Around Town for June 28
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:44am
Happy birthday Judy Miller, love, all your family and friends … Happy birthday Jaclyn from all your family and friends.
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Wheel House for June 28
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:43am
BASH
Patterson Police Department hosting a “Pre 4th of July Community Bash” 6-10 p.m. July 2 in Morey Park. Music: Low Down Band, 6-8 p.m. and Dj Fab 8-10 p.m.
Central Catholic awards and scholarships
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:40am
These Central Catholic students received awards or scholarships during ceremonies this spring. The students are shown with Central Catholic Principal Peter Boudreaux. The awards include the Miles Liner Scholarship; the George Allen Picou Scholarship, given to a student who "exemplifies generosity, honesty and dependability with good work ethic and a good sense of humor"; and the H&B Young Scholarship. The photos are courtesy of Wade Gussman Photography.
Morgan City police radio logs for June 24-25
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:24am
The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.
Thursday, June 24
6:03 a.m. 100 block of Railroad Avenue; Suspicious person.
8:07 a.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Disturbance.
8:16 a.m. 1100 block of Birch Street; Alarm.
9:36 a.m. 2000 block of Allison Street; Theft.
10:31 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
10:50 a.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Theft.
11:19 a.m. 1800 block of Elm Street; Complaint.
11:20 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Assistance.
Noon 7500 block of La. 182; Theft.
12:04 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Suspicious person.
1:47 p.m. 1000 block of Victor II Boulevard; Accident.
5:37 p.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Remove subject.
5:53 p.m. 1200 block of Railroad Avenue; Stand by.
6:33 p.m. 600 block of Freret Street; Telephone harassment.
6:46 p.m. Martin Luther King Boulevard area U.S. 90 Westbound; Accident /fatality.
8:14 p.m. 3000 block of Allison Street; Theft.
9:37 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint/crowd.
10:08 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
Friday, June 25
2:05 a.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Alarm.
4:48 a.m. Old Bridge area; Complaint.
Health systems help Fletcher build training center
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:22am
Submitted Photo
Fletcher Technical Community College held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a new 24,000-square-foot Workforce and Nursing Training Facility. Ochsner Health and Terrebonne General Health System each provided $1 million gifts to help construct the state-of-the-art facility. Shown from left are Stevie Smith, Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board of Supervisors; Marguerite Knight, Fletcher Foundation chair; state Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue; Dr. Monty Sullivan, system president; Dr. Kristine Strickland, chancellor; Phyllis Peoples, CEO, Terrebonne General Health System; state Rep. Beryl Amedee; state Rep. Joseph Orgeron; state Sen. Michael Fesi; Tim Allen, CEO, Ochsner Bayou Region; and Paul Danos, owner, executive over production services, sales, business development and marketing.
Deceased driver identified in Thursday wreck
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:15am
Staff Report
The driver killed in a wreck involving a vehicle and an 18-wheeler in Morgan City Thursday evening has been identified.
Duhon Anthony Tillman, 28, of Thibodaux was killed after the 2010 Nissan Altima Tillman was driving was involved in a wreck with an 18-wheeler westbound on U.S. 90 near the Martin Luther King Jr. exit, Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said. The 18-wheeler was driven by Joseph Thomas Jackson, 42, of Springtown, Texas, the chief said.
The Morgan City Police Department responded to the scene at 6:46 p.m., and the accident left the westbound lanes closed for hours. The Morgan City Police Department reported around 11:30 p.m. the roadway had reopened.
The crash remains under investigation.
Fantastic facts about fireworks
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 8:20am
Cities and towns across the country commemorate special days with various festivities, particularly when warm weather beckons people outdoors, like on the Fourth of July.
Fireworks long have been a popular way to cap off parades, concerts, sporting events and national days of celebration. Entire communities come together to watch spectacular shows in which blazing pops of color light up the night sky.
Smithsonian magazine reports that pyrotechnics displays have been astounding audiences all over the world for centuries. As early as 200 B.C. fireworks were developed in China to first scare off mountain men and later evil spirits. However, soon the Chinese incorporated “fire drug,” essentially saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal (a recipe for gunpowder), into their cultural celebrations. Early Chinese fireworks consisted of the gunpowder mixture stuffed in bamboo tubes.
