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Morgan City police radio logs for June 18-21

Tue, 06/22/2021 - 12:22pm

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.
Friday, June 18
9:50 a.m. U.S. 90 West; Accident.
10:41 a.m. 1700 block of Federal Avenue; Medical.
11:15 a.m. Fifth and Greenwood streets; Suspicious person.
11:17 a.m. 200 block of Franklin Street; Medical.
Noon 1100 block of Marguerite Street; 911 hang up.
12:04 p.m. Fourth and Arenz streets; Accident.
12:43 p.m. 600 block of Shannon Street; Complaint.
2:17 p.m. 6000 block of La. 182; Accident.
2:40 p.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Civil matter.
2:41 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Reckless driving.
5:05 p.m. Greenwood Street and Federal Avenue; Reckless driving.
5:05 p.m. 100 block of Glenwood Street; Animal.
6:34 p.m. 8400 block of La. 182; Alarm.
6:59 p.m. 300 block of Laurel Street; Medical.
7:20 p.m. Lawrence Park area; Suspicious subjects.
7:37 p.m. 700 block of Onstead Street; Complaint.
7:39 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Suspicious subject.
8:55 p.m. 600 block of Louisa Street; Disturbance.
9:01 p.m. Railroad Avenue and Myrtle Street; Disturbance.
9:16 p.m. 100 block of Glenwood Street; Disturbance.
9:34 p.m. La. 182 Westbound ; Reckless driver.
9:40 p.m. Clothilde and Sixth streets area ; Disturbance.
9:48 p.m. 1000 block of Greenwood Street; Complaint.
11:58 p.m. Birch and Mount streets; Accident.
Saturday, June 19
2:34 a.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
2:54 a.m. 2400 block of Sixth Street; Disturbance.
6:31 a.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Officer stand by.
10:21 a.m. 100 block of Brownell Homes; Animal.
10:25 a.m. 2300 block of Clements Street; Complaint.
10:51 a.m. 6200 block of La. 182; Theft.
11:28 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Animal.
1:20 p.m. 5000 block of Railroad Avenue; Medical.
1:49 p.m. 3100 block of Karen Drive; Medical.
2:27 p.m. Railroad Avenue and Mount Street; Welfare check.
3:41 p.m. 700 block of Federal Avenue; Alarm.
4:32 p.m. La. 182 bridge; Found item.
4:57 p.m. Allison and Roderick streets; Disturbance.
5:42 p.m. Union and Third streets; Hit and run.
7:17 p.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Disturbance.
7:46 p.m. Bernice Street area; Complaint.
9 p.m. 600 block of Louisa Street; Loud music.
9:37 p.m. 400 block of Belanger Street; Suspicious subject.
10:56 p.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Complaint.
11 p.m. 1200 block of Federal Avenue; Alarm.
11:19 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
Sunday, June 20
2:05 a.m. 1200 block of Victor II Boulevard; Suspicious subject/arrest.
2:14 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Stand by.
2:59 a.m. 2000 block of Allison Street; Disturbance.
3:26 a.m. 600 block of Brashear Avenue; Suspicious subject.
8:36 a.m. 4000 block of Chennault Street; 911 hang up.
8:44 a.m. 900 block of Onstead Street; Medical.
10:34 a.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
Noon 600 block of Fourth Street; Disturbance.
1:03 p.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Disturbance.
4:06 p.m. 300 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
4:21 p.m. 700 block of Federal Avenue; Alarm.
4:29 p.m. 500 block of Fifth Street; Loud music.
4:32 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Theft.
5 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
6:02 p.m. 700 block of Freret Street; Suspicious subject.
6:25 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Theft.
7:34 p.m. 2400 block of Sixth Street; Loud music.
8:01 p.m. Terrebonne Street; Loud music.
8:06 p.m. 700 block of Louisa Street; Disturbance.
8:32 p.m. 700 block of Justa Street; Complaint.
9:06 p.m. 900 block of Willard Street; Assist Troop C.
9:34 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Assist St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.
11:16 p.m. 1000 block of Frontage Road; Assist Sheriff’s Office.
11:41 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Stand by.
Monday, June 21
12:13 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Remove subject.
12:19 a.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Complaint.
2:04 a.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Suspicious subject.
2:06 a.m. 1400 block of Maple Street; Alarm.
3:28 a.m. Louisiana Alley area; Loud music.
4:31 a.m. 700 block of Hilda Street; Complaint.
4:42 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint

