Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley has announced she will seek reelection on the Spring 2025 ballot.
Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley has announced she will seek reelection to office in next spring's election. She released her official statement to Observations last week as follows:
“Over the past few months, several members of the community have asked if I was considering another term as Town of Many Chief of Police. After discussing with trusted friends and community leaders, I’m formally announcing my intent to seek a second term.
”I was first asked to consider an appointment for Chief of Police in December of 2020. Originally, I was to serve out the unexpired term of former Chief Roger Freeman. I initially agreed to the appointment to repay the community that had so welcomed me over the 14 years I have resided here. Then I was asked by the staff of the Police Department and others to consider qualifying for a full term. I was elected unopposed in 2021 and since then have done my best to carry out my duties that I was so graciously charged with by the townspeople.
“Now three years later, I’m very proud of our Police Department, its officers and the great relationship we have with the Mayor and Town Council. During my tenure, I have emphasized the importance of a well-trained police force. At the time of my appointment to the position, the Department had four officers who were Peace Officer Standards Training (POST) certified. Today all of our officers are POST certified. I have also placed the upgrade of the department’s facilities and equipment as a top priority. Over the past three years, we have upgraded our building, installed security systems and taken care of generally deferred maintenance. Via a leasing program, we have upgraded and modernized our fleet of vehicles, with each having trauma kits, fire extinguishers and laptop computers.
“At the time of my appointment the department lacked even basic and adequate supplies of ammunition. Today we maintain an ample supply and encourage officers to keep their firearm skills well honed. We have upgraded our body camera system, and every officer must wear and have their cameras on while on duty. We have upgraded our evidence room to make certain any evidence required in the prosecution of a crime meets all required handling and storage requirements. Auditors have complimented our evidence maintenance systems.
“Administratively, I do not want our town to become a speed trap. But when citations are issued, they must be paid. Over the past three years, we have initiated a system for referring unpaid fines to a collection agency, significantly increasing revenue from fines issued. We have a state-certified records retention clerk, and all our file systems are up to date. We have two school resource certified officers seeing to the security of our local school grounds. We have accomplished so much over the past three years, and all within the budget provided to us by the Town Council.
”I have done my part to conserve our resources. I have not taken use of a Town-owned automobile or participated in the Town’s health insurance program. I use my personal cell phone for all police business, and it is available to anyone. I do not seek reimbursement for this expense from the Town.
“I could go on and on about all the accomplishments of the department under my administration. But what I’m most proud of are our officers and office personnel. We have fine individuals seeing to the safety of or town. I would put their abilities up against any department in the state.
“Personally, I have done my best to support community outreach. I have attended countless community events both day and night. I have spearheaded the Shop with a Cop Christmas program for underprivileged kids and am a founding board member of the local Kiwanis Club, serving on its board. I am also chairman of the board of Project Celebration, Inc.
“I am committed to making our department available to all our citizens and being involved in our community.
”Over the next six months I plan to personally visit with as many of the citizens of our Town as possible and ask for your vote. If elected, the only promise I will make is to continue to maintain a well-trained, well-equipped, responsive and supportive police department for all the citizens of the Town of Many.”
The Phillip “Koolaid” Cutrer family; Phillip is shown in the center, blue shirt, with wife Jennifer and their children. Cutrer is set to officially announce this Friday for Many Chief of Police.
Observations learned last week that Phillip “Koolaid” Cutrer is planning to throw his hat in the ring for Many Chief of Police. We understand he intends to hold his official launch on Friday, Sept. 6, to coincide with the first home football game of the Many Tigers.
We remember our longtime friend, Barry Guilett, of Natchitoches.
There is no doubt when God made Barry Guillet, He threw away the mold. We were very saddened to learn of his recent death on Sunday, Sept. 1. I have known Barry for years and before him, his father, John, who was a gifted photographer.
Barry had a successful real estate, appraisal and development business in Natchitoches for years, but to my mind his greatest achievement beyond his beautiful family was the ability to spin a yarn like no other. He could take a few random facts about any topic, embellish it wildly, but somehow still manage to tell it with astounding believability. I’ve watched him do it countless times. It was a joy of my life to watch Barry perform his storytelling magic on an unsuspecting group.