Fireworks have evolved since then, but by and large they’re still comprised of the same main parts: an oxidizer, fuel and chemical mixture to produce desired colors.
Fireworks are a wonder to behold when they are part of professional displays, and their history can be interesting as well.
—While the Chinese invented fireworks, Italians helped fine-tune them. Italians are credited with designing aerial shells and figuring out that certain metallic powders could create specific colors.
—The largest consistent fireworks show in the United States is the Macy’s show in New York over the Hudson River on July 4. More than three million people view the show, which includes more than 40,000 shells.
—The Walt Disney Company is the largest consumer of fireworks in the world, according to Business Insider. It also is the second largest purchaser of explosive devices, behind only the U.S. Department of Defense.
—High-energy metal compounds like copper chloride emit colors like violet and blue in fireworks. Low-energy compounds like strontium chloride produce orange and red.
—The pattern fireworks will produce in the sky is determined by how stars are arranged inside of the shell. Stars are the cubes or spheres that contain the chemicals needed for the firework reaction.
—Mental Floss notes that “daytime fireworks” are made up of colored smoke and can be seen during the day.
—Individuals who are employed in the manufacture of fireworks must wear cotton clothing, including undergarments, as synthetic clothing can create sparks capable of detonating fireworks, according to Alamo Fireworks.
—Various fireworks shapes have their own names. They may be called willows, palms, crossettes, horsetails, rings, cakes and more.
—New Castle, Pennsylvania, is known as the “Fireworks Capital of America” because Zambelli Fireworks Internationale and Pyrotecnico both got their start there in the mid-nineteenth century.
—Scientists are currently working to create more eco-friendly fireworks.
Fireworks will soon be booming in towns and cities all over, and their history is as interesting as their displays are awe-inspiring.
Wedding plans reveal deep divide for couple
Mon, 06/28/2021 - 8:19am
By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate
DEAR ABBY: Against my better judgment, I agreed to allow my parents to pay for our upcoming wedding. It was something they pretty much insisted upon. My fiancé was upset by my decision because he fears I’m in collusion with them to make a big show of it.
For the last 10 months he has been suggesting we nix the religious ceremony and get married privately. I am hurt because while I don’t want a big party, I have always wanted a full ceremony with my friends and family. I have been trying to assuage his fears because I know he will appreciate the wedding on the day of, but he feels neglected. How can we compromise so that neither of us feels resentful?
PARTY OF TWO
DEAR PARTY: If you and your fiancé haven’t had premarital counseling — and it’s apparent from your letter that you haven’t — I urge you to get some right away. The two of you are encountering serious issues that need to be resolved BEFORE your wedding. That he doesn’t trust you and feels you might be conspiring with your parents against him is a huge red flag.
When he says he wants to “nix the religious ceremony,” is he talking about the religious aspect of it — or what he perceives to be a circus surrounding it? If it’s the former, it could affect the way you raise your children. If a compromise can be reached, counseling will help you to determine what you may need to do next. Please don’t wait. Start now.
DEAR ABBY: For a long time, I have been in love with a man who is 15 years younger than I am. We had a relationship for about a year, which ended six years ago. Since then, we have remained friends and occasionally hooked up a few times. The short relationship we had was close to perfect. He broke it off with me because he said he couldn’t give me the relationship I really wanted and I would end up resenting him or even hating him for it.
Although I didn’t understand that when he said it, I understand now he was right. The problem is, I cannot seem to get over him. I’ve had two unsuccessful relationships since. They weren’t the same as it was with him. I don’t know what to do.
A few months ago, I cut off everything with him, and we haven’t talked in many months. It’s not working! I’m still in love with him and can’t get him out of my head. I mentioned the age difference because I had a hard time with it, but he didn’t.
What else can I do? I’m afraid to start anything with someone new.
HOPELESS IN NEW YORK
DEAR HOPELESS: What you are describing is painful, but it’s happening because you haven’t accepted the reason the two of you broke up. He said he couldn’t give you the relationship you really wanted — whatever that was.
