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Animal cruelty call leads to arrest on marijuana, gun charges

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 11:18am

Staff Report

Morgan City police answering an animal cruelty complaint wound up arresting a woman on marijuana and weapons charges, Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair said.
—Sheresa M. Bill, 31, First Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:31 p.m. Monday on charges of cultivation of marijuana, violation of the uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug free zone, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm with obliterated serial numbers, possession of an unregistered firearm-illegally modified short barrel, illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a person under 17, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance and transactions involving proceeds from controlled dangerous substance activity.
Officers were called to a First Street address for an animal cruelty complaint. They observed several marijuana plants on the window ledge inside the residence.
Narcotics detectives were called to the scene and obtained a search warrant for the address. Upon serving the search warrant, investigators located Bill inside the residence with several small children.
Officers located four suspected marijuana plants, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and several guns, one of which had the serial numbers obliterated, and including a shotgun that had been illegally modified.
Investigators also located a large sum of money believed to be proceeds from the sales of illegal narcotics. She was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration. The cruelty to an animal complaint is still under investigation with charges pending.
Blair also reported this arrest:
—Wendy Gros, 27, Four Mile Bayou Road, Stephensville, was arrested at 1:47 p.m. Monday on a warrant for simple battery.
Gros turned herself into the Morgan City Police Department on an active warrant held by the Morgan City Police Department. She was booked and incarcerated.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported these arrests:
—Tyler Joseph Smith, 19, Bayou Side Drive, Chauvin, was arrested at 11:33 p.m. Monday on a charge of possession of marijuana and on a warrant for disturbing the peace by fighting. Bail was set at $3,000.
—Juvenile female, 16, Patterson, was arrested at 5:05 p.m. Monday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting. The girl was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:
—Darnell Ricardo Thompson Sr., 39, Church Street, Jeanerette, was arrested Saturday on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana (second offense) and speeding.
A deputy on assignment Saturday on La. 662 near Bayou L’Ourse observed an eastbound vehicle commit a traffic violation and initiated a violator stop.
Upon making contact with the driver, now identified as Thompson, the deputy noted behavior consistent with illegal activity.
The suspect acknowledged that there was marijuana inside the vehicle.
During a search of the vehicle, the deputy recovered marijuana as well as a large-caliber handgun.
A criminal records check concluded that Thompson was a convicted felon.
Thompson was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Facility in lieu of $30,000 bond.

Morgan City police radio logs for Sept. 28-29

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 11:16am

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, Sept. 28
6:13 a.m. 800 block of North Everett Street; Criminal damage to property.
7:30 a.m. 900 block of Second Street; Animal complaint.
8:02 a.m. 2100 block of Federal Avenue; Disturbance.
8:36 a.m. 900 block of Birch Street; Complaint.
8:50 a.m. 3200 block of Vine Drive; Complaint.
9:13 a.m. 1700 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
9:13 a.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Removal of subject.
9:26 a.m. La. 182 and Seventh Street; Removal of subject.
10:16 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.
11 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; 911 hang up.
11:33 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Suspicious subject.
11:49 a.m. 300 block of Bowman Street; Theft.
11:57 a.m. 500 block of Arenz Street; Complaint.
12:22 p.m. 2100 block of Federal Avenue; Suspicious vehicle.
12:55 p.m. 200 block of Everett Street; Complaint.
1:24 p.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Removal of subject.
1:37 p.m. Oil Tank Alley; Animal complaint.
1:43 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
1:46 p.m. 300 block of Lawrence Street; Disturbance.
2:04 p.m. Maple and Franklin streets; Utility.
2:44 p.m. 900 block of First Street; Animal complaint.
3:05 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; 911 hang up.
3:29 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Theft.
3:59 p.m. 900 block of Birch Street; Burglary.
4:13 p.m. 100 block of Chennault Street; Complaint.
4:18 p.m. 700 block of Sixth Street; Medical.
4:25 p.m. 900 block of Federal Avenue; Stand by.
4:45 p.m. 900 block of First Street; Complaint.
5:32 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Alarm.
5:48 p.m. Ochsner St. Mary; Complaint.
5:51 p.m. Morgan City Police Department; Complaint.
6:14 p.m. Lakeside Subdivision; Juvenile problem.
6:44 p.m. Morgan City Police Department; Juvenile problem.
7:11 p.m. Federal Avenue and Terrebonne Street; Disturbance.
7:15 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Debris in road.
7:20 p.m. 7100 block of La. 182; Frequent patrols.
7:32 p.m. 7900 block of La. 182; Alarm.
7:46 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Debris in road.
9:39 p.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Disturbance.
9:44 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Suspicious vehicle.
9:51 p.m. 900 block of David Drive; Alarm.
10:06 p.m. 1200 block of Railroad Avenue; Complaint.