Cleco outlines process for emergency utility aid

Tue, 06/22/2021 - 12:19pm

Cleco Power customers who meet the eligibility requirements for the U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance Program, being administered by the state of Louisiana, can receive assistance paying past-due and current utility bills and some late fees dating back as far as April 1, 2020.
The program was im-plemented in March to aid renters and landlords experiencing financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the program was being expanded to include utility bills in an effort to help residents who are not only struggling to pay rent but also struggling to pay utilities, including electricity, gas, fuel oil, water and sewer and trash removal.
“We want our customers to be aware of this new funding should they need assistance and want to apply,” said Andre Guillory, director of metering, billing and revenue collection.
“We remain committed to helping our customers throughout this pandemic and sharing this information is part of that commitment.”
For program infor-mation or to apply, visit LAStateRent.com or call 877-459-6555, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Both renters and landlords are eligible to apply for assistance. In most cases, rental assistance will be paid directly to the landlord and utility assistance will be paid directly to the utility provider.
Priority is given to households where at least one family member has been unemployed for more than 90 days due to COVID-19 and to households earning less than 50 percent of the area median income, as required by the law.
The federally funded program is part of the 2021 Coronavirus Re-sponse and Relief Sup-plemental Appropria-tions Act and includes $25 billion for emergency rental assistance, of which $161 million has been allocated to Louisiana to provide assistance in 57 parishes.

CDC study shows mRNA vaccines 91% effective

Tue, 06/22/2021 - 12:14pm
From The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study finds the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna), authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, reduce the risk of infection by 91% for fully vaccinated people.
This adds to the growing body of real-world evidence of their effectiveness. Importantly, this study also is among the first to show that mRNA vaccination benefits people who get COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated (14 or more days after dose 2) or partially vaccinated (14 or more days after dose 1 to 13 days after dose 2).
“COVID-19 vaccines are a critical tool in overcoming this pandemic,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. “Findings from the extended timeframe of this study add to accumulating evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are effective and should prevent most infections — but that fully vaccinated people who still get COVID-19 are likely to have milder, shorter illness and appear to be less likely to spread the virus to others. These benefits are another important reason to get vaccinated.”
The findings come from four weeks of additional data collected in CDC’s Heroes-Recover study of health care workers, first responders, frontline workers and other essential workers. These groups are more likely to be exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 because of their occupations. Preliminary results from this study were first announced in March 2021.
In the new analysis, 3,975 participants completed weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing for 17 consecutive weeks (from Dec. 13, 2020 to April 10, 2021) in eight U.S. locations. Participants self-collected nasal swabs that were laboratory tested for SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19.
If the tests came back positive, the specimens were further tested to determine the amount of detectable virus in the nose (i.e., viral load) and the number of days that participants tested positive (i.e., viral shedding). Participants were followed over time and the data were analyzed according to vaccination status.
To evaluate vaccine benefits, the study investigators accounted for the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the area and how consistently participants used personal protective equipment at work and in the community. Once fully vaccinated, participants’ risk of infection was reduced by 91%. After partial vaccination, participants’ risk of infection was reduced by 81%. These estimates included symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.
To determine whether COVID-19 illness was milder, study participants who became infected with SARS-CoV-2 were combined into a single group and compared to unvaccinated, infected participants. Several findings indicated that those who became infected after being fully or partially vaccinated were more likely to have a milder and shorter illness compared to those who were unvaccinated.
For example, fully or partially vaccinated people who developed COVID-19 spent on average six fewer total days sick and two fewer days sick in bed. They also had about a 60% lower risk of developing symptoms, like fever or chills, compared to those who were unvaccinated. Some study participants infected with SARS-CoV-2 did not develop symptoms.
Other study findings suggest that fully or partially vaccinated people who got COVID-19 might be less likely to spread the virus to others. For example, fully or partially vaccinated study participants had 40 percent less detectable virus in their nose (i.e., a lower viral load), and the virus was detected for six fewer days (i.e., viral shedding) compared to those who were unvaccinated when infected.
In addition, people who were partially or fully vaccinated were 66% less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection for more than one week compared to those who were unvaccinated. While these indicators are not a direct measure of a person’s ability to spread the virus, they have been correlated with reduced spread of other viruses, such as varicella and influenza.
Overall, the study findings support CDC’s recommendation to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you can. Everyone 12 years and older is now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination in the United States. CDC has several surveillance networks that will continue to assess how FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are working in real-world conditions in different settings and in different groups of people, such as different age groups and people with different health statuses.

