News

Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice James Genovese was named the 21st president of Northwestern State University during a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System on Thursday, July 18.

Genovese was named the lone finalist July 16 after a day of meetings and forums with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community stakeholders, as well as a public interview.

“My vision is to reinvigorate and rejuvenate Northwestern,” said Genovese. “I have chosen this as perhaps my final endeavor in my employment. It means so much to me that I am willing to forego the remaining two years of my term and help the institution that allowed me to get to where I am today.”

During interviews, Genovese said he will focus on increasing enrollment, fund raising and increasing the university’s visibility.

“Challenge Your Leadership” was the theme for the 2024 4-H University held on the LSU campus June 18-20, 2024. Thirty-nine Winn parish youth participated in the annual event. Over 1300 4-H members from across Louisiana spent the week participating in state level competitions. Winn parish participants were from Calvin High School, Dodson High School, Winnfield Middle School, and Winnfield Senior High School. Competitions ranged from fashion, child development, fishing sports, consumer decision making, Personal Trainer, ATV, Consumer Foods Judging, Forestry, Louisiana Chef, Teens Driving Teens to Safety, Career Preparation, and many more. Not only were competitions held throughout the week, but state officer elections were conducted, and Winn Parish will have three of the five officer positions for the 2024-2025 School year: Secretary, Elizabeth Page; Reporter/Historian, Mattie Miller; and Parliamentarin, Andrew Chevallier.

Kiwanian B re n d a n Thomas who is Student Pastor at First Baptist Church, Winnfield spoke to the Kiwa n i s Club, Tuesday, July 16th. He is a local in that he grew up in Dodson and graduated from Dodson High School. His mother’s family has been in Dodson since the Civil War according to his grandfather. He grew up in Old Union Baptist Church under Bro. Rayford Higgs who had a great influence on his life. Studying God’s Word was instilled in him from a young age by his grandfather. In middle school and high school he still went to church but was not growing in his faith. His whole family joined First Baptist Church in 2017 and he became a part of the youth group along with his cousin Landon. In 2018 he committed his life to the ministry but he got a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education because his father said he needed a fallback career. He began an internship program under Bro. Steven Smithson and Student Pastor Tyson McIntyre.

According to Winn Parish Sheriff Josh McAllister, Deputy Aaron Bruce was attempting a traffic stop of a UHaul truck on LA Highway 501 near Calvin around 11 :07 p.m. Sunday when both occupants exited the truck and fled to the woods. The Winn chase team was deployed and one suspect was captured within half an hour.

Two Winn Parish men are in custody facing numerous felony charges following a pursuit late Sunday night.

Jason B. LaCroix, 45, of 155 Washington Street, Joyce, LA and Jeremy Duane Fallis, 44, of762 Mosley Drive, Winnfield, LA are in the Winn Parish Detention Center without bond.

A second suspect was arrested several hours later in his residence without incident.

LaCroix is charged with resisting an officer by flight, possession of CDS Schedule II (crystal methamphetamine), possession of Schedule I (marijuana), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff Josh McAllister wants to warn Winn Parish residents of an attempt to scam residents by calling and advising that they missed a court appearance and must pay a particular amount to avoid arrest and jail time.

The sheriff advises that these scams are occurring in other parishes as well. The caller is often from a foreign country. The caller will name local officials in an attempt to convince the prospective victim the call is legitimate. Some calls reported to the Winn Sheriff’s Office have come from 318-9094059 but the scammers have a way of showing the call is from the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office or other local phone numbers.

The Sheriff warns residents to immediately hang up. Do not give any personal information such as social security numbers, bank account information, and driver license number and not to follow any phone prompts. Do not follow any instructions.

The Larry Wayne Cole Scholarship Dinner is returning after a brief hiatus. The dinner funds scholarships for local high school students in Natchitoches, Red River, and Winn parishes.

The 2023-2024 recipients are Will Jones and Madison Chamberlin of Riverdale Academy, Adrian Davis of Lakeview High School, Bailey Lenard of Winnfield Sr. High School, and Gunner Nash of St. Mary’s High School. Admission, that includes a steak dinner, is $40.00 per person or guests may sponsor a table of eight for $300.00. Entertainment will be comedian, Carlos Oscar of Pasadena, California, with former State Representative Louie Bernard returning as emcee. Catering provided by Johnny Cox of Natchitoches.

The event will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Fairview Baptist Church located on Highway 71 in Fairview Alpha. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the church at 318/932-5940 or contact Angie Cole at 318/609-3012, please leave a name and message.

Wednesday, July 10 was a wonderful day for the Winn Parish Enterprise as over 50 people stopped by to celebrate our 100 birthday. It is almost unbelievable to think that the local paper has been serving the community by providing news and information for a century.

The day would not have been possible without the support of so many. The Bank of Winnfield has always supported WPE and did so during this special occasion by sending over a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Elizabeth Montgomery offered the decorations and helped serve guests, along with Daneen Beaubouef and Janice Austin.

Also, thank you to our local retailers for the gift of door prizes. Those included: Scentsational Scentes, Hometown Farm Supply, David’s Pro Burger, Nichols, Family Jewel Box, Walmart and the Louisiana Political Museum.

Again, it was a wonderful day and thank you to our readers for your support of the Winn Parish Enterprise.

Winn Parish 4-H member’s had a great time at 4-H Camp recently. Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center, located in Pollock, La., has been a part of the Louisiana 4-H life-skill building experience since the 1920's. Grant Walker has touched the lives of thousands of youth in our state. Each year, approximately 6,000 youth and junior leaders, along with adult volunteers, 4-H agents and staff attend ten 4-H Camp sessions for a variety of educational activities, ranging from environmental education to nutrition. 4-H Camp also provides an environment where children can engage their minds through hands-on learning.

The Rotary scholarship recipients of the graduating class of 2024 were the special guests at Winnfield Rotary Club’s meeting on June 19, 2026.

The City of Winnfield is pleased to receive the 2024 Outstanding City Award, presented by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and Keep Louisiana Beautiful.

The Outstanding City Award celebrates community involvement and recognizes the city with a substantial cleanup effort. The selected city demonstrated strong community unity and a collective commitment to maintaining a clean environment and a thriving hometown.