Contestants are being sought for the 2020 Natchitoches Queens Scholarship Program to be held Saturday, September 26, 2020 at the Natchitoches Events Center. This year the Natchitoches Queens Scholarship Program includes the Miss Merry Christmas Pageant. All events will be held at the Natchitoches Events Center on Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the pageant will not be open to the public. Each participant will be allowed to bring a specified number of guests to the crowning following the completion of interviews.

The Miss Merry Christmas Pageant is open to young ladies who will be enrolled in the twelfth grade in a Natchitoches Parish school. Participants compete in scholastic achievement, interview, and opening statement. The winner will be crowned Miss Merry Christmas and will receive a cash scholarship and other prizes and awards. Christmas Belles will also be selected from the pageant. Miss Merry Christmas will serve as the official hostess of the Natchitoches Christmas Festival. She and the Christmas Belles will represent Natchitoches at various events throughout the holiday season.

There is a $75 entry fee to enter the Miss Merry Christmas Pageant. There must be at least 10 girls entered in the Miss Merry Christmas pageant for the pageant to take place. All applications and entry fees for the Miss Merry Christmas Pageant must be returned to the Main Street Office at 781 Front Street, Natchitoches, no later than Friday, September 11, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. Applications can be picked up at the Natchitoches Main Street Office Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.or requested via email. For more information, please contact Jill Leo at (318) 357-3822.

 

NATCHITOCHES:
Bertha Wardsworth of Natchitoches, Louisiana
August 31, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Rev. Simpson “COOTAU” Williams
September 1, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Annie Lee Petite
January 20, 1949 – August 26, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 5 at 11 am in the Jackson Square Cemetery. ALL ATTENDING MUST WEAR FACIAL MASKS AND OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING.

SABINE:
James Bart Crittenden
July 2, 1971 – August 31, 2020
Service: Sunday, September 6 at 2 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Floyd Ray Brevelle
November 19, 1950 – September 1, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 3 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Joy Dee Ferrant of Zwolle, Louisiana
July 3, 1926 – August 27, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Ronald Turner Britt
December 17, 1941 – August 28, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Florien City Cemetery

WINN:
Virgie Lea Wilson
September 22, 1942 – September 01, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 11 am at the First Baptist Church of Jena

Doyle Douglas Lasyone
March 23, 1946 – August 29, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home

NCHS will provide IPAD’s to students who are registered for virtual learning. On September 3rd and 4th students will be issued an IPad. The students parent must come and sign a consent form for the student to receive the device. All virtual students must be registered at NCHS to receive an IPad.

Devices will be issued based on the following schedule:

Thursday
8:00 A-B
9:00 C-D
10:00 E-Je
11:00 Jo-L

Friday
8:00 M-O
9:00 P-R
10:00 S-V
11:00 W-Z

SWEPCO has pushed the estimated restoration times for many Central Louisiana communities to the weekend because crews have encountered more damage and difficulties with accessing work sites in the wake of Hurricane Laura.

“We recognize this is a tremendous hardship for our customers,” said Malcolm Smoak, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer. “Workers are reporting major damage to the power grid. Their repair work been slowed by standing water, mud and downed trees.”

“We’re also focused on getting more detailed restoration information to individual customers,” Smoak continued. “Updates are posted to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as SWEPCO.com. We appreciate your continued patience.”

Natchitoches Area Estimated Times of Restoration
(95% of customers who can take power)

Provencal –

10 p.m. Friday – Hagewood Hwy 6 to Hwy 504 Oak Grove community
10 p.m. Saturday – Hwy 120 Provencal and east to Cypress
10 p.m. Sunday – Provencal and south on Hwy. 117 to Belwood; Hagewood Hwy. 6 to Robeline

Verda –

10 p.m. Saturday – Hwy. 471 Verda to Atlanta, La; Verda Hwy. 471 and Hwy 122 to Dry Prong
10 p.m. Sunday – Verda Hwy 122 to Montgomery

Derry –

10 p.m. Thursday – Derry La Hwy 1 north to Cypress, La
10 p.m. Friday – Derry La Hwy. 119 to Melrose
10 p.m. Saturday – Derry La Hwy. 1 south to Marco

Many –

10 p.m. Friday – Many Marthaville Rd
10 p.m. Sunday – Many Hwy 6 runs east to Robeline Ft. Jessup area