Landlord mother dragged into bitter breakup issues

Tue, 06/22/2021 - 12:03pm
By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: My daughter is separated from her husband, who rents a room from me. Recently, without telling her, he dropped her from his insurance. Now she wants me to kick him out and she’s mad at me because I refuse to do it. She says it shows I approve of his behavior. She tells me that he’s no good, he used her and he hit on her girlfriend. She’s threatening that if I let him stay, we won’t be close anymore.
He pays me on time, and I hardly ever see him because he works at night. I need the rent money, and we have always gotten along great. I say this is my house and I should decide if he leaves.
What do you think?
IN THE MIDDLE IN FLORIDA

DEAR IN THE MIDDLE: You need to explain to your daughter that the reason her husband is living with you is because you need the income. Even if you wanted, you might not be able to kick him out right away because of whatever eviction laws may exist in your state.
This is your house, and the decision whether to evict him should be yours. However, if you continue allowing him to rent from you, it may cause a breach with your daughter that could be permanent.

DEAR ABBY: I often feel left out. This past weekend on Facebook I saw two co-workers and a former co-worker went on a weekend getaway. I wasn’t invited. Should I retaliate, or must I act like it doesn’t bother me?
This isn’t the first time friends and co-workers have done things like this. I’ll comment on their post — “looks like fun” — but never get invited. How should I feel about this and what should I do?
OVERLOOKED IN MINNESOTA

DEAR OVERLOOKED: What you should “do” is recognize that your co-workers are not obligated to include you in anything outside of work. They may have mutual interests that bring them together, or chemistry that they don’t have with you.
Instead of fuming and fantasizing about “retaliating” (which would be uncalled for and inappropriate), form relationships outside this circle of co-workers and friends, and do things on weekends for yourself that are satisfying.
If you do, you will be less dependent upon these individuals and less disappointed if your relationships with them aren’t as close as you wish they were.

DEAR ABBY: I have been reading your column for many years, but haven’t seen this question before. I’m a senior citizen with a do-not-resuscitate order. I am concerned that if something were to happen to me and I was taken to a nearby hospital, they wouldn’t know I have one on file with my health care provider.
Is there a way to let first responders know? Thank you for the continual service you provide.
LAST REQUEST IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR LAST REQUEST: Many individuals accomplish this by posting a notice near their bed, on the refrigerator or in their cellphone contact list designated as ICE (In Case of Emergency). There are also cards that can be carried in the wallet to alert the EMTs about the patient’s wishes.
Your health care provider can tell you how to get one.
***
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

BEVERLY MAYARD SELLERS

Mon, 06/21/2021 - 6:17pm

March 22, 1929 - June 20, 2021

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Lafayette for Beverly Mayard Sellers, 92, a native of Abbeville and a 66-year resident of Bayou Vista, who passed away Sunday, June 20, 2021 at Camelot of Broussard.

She will be laid to rest in the St. Paul Cemetery in Abbeville. The Rev. Joel Faulk, Pastor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, will be the Celebrant for the Mass and conduct the services.

A gathering of family and friends will be held Monday, June 21 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. with the Rosary being prayed at 6:30 p.m. at Martin and Castille Funeral Home, 600 Farrel Road, Lafayette, Louisiana, and funeral Mass Tuesday, June 22, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church on 415 Robley Drive, Lafayette, Louisiana. Visitation on Tuesday will be from 9:00 a.m. until time of the funeral.

