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14 new COVID cases, no deaths in three local parishes

Fourteen new cases of COVID-19 were reported for three local parishes in the 24 hours ending at midday Tuesday, according to Louisiana Office of Public Health figures.

St. Mary's case count was actually lowered by two to 1,789. Seventy-two St. Mary people have died of COVID-related causes.

St. Martin has five new cases for a pandemic total of 2010. The death toll remained at 58.

Assumption has nine new cases for a total of 692. The toll there is at 22.

Statewide:

--250 new cases make the pandemic total 153,453.

--13 newly reported deaths make the statewide toll 4,955.

--12 more COVID-positive people are in hospitals for a total of 799.

--7 more people are on ventilators for a total of 131.

Counts are sometimes adjusted to eliminate duplicates or to reassign cases to the proper parish.

Tuesday's totals were based on fewer than 5,000 tests statewide, less than half the daily total before testing slowed as hurricanes Marco and Laura approached.

VFW collects items for Laura evacuees

The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute
Claudia Boudreaux, president of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12182 Auxiliary, and her husband, Bobby Boudreaux, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12182 in Patterson, unload a donation for Hurricane Laura evacuees at Cypress Point Fresh Market in Patterson Saturday. The local chapter collected donations throughout the day Saturday at the Patterson grocery store for deliveries to evacuees in hotels in Abbeville as well as serving the evacuees a meal. If anyone knows of an evacuee who has any special needs the post can assist with, call Claudia Boudreaux at 337-578-0565 and leave a message.

LILLIE MAE COUVILLIER BEADLE

Lillie Mae Couvillier Beadle, a resident of Morgan City, La.
Born in New Iberia, La. in 1937 to Aline and Ano Couvillier.
She was 83 years old when she lost her battle to lung cancer on August 30, 2020.
Her life ended on earth as we know it at her daughter and son-in-law’s home in Wesley Chapel, Florida.
Lillie married her late husband Ray Joseph Beadle on July 26, 1958. They had three children together that was her world. Debbie Ann Beadle Keller (married to Shane Peter Keller), Blane “Bud” Joseph Beadle (married to Robin Bernucho Beadle), and Dwane “Dee” Beadle Kaucic (married to Tom Kaucic).
She lived not only for her children but her grandchildren as well. Shane Michael Keller (married to Sue Keller), Kassie Nicole Keller, Dustin Earl Henderson (married to Dalia Henderson) and Jordin Michelle Beadle Lee (married to Jack Lee). Then her world changed again when she became a Granny for the first time to Evelyn Rose Henderson six months ago. She was so proud of her family and had so much love for each one of them unconditional.
Not to mention all the adopted family that called her “Granny,” “Maw Lil,” “Momma Lillie” and “Sista.”
Lillie worked at LH Printing Company in Morgan City, La. for 30 years and was titled to be the first to ever retire from the company. They showed her how thankful for her years of service by honoring her with a surprise party. She was so grateful.
Now retired she had more time to be in her yard that she enjoyed so much. Cutting her own grass at 82 years of age was amazing. Gardening and pulling weeds. That was her time to “speak with God and get her exercise” she would say. She also did more traveling ... she loved to fly. And visiting with friends and family out of town. Everyone wanted more of her time to enjoy her spirit.
Oh how she loved to dance. Even if no music she had the rhythm to do the jitterbug in a parking lot. She could even chair dance like nobody’s business and every Tuesday she would meet with her girlfriends to listen to French music. Tampico’s will never be the same for Thirsty Thursday with another group of her girlfriends. She was so blessed by so many friends. The fact is she never met a stranger! She loved life and lived it big. Everyone loved her carefree personality, her wittiness, and her helpfulness to care enough.
Lillie has been cremated and will be laid to rest with her late husband with a private Celebration of Life Ceremony to follow. Date is to be determined.
Donations can be made to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, in her name.