State stops accepting Main Street aid applications

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 11:13am

State Treasurer John M. Schroder announced the Main Street Recovery Program stopped accepting new applications at noon Tuesday after obligating all available funding.
As of Monday, small business awards stood at $80 million. Based on the number of existing applications not yet paid, the program is at capacity. Main Street will continue to process applications and award grants daily until all available funding is used.
Business owners who submitted an application but have not received a grant award or denial can continue to use the portal to check on the status of their application.
"I just wish we had more funding because it's hard to turn businesses away," said Schroder. "We'll continue to process existing applications and make grant awards."

Blue Runner donates red beans for 100,000

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 11:12am

Blue Runner Foods, the Creole foods manufacturing company in Louisiana since 1918, delivered a truckload of 100,000 red bean meals to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Lafayette this week as part of Blue Runner’s ongoing “Millions of Meals” campaign.
Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a Healthy Louisiana Medicaid health plan with more than 480,000 members, has joined the cause and committed to supply more than 360,000 meals to those affected in the storm zone and by the COVID crisis.
The “Millions of Meals” campaign was initially launched by Blue Runner Foods in April to help those impacted by the COVID pandemic. After reaching their goal of the first 1 million meals to Second Harvest to help those out of work, Blue Runner set yet another million meals goal for the Hurricane Laura survivors and those still unemployed due to COVID.
Louisiana Healthcare Connections has committed to supply 360,000 meals to the second phase of the Blue Runner Foods “Millions of Meals” campaign.
With Louisiana Healthcare Connections support, Second Harvest Food Bank was supplied with enough Blue Runner red beans at its Lafayette headquarters to distribute more than 100,000 meals to storm victims.
In March, the COVID crisis severely impacted the demand for food assistance as personal requests to Second Harvest Food Bank skyrocketed.
The recent hurricane devastation further increased the strain on the food bank’s stockpiles.
“The need to feed has increased to levels never seen before in the history of the Food Bank, and yet the generosity from corporate leaders like Blue Runner Foods and Louisiana Health Connections has been overwhelming to help support their Louisiana neighbors in their hardships,” said Second Harvest Food Bank Regional Director John Dziurgot.
“Hunger and food insecurity have a direct impact on the health and health outcomes, and when coupled with disaster situations like Hurricane Laura and COVID-19, that impact is even more critical,” said Jamie Scholttman, CEO and Plan President of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “Second Harvest Food Bank does a wonderful job of addressing food insecurity for thousands of Louisiana families each year, and we are pleased to have this opportunity to support their efforts to feed those affected by Hurricane Laura.”
Blue Runner Foods is encouraging everyone in our community to support Second Harvest Food Bank during this difficult time. All contributions to Second Harvest Food Bank serves 23 parishes across South Louisiana through various avenues, including providing emergency boxes, delivering hot meals to seniors in need, sending food to agency partners and food pantries, and by distributing directly via mobile pantries. More than 400 people can be fed with only a $100 donation.
“When the COVID crisis hit, we donated 1 million meals and the enthusiasm was so high that we continued collecting donations for another million meals,” said Richard Thomas, president of Blue Runner Foods.

