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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, Sept. 2
5:42 p.m. 700 block of Leona Street; Medical.
5:45 p.m. 200 block of Canary Street; Forgery.
5:56 p.m. 8400 block of La. 182; Animal.
6:12 p.m. 800 block of Fig Street; Traffic incident.
6:24 p.m. Glenwood and Aycock streets; Traffic incident.
7:26 p.m. Mallard Street; Complaint.
7:30 p.m. 400 block of Second Street; Medical.
7:45 p.m. 300 block of Union Street; Complaint.
9:46 p.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Medical.
10:30 p.m. La. 182 bridge; Assistance.
Thursday, Sept. 3
12:42 a.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Disturbance.
2:24 a.m. 1000 block of Second Street; Medical.

In the late 1800s, volunteer fire companies were formed in practically every south Louisiana community of any size for the serious job of fighting fires, but they were also social organizations made up of young men who appeared to be just as serious about having fun.
The volunteer fire company formed in the St. Landry town of Washington in the early 1870s was typical.
It had been joined by a volunteer hook and ladder company in 1875, when a letter written by “A Member” to the Opelousas Journal recorded “one of the gayest pageants that it has ever been the good fortune of your humble servant to witness.”
The occasion for this celebration was the anniversary of the founding of the company, but the volunteers seemed to be willing to throw a party for almost any reason, or sometimes for no reason at all.
“At ten o’clock, the appointed hour, the Washington Fire Company and the Carel Wolff Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 repaired to their respective houses where the roll was called,” the writer said of this affair.
Then the hook and ladder company “drawing their very handsome Truck, most beautifully decorated with ribbons, wreaths and garlands of flowers,” marched to the Washington Fire Company station.
The two companies then paraded to a “long bridge” spanning Bayou Carron and the swampy area near it to greet the Opelousas Fire Company and the Hope Hook and Ladder Company, which had been invited to participate in the day’s festivities.
The Opelousas contingent was led by a brass band “discoursing martial music” along the way.
The bridge over Bayou Carron was a toll bridge in 1875, but its gates “were thrown open by the generous proprietor, Mr. [Benjamin] Woodworth,” and the fire companies “followed by a large contingent of people in all manner of vehicles as well as on horseback, and a goodly number on foot,” proceeded to “the most beautiful and picturesque Pic-nic [sic] grounds … situated about a mile from town, removed a little from the Opelousas road in the woods of Mrs. L. Vanhille.”
There, a “magnificent spring” provided “the greatest abundance of pure ice-cold water,” which was welcomed in the July heat.
Woodworth, who was mayor of Washington, led the way “in a neat little buggy,” accompanied by his son who was holding “an immense cake, beautifully iced and handsomely decorated with ribbons.”
The writer said he was “reliably informed” that the cake weighed 53 pounds.
At the picnic grounds it was placed on one of a long line of tables “groaning beneath the weight of fresh, smoking barbecued meats, with all the entrees and delicacies that would gratify the palate of the most fastidious epicure.”
After a “most sumptuous” meal, there were speeches by local dignitaries, before the band “struck up some lively strains that could not be resisted by the younger members.”
A “dance on the sward [lawn]” lasted until dusk, the conviviality abetted no doubt by “lager beer and good claret which was provided in the greatest quantity.”
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.

DEAR ABBY: My wife of 10 years keeps all kinds of secrets from me.
We let her adult daughter, “Maude,” move in. Maude is 35 and has one daughter. I recently found out that Maude is pregnant again. I heard they had decided to “surprise me” with the news. (The father is the same guy as before.) I’m tired of being the third wheel, and I think it’s time for me to call it quits.
What do you think?
STAY OR GO IN CONNECTICUT

DEAR STAY OR GO: I’m glad you asked. What I think is that you are outnumbered.
Maude should be living on her own or with the father of her children. If I am reading between the lines correctly, you have allowed yourself to be stuck with the financial burden that Maude and her irresponsible boyfriend should be carrying. I also think it’s time you gave your wife an ultimatum — either Maude and her daughter move out or you will. Whichever option she chooses, your situation will improve.

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married for five years. Before meeting my husband, I never thought I would find “the one.” Recently, I have been having feelings of wanting to experience sleeping with a woman. I’ve always been sexually adventurous, and I have mentioned a threesome, but he isn’t interested.
I don’t want to die without experiencing sex with a woman, but I also love my husband dearly, and we have a great partnership that I don’t want to destroy.
Help!
WOMAN SEEKS WOMAN IN NEW YORK

DEAR WOMAN: It’s time for another frank conversation with your husband. Explain clearly that although you love him dearly and do not want to destroy your partnership, you are bi-curious and you would like to experience sex with a woman.
However, if his reaction is negative, you must then decide how important fulfilling this fantasy is to you in light of the fact that it could threaten your marriage.

