Council meeting rescheduled due to furnace, weather

The regular monthly meeting, originally scheduled for Monday, was postponed due to inclement weather and Jack Hammons Community Center’s furnace started smoking during meeting preparations.

Scheduled to be voted on is a cooperative endeavor agreement between Winnsboro Police Department and Ward 7/ City Court; grant applications to the Louisiana Office of Tourism and Keep Louisiana Beautiful program, according to the agenda.

Council members will also decide on police department policy and procedures.

During the Dec. 28 meeting, Economic Director Sam Sheppard will present her quarterly economic development report while police and fire departments will give their reports.

Police Jury holds kratom public hearing

In other meeting news, the Police Jury held a public hearing Tuesday night after press time to consider an ordinance that would make kratom illegal to sell in Franklin Parish.

A complete story will be published at www.franklinsun.com.

In their regular November meeting, Police Jury members heard from Sheriff Kevin Cobb who proposed banning the substance.

Kratom is an herbal extract that comes from the leaves of an evergreen tree grown in Southeast Asia, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kratom’s liquid form is often marketed as a treatment for muscle pain, or to suppress appetite and stop cramps and diarrhea. Kratom is also sold as a treatment for panic attacks.

But, Mayo Clinic researchers who have studied kratom think its side effects and safety problems more than offset any potential benefits. 

Poison control centers in the United States received about 1,800 reports involving use of kratom from 2011 through 2017, including reports of death. About half of these exposures resulted in serious negative outcomes such as seizures and high blood pressure.