At my funeral féte back in 2011, Barry served as honorary undertaker, and he played his part to the hilt. He showed up in a wig and Bubba teeth for the occasion, and he was absolutely hilarious.
Barry said he was the world’s biggest George Jones fan, and when George’s widow, Nancy, came to Many last fall for a book signing to promote her new book, we had a lot of fun making a special poster image of Barry replete with a western shirt and hat to display at the packed event.
This big 2-ft. by 3-ft. poster of Barry Guillet with his George Jones books, including Nancy Jones' new "Playin' Possum," was on display at her book signing in this area last fall. The poster later hung in his office in Natchitoches.
Barry was a Vietnam War veteran, a helicopter pilot and later, an acrobatic plane pilot. We hear his plane and helicopter antics were a match to the witty tales he told unsuspecting listeners, except when he "performed" in the air with someone on board, he had a captive audience - literally - in flight.
As recently as the COVID pandemic, Barry was kind enough to be on the radio with me on my regular, monthly show with Tedd Dumas for "Open Line." He told some fabulous stories of how he, his faithful companion, (a gorilla no less), and her pet monkey were making it through the pandemic by the hardest.
We will miss Barry. He was a bright light in a world that often needs a lot more laughter. We extend our deepest sympathies to his son, Chris, and wife Lisa, son David and wife Angela, his grandchildren and all the family.
John Barry Guillet was a good man. There will never be another like him.
This clump of dead pine trees borders Hwy. 6 between Robeline and Hagewood. Two rotten trees have fallen in recent days, both across the highway.
This big oak tree, half dead, is located along Hwy. 6 just east of Many.
Not only are highways in danger of falling trees, but there are many dead trees located beside power lines in the area.
Power lines and the Marthaville Road are both in danger when these two trees fall.
This huge, dead pine is located not far from Many on the Marthaville Road.
Have you noticed all the dead trees along our highways and power lines lately? There are a lot of them, and they are starting to fall. It sure looks to us like they present a clear and present danger. And there will be a lot of work when those trees fall.
Take State Hwy. 6 between Robeline and Hagewood. There are a lot of dead pine trees along the route. In recent weeks, two trees fell, both falling across the highway.
It seems the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), CLECO and SWEPCO power companies would all strive to stay ahead of the game and cut dead trees down before they fall.
There could be some major liability issues if a tree falls on a vehicle or kills a person. And, of course, that does not even consider the issue of a power outage, and other emergencies related to power outages. Trees falling onto power lines could create a big problem for residents, especially the vulnerable who may have conditions that require power for operating essential medical equipment.
It’s not very often that Sabine Parish makes the pages of The New York Times. But on Aug. 11, Sabine was mentioned in a story entitled “Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones,” written by Natasha Singer.
The story said that cellphones have become a big problem in schools with 70 percent of high school teachers saying that student phones are a distraction and a major problem. The Louisiana Legislature passed a law last session to ban cellphone use in public schools.
Under a sub-heading entitled, “How schools are enforcing the new state bans,” the following was written:
“Some schools are now racing to alert families about the new cellphones rules and put them into effect.
“Among them is Sabine Parish, a small district in Western Louisiana, which posted an online notice last week warning students and parents that ‘all cellphones and smart watches must be stowed in lockers or powered off’ during class time.”
Thanks to longtime friend and regular Observations reader Robert Eugene Easley of Seabrook, TX for calling this article to our attention.
Louisiana Adopts New Policies to "Let Teachers Teach"
Louisiana is implementing wide-ranging solutions proposed by State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley to help eliminate classroom distractions for teachers. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved new policies today based on recommendations from Dr. Brumley’s Let Teachers Teach workgroup. Set to take effect before the end of the school year, the policies will significantly reduce the number of trainings teachers are required to repeat every year, tighten student discipline, and give effective educators more freedom over lesson planning.
“Louisiana is making a stand to take the teaching profession back for educators, students, and parents,” said Dr. Brumley. “I applaud BESE for helping us remove disruptions so teachers can actually teach, and students can actually learn,” he said.