Metal Shark has a share of research vessel project

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 11:10am

For the third time in a week, local shipbuilder Metal Shark has announced a new product or project.
The United States Coast Guard Metal Shark and Boston-based autonomous technology developer Sea Machines to supply an autonomous test vessel to the USCG Research and Development Center.
The welded-aluminum 29 Defiant craft is the latest product of Metal Shark’s “Sharktech Autonomous Vessels” division to be equipped with Sea Machines SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm technology.
The new vessel offers a full range of advanced capabilities including transit autonomy, collaborative autonomy, active ride control and collision avoidance, and remote control vessel monitoring.
As the Coast Guard’s primary facility performing research, development, and test evaluation in support of the service’s major missions, the RDC helps to transition innovative technologies into the USCG’s operational forces.
During exercises scheduled for October off the coast of Hawaii, the RDC team will test and evaluate the Sharktech vessel’s autonomous capabilities for their potential in supporting USCG surveillance, interdiction, patrol, and other missions.
The new vessel will then be homeported at the RDC’s facility in New London, Connecticut.
“Since the launch of our Sharktech Autonomous Vessels division in 2018 we have been working to position Metal Shark for the autonomy revolution,” said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. “We are committed to the advancement of autonomous technology, through our relationships with leading autonomy suppliers as well as through our own R&D, and we are engaged with multiple customers, from the USCG, the Department of Defense, and commercial operators.
"With this latest delivery, Metal Shark is proud to play a role in the Coast Guard’s autonomous technology R&D efforts.”
“Sea Machines is proud to actively support the Department of Defense across a variety of projects, including this important demonstration being conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Sea Machines’ Phil Bourque, director, sales.

Jeremy Alford: Even in the digital age, country campaigning counts

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 11:02am

JEREMY ALFORD

If anyone was unsure just how rural the 5th Congressional District can be in some areas, they only needed to listen to last week’s candidate forum hosted by Dare 2 Lead.
Start native Luke Letlow, the chief of staff for outgoing Congressman Ralph Abraham, attempted to out-country the rather large field in his opening statement.
“I’m the only candidate who drives down a dirt road to get home every night,” said Letlow, who added he wanted everyone’s vote, “whether you’re from Bastrop or Bunkie or from Bogalusa.”
Ouachita Parish Police Juror Scotty Robinson didn’t mess around none either when dispensing his country creds.
“I’m a husband, a father, I got three kids, four dogs. ... Three dogs. ... It changes daily around our house,” said Robinson, who also gave out his personal cell phone number to those listening and participating.
The virtual forum was a reminder of where we are along the political landscape of COVID-19. There were a few innocent hot mic moments and a handful of audio hiccups by Letlow and others.
No one seemed particularly comfortable with the online format of digital Brady Bunch boxes, but the candidates were good sports.
Very general questions were asked of the candidates regarding gun rights, defunding police, education, abortion, infrastructure and access to health care.
There is no shortage of issues for this campaign field, from the poverty that helps define the district and the farmers who cultivate its soil to river access and port infrastructure.
State Rep. Lance Harris of Alexandria once again promised to file a “Blue Lives Matter” law if elected to Congress, much like the bill he passed through the Louisiana Legislature in 2016. Harris was most animated when asked about defunding police departments. (He has a bill to address just that topic during the special session that convened this week.)
“If you think defunding the police is the answer, you’re either woefully ignorant or completely naive,” said Harris, who’s positioned for a healthy does of earned media with the special session.
Harris, Letlow and Robinson are all Republicans who have managed to hog the media limelight due to their name recognition and political profiles.
The emergence and reliance on digital forums, however, has helped lesser-known candidates get in front of voters in this race and other elections around the state. If nothing else that inclusion has led to some badly needed moments of levity.
For example, business owner Allen Guillory Sr., a fellow Republican from Opelousas, took a humorous parting shot at the end of the forum. Guillory said if he won Letlow could be his chief of staff, he would help Harris be a better state representative and he asked Robinson to work on a drainage plan for the district. “We’ve got an A-Team here,” said Guillory.
The additional exposure for the other candidates also led to some touching moments of honesty and vulnerability.
“As a product of Head Start, I am a testament that Head Start works,” said Candy Christophe, a Democrat from Alexandria.
“We have to expand the funding of the Head Start program so that kids and students can learn early and enjoy that experience.”
New voices also meant new ideas. Philip Snowden, a Monroe Democrat, touched upon education during the forum and suggested that the state should transition away from a reliance on property taxes.
Martin Lemelle, a Democrat from Ruston, added that Congress has to stop ducking issues like gun control and public safety. “We have a problem in this country that needs to be addressed,” Lemelle said.
Pineville Republican Matt Hasty weighed in on the issue of gun control.
He said, “If you want to talk about the epidemic of mass shootings, I think correlation is not causation.
"We have to take a look at the homes that these kids are coming from and what could be causing their behavior, instead of examining the tools they’re using to wreak havoc.”
During rare moments it was a somewhat sophisticated policy debate, played out in a digital format in a congressional district where too many people lack internet access.
That, of course, wasn’t missed on the field of candidates, which generally seemed to support broader access in the district.
As the most completive congressional election in the state, the north Louisiana race is the perfect venue for such an issue.
Let’s hope we hear more about it, and other substantive topics, as we get closer to Election Day.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.

