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Water woes nearing end

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:23am
Staff Report

Two of the three areas boil water advisories in place were lifted Friday morning.
Advisories in Morgan City and Assumption Parish Waterworks District No. 1 — including the Bayou L’Ourse and Pierre Part areas — were lifted. A boil water advisory remains for customers in St. Martin Water and Sewer District No. 1’s jurisdiction in the Stephensville area.
The advisories were put in place Wednesday following bitter cold temperatures that impacted the area’s water systems.
Meanwhile in Morgan City, a water break Friday afternoon at Sixth and Onstead streets left a small section of Sixth Street closed to traffic until it was reopened Sunday afternoon.
“When we started digging it up, it was a main water line that was shooting as high as the telephone poles,” Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna told KWBJ-TV 22.
When fixing the water line, Dragna said the city discovered a gas line touching it, so it was relocated.
“We didn’t stop anybody,” Dragna said of service. “We just cut it on both sides of the street, put the water line back and put the gas line back.”
The break was one of many in the city with the freezing weather.
“These guys do a tremendous job, and I have a lot of respect for them after watching them work in 20 degree weather to fix water lines,” said Dragna, who was out working with city crews Sunday.
The repair site was filled, so it could be reopened safely to traffic Sunday. Dragna said it will be paved with cement in about a week.
Dragna said the city has some small breaks they are going to fix Monday that he said were “barely leaking.”

Weighing risk posed by vaccine: Experts recommend COVID shots for pregnant women

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:21am
GEOFF STOUTE
gstoute@daily-review.com

Pregnant women are not more likely to contract COVID-19, but the risks if they do contract the virus are higher.
Dr. Robin Bone, head of OBGYN at Ochsner Baptist in New Orleans said in a Facebook live event offered by the health system Friday that pregnant women are at a higher risk of being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, being put on a ventilator or having issues with clotting.
While the risk are high, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of OBGYN, the American Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine and the Society of Reproductive Medicine have said jointly that vaccines do not cause infertility, and they should be used by pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding.
“They’ve all taken the stance that you should absolutely weigh the individual risk factors to the patient as well as a mutual decision with their physician on whether or not these pregnant women should get the vaccine,” Bone said.
Starting Monday, Louisiana has opened the vaccine to more of its population, which includes expecting mothers.
Bone noted that 15,000 pregnant women, many working in healthcare, have been vaccinated as of Jan. 20, with zero complications experienced.
She said she thinks confusion arose due to the original trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, where 37,000 people were vaccinated, but pregnant women and children were excluded. She said those exclusions are normal in a vaccine trial.
However, Bone said 23 women — half who were given the vaccine and half the placebo in this trial — became pregnant.
“They followed those women out in that Pfizer trial, and there’s been no problems at all there, either,” Bone said.
While Pfizer was not originally studying pregnant women, it has begun doing so with a trial.
“Because I think as time goes on, they’re going to prove and show this vaccine is safe in pregnant women, and they’re going to have the data to back it up,” Bone said.
For those who are breastfeeding, the nutrients in the antibodies are believed to be passed to their children, too, Bone said.
She said she understands a mother’s worry about potentially harming her unborn child by receiving a vaccine. Bone said she asks her patients if they feel safer for themselves and their baby getting the vaccine or not.
She noted what they know about the vaccine is that it appears safe for this segment of the population.
“Whereas there’s so many more unknowns about getting COVID itself,” Bone said.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are 95% effective against the virus with two-dose shots taken weeks apart, while a single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which has been proposed but hasn’t been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration yet, is nearly 70% effective, said Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, Ochsner Health System medical director of hospital quality and an infection disease specialist.
She said both vaccines on the market are safe, while data from Johnson and Johnson indicates it is, too.
While the technology used in the development of the COVID vaccines may be new for COVID vaccines, it has been around for a long time, Kemmerly said.
“We know that it’s really good technology,” she said.
There were other factors that expedited vaccine development process.
With genome sequencing of the virus available, the process was undertaken and made available publicly.
“So with the Pfizer and the Moderna trials, the companies knew what the recipe was, so to speak, and they made vaccine all the while they were designing, and planning and conducting clinical trials,” Kemmerly said.
Another key factor is the amount of people available to test the vaccine on in clinical trials, something that normally takes many years because they are not being developed during a pandemic, she said.