ASIA 'QUEENIE' LEIGH MARIE ANSLEM BARRAS

July 8, 1984 — September 4, 2020
Asia “Queenie” Leigh Marie Anslem Barras, 36, a resident of Lafayette, passed away Friday, September 4, 2020, at her home.
Asia was born on July 8, 1984, in Houma, the daughter of Michael Anslem Sr. and Susan Vidos.
Asia enjoyed gardening and tending to her plants. She loved to go shopping and had a deep love for music. Asia loved her family and cherished every moment that she spent with them. She was always the center of attention and spot light for her family. Her light will continue to shine bright through her children and family.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by two children, Sierra Adams and Zachary Barras, both of Lafayette; her parents, Ronnie and Susan Daigle of Jeanerette, and Michael Anslem Sr. and companion Elaine Falgout of Morgan City; four brothers, Michael Anslem Jr. and wife Danielle of Morgan City, Matt Anslem and wife Angela of Patterson, James Pete Anslem of Gibson, and Tyler Daigle of Houma; eight nieces, nephews and godchildren, Alena, Payton, Zoey, Anastasia, Elliot, Rhett, Sienna and Brylon; host of aunts, uncles, godparents and cousins; grandparents, James Vidos of Morgan City and Doug and Deanna Daigle of Gibson; and special friend, Jesse LeBlanc of Lafayette.
Asia was preceded in death by maternal grandmother, Laura Vidos; paternal grandparents, Pete and Hazel Anslem; special friend, J.R. Creveling; and five uncles, Kenneth Vidos, Freddie Vidos, David Vidos, Gerald Anslem and James Anslem.
Pallbearers will be Raymond Michel, Wesley Vidos, Timothy Vidos, Brandon Reaux, Tray Francis and Matt Anslem. Honorary pallbearers will be Michael Anslem Jr., James Pete Anslem and Zachary Barras.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, at Twin City Gospel Church in Berwick with Pastor Charley Driskell officiating. A visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until service time; and following services, Asia will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.

ELIZABETH ANN BREAUX

Elizabeth Ann Breaux, 79, a resident of Alexandria and former longtime resident of Morgan City, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 4, 2020, at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria.
Elizabeth was born on February 18, 1941, in Alexandria, the daughter of Weston Johnson and Hazel Gremillon Johnson.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her three sons, Randall “Randy” Breaux and wife Arleene of Birmingham, Alabama, Michael Thomas Breaux and wife Jennifer of Baton Rouge, and Matthew David Breaux of St. Mary’s Residential Training School in Boyce, Louisiana; seven grandchildren, Marilyn Breaux Bonner, John Christopher Breaux, Elizabeth Breaux Swarner, Jacob Breaux, Nicholas Breaux, Emily Breaux and John Paul Breaux; and two great-grandchildren, John Randall Bonner and Arden Leigh Bonner.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, Weston and Hazel Gremillon Johnson; and her husband, Roland Malcolm “David” Breaux Jr.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to St. Mary’s Residential Training School in Boyce, Louisiana.
Private graveside services were held in the Morgan City Cemetery.

Families can apply for new free, reduced-price lunch benefit

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana is giving families another opportunity to receive financial benefits from free and reduced-price school meals missed when schools closed in 2019-2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligible families who did not apply for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, program in May and June can take advantage of the second application window that opens for three weeks, which began at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Families of children who normally receive free or reduced-price meals are eligible for the program. This includes all children who attend a Community Eligibility Provision school where all children receive free and reduced-price meals regardless of income. This second application period of the 2019-2020 P-EBT is only for families of the estimated 264,111 students who did not apply to receive P-EBT benefits during the initial window in the spring.
When the original application window closed June 15, the families of nearly 470,800 eligible children signed up to receive benefits.
These one-time benefits, which total $285 per child, intend to cover 50 school days, from the onset of statewide school facility closures in March through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Parents who applied for free meals in May, after the P-EBT program was announced, will receive $91.20 per eligible child, which covers the cost of meals for 16 school days in May.
Local school systems will notify families they might be eligible for P-EBT. The families then must apply if they wish to receive the benefits. The application will be available in a P-EBT portal on the Louisiana Department of Education website. The portal opened Tuesday at 8 a.m., and the deadline to apply is Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. State officials expect considerable interest in the program and ask applicants to be patient in trying to access the portal.
The online application is simple, requiring only a name, address, date of birth, school district and school. Social security numbers, while helpful, are not required. The information submitted by the family, however, must match exactly the information on file with the school system for the application to successfully submit.
Once families complete an application in the portal, the computer system will notify them of their successful submission. Upon verification, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services then will request a P-EBT debit card for the household to be loaded with a one-time benefit. Applicants can expect their cards within 30 days of their application. Benefits will be available for 365 days.
P-EBT is different from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is issued on a Louisiana Purchase EBT card to approved low-income households. However, the P-EBT card can be used to purchase the same eligible food for the household as can be purchased with a SNAP card. All SNAP families with qualifying students also are eligible to receive P-EBT benefits if they apply, and P-EBT also is available to non-SNAP families if they meet the P-EBT guidelines.
P-EBT is not related to loss from Hurricane Laura. Eligibility is solely based on student participation in the free or reduced-price meal program.
Louisiana was approved by the federal government to offer the P-EBT program on May 15, and the original online application launched on May 18. At that time, 611,430 children were deemed eligible. After the program began and additional families applied for free and reduced-price meals, the number of eligible children increased to 729,507.
Various factors could have influenced the number of families who were eligible but who did not submit an application. Unlike other states offering the federal program, for example, Louisiana could not automatically provide benefits to eligible families because of the state’s restrictive data privacy laws for students, so every eligible family was required to submit an application.
In addition, Louisiana has a large number of Community Eligibility Provision schools at which every child, regardless of their family’s income, receives free and reduced-price meals at school.
The P-EBT program was authorized by Congress in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020. In obtaining federal approval for P-EBT, Louisiana joined more than 22 other states participating in the program.
For more information, contact the LAHelpU Customer Service Center at LaHELPU.DCFS@la.gov or 1-888-524-3578. Families who need food assistance also can call 211 to inquire about food pantries and other available resources in their communities.
Louisiana Department of Education and Department of Child Family Services are partnering with numerous non-profit organizations to connect these benefits with eligible families who did not apply for the program during the original application period. Those organizations are Feeding Louisiana, Food Research & Action Center, Louisiana Association of United Ways, Louisiana Budget Project, Louisiana Partnership for Children & Families, Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry America and Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry Louisiana.