Ms. Full-Figured U.S.A. Louisiana 2021

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 9:01am

The two St. Mary Parish delegates for Ms. Full-Figured U.S.A. Louisiana 2021 posed Sept. 22 for a promotional photo with Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard, at City Hall in Franklin. From left are La’Tyler Conley, Foulcard, and Tessi Boykin. The pageant will be held at the Saint Gabriel Community Center, in St. Gabriel, on January 30, 2021. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and show time is at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 advanced or $45 at the door. VIP is available for $75. For tickets, or more information, contact Tessi Boykin at 337-578-1618.

'Blessing of the Animals' set for Oct. 4 at St. Mary's church

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 8:38am

St Mary’s Episcopal Church will present the “Blessing of the Animals” on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.
The blessing is an outdoor worship service celebrating the animals with which we share our lives. Even if you are not a pet owner, you are invited to gather to honor all of God’s creatures.
The church blesses animals each fall to commemorate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most loved Christian saints. The animals will be blessed as individuals, along with their humans. Stuffed animals are welcome, too. Pets who cannot attend may be blessed in absentia at their owner’s request. The service will be held on the brick area in front of St. Mary’s Church. The rain location will be under the pavilion in the back of the parish hall. Refreshments will be served for pets.
The special canine guest of honor this year will be Blossom, a 10-year old Bichon Frise rescue. She lives at the Trowbridge House with Chad Boutte and Steven Mora.
Call 828-0918 for more information. Please leash your pets, and humans must wear a mask.