Message: We're all in this together

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:17am

Submitted Photo/Ochsner St. Mary
Ochsner St. Mary's Surgery Department designed chalk art in front of the hospital entrance to remind everyone that we are all in this together. Pictured from left are Gina Giagnorio, Jeanette Lizcano, Summer Barousse, Tate Boudreaux, Erin Matherne and Andrea Matte.

LINDA ANN LeBLANC JENNINGS

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:04am

April 27, 1955 — February 18, 2021
Linda Ann LeBlanc Jennings, 65, a resident of Patterson, was called to her heavenly home on Thursday, February 18, 2021.
Linda was born on April 27, 1955 in Lafayette, the daughter of John LeBlanc and Electa Collier LeBlanc.
Linda loved her family and cherished every moment she spent with them; but her grandchildren were her life, she truly lived for them. Linda was a faithful member of Crossing Place Church where she served in the nursery taking care of many babies over her years there. She will be missed by everyone who knew and those whose life she really touched.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by three daughters, Kitty L. Hebert and husband Joseph of Morgan City, Belinda L. Arnold and husband Gregory of Huntsville, Alabama, Gina L. Arnold and husband Jason of Berwick; three step children, Ryan Jennings and wife Traci of Patterson, Taylor Jennings and wife Lou of Patterson, Ashley J. Businelle of Bayou Vista; six grandchildren, Tyler Hebert, Jaci Arnold, Kennedy Hebert, Ryleigh Arnold, Luke Arnold and Lexi Arnold; seven step grandchildren, Parker Jennings, Caleb Jennings, Peyton Jennings, Eli Businelle, Kate Jennings, Andre Businelle and Stella Businelle; brother, Glenn LeBlanc and wife Janice of Millbrook, Alabama; two sisters, Cheryl Heckman and husband John of Lakeland, Florida and Alyson LeBlanc of Scott; longtime friend, Nat DeHart of Berwick.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents, John and Electa Collier LeBlanc and her husband Derrik Jennings.
Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at Crossing Place Church with Pastor Den Hussey officiating. A visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service and following the services inurnment services will be held in St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given in Linda’s name to the American Heart Association, 139-B James Comeaux Road, #596 Lafayette, LA 70508.

MARY FONTENOT GUIDRY

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:02am

Mary Fontenot Guidry, 58, a native of Mamou and resident of Patterson, died Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at her residence.
She is survived by her husband, Weston Guidry of Patterson; three sons, Andrew Guidry of Berwick, Weston Guidry III of Taft, Texas and Brandon Guidry of Patterson; a daughter, Sasha Mayon of Bayou Vista; a brother, Hebert Fontenot Jr. of Bayou L’Ourse; Sarah East of Vinton and Debra Jagneaux of Patterson; 13 grandchildren; and a host of other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a grandson.
Visitation and services were Sunday at Twin City Funeral Home, who was in charge of arrangements.

Students of the Month

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:00am

The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute
St. Mary Parish Students of the Month were recognized during the Feb. 11 monthly school board meeting. February Students of the Month are Aubree Bach, fifth grader at Bayou Vista Elementary School; Brianna Ackman, eight grader at Centerville Junior High School; and Braylon Pierce, a senior at Morgan City High School. Kallie Mayeux, a fourth grader at Hattie A. Watts Elementary School in Patterson, was recognized as a January student of the month, too. From left are Pierce, Ackman, Bach and Mayeux.

Central Catholic takes on Highland in hoop playoffs

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 10:55am
Staff Report

Central Catholic is looking to pull the upset in its third meeting of the season with District 7-1A foe Highland Baptist.
The teams will meet in the regional round of the Division IV playoffs Monday at 6:30 p.m. in New Iberia. Central Catholic (5-10 overall and 5-5 in district) enters the postseason as the No. 15 seed, while Highland Baptist (20-4 overall, 10-0 in district) is the No. 2 seed.
The teams met twice in the regular season in district action, with Highland Baptist winning both games. Highland Baptist defeated Central Catholic 59-38 at home on Jan. 12 and then defeated the Lady Eagles 53-43 in Morgan City on Jan. 29.
Highland Baptist has won 12 straight since its last loss, a 49-47 defeat to Southside Dec. 19 at Hanson Memorial’s tournament. The win streak has included a 10-0 mark in district play.
In addition to common district opponents in Centerville, Covenant Christian, Hanson Memorial and Vermilion Catholic, the teams also have played common opponents in Acadiana, Southside and New Iberia. Highland Baptist split with Southside and defeated Acadiana twice and New Iberia once. Central Catholic lost its games against all three opponents.
Other victories for Highland Baptist this season are as follows: Jeanerette, David Thibodaux, Alexandria, Westgate, St. Martinville, Morgan City, Berwick, Centerville (twice), Covenant Christian (twice), Vermilion Catholic (twice) and Hanson Memorial (twice).
Central Catholic has won three straight entering Monday’s contest, defeating Centerville, Hanson Memorial and Covenant Christian to close the season.
The Lady Eagles’ wins come from two victories apiece against Centerville and Covenant Christian and a win against Hanson Memorial.

