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Bebrah Lynn Mitchell

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 11:31am

Bebrah Lynn Mitchell, 61, a native of Morgan City and resident of Bayou Vista, died Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, in Schriever.
She is survived by two sisters, Eva Prine of Schriever and Rose Dinger of Patterson; two brothers, Charles Mitchell of Gibson and Carlos Lombas of Bayou Vista; and a host of other relatives.
She is preceded in death by her parents, a daughter and six siblings.
Memorial visitation will be Sunday at 1 p.m. until services at 2 p.m. at Twin City Funeral Home.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Clarence Roscoe Vappie

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 11:28am

A Mass of Christian Burial for Clarence Roscoe Vappie will be held Saturday, November 7, 2020, 11:00 AM at St. Jules Catholic Church, Franklin, LA with Fr. Peter Emusa as the Celebrant.
Visitation will be Friday, Nov 6, 2020 from 6 - 8 p.m. at MK Dixon Funeral Home, and resume on Saturday, November 7, 2020 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. with the Rosary being prayed at 10:15 a.m. at St. Jules Catholic Church.
He will be interred in Sacred Heart Catholic Church Cemetery, Baldwin, La.
Clarence Vappie, known as “Petie” to his friends and family, was born on December 16, 1992, in New Iberia, LA to Clarence and Karla Vappie. He was their only child. He attended Episcopal Day School, New Iberia, LA; and graduated in 2011 from Franklin High School, Franklin LA. He enjoyed being a part of the Hornet football and track teams. He attended Ole Miss, Oxford, MS; and SLCC, New Iberia, LA.
Petie had a great passion and talent for theatrical arts, music production, and writing lyrics. He shared his father’s love of hunting and fishing, 4-wheeling and trail riding on dirt bikes, the muddier the better!
As a young child Petie was affectionate and loving, and he remained so throughout his life. He hugged and kissed without reservation. He loved his family and never missed a chance to gather with them. He had an excellent and entertaining sense of humor.
Left to cherish his memory are his father, Clarence Anthony Vappie and his mother, Karla Paul Vappie; his uncle, Raphael S. Paul and his aunt Marla L. Chirdon, and his cherished surrogate grandparents, Greg Paul and Brenda Cahn Paul.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Roscoe L. Vappie who passed away prior to Petie’s birth, and his grandparents whom he adored and loved beyond measure, Mary Ann Harris Vappie, and Edward Paul Jr. and Marva Ricardo Paul.
You may sign the guestbook online at www.mkdixonfh.com.
MK Dixon Funeral Home is in charge of final arrangements, 337-940-9253, 211 Main Street, Baldwin, LA 70514.