You are not in love with this man. You are in love with the fantasy of the person you wanted him to be. Once that fact is firmly in place in your head, you’ll be able to move forward, although it may take help from a licensed psychotherapist to accomplish it. Whatever it takes, please do it, so you can start living your life.
***
For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order “How to Be Popular.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.
Tuning up: Local amateur radio operators take part in Field Day
Sun, 06/27/2021 - 5:26pm
Carl Bundy, left, and Jackie Price of the Bayouland Emergency Amateur Radio Service show Moise Theriot of Morgan City, in back, the setup at the BEARS ham radio emergency operations center on Everett Street. BEARS invited people to learn more about amateur radio Saturday as the club took part in the international Field Day exercise and contest. Ham radio operators tested their transceivers, antennas and other equipment in preparation for public service during emergencies.
The Daily Review/Bill Decker
Shots, slots and white beans: Local events designed to boost St. Mary's health
Sun, 06/27/2021 - 5:17pm
BILL DECKER
When St. Mary Parish Hospital Service District No. 2's board met May 5, physician and Chairman William Cefalu Jr. proposed a community COVID vaccination event to combat St. Mary's low immunization rate.
"If you could see what I see, you'd go running for a vaccine," Cefalu said.
The event became reality Saturday, when Ochsner St. Mary's Health Fair offered not just COVID vaccine but basic health screenings and information about hospital programs. After the Ochsner Health Fair ended, the St. Mary Parish Health Unit and the Louisiana National Guard teamed up to offer vaccinations at the Amelia Belle Casino.
The Ochsner event took a couple of months, including one rain delay, to make happen. But the problem persists: St. Mary is below the Louisiana average for vaccinations, and Louisiana ranks in the bottom five among states.
Saturday's news from the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine added some urgency. The school's Precision Medicine Laboratory confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the public health region that includes New Orleans.
The Delta variant was held partly responsible for India's lethal upsurge in COVID deaths this spring. Saturday's LSU press release said the Centers for Disease Control declared Delta a "variant of concern." Delta is reputed to be more easily transmissible and may hamper the body's ability to develop antibodies.
“Although we suspected that the variant has been circulating in our area for some time now," said team leader Dr. Lucio Miele in the press release, "having confirmation should encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as possible so they can be fully protected."
Fewer than 28% of St. Mary's adults have completed their vaccination series, according to the Louisiana Office of Public Health dashboard.
Vaccine hesitancy has been blamed on concern about the rush-to-market federal approval of the vaccine and the feeling that the danger from COVID has been exaggerated. But among the people who came out for screenings or shots Saturday, the reasons were more complicated than that.
Harry and Doylene Porter of Morgan City emerged from the Ochsner St. Mary health screenings, but didn't get shots, to look at the informational tables set up by hospital departments.
He had been vaccinated before the fair. Despite his urging, she didn't get the shot. She has had serious reactions to medications in the past.
"It just scares me," Doylene Porter said.
Later, on the third floor of the Amelia Belle, Michele Ashley sat down to get her vaccination from National Guard Spec. Malik Bodifor.
She hadn't gotten the vaccine before because "I just don't like shots. Other than that, it doesn't bother me. I just don't like needles."
But Saturday's shot went smoothly.
Bodifor "made it enjoyable," Ashley said. "He made me laugh."
Back at Ochsner St. Mary, Cefalu said he's hopeful about the ability to reach St. Mary people with vaccine.
"I'm optimistic that the pragmatic nature of our community will shine through," Cefalu said.
Reactions to vaccinations are mild, Cefalu said.
The biggest reason to get the shot: People who get vaccinated don't die of COVID, he said.
Cefalu was walking along the information tables with Ochsner St. Mary CEO Fernis LeBlanc, who thanked the hospital district for the partnership that resulted in Saturday's health fair.
Morgan City officials pitched in, too. Mayor Lee Dragna and Council Lou Tamporello were among those on hand, and a Morgan City fire truck hoisted a big American flag over the event. White beans and fried catfish were served to health fair participants.
Expect more Ochsner St. Mary community health events, LeBlanc said.
Ochsner Health System is launching an initiative called 40 before 30. The goal is to raise Louisiana's public health from near the bottom of the states to at least No. 40 by 2030.