple to drop in and out when it suits you best. If you miss Basic Chords, sign up next time! If you want a refresher on fingerpicking, feel free to enroll when it comes around again!

Come unwind and play your favorite songs with your local library, the NPL. If you have any questions, or to register for upcoming classes, you may call the NPL Circulation Desk (318-238-9224), message the NPL on its Facebook page (Natchitoches Parish Library), or go by the NPL (450 Second St.).

 
NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Leon “Sonny” Johnson, III
June 13, 1946 – January 14, 2019
Service: Saturday, January 26 at 10:30 am at Blanchard- St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Bay Springs Cemetery in Chopin

Sharon C. Remy
March 15, 1956 – January 14, 2019
Service: Sunday, January 20 at 3 pm at the Grand Ecore Road Church of Christ, located at 1509 Washington Street in Natchitoches

Lee Ethel “Moot” Hardy
January 17, 2019
Arrangements TBA

Roy Burton Abrams
February 27, 1972 – January 3, 2019
Service: Saturday, January 19 from 5-8 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches

SABINE PARISH:

Matthew Clayton Greer
January 28, 1985 – January 16, 2019
Visitation: Saturday, January 19 at 3 pm at Emmanuel Baptist Church
Service: Sunday, January 20 at 2 pm at Emmanuel Baptist Church
Interment: Spring Ridge Cemetery

WINN PARISH:

Pauline Elvia Sargent
August 20, 1927 – January 17, 2019
Service: Saturday, January 19 at 2 pm in the chapel of Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home
Interment: Friendship Cemetery of Fishville

Thomas Warren
July 7, 1927 – January 18, 2019
Visitation: Monday, January 21 from 9-11 am at Southern Funeral Home, located at 202 E. Lafayette St. in Winnfield
Service: Monday, January 21 at 11 am at at Southern Funeral Home
Interment: Garden of Memories cemetery in Winnfield

A school board employee chose to have discussion of her recommended termination discussed in open public at the School Board meeting Jan. 17. The item on the agenda was to go into executive session to discuss the professional character and competency of an employee and to take action relative to the matter.

Krystal Williams, the secretary at Fairview Alpha Elementary, allegedly gave her user login and password for JCampus to Lunchroom Manager Shari Rogers. This is a violation of the confidentiality agreement both employees signed when they were hired to work for the Natchitoches Parish School District. JCampus allows administrators and teachers to view and manage school related data in real time. This includes personally identifiable information for students.

According to Principal Brooke Williams and Assistant Principal Marsha Daugherty it is the secretary’s job to provide the lunchroom manager with an attendance report so the cafeteria staff knows how many breakfast and lunch meals need to be prepared for the student body. Cafeteria staff do not have access to JCampus.

Rogers claimed Krystal gave her the username and password so she could generate an attendance report when Krystal was absent, but that it soon became a regular routine, continuing for months. Rogers would log into JCampus several times each day.

She presented the board with a post it note and a sheet of paper with the login information and directions on how to navigate JCampus. Krystal denies that she ever gave the information to Rogers, but Superintendent Dale Skinner raised the question: How else would Rogers have attained Krystal’s personal information and the detailed instructions?

According to a security coordinator, the school secretary has the highest level of clearance for student information. According to the School Board’s legal counsel the confidentiality agreement couldn’t be any clearer that any breach can have consequences up to and including termination of employment.

Krystal has worked for the School District for 15 years and some board members wanted to suspend her without pay, instead of terminating her. Steven Harris made a motion that they amend the recommendation to suspend her without pay. However, the vote to terminate her passed with 6 in agreement, 4 against, and 1 abstaining.

New business at the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission (NHDDC) meeting Jan. 17 included a transition for the Historic District Business Association (HDBA) and the Natchitoches Main Street Office. Jill Leo, director of festivals and events for the HDBA will transition into the Main Street Office. The HDBA was willing to work with the City in this merging of operations, which they will try out for a year.

In other business, the City’s new website should launch in the next 3-4 weeks. A new Widget App called “Go Natchitoches” will also launch in mid February. This app combines data from six partner sites to provide a central location to house events and other information.

The bike share program that’s been in the works should happen fairly soon according to NHDDC Chairman Van Erikson.

The Cane River Waterway Commission’s pump project is still tied up in the legal process and property acquisition has become a problem regarding the creation of a new boat launch site on the South end of Cane River.

The Tourist Office purchased a print ad to promote Natchitoches, which will run in The Wall Street Journal. As an added value, Natchitoches promo videos will run on a big screen in Times Square and on screens in the metro in the Toronto area.

Mayor Lee Posey is interested in bringing back the triathlon that has used Natchitoches as an event location in the past. He is also working on a food truck ordinance and is interested in the idea of a “Food Truck Friday” or other such event. The tulips the City puts out each spring have gotten a lot of attention and Posey would like to look into marketing strategies to get more people to come to town to see them, like the possibility of a Tulip Festival.