Jim Brown: La. buries its head in the sand

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 11:08am

JIM BROWN

Like most of you, I’ve had my fill of political ads and trial lawyer solicitations that seem to be constantly appearing on TV.
But you know what bothers me even more? I’m sick of seeing that goofy commercial of some dumb and disheveled looking guy talking to an ostrich. “You only pay for what you need,” so it goes.
So just how much automobile insurance do you really need?
Let’s say you’re driving down the road with your family in the car and are broadsided by an illegal immigrant with no insurance.
There are many such unlicensed drivers in Louisiana today. The other driver is at fault.
Your car is totaled, and both you and the other passengers in your vehicle are seriously injured.
The medical bills alone could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And what about pain and suffering as well as loss of income.
We’re now talking into the millions. Let’s ask the stupid guy with the mustache and his ostrich friend. How much do you need?
Year in and year out, Louisiana drivers pay more for auto insurance than any other state in the nation.
So the real question is not how much you need, but just how much can you afford?
The cost to many policyholders is staggering.
The Louisiana Legislature just completed a wide-ranging special session.
Yet there was not one proposal or even a discussion about the outrageous cost of car insurance.
Like the ostrich in the TV commercial, legislators stuck their heads in the sand and ignored the problem that is costing Louisiana drivers more than $3 billion (not million but billion) in additional costs.
And most of that additional premium is sent to insurance companies located outside the state. So local disposal income and spending is reduced by this three billion dollars.
Drivers in Louisiana need major financial coverage for all the dangers of driving a vehicle in the Bayou State.
But the failure of the legislature to see that current laws are enforced, and that penalties for dangerous driving ae increased, makes affordable insurance way out of reach for the average policyholder.
Louisiana’s insurance mess is the result of numerous factors that include poor drivers, lax DUI enforcement, inferior highways, speeding, and substandard insurance regulation.
So when you see the TV ads with the ostrich and the weird insurance salesman, remember that what you need in Louisiana is a heck of a lot more than most of us can afford.
***
I also wanted to let my readers know that we lost one of my favorite musical performers last week.
Jerry Jeff Walker passed away at 78 years old.
You don’t know this but I was the Louisiana president of the Jerry Jeff fan club. Jerry Jeff was a Texas country outlaw singer who spent a good bit of time and performed numerous concerts all over Louisiana.
He teamed up with the likes of Waylon Jennings, David Allan Coe, Billy Joe Shaver, and Kinky Friedman.
His biggest hit was a Louisiana song called “Mr. Bojangles,” about an old street performer in New Orleans.
My first Jerry Jeff concert was in 1982 at Armadillo World in Austin, a country music venue that held concerts nightly with an atmosphere something like the Flora-Bama beach bar in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
There was a sign-up sheet to receive Jerry Jeff’s newsletter and become a member of his fan club.
Of course, I joined up.
A few days later, his assistant called to say Jerry Jeff was looking for a president of his fan club in Louisiana.
I was secretary of state at the time, but I could always find a few moments to perform my fan club duties for a musical favorite.
How could I turn down the author and singer of the southern anthem “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother?”
When he performed in the Bayou State, I was usually in that number, and his staff always saw that I had a front row seat.
It was obvious I had handled my responsibilities well. We will sure miss Jerry Jeff.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer given

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 8:07am

As men and women age, their risk for various diseases increases. Such is the case with pancreatic cancer, which the Cancer Patient Alliance notes is most often diagnosed in adults between the ages of 60 and 80.
Pancreatic cancer is the most aggressive and least funded of the major cancers. In fact, the Cancer Patient Alliance notes that 80% of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed with the disease in its terminal stage.
Although pancreatic cancer might once have been predominantly associated with men, the Cancer Patient Alliance notes that the once-significant gap between male and female patients with the disease has narrowed considerably in recent years. Annual estimates from the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation suggest a roughly 50-50 split in new diagnoses among men and women.
That pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed in its late stages only highlights the importance of learning its potential symptoms. While the NPCF notes that symptoms of pancreatic cancer sometimes do not occur at all, learning the potential symptoms is still vital, as the disease is most treatable when discovered in its early stages.
Symptoms
Symptoms may not appear until pancreatic cancer is in an advanced stage. The NPCF notes that’s one reason why diagnosis tends to be so late and why the disease is so difficult to detect, even in people who take their health very seriously. But men and women who notice any of the following symptoms should bring them to the attention of their physicians immediately.
—Abdominal pain: The Cancer Patient Alliance notes that a vague mid-abdominal pain is one of the first symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
—Fatigue: Fatigue may be an early symptom of pancreatic cancer, so it’s important that aging men and women do not write off any instances of fatigue as merely a byproduct of getting older. Fatigue is often noticed prior to diagnosis, so taking it seriously is urgent.
—Lower back pain: Over time, pain in the abdomen may move or radiate into the back.
—Yellowing of the skin and of the whites of the eyes.
—Loss of appetite.
—Significant loss of weight in a 30- to 60-day span.
—Depression.
—Digestive issues: The pancreas is part of the digestive system, and the Cancer Patient Alliance notes that as many as 40% of pancreatic cancer patients report nausea and vomiting.
—Itching.
Many of the symptoms noted above may be byproducts of pancreatic cancer treatments, but they also may appear prior to diagnosis. So it’s important that they be treated seriously and reported to a physician immediately.
Pancreatic cancer poses a significant threat to both men and women. Learning to recognize signs of the disease and what to do should they appear may improve patients’ prognosis.

