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14 new COVID cases, one death in local parishes

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 12:06pm

Fourteen new COVID cases, 10 of them in St. Martin, and one new fatality in St. Mary were reported for three local parishes Friday by the Louisiana Office of Public Health.

Four new COVID cases were reported Friday in St. Mary, where 2,015 cases have been recorded since the pandemic began. The fatality reported Friday was the parish's 85th.

The 10 St. Martin cases raise the total there to 2,201. Assumption's count was reduced by one to 793.

Sixty-three deaths have been reported in St. Martin and 24 in Assumption.

Statewide:

--696 new cases raise the pandemic total to 178,870.

--21 new fatalities raise the total to 5,614.

--22 more COVID-positive people are hospitalized for a total of 620. It was the third increase in hospitalizations in four days.

--The number of people on ventilators rose by 1 to 65.

CARRIE MARY PARAY LANGE

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:53am

Carrie Mary Paray Lange, 90, a native of Four Mile Bayou and resident of Berwick, died Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, at her residence.
She is survived by two sons, George Lange of Berwick and Bud Lange of Centerville; a daughter, Josie Lombas of Berwick; a sister, Julie Paray; nine grandchildren; and a host of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, three sisters and three brothers.
Visitation will be Friday from 9-10:45 a.m. at Twin City Funeral Home with graveside services at 11 a.m. at Morgan City Cemetery Mausoleum.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ERIC THOMAS GASKINS

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:51am

Eric Thomas Gaskins, 40, a native and resident of Amelia, died Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, at his residence.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. Saturday at Jones Funeral Home in Morgan City. Masks and social distancing required. Burial will follow in Union Bethel Cemetery in Amelia.
He is survived by a son, Ahmaric Smith of Thibodaux; mother, Mary Holly of Amelia; father, Leroy Henry Sr. of Breaux Bridge; nine brothers, Wilbert Rhine of St. Martinville, John Henry, Leroy Henry Jr., Travis Henry and Isaiah Henry, all of Lafayette, Terrence Henry of Breaux Bridge, and Derrick Gaskins, Harold Holly and Travis Holly, all of Amelia; six sisters, Theresa Henry and Donesha Craig, both of Lafayette, Erica Henry and Crystal Woods, both of Breaux Bridge, Imanie Henry of New York and Latonia Hawkins of Amelia; and a host of other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandpar-ents.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrange-ments.

Despite disruptions, Red Ribbon Week will go on in 2020

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:47am

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

While things will be curtailed due to the effects of COVID-19, Red Ribbon Week in St. Mary Parish will go on.
The theme for the week, which runs from Friday through Nov. 1, is “Don’t Huff, Don’t Puff, Stay Away From That Stuff! Be Drug Free!”
Activities this year will be limited to certain actions each day. On Monday, students can wear red, while Tuesday is “Character Counts Day.” Wednesday, stu-dents are asked to wear orange in support of anti-bullying, and Thursday, Red Ribbon shirts bought for this year or any previous year may be worn. Friday, students are asked to wear purple to support the movement to stop domestic violence.
“Those are the only things that we’re really able to do,” St. Mary Parish Schools At-Risk Interventionist Gidget Everitt said. “We weren’t able to do our activities like visiting the schools, not having the motorcade, not having our other stuff.”
Also, the Parade of Schools, which is put on by the school system, and the Zoo-to-Boo, which is put on by St. Mary Outreach and supported by the school system, has been can-celled due to COVID-19, Everitt said.
While the purpose of Red Ribbon Week is to spotlight the impacts of drugs and alcohol, it’s something that is im-portant year round, Everitt said.
While the parish is not immune to other drug use, Everitt said the biggest problem she encounters in her job among St. Mary Parish students is vaping.
“It’s just huge,” she said. “We do educational classes. I know a lot of times people don’t think of nicotine as a drug, but it is the one that if you look overall, affects all of our schools.”
As for education, Everitt said a new program to supplement education on drugs and alcohol and other related information the school system already offers is planned, but it has been delayed from being introduced due to COVID-19, too.

Central Catholic homecoming proclaimed

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:33am

Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi recently signed a proclamation declaring Central Catholic Homecoming Week Oct- 19-24. With Grizzaffi is the Central Catholic homecoming court. Seated from left are Emily Adams, Mary Frances Cali, Emily Colgin, Elise Daigle, Marina Duval, Haley Fontenot, Kennedy Grizzaffi, Alanni Landry, Brenna Laubach, Katie Luc, Peyton Skiles, Rylie Theriot, Sara Thibodaux and Sophie Tucker.