Petroleum League, Guiys & Dolls bowling scores

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 10:44am

PETROLEUM LEAGUE
Week 20 (Feb. 10)
..................................W L
Satchel of Richards...54½ 25½
Johnny’s Wrecker......50 30
A&M Dockside...........47 33
MISTRAS..................40½ 39½
That’s How we Roll....38 42
Antebellum Renov....37½ 42½
Coastwide Elect.........37 43
Chabill’s ..................37 43
Roy’s Trucking.........36 44
MC Paint & Body.....35 45
Conrad....................32½ 47½
Allen’s TV Cable.......32 48
Individual high scores: Kenny Keton 231, 248, 279 games, (758) series; MacKenzie Amador 207, 208, 215; Anthony Falgout Jr. 250, 220; Bobby Rotolo 247, 248; Eric Morrison 256, 212; Bruce Rentrop 209, 224; Dustin Fuselier 203, 214; Devin Parvino 202, 211; Patrick Thibodeaux 203, 212; Hunter Boudreaux 207, 212; Mark Corbin 243; Lisa Powell 238; Mark Kleimann 236; Chris Price 232; Joshua Thomas 226; Sterling Roy 209; Larry Deslatte Jr. 209; Richard Sartwell 204; Ronnie Kinchen 203; Kelvin Naverre 202; and Eric Cortez 201.
GUYS & DOLLS LEAGUE
Week 17 (Feb. 11)
...................................W L
Intl. Alignment...........44½ 23½
Satchel of Richards...42½ 25½
Fishing for Strikes.....40½ 27½
Johnny’s Wrecker.......36 32
Deep..........................36 32
SNAFU......................33 35
Boss..........................32 36
Bach’s.......................31 37
Jerry’s Kids..............30½ 37½
Naughty But Nice......29 39
Hensgens Bros...........27 41
Moe’s Poboys...........26 42
Weekly high scores: (male) Richard Sartwell 252, 267, 256 games, (775) series; Gerard Labit 279, 259, (725); Anthony Falgout Jr. 202, 252, 227; Kelvin Smith 227, 232, 201; Patrick Thibodeaux 247, 213; Mark Corbin 204, 213; Gerald Wiese Jr. 265; Kenny Keton 233 and Devin Hidalgo 200; and (women) Angela Fields 235 and Lisa Powell 216.

Local agencies make arrests on burglary and theft charges

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 10:33am
Staff Report

(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.)

Area law enforcement officers made four arrests in crimes involving burglary or theft late last week, including one of a Baton Rouge man caught in Hammond and suspected of a Morgan City business burglary, police reports said.
Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reports that over the last 24-hour period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 37 calls for service and made these arrests:
—Duran Adaryll Wells Jr., 19, Pine Island Avenue, Baton Rouge, was arrested Thursday on a warrant for simple burglary and theft over $25,000.
The Morgan City Police Department responded to a business burglary Jan. (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.)
Staff Report
Area law enforcement officers made four arrests in crimes involving burglary or theft late last week, including one of a Baton Rouge man caught in Hammond and suspected of a Morgan City business burglary, police reports said.
Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reports that over the last 24-hour period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 37 calls for service and made these arrests:
—Duran Adaryll Wells Jr., 19, Pine Island Avenue, Baton Rouge, was arrested Thursday on a warrant for simple burglary and theft over $25,000.
The Morgan City Police Department responded to a business burglary Jan. 30. During the investigation, detectives with the Morgan City Police Department and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and Baton Rouge Police Department, developed Wells as a suspect.
With the assistance of the Louisiana Department of Justice and Hammond Police Department, Wells was taken into custody Feb. 12. On Thursday, he was transported and booked into the Morgan City Police Department.
—Keiondre O Allridge, 21, Brashear Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested 11:12 p.m. Thursday on charges of mufflers, requirements and prevention of excessive noise; and no driver’s license on person. He was also arrested on a warrant for aggravated burglary, theft over $25,000, illegal possession of stolen
things and possession of marijuana.
On Thursday, a K-9 officer conducted a traffic stop in the area of Gen. MacArthur and Federal Avenue. The driver was identified as Allridge.
During the traffic stop, officers discovered evidence in his possession from a business burglary reported to the Morgan City Police Department on Tuesday. During the investigation, detectives with the Morgan City Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Allridge.
He was placed under arrest and booked into the Morgan City Police Department for incarceration
—Rebecca Jane Demarco, 49, Sixth Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:30 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear to pay fine in 6th Ward Court.
—Mark Broussard Jr., 31, Cedar Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:30 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for five counts of failure to appear to pay fine in 6th Ward Court.,
—Rickey James Watts, 32 Oregon Street, Berwick, was arrested at 5:59 p.m. Thursday on warrants for failure to appear and contempt of court from 6th Ward Court.

Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:
—Donnie Daigle, 30, Jefferson Street, Napoleonville, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of simple burglary in connection with a commercial burglary in the Bayou L’Ourse area on or about Jan. 9.
On that date, deputies responded to the complaint and determined that forced entry had been made into the business. The burglars attempted to access an ATM machine inside of the business and attempted to steal other items before the burglary alarm sounded.
Detectives initiated an investigation and were able to confirm that other burglaries may have been committed by the same suspects in other jurisdictions.
As the investigation continued, detectives were able to identify Daigle as a suspect in the Bayou L’Ourse burglary.
Warrants were obtained charging Daigle with simple burglary and simple criminal damage to property.
During the investigation, investigators learned that Gonzales City Police held active warrants for Daigle on charges of simple burglary, simple criminal damage to property and felony theft.
On Wednesday, detectives from Assumption and St. Mary arrested Daigle at his place of employment in St. Mary.
Daigle was returned to Assumption Parish on Wednesday and booked into the parish detention center.
—Anthony John Pennison, 49, La. 663, Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested Thursday on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The charge arose from the execution of a search warrant on Thursday.
As part of an ongoing parishwide drug probe by sheriff’s office narcotics agents, information was developed indicating illegal drug activity was occurring at a Bayou L’Ourse residence.
As part of that investigation, agents obtained sufficient probable cause to secure a search warrant for the aforementioned property.
On Thursday morning, deputies and agents converged on the home and executed the search warrant.
During this process agents seized several firearms.
Pennison was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and remains incarcerated pending bond proceedings.
Pennison is a convicted felon. Pennison was convicted of possessing Vicodin on March 28, 2012, in St. Mary Parish and received a five-year sentence and by condition is prohibited from possessing firearms

Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly said his department responded to 13 complaints over a 24-hour period and made the following arrests:
 —Gary Jones, 53, Ibert Street, Franklin, was arrested at 5:15 p.m. Thursday on a warrant dated Jan. 27 for criminal trespassing and theft of a package. Jones was booked processed, and released on a $2,000 bond.
—Ashlee Miller, 40, Pine Street, Franklin, was arrested at 8:01 a.m. Thursday on warrants for 3rd Ward City Court for failure to appear on the charges of driving under suspension, no proof of insurance and traffic control signals with accident. Miller was booked, processed and released on a $500 bond.

St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advises that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 38 complaints and made these arrests:
—Rebecca Jane Demarco, 49, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:58 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of possession of methamphetamine, resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
No bail has been set.
—Ladaisha Welsh, 23, Jeanerette, was arrested at 2:53 p.m. Thursday on a charge of hit and run.  Welsh was released on a summons to appear May 24.
—Bricelon Lamon Martin, 24, Franklin, was arrested at 2:25 a.m. Friday on a warrant for failure to appear for aggravated battery and operating a vehicle while license is suspended/revoked/canceled. Bail was set at $10,000.

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Home improvements can cut heating costs

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 10:24am
By THE LSU AGCENTER