DEAR ABBY: I’m a stay-at-home mother. My husband works Monday to Friday, 10 hours a day. We have been married nearly four years. My problem is we never have alone time. I feel if it continues, we will just fall apart.
On weekends, we sit home, and it’s claustrophobic. We have only one vehicle, which he needs to use, so during the week, I’m stuck at home.
Being home 24/7 is driving me nuts. We never get out and have family time or a date night. I tell him we need it, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Could you guide me on what to do?
IN NEED OF COUPLES’ TIME

DEAR IN NEED: Stop telling your husband “we” need a date night and say instead, “I need this! If you want our marriage to survive, you will take me out of here so we can spend time without the kid (or kids) because I feel like I’m going nuts.”
A date night every few weeks or once a month isn’t too much to ask for. If he is worried about the expense, make sure he knows a hamburger, a sandwich, a drive ALONE WITH HIM is what you need. But if he still doesn’t seem to care, then your problem is greater than cabin fever.
***
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.

When some 92,000 Louisiana waterfowl hunters go to the marsh and rice fields next weekend (Sept. 12) to hunt teal, it won’t be without some reservations.
After all, for the first time in 65 years the United States Fish and Wildlife Service canceled its spring Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey due to the COVID-19 virus.
The annual waterfowl survey happens to be the most extensive scientific wildlife study in the world, covering some 2.1 million square miles of real estate in both the United States and Canada. The survey is designed to gather information and data on population trends, distribution and habitat use.
It’s also the biggest piece of information that every avid waterfowl hunter looks forward to in anticipation of the upcoming season. The past two years, where Blue Winged Teal are concerned, those breeding numbers reflected 6.45 million teal in 2018 and 5.43 million teal in 2019 that would make baby teal. Great news for waterfowl faithful.
Unfortunately, the past two years were near busts for many of Louisiana’s early season teal hunters and September aerial surveys reflected that. Just prior to the 2018 opener, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists flew their annual Waterfowl Population Estimate in the state’s coastal zone and Catahoula Lake. The outcome reflected an estimated 59,000 Blue Winged Teal in the state.
The numbers were 84% lower than the previous year, 32% below the most recent 5-year average, 75% below the state’s long term average, and the second lowest estimate on record.
The 2019 September survey was better, but not a shining example of the Sportsman’s Paradise by any stretch of the imagination. Essentially, last year’s reported estimate of 127,000 Blue Winged Teal were 20% below the most recent 5-year average of 158,000 and 45% below the long-term average of 230,000. And, most of those birds were counted in Southwest Louisiana.
The opening day Hunter Participation/ Harvest Summary issued by the LDWF from bag checks on coastal wildlife management areas was not pretty. The 98 “actual” number of hunters checked on the Atchafalaya Delta WMA here in St. Mary Parish revealed a paltry 1.5 Blue Winged Teal killed per hunter.
The grand total of three coastal WMAs (Atchafalaya Delta, Pass a Loutre and Point aux Chene) was 1.1 teal per hunter. Bear in mind, of those 127,000 teal counted during the aerial survey, only 12,000 were estimated in the southeast transects. There’s a lot of marsh and water from Vermilion Bay to the Biloxi Marsh WMA east of New Orleans.
So, where do we stand heading into next week’s September teal season? LDWF Waterfowl Program Manager Larry Reynolds says all we have is the North Dakota breeding population survey this year.
Reynolds said, “The North Dakota survey has been ongoing since 1948, and this year, ponds were up 65% from 2019 and 70% over the long term average. Ducks were up 18% from 2019 and 64%t above the long-term average. Blue Winged Teal were up 58% from 2019. There was great water in North Dakota and as a result, a lot of ducks stopped there to breed. Typically, when there is good water on the southern end of the breeding grounds, ducks will stop there and have good reproductive success.”
Anecdotally, Reynolds mentioned that there has been limited banding in Canada this year due to the COVID pandemic. However, on a few sites in both southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, there have been a “pesky” number of immature Blue Winged Teal.
“Pesky, because the goal of this limited banding is to focus on mallards to generate the data necessary to run the adaptive management harvest process for setting overall duck seasons, and the number of blue wings made it difficult. The same was true for some banding sites in North and South Dakota. So, there is some suggesting that at least blue wings had good reproductive success,” Reynolds said.
A good video on You Tube to watch is Delta Waterfowl’s “Fall Flight 2020 Outlook.” Dr. Frank Rohwer, President and Chief Scientist for Delta Waterfowl along with Matt Chouniard, Senior Waterfowl Program and Delta Marsh Property Manager, in 4½ minutes expound upon the duck numbers and water conditions across Canada. By all indications, much of the “Duck Factory” for the Mississippi and Central Flyways, both north and south of the US border with Canada has received above average moisture with a few exceptions.
What impact Hurricane Laura will have on the Blue Winged Teal September Season remains to be seen. One of the more popular outings at this time of year is to do what’s known as a “blast and cast,” where hunters make an early morning hunt for teal and follow it up with a speckled trout fishing trip.
Prior to the storm, Reynolds says there were reports coming in with people seeing more Blue Winged Teal than normal showing up. Moreover, some of the department’s banders reported more Blue Winged Teal being captured during their Wood Duck banding operations than in past years.
Unfortunately, a number of outfitters around Hackberry, Creole, Little Chenier, and elsewhere across southwest Louisiana suffered severe losses that will greatly impact their business this season.
If you live in Louisiana long enough, one thing you’ll learn is that the people here are pretty resilient. As such, I have a feeling when next Saturday’s September teal season opens, there will be quite a few people taking a break from the endless monotony of hurricane cleanup and repair to shoot a few teal. And God Bless them. They deserve it.