RSS Feed

DEAR ABBY: A new single pastor was assigned to my church. He asked if I was single and if I had kids. I told him no, and we began having an affair.
For two years, it was all in secret. Then I began noticing that a single lady from his previous church would visit. He told me she was concerned about him being alone, so she was stopping by on her way through.
Well, I now know she was more than that. While he was having his affair with me, he was engaged to her. When I confronted him, he denied it.
They got married in secret, and he didn’t tell the church until afterward. Everyone was shocked because he talked so much about being an open book and being truthful. I was and still am in shock.
I love my church, but I hate my pastor. Should I leave?
HURTING IN SECRET

DEAR HURTING: I smell a rat, and it’s coming from the pulpit. Your pastor misrepresented himself.
His affair with you was, to say the least, unethical and should be discussed with the governing board of your church. You were taken advantage of. One of you should leave.

DEAR ABBY: I endured an arduous decade-long marriage with a subsequent nasty divorce and custody battle. This was followed by years of contentious child rearing with my ex. With my children now grown, I am free to spend my money the way I want and have absolute freedom. I live alone, and quite frankly, I love my life. I am 100% sure that I want to remain unmarried.
When people ask me about getting remarried, I tell them “never again,” and I mean it. Yet, inevitably, people say, “You never know, you might get married again someday.” Abby, I DO know. It’s been more than 20 years.
I used to get annoyed, but now I just blow it off.
Do you have any retort that doesn’t sound rude? I have thought about saying, “I guess you know me better than I know myself,” but it sounds snarky.
BEFUDDLED IN FLORIDA

DEAR BEFUDDLED: If blowing off the questions no longer works for you, try this: Smile at the person and say, “That would involve TWO willing people, and I’m not receptive. But thank you for the kind thought.” And then change the subject.

DEAR ABBY: I have been having some emotional turmoil. I’m feeling depressed and hopeless. I know I need to tell my parents, but I’m too scared. I’m afraid they will brush it off or blame me. It’s really affecting my life. Please give me some advice on how to break the news.
GIRL WITH A PROBLEM IN NORTH CAROLINA

DEAR GIRL: Many people are experiencing feelings similar to the ones you are.
The worst thing you can do is keep them to yourself. Be brave. Tell your parents about your depression and turmoil. If they are disbelieving, confide in a teacher or the parent of a close friend so they can advise your parents on getting you professional help if it is necessary. My thoughts are with you, and I hope you feel better soon.
***
To receive a collection of Abby’s most memorable — and most frequently requested — poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office detectives have begun a death investigation after hunters found human remains Friday near Franklin, Sheriff Blaise Smith said.

The two hunters made the discovery and notified the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office just before noon Friday. SMPSO deputies and detectives responded to the scene and retrieved the remains.

The remains were found in a wooded area 10 miles north of Franklin.

No further details are available at this time. Additional information will be released as the investigation progresses, the Sheriff's Office said.

Saturday’s a big day for Grace Eisenman.
The business owner will hold her grand opening for her store, The Market by Southern Grace, at 1500 Federal Ave. in Morgan City.
Saturday is a big day for 32 other small business owners, too.
While Eisenman owns the market, it will house not only her business, Southern Grace, but 32 other Tri-City area small businesses, including a bakery.
So how do you fit 33 businesses under one roof?
“I rented out a little something for everybody’s price range,” Eisenman said Thursday.
The spaces range from a 6-foot shelf to a 10-foot by 8-foot booth. Vendors either have a shelf, a display or a booth where they will sell handmade, local items. These items include hand-painted insulated cups, door hangings, paintings, crochet works, charcuterie boards, candles and jewelry.
“It’s like a craft show you can visit six days a week,” Eisenman said.
Eisenman, who started her business of making signs about 1½ years ago, will be able to offer opportunities to others through her store.
“It’s hard to afford a store front by yourself when you make a specific item, so I figured why not open a store where multiple people can contribute to paying the bills and having a store front,” she said.
Saturday’s grand opening will be at 9:30 a.m. The store’s hours will be Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and Sunday 1-4 p.m. The bakery inside the market, Cher t’Dough, will be open Tuesday through Sun-day. On Sunday it will be open 6 a.m.-1 p.m., while every other day, it will be open 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Among the items offered at the bakery will be breakfast and lunch sandwiches, baked breads and coffee.

St. Mary’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.3% in November, but total nonfarm employment also decreased slightly in the parish, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The November unemployment rate was down from 10.4% in October. The number of unemployed people fell to 1,844 from 2,098 in October.
Total nonfarm employment slipped to 18,037 in November from 18,047 the month before.
The unemployment rate is a measure of the number of jobless people who are actively seeking work. Decreases in the number of unemployed and the unemployment rate at the same time can be seen as an indication that some discouraged workers have given up their search for employment.
As with the rest of the state and the nation, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a massive economic blow.
Unemployment in St. Mary reached 14.8% in May, according to statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis.
But in November 2019, before the pandemic reached Louisiana, employment here was already down to 18,173 from the 2014 peak of more than 27,000 reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A long-term slide in energy prices began late in 2014. On Friday, contracts for West Texas Intermediate crude were trading at $51.52 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price of oil has more than doubled since May.
Natural gas, which rose above $3 per thousand cubic feet in late October, were back down to $2.73 Thursday.
In Assumption Parish, unemployment was at 9.8% in November, down from 10.8% in October, again with declining total nonfarm employment.
In St. Martin, unemployment was at 7.8% in November, down from 8.9% in October.
The recent passage of federal COVID-19 relief measures offer some help to the unemployed.
The package included a $300-per-week federal enhancement of state unemployment benefits.
It also funded another round of forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses that keep their workers on the job. The recent legislation earmarked $280 billion for PPP loans nationwide.
And $600-per-person stimulus payments have already begun showing up in bank accounts.
Congressional Demo-crats have pushed for additional stimulus payments as well as aid to state and local governments, and this week’s Georgia runoff results have given functional control of the Senate to the Democrats to go with their House majority.
But the Democrats’ margin is thin and may have to rely on tie-breaking votes from Vice President Kamala Harris. The level of federal spending and the possibility that it will lead to inflation have raised concern among conservative and moderate lawmakers.