LSU Health studies myocarditis link to COVID-19

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 8:05am

NEW ORLEANS — A study conducted by Richard Vander Heide, MD, PhD, professor and director of pathology research at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Marc Halushka, MD, PhD, professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, suggests myocarditis caused by COVID-19 may be a relatively rare occurrence, according to the LSU Health news release. Their findings are published online in Cardiovascular Pathology.
Reports of the rate of COVID-19 myocarditis have varied widely, ranging from 60% among middle-aged and elderly recovered patients to 14% among recovered athletes.
“Although it is clear that COVID-19 impacts the heart and blood vessels, to date, it has been difficult to know how reproducible any changes are due to the relatively small sample size of most autopsy series,” notes Dr. Vander Heide.
The authors collected data from 277 autopsy cases to analyze cardiovascular pathological findings from patients who died from COVID-19 in nine countries around the world. The data from these autopsied hearts were published in 22 papers. After careful review, the authors determined that the rate of myocarditis found in these patients is between 1.4% and 7.2%.
“What we have learned is that myocarditis is not nearly as frequent in COVID-19 as has been thought,” said Halushka. “This finding should be useful for our clinical colleagues to reconsider how to interpret blood tests and heart radiology studies.”
“By bringing the data together from this large number of autopsy cases, we have better determined the spectrum of histologic findings,” added Vander Heide. “Even a low myocarditis rate of 1.4% would predict hundreds of thousands of worldwide cases of myocarditis in severe COVID-19 due to the enormous numbers of infected individuals. Low rates of myocarditis do not indicate that individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 are not having cardiovascular problems, but rather those complications are likely due to other stressors such as endothelial cell activation, cytokine storms, or electrolyte imbalances.”
The authors also created a “checklist” for pathologists to use going forward when evaluating COVID-19 at autopsy to provide consistency in investigating and reporting findings.
“This study demonstrates the importance of the autopsy in helping us determine what is occurring in the hearts of individuals passing away due to COVID-19,” concluded Halushka.

Landry notes toy recalls

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 8:04am

BATON ROUGE – Consumers should be mindful of several child products that have recently been recalled, according to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
The recalled products are:
—Bassinets by DaVinci;
—Cub Scout Activity Pins by Boy Scouts of America;
—Belecoo strollers by “A Better You!”;
—“Manhattan Ball” activity toys by Manhattan Toy and sold exclusively at Target;
—Strollers by Thule;
—Plush Aflac Doctor Duck by Communicorp;
—Children’s helmets by Woom Bikes USA;
—Super Soaker XP 20 and XP 30 Water Blasters by Hasbro and sold exclusively at Target’
For more information on these products and consumer remedies for them, view the Fall 2020 Safety Box at http://agjefflandry.com/Page/10806.

New retiree encourages others to find hobbies, save money

Fri, 11/06/2020 - 8:01am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: I retired a year ago from a stressful job because I couldn’t take what it was doing to my health. Despite a divorce after a 35-year marriage 10 years ago, I had recovered financially. I was lucky to have landed a job in my early 30s that had an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan, and I contributed to it for 34 years, putting in as much as I could. I am able to collect enough Social Security and withdraw a small amount from the 401(k) to live as I did when I worked.
I always had hobbies, interests and things I wanted to do but never had time for. I have been very happy and busy ever since. During the quarantine, getting groceries was a bit of a challenge, but I live simply and had no problems.
I am shocked at all the furloughed people who are having fits and complaining that they are bored out of their minds. This should be a wake-up call that they need to get a life. For these people, retirement is going to be really hard. Also, they need to plan for the future and have a six- to 12-month emergency fund.
I have put old home movies on DVDs, reorganized photo albums, cleared out a lot of stuff to simplify my life, put in a vegetable garden, made a quilt. COVID or not, I am a busy woman.
Can you encourage all those bored people to learn a new craft, try a new recipe, make a birdhouse, SOMETHING other than call this busy woman and distract me from my projects?
LIVING IT UP IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

DEAR LIVING: No, but YOU should certainly consider doing it. You can also make yourself less available to the complainers by putting your phone on mute during the hours you prefer not to be disturbed.
This is not to say your suggestions aren’t good ones, just that I have urged readers for years to prepare well in advance for retirement and discuss with their spouse (if they have one) how the realities of daily living will change when it comes to chores and conserving personal space.

