News

Mardi Gras festivities will begin this weekend in Winn Parish and the Krewe of Kingfish and Dugdemona Fest Board is inviting everyone to attend.

Activities will begin on Friday, February 3 with the annual Krewe of Kingfish parade. The floats will line up at the Huey P Long park at 5:00 p.m., and the parade will begin at 6:00 p.m. Following the parade there will be a street dance at the courthouse square, with food vendors and more.

Individuals and businesses are being warned to pay close attention to cash they receive. There have been reports of counterfeit bills being passed in Winn Parish and according to the Winnfield Police Department, it is occurring almost daily.

Most people think that when a person manufactures or passes counterfeit bills they are of larger denominations. We are learning that is, in fact, not always the case. The bills that have recently been confiscated in our parish are of smaller denominations.

Amid celebrations and protests, cheers and jeers, on January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in at the 58th Presidential Inauguration. The theme for the inauguration was “Uniquely American” and recognized the symbolic importance of the day. To many Americans the inauguration may seem routine, but the ceremony remains an expression of our constitutional system, in a way that is unique to America. The peaceful transition between presidential administrations signals that we are united as a people behind an enduring republic.

Do you know these men? Jerry D. McManus, dob: 1948, dod: 1968, home of record: Atlanta.

Freddie McWilliams, dob: 1945, dod: 1967, home of record: Winnfield

George W. Nelson, dob: 1943, dod: 1967, home of record: Winnfield

Perry L. Peoples, dob: 1944, dod: 1967, home of record: Dodson

Last week, Samantha Taylor of Winnfield Senior High School, had the opportunity to join over 500 young people from across the country to learn about political process in the vibrant, living classroom of the nation’s capital as part of Citizenship Washington Focus: Presidential Inauguration (CWF-PI), an intensive 4-H civic engagement program for high-school youth held at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD.

State Police Troop E released the following information on January 14th. “ Earlier today, a single vehicle crash killed a man from Natchitoches, LA and injured a man from St. Maurice, LA. Neither men were wearing a seat belt. Troopers responded to the crash around 2:40 p.m., which occurred on US Hwy 71 north of Montgomery, LA. The crash involved a 1998 Ford Explorer, driven by Michael L. McKinney (B/M 41 yrs) of St. Maurice. The Ford was northbound on US Hwy 71 when McKinney lost control and exited the right side of the roadway. After exiting the roadway, the vehicle collided with several trees.

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Winn Parish Voter’s and Civic League hosted their 26th Annual Prayer Breakfast and invited the community and civic leaders to join in remembering Dr. King and his many contributions to the Civil Rights movement. As the crowd filled the Winnfield Kindergarten School Annex Building, Mr. Louis Bell served as the Master of Ceremonies and called the event to order, after which Brother Franklin Williams and the Morning Star Youth Choir presented a message in song. Minister Troy Nash offered up the invocation and Ms. Rosa Williams welcomed the attendees. Ms. Shirley Radford spoke about the special occasion being recognized, and then a bountiful breakfast of eggs, biscuits, bacon and sausage was served. Cmeaux entertained those present with a live painting he made of Dr. King during the ceremony, while Pastor Lonnell Johnson, Jr. sang

The atmosphere was festive at the last regular meeting of the Winn Parish Police Jury on December 19. All members were present along with some of the Jury’s family members, local political leaders Representative Jack McFarland and Representative Terry Brown, Mayor Kiah Beville, Workforce Development Director Sondra Redmon, and citizens who were spectators of the open meeting.

Following is a news release from Louisiana State Police Troop E, which was issued on December 29, 2016. As an update, early on the morning of December 30, Troopers arrested and charged Keaton A. Spurlin with vehicular homicide, in reference to the death of the 18 month old infant. Alexandria, LA – Last night, a crash involving two vehicles injured four children, two of which were infants. One infant later died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the crash. The driver of the vehicle, that caused the crash, was determined to be impaired.

The Rotary Club of Winnfield was honored to have a very special guest at their last meeting of 2016. Congressman Ralph Abraham attended the meeting to enjoy lunch with Rotary members and speak with them regarding changes we can expect to see after President Elect Donald Trump takes office. The meeting was opened with prayer, led by Brother Joel Hines from The Family Church, and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Ted Wold. There were several special guests who were recognized, including Mr. Lionel Johnson, Mr. Cas Moss, and Mr. Keith Gates, along with the featured speaker Congressman Abraham and his Chief of Staff.