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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.
Monday, Jan. 25
7:23 a.m. 3000 block of Roderick Street; Theft.
7:40 a.m. Hickory and Sixth streets; Disturbance.
7:59 a.m. 300 block of Garber Street; Forgery.
8:42 a.m. 600 block of Kentucky Street; Theft.
8:54 a.m. 400 block of Belanger Street; Officer stand by.
10:22 a.m. 1400 block of Railroad Avenue; Theft.
11:14 a.m. 800 block of Duke Street; Civil matter.
11:16 a.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Removal of subject.
11:35 a.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Complaint.
11:38 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Accident.
11:57 a.m. U.S. 90; Reckless driving.
12:55 p.m. 600 block of Federal Avenue; Trespassing.
2:04 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Reckless driving.
2:24 p.m. 1300 block of Walnut Drive; Alarm.
2:40 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
2:59 p.m. 200 block of Patton Street; Officer stand by.
3:01 p.m. 400 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.
3:31 p.m. 1900 block of Elm Street; Complaint.
4:01 p.m. 300 block of Third Street; Theft.
4:33 p.m. 700 block of Belanger Street; Medical.
5:46 p.m. 300 block of Chennault Street; Animal complaint.
6:25 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Warrant/arrest.
6:31 p.m. 200 block of Robin Street; Disturbance.
6:59 p.m. 200 block of Robin Street; Remove a subject.
7:34 p.m. Brownell Homes; Speeder.
8:26 p.m. 300 block of Onstead Street; Complaint.
8:31 p.m. 22300 block of Clements Street; Complaint.
10:38 p.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Accident.
10:46 p.m. 800 block of Palm Street; Assist.
11:04 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Stand by.
Tuesday, Jan. 26
12:27 a.m. 200 block of Belanger Street; Assistance.
4:59 a.m. 300 block of Grizzaffi Street; Complaint.

From the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office:

The Highway 182 bridge over the Atchafalaya River is currently closed in both directions due to a truck that struck the cross beam on the Berwick side.
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The Louisiana DOTD was expected to inspect the damage. Please drive with caution.
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Motorists are advised that the traffic flow over the Highway 90 bridge is heavier than normal today. Please slow down and leave room between the vehicle in front of you when using the Highway 90 bridge.

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has been selected to develop and implement the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel System for the United States Marine Corps.

The LRUSV System will usher in a new era of naval technology while increasing the lethality of U.S. forces, with a network of unmanned vessels traveling autonomously for extended ranges and transporting loitering munitions to address targets at sea and on land, the St. Mary shipbulder said in a news release.

This tiered, scalable weapons system will provide the ability to accurately track and destroy targets at range throughout the battle space. While fully autonomous, the vessels may be optionally manned and they will carry multiple payloads, which they will be capable of autonomously launching and retrieving.

Metal Shark has enlisted autonomous technology developer Spatial Integrated Systems, recently acquired by Huntington Ingalls Industries, to provide the autonomy solution for the LRUSV system. SIS is a leader in the development of multi-vessel collaborative “swarming” autonomous capabilities, sensor fusion and perception.

Under an “Other Transaction Authority” Agreement with Marine Corps Systems Command, Metal Shark will design, build, test, and implement the vessels and will handle the integration of the autonomy system and an advanced Command and Control (C2) software suite.

In addition to the autonomous LRUSV, Metal Shark will also produce manned support vessels for the LRUSV system utilizing its 40 Defiant military patrol craft platform, which the builder is currently producing to create the U.S. Navy’s new “40 PB” patrol boat fleet.

“The LRUSV program represents a significant milestone for autonomous technology, for the defense world, and for the entire shipbuilding industry,” said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. “We are thrilled to be integrating advanced autonomy and Command and Control capability into these highly specialized surface vessels to provide the Marine Corps with a next-generation system.”

Under the OTA, Metal Shark will also provide the Marine Corps with associated program management, system engineering, configuration management, quality assurance, logistical support, and the development of technical publications and manuals in support of the LRUSV program.

The LRUSV program is the latest success for Metal Shark’s Sharktech Autonomous Vessels division, a wholly-owned subsidiary launched in 2018 and specifically focused on the advancement of unmanned vessel technology. In September, it was announced that the United States Coast Guard had selected a 29-foot Sharktech autonomous test vessel equipped with autonomy by Boston-based technology developer Sea Machines for evaluation by the USCG Research and Development Center. In 2019, Metal Shark was selected by US Navy PMS 406 (Naval Sea Systems Command’s Unmanned Maritime Systems division) for the Unmanned Family of Systems Multi Award IDIQ, a blanket Navy contact covering multiple topics in the autonomous space. As a brand-agnostic technology integrator actively engaged with multiple developers in the unmanned space, Metal Shark’s Sharktech division has also produced and delivered autonomous vessels equipped with autonomy solutions from L3 Harris (previously ASV Global).

“Metal Shark has designed, built, and delivered over 400 autonomous and remotely operated vessels to date,” said Mr. Allard. “As we develop and deploy the LRUSV system for the Marine Corps, we will continue to work with clients across government and commercial markets, integrating the systems of multiple technology partners into our boats, solidifying our leadership position in the autonomous vessel space, and streamlining the path to autonomy.”