DEAR ABBY: A man has been reaching out to me on social media for three years. He claims to be in love with me (after having met me once, briefly), and I think I believe him.
It’s hard to explain, but I think I may feel the same way toward him. The problem is, I have ignored him for the last three years. I blocked him on all social media, but he keeps finding ways to contact me. He even had flowers delivered to my house. To tell the truth, I ghosted him because I’m terrified of what our “love at first sight” connection could mean. I have been hurt in the past, and I know a relationship of this magnitude could destroy me emotionally.
I feel terrible for ignoring him, but my friends and family insist that he is a stalker, and they would never understand if I decided to pursue a relationship with him. I feel paralyzed.
What should I do?
CONFUSED OUT EAST

DEAR CONFUSED: If a relationship of this magnitude could destroy you emotionally, then I do not recommend pursuing it. Sane individuals who have been ignored for three years usually take the hint and walk away.
Listen to your family. What this man has been doing is, to say the least, unusual and could, indeed, be considered stalking.
***
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

UPDATED: MCHS-South Lafourche football game canceled due to COVID-19 cases at South Lafourche

Thu, 11/05/2020 - 5:45pm

Staff Report

Staff Report
Morgan City High School’s football game against South Lafourche, scheduled for Friday night, has been canceled because COVID-19 cases at South Lafourche High School, Morgan City High School officials said Thursday evening.
Morgan City High School coach Chris Stroud said he was informed Thursday night by South Lafourche of the cancellation of the District 8-4A game, which also was scheduled to be Morgan City’s homecoming.
Meanwhile, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday said Louisiana will remain in Phase 3 of coronavirus restrictions for at least another month, defying a petition put together by Republican lawmakers.
According to the Houma Courier, South Lafourche has “multiple confirmed coronavirus cases” on its campus and will be completing online learning, beginning Friday until Nov. 30 when the school returns from the Thanksgiving break.
As for homecoming, the court will be introduced at the school’s Ogden E. “Oggie” Stansbury Multi-Purpose Building Saturday in a 7 p.m. ceremony and the queen crowned.
Before Friday’s game, the school also planned to retire the jerseys of four former Morgan City High School Tigers: Urban Henry, No. 89; Charles Poole, No. 33; Edward Dangerfield, No. 2; and Herman Hartman Jr., No. 4.
That ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. following the homecoming court ceremony.
Also, those who purchased tickets for the game may come to school as early as Monday for a refund or the tickets may be used for the Tigers’ next home game on Nov. 13 against South Terrebonne.
Morgan City is currently 0-5 this season and 0-2 in district, while South Lafourche is 2-3 overall and 1-1 in district play.
Phase 3 extended
Louisiana will stay in Phase 3 and keep its current COVID-19 mitigation measures in place for another 28 days, Edwards said Thursday. The Governor’s Phase 3 order was set to expire Friday, and he has extended it until Dec. 4.
“The mitigation measures we have in place are slowing the spread of COVID and saving lives and now is not the time to let up,” Edwards said. “All Louisianans need to continue to work together to slow the spread of COVID in our state and keep hospitalizations down so that we do not risk our ability to deliver health care to our people.
“We have now seen three consecutive days of increasing hospitalizations, and last saw this many people in the hospital in mid-September. As we move into the holiday season, it is important that people do not let their guard down. We have seen COVID spread because of small, private gatherings at people’s homes and everyone should be focused on minimizing their risk and protecting their loved ones.”
The White House Coronavirus Task Force shares data weekly with the states, which shows that while much of the nation is seeing a surge in new cases, Louisiana’s new case count and test positivity has remained mostly stable. Louisiana has the 44th highest number of new cases per capita, with the lowest test positivity and new cases per capita in the South.
Nine new COVID-19 cases were reported at midday Thursday in Assumption and St. Martin parishes. No new fatalities were reported locally.
St. Mary’s case count was adjusted downward by one to 2,047.
Assumption has six new cases for a pandemic total of 822.
St. Martin has three new cases for a total of 2,276.
The death tolls remain at 87 in St. Mary, 64 in St. Martin and 24 in Assumption.

Nine new COVID cases, no deaths locally

Thu, 11/05/2020 - 12:34pm

Nine new COVID-19 cases were reported at midday Thursday in Assumption and St. Martin parishes. No new fatalities were reported locally.