Marthaville –

10 p.m. Thursday – Marthaville Hwy 487 to Ajax
10 p.m. Saturday – Marthaville Hwy. 120 to Robeline; Marthaville Hwy 120 to Natchitoches Parish/Sabine Parish line

Cane River –

10 p.m. Wednesday – Keyser Ave and Blanchard Rd, Sudberry subdivision
10 p.m. Saturday- Hwy. 1 south to Natchez and Hwy 1 bypass to I-49

Grand Ecore –

10 p.m. Thursday – Hwy 6 at Grand Ecore and Hwy. 3191 Oak Grove community
10 p.m. Sunday – Hwy. 6 west of Grand Ecore and Clarence community, St. Maurice, Montgomery

Campti –

10 p.m. Friday – Campti Hwy 71 south to Clarence
10 p.m. Saturday – Campti Hwy. 71 north to Fairview; Campti Hwy. 480 east to Sandy Point

Belmont –

10 p.m. Wednesday – Belmont Hwy. 120 to Marthaville
10 p.m. Thursday – Belmont Hwy. 175 south to Many and Hwy 175 north to Pleasant Hill

Powhattan –

10 p.m. Wednesday – Powhattan Hwy. 1 North to Hwy 174 and Hwy 174 west to Ajax; Powhattan Hwy 1 south to Natchitoches

Creston –

10 p.m. Wednesday – Creston Hwy 9 north to Reidhimer and Saline; Creston Hwy 9 Hwy. 156 to Goldonna
10 p.m. Thursday – Creston Hwy. 9 to Campti, Bells Camp community

Colfax –

10 p.m. Saturday – Colfax Hwy 492 to Rock Hill community, Meade Rd

On Tuesday, SWEPCO extended its estimated time of restoration for Hornbeck and surrounding communities to 10 p.m. Sunday, based on additional damage assessment and observations by crews working in the area. More localized information will be provided when available.

Estimates are for 95% of customers who can take power. Many customers will be restored sooner.

Outage Update

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, approximately 25,000 customers remain without power in eight Central Louisiana parishes, which took the full force of Hurricane Laura as a Category 2 storm.

SWEPCO has restored power to 17,000 Central Louisiana customers. At the peak after the hurricane, 42,000 customer were without power in Bienville, DeSoto, Grant, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Vernon and Winn parishes.

The remaining outages include 14,000 customers in the Hornbeck area, 10,000 in the Natchitoches area and less than 1,000 in the Mansfield area.

“Our base camps in Leesville, Natchitoches and Shreveport and our regular SWEPCO operations centers across Central Louisiana continue to provide staging areas for thousands of workers from 15 states and Canada,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations.

“We relocated all resources from our base camp in Bossier City to the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches Thursday to support existing operations in Natchitoches and Hornbeck,” he said. “Each base camp provides housing, showers, meals, fuel for vehicles, and all construction materials for hundreds of personnel.”

At the peak, 94% of SWEPCO’s Central Louisiana customers were without power. Twenty of the region’s 26 substations were off-line, and 64 of the region’s 71 distribution circuits were off-line. All but three substations have been re-energized. Work continues on all primary and laterals lines on circuits across the region, along with exploring alternate feeds or solutions to restore power. SWEPCO is continuing to work with Entergy and Cleco at points where the companies’ systems are connected.

For all of SWEPCO, power has been restored to 111,000 customers, or about 82%, of those without power after Hurricane Laura struck Thursday, Aug. 27.

Public Safety

· Customers without power who are on life support systems or need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons should make alternate arrangements for extended outages. Louisiana residents can call 211 to find cooling centers and other assistance.

· Be careful when driving or walking in all utility crew work zones.

· Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and SWEPCO field personnel as we all play a crucial role in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

· Workers are practicing social distancing and other measures to stay healthy and prevent the spread of coronavirus, making the recovery effort especially challenging.

· Downed power lines – Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. Don’t touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water. Stay away and keep others away. Call SWEPCO immediately

· Portable generators – If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators “backfeed” electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers’ instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.

When Customer Repairs Are Needed

· SWEPCO cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which is owned by the customer.

· Customers need to have a qualified electrician repair this damage before power can be restored. The service entrance includes the metal box housing SWEPCO’s meter, the “weatherhead” pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, and other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to underground service.