The Natchitoches Farmers Market will be held on the downtown riverbank for the entire year. The paddleboat that was supposed to be on Cane River by November is scheduled to set sail on March 1. A gate with signage was recently installed toward the South end of the riverbank. Rain slowed down work on the Parc Natchitoches project, but it’s still scheduled to open in 2020.

The NHDDC will look into the feasibility of increasing the wifi coverage in the downtown area and purchasing/renting a giant TV screen to show movies at the riverbank stage or the City Park amphitheater.

Some upcoming NSU dates include:

Feb. 20 – NSU Baseball Home Opener vs. LSU

March 9 – N Side View Day

March 22 – Long Purple Line Luncheon in the Student Union

March 22 – Flavor of Louisiana Event in Prather

April 13 – Dragon Boat Races, which will be a student-led festival for the first time

May 5 – Track & Field Southland Conference Tournament

May 7-10 – Softball Southland Conference Tournament

May 10 – Graduation/Reunions

May 23-24 – Freshman Connection Session I

May 30-31 – Freshman Connection Session II

June 19-20 – Freshman Connection Session III

July 9 – Freshman Connection Session IV

Other events include:

Jan. 24 – Chamber Awards Banquet

Feb. 1 – Exhibit Opening Reception: The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in WWII at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum

Feb. 9 – APHN Luncheon

Feb. 15-16 – No Man’s Land: Bicentennial Celebration Kick-Off at Fort Jesup State Historic Site

March 16 – NYP Pub Crawl

March 23 – Bloomin’ on the Bricks

April 5-7 – Girls Weekend

April 6-7 – Melrose Arts & Crafts Festival

The first order of business at the School Board meeting Thursday night, Jan. 17, was to elect a president and vice president of the board. Rhonda Guidroz and Steven Harris were nominated for President and Guidroz won with a 6:4 vote (Tankeia Palmer, Dorothy McGaskey, Katrina Willis, Emile Metoyer, and Harris voted no).

Billy Benefield and Harris were then nominated for vice president but Harris declined the nomination.

Metoyer immediately called it a “black, white situation” and called out Eugean Garner for calling all the white board members to ask if they would support Guidroz, but none of the minority members. Correcting Metoyer, Garner said he didn’t call Beverly Broadway.

“I’m going to work along with everybody so this board can stop being devisive,” said Harris.

Guidroz thanked everyone for their support. “I’m hoping we can work together,” she said. “We are in this for the children of the parish. Not for any personal agendas, not for any racial agenda. Not for anything except the children. If we as a board cannot conduct business with that as our primary goal then we need to resign. I would hope I have a good enough relationship and would like to develop a relationship with all of the board members in this coming year and get some things accomplished rather there being a split on the board.”

Newly elected board member Reba Phelps said she’d like to go on record as saying she did not vote according to skin color. “I never have and I never will,” she said.

McGaskey, another newly elected board member said, “I hope this indicates that we’ll be able to work together and I’ve been to a lot of school board meetings previous to coming on board and it seems like the Natchitoches Parish School Board has a history of voting along racial lines and it needs to stop because I hate to say ‘black-white issues’ but we’re dealing with a large majority of minorities in the school system and they need to be considered as number one priority.”

Another hot topic issue at the meeting was an agenda item to consider approving the transfer of BRE (building and repair expense) money from Cloutierville to Provencal based on percentages. Metoyer withdrew his support when he realized the money was intended not just for school supplies as he originally thought, but also to add on to the Provencal building to create four new classrooms. There were 125 kids when Cloutierville was closed and about 90 of them went to Provencal.

Metoyer asked why Cloutierville couldn’t be reopened if space was an issue. He also said that small children are being bussed for too long to get from the South of the parish to Provencal. He suggested a meeting needs to be held at Cloutierville to see how many parents would be interested in sending their child there if the school was reopened.

The board voted to move $10,000 for school supplies instead of the original recommendation of about $280,000 and table voting on the rest of the money until March so they can evaluate the feasibility of reopening Cloutierville.

The School Board also received an explanation of the current truancy policy and the process that’s taken when someone is referred to the truancy officer. Vanesa Stanfield and Sam Shields work for the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and handle truancy cases for the school district. This year they have received and processed over 400 referrals. Stanfield said she’s already encountered 25-30 families where abuse of a doctors excuse has become an issue for grades K-6.

Other agenda items included:

Approve School Activity Fund Audit for 2017-2018

Approve distribution of one-time MFP appropriations: $583 for all certified personnel and $250 for all other support staff. Benefield motioned that the Council amend this agenda item to raise the amount for other support staff to $300. This was passed by the board, however Benefield, Phelps and Harris had to recuse themselves from the vote because they have immediate family members that work for the school district.

