Two Members Named to RMC Board

The council for the Washington Parish Government made two recommendations to fill vacated seats on the Riverside Medical Center Board of Directors. At a special meeting held Monday, the council recommended and approved Barry Kennedy and Brent King to serve on the RMC board.

Kennedy and King will fill seats vacated by former board president Mike Cassidy and Walt Sylvest. The two recently resigned along with RMC attorney Richard Watts after faithfully serving RMC for many years.

At Monday's Parish Council meeting, Parish President Richard Thomas and Councilman Mike Fussell made it clear what the Council could and could not do in regards to RMC board members. Both said the Council has legal rights to make appointments and remove board members. Board members may be removed for "just cause", however, Parish Government attorney Wayne Kuhn stated that there is no specific definition for "just cause".

Councilmen Aubrey Posey encouraged the RMC board to allow the new members to become familiar with what's going on at RMC before any major decisions are made.

The RMC Board of Directors have the task of hiring a new CEO after the removal of former administrator Calvin Green. The appointment of the next CEO is arguably the most important move the board has made in many years and is crucial to the future success of the hospital.

A special board meeting will be held today (Tuesday) at 4 PM in the RMC cafeteria. The meeting is open to the public.

Out of the Darkness

Mt. Hermon resident Joy Stinson and her family made an overnight stay in what was believed to be a haunted plantation in South Louisiana. What followed after this stay was something that no one could have imagined. Stinson and her family were terrorized by some type of spirit who wanted to harm her and her family. She went on to write a book about the experiences suffered after their plantation stay after a lengthy process of ridding herself and her family of the demons that followed them.

In a quote from a YouTube video from Paranormal Society of Ponchatoula she says, "this pic is not real clear, however, it appears to be a muscular figure walking across garage that looks yellow in color and is naked. Did I mention it is terrorizing my three young daughters in a sexual manner? This Mt. Hermon mom is tired of this insanity. May God help us." View the YouTube video here.

Book description: OUT OF THE DARKNESS gives an account of the two year spiritual battle that took place in rural south Louisiana after an overnight stay at an infamous haunted plantation. Ignorant regarding how to handle the escalating situation, the author came dangerously close to death trying to protect her three young daughters from tormenting demonic spirits. The story takes an unexpected turn, which forces the author to reveal a deep hidden secret that forced her to face her own demons from the past. As her faith in God was restored, her family slowly emerged from the nightmare and found redemption.

"The evil spirit envelops my face when driving and causes me to feel lethargic and dazed.I took this pic of myself with [my] cell. If you look at my profile pic this does not appear to be me at all." (photo and quote taken from YouTube video)

Joy Stinson was born and raised in Mt. Hermon, LA and still resides there today with her husband. She is an RN of 18 years, but is currently enjoying being a stay-at-home mom to her three daughters. She enjoys the simpleness of country life and loves to spend time outdoors.

To purchase a copy of Joy's book visit Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

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FPD News Release

Per FPD Major Justin Brown - Two releases 7/24/2013

On July 4th, Sgt. James Holmes took a report in reference to three news paper boxes belonging to The Era-Leader being broken into. Sgt. Holmes was able to obtain video of the suspect and turned the investigation over to Det. James Folks. Photos of the suspect were subsequentially loaded on the Franklinton Police Dept. Facebook page and then ran in the Era-Leader. Shortly after the story, Det. Folks received a phone call from an anonymous person who reported the suspects name was Douglas Carter. Cpl. Folks obtained a photo of Carter and learned he was on Probation for unrelated charges. After speaking with Carter’s Probation Officer who confirmed Carter was in fact the suspect in the video, Det. Folks secured a warrant for Carter charging him with 3 counts of theft and 3 counts criminal damage to property of a coin operated device. Carter was located by Probation and Parole Agents at a residence in Ponchatoula, La. and arrested without incident. Carter was booked and turned over to the Washington Parish Jail.

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On July 24, 2013, Quentin Watson was officially sentenced to life in prison without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Following the trail last week, Watson was found guilty on two counts of 1st degree murder for the deaths of Anita Smith and her nephew William Lewis on February 6, 2008. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning the guilty verdict.

The Franklinton Police Department would like to thank the District Attorney's Office, Judge William Knight and the jurors who brought the case to an end. Major Justin Brown would like to recognize Captain Randall Penton, Corporal James Folks, Trooper Richard Newman and Nan Wood for their outstanding work on the case. Chief Donald Folse, Alderman John Daniel and officers of the Franklinton Police Department, your constant support helped maintain us throughout the process. Furthermore, the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab did an amazing job in processing the crime scene and susbsequent analyzing of evidence. We would also like to thank the community for it's continued support throughout the investigation and trial.
To the families of Anita Smith and William Lewis, our thoughts and prayers will forever be with you. We grieve with you and hope that now each of you may somehow find closure and peace.