· After repairs are made, contact SWEPCO to have power restored.

 

State Senator for District 31 Louie Bernard said he and his family members located in Natchitoches Parish are coping without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Laura, but they’re not hurting as much as a lot of folks.

“There’s such massive damage to power lines that it’s to be expected,” he said during an interview with the Natchitoches Parish Journal on Sept. 2.

Bernard has taken a position of support when it comes to his role amidst recovery efforts. He likened it to having 10 quarterbacks on the field, which is a recipe for disaster. Bernard is working with Mary Jones, Assistant Director for the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness; Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams Jr., and Parish President John Richmond to help meet the needs of residents within his district. As he receives calls, he’s filtering information to the right parties. He’s also handling Medicaid, Veterans Affairs and water system issues as they arise.

Bernard had a meeting with SWEPCO President COO Malcolm Smoak on Sept. 2 to receive an update on the restoration efforts in the Natchitoches area. To put the overall situation into layman’s terms, imagine drawing a rectangle around Natchitoches, Many and Winn Parishes. There’s substations located in the south of Natchitoches Parish, near Interstate 49 and in Winnfield. The one in Winnfield is the issue right now, but it should be repaired by Sept. 3. Fixing this substation will free up linemen to start connecting wires, which will cause a ripple effect.

Add to all this, the fact that some stations are fed by Entergy and some by CLECO. Bernard said there’s a lot of cooperation between the electric services at play. While he’s praying the estimated restoration time happens, Bernard said it very well may take 2-3 more days.

“Hurricane Laura is the biggest storm to ever hit our area and it shows,” he said.

Homes are on different feeds which explains why one section may see their lights come back on while other nearby homes may remain without power.

One positive piece of news is that Natchitoches Parish has been added to the list of parishes that are available for individual disaster assistance. Five out of the six parishes that make up Bernard’s district have been approved for disaster assistance. Anyone with claims, expenses, and damages can fill out a form, which will be submitted directly to Homeland Security in Baton Rouge.

Bernard also added that he’s been impressed by the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts (LSMSA) and Northwestern State University, who opened 200 dorm rooms to house linemen who have traveled from outside the state to help with restoration efforts.

“This is a huge thing for our community,” he said. “It’s great to see everyone working in concert.”

Overall, Bernard asks everyone to be patient. There’s over 3,000 linemen working in Natchitoches and surrounding areas.

“This just goes to show you how much damage there is,” said Bernard.

While not directly related to recovery efforts, Bernard said he is also working on encouraging state officials to think outside the box and find a way to allow family members to visit their loved ones who are quarantined inside nursing homes. He’s not trying to minimize the risk posed to the vulnerable elderly population, but many haven’t seen their relatives since March 9 due to Covid restrictions. It’s a serious matter and Bernard feels there should be ways to accommodate visitations, even if it means outdoors, 10-feet apart with masks on.

Gov. John Bel Edwards filed a memorandum on Sept. 2 in the lawsuit regarding COVID-19 protections for the November presidential election asking the judge to direct Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin to implement the same election plan that was used for the recent elections in July and August. That plan, which was crafted by the Secretary of State and supported by the Governor and a majority of the Louisiana Legislature, offered expanded absentee voting by mail for more Louisianans affected by COVID for the upcoming elections in November and December.

The Governor refused to accept the Secretary of State’s plan for the November election because it directly contradicts the guidance of the CDC and medical experts and would require people under quarantine or who are symptomatic and those who are at high risk for serious complications and their caregivers to vote in person. It also reduces the number of early voting days from what was offered in July and August. States like Kentucky and Alabama have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing much greater access to absentee balloting, but under the Secretary of State’s plan, Louisiana would have gone in the wrong direction.

“Nothing about the Secretary of State’s emergency election plan takes into account the scope of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Louisianans should not have to risk their lives to vote, which is exactly what will happen if tens of thousands of Louisianans with medical conditions that put them at high risk for COVID complications are forced to vote in person in November and December,” Gov. Edwards said. “We owe it to the people of Louisiana to get this emergency election plan right, and the Secretary of State’s plan is just 100 percent wrong.”

