News

Justin Cooper of Sabine Parish will begin his first season in the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour on his home lake, Toledo Bend Reservoir.

Cooper, who grew up on the northern side of the parish in the Converse area, is a father, husband, fishing guide and fulltime angler. When he isn’t traveling the country for fishing tournaments, he’s at his home in Zwolle on the lake running his guide service and fishing for Bass and Crappie on Toledo Bend. If you’re looking for him in the fall months, you may also find him in the woods enjoying hunting season or working with RMS Outdoors as an Assistant Breeder Consultant.

I sat down with Cooper in December to better understand his journey to becoming a pro angler and how he feels about the upcoming MLF season opener on Toledo Bend.

“Not many people get to make a living out of something they love every day. I’m blessed for sure.” Cooper said.

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) unanimously voted on January 17 to reappoint Dr. Cade Brumley as Louisiana State Superintendent of Education. Dr. Brumley has served as State Superintendent since 2020 through a period that has included unprecedented disruptions, from the global pandemic to historically active hurricane seasons. Despite challenges, Louisiana education has progressed on both state and national measurements.

“Dr. Brumley’s leadership has been instrumental in the improved academic outcomes Louisiana has made in recent years,” said BESE President Ronnie Morris. “We look forward to our continued collaboration as we continue to raise the bar for Louisiana students.”

Judge Verity Gentry was one of 15 judiciary participants to attend The Murphy Institute in New Orleans sponsored by Tulane University on Jan. 11-13. The Political Economy and Access to Justice Judicial Education Seminar offered lectures, participation sessions, discussion, and workshops.

The course awarded 12.5 Continuing Legal Education credits for each participant. The group was comprised of five Court of Appeal judges, seven District judges, two Juvenile judges, and one City judge.

Eight faculty led the three-day event. Faculty members ranged from Distinguished Professors of Law to a Senior Economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Dr. Kristin Broady, and Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro Dr. Andre M. Perry of Washington, D.C. The Seminar was provided at no expense to Judge Gentry or the 11th Judicial District (Sabine Parish.)

All Northwestern State University campuses will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16 and Wednesday, Jan. 17 due to expected winter conditions. Administrators will make a decision on Wednesday regarding classes for the remainder of the week.

“It is with an abundance of caution that we have decided to cancel classes on Tuesday and Wednesday when there are possible power outages and dangerous driving conditions throughout the region,” said NSU President Dr. Marcus Jones. “We encourage everyone to monitor their local weather conditions and use whatever precautions are necessary during the hard freeze that is expected in the coming days.”

All essential employees will report as usual.

NSU is already planning a closure on Monday Jan. 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Updates will be posted on NSU’s website, www.nsula.edu, as well as the university’s social media channels.

Mrs. Rita McComic celebrated her 100th birthday in a big way at the Zwolle Festival Grounds on Saturday, Dec. 30. She was born Dec. 28, 1923. A big crowd turned out to cheer Mrs. McComic on.

Mrs. McComic is a long-time, outstanding member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. She is known far and wide for her great cooking, especially for dumplings, tea cakes and sweet potato pies.

In honor of her special milestone, she was presented a key to the Town of Zwolle by Alderman James Hubbard. State Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn presented her certificates of commendation from the Louisiana House of Representatives. She also received certificates from Gov. John Bel Edwards and State Sen. Louie Bernard.

Her family would like to thank everyone who helped celebrate her 100 blessed years.

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 Sabine Parish Students of the Year Ayla Jenkins, a fifth grader at Many Junior High; eighth grader Jensen Ebarb, an eighth grader at Zwolle High School; and Sarah Kate Green, a senior at Florien High School.

The district proudly announces that all Sabine Parish Students of the Year were selected as Region 4 Zone Level Qualifiers. In December 2023, the fifth, eighth, and 12th grade Sabine Parish Students of the Year competed at the Zone Level of the Louisiana Student of the Year competition. The Zone Level of the Student of the Year competition is a new level that the Louisiana Department of Education recently added. The Zone Level represents the 4th BESE District Region and comprises ten parishes, including Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Vernon, Webster, and Winn.

Kings Chapel AME Church cordially invites all to their annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Monday, January 15 at 11 a.m. The march will begin at 10 a.m. on MLK Drive and end at the church, which is located at 1810 San Antonio Ave., Many. This year’s featured speaker is the dynamic Rev. Dominique Grate, who serves as assistant vice president for development at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas.

Grate was born June 8, 1990, in Long Branch, New Jersey and is the son of retired Maj. Willie James Grate Jr. and Felicia A. Grate. He matriculated through Richland School District Two schools in Columbia, South Carolina. He graduated from Richland Northeast high School in 2008. After finishing high school, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina, where he studied under the world-renowned Dr. Stephanie Mitchem, majoring in African American studies with a minor in history.

BOM made a donation to the Many High School Class of 2024 Project Graduation. The event is hosted to give the graduates a safe and fun environment for graduation night. Pictured left to right: Tre French, Rustin Morales and BOM’s Tiffany Miller.

A major improvement was recently implemented in the 11th Judicial District in the processes required for completion of juror questionnaires. The new method takes less time, is less expensive and saves judicial staff time and expense as well.

Since taking the bench in Fall 2022, Judge Verity Gentry has solicited feedback from Sabine Parish jurors to identify areas of needed improvement and find ways to streamline the jury selection process. Two issues that were found to need attention were the requirements that prospective jurors mail in paperwork and also arrive an hour before court to fill out a questionnaire.

Jury Coordinator Kaleigh Carver researched jury management systems across the state and country to discover ways to modernize the process in the 11th Judicial District Court. She provided valuable input in the design of a new online juror questionnaire.

BOM continued our sponsorship of the Sabine Freestate Festival. Pictured left to right: Brian Miller, Clancy Stewart, and BOM’s Tiffany Miller.

BOM was a sponsor of the Many Christmas Parade and Festival. Pictured left to right: Crystal Hable and BOM’s Tiffany Miller.