Committee rejects limits on COVID rules

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:24am

DAVID JACOBS, The Center Square

A Louisiana Senate committee has killed two House of Representatives-passed measures that sought to chip away at the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.
House Concurrent Resolution 8 by Rep. Phillip DeVillier, a Eunice Republican, would have eliminated state regulators’ ability to punish bar owners for violating rules meant to control the pandemic. While barrooms in parishes with low rates of positive COVID-19 tests recently have been allowed to open, they are limited to 25 percent of normal capacity. A bar owner testified the limits prevent him from making enough money to pay his bills.
DeVillier said he objects to bars being treated differently than casinos and restaurants, though the latter types of businesses have their own sets of restrictions. Public health officials say bars present a higher risk to public health and have been linked to COVID-19 outbreaks around the world, includ-ing in Louisiana.
“At the very least, we should be consistent,” DeVillier said.
He further argued that bar patrons and owners should be able to decide for themselves whether to risk contracting the new coronavirus. Sen. Greg Tarver, a Shreveport Democrat, countered that fail-ing to control the pandemic will burden the state’s health care system.
The judiciary committee voted 3-2 to defer the bill, killing it for the session.
Senators by the same margin voted to reject House Bill 9, which effectively would have carved out an exception to COVID-19 restrictions for religious organizations. The bill would have nullified charges against Tony Spell, a pastor who has gained attention for defying mandates against large gatherings.
Rep. Danny McCormick, an Oil City Republican, argues such restrictions violate state and federal constitutional religious freedom guarantees. He also pointed to the role churches play in his part of the state to provide meals for the needy and support people going through addiction recovery.
“We can’t carve out exceptions for churches,” said Chairman Gary Smith, a Norco Democrat, adding that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled health and safety regulations do not infringe upon religious freedom.

Morgan City police radio logs for Oct. 21-22

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:18am

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.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
7:07 a.m. 1200 block of Brashear Avenue; Alarm.
8:21 a.m. 5000 block of Railroad Avenue; Animal.
8:23 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
8:35 a.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Removal of subject.
8:52 a.m. 1100 block of Victor II Boulevard; Alarm.
9:17 a.m. 1100 block of Brashear Avenue; 911 hang up.
9:22 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Dis-turbance.
11:05 a.m. Nebraska Street; Burglary of vehicle.
11:38 a.m. 500 block of Fourth Street; Com-plaint.
11:42 a.m. 2100 block of Maple Street; Com-plaint.
12:00 p.m. 1400 block of Federal Avenue; Animal.
12:57 p.m. Morgan City High School; Acci-dent.
1:10 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Drug activity.
1:32 p.m. 1800 block of Filmore Street; Harassment.
1:41 p.m. 600 block of Willow Street; Medical.
1:45 p.m. 500 block of Third Street; Medical.
2:26 p.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Assis-tance.
2:27 p.m. Second Street; Traffic monitor-ing.
3:13 p.m. Brownell Homes; Removal of subject.
3:41 p.m. 400 block of Garber Street; Battery.
4:31 p.m. La. 182; Complaint.
4:46 p.m. 500 block of Onstead Street; Com-plaint.
5:29 p.m. 2000 block of Allison Street; Medical.
5:33 p.m. 1400 block of Federal Avenue; Removal of subject.
5:58 p.m. 3000 block of Catherine Street; Medical.
6:01 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Crash.
6:08 p.m. 500 block of Franklin Street; Animal complaint.
6:11 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
6:35 p.m. Oak Street; Patrol.
6:49 p.m. Freret Street; Disturbance.
7:51 p.m. 100 block of Mallard Street; Patrol.
8:52 p.m. 600 block of Federal Avenue; Patrol.
9:28 p.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Ar-rest.
9:35 p.m. 400 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.
9:43 p.m. 1500 block of North First Street; Complaint.
11:10 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Assistance.
11:16 p.m. 200 block of Utah Street; Disturb-ance.
Thursday, Oct. 22
12:55 a.m. 500 block of First Street; Alarm.

BBB: More robocalls, more scams in election season

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:15am

Between the political ads and the news coverage, the 2020 United States presidential election is impossible to ignore. But voters aren’t the only ones paying attention. According to recent BBB Scam Tracker reports, scammers are using phony political fundraising calls to trick Americans into “donating” to a favorite candidate.