“Simply put, Secretary Ardoin’s plan for the November and December elections does not adequately protect the constitutional right to vote. Further, it is contrary to the recommendations of the CDC and public health experts. We can and must do better. I am hopeful that the Court will find a way to order that we implement a safe election plan for the fall elections. At a minimum, this should be the same election plan that we just used for the July and August elections to protect the health and safety of the people of Louisiana,” said Governor Edwards.

“Plans are continuing at Northwestern State University for resuming all in-person and online classes Tuesday, Sept. 8, on all NSU campuses.

There has been substantial progress in power restoration and clean-up efforts across Northwest Louisiana. The cooperative effort among utility company workers, city and parish officials, National Guard and other military personnel, local and state first responders and others involved in this massive undertaking has been impressive and is deeply appreciated.

Several student services offices are open on campus and operations continue to expand each day. The University Bookstore, Watson Library, WRAC, Chick-fil-A and Café DeMon are open with modified operating hours. Please refer to the university website for their current hours of operation. The Recreation Complex Golf Course is scheduled to reopen Friday.

Numerous students and university employees have been negatively impacted by the storm, and the Northwestern State Foundation has created a Hurricane Assistance Fund to generate revenues to assist them. Businesses and individuals may contribute to the fund through the Northwestern State Foundation at northwesternstatealumni.com/hurricane-fund/.

Some corporations are providing grants for hurricane assistance, and the NSU Foundation is preparing applications for grant funds as well.

The NSU Food Pantry is open and accepting contributions and providing canned goods and other food and supplies to students. Should you need information or wish to make a donation to the Food Pantry please contact Reatha Cox at coxr@nsula.edu.

McNeese State University, our sister institution in the University of Louisiana System, sustained enormous damage when Hurricane Laura hit the Lake Charles area. The university is planning to resume online classes later this month, and NSU has offered assistance to McNeese students who might need access to housing, dining services, computer labs, library resources, counseling and other facilities and services available at NSU.

There is a new link on the university’s webpage for students, faculty and staff to submit questions or requests for information, nsu.la/LauraQuestions. NSU personnel are continually monitoring the site and will provide information and assistance as quickly as possible.

Your patience and understanding in these difficult times are deeply appreciated. We look forward to resuming classes and other regular operations after Labor Day. Please let us know if we may assist you in any way.

The City of Natchitoches has been fortunate to receive additional donations of water from area businesses for those in need, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. If you are in need of water you can stop by the Natchitoches Events Center located at 750 Second Street from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 3rd.

Recipients will need to enter the Events Center via Third Street and proceed thru the parking lot to the front circle drive, exiting through the north end.

Cases of water will be distributed on a first come first serve basis. If you know of anyone in need, please share this information and have them drive thru.

For more information, please contact the Mayor’s office at (318) 352-2772.

The Louisiana Department of Health verified two additional deaths tied to Hurricane Laura as of Sept. 2, bringing the state’s current death toll to 17.

A 36-year-old man and a woman in her 80s died of heat-related illness following the storm. Both deaths were in Beauregard Parish.

Below are details on the 17 deaths LDH has verified to date:

14-year-old female, Vernon Parish, fallen tree
51-year-old male, Jackson Parish, fallen tree
68-year-old male, Acadia Parish, fallen tree
64-year-old female, Allen Parish, fallen tree
Male, Calcasieu Parish, drowning
24-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
56-year-old female, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
61-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
81-year-old female, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
72-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
84-year-old male, Allen Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
80-year-old female, Allen Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
57-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, head injury after falling from roof
One resident, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning
49-year-old male, Rapides Parish, storm cleanup
36-year-old male, Beauregard Parish, heat-related illness
80- to 89-year-old female, Beauregard Parish, heat-related illness
Those at greatest risk for heat-related illness include infants and children up to 4 years of age, people 65 years of age and older, people who are overweight, and people who are ill or on certain medications.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness, occurring when the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.

Warning signs of heat stroke vary but may include the following:

An extremely high body temperature (above 103°F)
Red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating)
Rapid, strong pulse
Throbbing headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Confusion
Unconsciousness

If you see any of these signs, have someone call for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the victim. Do the following:

Get the victim to a shady area.

Cool the victim rapidly, using whatever methods you can. For example, immerse the victim in a tub of cool water; place the person in a cool shower; spray the victim with cool water from a garden hose; sponge the person with cool water; or if the humidity is low, wrap the victim in a cool, wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously.
Monitor body temperature and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F.