9-10s Finish Fourth in Regionals

After winning the District VI championship in the 12 team tournament held in Franklinton last week, the Franklinton American 9-10-year-olds traveled to Sulphur, LA for the regional tournament. Franklinton got off to a good start by defeating Jena in their first game. The Americans then took on a tough Benton, LA All-Star team and dropped their first game in the tournament. Franklinton would bounce back and defeat the host team in an elimination game. In game 4, Franklinton took on East Ouachita. The North Louisiana team would go on to eliminate Franklinton, but not before the team had played a remarkable All-Star season while enjoying plenty of success. The Americans only lost 3 games in All-Star play while winning two tournaments. Congratulations to this wonderful group of players and the coaches who gave their time in guiding them while representing Franklinton.

Members of the Franklinton Americans are: Tristan Jones, Hunter Blackwell, Michael Martin, Ty Killingsworth and Connor Tullos, Kameron Brumfield, Jaylen Burkhalter, Jeremy Williamson, Tre’Shaun Warren, Isaac Wascom, Peyton Sumrall and Devin Whaley. Coaches for the Americans are Jarod Wascom, Alex Sumrall, Adney Whaley, Jeremy Tullos, Jeremy Williamson and Buck Warren.

Franklinton American 9-10-year-old All-Stars in Sulphur, LA

Watson Convicted of Murder

A jury at the Washington Parish Courthouse found Quentin Watson guilty of two charges of first-degree murder. Watson was convicted in the 2008 shooting deaths of Anita Smith and her nephew,William Lewis, in Smith's home in East Acres subdivision.  The jury only needed 45 minutes of deliberation before returning the guilty verdict. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without benefit of probation or parole.

Quentin Watson

Americans Capture District Championship

The Franklinton American 9-10 year-old All-Star team completed a comeback through the losers bracket to capture the District Championship Wednesday night. The Americans were undefeated going into Sunday's game against Gonzales. The visitors got out to an early 3-0 lead over Franklinton and then scored 3 in the fifth inning to take a 6-1 victory. Franklinton American would then face the Franklinton Nationals in an elimination contest. The Americans earned a hard-fought win over the Nationals to set up a rematch with Gonzales. Franklinton would have to win twice to capture the District Championship while Gonzalez only needed one win. In game one of the championship series, Franklinton would even the score by defeating Gonzales via the 10 run rule. The win set up a winner-take-all championship game Wednesday. Franklinton plated seven runs in the first inning and never looked back in defeating Gonzales 14-4 in a game that was stopped by the 10 run rule for the second consecutive night. The Franklinton Americans will now travel to the Regional Tournament in Sulfur, LA. Games begin this weekend. Congratulations to the Franklinton Nationals on a great season and best of luck to the Franklinton Americans in their upcoming tournament.

Franklinton Americans 9-10-year-old All-Stars– District Champs

Magee Autoplex Holds Grand Opening

Magee Autoplex held a grand opening for their new building on Friday. Washington Parish's only new car dealership recently completed the major upgrade with a state-of-the-art, modern building. Numerous elected officials and representatives from various organizations were on hand for the event. Fried fish and other food items were available to the large crowd in attendance. Pictured below is the ribbon-cutting.

Ribbon-Cutting at Magee Autoplex

Industrial Park To Receive New Tenant

Diamond Painting and Sandblasting has reached an agreement with the Town of Franklinton to move their main office to the Fair City. The company will become the third tenant in the town's Industrial Park. Grand Isle Shipyard and Acme Machine & Welding are currently doing business there. Diamond Painting and Sandblasting has been in business for over 30 years.

From their website:
Our services range from small painting projects to large abrasive blasting and coating projects. We are skilled with various types of blast media such as sand, soda, black beauty, and walnut shell. Pressure washing services also available.

We have decades of experience with projects such as :
Structural Steel
Tanks
Tank Lining
Waste Water Treatment Plants
Heavy Equipment

7-8 year-olds win Second Tournament

The Franklinton American 7-8 year-old All-Star team has already completed three tournaments. The team has won two of these while taking second place in the other. The Americans opened tournament play in Independence and finished second in the 8 team tournament. The team then traveled to Loranger on June 27 and went undefeated to win the 10 team tournament. Bogalusa was the site for the third tournament and the Franklinton Americans would play 7 games on July 4. Franklinton won their first three games for dropping a decision to Abita Springs to put them in the losers bracket. The Americans defeated Loranger and then had the face Abita Springs. Franklinton would have to beat Abita Springs twice to earn the championship. They downed Abita Springs 12-4 in the first game to so that they winner take all championship game. In the championship game Franklinton defeated Abita 9-4 to win first place. The Americans are 14-3 during their All-Star campaign. They begin play this Thursday in Abita Springs. The following weekend Franklinton will host their own 7-8 year-old All-Star tournament.

2013 Franklinton American 7-8 year-old All-Stars

Franklinton Officer Delivers

Police officers find themselves in many unusual situations these days while dealing with the public. One scenario that is out-of-the-ordinary for any police officer is to be in a position of delivering a baby. That's exactly where Franklinton Police Department's Pfc.Bubba Pugh has found himself lately. Pugh went on a call in the fall of 2010 and had delivered his first baby before leaving the residence. In May of 2013, he answered another call and found himself delivering his second baby while on duty. Last week he responded to a call at the apartment complex behind the Police Department where a lady had a premature delivery. When Pugh arrived, he found the tiny infant not breathing. He had been taught how to perform CPR on a baby, but had never performed it in a real-life setting. Pugh cleared the infant's airway and then began CPR. After several anxious moments the baby finally began to cry. Paramedics arrived and took the baby and mother to the hospital. They are both doing fine now.