BATON ROUGE — Record-cold weather across Louisiana is likely to result in high utility bills for many. While it may be too late to affect your current heating costs, LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel said temperatures will still be low over the next few days, and offered six strategies likely to provide you the fastest return on investment:
—Assess your home. Start with a do-it-yourself home energy checkup. Visit http://www.energystar.gov/ and use the Energy Star Home Advisor tool in the Save at Home tab to get a prioritized list of energy-saving recommendations customized for your location and home. If you want to make major improvements in home performance, hire a Residential Energy Services Network or Building Performance Institute certified home energy rater or analyst for more precise recommendations with a cost-benefit analysis.
—Vary the setting. Fully heating an empty house is like burning cash. A free way to save big is to set a programmable thermostat or manually reduce your normal setting by 8 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit whenever the house is unoccupied and when sleeping. A bonus benefit is studies show that people tend to sleep better in temperatures between 60 to 65 F.
—Optimize your heating system and ductwork. First, change the air filters in forced air systems because dirty filters reduce efficiency. It’s also good to annually get the heating system professionally inspected, adjusted and cleaned — for both efficiency and safety.
If ductwork is in an unconditioned space, like a vented attic, duct leaks and losses can cause a large waste of the heat (and cooling in summer) that you are paying for. It’s a winning investment to have your duct system thoroughly sealed with either a specialized aerosol sealant system for ducts or with mastic on all joints and connections and to caulk the gaps between the duct boots and drywall behind the air register grilles. Don’t use duct tape, which doesn’t hold up well over time.
It’s important to have the ductwork professionally leak tested and measured with specialized equipment after sealing to verify effectiveness and find remaining leaks. When replacing or installing new ductwork, upgrade to R-8 insulated ducts and insist on “best practice” layout and installation.
—Find and seal building air leaks. On a cold day, temporarily turn on exhaust fans to cause a suction, and feel around to find all the cold air leaks throughout your home. There are consumer-priced leak detectors on the market that signal temperature differences to make it easier and faster to find the leaks.
Electric outlet and light switch gaskets are very inexpensive and easy to install behind the faceplates. Choose and install durable weather-stripping around doors, windows and attic access stairs or panels. Use expanding foam sealant around pipe penetrations in walls. If you can remove trim around doors and windows to seal gaps, use low expansion foam.
The ceiling (attic floor) is often the largest source of air leakage, especially if your home has recessed can lights that are not ICAT-rated (insulation contact, air-tight). Specialized, fire code-compliant covers are available to reduce the leakage, or they can be replaced with ICAT housings. Visit www.energystar.gov to see do-it-yourself methods to plug and seal other penetrations and air bypasses in the attic floor.
A typical fireplace is designed to pull air up and out the chimney, including air you’ve paid to heat, increasing cold air leaks and drafts. Using an open-hearth fireplace with your central heating system on can increase your heating bill. When using a fireplace for heat, turn off your central heater. When not using the fireplace, make sure the damper is fully closed. If it doesn’t seal tightly, install a chimney balloon.
—Insulate the water heater tank and pipes. Water heating is typically the second largest part of a home utility bill after cooling and heating. Inexpensive kits and pipe insulation tubes are a simple way to reduce heat loss as well as prevent frozen pipes.
—Top off attic insulation to R-38. After sealing the attic floor and access panel or pull-down stair, consider adding more insulation if you have less than R-30, and especially if you have only R-19 or less as is typical in older homes such as 6-inch-thick batts or loose fill. There are kits designed to add insulation to the cover of attic pull-down stairs or you can make a boxed cover with rigid foam board.
Reichel also said the bigger jobs may be worthwhile investments in the long run when remodeling and when replacements are needed.
She recommends replacing an aged, inefficient heating system and electric strip (resistance) heaters with an Energy Star-labeled gas furnace or electric heat pump.
“The Energy Star label means the equipment is more efficient than the minimum and will ultimately save you far more than the price difference,” she said. “Make sure it is right-sized for your home’s heating load. Bigger is not better.”
Also, consider insulation, she said.
“Insulate single-pane windows and wood doors with storm windows and doors, or replace them with new Energy Star label windows and doors for your climate zone on the Energy Star label map.”
Insulated window treatments can increase winter comfort, she said.
Insulate raised floors with air-tight, moisture impermeable insulation systems — rigid foam board under the joists, or closed cell spray foam under the subfloor — that both insulate and prevent summer moisture problems. Visit lsuagcenter.com/LaHouse publications page to read “Insulating Raised Floors in a Hot, Humid Climate.”
She said if your home site has zero risk of flooding, another option is a sealed, semi-conditioned crawl space detailed like a small basement. Guidance is available at the Department of Energy Building America Solution Center website, https://basc.pnnl.gov/.
Visit LaHouse Resource Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge to see and learn more ways to save energy in comfort. LaHouse is an educational high-performance housing exhibit and program of the LSU AgCenter. During the pandemic, it is open to the public by appointment only for self-guided tours. Visit www.lsuagcenter.com/LaHouse for directions, helpful articles, videos and more.

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