If emergency medical personnel are delayed, call the hospital emergency room for further instructions.

Do not give the victim alcohol to drink.
Get medical assistance as soon as possible.

Northwestern State fans have a chance to win a custom Vic the Demon bobblehead in an upcoming raffle.

Thirty bobbleheads will be raffled off during a Facebook Live drawing on Sept. 18 at noon, conducted through the NSU Demons Unlimited Foundation page (@DemonsUnlimited).

Raffle tickets are $10 each or $25 for a set of three tickets and can be purchased starting today www.nsudemons.com/vicraffle or at the NSU Fieldhouse.

Individuals who buy multiple tickets can win multiple bobbleheads.

All proceeds benefit NSU’s DUF, a non-profit fundraising arm of NSU Athletics that helps funds scholarships and support all 14 of the school’s Division I programs.

The DUF is increasingly focused on raising private money with decreases in revenue from the coronavirus pandemic and Hurricane Laura and increases in expenses such as an extra year of scholarships awarded to fifth-year athletes and storm-related clean up.

For more information, contact deputy athletics director Dr. Hailey Taitano at blounth@nsula.edu.

 

This directive is applicable to the State of Louisiana, Department of Education (“LDOE”), and all public, private, and charter PK-12 schools (“schools”) in Louisiana, including every “elementary school”, “middle school”, and “high school”, as those terms are defined in La. R.S. 17:236. The State of Louisiana, Department of Health (“LOH”) is committed to taking critical steps to ensure public health and safety and provide necessary health information. This Reporting and Data Sharing Order shall be EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY and shall remain in effect until rescinded by subsequent order of the State Health Officer (“SHO”).

POSITION: Natchitoches Events Center – General Manager

DESCRIPTION: Directs the day to day operations of the Events Center including development, programming, financial management, marketing, operations and community relations for the facility.

QUALIFICATIONS: Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications or related field. Prior experience in a related field is preferred.

CONTACT: City of Natchitoches, Human Resources Department located at 1400 Sabine Street, or P.O. Box 37, Natchitoches, LA 71458-0037. Applications may also be picked up upstairs at City hall, located at 700 Second St., or you may download an application on line at http://www.natchitochesla.gov

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Applications will be accepted Through: September 8, 2020

THE CITY OF NATCHITOCHES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Cellist Paul Christopher will present a solo recital at Northwestern State University on Thursday, Sept. 10 in Magale Recital Hall.

This recital will follow the COVID-19 protocols as established by NSU’s School of Creative and Performing Arts. There will be two recitals, one at 6 p.m. for NSU students and another at 7:30 p.m. for the general public. Each performance will last approximately 45 minutes. Masks and social distancing are required. There will be a limit of 80 attendees at each recital. The performance will be live streamed at capa.nsula.edu/livestream.

Christopher will perform works for unaccompanied cello by three Pulitzer Prize winning American composers, Donald Martino, Roger Sessions and Charles Wuorinen.

Christopher is an associate professor of music theory and low strings at Northwestern State. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Panamá. Christopher has performed guest artist recitals in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and South Korea. He has presented and performed at conferences in Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina and Ohio.

Christopher’s articles have been published in the Jacques Offenbach Society Newsletter, Strings, American String Teacher and Bass World. He has on appeared numerous recordings as a former member of the Nashville String Machine. Christopher has recorded music by contemporary composers Don Freund, Dinos Constantinides and Mark Lee, as well as seven recordings devoted to the cello music of Jacques Offenbach. 

 

NATCHITOCHES:
Bertha Wardsworth of Natchitoches, Louisiana
August 31, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Rev. Simpson “COOTAU” Williams
September 1, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Annie Lee Petite
January 20, 1949 – August 26, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 5 at 11 am in the Jackson Square Cemetery. ALL ATTENDING MUST WEAR FACIAL MASKS AND OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING.

