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Belated happy birthday Bertha Welch, from your daughter Tammy Welch, granddaughter Synisha Welch and your grandkids.

(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.)

Arrests for possession of marijuana, methamphetamine and MDMA over the weekend were reported by agencies across the region.
A Morgan City man was also arrested on charges of battery on a dating partner and aggravated assault after making a threat with a knife.

Morgan city
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 123 complaints over the last 72-hour reporting period and made these arrests beginning Friday:
—Christopher Lee Lacaze, 42, La. 182, Morgan City, arrested at 11:34 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a warrant alleging failure to appear to pay fine July 20.
Officers responded to the area of Fourth Street in regards to a disturbance. Lacaze was identified as on the parties involved. Lacaze was found to be in possession of suspected marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Lacaze also held an active arrest warrant through the 6th Ward Morgan City Court. Lacaze was booked into the Morgan City Jail and incarcerated.
—Irvian Adam Singleton III, 22, Cypress Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:36 p.m. Sunday on charges of aggravated assault on a dating partner and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and on a warrant alleging aggravated cruelty to animals.
Officers responded to the area of Egle Street in regards to a disturbance. Officers arrived and Singleton was identified as one of the parties involved. Singleton allegedly attempted to commit a battery on the victim with a knife.
Singleton was also found to hold an active arrest warrant through the Morgan City Police Department for aggravated cruelty to animals.
The warrant stems from an investigation conducted by the Morgan City Police Department in September 2019 in which Singleton allegedly left several different reptiles in a residence without any care, which resulted in the death of the animals. Singleton was arrested and transported to the Morgan City Jail where he was booked and incarcerated.
—Carl Wayne Allen Jr., 29, Wren Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:40 p.m. Friday on warrants alleging criminal damage to property (less than $1,000) and failure to appear for trial on Feb. 11 (seven counts).
—Quijakius Johnson, 39, Apple Street, Morgan City, was arrested 9:41 a.m. Saturday on a warrant alleging failure to appear to pay fines Aug. 3.
—Rachel Lynn King, 37, Fifth Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:26 p.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace (intoxicated).
—Kenneth R. Rhodes Sr., 75, Roderick Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:19 p.m. Sunday on a charge of driving while intoxicated (first offense).

Berwick
Police Chief David Leonard reported these arrests:
—Russell Romero Jr., 20, La. 182, Franklin, was arrested at 12:59 a.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana (under 14 grams).
About 12: 47 a.m. Saturday, an officer observed a vehicle speeding 62 mph in a 30 mph zone. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle. During the course of the stop, Romero was identified as a passenger in the vehicle.
An odor of marijuana was detected by officers, and Romero admitted to having marijuana in his pocket. Romero was placed under arrest and released on a summons to appear in court.
—Cassidy McDaniel, 27, Eve Road, Erath, was arrested at 2:12 p.m. Saturday on a charge of simple battery.
About 12:04 p.m. Saturday, the Berwick Police Department received a call of a disturbance taking place at a residence on River Road. It was learned that McDaniel had committed a battery on a juvenile. McDaniel was placed under arrest and released on a summons to appear in court.
—Davontez Simmons, 19, Sherin Avenue, Boutte, was arrested at 10:11 p.m. Sunday on charges of speeding, driving under suspension, possession of marijuana under 14 grams and switched license plate.
About 9:50 p.m. Sunday, an officer observed a vehicle speeding 75 mph in a 55 mph zone on U.S. 90. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, and officers made contact with the driver Simmons.
While speaking with Simmons, officers detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted, at which time marijuana was located, and Simmons admitted it belonged to him.
A driver’s license check showed his license to be suspended. It was also learned that the license plate displayed on the vehicle belonged to another vehicle. Simmons was placed under and released on a summons to appear in court.