How the Scam Works
You receive a robocall and answer the phone. It’s a recorded voice – perhaps even one that sounds just like one of the presidential candidates. According to the recording, rivals have been raising a lot of money. In order to see your favorite candidate elected, you need to donate… immediately.
If you offer to give, you’ll be transferred to a live person and asked for your credit card infor-mation. But your money won’t go to support the political cause. Instead, the phony caller will make off with your money and/or personal information that can be used for identity theft. As the 2020 election campaign heats up, be on the lookout for more versions of this con.

How to Avoid Robocall Scams
--Screen your calls. If a call comes in from a number you don’t recognize, don’t answer. Even if the number looks familiar, be wary. Check the number on Whitepages.com (a BBB Accredited Business) to see if it’s been flagged with a fraud alert.
--Don’t respond to unsolicited robocalls. If you receive an unsolicited robocall that seems to come from a legitimate business, be cautious. Scammers can fake the caller ID results, and businesses are only allowed to call you via robocall with your written permission. If someone is calling you out of the blue, it’s most likely a scam. The best practice is to hang up the phone without interacting with the call. Don’t “press 1 to be removed from our list;” that could just confirm to the scammer that your number is valid.
--Register with the Do Not Call Registry. This step won’t prevent scammers from calling you, but it will reduce the number of legitimate marketing calls you receive, which will make it easier to identify the fraudulent ones. If you live in the United States, call 888-382-1222 or register online at Donotcall.gov. If you live in Canada, visit the National Do Not Call List.

For More Information
To learn more about how to avoid robocall scams, read BBB.org/RoboCall.
If you’ve been the victim of a robocall scam, report it on the BBB.org/ScamTracker. By doing so, you can help others protect themselves from falling prey to similar scams. Learn how to avoid them at BBB.org/AvoidScams.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find busi-nesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2019, people turned to BBB more than 183 million times for BBB Business Profiles on nearly 5.8 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Jim Bradshaw: Preserving a piece of Louisiana culture

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 11:07am

JIM BRADSHAW

The effort by a nonprofit group to revive the Liberty Theater in Eunice is significant not only because it will preserve a historic building and the programs that have been staged there, but also because it recognizes the value of south Louisiana’s culture in one of the first places to catch on to that concept.
Curtis Joubert, as legislator in the 1960s and mayor in the 1980s, was one of the first to see both the historic and economic worth of preserving and building upon the traditions of his community and the surrounding area.
As a legislator, he was a staunch advocate for preservation of Louisiana’s French language and culture. As mayor, he led tough fights for creation of the Prairie Acadian Culture Center and for renovation of the Liberty Theatre next door to it.
Over the years, the center’s exhibits, music sessions, demonstrations of local crafts, cooking lessons, and other programs made it a necessary stop on any tour of the area, and visitors often coupled that stop with a visit to the "Rendez-vous de Cajuns" live radio show offered each Saturday at the old movie house.
The National Park Service supported the theater for years under an agreement with the city, but it has had to end the arrangement because it could not afford to replace the heating and air conditioning system for the Liberty.
That was the catalyst for formation of The Association for the Liberty Theatre of Eunice, which has put together a four-year plan to renovate the theater. The non-profit board includes Joel Savoy, Celeste Gomez, Laura Pitre, Pat Dossman, Charles Seale and Paul Feavel. City officials have given the association the go-ahead and the mayor says he supports paying $350,000 needed for the heating and air conditioning replacement.
“We all know what the Liberty used to be like. What it did for downtown Eunice and the Cajun culture,” Savoy said. He said the group wants the Liberty “to flourish and prosper, finding a renewed role as a center for culture, performance and community pride.”
The Liberty is one of Louisiana’s most iconic concert halls. The Liberty Amusement Co. was formed in 1920 and in 1924 its owners, A. F. McGee, Sr. and Claude Keller, moved the theater to the corner of Park Avenue and Second Street, where it stands today.
The center and the theater have been characterized by tourism officials as “perfect examples of what cultural tourism is all about.” The parish tourism commission noted several years ago that, “not only do they work to preserve our unique heritage, they actively showcase it for everyone to see … by making certain that the culture (visitors) come to experience is alive, vibrant, and authentic.”
That’s important. A study done for the Louisiana culture and tourism department found that “authentic local culture … is (the one area) most likely to create jobs that will not eventually be lost to lower cost locations.”
The key word there is “authentic.”
We have from time to time parodied ourselves in the past, but we’re coming to realize that we don’t need to do that.
If we preserve places like the Liberty and the unique music that has been played there, we will maintain an important part of who we are for ourselves and for generations to come, and also for a growing number of visitors who like who we are, how we sing and dance, the good food we eat, and the hospitality that goes along with it all.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, "Cajuns and Other Characters," is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Get It Growing: Dealing with storm damaged trees