Mrs. Beverly was a Catholic Daughter and member of a Rosary Group in Bayou Vista. She and her husband, Emmet had been married for 65 years before his passing in 2015. They enjoyed camping and RVing with their family and friends. Bev was known for her kindness, caring, and faith. She was famous for her recipes for tamales, jams, rice dressing, pickles, and margaritas. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Survivors include her four children, Steven Sellers and his wife Lois, Clyde Sellers and his wife Debbie, Neil Sellers and his wife Gwen, and Douglas Sellers; seven grandchildren, Alaina Cummins and her husband Lee, Jillian Sellers, Gavin Sellers and his wife Taylor, Austin Sellers, Kyle Sellers, Dresden Sellers, and Carson Sellers; and two great grandchildren, Remington Clare Cummins and Hagen Gabriel Cummins.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Emmet Gerard Sellers, daughter, Phyllis Clare Sellers, as well as brothers, Fred Mayard, Gilbert Mayard, Minos Mayard, Sterling Mayard, Lenes "Stu" Mayard, J.O. Mayard, and sister, Mae Mayard Guidry.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Mrs. Beverly’s name to Hospice of Acadiana, 2600 Johnston St., Suite 200, Lafayette, LA 70503, (337) 232-1234, hospiceacadiana.com or to St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 1112 Saturn Road, Morgan City, LA 70380, (985) 395-2410.

The family expresses special thanks and gratitude to the staff of Camelot of Broussard, the devoted sitters of A Care Partner, and Hospice of Acadiana.

View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com

Arrangements have been entrusted to Martin & Castille Funeral Home, 600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, LA 70508, (337) 984-2811.

Celebrating freedom: Morgan City marks new Juneteenth holiday

Mon, 06/21/2021 - 12:28pm
GEOFF STOUTE
gstoute@daily-review.com

Local community members celebrated the newly minted state and federal Juneteenth holiday with activities Saturday in Morgan City.
The event featured a bike ride with stops at various black-owned businesses, where cyclists heard histories of the businesses and their impact on the African American community. The day concluded with a gathering at Jimmie Johnson Memorial Park under the elevated U.S. 90 bridge where those gathered heard from guest speaker Patsy Powell.
Juneteenth marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger led Union soldiers to Galveston, Texas, and told the enslaved that the war was over and they actually had been freed 2½ years earlier through the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth was christened a national holiday Thursday by President Joe Biden. Earlier this month, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill recognizing it as a state holiday.
While the Civil War meant freedom for more than 250,000 slaves, Juneteenth Community Bike Ride committee member Danika Foley Long said that many were still enslaved up to 100 years later in areas such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida, not knowing they were free.
“So when people ask you why you’re still talking about slavery, it wasn’t that long ago,” she said. “You could forget 1865. Think about the 1960s where people were still plowing the fields and didn’t know they were free.”
She said the state of Mississippi had never submitted paperwork to ratify the 13th amendment until Feb. 7, 2013.
Powell, a Morgan City native and resident, asked those present , “What are you going to do with your newfound freedom?”
In her speech, she highlighted several pieces of African American history in Morgan City.
“Telling the history of generations of generations can’t be told in one day,” she said. “It’d take a lifetime to tell what we have done.”
She said that in 1965, her mother formed a group called the Voter’s League out of her Bowman Street home to get people registered to vote. They were helped by a New York-based group called Congress on Racial Equality, or CORE, who came to the area on their way to Mississippi. CORE slept on the living room floor of the home of Powell’s mother.
Just out of high school, Powell said she walked down Railroad Avenue trying to get people to register to vote.
“Many doors were closed in our faces,” she said. “I was hurt because I never had a door closed in my face. I said I wasn’t going back. My mother listened and she said, ‘well, see you tomorrow morning on Railroad Avenue and Mount Street,’ and that was the end of that conversation because that’s where we were.”
She also noted her mother played a part in getting food stamps in St. Mary Parish, while her two sisters and brother were escorted into M.E. Norman School by a black lawyer from New York in 1965.
“Mayor (Dr. C.R.) Brownell said there would be no problems in Morgan City,” Powell said. “There was no problem, but the struggle was real.”
Powell encourages those present to tell their children about African American history.
“Tell them your history,” she said. “They’re not going to find it in the history books. They’re going to only learn it around the dinner table, the backyard barbecues. We have fought a long time. We still have some more fighting to do, but we’re going to get it done, and we’re going to do it together. We want to be together to do this.”
Courtney “Schola” Long, a community bike ride committee member, said that African American history is something he discusses with his children often.
“Hopefully, you do the same because we have to keep that history going, and we have to let our people know that we do exist historically in this city, in this nation, in this world,” he said.
The history is something that Councilmen Steve Domangue and Tim Hymel said they learned from the event.
Hymel, who is principal of Morgan City High School, said the same opportunities in education are present for all youth.
Danika Long said she hopes to build on this year’s event with a larger one next year.
Mayor Lee Dragna took it a step further.
“Next year, this thing is going to be full,” he said of Jimmie Johnson Memorial Park’s court. “You better get a ticket because it’s going to be full. … This is fantastic.”