St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 72-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 134 complaints and made these arrests:
—Amber O’Connor, 41, Patterson, was arrested at 10:13 a.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. O’Connor was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Verelyn Benjamin Cannon, 62, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:54 a.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and improper turn or failure to give required signal. Cannon was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Blake Jacoby Smith, 30, Patterson, was arrested at 3:01 p.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of possession of marijuana, improper turn or failure to give required signal, and flight from an officer. Smith was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Kenneth Johnson Jr., 27, Lafayette, was arrested at 3:49 p.m. Friday on a charge of possession of marijuana. Johnson was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Mary D. Edwards, 29, Patterson, was arrested at 4:12 p.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of operating a vehicle while license is suspended, revoked or canceled. Edwards was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Ramiro Gonzalez, 34, Houma, was arrested at 9:17 a.m. Saturday on charges of maximum speed limit, no insurance and driver must be licensed. Gonzalez was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Miguel Lee Dauphine, 26, Jeanerette, was arrested at 11:52 a.m. Sunday on charges of lane usage and driving under suspension. Dauphine was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.
—Harold Bogen Jr., 20, Houma, was arrested 3:48 p.m. Sunday charges of procedure on approach of an authorized emergency vehicle, driver must be licensed, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.
Bogen was released on a $7,500 bond.
—Shatiah Bolden, 23, Denham Springs, was arrested at 4:38 p.m. Saturday on charges of improper display of license plate and switched or stolen license plate. Bolden was also wanted in East Baton Rouge Parish on the charges of aggravated flight from officer, speeding (two counts) and driving under suspension.
Bail was set on the St. Mary charges at $750 and a hold was placed on Bolden for another agency.
—Jamarkus Anthony James, 30, New Iberia, was arrested at 8:11 p.m. Saturday on charges of off-road vehicles on a public highway and aggravated flight from officer, and on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of unlawful operation of an off-road vehicle. James was released on a $3,500 bond.
—Matthew Blanks, 39, Franklin, was arrested at 10:37 p.m. Sunday on a charge of driving under suspension. Blanks was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.

Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:
— Shane Michelle Hebert, 29, Sycamore Street, Labadieville, was arrested Sunday on charges of speeding, driving under suspension, insurance required, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamine.
The arrest followed a traffic stop early Sunday on La. 70 East.
A uniformed patrol deputy observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation and initiated a stop. The deputy made contact with the driver, identified as Hebert. The deputy conducted an interview of the driver and during that process, determined that Hebert was driving under a suspended driver’s license.
At some point during the interview, the deputy noted behavior consistent with drug law activity.
The deputy conducted a search of the suspect vehicle and did seize a quantity of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Hebert was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and remains incarcerated with a bond set at $50,000.
— Alfred Joseph Starks Jr., 30, Maple Street, Labadieville, was arrested Saturday on charges of possession of MDMA (ecstasy), no driver’s license and proper equipment required on vehicles.
A uniformed patrol deputy observed a southbound vehicle with an equipment violation. The deputy conducted a stop of the vehicle and initiated contact with the driver.
During the interview, the deputy noted an odor of suspected marijuana emitting from the vehicle. The deputy observed, in plain view, a package on the floor board containing suspected MDMA (ecstasy). The illegal drugs were seized.
Starks was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and remains incarcerated with a bond set at $75,000.

BATON ROUGE — As part of a $3.2 million grant project, LSU AgCenter researcher Zongliang “Carl” Jiang is studying the molecular mechanisms that regulate placenta development — and what role they play in early pregnancy loss — in both large animals and humans.
Jiang, an assistant professor in the AgCenter School of Animal Sciences, and his collaborators received the National Institutes of Health grant last year. The project will last for five years.
Jiang is focusing on the placenta trophoblasts, which provide nutrients to the embryo or fetus and facilitate communication between it and the mother. Abnormalities of the placenta can lead to pregnancy complications or loss.
“Much of the reproductive inefficiency observed in animals and humans can be traced back to the placenta,” Jiang said. “Yet the placenta is seriously underappreciated.”
He wants to learn more about DNA methylation — an epigenetic mechanism used by cells to control gene expression — of a substance called N6-adenine, or N6-mA, that is present in mammalian genomes.
In a previously published paper, Jiang and his collaborators demonstrated the important function of N6-mA in early embryogenesis using a mice model. Deficiencies of this substance in mice resulted in pregnancy loss, he said, due to placental development problems.
In the new NIH-funded study, Jiang plans to dissect the role of N6-mA in trophoblasts in large animals such as cattle as well as humans. He also hopes to identify ways to regulate the amount of N6-mA.
“We’re trying to manipulate N6-mA during placental development and see what the effect is,” he said. “Can we remove it or add it at specific regions using enzymes to improve outcomes?”
“Once we understand the mechanisms required for normal placental development,” he added, “we should be able to identify the molecular causes of different conditions that affect the placenta — for example, preeclampsia. That’s a future research area.”
He hopes this research will eventually lead to new treatment options that can correct placental abnormalities and allow embryos to grow normally. These efforts could offer many benefits not only to those in the animal agriculture industry, but also to people of all walks of life.
“Part of our mission at the AgCenter is to improve animal health, and human health is also part of our mission,” he said. “For this project, embryonic loss and early pregnancy loss is a big deal in animals. And in humans, it is the same.”
Working on the project with Jiang are a group led by Andrew Xiao at the Yale School of Medicine, R. Michael Roberts at the University of Missouri and Kenneth Bondioli at the LSU AgCenter.

