RSS Feed

Beau’s female friends send a ‘hands-off’ vibe to his paramour

DEAR ABBY: I have been seeing a wonderful man for seven months and spend every weekend with him. We live 45 miles apart, but it works for us. He has a group of friends, five ladies, that he spends a lot of time with. He dated one of them for a year before he broke it off, but they remain friends. I have met the group and, while they act friendly, I get a proprietary vibe from them.
It makes me feel extremely uncomfortable around them and I have told him so. Am I looking for trouble where there isn’t any? Should I just ignore the fact that his friends are women? He has men friends, too, but it’s the girls he is closer to.
THREATENED IN ARIZONA

DEAR THREATENED: Some men relate better to women than they do to men — which may be why your gentleman friend is closer to these women than to his male friends. They may be emitting a “proprietary vibe” because they feel threatened and fear you will steal him away.
I don’t know where this relationship is headed, and neither do you at this point. So for now, ignore the “vibes.” Be warm and friendly to the women and concentrate on what you have going with him. And please, write me again in six months so I and my readers know what happens.

DEAR ABBY: My daughter is expecting her second child. I threw a baby shower for her when she was expecting her first and she complained that it “felt cheap” and wasn’t the celebration she envisioned. I was deeply hurt, but the shower was for her, and I did not want to focus on my feelings. I apologized and tried to make it up with extra gifts. I am unsure whether I should plan a shower for her now. I don’t want to offend her by not doing so. Everyone in our circle is fully vaccinated for COVID so that would not be a concern.
Please advise.
WELL-MEANING IN NEW MEXICO

DEAR WELL-MEANING: Your daughter’s behavior is rude, insensitive and ungrateful. You are under no obligation to give her another baby shower. If she approaches you for another one, suggest she ask some of her friends to give her the “shower of her dreams.”
P.S. This is just an FYI, but if you care about the rules of etiquette, it is considered a breach for a mother to throw her daughter a shower. You have already done more than enough for her.

DEAR ABBY: Why, in social situations, do women with long hair feel the need to constantly change their hairstyle from an updo to letting it fall to their shoulders and vice versa? This lets hair — and dander — fly around, and it’s especially offensive at the dinner table. It’s like bringing in a collie and having it shake all over three or four times. We have noticed this especially in middle-aged women.
Does anyone else find this offensive? My neighbor thinks they are trying to draw attention to themselves.
HAIRY SITUATION IN WASHINGTON

DEAR HAIRY SITUATION: This is a habit I have observed among women of every age. Switching from an updo to down and vice versa could also be temperature-related. (Could the middle-aged women be menopausal?) It may also be a nervous habit. But in most cases, I agree with your neighbor. It screams, “Look at me!”
***
To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

SHAWN MAURICE JOHNSON

Shawn Maurice Johnson, 49, a resident of Bayou Vista, La. and native of Berwick, La., passed away peacefully on Wednesday August 11, 2021 at 3:33 p.m.. at Franklin Foundation Hospital.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday August 21, 2021 at the Patterson Civic Center 116 Cotten Road Patterson, La. 70392 from 9 a.m. until funeral services at 11 a.m. (All visitors are asked to adhere to the CDC-local regulations by wearing masks and practicing social distancing). Funeral Services will be accessible by viewing the Jones Funeral Home Facebook page on Saturday August 21, 2021 at 11 a.m.
Memories of Shawn will forever remain in the hearts of his mother, Mrs. Lavin (Wanda) Jones of Breaux Bridge, La.; his wife, Penny Norton Johnson of Corpus Christi, TX; daughters, Shawnna (Alan Sylvester) Johnson of Bayou Vista, La. and Brittany (Derrick Walker) Everage of Patterson, La. and; sons, James Husband of Terrell, TX, Tyron Sweet of New Iberia, La and Quincy Johnson of Gibson, La.; four sisters, Mrs. Thomas (Sandra) Morrison of Patterson, La., Mrs. Kevin (Sheila) Sam and Mrs. Terrance (Lisa) Francis, both of Lydia, La. and Mrs. Raymond (Rhonda) Daniels of Morgan City, La.; four brothers, Leroy (Bridget) Johnson of Morgan City, La., Ronald (Ida) Johnson of Patterson, La., Frederick (Cynthia) Johnson of Labadieville, La. and Charles (Lombas) Johnson of Berwick, La.; thirteen grandchildren, god-parents, Barbara Walker of Morgan City, La. and Ricky Williams of Patterson, La.; god-sister, Connie Riles-Johnson of Patterson, La.; godchildren, a companion; Kristina Ledford; thirty-six grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Shawn was preceded in death by his father, a son, a grandchild, niece, paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents, and four uncles.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette and Houma. Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

