News

City officials have approved some “terminology” language changes that cleared the way for the implementation of a camera photo ticketing system to begin in the City of Winnfield.

With three of the five councilmen present, one councilman was at the meeting via a zoom call, the measure was approved by a 3-1 vote. Matt Miller cast the nay vote while Chiquita Caldwell, who introduced the measure, and Teresa Phillips voted for approval, as did Councilwoman Ada Hall Dudley, who was not present but attended by Zoom. Councilwoman Ericka Breda was not present.

The first Ordinance (No. 6 of 2024 of the City of Winnfield) originally introduced by Caldwell, was adopted at their June 11, 2024 meeting by a 4-0 vote with Councilman Miller absent.

A second 13-year old Winn Parish juvenile was charged early Thursday morning, September 12, 2024 with making terroristic threats to a school, according to Winn Parish Sheriff Josh McAllister.

The Sheriff stated that his office opened an investigation late Tuesday afternoon, September 10, 2024 following social media posts concerning possible threats to Winn Parish schools.

It was determined Wednesday, September 11, 2024 that these posts were made by six juveniles in Alabama and were shared across several states. Those juveniles were arrested by Alabama authorities.

A second social media post appeared late Wednesday, September 11, 2024 and the Sheriff stated his office began another investigation. Investigators were able to determine the second post originated from an Instagram account inside the city limits of Winnfield.

Mr. Steve Shelton and Mr. Rayford Riley received Hammy Awards at the city council meeting yesterday afternoon. Mr. Shelton received his award for his dedication to the health and well-being of the citizens in the community for 47 years. Mr. Shelton is also very supportive of our schools and local events.

Mr. Riley received the Hammy Award for also being dedicated to the citizens in our parish for many years, Mr. Riley has had the longest running business on Main Street at the same location for over 55 years. He has been a trusting barber and friend to many clients through the years.

Thank you both for being amazing citizens to our community!

BATON ROUGE, La.— Secretary of State Nancy Landry joins Registrars of Voters across the state the week of Sept. 16 – Sept. 20, 2024 to promote Voter Registration Week activities aimed at registering Louisiana citizens to vote ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The deadline to register to vote in person or by mail is Monday, Oct. 7, and the deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System is Tuesday, Oct. 15.

“The first step to participating in the electoral process is registering to vote. It’s never been easier to register or update your registration information in Louisiana–any citizen with a Louisiana license or ID can register online in a matter of minutes at GeauxVo t e. c o m , ” Secretary Landry said.

To register and vote in Louisiana, individuals must:

• be a U.S. citizen;

Where were you on September 11, 2001? On this day there were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States. On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the East Coast to California. The first two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and aimed the next two flights toward targets in or near Washington, D.C., in an attack on the nations capital. The third succeeded in striking the Pentagon, while the fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. 2,977 people were killed during these attacks making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history.

Winn Parish – On September 7, 2024, at approximately 3:45 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a one-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 499 north of Louisiana Highway 34. This crash claimed the life of 34-year-old Dustin M. Pickron of Winnfield.

The initial investigation revealed that a 2016 Dodge Ram 1500, driven by Pickron, was southbound on Louisiana Highway 499. For reasons still under investigation, Pickron’s vehicle left the roadway, traveled down the ditch embankment, and struck several trees.

Pickron, who was unrestrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene. Routine toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.

Russell Jones, retired assistant police chief of the Winnfield Police Department and current pastor of Winnfield’s Christ Wesleyan Fellowship, was special guest and speaker at the Winnfield Rotary Club’s meeting on August 21, 2024, at the request of Rotarian of the day, Kim Futrell.

Jones was raised in Calvin and upon graduation from Calvin High School, he joined the United States Navy. He trained and served as an electronics technician, travelling all over the world working in that capacity. After serving his six-year term in the Navy, Jones returned to Winn Parish, where he made a connection with local law enforcement in martial arts class. He was hired by Winnfield’s police chief at that time, Cranford Jordan, and spent 43 years on the Winnfield Police force, working his way up from an entry level position to assistant police chief, the first non-caucasian person to have done so.

A brand new specialized unit of Autumn Leaves Nursing and Rehabilitation held its grand opening on Tuesday, August 27. The Memory Care Unit is designed to provide a comfortable, supportive environment for those living with memory loss. This is a newly renovated area in which residents can live each day to the fullest, with the help of an experienced, specially trained staff, personal attention and small group activities.

Alzheimer’s and dementia are both very difficult not only on the patient, but also on those that love them. While the challenges that accompany such a diagnosis cannot be prevented, the special staff of The Tapestry can help to ease the burden and improve quality of life for residents.

The Memory Care Unit offers unique features including: A secure unit to provide safety for residents with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.

16 beautifully decorated bedrooms with private bathrooms.

Specialized Memory Care training for unit staff.

The City of Winnfield Recreation Department has distributed registration forms to all Winn Parish schools. Be sure to check your child’s backpack for the registration form.

The age groups are as follows: 4-6, 7-9, & 1012 year olds The cost (per player): $40.00 Due no later than Friday, September 13. There will be NO signups on tryout day. NO EXCEPTIONS!

You must have your registration form and fees paid by Friday, September 13th for your child to participate in tryouts on September 14th. The Grove St. Gym will be open until 8 p.m. daily to accommodate anyone needing to come after working hours. The season will run from Oct – Nov. The dates of the games will be announced the week after tryouts. With questions please call 318-628-0246.

The Winn Parish Sheriff ’s Office will be sponsoring a Hunter Safety Class on Saturday, Sept-ember 7. This is a full 10 hour class and lunch will be provided for free. Class will be from 7am until 5 pm. It will be at the Winn Sheriff ’s gun range on Old Alexandria Rd. Please go online at Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries web sight to register for the class. If you have any questions or need directions, call 318 628-4611.