Let Teachers Teach is a workgroup of over two dozen teachers from across the state. They developed a set of 18 recommendations centered on reducing excessive training and paperwork, restoring the art of teaching, and removing classroom disruptions.
Highlights of the policies approved by BESE during their August meeting include:
• Decoupling student behavior and the school accountability system. Student suspension rates will no longer be used to identify schools needing intervention.
• Ensuring teachers have the right to have a student removed from the classroom immediately when their behavior prevents the orderly instruction of other students or poses a threat. A new discipline policy impacts the Teacher Bill of Rights and changes how school leaders must respond to persistent disruptions during class.
• Streamlining and reducing dozens of non-academic trainings and lessons teachers had been required by the state to repeat annually. Most will shift to a “one-and-done” approach where teachers complete the training one time, while others will be folded into other resources or support opportunities.
• Increasing professional autonomy for effective educators. Teachers who consistently demonstrate success will be provided more freedom with teaching practices and lesson planning.
“Our unanimous decision today reflects an intentional approach to improve student outcomes,” said BESE President Ronnie Morris. He continued, “By eliminating redundant training and improving educator support, we are optimizing the environment for both teaching and learning, which are essential to academic success.”
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) collaborated with multiple stakeholders in the development of the policies. The LDOE and BESE have outlined actions around all 18 recommendations. These range from new state laws, policy changes, and guidance for local school systems.
About the Let Teachers Teach workgroup
Dr. Brumley launched the workgroup in February to develop common sense solutions to unnecessary bureaucracies and classroom disruptions that keep teachers from doing what they do best - teaching students. Gov. Jeff Landry joined Dr. Brumley and teachers from across the state to unveil the recommendations in May. The workgroup is the product of feedback the LDOE has received through formal channels such as the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council as well as informal channels such as classroom visits and faculty meetings hosted by Dr. Brumley.
(Special thanks to LA Dept. of Education Deputy Chief of Communication Ted Beasley for the above report.)
Mary Beth Brocato, right, of Many represented the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission at the annual convention of the Louisiana Travel Association in Shreveport Wednesday, Aug. 28. She is shown with longtime friend Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. He was the guest speaker at the morning session of the group.
Mrs. Beth Haire Savill Hill, above, was honored for her 75 years of teaching Sunday School on Sunday, Aug. 25, at Wallace Baptist Church. She began teaching as a teenager at Wallace Baptist and served in several other churches along the way and ended her teaching career again at Wallace. She has touched the lives of many children, both in church and public school, and continues to set a Christian example for all. Thanks to Ms. Ginny Garlington for her post which shared this information.
BEAR HUNTING LOTTERY IS OPEN! The highly-anticipated Louisiana Black Bear Hunting Lottery opened Aug. 29 and continues through Sept. 25. The Black Bear hunting season will take place Dec. 7-22 in Bear Management Area 4, which consists of Tensas, Madison, East and West Carroll and parts of Richland, Franklin and Catahoula Parishes.
The lottery will issue 10 permits.
AMERICA FIRST: We live in a world where your kid can’t pretend to be an Indian, but a grown man can pretend to be a woman.
It was nice while it lasted. This large banner hung on the brick wall of Forever Wellness & Recovery in Many almost one full business day last Wednesday, Aug. 28.
A beautiful banner proclaiming “Jesus, the Name Above All Names” hung less than 8 hours on an exterior wall of the Forever Wellness & Recovery Center on South Capitol Street in Many last week.
The center, a Christian-based organization, at first approved the hanging of the banner, then a few hours later, decided to take it down.
It was explained that some of the people the center is trying to help come through the doors very mad at God, perhaps blaming God for their addiction or other troubles in life. They have not yet achieved enough introspection or personal accountability to fully grasp free will and how damaging personal choices can be.
Because of a fear of alienating some of the people the center is trying to help, it was decided to remove the banner.
We enjoyed the banner while it lasted and wish it would have remained on display. Perhaps if Christians had not removed Christ from the public square so often in the past, people would not be struggling so much today with tragic life situations, including addictions.
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