Claudette spares St. Mary but kills 13 in Alabama

Mon, 06/21/2021 - 12:19pm
Staff Report

For the second time in the new hurricane season, Morgan City had a close call. This time, the storm that missed St. Mary was lethal.
Tropical Storm Claudette was predicted as late as Friday morning to land between Vermilion Bay and Morgan City. Instead, it came ashore just southwest of New Orleans about 4 a.m. Saturday.
The storm dumped up to 8 inches of rain in Slidell and was blamed for at least 13 deaths in Alabama, including 10 in a crash on a rain-slick interstate. Claudette spawned an EF2 tornado that ripped through the southwest Alabama city of Brewton.
Claudette was expected to regain tropical storm strength with winds of at least 39 mph as it blew off the Carolina coast Monday morning.
The system began to attract attention last week after it formed in the Bay of Campeche. As it gathered strength, the National Weather Service issued warnings of higher than normal tides and heavy rains for the Gulf Coast.
A tropical storm warning was issued at 4 p.m. Thursday for St. Mary Parish. The warning and a National Weather Service Facebook live stream were canceled Friday morning after it became clear the storm would track farther east.
The gauge at Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport near Patterson registered peak sustained winds of 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph 6-7 p.m. Friday. The rain gauge there recorded less than 1/10th-inch of rain after noon Friday.
The Atchafalaya River at Morgan City stayed below 4.5 feet, or 1.5 feet below the minor flood stage, through Friday and Saturday, showing little storm surge impact.
Claudette, which gained tropical storm strength just before making landfall, focused its fury farther east and north.
Officials were beginning to close the new Bayou Teche Flood Control Structure near Baldwin early Friday, said St. Mary Parish Levee District Executive Director Tim Matte.
"When they dropped the [tropical storm warning Friday morning], it became one of those situations where we said, 'Let's not do it,'" Matte said.
The structure is designed to stop storm surge from running up the Charenton Canal into the Bayou Teche.
But the district must balance the risk of storm surge against slower drainage in St. Mary when the gate is closed.
The National Weather Service reported that the tornado that hit Brewton about 7:30 a.m. Saturday had winds of 127 mph. The Escambia County Emergency Management Agency reported three injuries and conducted rescue operations through the day Saturday.
Ten people died in a multivehicle crash 35 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama, on Interstate 65. Eight of the people who died were in a van belonging to a home for neglected and abused children, the Associated Press reported.
Media accounts also say two people, a 24-year-old man and his 3-year-old son, died near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when a tree limb fell on their house.
A woman died in DeKalb County, Alabama, when her vehicle ran off a road and into a rain-swollen creek.
Last month, a potential tropical system off the Texas coast led St. Mary officials to close flood gates in preparation for a potential strike. But the system headed northwest into Texas and caused little damage.

Norwood still in the running for Tokyo Olympics

Mon, 06/21/2021 - 12:15pm
Staff Report

Morgan City High alum Vernon Norwood finished fifth in the 400-meter dash at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Sunday.
While only the top three qualified in the 400-meter run, that doesn’t mean Norwood, a 2011 Morgan City graduate, is out of Olympic competition because the United States’ 4x400-meter relay has to be filled. According to bylaws, as many as six competitors can be taken on the relay — the top three finishers in the event, an alternate and two who are selected.
Judging by Norwood’s Facebook post, he appears to already have made it.
Sunday night, he posted, “Thank you all for the love and support. I appreciate y’all, and I try my best to represent. I bleed green and white!! … We did it! #TokyoOlympics2021”
The Tokyo Olympics begin July 21 and end Aug. 8.
In Sunday night’s finals, Norwood finished fifth with a time of 44.92. Michael Norman, Michael Cherry and Randolph Ross qualified, while Trevor Stewart is the alternate. Norman won the event in 44.07.
Norwood qualified for the finals after running a time of 45.12 in the semifinals.
He advanced to the semifinals after clocking in at 45.46 in first-round action.

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