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Many people resolve to be more organized at the start of a new year, but any time of year is a good time to get more organized. Busy families often are pulled in many directions, so tools that make it easier to manage schedules, important documents and more can help people keep a clear head on hectic days.
Organization-based smartphone apps can help people keep pace. The following are some useful apps busy individuals may want to utilize.
—Cozi: Cozi is a website and mobile app designed with family organization in mind. It’s earned the distinction of being a three-time “Mom’s Choice Award” recipient. The Mom’s Choice Awards program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of items from more than 60 countries.
Within the Cozi app, appointments and activity calendars are kept all in one place; school events and class schedules can be tracked; grocery lists can be managed and shared; and to-do lists can be shared as well.
—Any.do: For people who thrive in list-making, this app is an ideal fit. Users make daily checklists and break down bigger projects into smaller tasks.
—Paprika: This app is one of the many cooking idea and meal planners available. It enables users to cut recipes from blog posts and save them easily. Users can even create grocery lists within the app. That list can be shared with the family so anyone out doing the shopping can pick up items.
—Genius Scan: Keeping track of receipts, important documents and other paperwork can be challenging. Genius Scan is a smart scanner for a phone that makes it easy to quickly scan a document on the go and export files as multi-page PDFs or JPEGs.
—Keepy: Many parents keep a storage container of their children’s artwork. But storing years’ worth of school projects can take up valuable space. Keepy allows people to save childhood photos and artwork in an organized manner.
—Dropbox: Dropbox can be used for business, pleasure or generalized organization. It’s an easy way to store files large and small, and share photos and videos with anyone, including those who do not have Dropbox accounts.
Staying organized is easier when utilizing the various applications available for computers, tablets and smartphones.

(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.)

Assumption Parish authorities are working with the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies to find the man suspected of killing one man and wounding two others April 16.
In St. Martin, deputies arrested a Breaux Bridge woman accused of shooting her brother “in the face area,” the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s office said.

Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon is again advising the public that Ronald J. Vallejo, 30, Violet Street, Labadieville, is wanted for first-degree murder in the April 16 shooting death of Travin K. Smith, 30, Violet Street, Labadieville. That shooting occurred in the 100 block of Violet Street.
Vallejo is accused of shooting and killing Smith and wounding two other people.
Vallejo is wanted on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a stolen firearm and aggravated criminal damage to property.
The Sheriff’s Office warns everyone not to approach this suspect in any manner if you see him but to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 985-526-1627 or the Communications Division at 985-369-2912.
—Tyler Joseph Chenevert, 26, La. 621, Gonzales, was arrested Wednesday on charges of obstruction of justice, possession of methamphetamine, aggravated flight from an officer, two counts of resisting an officer, no driver’s license, no license plate, switched license plate, and tail lights required, and on a hold for Probation and Parole.
The charges resulted from a traffic violation Wednesday night in Pierre Part.
A uniformed patrol officer observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation and attempted an investigative stop of the vehicle. The violator continued west toward Belle River, crossed the Belle River Bridge and turned toward Bayou Pigeon at speeds in excess of 95 mph.
Iberville Parish joined in the pursuit and at some point, the suspect vehicle lost control near White Castle.
The driver and one passenger fled on foot. The suspect driver, Chenevert, was captured after a brief foot pursuit. The passenger remains at large. During the pursuit, the passenger allegedly tossed a package from the vehicle, and that package is suspected of containing illegal narcotics. Illegal drugs were also seized from the vehicle.
Chenevert was transferred back to Assumption Parish and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Facility pending a bond hearing.
Deputies are continuing their efforts to locate the passenger.

St. Martin
Sheriff Becket Breaux said Monday’s arrest of Mona Duhon, 35, Kathy Drive, Breaux Bridge, resulted from a shooting that day in the 1000 block of Saltmine Highway.
On arrival, deputies located a man who had been shot in the facial area. He was transported to an area hospital for further medical treatment.
An investigation regarding the shooting was initiated, and it was determined the victim was involved in a disturbance with his sister, Duhon, who allegedly shot the victim.
The suspect was arrested and booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center. Bond has been set at $150,000.