KA’SHERA NICHELLE JONES

Ka’Shera Nichelle Jones, 35, a native and resident of Amelia, La. passed away peacefully on August 9, 2021 at 8:40 p.m. at Ochsner St. Mary.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Union Bethel AME Church Cemetery, Friendship Alley Amelia, La., from 10:30 a.m. until graveside services at 11 a.m.
Memories of Ka’Shera will forever remain in the hearts of her three brothers, Roger Jones, J. C. Ford, Jr., and Jerrence Ford Sr.; her grandmother, Hilda Jones, all of Amelia, La.; four nieces, two nephews, and a host of aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends.
Ka’Shera was preceded in death by her parents; paternal grandparents, and her maternal grandfather.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette and Houma. Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

BURNEY “CANE HAULER” CARTER, JR.

Burney “Cane Hauler” Carter, Jr., 61, a native of Charenton, La. and resident of Lake Charles, La. passed away peacefully on Friday, August 13, 2021 at 6:20 p.m. at Landmark of Lake Charles Retirement Home in Lake Charles, La.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday, August 21, 2021 from 9 a.m. until funeral services at 11 a.m. at Jones Funeral Home, 1101 Main Street Franklin, La. (All visitors are asked to adhere to the CDC-local regulations by wearing masks and practicing social distancing). Funeral Services will be accessible by viewing the Jones Funeral Home Facebook page on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 11 a.m.
Burney “Cane Hauler” is survived by six sons; Joseph Richardson of Bunkie, La., Burney Carter III of Bunkie, La., Courtney Richardson, Justin Richardson, Jeremy Richardson all of Franklin, La. and Terrance Payton of Patterson, La., seven daughters; Lisa Richardson Phillips of Lafayette, La, Aleida Payton of Patterson, La., Erica Richardson, Angelina Mack, Brittany Mack Bastin, Joniquia Gunner, all of Franklin, La., and Ashley Richardson of Bunkie, La.; two brothers, Robert Carter of Spring, TX and Kevin Carter of Charenton, La.; and two sisters, Judy Carter Cuffee of Durham, NC and Alida A. Carter of Charenton, La., along with 19 grandchildren and host of nieces, nephews, family and friends.
Mr. Carter was preceded in death by his father; his mother, a brother, and two sisters.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette and Houma. Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

SOSTANE GERARD TAURIAC

Sostane Gerard Tauriac, 63, a resident and native of New Iberia, La., passed away peacefully on Friday August 13, 2021 at 9:05 a.m. at Iberia Medical Center.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday August 21, 2021 from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church 321 Center Street New Iberia, La. 70560. (All visitors are asked to adhere to the CDC-local regulations by wearing masks and practicing social distancing both at Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church & St. Edwards Catholic Church). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. at St. Edwards Catholic Church 175 Ambassador W Lemelle Drive New Iberia, La. 70560. Burial will follow funeral services in the St. Edwards Catholic Church Cemetery.
Memories of Sostane will forever remain in the hearts of his mother, Catherine Frilot of New Iberia, La.; daughter, Ashley Tauriac, MD of Nashville, TN; former spouse, Cindi Payton of Alamogordo, NM; step-daughter, Saysha Adams, of Atlanta, GA; siblings, Wallace Tauriac, Jr. (Audrey) of Spring, TX, Velda T. Metz (Butch) of Jeanerette, La., Belinda Tauriac, Albertine T. (Calvin) Reissland, Al Tauriac, Kennedy Tauriac, and Gregg Tauriac all of New Iberia, La. and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Sostane was preceded in death by his father, Wallace Tauriac Sr.
Active Pallbearers will be Kennedy Tauriac, Gregg Tauriac, Larren Metz, Kennedy Tauriac Jr, Kyle Tauriac, and Kenwyth Walker.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Wallace Tauriac, Jr., Lionel “Butch” Metz, Calvin Reissland, Maceo Bevrette, Al Tauriac, Kevin Moore, Reginald Frilot, and Phillip Matthew.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Jeanerette-Franklin and Houma. Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