Metal Shark is a diversified shipbuilder specializing in the design and construction of welded aluminum and steel vessels from 16 feet to over 300 feet for defense, law enforcement, and commercial operators. Key customers include the United States Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, foreign militaries, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, passenger vessel operators, pilot associations, towboat operators, and other clients worldwide. With three fully self-contained shipbuilding facilities in Alabama and Louisiana USA plus a dedicated engineering facility in Croatia, Metal Shark’s 500-plus employees produce over 200 vessels per year.

New patients are being taken for first-dose vaccinations at Franklin Foundation Hospital, while in the Ochsner Health System, new patient appointments for the initial vaccine are on hold as the hospital system manages a backlog of rescheduling cancelled appointments after a drop in vaccines received in recent weeks.
In Franklin, Kevin Romero, director of marketing, business development and co-director of physician services, said that 300 of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses are being given per week to the qualifying public the last two weeks after the hospital received 210 doses the initial week.
Those eligible are in Phase 1B, Tier 1, which includes a variety of dental and medical professionals and staff members and those ages 70 and above.
The hospital will complete its third week of public vaccinations with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot this week before it follows that up with three weeks of second doses of the vaccine.
The hospital has spots open for its final initial first-dose vaccine run Thursday. If people want to get in on the initial round, they need to call as soon as possible to get an appointment.
There is no stipulation on who can be inoculated, other than the state guidelines.
“We do have some people that come in from outside of our area, but we’re trying to take care of our community as a priority,” Romero said.
There is no online registration outlet. To sign up, you must call 337-907-6585.
“We felt with the biggest population being that 70 and above, online registration would be the hardest part for that population, so what we’re asking is to call the number, leave your name and number and let somebody answer the phone,” Romero said.
If no one answers, Romero said, leave a message with your name and number and someone will return the call to schedule an appointment.
Romero said they have been told to expect the same vaccine allotments they have received going forward. He said they are taking appointments for the next round of first doses, too, which will be administered at the end of February.
“We know we will have vaccine for them in three weeks,” he said. “We absolutely know we will.”
Meanwhile in the Ochsner Health System, CEO Warner Thomas said Monday on a video conference interview with media outlets that their supply of the first dosages of the vaccine has dropped about 70% as the state is navigating its allocation duties.
“They’ve got tremendous demand for vaccine, and they’re doing the best they can to meet the demand issues,” Thomas said.
For instance, last week Thomas said Ochsner received 3,900 doses for south Louisiana, and 975 apiece for its Lafayette and north Louisiana markets.
However, this week, they secured 1,950 for south Louisiana, none for Lafayette and 975 in Shreveport.
“If you ask me how the numbers were determined, I don’t know,” Thomas said.
Because of the cut in vaccines received, the health system stopped taking new appointments and is having to reschedule the appointments of others, building up a waiting list of 21,400 last week. The hospital has rescheduled about 10% of their patients whose appointments are canceled. Appointments are being rescheduled in the order they were canceled.
“We’ll reschedule more as we get more doses,” Thomas said.
Thomas and Ochsner Chief Medical Officer Robert Hart stressed the vaccine snarl affects only those who are scheduled to receive the first dose.
“We have all of the vaccine doses for people to get their second dose, so nobody will be impacted from a second-dose perspective,” Thomas said.
While new appointments are not being accepted at the moment, Thomas said anyone can register in the Ochsner system via the MyOchsner app. They will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis.
Regardless of what vaccine is offered, Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, Ochsner Health infection disease specialist and assistant medical director for hospital quality, said the public should get it.
Kemmerly said that news has been good in terms of reactions to the vaccine.
“Generally speaking, people are doing well,” Kemmerly said. “We do know that the second dose is a little bit more problematic for some than the first, but we have not seen any significant adverse events. Most of the discomfort or side effects resolve within 24 hours, and so we’re not seeing people miss days on end of work.”
That stronger reaction to the second dose, Teche Action Clinic CEO Dr. Gary Wiltz said recently, is because patients’ bodies likely have developed COVID-19 viral antibodies.
“So when they recognize it that second time, they responded even stronger,” he said, noting that those who have the stronger responses have developed stronger antibodies.
In another COVID-19 vaccine note, the Louisiana Department of Health reported 25 new providers across the state were added to the network providing a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine to those eligible.
However, none of those new sites include additional locations in St. Mary or Assumption parishes.
With the additions, 324 providers, including many pharmacies, received a limited supply of the vaccine, according to a Louisiana Department of Health release. The full list of providers is available at covidvaccine.la.gov. Residents also can call 211 to find a nearby provider.
In Region 3, which includes St. Mary Parish, the Louisiana Department of Health reported 22,582 vaccines have been distributed as of Friday.
Statewide, 314,328 doses have been given out, including 272,625 first doses. A total of 41,703 people have received both doses.
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine at Ochsner, visit www.ochsner.org/vaccine.