Pugh has also earned statewide awards for most DWI citations issued for the past two years while the department as a whole has earned the award the last two years in their class.

Fury Captures State Runner-Up

The Franklinton Fury girls All-Star softball team placed 2nd in the ASA "Class B" State Tournament at North Oaks Park in Hammond on Saturday. The Fury defeated the Pink Pistols 12-0 before falling to LPR 4-0. They then defeated Lunachix 7-0 before falling again to LPR 8-4. Members of the Franklinton Fury are (Standing L - R): Allie McCain, Allie Jenkins, Bailey Spears, Madison LaSalle, Cailee Fruge, and Joley Fortenberry.  (Kneeling L-R):  Laynea Stafford, Hannah Grace Henn, Raygen Hart, and Caitlyn Polk. Coaches are Jerry Fruge and Byron Spears. The coaches would like to thank the Franklinton Girls Softball Association and the parents for their support this year.

2013 Franklinton Fury All-Star team

9-10 year-old All-Stars Advance

Both 9-10 year-old Franklinton All-Star teams finished as the top seed in their tournaments and now advance to the district tournament. The Franklinton Nationals defeated Loranger 13-3 in their championship game while the Franklinton Americans dominated  the Bogalusa All-Stars 31-2 in the championship game. The 12-team district tournament will be held in Franklinton this weekend where both teams will compete.

Members of the Franklinton Nationals are: Sammy Phelps, Coby Sheridan, Rece Dillon, Matthew Ginn, Zach LeMaire, Jordan Harrison, Tanner Buckley, Trenton Wilson, Zech Gill, Logan Magee, Cody Rosa and Shelton Jenkins. The 9-10 year-old Nationals are coached by Mike Phelps, Chad Dillon, Chris Ginn and Mike Waskom.

Members of the Franklinton Americans are: Tristan Jones, Hunter Blackwell, Michael Martin, Ty Killingsworth and Connor Tullos, Kameron Brumfield, Jaylen Burkhalter, Jeremy Williamson, Tre’Shaun Warren, Isaac Wascom, Peyton Sumrall and Devin Whaley. Coaches for the Americans are Jarod Wascom, Alex Sumrall, Adney Whaley, Jeremy Tullos, Jeremy Williamson and Buck Warren.

Franklinton, Americans 9-10 year-old All-Stars

2013 Franklinton American 9-10 year-old All-Stars

 

Cassidy Resigns from RMC Board

Riverside Medical Center Board Chairman Mike Cassidy submitted his resignation letter at the July 1 meeting. Cassidy faithfully served on the board for over 16 years and RMC made tremendous progress during that time. A replacement will be named at a later date by the Parish Government. He is to be commended for his dedication and commitment to Riverside Medical Center and the citizens it serves.

Franklinton 11-12-year-old All-Stars Enjoying Success

Two Franklinton 11-12-year-old All-Star teams have been nearly unbeatable in the 2013 All-Star season. The two teams have been so good that the only team they've lost to has been… Franklinton. The Franklinton Nationals and Franklinton Americans have played in two tournaments so far with the Nationals narrowly defeating the Americans. The teams recently played each other and extra innings were needed to determine a winner. The Nationals would end up with a 4-3 victory. Both teams advance to the district tournament where they hope to continue their success.

Franklinton National team members are: Shayland Allen, Cameron Bell, Andy Bienvenu, Kaden Fersch, Caleb LeMaire, Jacob Penton Magee, Cadyn Painter, Carson Ragas, Andrew Schilling, Micah Statham, Austin Thomassen and Tyler Winstead. The team is coached by Cody Magee, Ronnie Bell and Scott Thomassen. 

Franklinton American team members are: Jared "Doogie" Jenkins, Dalton Forbes, Wyatt Verret, Kendall Sheridan, Clinton Roux, Dustin Miller, Harrison Jones, Nate Bracey, Richard Berry, Cole Flynt, Que Warren, Morgan McDaniel. American Coaches are Chris Forbes, Jason Verret and Cade Harrison.

 Players and coaches from Franklinton's National and American All-Star teams gather after their extra inning contest Monday.

Welcome to Inside Washington Parish

Inside Washington Parish is a blog dedicated to bringing readers stories about a variety of topics that happen in our towns, cities and communities. I'll also take a look at different organizations, people, schools, attractions, local government and other matters of interest in Washington Parish. Hopefully you'll find this to be of interest and pass it on to your friends. Follow this blog by clicking the button on the right or subscribe by entering your e-mail address. This will allow you to receive e-mail alerts when new posts are made. Your comments are welcomed below each post. Hopefully you'll find the stories here to be informational and enjoyable. Thanks for stopping by and I encourage you to come back!