Approve resolution to adopt the Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire for Audit Engagements of Goverments.

Reject all bids and give permission to re-advertise for new bids for asbestos abatement and demolition of Old Magnet School, and playground equipment at Fairview Alpha and Goldonna. All three bids needed to be reworded.

Receive and approve transportation report, tax commission report, budget update and personnel update.

Discuss parliamentary procedures to use yays/nays instead of a roll call vote to approve agenda items unless the item warrants the clarity provided by a roll call vote.

By Edwin Crayton

At the January 8. 2019 meeting Chairman Leo Walker announced that the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation did not have an audit in 2018, as required in its court approved bylaws. In section 6.10 of the bylaws it says, “The Corporation shall have an annual audit be completed every 3 years.” That would have been 2018 Walker told the board in October.

Walker said the reason the audit has not happened yet is that NCIF had just filed taxes for 2016 and 2017. I mentioned that this was kind of late to be filing those taxes. However, Walker and Treasurer Oswald Taylor did not deny this and said those taxes have been mailed. Walker then said the organization would have the audit when they could hire a firm to do the work.

An audit is a step towards transparency and is very much needed at NCIF. To illustrate this point, consider that the foundation makes few written documents available to the public. And in fact even in their own meetings, officers provide few paper reports and that includes financial reports. Even at the January meeting, Taylor read the figures out loud instead of having written documents available for attendees to inspect. He said NCIF has 1, 810, 471. 61. Vice President Kelvin Porter pointed out that amount is less than the 1.9 million mentioned at the previous meeting. No one seemed to know for sure what accounted for this big drop in money. However, Walker speculated it was because of a drop in the investments relating to the stock market. A good, honest, professional audit will tell for sure what happened. No need to guess.

Indeed, audits go a long way. It was at the last audit, in 2014 it was revealed that $19,500 of money managed by NCIF was unaccounted for. NCIF has yet to explain what happened to the money. Nor has it revealed any plans to find out what happened. The Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation manages 1.8 million in funds designated to benefit the citizens of Natchitoches.

To whom much is given, much is required. –Luke 12:48

By Kevin Shannahan

 

The Village of Robeline installed its mayor, police chief and three aldermen at a meeting held at the Robeline village hall Jan. 17. Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court David Stamey administered the oath of office to Mayor Bobby A. Behan, Police Chief Gordon O’Con and Aldermen Bubba Ivy, Gilda Jenkins and Pamela Ann Jennings. Each elected official gave his or her oath to “… support the constitution and laws of the United States and the constitution and laws of this state and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me to the best of my ability and understanding, so help me God…”

The Natchitoches Parish Journal extends its best wishes to the Robeline leadership team as they embark on their terms of office.

In partnership with the Louisiana Office of State Parks, a team with the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), an AmeriCorps program, has arrived in the Cane River National Heritage Area for a four-week long project. The team, Bayou 4, is based out of Vicksburg, Mississippi, but consists of members from around the country. During their four-week term in the heritage area, Bayou 4 will help perform property and trail maintenance, along with facility improvements to three state parks in the region. The state parks included in the project are Los Adaes State Historic Site, located in Natchitoches Parish; Fort Jesup State Historic Site; and North Toledo Bend State Park, both located in Sabine Parish.
“We have an important partnership with the Louisiana Office of State Parks to preserve the cultural and natural resources in the region, and this is a great opportunity for the heritage area to welcome a team of dedicated volunteers to help improve the resources at our regional state parks,” said Cane River National Heritage Area’s Executive Director Rebecca Blankenbaker. “Fort Jesup’s walking trail has transformed just in their short time here, and we are privileged to be working with such a hard working team.”

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, residential, team-based program for young adults, age 18-24. Members develop leadership skills and strengthen communities by completing service projects and gaining life experience. Service projects, which typically last from six to eight weeks, address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Members mentor students, construct and rehabilitate low-income housing, respond to natural disasters, clean up streams, help communities develop emergency plans, and address countless other local needs.

To learn more about AmeriCorps programs visit https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps.
Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that manages the congressionally designated Cane River National Heritage Area. Its mission is to preserve and promote the cultural and natural resources of Cane River and encourage economic development by strengthening heritage tourism in the region.

Pictured above: Bayou Team 4 members from left are Cameron Dosch from Oswego, IL; Anna Bertsch from Cincinnati, OH; Kloie Hart from Greenville, SC; Madyson Isabell from Big Lake, MN; Natalie Ryburn from Palm Harbor, FL; Austin Clark from Missoula MT; Serena Camilleri-Sieng from Berlin, MD; Katelyn Gragert from Bay City, OR; and Joël Clevenger from Harrisonburg, VA get started clearing the walking trail at Fort Jesup State Historic Site.