SABINE:
James Bart Crittenden
July 2, 1971 – August 31, 2020
Service: Sunday, September 6 at 2 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Floyd Ray Brevelle
November 19, 1950 – September 1, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 3 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Joy Dee Ferrant of Zwolle, Louisiana
July 3, 1926 – August 27, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Ronald Turner Britt
December 17, 1941 – August 28, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Florien City Cemetery

WINN:
Doyle Douglas Lasyone
March 23, 1946 – August 29, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home

Marjorie Laverne Richards
January 28, 1929 – August 31, 2020
Service: Wednesday, September 2 at 2:30 pm in the chapel of Edmonds Funeral Home in Jonesboro

James “Jim” Thomas Quitta
October 29, 1931 – August 30, 2020
Service: Wednesday, September 2 at 10 am at Garden of Memories in Winnfield

RED RIVER:
Molly Paul Hite
July 02, 1940 – August 28, 2020
Service: Thursday, September 3 at 2 pm at First Baptist Church

NATCHITOCHES, LOUISIANA – On September 2, 2020, the Natchitoches Parish School Board announced the new hire of Lee Waskom as the Supervisor of Business Affairs for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.

William Lee Waskom has been a resident of Natchitoches Parish for more than 55 years and has owned multiple businesses throughout the years. Waskom graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northwestern State University in 1986. After graduation, he founded Campus Corner, a college bookstore, which lasted over 25 years and grew to 7 locations across Northwest Louisiana.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Waskom to our team,” says NPSB Superintendent, Grant Eloi. “With his vast years of knowledge in business and financial management, we know we hired the right person for the job, and I can’t wait to see what he will bring to our team here at NPSB.”

Waskom currently serves as the property owner and developer of Waskom Enterprises, which has grown to four different locations across the State of Louisiana. He is also currently active as a member of the Rotary Club and serves as Treasurer of the Historic District Business Association, which runs Natchitoches’ Christmas Festival and Annual Car Show.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and bringing my experience to the table, said Waskom. 

The City of Natchitoches’ Distribution System would like to notify the public the Boil Advisory issued for the I-49 Corridor extending to Highway 6 and Old Highway 6 on Thursday, August 28, 2020 has been lifted. The Louisiana Department of Health collected a sample of water from Johnson Chute on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 and notified the City of Natchitoches on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 the water was safe for human consumption and use.

At this time there are no other boil advisories in place for Waterworks District #1 in the City of Natchitoches’ Distribution System. There has been some information distributed on social media, not by the City of Natchitoches, which has made this unclear for our customers.

The City of Natchitoches appreciates the public’s patience during this time.

Sept. 2, 2020 — Below are customer outages by parish as of 9 a.m.

 

Hurricane Laura brought some much needed rainfall to our area.
From the National Weather Service Shreveport office:

Here are the rainfall totals from Hurricane Laura as it moved through the region on August 27th through the early morning hours of the 28th:

New City Councilman for District 3, Chris Petite, was sworn in on Sept. 1 at the Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court’s office.

Cleco offers more restoration updates on impacted parishes

Sept. 1, 2020 – As of 6 p.m. today, power has been restored to over 97,000 of the 140,000 customers affected by Hurricane Laura.

Below are restoration updates on impacted parishes. Cleco will report updates on areas as they become available. 

Grant and Rapides parishes

The crews in Rapides and Grant parishes have made progress restoring customers’ power. To-date, power has been restored to nearly 26,000 customers in these two parishes.

Forest Hill: Crews are working and expect to complete restoration by the end of the week.

Glenmora: Power will be restored to some customers tomorrow afternoon. It is expected that power will be restored to remaining customers by the end of the week.

DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River and Sabine parishes

Campti: Power restored to all customers who can receive it.

Clarence: Power restored to the Port of Natchitoches.

Stanley Community on Toledo Bend: Power should be restored today to all customers who can receive it.

Pelican community: Power should be restored today to all customers who can receive it.

Natchitoches Parish: Power restored to all customers who can receive it.

Converse/Lake Area: Last night, power was restored to majority of customers who can receive power. Crews expect power to be restored to remaining customers today.

Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu and Vernon parishes

Rosepine, Leesville, DeRidder and Dequincy: These areas are heavily damaged. Crews are working and additional resources are being allocated. While crews will be working from daylight until dark, this could be a multiweek restoration project.

Oakdale: Power to critical infrastructure has been restored. Crews working on residential customers.

Town of Elizabeth: Tree trimmers currently working to remove debris. Crews estimate restoration will take four to five days.

Kinder: Power restored to the casino last night, as well as to customers inside the city limits. Crews also working to restore power to the rural areas outside the city.