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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.)

Police say an attempt to pass a counterfeit check in Morgan City has landed a Baton Rouge man in jail.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that over the last 24-hour period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 32 calls for service and made this arrest:
—Alvin John Johnson, 37, Oakmount Drive, Baton Rouge, was arrested at 12:06 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant alleging monetary instrument abuse and theft under $1,000.
The warrant stems from an investigation conducted June 4 by detectives with the Morgan City Police Department. Johnson was identified as a person cashing a counterfeit check at a Morgan City business.
On Wednesday, he was transported from Ascension Parish Detention Center to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.

Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:
—Felicia Ann Daigle, 35, Rodrigue Street, Thibodaux, was arrested Tuesday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and tail lamps required.
—Cherie Denise Aucoin, 49, Eighth Street, Orlando, Florida, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of obstruction of justice.
A narcotics officer observed a vehicle on La. 70 displaying an equipment violation. The deputy initiated a stop of the vehicle and made contact with the driver, identified as Daigle.
During the investigation, deputies determined that Daigle handed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia to Aucoin and instructed her to toss the drugs out of the vehicle as the stop was occurring.
The items were recovered and attributed to Daigle.
Daigle was arrested and booked into the Assumption parish Detention Center. She was released on a $7,100 bond.
Aucoin was booked and remains incarcerated with bond set at $25,000.
—Cathy Phillips, 27, Pugh Street, Paincourtville, was arrested Monday on charges of possession of marijuana (second offense), possession of drug paraphernalia and obstruction of justice.
A uniformed patrol officer observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation near Paincourtville and attempted a stop of the violator vehicle.
The driver accelerated and engaged in a vehicle pursuit that exceeded speeds of 100 mph.
The suspect vehicle turned onto Pugh Street in Paincourtville, and the driver fled.
The deputy pursued the suspect on foot and at some point, due to safety issues, the deputy discontinued the pursuit.
As a result of a follow-up investigation, deputies obtained a search warrant for a nearby residence. Drug paraphernalia and marijuana was seized during the ensuing search.
Deputies also seized two firearms.
Phillips was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and released on a $16,000 bond.

Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Police Department responded to eight complaints over the last 24-hour period and made this arrest:
—Mark Conner, 42, Kellers Lane, Franklin, was arrested at 11:13 a.m. Wednesday on the charge of criminal mischief. Conner was booked, processed and held on a $500.00 bond.

St. Martin
Sheriff Becket Breaux reported these arrests:
—Magadaleno Martinez, 47, Seventh Avenue, Port Arthur, Texas, was arrested Wednesday on a hold for the Bureau of Prisons.
—Sean McRaney, 30, Cypress Island Highway, St. Martinville, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear.
—Zaborion Toussaint, 20, Governor Mouton Street, St. Martinville, was arrested Wednesday by the St. Martinville Police Department on a charge of aggravated battery.

As the nation honors the Stars and Stripes by observing Flag Day each June 14 it is following the fondest wish of a soldier from south Louisiana who had a special place in his heart for Old Glory.
Col. James A. Moss was one of the best-known military men in the nation when he came home to his native Lafayette in late 1923 to begin a campaign to make sure that the U.S. flag would always fly high and proud.
The son of Judge Anderson J. and Octavie Moss was nearing the end of a distinguished career.
e won the Silver Star for gallantry in the Cuban campaign during the Spanish-American War and commanded a regiment in France during World War I.
He may have been best known within the military as the author of the Manual of Military Training, the military bible that was used to train U.S. officers during World War I and for many years after, as well as for a number of other military textbooks.
He was also credited with originating a standardized system of army correspondence and with designing a simplified payroll system.
But the thing that made him known outside the ranks was his love for the flag.
On Dec. 19, 1923, he made Lafayette the first stop in what he said would be a “nationwide campaign of education in rendering proper reverence to the colors and to bring about a more general knowledge of the National Anthem.”
He began the campaign at an assembly at Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now UL) and spoke later in the day to the general public at the Jefferson Theater downtown.
“The flag has a peculiar significance for those who have followed it upon the battlefield,” he said.
“It is more than the colors – it portrays the history of America and it should at all times be paid the proper reverence and respect due from everyone in this great country.
“The 13 stripes of the flag stand for more than just the fact that they represent the 13 original colonies. They recall the wars and the privations and the battles through which Americans have gone to establish and preserve the nation. The 13 stripes will never change – they will continue as an emblem commemorating the greatness of our country and the steps which have brought about its greatness.
“The stars in the flag represent the states, but that is only the beginning,” he said. The stars, he said, “each tell of a state won from the wilderness – a story of suffering and struggle that these states might come into being.
“The red in the flag portrays courage – the courage of men who have gone into battle, the courage of men and women, pioneers who made their way across the country laying the foundation for later development of the nation.”
   He said the white in the flag stands for liberty and the blue for loyalty, and that the whole flag “typifies a land of freedom, a land of the square deal, a good land to live in. It has a special message for each of us, and an appeal to pay this flag the proper reverence and respect.”
He offered a simple rule to follow giving the flag the respect it is due.
“There are many people who wish to pay this flag the proper reverence and respect, but who are not fully informed as to the proper methods,” he said. “Just remember this: Treat the flag as you would your mother’s picture.”
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, "Cajuns and Other Characters," is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