St. Mary's case count was adjusted downward by one to 2,047.

Assumption has six new cases for a pandemic total of 822.

St. Martin has three new cases for a total of 2,276.

The death tolls remain at 87 in St. Mary, 64 in St. Martin and 24 in Assumption.

Statewide:

-740 new cases Thursday raise the pandemic total to 185,825.

--20 newly reported deaths raise the total to 5,766.

--14 more COVID-positive people are being treated in hospitals for a total of 636.

--5 more people are on ventilators for a total of 82.

UPDATED: Teen arrested in September shooting in Berwick

Thu, 11/05/2020 - 11:25am

Staff Report
A Patterson 17-year-old turned himself in Wednesday to Berwick police in connection with a September shots-fired report at Bayside Village Apartments.
The boy was named in a warrant for illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities, according to Berwick Police Department press release
The juvenile was booked on the charges that stem from an incident that occurred Sept. 1, when Berwick police responded to a call of shots fired in Bayside Village Apartments. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that multiple shots had been fired at that location and shell casings had been recovered on the scene.
Investigators learned that the juvenile in question was involved in the incident and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
No one was reported injured in the incident and the investigation continues.

Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported these arrests:

—Demetris Owens, 27, Orange Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 11 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of criminal trespass.

Officers were called to Lawrence Street for a disturbance. They learned from the complainant Demetris Owens had been removed from their property and advised him not to return.
The complainant advised Owens returned to the property using profane language causing a disturbance. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.

—Jewel Ann Ross, 36 North Verret Street, Amelia, was arrested at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for two counts of contempt of court and probation violation.

Ross turned herself into the Morgan City Police Department on active warrants held by the City Court of Morgan City. She was booked and incarcerated.
—Richard Mattew Giroir Jr., 60, Duke Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:11 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for three counts of failure to pay fines.

Officers located Giroir at his residence and placed him under arrest on active warrants held by the City Court of Morgan City. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Johnathan Paul Myers, 27, Belanger Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:11 p.m. Wednesday on charges of criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of stolen things $1,000-$5,000.

Officers were called to an address on Brashear Avenue to investigate a theft complaint. Officers arrived and learned Myers was in possession of a stolen generator that was stolen earlier in the day.
He was placed under arrest, and the investigation is still ongoing. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Lyndon Berwick, 39, Walker Street, Guyton., Georgia, was arrested at 9:46 p.m. Wednesday on charges of disturbing the peace-intoxicated and resisting an officer.

Officers were called to an address on La. 182 for an individual who was intoxicated and causing a disturbance. They came into contact with Berwick, who was intoxicated and causing a disturbance.
When officers attempted to arrest him, he struck one of the officers. He was retrained and placed under arrest. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.

—Amber Dodd Myers, 30, Brashear Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:24 Wednesday on a fugitive warrant for theft under $1,000.

Officers came into contact with Myers on Brashear Ave. A warrant check revealed she was wanted by the City Court of New Iberia.
She was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarcera-tion.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported these arrests:
—Brennan Robert Caffery, 39, Franklin, was arrested at 2:32 p.m. Wednesday on charges of theft, criminal trespass, expired or no inspection sticker, no insurance and no vehicle registration.
Caffery was released on a summons to appear Feb. 23.
—Clyde Edward Brown, 55, Franklin, was arrested at 2:16 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Brown was released on a $2,500 bond.
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:

—Juvenile female, 16, Lafourche Parish was arrested Wednesday on charges of terrorizing, unlawful disruption of the operation of a school and cyberstalking.

The girl was charged by verified complaint with making threats toward Assumption High School and particular individuals.

Those threats were made on Wednesday. Non stop investigation since the posts were first delivered led to de-tectives quickly identifying the suspect.

Detectives arrested the suspect early Thursday and charged her. The juvenile was released to the custody of her parents pending court proceedings.

The suspect is not a student of the Assumption Parish School System.

The Sheriff’s Office does not believe the threat to have been credible and there was no activity in furtherance of the threat.

Falcon assigned a notable presence of deputies at the high school for Thursday and anticipates no further school disruptions as a result of this incident.