Dispute over La. COVID voting rules goes to court

By DAVID JACOBS
The Center Square
Louisiana’s Republican legislative majority and Democratic governor couldn’t agree on how to safely hold an election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the decision may be out of their hands.
Three Louisiana voters, the state chapter of the NAACP, and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice have sued Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and Republican Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick has scheduled hearings in the case for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The plaintiffs argue the state is forcing Louisiana residents to choose between voting and protecting themselves and their communities from COVID-19. They say restrictions regarding who can request absentee ballots and reductions in the number of early-voting days compared to the summer elections require them “to breach the social distancing necessary to protect their and their community’s health from transmission of COVID-19, and unnecessarily endanger poll workers and other election officials.”
Though the secretary of state runs Louisiana’s elections, he cannot implement an emergency voting plan on his own. He needs the approval of the governor and a majority of both houses of the Legislature.
Lawmakers in April approved an emergency plan for this year’s summer elections that expanded early voting from seven days to 13, relocated polling locations from senior centers, and added new COVID-19-related reasons to request an absentee ballot. But Ardoin said legislative leaders told him they could not support using the same plan for the elections set for November and December.
Many conservatives are wary of voting by mail, which they say is more susceptible to fraud than in-person voting. Ardoin says he doesn’t want voters to rely on the U.S. Postal Service, which he says struggled with the volume of mail-in ballots even during the low-turnout summer elections.
So in August, Ardoin presented a plan that would allow voters who test positive for COVID-19 during and after early voting but before Election Day to vote absentee but includes no other emergency absentee ballot provisions. People 65 or older, members of the military, overseas voters, people who are hospitalized and people who won’t be in their parish on Election Day still could vote by mail as usual.
The plan also would have increased Louisiana’s early voting period for the Nov. 3 election from the standard seven days to 10 days, down from the 13 days allowed for the summer elections.
Attorney General Jeff Landry has issued an opinion (which does not carry the force of law) that a voter who is diagnosed with COVID-19 or is subject to a quarantine order while awaiting a COVID-19 diagnosis would qualify to vote absentee under the state’s existing disability excuse so long as a medical professional certifies that the voter is disabled.
Ardoin crafted the plan to attract enough Republican votes for legislative approval, but it was dead on arrival because Edwards did not support it, calling it “woefully inadequate” for protecting public health and the right to vote.
Edwards has filed a memorandum in the lawsuit asking the judge to direct Ardoin to implement the same plan that was used for the summer elections. He says the current proposed plan fails to adhere to U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Voters in November will choose among candidates for president, the U.S. House of Representatives, one U.S. Senate seat, two spots on the Louisiana Supreme Court, and one seat on the Public Service Commission. They also will elect judges, prosecutors, various local positions and consider several proposed state constitutional amendments. Runoffs where necessary will be held in December.