St. Mary
Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 31 complaints and made these arrests:
—Roy Miller, 68, Crowley, was arrested at 4:51 p.m. Wednesday on charges of driving on roadway laned for traffic, open container and driving while intoxicated. Bail was set at $3,250.
—Willie Joseph Johnlouis Jr., 33, Jeanerette, was arrested at 1:56 a.m. Thursday on charges of improper lane usage, driving under suspension, possession of marijuana and possession of a legend drug without a prescription.
Johnlouis was released on a summons to appear Aug. 19.
—Devante Sons, 21, New Iberia, was arrested at 3:16 a.m. Thursday on charges of driver must be licensed and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sons was released on a summons to appear Aug. 19.
—Leann Touchet, 22, Jeanerette, was arrested at 3:16 a.m. Thursday on a charge of possession of marijuana. Touchet was released on a summons to appear Aug. 19.
—Malik Domoquillo Phillips, 25, Jeanerette, was arrested at 3:16 a.m. Thursday on charges of possession of marijuana, resisting officer or arrest, and obstruction of justice (tampering). No bail has been set.
—Heather Latiolais, 25, New Iberia, was arrested at 3:16 a.m. Thursday on charges of possession with intent to distribute Schedule II drugs and two counts of sale, distribution or possession of a legend drug without a prescription. No bail has been set.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that over the last 24-hour period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 44 calls for service and made these arrests:
—Brett Michael Givens, 30, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:56 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant for criminal damage to property less than $1,000, resisting an officer and attempting to disarm a police officer.
—Chad Everett Monk, 37, North First Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for domestic abuse battery and aggravated battery.

Berwick
Police Chief David Leonard reported this arrest:
—Al’Keirria Lewis, 20, Sandi Drive, Patterson, was arrested at 11:55 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, child restraints and speeding 60 mph in a 30 mph zone.
About 11:38 p.m. Wednesday, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle for speeding 60 mph in a 30 mph zone. Officers made contact with Lewis and advised her of the reason of the stop.
During the course of the traffic stop, a small infant was observed in the front seat with no child seat. Through the course of the investigation, an odor of marijuana was detected being emitted from the vehicle. Lewis admitted to having a small amount inside.
A search of the vehicle was done and marijuana and items of drug paraphernalia were located. Lewis was placed under arrest and transported to the Berwick Police Department, where she was booked.

Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Police Department responded to 14 complaints over the past 24 hours and made these arrests:
—Joseph Daniels, 24, Samuel Street, Franklin, was arrested at 5:18 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of driving while intoxicated (first offense). Daniels was booked, processed and released on a $2,500 bond.
—Travis Sophus, 36, Gumpoint Lane, Franklin, was arrested at 8:27 p.m. Wednesday on 16th Judicial District Court warrants for failure to appear on the charges of second-degree battery and domestic abuse battery. Sophus was booked, processed and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.

