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Charles Henson, 77, a native of Ware, Mississippi, died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in New Orleans.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Henson; a son, Bobby Henson; and a sister, Brenda Jewells.
Funeral services will be Saturday at 5 p.m. at Immanuel Christian Baptist Church in Morgan City.

Morgan City Rotary Club members heard from Thaddeus Marcell and Donna Meyer with the Morgan City Lions Club at a recent luncheon. From left Scott Melancon Rotarian, Jo Anne Bergeron Morgan City Rotary President, Marcell and Meyer.

Submitted Photo

Staff Report
The Central Catholic Lady Eagles won their second-straight District 2-V contest Monday, defeating Covenant Christian in straight sets in Morgan City.
The Lady Eagles won by scores of 25-12, 25-7 and 25-14 after defeating Highland Baptist 3-1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-12 and 25-17) in Morgan City Saturday.
Highland Baptist was ranked No. 2 in Division V in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Oct. 13 rankings. Central Catholic was ranked No. 15.
Against Covenant Christian, Central Cath-olic (8-8 overall, 3-1 in district) had 21 aces.
Katie Luc, Haley Fontenot and Kennedy Grizzaffi led Central Catholic. Luc had three kills, 15 assists and three digs, while Fon-tenot recorded nine kills and five digs. Grizzaffi totaled six kills, six aces and one solo block.
Other top Central Catholic contributors were as follows: Lucy Hamer, 11 assists and four aces; Gweneth Dohmann, two kills, six aces, two digs and one solo block; Charlotte Callais, two assists, two aces and nine digs; and Bri’yannah Johnson, five kills.
Against Highland Bap-tist, Central Catholic had 14 aces and eight solo blocks.
Luc, Fontenot and Callais led Central Catholic. Luc had five kills, 16 assists, two aces and four digs, while Fontenot recorded seven kills, five aces and 11 digs. Callais totaled two aces and 13 digs.
Other top Central Catholic contributors were as follows: Hamer, 13 assists, three aces and four digs; Grizzaffi, six kills, five solo blocks and one block assist; Sarah David, seven kills and one dig; Johnson, five kills and three solo blocks; Dohmann, five kills, one dig and one block assist; and Emily Lipari, two aces and nine digs.
Thursday, Central Catholic fell to Episcopal School of Acadiana 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 17-25 and 22-25) on the road in district play.
Central Catholic had 10 aces, 15 solo blocks and six block assists.
Luc, Fontenot and Callais led Central Catholic.
Luc had three kills, 15 assists and eight digs, while Fontenot recorded nine kills, five digs, one solo block and one block assist. Callais had three assists, two aces and 14 digs.
Other top Central Catholic contributors were as follows: Lipari, one ace and 13 digs; Kamille Lightfoot, five kills, two aces, two digs, six solo blocks and one block assist; Dohmann, five kills; Hamer, one kill, eight assists and four aces; Johnson, four kills, two assists, four solo blocks and two block assists; Grizzaffi, four kills, four solo blocks and two block assists; and Madison Landry, one kill, one ace and five digs.
Patterson falls to Franklin
The Patterson Lumberjills fell to Franklin in four sets in District 2-IV action in Franklin Monday.
The Lumberjills (3-6, 0-4) dropped the first set 25-18, won the second set 25-22 and dropped the next two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-15.
No individual stats were submitted
MCHS splits
weekend matches
The Morgan City Lady Tigers split their away games Saturday, defeating Thibodaux and falling to H.L. Bourgeois.
Morgan City defeated Thibodaux 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-22 and 25-20), while the Lady Tigers fell to H.L. Bourgeois 3-0 (25-9, 25-15 and 25-13).
Against Thibodaux, Mary Vincent, Brynn Stephens and Haylie Crappell led Morgan City. Vincent had one ace, two kills, two block assists, 29 assists and 13 digs, while Stephens had five aces, two kills, one assist and 34 digs. Crappell recorded one ace, 11 kills, one assist and 18 digs.
Other top Morgan City contributors were Sarah Daniels, one block, five kills and two digs, and Hailey Denning, one ace and seven digs.
Against H.L. Bourgeois, Vincent and Crappell led Morgan City. Vincent had one ace, one kill, 10 assists and 13 digs, while Crappell recorded one ace, five kills, two block assists and 16 digs.
Other top Morgan City contributors were as follows: Stephens, one kill and 11 digs; Faith Bailey, one kill, one assist and five digs; Daniels, one block and two block assists; and Denning, one ace, one assist and one dig.
Thursday, Morgan City fell to E.D. White, Division III’s top squad in the Oct. 13 Louisiana High School Athletic Association power rankings, 3-0 (25-13, 25-11 and 25-9) in Morgan City in District 8-III action.
Crappell led Morgan City (10-7, 1-1), ranked No. 9 in the state, with one kill, two block as-sists, one assist and 12 digs.
Other top Morgan City contributors were as follows: Vincent, two kills, three assists and six digs; Stephens, one assist and 11 digs; Bai-ley, two kills and six digs; Mariah Pleasant, two kills and one block assist; and Daniels, two block assists.
In junior varsity action, Morgan City fell 2-0 (25-12 and 25-15), while in freshman play, Morgan City fell 2-0 (25-12 and 25-10).
Berwick falls to Lutcher
Berwick fell to Lutcher in straight sets in District 7-III play at home Thursday.
The Lady Panthers fell by scores of 25-15, 25-18 and 25-14.
No individual stats were submitted for Berwick (1-8, 0-2).