Iberia African American Historical Society starts book club

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 8:28am

The Iberia African American Historical Society invites the public to join a new book club. In October, November and December IAAHS will host virtual discussions on three different books by black authors about “The Great Migration.”
Participation in the book club is free and open to all, though organizers ask that potential participants sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXzX8jlO4-cJ_Ajy_NDk47VP-q_vXQ... to stay up-to-date on book club information, such as upcoming selections and topics, discussion dates, questions submissions, and other details.
Participants can find copies of book selections at their local library, bookseller and online, or borrow from a friend.
The first virtual discussion will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 19. The first selection will be national bestseller, “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” the first book by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Heartland Prize for Nonfiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Award for Nonfiction, the Lynton History Prize from Harvard and Columbia universities, and the Stephen Ambrose Oral History Prize. It was also shortlisted for both the Pen-Galbraith Literary Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. In book, Wilkerson tells this story through the lives of three unique individuals.
In 1937, Ida Mae Gladney left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi for Chicago, where she achieved quiet blue-collar success and, in old age, voted for Barack Obama when he ran for an Illinois Senate seat.
Sharp and quick-tempered George Starling fled Florida in 1945 for Harlem, New York, where he endangered his job by fighting for civil rights, saw his family fall, and finally found peace in God.
Robert Foster left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career, and became Ray Charles’ personal physician as part of a glitteringly successful medical career, which allowed him to purchase a grand home where he often threw exuberant parties.
About the Author
Isabel Wilkerson, winner of the National Humanities Medal, has become a leading figure in narrative nonfiction, an interpreter of the human condition, and an impassioned voice for demonstrating how history can help us understand ourselves, our country and our current era of upheaval.
Through her writing, Wilkerson brings the invisible and the marginalized into the light. Through her lectures, she explores with authority the need to reconcile America’s karmic inheritance and the origins of both our divisions and our shared commonality.
She is a native of Washington, D.C., and a daughter of the “Great Migration,” the mass movement that she would go on to write about. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1994, as Chicago Bureau Chief of The New York Times, making her the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. She then devoted 15 years and interviewed more than 1,200 people to tell the story of the six million people, among them her parents, who defected from the Jim Crow South.
About The Iberia African American Historical Society
The mission of The Iberia African American Historical Society is to foster the appreciation, understanding, and teaching of the long, rich, and unique history of African Americans in Iberia Parish; and also, by example and through programs and activities, to encourage and promote research, preservation, and publication of historical materials related to the history of African Americans.
The IAAHS is a not-for-profit organization that funds special programs and events through donations. For more information, visit IAAHS.org.
For information, contact Jayd Buteaux at 337-369-6446 or info@iaahsonline.org

Family gas money goes to birthday party tattoo

Wed, 09/30/2020 - 8:21am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: My family just came back from a relative’s after a weekend visit. The occasion was a birthday party, and he had a tattoo artist come over. My boyfriend — the father of our 14- and 3-year-olds — spent our last $100 and went ahead and got himself a tattoo! We aren’t rich, and we had to borrow money for gas to get home.
I think he is the most selfish person on the face of the planet, and I get mad at him for every other little thing now. I can’t imagine many adult men would do that to their partner. I know a few who would even say, “No, Honey, YOU get something. I can wait.”
Is there any hope for mankind?
MARK OF DISASTER IN WASHINGTON

DEAR MARK OF DISASTER: There is plenty of hope for mankind; for the father of your 14- and 3-year-olds, maybe not so much. Was he under the influence at that party, or does he make poor decisions about money often?
That tatt is now a constant reminder of your disappointment in him, so I hope it’s in a place where you don’t have to see it every day or night. You have my sympathy, but you chose this person as a life partner.

DEAR ABBY: My parents have been together for more than three decades, but their marriage has been strained for years. Still, they won’t pull the plug and call it quits. It’s making us kids (all in our 20s and out of the house) and our extended family confused and frustrated.
They still live under one roof, although they spend all of their time in separate parts of the house and communicate only through us kids. They’re clearly miserable, but if any of us tries to speak to them about their toxic dynamic, each one blames the other.
Abby, I adore both of my parents, but they’re becoming shells of themselves. I know it’s not my business to step in, but something has to change. I can’t handle another tense holiday visit.
What should I do?
CONCERNED IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR CONCERNED: You and your siblings should sit down with your parents and tell them the effect their toxic dynamic has had on you as a family. All of you should urge them to seek counseling from a licensed marriage and family therapist. Then cross your fingers and hope they are willing to follow through.
However, if they aren’t and you can’t handle another tense holiday visit, I recommend you make other plans and tell them why.

DEAR ABBY: I am 13. Three years ago, I was in a car accident that left me in a wheelchair. I have been able to move on in life and am happy and have lots of friends who help me stay active in sports, etc. My problem is, I had a friend before my accident who moved away, and I’m sure he doesn’t know his once best friend can no longer walk.
I just heard his family is moving back here, and I’m not sure how to handle this. Should I contact him before the move, or wait and be like, “Oh, by the way”? Do you have any advice?
WONDERING IN NEW YORK

DEAR WONDERING: The news is bound to be a shock. If you have this young man’s contact information, I vote for letting him know in advance about the accident. And while you’re at it, fill him in on what you have been doing since he left town.
***
To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.