This year has been good for settling things. The price of oil appears to have settled in at $50-$60 per barrel, with all sorts of implications for St. Mary. The fate of the Bayou Chene flood control project appears to be settled, as are two long-awaited highway projects. St. Mary public schools settled down this year after the uproar caused by the decision to close Hernandez and Shannon elementary schools. One thing wasn’t settled: the years of elbow-throwing by Patterson’s Mayor Rodney Grogan and Police Chief Patrick LaSalle. Dec. 8 turned out to be a good day to settle in at the house with ...