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(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

Morgan City police made three arrests Friday and Saturday on charges of possession of drugs that include methamphetamine, hydrocodone, marijuana and cocaine.
And a Berwick woman faces meth and DWI charges after her arrest Friday in Assumption Parish.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reports that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 113 calls for service within the last 72-hour reporting period and made these ar-rests beginning Friday:
—Luther Oliver, 22, Karla Drive, Thibodaux, was arrested at 2:16 p.m. Friday on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of hydrocodone, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug para-phernalia.
—Ernest N. Mingo, 37, Federal Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:53 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and disturbing the peace (intoxicated).
—Harrison Bernard Knox, 45, Park Street, Patterson, was arrested at 2:04 a.m. Saturday on warrants alleging attempted simple burglary and peeping tom, and charges of possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a penal facility.
—Nicholas Anthony Feliciano, 26, St. Clair Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 5:11 p.m. Friday on warrants alleging entry or remaining where forbidden, disturbing the peace (intoxicated) and probation violation.
—Jarred Naquin, 26, La. 665, Montegut, was arrested at 1:55 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace (intoxicated).
—Cody Theriot, 27, Benton Drive, Bourg, was arrested at 1:55 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace (intoxicated).
—Brennan Paul Cenac, 32, Bowman Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:43 a.m. Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse battery.
Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 25 complaints over the past weekend and made this arrest:
—Kendrick Madison, 44, Anderson Street, Franklin, was arrested at 9:49 p.m. Saturday on a warrant dated July 27 alleging aggravated second-degree battery and a warrant for 16th Judicial District Court for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Madison was booked, processed and held with no bond set at the time of this press release.
Assumption
Parish Sheriff Leland Fal-con reported these arrests:
—Nicole Lacoste Crochet, 38, River Road, Berwick, was arrested early Friday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, prohibited acts (Schedule I), reckless operation with accident, driving under a suspended license, driving while intoxicated, unlawful refusal to submit to chemical test, procedure on approach of an authorized emergency vehicle and possession of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle.
A uniformed patrol deputy was on assignment assisting another deputy Friday on La. 70 near Pierre Part when he observed a vehicle approaching in a reckless manner.
The violator vehicle struck a pickup truck, which was the subject of a prior incident.
The deputy made contact with the driver, identified as Crochet, and noted her to be impaired and under the influence of alcohol.
At some point, the deputy requested consent to search the vehicle and then decided to summon a K-9 unit to the scene. The K-9 conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert for the presence of illegal substances.
A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of multiple controlled dangerous substances.
Crochet was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
—James E. Pope, 36, East Songer Street, Waynesboro, Tennessee, was arrested Thursday on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, illegal possession of a firearm in the presence of controlled dangerous substances, possession of marijuana and driving on roadway laned for traffic.
The charges followed a Thursday evening stop in Pierre Part.
A uniformed patrol deputy observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation near La. 70 and Teddy Street and initiated a stop of the vehicle. The deputy made contact with the driver, identified as Pope and conducted an interview.
The deputy noted an odor of suspected marijuana emitting from the vehicle. The deputy further noted a holstered firearm inside the vehicle.
The deputy felt as though additional investigation was warranted. A search of the suspect vehicle yielded quantities of suspected marijuana and assorted drug paraphernalia as well as a large-caliber handgun.
Pope was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.

St. Mary Excel , a non-profit economic diversification organization, has been awarded a USDA Business Development grant. The award money funds free business and legal support services to business owners in the Morgan City and Berwick area.

St. Mary Excel Executive Director Monica Mancuso explains that “the grant allows us to implement recommendations made by the Urban Land Institute panel in their visit to the area. St. Mary Excel is excited to provide follow-up to those recommendations.”

Credentialed professionals have been contracted to deliver free services through small group seminars or as the need arises through individual sessions.

Upcoming business seminars will be 1:30-3:30 p.m. Oct. 20 (Accounting Set-up), Nov. 10 (Business Paperwork Submission) and Dec. 1 (Preparing for Tax Season).

Legal seminars cover Accessing Historic and Cultural District Tax Credits (Dec. 8) and Forming a Limited Liability Corporation (Nov. 3). Legal seminars take place 3-5 p.m.

All seminars are held at the South Louisiana Community College. To sign up for the free seminars, e-mail b.price@cityofmc.com or g.yarber@cityofmc.com

Gov. John Bel Edwards has entered Louisiana into a United Nations climate change initiative called Race to Zero.

The global campaign includes cities, states, regions, businesses and investors from around the world and centers on a zero carbon emissions platform, achieved no later than 2050.

Edwards, a Democrat, said joining the campaign will help prevent worsening effects of climate change, while creating jobs and “opening the door for inclusive, sustainable growth in a decarbonizing economy.”

“No state in our country is more adversely impacted by climate change than Louisiana – in just the last year alone we’ve experienced major hurricanes, flash flooding and a severe winter storm," Edwards said Wednesday. "But at the same time, no state is better positioned to be a leader in reducing carbon emissions and bolstering coastal resiliency.”

The initiative coincides with an upcoming international climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Edwards said. The conference is aimed at accelerating policies associated with the U.N. Paris Agreement and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“By joining Race to Zero, Louisiana redoubles its commitment to achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions of net zero by 2050, to make interim progress toward that goal in the next decade, to establish a plan of action to achieve these goals, and to make that plan a reality through implementation,” Edwards said.

The governor did not cite any costs associated with zeroing Louisiana’s carbon emissions is his news release, nor does the Race to Zero website.

Louisiana is a leading oil and gas producing state, with 250,000 related jobs, according to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. The industry generated $73 billion in state GDP last year and $4.5 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2019, the group reported.

Conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank, oppose climate change plans such as the Paris Agreement, saying compliance will “reduce incomes, drive up energy costs, and eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs (nationwide), while producing only trivial benefits.”

Edwards issued two executive orders last year creating a Climate Initiatives Task Force and appointing a state chief resilience officer. In May, he entered Louisiana into the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of states with mostly Democratic governors.

The Climate Initiatives Task Force has set several emission benchmarks, including a net greenhouse gas reduction of 26-28% by 2025. A reduction target of 40-50% is set for 2030, and a 100% reduction is planned for 2050.

Edwards, who will end his term-limited governorship in 2023, said Louisiana is on the “front lines” of climate change.

“Extreme heat, devastating storms, flooding, and other harmful impacts to human health and financial well-being are putting our state to the test," Edwards said. "If humanity does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these conditions will only worsen and adaptation will become even more difficult."

The funeral for School Board member Sylvia Kay Lockett, a longtime educator in both east and west St. Mary Parish, is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Friday in Baldwin.
Lockett died Oct. 8 at Franklin Foundation Hospital.
“Her legacy as a life-long educator will never be forgotten,” said a post on West St. Mary High’s Facebook page. “Rest in Power.”
Facebook posts mourning Lockett’s death began showing up early Saturday morning.
Lockett, 65, was a native and resident of the Four Corners area.
She had served on the St. Mary Parish School Board beginning in January 2019 after qualifying without opposition to represent District 2 in western St. Mary.
Lockett earned her bachelor of arts degree at Southern University in 1978 and returned to Southern in 1993 for her master’s degree and master’s plus 30.
She started teaching in 1978 at Bayou Vista Elementary, and also taught at Thomas Gibbs, Centerville, Julia B. Maitland and G.W. Hamilton elementary schools.
From 1993 to 1996, she was the district’s instructional facilitator/specialist in staff development.
Lockett was principal at Thomas Gibbs 1996-99 and at Hernandez Elementary 1999-2014.
“St. Mary Parish Schools is deeply saddened by the passing of a longtime educator who helped lead our schools through many changes in public education,” Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell said in an email Monday.
“Ms. Lockett demonstrated a strong belief and commitment in the importance of education particularly, its role in impacting future generations. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to her family and friends in this time of sorrow.”
A public viewing will be conducted 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Jones Funeral Home, 1101 Main St., Franklin
Viewing and visitation will resume beginning at 8 a.m. Friday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 414 Martin Luther King Jr. St., Baldwin, until the beginning of the Omega Omega Services of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. at 11 a.m.
Tributes and expressions will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by a rosary being recited at high noon. ‘
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. with burial following the Mass at the Sorrel Community Cemetery.