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 8:49am

By HEATHER KIRK-BALLARD, LSU AgCenter Horticulturist

Louisiana has had its fair share of storms this year. Many people are dealing with damaged trees after hurricanes Laura and Delta.
According to LSU AgCenter specialists, Hurricane Laura alone took out 757,538 acres of timber. In a state where forestry and timber ranks No. 1 in the top 10 agricultural commodities at $3.49 billion (High-lights of Louisiana Agriculture, 2018), it’s a big deal, to say the least.
There’s a great deal of work to be done after a storm. High winds from hurricanes can cause broken or split branches, fallen limbs or sometimes uprooted trees. Downed limbs need to be cut into smaller pieces and either used for wood fuel or taken to the curb. In some cases, entire trees need to be taken out.
After the storm, you’re to first have to figure out what type of damage your tree has incurred. Your initial survey should determine if A: it’s a goner; or B: it’s a keeper. If major limbs or the tree’s central main branch is damaged or down completely, you’ve likely lost your tree. Major damage like this makes it very difficult for the tree to recover. Large wounds will take a long time to heal.
In some cases, it is possible the tree will survive, but it will definitely be majorly stunted in addition to being a major target for insect pests and disease.
If the tree lost more than half of its branches, it’s going to have a tough time of recovery. With less than half of the leaf coverage, it will have a difficult time producing the necessary energy for survival. If the tree is valuable and not a major threat to surrounding structures, you may leave it alone, and it could possibly live a few more years or even recover with TLC.
If you have a goner on your hands, it’s best to remove the tree. If the work requires a ladder or the use of an overhead or one-handed chainsaw, call a state-licensed arborist. Visit the Louisiana Department of Agri-culture and Forestry website at ldaf.state.la.us for a list of licensed arborists in each parish. It is best to work with licensed and bonded arborists when taking down trees, especially in urban areas.
If you have a keeper, follow these steps to ensure the best care for your damaged tree. Start by assessing the damage in detail and begin by removing broken limbs and pruning broken branches. Next, clean torn areas with a sharp, clean knife or ax, leaving as much bark as possible to help the wound-repair process.
Uprooted or leaning need to be straightened and staked to reset and help reestablish roots. The chances of survival are best when one-third to one-half of the roots are still in the soil and remaining exposed roots are relatively undisturbed.
Remove a small portion of the soil from beneath the exposed root mass and reset roots so they will be below the existing soil grade level. Pull the tree upright and fill in soil as needed. Water the tree and gently step on the soil area surrounding the trunk to help firm the soil and remove air pockets.
Next, attach three guy lines to the trunk at about two-thirds of the height of the tree. Anchor them with stakes at an angle, placing them 12 to 15 feet from the base of the tree and secure the lines.
Use straps, cord or rope materials and metal or hardwood stakes. Wrap cables with cloth, rubber hose or some other soft material to prevent further damage to the bark.
Give the tree six or more months to recover, and remove the supports within one year. It’s best not to fertilize the first year after resetting. If you want to fertilize in a later season, greatly reduce your typical fertilizer application by more than a half for one year.
Irrigate as you would any newly planted tree to encourage new root growth. Irrigate deeply for the next one to two weeks after resetting, watering every other day or daily, depending on the temperature. Cooler temperatures require less irrigation. You can continue to water newly set trees a couple times a week for the next three to six weeks. Finally, apply 2 to 4 inches of mulch to help reduce weeds, conserve moisture and insulate the roots from hot and cold temperatures.
Trees are very important features of our landscapes for many reasons. They provide shade in summer, allow heat to radiate into the house in winter, add aesthetic beauty and actually improve the value of our homes. For those of us who really love trees, they are priceless.
In storms where we have significant tree loss, especially for folks who may have timberland, there is a casualty loss. If you incurred a great loss, you can submit an income tax deduction for timber casualty loss. Consult the USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook No. 731 for more information at www.fs.usda.gov/tree search/pubs/42921.
Be sure to weigh the cost of hiring professional forestry and appraisal services before proceeding. There are special rules for damage to your house and landscape trees. See the following for more information: www.lsuagcenter.com/~/media/files/timber-casu alty-loss-tax-deduc tion-6-2012.pdf.