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Published June 24, 2009
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Men lost on Sicily Island Hills WMA found safely (published June 24, 2009)
On June 10, around 10 p.m., the Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office received a
call reporting two men lost in the Sicily Island Wildlife Management Area.
The men were identified as Josh Peeples, 19, and his brother, John, 24, both of
the Wisner area.
Deputies from CPSO, Harrisonburg Police, Wisner Police, and Franklin Parish
Deputies responded.
The brothers were located around midnight and brought to safety on ATVs.
Sheriff James Kelly said he would like to thank those who were involved in the
search, especially Chief Billy Currington of the Wisner Police Department.
Kelly noted that he was sure the families of the lost men were appreciative.
Police Jury discusses grant, hires assistant (published June 24, 2009)
Catahoula Parish police jurors heard confirmation Monday evening from Kendall
Magee, consultant with Frye-Magee and Associates, that the $2,277,264 awarded
to Catahoula Parish in federal disaster recovery CDBG funds recently cannot be
used to give raises to parish employees.
Magee told jurors that the funds could only be used on projects that were
necessary due to damages from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. These projects can be
roads, generators, drainage, water wells, bridge replacement, anything that is
“cause and effect” by the storms. He further clarified by citing it can’t be, “Well, I need my road fixed, and this is the prime opportunity to do it - that
won
’t cut mustard.”
The application submitted will have to meet the necessary criteria: (1) failure
to function during the storm and
(2) the projects must meet one of the three national objectives,
• urgent need
•elimination of slums and blight or
• of principally benefiting low-to-moderate income folks.
Magee noted that the application must be sent to the state by September 10,
2009. He said he already knew that the jurors wanted to work on drainage for
the parish. He stated that the jurors and the towns have already given him
lists of the drainage projects they want to apply for, and he needs to meet
with them all and reach a consensus of what they want to do. He will provide
them with a list of costs beforehand so they will be ready to talk.
The jurors then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters. When
they returned to the regular meeting, juror Benny Vault, Jr. made a motion to
increase the mechanics
’ pay to $10/hour. The motion passed with Delores McEntyre voting nay.
Jury president Libby Ford then said they had also discussed the assistant
secretary-treasurer
’s position. Vault noted that the committee had interviewed five applicants, and
made the decision to hire Ms. Frankie Tolar as the assistant
secretary-treasurer.
The motion passed with Garry Wright voting nay, which he said was because he
didn
’t get to sit in on any of the interviews and he thought they should have done a
better job.
Bo House, whose daughter was also an applicant for the job, then asked to
address the Jury
and expressed his displeasure with the decision to hire Tolar. After a lengthy
discussion concerning who was involved in the decision to hire Tolar, House
said he was under the impression that the Jury couldn't hire someone with a
felony record.
According to records from the Franklin Parish Corthouse, Tolar pled guilty to
one count of insurance fraud on September 11, 2006.
Jackie Paulk retorted that he knew "for a fact" that the School Board, on which
House sits, had hired someone with a felony.
House said he wasn't going to argue that point, but that the School Board
performs background checks on their employees and had had to let people go
because of criminal history uncovered by those checks.
House ended by saying he had asked his daughter to withdraw her application because, "if this is the mess she'll be
involved in, I don't want her working up here."
The Jury agreed to leave Tolar's salary the same as the previous assistant and
adjourned soon afterward.
USDA money for Jonesville water (published June 24, 2009)
Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said the USDA Rural
Development Water and Environmental Program has pledged funding of more than $1
million to improve water systems in Jonesville and Montpelier.
Jonesville will receive $205,000 while the Tangipahoa Parish community of Amite
is slated to receive $850,000.
