Parish councilman: Help stop gun violence

FRANKLIN — A parish councilman on Wednesday appealed to St. Mary residents to help authorities stop a recent wave of gun violence.
“I just want to urge the public, if you see something, say something …,” Councilman J Ina of Franklin said at Wednesday’s regular Parish Council meeting. “Don’t turn a blind eye when you see something.”
Ina spoke the day after a shooting at Third and Iberia streets in Franklin. The shooting wounded one person, the Franklin Police Department reported.
Authorities are looking for a suspect, J’Trell Connor, who is named in a warrant on charges that include two counts of attempted second-degree murder. More on the case appears on Page 2.
In Baldwin, deputies made two arrests, one on second-degree murder charges, in the May 2 shooting death of Brian Gibson Jr., 23, on Main Street.
Authorities also made four arrests in the March 25 shooting death of Keiondre Onell Allridge, 21, of Thibodaux, whose body was found in a vehicle at a Patterson-area truck stop.
“Every time you look up, there’s a gun, a shooting …,” Ina said. “It’s not good. It’s disturbing to me.”
Also Wednesday, Parish President David Hanagriff said parish government was ready for last week’s heavy rain and a brief threat from a tropical disturbance off the Texas coast.
Hanagriff said he updated council members on the weather. The Hanson flood gate was closed along with the new Bayou Teche Flood Control Structure near Baldwin.
“We didn’t get the surge, we didn’t get the rain we thought we’d get,” Hanagriff said. “But we were prepared.”
Also Wednesday:
—The parish government will receive $2.38 million under the Federal Off-System Highway Bridge Program for the replacement of deficient bridges, Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. “Bo” LaGrange reported.
LaGrange said the parish has been able to keep with deficiencies discovered by bridge inspections every two years.
“It is anticipated that St. Mary Parish will bank its funds again this year as there are no bridges planned for replacement at this time,” LaGrange wrote.
—The council wants more information about bids to become the parish’s official journal.
A government’s official journal is the newspaper in which it publishes legal advertising, such as meeting minutes and proposed ordinances, required by state law.
Bids were submitted on behalf of The Banner-Tribune of Franklin, which has served as the parish government’s journal, and The Daily Review of Morgan City. Both bids were for a rate of $6 per square.
Both newspapers are operated by Louisiana State Newspapers, a fact that generated some discussion.
Ina said he hopes legal advertising will continue to appear in a publication in the parish’s west end as well as the east end. Hanagriff noted that the Banner-Tribune is now published weekly rather than daily, and that The Daily Review’s five-days-per-week schedule might offer flexibility in publishing ads with legal deadline requirements.
The administration will go back to Publisher Mary Terry to talk about rates for possible dual publication.
—The council passed resolutions of respect for three people who died recently.
Halsema A. Pinho of Patterson, who died March 31, was a longtime member of the Sewerage District No. 8 and Waterworks Dist-rict No. 5 boards. He was also a building contractor.
Nicholas LaRocca of Morgan City, who died April 24, spent his adult life practicing law in Morgan City and had been published in the Louisiana Law Review. He was also active in his church and served on the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities.
Larry Doiron, who died May 18, served as a police juror 1968-72 and as the police jury president in 1969. He also served on the Morgan City Council and the board of the Port of Morgan City. Doiron had plumbing and development businesses in the area for more than 70 years.