BATON ROUGE — As millions of Americans receive COVID-19 vaccines, data about the impacts of the pandemic is pouring in and it paints a challenging picture of the conditions our children have endured over the last year as well as the emerging needs they will have as the country recovers.
A new report, Medicaid Forward: Children’s Health, by the National Association of Medicaid Directors provides a close look at the realities the country is facing to aid the recovery of its children as well as the innovations Medicaid programs across the country have made and are continuing to make to help millions of these kids. Currently, about two in every five American children rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program to get the healthcare they need.
This number is even higher in Louisiana, where more than half of all children, and about 60% of children under 5, rely on Medicaid or CHIP. Additionally, nearly half of all births in Louisiana are paid for each year by Medicaid.
“The pandemic has presented incredible challenges for children and adolescents in Louisiana and across the country, but kids are resilient and strong,” said Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, secretary of the Louis-iana Department of Health. “With the help of caring adults and innovative systems, we can help to provide a healthy, bright future for them.”
Since the first days of the pandemic, Medicaid programs jumped in to support healthcare providers and patients. Through partnerships with the federal government, they streamlined membership processes, removed barriers to mental and physical care access, and came up with innovative solutions to improve efficiency and quality of care.
“Meeting the needs of children and adolescents today will pay off socially and economically in the long run,” said Dr. Amanda Dumas, associate medical director of Louisiana Medicaid and a practicing pediatrician. “As we emerge from the pandemic and focus attention and resources on recovery, we have the opportunity to sustain and adapt successful strategies and lessons we learned during the pandemic. It is essential that we continue supporting children and families.”
Mental and physical needs
With 77 million American students experiencing partial or total school closures due to the pandemic — and over 40% of children who are still not experiencing in-person learning as of April — the academic losses and the multi-dimensional impacts of social isolation are inevitable. But, the impacts extend to other aspects of a child’s life and well-being as well.
The percent of U.S. households with children who are facing hunger — meaning they don’t have reliable access to food — doubled from 14% to 28% since last fall. Depression and anxiety are on the rise. In June 2020, 14% of parents reported worsening behavioral health for their children compared to March 2019. And, a recent report estimates that about 40,000 children have lost a parent to COVID-19.
The picture for children of color is even more difficult. More than one in four children who are black or Latino experienced food insufficiency in March 2021. And, while black children represent just 14% of all children in the United States, they represent 20% of those children who lost a parent to COVID-19.
“The realities facing our kids are stark. And they won’t be overcome quickly,” said Matt Salo, the National Association of Medicaid Directors executive director. “But, we have effective programs like Medicaid and CHIP that have been helping during the worst of the pandemic and are a critical piece of the recovery for millions of American children.”
Data is also showing us these mounting mental and physical healthcare needs are likely going unmet. Children received 44% fewer child health-screening services from March to May 2020 compared to that period in 2019.
“We know we have a long way to go before we recover as a nation,” Salo said. “But certainly, our first and best efforts to achieve that recovery must start with our children.”
Medicaid Forward: Children’s Health, the second in a three-part series, identifies opportunities for action to address immediate and long-term challenges for children’s health emerging from the COVID crisis across communities. Specific focus areas for the series include children, older adults and those with mental health and addiction diagnosis. The first in the series focused on mental health and addiction across all populations served by Medicaid.
About the Louisiana Department of Health
The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state residents. The Louisiana Department of Health includes the Office of Public Health, Office of Aging & Adult Services, Office of Behavioral Health, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, and Healthy Louisiana (Medicaid). To learn more, visit www.ldh.la.gov.

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in a parking lot of a Bayou Vista business Thursday afternoon
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith said the accident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. He said the pedestrian was transported to a medical facility with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries.