News

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.

Rotarian of the day, Chesney Chandler, introduced her guest speaker for Winnfield Rotary’s July 24, 2024 meeting, Eight Judicial District Court Judge Anastasia Wiley. Judge Wiley, who was Winnfield’s City Judge before assuming the district court bench in January 2021, considers her job to be one of community service, and she continually strives to help more people as best she can.

While acknowledging that 2020 was a bad year, Judge Wiley told the group of positive changes in court procedures that resulted from the need for social distancing with the advent of COVID19. Holding conferences with attorneys and the parties to cases via Zoom or other electronic video means is now standard procedure. This eliminates travel as well as the time previously spent in court waiting for one’s case to be called up. It also avoids the need for parties to see each other in person in contentious cases. Training sessions for court personnel are also via video communication.

Micah Wolfe, an upcoming sophomore at Winnfield Senior High School, spent part of his summer at SCAD University in Savannah, GA. The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 and according to the 2024 edition of Best Colleges (https://www.usnews.c om/best-colleges/rankings/ regional-universities- south) it is ranked at number 9 in the Southern Region. Micah took classes in Sequential Art: Cartoons and Comics and Animation: Contemporary 2D Techniques.

The Louisiana Department of Education released the LEAP test results for the 2023-2024 school year last week and Winn Parish was recognized as a top system for growth among all public school systems in Louisiana. Calvin High School was likewise recognized as a top school for growth.

Louisiana public schools are evaluated based on proficiency on standardized tests in grades 3-8, high school, and combined. Proficiency is determined as a score of mastery or advanced, the top two possible grades on the test. Winn Parish was among the top eight school systems for growth in the state, growing two points from the 2022-2023 school year.

Calvin High School ranked among the top schools for growth, growing 14 total points last year. Calvin was one of only three central Louisiana schools to rank among the top schools for growth.

Two suspects were arrested on July 14 after fleeing the scene during an attempted traffic stop near Calvin. According to Winn Parish Sheriff Josh McAllister, Deputy Aaron Bruce was attempting the traffic stop of a U Haul truck on LA Hwy 501 around 11:07 pm on Sunday, July 14 when both occupants fled into the woods. The Winn Chase Team was called to help located the suspects.

According to McAllister, within an hour and the second suspect was apprehended several hours later.

Jason B LaCroix, age 45 of 155 Washington Street, Joyce, LA and Duane Fallis, age 44 of 762 Mosley Drive Winnfield, LA were booked and are currently being held at the Winn Parish Detention Center.

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

Houston Polson has a varied and interesting background. He has a BS in Textile Chemistry and in Technical Education, he has a MBA and a Juris Doctor degree. He is retired from the US Air Force and currently serves as a part-time deputy with the Sheriff ’s office. However, he came to speak to the Kiwanis club about Ham radios. April 1st of this year he became the Louisiana Section Manager of the American Radio Relay League. He has been a ham radio operator since July 1984. At the convention in Dayton, Ohio they had the largest gathering of hams, 35,878 people came through the gates. It was 3 days of information about hams-57 forums or programs and the world’s largest flea market. Polson even came home with a few things himself. There are 878,00 ham radio operators licensed in the United States. The American Radio Relay League is the national organization for amateur radio operators. It is a service-voluntary, noncommercial radio services in times of emergency.