Established in 2001, Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge in St. Mary Parish is made up of 10,999 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, cypress-tupelo swamps, and marshes that was intended to provide habitat for the then endangered Louisiana black bear.
The refuge’s diversity allows it to support other species of fauna such as wading birds, passerines, and raptors like Bald Eagles, Osprey and Swallow-tailed Kites. Its habitat is also important to neo-tropical songbirds that pass through the region during spring migration and is home to a local favorite yellow bird, the Prothonotary Warbler.
In addition to bears and birds, there is a large population of alligators. The refuge is also home to whitetail deer, along with some small game animals like squirrels and rabbits, and non-game creatures like coyote, feral hogs, opossums, raccoons and armadillos.
On April 14, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service issued an Informational Bulletin seeking public comment on proposed hunt program changes for the Southeast Louisiana Refuge System. Bayou Teche NWR is one of the refuges in the system.
The objective of the hunting changes is to expand access to hunting and fishing where it is compatible with refuge purposes.
The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, according to Federal Regulation is, “To administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitat within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.”
Nationwide there are 567 National Wildlife Refuges, where in large part they have been successful in achieving these mission objectives.
Like it or not, the Louisiana black bear was removed from the Endangered Species List in May 2015. What’s more, ask locals from Patterson to Franklin who live south of the railroad tracks below U.S. 90 about the local bear population and you’re likely to get an ear full.
However, is expanding hunting opportunity always the wise thing to do?
Bayou Teche NWR, since its inception has held a modest deer hunting season annually consisting of mainly archery hunting and basically five days of gun hunting for youth and adults.
For 2021-22 hunting season the bulletin notes that the previously closed Franklin Unit will be open to hunting and subsequently add 3,600 acres of available hunting opportunity for the public.
Acreage-wise, Bayou Teche NWR consists of 7 non-continuous management units with 7,100 acres of bald cypress and tupelo woods that are considered very wet and covered with surface water (swamp) much of the year. Bottomland hardwoods make up another 2,400 acres of forested habitat. The rest is marsh.
For those who know something about whitetail deer hunting, swamp is considered marginal habitat at best. There may be some browse for deer on the few ridges that occur on the refuge, along with the oil field canal spoil banks, but quality vegetation is quite limited beyond that.
I reached out to two Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries deer biologists, former Deer Study Leader Scott Durham, and current Deer Study Leader Johnathan Bordelon. Neither biologist was aware of any formal deer browse studies or population surveys that have been conducted on Bayou Teche NWR in years past.
As someone who uses the refuge during the spring and early summer months, on the few occasions I have observed deer on Bayou Teche, they were always coming off of private property adjacent to the boundary lines and moving back onto the refuge for safety. Deer know no boundaries and find food where it’s available.
Annual deer harvest numbers are typically single digit for those willing to legally report and drop them into the self-clearing boxes provided on the refuge. How many deer are bagged on private property while returning to the refuge each day is something in all likelihood reported by the hunter as required by the LDWF for the area he or she hunted in the parish.
In short, actual refuge harvest rates are currently hard to monitor and something probably unknown for Bayou Teche NWR and should be considered when expanding hunting opportunities.
Other things that are questionable with expanding hunting opportunity on the refuge are found in the “Comprehensive Conser-vation Plan” section of the bulletin. The plan includes increased opportunity for light and dark geese. Light geese would be Snow Geese and Ross’ Geese and dark geese would include the Greater White-fronted Goose, fondly known as speckle bellies.
There is absolutely no chance — zero — of killing snows or speckle belly geese on Bayou Teche NWR.
In speaking with Bayou Teche NWR Assistant Manager Brian Pember, he said, “We’re trying to align refuges with state Wildlife Management Areas to create more hunting opportunities.”
The Atchafalaya Delta and Sherburne WMAs both have waterfowl hunting where geese are regularly killed. However, the habitats compared to Bayou Teche are totally different.
The Atchafalaya Delta WMA is brackish water marsh with plenty of three corner grass, arrowhead, American lotus and subaquatics. Sherburne WMA, on the other hand, has managed water control structures in agriculture settings.
Other things written in the CCP mentions increased opportunity for the incidental harvest of armadillos and opossum. The bulletin appears to encourage the indiscriminate killing of nongame species of animals that have no food value.
There are safety concerns that should also be taken into consideration. Both deer and squirrel seasons coincide with one another. With limited land to hunt, the spoil banks, ridges and headlands could become a problem.
The CCP also mentions allowing deer hunters to put up a properly marked stand 48 hours prior to the season and taking it down no later than 48 hours after it closes. This in itself encourages hunters to take ownership of public property and sets the stage for confrontation.
Is expanding hunting opportunity a wise thing to do? There are a lot of unanswered questions. An important one that should be asked is, what is the impact of increased hunter activity going to have on black bears? Maybe none, but it should be taken into consideration.
The USF&WS is encouraging hunters and the general public to comment on the proposed changes. For those interested they can go to the USF&WS URL www.fws.gov/refuge/big_branch_marsh/cosa/2021_Hunt_package.html or contact USF&WS Refuge Manager Danny Breaux by email at southeastlouisianarefuge@fws.gov or calling (985) 882-2030.

Committees on opposite sides of the Louisiana state Capitol went in different directions Wednesday on bills meant to prevent auto insurance companies from setting rates based on factors other than the customer’s driving record.
The Senate Insurance Committee declined to advance Senate Bill 55 by Alexandria Democrat Jay Luneau with a 4-4 vote. The bill would have banned automobile insurers from using three factors when setting rates: the insured person’s status as a widow or widower, their credit score and their gender if over age 25.
Luneau described all three factors as unfair discrimination, arguing that driving habits should be used to set rates. He cited research by The Zebra, which calls itself “the nation’s leading insurance comparison site,” that indicates women in Louisiana pay more for car insurance even though women, on average, are safer drivers, according to some measures. Several states already ban using gender when setting rates, according to The Zebra and Wednesday’s testimony.
Luneau also argued using credit scores penalizes poor people who might be good drivers, potentially causing them to drive without insurance, which is bad for them, other drivers and the state as a whole.
Auto insurance rates in Louisiana are among the highest in the country.
“This will not lower the [average] rates in Louisiana one penny,” Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon said of Luneau’s bill.
Instead, it would lower rates for some drivers and raise rates for others, Donelon said.
Several Republican lawmakers said Wednesday they didn’t want to restrict competition by putting government mandates on private companies, reasoning that consumers always can choose another carrier. Supporters, who are more likely to be Democrats, pointed out that government forces drivers to buy car insurance, so it’s hardly a “free” market, so government has a responsibility to protect consumers.
House Bill 467 by Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, does not touch on gender or marital status. Jordan wants to ban credit information, education level, employment and occupation as factors in setting auto insurance prices.
“Credit is a strong predictor of risk,” for auto insurers, Rich Piazza, the state insurance department’s chief actuary, said during the House Insurance Committee hearing on HB 467.
Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Albany, however, seemed incredulous that someone’s credit score could influence their auto insurance rates, even if they’ve never had an accident. Mack backed Jordan’s bill, helping it to advance on a 7-6 vote.