Nicholls St. nursing program gets good ranking

THIBODAUX — Nicholls State University’s nursing program has earned a top 50 ranking nationally by Study.com.
The online resource rated the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program as No. 47 in its 2020 list.
Study.com ranked programs based on information, U.S. Department of Education data, licensure pass rate, school amenities, accreditation, student organizations and hands-on learning opportunities.
“Rankings such as this reflect the quality of the program of nursing, and we are a quality program,” Associate Dean of Nursing Rebecca Lyons said in a news release. “We are meeting the demand for the degree and career path in the Bayou Region and beyond.
“The curriculum is rigorous, and this is what the profession demands,” Lyons added. “Nicholls provides for excellence in nursing education in a caring and nurturing atmosphere. This is what sets Nicholls apart.”
About 80% of the Bayou Region’s nurses are Nicholls alumni. Nursing is the most popular program on campus, and it’s also one of the most successful programs in the South. Nicholls nursing graduates typically pass the RN licensure exam at rates higher than state and national averages.
Students receive a hands-on education from award-winning and experienced faculty. One hundred percent of recent Nicholls nursing graduates are employed or in graduate school.
For more information, call 448-4696 or visit https://www.nicholls.edu/nursing/.

Lighthouse becomes a beacon again for ham radio event

Local radio amateurs with the Bayouland Emergency Amateur Radio Service say the Aug. 21-23 events at Lighthouse Park in Berwick kicked off the most successful special event station ever at the park.
The special event station put Berwick on the map for International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, during which ham radio operators at those facilities around the world try to contact one another.
The first contact again this year was a friend of BEARS from Canada, Chris Bisaillion, VE3CBK of Ontario, Canada. Bisaillion was BEARS’ first contact last year and again this year.
At the end of the weekend Aug. 23, BEARS operators had logged in and spoken to 310 ham operators from London, Portugal, Ireland, Mexico and Brussels in addition to stations throughout the United States and five lighthouses.
A formal opening ceremony was held Saturday morning, with the flag raising and Pledge of Allegiance led by Boy Scout Troop 49, sponsored by VFW Post 4222.
A major part of the event was to let each Scout make three contacts on ham radio and talk to various hams throughout the country and one overseas contact.
The Scouts were a major part of the entire event and carried out their duty to perfection.
This is the sixth year that Bayouland Emergency Amateur Radio Service has held this event in Berwick.
This year marked the first year a brand new tri-band antenna was mounted on top of the tower, the Ray Rasberry Memorial Tower. Recognizing the importance of ham radio and this event to Berwick, Councilman Raymond Price purchased the new antenna, rotor and cables necessary and the members of BEARS installed all the equipment.
As a result of this operation, Berwick and the Southwest Reef Lighthouse will be well-known and recognized by an additional three hundred ten people throughout the United States and other countries, BEARS said.

Morgan City police radio logs for Sept. 3-4

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.
Thursday, Sept. 3
8:41 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
8:42 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Assistance.
8:45 a.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Welfare concern.
9:04 a.m. 2100 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
9:37 a.m. Seventh Street and Brashear Avenue; Complaint.
9:53 a.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Medical.
10 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Medical.
10:21 a.m. 700 block of General Hodges Street; Theft.
10:46 a.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Arrest.
11:03 a.m. La. 182; Reckless driver.
11:29 a.m. 1000 block of David Drive; Medical.
11:47 a.m. 1100 block of Victor II Boulevard; Crash.
12:05 p.m. 900 block of Victor II Boulevard; Crash.
12:36 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Arrest.
1:01 p.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Complaint.
2:05 p.m. 100 block of Eleventh Street; Medical.
2:13 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Patrol request.
2:29 p.m. 300 block of Eighth Street; Welfare concern.
2:17 p.m. 400 block of Fifth Street; Removal of subject.
4:20 p.m. 600 block of Railroad Avenue; Lost and found.
4:29 p.m. La. 182 West; Reckless driver.
4:48 p.m. 100 block of Mount Street; Patrol request.
4:49 p.m. Eleventh Street and Railroad Avenue; Patrol request.
5:33 p.m. 300 block of Third Street; Medical.
7:19 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Suspicious person.
7:47 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Traffic incident.
7:56 p.m. 500 block of Duke Street; Disturbance.
8:09 p.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Complaint.
8:27 p.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Loud noise.
9:08 p.m. La. 182 Bridge; Stalled vehicle.
10:10 p.m. U.S. 90 West; Reckless driving.
11:05 p.m. 700 block of Maryland Street; Medical.
11:33 p.m. 1900 block of Cedar Street; Suspicious person.
Friday, Sept. 4
12:10 a.m. 300 block of Lawrence Street; Complaint.
1:12 a.m. 500 block of Barrow Street; Medical.
3:23 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Suspicious person.

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Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874

Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255