News

A great group of students worked together to kick off the 2nd Annual Winnfield FFA Open Car Show on Saturday, August 17. The heat didn’t hinder spectators and participants from joining in on the fun.

On August 13th, 2024, the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office kicked off with clean-up efforts on Neil Wagoner Drive, Mimosa, Old Alexandria Hwy, and Country Club Road. The plan is to have the Litter Patrol out daily across the parish to clean up.

On the first day of the school year 20242025, Wednesday August 7, 2024, for the Winn Parish school system, Superintendent Al Simmons addressed the Winnfield Rotary Club on matters of public education in the parish. He emphasized that the purpose of our public education system is devoted to giving our kids a better life. Data generally shows that well-educated people live longer, healthier lives, and that is the goal of our educational system and those who labor in it.

Guest speaker Audrey Calhoun, younger sister of Ethel Howell, spoke to Kiwanis on August 13th. They were close in age and both graduated from Pinecrest High School and from Grambling. She graduated early because she did not want to stay at Grambling by herself. Ethel was an extrovert and Audrey was an introvert. Audrey’s bachelor’s degree was in biology and you can’t find a job without a master’s degree in biology. The National Forest Service recruited at Grambling and she signed up for a summer job and went to Yellowstone. While there she learned you did not walk alone at night because of bears. She spent two summers at Yellowstone and knew she wanted to work for the National Park Service. She enrolled in La Tech in forestry. When she graduated from Tech she was the first woman forester and the first black forester. She really wanted to work for the National Park Service but the jobs were highly competitive. So she was offered a job by the US Forest Service in Alexandria.

The Operation Christmas Child West Central Louisiana Area Team is excited and proud to announce that Goldonna Baptist Church will be opening its doors in 2024 for the first time as a Drop Off Location for the Operation Christmas Child West Central Louisiana Area. Goldonna Baptist Church has long been a supporter and participant in the Operation Christmas Child project. Churches, organizations and individuals that participate in Operation Christmas Child will be able to drop off their gift-filled shoeboxes at Goldonna Baptist Church during National Collection Week that is slated for November 18-25, 2024. Kristin Dupree is the Drop Off Team Leader at Goldonna Baptist and will be available to accept your shoebox gifts during National Collection Week. Goldonna Baptist joins FBC Winnfield in Winn Parish, Martin Baptist Church in Red River Parish, Calvary Baptist Church in Many La. and Mitchell Baptist Church in Converse, La.

WPFD was dispatched to the Joyce community in reference to a report of a structure fire on Saturday, August 10. Upon arrival, fire fighter’s observed a single family wood frame dwelling with 100% involvement. FF also found a wood frame shed around 75% involved. There was also a manufactured home that was in close proximity that was in danger of igniting. FFs deployed a 1.75” hand line and directed it to the manufactured home to cool the exterior of the structure. Unfortunately, radiant heat caused sign ificant damage to the exterior wall covering. Once the structure was cooled, FF turned their attention to the storage shed and residential structure to extinguish and overhaul. After speaking to the owner, IC made contact with the Louisiana State Fire Marshall’s Office to request a deputy marshall due to the suspicious nature of the incident.

(Jonesboro, LA – July 22, 2024) Forest Haven Nursing & Rehabilitation Center has been recognized by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) as a 2024 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award recipient. The distinction is the second of three progressive award levels through the National Quality Award Program, which recognizes providers across the country that have demonstrated improved quality outcomes for staff and residents.

“Earning the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award is an incredible honor for our team,” said Sandra Billings, administrator of Forest Haven Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. “This national recognition underscores our team’s dedication to delivering exceptional, personcentered care and treating our residents as family.”

— The Winnfield Police Department is participating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” national campaign. Grant funding was made available by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to reimburse the city for over-time payments to officers to engage in this program.

Labor Day weekend is typically one of the deadliest times of the year on our roadways, in part because people still chose to drive impaired. WPD will utilize high-visibility saturated patrols from August 16 through September 2.

Impaired driving has risks such as you could be arrested, or worse, be involved in a traffic crash that causes serious injury or death. In every state it is illegal to drive drunk or impaired, yet statistics show that a person is killed in a drunk-driving related crash every 39 minutes.

Over 250 voters from Winn Parish will soon lose their voting status if they don’t update their records with the Registrar of Voters office. The break down each location in Winn and the number of people this entails is as follows: Atlanta - 10, Calvin - 5, Dodson - 23, Goldonna - 9, Olla - 1, Montgomery - 8, Sikes 7, Tullos - 4, Winnfield, 186. Please refer to page 9 for a list of names.

The annual Back to School Bash produced by Caring & Sharing in Unity and the Winn Healthy Initiatives Coalition was in full swing from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Winnfield Civic Center on Friday, July 26, 2024. Highlights included a bounce house and live music by Franklin Graham and his grandson Joe Lewis IV.

Twenty organizations set up tables with school supplies, hygiene kits and educational items and information for the children and their parents. State agencies included Central Louisiana Human Services District, CenLA Area Health Education Center, Office of Public Health-Health Disparities, Community Health Ways, Early Steps, and the Louisiana Political Museum & Hall of Fame. Winn Parish services on hand were the Winn Parish School Board, Library, Health Unit, and Fire District 3. Several representatives of the Winn Parish Sheriff ’s Office were on hand throughout the event.