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival board voted Monday night to cancel this year's festival. This will make the second straight year when COVID-19 led organizers to call off St. Mary's biggest festival.

"This decision was not made lightly," the board said in a press release, "and it was made after multiple conversations with the Louisiana Department of Health, local physicians, our regional hospitals, and the community.

"Further, we must keep in mind the health of our community and those who would be traveling to take part in the celebrations. The Board of Directors thanks everyone for their understanding and patience during these continued unprecedented times."

The release said the board has been meeting to consider the potential effects of COVID-19.

"As you may know, festival planning includes coordinating numerous vendors and bands, meeting and relying on community sponsors and businesses, and hosting events for large crowds made up of both locals and guests visiting from neighboring cities and states.

"After much deliberation of the benefits and risks of having this year’s 86th Festival celebration, the Festival Board has decided to cancel this year’s events."

After the 2020 cancellation, the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival board announced early in 2021 that it had plans to resume this Labor Day. The festival staff released a music lineup for this year's festival as recently as Aug. 3. As COVID numbers declined through the early summer, events such as Morgan City's Fourth of July celebration at Lake End Park, the Bayou BBQ Bash and the Battle on the Bayou boat races drew good crowds

But festival Director Hailee Thomas said the board was monitoring the COVID situation. And by the beginning of August, a month after the Delta variant's presence in Louisiana was confirmed, there was a lot to monitor.

Louisiana continues to have the highest per-capita number of new COVID-19 cases in the country, and the disease is spreading faster in St. Mary than in most of the rest of the state. The positivity rate on COVID tests here is over 17%, and Coroner Eric Melancon said Monday night that 20 COVID-related deaths have occurred this month in St. Mary.

"[Cancellation of the festival] had to be done," Melancon said in a phone interview. "There are no options."

Melancon said he advised the board to call off this year's event.

He said he's frustrated by resistance to vaccination in a parish where fewer than 31% of people have taken the shot. Melancon blamed the low rate on ignorance, politics and sometimes wishy-washy advice from public health officials.

Vaccination "is safe," Melancon said. "It works. "Let's get the vaccine and get back to normal."

This year's festival would have been Lee Dragna's first as mayor. Monday night, Dragna said he didn't take a position on whether the festival should go on.

"That was their call," Dragna said. "I believe people have enough common sense to know if they're going to be safe . ... I think it's probably better because people will feel safer."

Dragna, who attended Monday's meeting, said he believes the festival board did well to decide to continue with this year's coronation. The board may then be able to proceed with some form of festival later in the year if the COVID surge eases, he said.

As director of the Cajun Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Carrie Stansbury has a stake in the festival.

"I understand why they did it," Stansbury said Monday night. "It's still painful."

The numbers at the Cajun Coast Visitors Center were starting to pick up heading into August, a month when trips to visit relatives before school starts usually brings people into the parish.

"We're not seeing any of that ...," Stansbury said.

"It's overwhelming and sad. I guess that's why people are so passionate about things. They want to try and be back to normal. But when is normal?"