After months of uncertainty, the waiting room at Whitfield Family Practice on Millbrook Street filled again this past Monday — and this time, the name on the appointment ledger belonged to Dr. Sarah Chen.
Dr. Chen, who arrived from Memphis late last month, completed her first full week of patient care on Friday. The transition, long anticipated and more than once delayed, appears to have gone quietly well. Corrine Estelle Meeks, the county clinic's head nurse, who assisted during the handover period, offered a measured assessment. "She came in prepared," Meeks said. "She knew the files, she knew the equipment, and she didn't waste anybody's time getting settled."
While no formal reception has yet been announced, residents along the Millbrook corridor have taken notice. Franklin Price at Price Pharmacy confirmed that prescription coordination with the practice resumed without interruption on Tuesday morning. Treadwell's Tailor Shop, back open after its own recent troubles, sits just a half-block from the practice, and Alma Jean Treadwell allowed that she had watched more than a few familiar faces come and go through the week. "People were nervous," she admitted, straightening a bolt of fabric without looking up. "But they went. That's what matters."
Dr. Whitfield, who announced his medical leave this past spring, has not made a public statement regarding the arrangement. The practice retains his name for the present.
Dr. Chen has taken a room at Opaline's Boarding House while she arranges permanent lodging. She has not yet spoken to the press.
Corduroy Falls has been without a steady physician at the practice since April. That stretch — longer than most residents cared to admit — is now, by all appearances, over.
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TOMMY RAY BRIGGS FOUND SAFE; FAMILY REQUESTS PRIVACY
The Briggs family confirmed Thursday that Tommy Ray Briggs, 19, missing since late April, has been located and is in good health. According to a brief statement relayed through Sheriff Clayton Boggs, Tommy was found at a tavern two counties west and has since been staying with his maternal grandmother.
"He's alive. He's not hurt," Sheriff Boggs told the Gazette, his voice carrying the flat relief of a man who had prepared for worse. "The family knows where he is. That's where we leave it."
The family has asked that no further details be published and that their privacy be respected during this time. The Gazette honors that request.
Deputies from this office and volunteers from as far as the Corduroy Falls Lumber Yard participated in search efforts over the past several weeks. No formal comment was forthcoming from that quarter, though Rufus Aldean Stokes, reached briefly outside the yard Friday morning, said only that he was glad the boy turned up.
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COMMUNITY NOTES
SUMMER SESSIONS AT ARCENEAUX MUSIC STUDIO: Yvonne Celestine Arceneaux has announced summer enrollment at the Arceneaux Music Studio on Depot Lane, and the response has surprised even her. Voice, piano, and rudimentary theory are all on offer. Among those inquiring about voice instruction is Annette Coralee Byrd, a graduating senior at Corduroy Falls High School, whose interest has reportedly been consistent across multiple visits to the studio this week. Mrs. Arceneaux says she expects to begin scheduling lessons by the 22nd.
PIE CONTEST: The Ladies' Auxiliary met Wednesday and reports the matter settled. No further comment.