When it comes to the ongoing efforts to find the funding and the political will to tackle Louisiana’s mounting infrastructure and transportation problems, what has been missing from the equation? According to some, the missing piece has been support from conservative corners of the Capitol.

"To me this looks like an issue that conservatives have abandoned and it doesn’t make a lot of sense," said entrepreneur and conservative political consultant Charlie Davis.

That’s the fuel behind Davis’ decision to start a new organization with Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills. Called "Build Right," the group will seek to help conservatives and libertarians rethink how they look at infrastructure and transportation issues.

"I can’t think of anything less family friendly than spending time in traffic or losing a life due to a lack of adequate infrastructure," said Mills. "From levees and ditches to underground power lines, we’re 20 years behind everyone else."

Added Davis, "Traffic is anti-family."

Build Right will eventually operate as both a 501(c)3 and 501(c)4, according to Davis, and it endeavor to secure support and resources from both industry and individuals.

As for policy interests, Davis and Mills said there’s no singular topic that the organization will zero in on. "We’re looking to create a conversation," said Mills.

While that may be the goal, Louisiana’s gas tax has often represented a dividing line for groups wanting to improve the state’s roads and bridges. After all and above all, the effort is going to take money.

"I’m not a fan of taxes," said Mills. "But I’m also not a fan of families getting phone calls about losing loved ones because of the state of our infrastructure."

Davis and Mills aren’t the only ones looking ahead on the issue. Around the Capitol politicos are taking a second look at some of the revenue plans from last year that would have gradually increased the gas tax. (Motorists pay 38.4 cents per gallon at the pump, and that sum has not been increased since 1989.)

"Our board is looking heavily at that," said Stephen Waguespack, president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, specifically referring to the framework of legislation proposed in 2019 by former Rep. Steve Carter.

There’s certainly a growing sense of urgency on transportation and infrastructure issues amongst some in the legislative leadership. Speaker Pro Tem Tanner Magee, R-Houma, for example, has noted recently that even the presidential candidates this year have seemingly bipartisan plans. "Let’s quit talking about it and do it," Magee tweeted last week.

Erich Ponti, the director of the Louisiana Coalition to Fix Our Roads, said his group has remained active as well, from signing up new members to increasing its digital footprint on social media. LCFOR will once again be a player on this issue next year, he said.

"The coalition is continuing to grow in support," said Ponti. "The evidence of the needs, whether it be the time families are losing while traveling or what kind of economic stimulation changes could bring, have been brought to the forefront by COVID-19 in a new way."

To be certain, something needs to be done, and what has been floated in recent years just hasn’t been enough to satisfy everyone in the decision-making process. That, in turn, has come at a cost for Louisiana. The gas tax hasn’t changed in more than three decades, which in part has led to an astonishing $14 billion backlog of transportation needs.

Next year will be an opportune time to revisit the issue, especially since state lawmakers will be allowed to introduce and pass revenue-raising proposals during their regular session. Legislators can discuss why our state has one of the worst interstate pavement conditions in the nation and how it came to have poor overall highway performance and a pitiful number of structurally deficient bridges.

Proponents of an aggressive transportation overhaul have attempted and failed to get the Legislature onboard with sometime — anything — in recent years. But now they’re on the road again, hoping new partners and thinking could do the trick.