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NEW AL-ANON
MEETING
At 6 p.m. every Tuesday at 7719 Highway 182 East, across from the bowling alley in Morgan City. Family and friends of alcoholics and adult children of alcoholics are welcome. For information call 985-518-3062.

BAPTIST WOMEN
WORLD DAY
OF PRAYER
Hosted by Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church and Morning Glory Ministries, 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, at Morning Glory, 1325 Railroad Ave., Morgan City. Everyone invited.

A new deployment of 465 Cajun Coral reef modules is planned for early November at an artificial reef off Eugene Island.
Th Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program helped create the Eugene Island 51 Nearshore reef, built in 2022 in partnership with CCA Louisiana.
The reef is composed of 120 recycled concrete structures. The reef site is about 37 nautical miles offshore in 17 feet of water. All reef material has at least 12 feet of clearance above it.
The Cajun Coral reef modules are concrete shapes 3 feet long by 1.5 feet wide and a foot tall. Designed by technology company Natrx, Cajun Coral is a highly flexible module that is printed and installed by Danos.
The technology promotes habitat growth and ecological benefits that strengthen over time, LDWF said in a news release.
 “Adding on to an already existing reef is an exciting opportunity for the department as this can promote enhanced fish habitat and lead to greater fishing opportunity for anglers,” said LDWF Assistant Secretary of Fisheries Ryan Montegut. “We are thankful for our partners CCA, Natrx and Danos and their investment in the future of Louisiana’s fisheries.”
The LDWF Artificial Reef Program website is at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/artificial-reefs.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, is hosting its inaugural raffle. Supporting ongoing LDWF conservation efforts, the raffle offers outdoor enthusiasts and conservation supporters of Louisiana the chance to win a brand-new Chevy Silverado from your Super Chevy Dealers, valued at $60,000.
Proceeds directly benefit programs led by LDWF, including habitat restoration, wildlife and fisheries research, public access enhancements, and education initiatives.
To purchase your ticket, visit: https://www.lawff.org/la-conservation-raffle.

Terrebonne General Health System, in partnership with Gulf Coast Orthopedics, has been recognized by Louisiana Blue with a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement.
This program identifies hospitals and ambulatory care centers that demonstrate expertise in patient safety and deliver better health outcomes. Quality assessments are based on objective measures developed from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s partnership with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
This designation is a testament to the rigorous standards met by Terrebonne General and Gulf Coast, the health system said in a press released.
Designated knee and hip replacement facilities deliver high-quality care, with an average of 21% fewer readmissions and 21% fewer complications within 90 days after knee and hip replacement surgery.
“Being recognized nationally is a incredible honor. It reflects the unwavering commitment of our entire team to delivering compassionate, high-quality care that delivers innovation in patient outcomes,” said Phyllis Peoples, president and CEO.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement,” said Dr. Henry L. Haydel II, orthopedic surgeon at Gulf Coast Orthopedics. “This achievement represents the collective dedication of our entire orthopedic and rehabilitation teams, who work tirelessly to ensure that every patient receives the highest standard of care.
“Our focus has always been on helping individuals regain their mobility and return to the activities they love, and this designation reaffirms that commitment. We are proud to provide the people of our community with nationally recognized, high-quality care right here at home.”
Terrebonne General met the criteria to receive this designation, which include:
--Having full accreditation from at least one national accrediting organization as either a hospital or ambulatory surgery center
--Having low complication, mortality, and unplanned readmission rates within 90 days after elective primary total knee and hip replacements
--Having enhanced recovery after surgery processes and procedures in place for quality perioperative care
--Participating in Louisiana Blue’s BlueCard preferred provider organization network
Since 2005, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care at lower costs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, knee and hip replacement, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery.

John Carmouche, who represents parishes in more than 40 coastal-erosion lawsuits against major oil companies, told the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday that the litigation is aimed at companies’ permit obligations since 1980, not at World War II–era production.
He walked through a timeline that starts with Congress’ 1972 Coastal Zone Management Act and Louisiana’s decision to build its own program, which culminated in a state permitting regime that took effect Sept. 20, 1980.
From that date forward, he said, oil and gas operators needed coastal use permits when their activities affected the coast, and they were obligated to restore sites when operations ended.
“It’s not like they didn’t make the decision to put them in the position they’re in today. It was their choice, no one else’s choice,” Carmouche said. 
That framing mirrors the parishes’ position in a recent U.S. Supreme Court filing, which says the lawsuits seek relief “solely” for violations of issued permits after Sept. 20, 1980, and for failures to obtain required permits after that date. Pre-1980 conduct matters only to determine whether an activity is “grandfathered” from permitting – activities ended before Sept. 20, 1980 aren’t actionable, the brief notes.
Carmouche argued companies “had choices” once the state program began: Get coastal permits and follow restoration terms, or don’t. He said most parish claims arise from permits that were never obtained for dredging and waste disposal, or from restoration duties that were ignored.
The parishes’ filing likewise emphasizes that operators who lawfully started a use before 1980 didn’t need a new permit, but those that continued non-grandfathered uses after 1980 did – and that’s what the suits target.
Explaining the technical backdrop, Carmouche said “produced water” from drilling contained salts and metals and could have been injected deep underground instead of dumped into unlined pits or marshes.
He argued that parish claims focus on specific fields where activity continued after 1980 and required permits, not on every historic well pad.
He also pushed back on national-security warnings from two former Joint Chiefs chairs about the lawsuits chilling public-private partnerships.
“We can’t ignore the law,” Carmouche said, adding he’s seen “no proof” the cases are driving companies out of Louisiana. “If the price is right, they come.”
Carmouche’s lawsuits are not without widespread criticism.
 A 2019 economic impact report published by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy estimated the litigation has cost Louisiana between $44 million and $113 million annually.
Industry-aligned groups say the Plaquemines verdict exemplifies “lawsuit abuse” that threatens jobs and investment without directly restoring the coast.
They argue the parish cases misuse state law to retroactively punish decades-old, federally regulated operations, ignore that companies followed the rules in place at the time, and try to turn broad climate and coastal challenges into courtroom fights better left to legislatures and regulators. 
“This misguided litigation is built on a dangerous premise – that companies can be punished today for actions that were legal, permitted, and often encouraged by the very governments now seeking massive damages,” Melissa Landry, vice president of the Pelican Institute, said in a statememnt. “There is no doubt that the longer these cases drag on, the more jobs, investments, and opportunities Louisiana will continue to lose.”
“These cases haven’t restored a single mile of coastline, but they’ve done real damage to Louisiana’s economy. It’s time to end the courtroom chaos, welcome back investment, and let Louisiana work,” Landry continued.
Tommy Faucheux, president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association, said the state’s energy sector is already investing heavily in coastal health and restoration and warned that parish-led lawsuits threaten jobs and new capital.
“No private entity cares more – or is doing more – about the health and restoration of our coastline than the Louisiana energy industry,” he said, arguing that “trial lawyers are coming in to line their pockets and threaten investment in our state.”
Faucheux urged policymakers to “stop incentivizing these lawsuits” and “support the over 300,000 people in Louisiana who work in and alongside the oil and natural gas industry every day.”
Carmouche also said that the end of the lawsuits would be a boon to Louisiana, to which Pelican Institute CEO Daniel Erspamer responded: 
“It may be one of the very few things on which the plaintiffs’ lawyers and I agree. Unfortunately, ‘end the lawsuits’ should mean withdraw them rather than continuing this aggressive lawfare.”