Fishing rodeo leaders give check to Young Memorial

The Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo was back at full power this year. And on Wednesday, organizers made what has become an annual donation to South Louisiana Community College’s Young Memorial Campus.
Oilfield Fishing Rodeo President Sammy Cannata handed SLCC Vice Chancellor Lana Fontenot a check for $10,000 at the Young Memorial Campus on Youngs Road.
More donations are on their way to Nicholls State University and to the Boy Scouts of America.
This year marked the ninth Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo. Last year’s rodeo was a slimmed-down affair because of COVID-19 and relied on the participation of anglers and not on sponsors for its fundraising.
This year’s rodeo in June had participation approaching pre-COVID levels, and sponsorship support as well, Cannata said.
The title sponsor was Pelican Companies, which provided labor, food, drink and financial support.
The Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo makes the donations without attaching strings. At Young Memorial, the annual gift goes to scholarships for its students. Applications are expected to open in October.
“People will send letters, and it’s good to realize that you can see how much it means to them,” Cannata said.
On hand Wednesday for the check presentation were Cannata and Director Jo Anne Bergeron from the rodeo; Sheila Hue, Campus Director Tammie Moore, and Dean of Maritime and Continuing Education Anthony Baham, all of SLCC; Fontenot, who is executive director of the SLCC Foundation; and Morgan Wampler of the foundation’s Development Office.
In its nine years, the rodeo has raised money for $120,000 in donations.

69 new COVID cases, two more deaths in St. Mary

Sixty-nine new COVID-19 cases and two deaths were reported in St. Mary Parish for the 24 hours ending at midday Wednesday, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

The pandemic case count for St. Mary is now 7,351. The death toll reached 167 Wednesday, including 20 deaths since Aug. 1.

Statewide, 6,606 new cases were reported Wednesday along with two deaths.

The number of COVID-positive patients in Louisiana hospitals rose by 10 to 3,022.

Senators rip Biden over call for more OPEC production

Staff Report
Louisiana’s U.S. senators condemned President Joe Biden’s call for increased OPEC production “instead of putting Americans back to work,” they said in a letter.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, both Republicans, joined 22 GOP colleagues in signing the letter this week.
“It is astonishing that your Administration is now seeking assistance from an international oil cartel when America has sufficient domestic supply and reserves to increase output which would reduce gasoline prices,” wrote the senators.
The president issued his call for greater OPEC production as a means to reduce gas prices, which in south Louisiana have risen from below $2 per gallon to $2.50-$3 since Biden took office in January.
At the same time, the president has tried to block offshore lease auctions even as thousands of Louisiana residents have lost energy-related jobs since the fracking boom began more than a decade ago.
St. Mary Parish employment has fallen by about 9,000 jobs since oil prices began their plunge from more than $110 per barrel in autumn 2014.
The Biden administration has portrayed delays in offshore leasing as a way to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. The argument for emission controls has grown in strength in recent years as widespread wildfires in the West, unusually active hurricane seasons, and dramatic extremes in hot and cold weather have strengthened the argument for the human contribution to climate change.
The senators’ letter focused on the impact on jobs.
“We agree with your intent to reduce the cost of gas for hardworking Americans, but your domestic policy agenda has proven to have the opposite effect and continues to threaten American jobs and family budgets,” the senators.
“Last month, gas prices reached a seven year high and are forty-percent higher than they were on January 1, 2021,” they wrote.
“It is no surprise how we got here. Your Administration’s approach to domestic oil and gas development has been contrary to an ‘America First’ energy agenda and reinforces a reliance on foreign oil.
“For example, you have rejoined America into the radical, job-killing Paris Climate Agreement, cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline and its associated 10,000 jobs, imposed an apparently indefinite pause on oil and gas drilling leases on federal lands and waters, and proposed increasing taxes on those engaged in oil and gas development.
“These policies, in conjunction with runaway inflation, are increasing the price of gas and do not serve American interests. On the contrary, these policies threaten our energy and national security by making us more reliant on foreign nations for our energy needs.”
In addition to Cassidy and Kennedy, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Braun and Todd Young of Indiana, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven of North Dakota, Steve Daines of Montana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Jim Imhoff and James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Dan Sullivan of Alabama and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

From the Editor: Festival board makes tough call, gets credit for acting in the public interest

The Spirit of Morgan City.
The phrase from the bow of the shrimp boat in the Brashear Avenue median came to mind Monday night after the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival Board of Directors voted to cancel this year’s festival.
There’s a feeling that we’re missing more than a weekend of decorated boats, live music and carnival rides
“It’s about family and friends,” said Cajun Coast Director Carrie Stansbury, who gave the board credit for making a tough call. “It’s about spending time together. It’s about Louisiana culture.”
At the same time, we’ve seen too many of our neighbors taken away COVID-19. Twenty of them have died since Aug. 1, according to St. Mary Coroner Dr. Eric Melancon, including two on the day the festival board voted.
How would you like a choice like the one that faced the board? It’s like deciding whether to be Typhoid Mary or the Grinch Who Stole Labor Day.
Dr. William Cefalu Jr. has a worthwhile perspective to share. Cefalu returned to Morgan City after medical school to practice medicine in his hometown.
For the last 18 months, that practice has included the treatment of COVID patients.
“We all would like to have a festival,” Cefalu said Tuesday. “But given the environment and the pandemic, the rational and proper decision is to cancel it.
“Otherwise it would be a super spreader event that would tax a medical infrastructure that can’t take it.”
Melancon and Cefalu have talked about their frustration with St. Mary’s low COVID vaccination rate, which took a 1-point jump in the last week but still is below 32%, lagging even the Louisiana rate. And Louisiana ranks near the bottom when it comes to vaccination.
The two local physicians are encouraging vaccinations for the reasons you know about: self-protection and to slow COVID’s spread.
Melancon also talked Monday night about a reason you may not know about.
It’s in the genes
That reason is that by getting the vaccine and limiting new infections, we reduce the risk that a new variant will emerge, maybe a new variant even more potent than Delta. It has to do with the nature of viruses.
I got a crash course in virus genetics while covering an attempted murder trial in the 1990s. A physician was accused of drawing blood from HIV and hepatitis C patients and injecting it into his extramarital girlfriend. He told the woman he was giving her a shot of B-12, and she later tested positive for both diseases.
Prosecutors would like to have used DNA testing to demonstrate a definitive link between the viruses from the two patients and the virus infecting the girlfriend. But, as it turns out, you can’t do that with viruses.
Your DNA will be about the same throughout your life, barring some radiological or chemical catastrophe. As your genetic material replicates itself, a built-in editing function throws out the bad copies. One slips through occasionally, creating a mutation. But only a tiny fraction of mutations make any real difference.
Viruses lack that editing function. So they’re prone to what scientists call “genetic drift.” The mistakes get through, changing the genetic blueprint the virus uses to reproduce itself and creating vastly more chances for mutation.
Again, most mutations don’t make any difference. But sometimes a Delta will emerge. A one-in-a-billion shot becomes inevitable with a billion rolls of the genetic dice.
(The doctor, by the way, was convicted and sentenced to 50 years, but not solely because of the DNA evidence. The prosecution was allowed to say only that the viral samples were closely related. Viruses change too rapidly to allow more certainty.)
So you’re not just protecting yourself when you get the vaccine, and you’re not just protecting others against the COVID strains we know. By reducing the number of infections, we’re reducing the chance that a new and dangerous variant will emerge, maybe a variant that defeats our vaccines.
And maybe we won’t have to worry about COVID-19 again when it’s time for the 2022 Shrimp and Petroleum Festival.
Bill Decker is managing editor of The Daily Review.

Ochsner, Terrebonne General gear up for third COVID shots

The Louisiana Office of Public Health reported 45 new COVID cases in St. Mary for the 24 hours ending at midday Tuesday. Another COVID-related death was also reported.
Meanwhile, Ochsner Health System and Terrebonne General are prepared to provide third vaccine doses under new Centers for Disease Control guidance.
St. Mary's COVID death toll is now at 165, which is up from 147 Aug. 1. Coroner Eric Melancon said Monday that 20 COVID victims have died this month, so two deaths have yet to appear in the OPH statistics.
The parish’s pandemic case count is now at 7,282.
Statewide, 3,691 new cases and 122 deaths were reported Tuesday.
The number of COVID patients in Louisiana hospitals rose by 56 in the previous 24 hours and is now at 3,012.
In Louisiana Health Department’s Region 3, which covers the area from St. Mary to St. John the Baptist Parish, 87 of 93 intensive care beds were in use Tuesday. The region’s hospitals have 629 total beds, 518 of which were occupied.
Third shots
Ochsner Health System and Terrebonne General both said they’re ready to administer third doses under new CDC guidance.
Fully vaccinated immunocompromised people have accounted for a large proportion of hospitalized “breakthrough cases,” and that suggests immunocompromised people are more likely to transmit the virus to household contacts, Ochsner said.
People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised make up about 3% of the adult population and are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are more at risk of serious, prolonged illness. This includes people who have:
—Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
—Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
—Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
—Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
—Advanced or untreated HIV infection;
—Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
People with one of the listed conditions who wish to receive an additional dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine may self-attest to their condition by completing and signing a risk factor attestation form. The form can be downloaded from a link on this story at StMaryNow.com
Eligible individuals can schedule appointments through MyOchsner or by calling 844-888-2772.

Click here to go to the attestation form.

The Terrebonne General Drive-Thru Center is now offering the third-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It is located at 8200 Main St. at the corner of Main and Liberty Streets adjacent to the Terrebonne General campus in Houma.
In addition, first- and second-dose vaccines are available. Getting vaccinated is a valuable prevention tool that can keep you out of the hospital and avoid possible death from COVID-19, the hospital said. The Delta variant is affecting all age groups in our population. The vaccine is free, easy and convenient.
Appointments are preferred, but drive-up spots are available. Please call 985-873-HOUMA (4686) to schedule.

Pages

ST. MARY NOW

Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874

Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255