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Detectives with the Morgan City Police Department have made a third arrest in a rash of burglaries in the Morgan City area, Chief James F. Blair reported.

—Juvenile, 17, Berwick, was arrested at 3:29 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and on warrants for simple burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.

On Wednesday, detectives located and arrested the juvenile on the warrants. The juvenile was found to have suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Detectives are trying to identify other suspects in the case. Blair thanked the public for assistance with the investigation.

Blair also reported these arrests:

—Curran Bias, 38, Florance Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:38 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of disturbing the peace.

Officers were called to the area of Fourth Street and Gen. MacArthur Street about an individual causing a disturbance. They located Bias. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported these arrests:

—Ricardo Zermino, 42, Aycock Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:36 a.m. Wednesday on charges of careless operation, no insurance and driver must be licensed. Zermino was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.

—Nancy Marie Brandon, 41, Baronne Street, Baldwin, was arrested at 10:12 p.m. Wednesday on charge of driving under suspension. Brandon was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.

—Juvenile male, 15, Bayou Vista, was arrested at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday as a runaway juvenile. The juvenile was released into the custody of a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.

—Tony Paul Hale, 42, Becnel Street, Franklin, was arrested at 11:51 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Hale was released on a summons to appear Nov. 2.

Juvenile male, 17, Bayou Vista, was arrested at 10:59 p.m. Tuesday as a runaway juvenile and on a charge of resisting arrest or officer. The juvenile was released into the custody of a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.

Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:

--Devin Caleb Walker, 26, Bourg Street, Donaldsonville, was arrested Tuesday on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

In June, a uniformed patrol officer observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation and proceeded to stop the violator.

The deputy made contact with the driver and also identified a lone passenger in the vehicle as Walker.

The deputy conducted a computer inquiry and determined that Walker was a convicted felon. During the process, deputies recovered a 9mm handgun which was attributed to Walker. That firearm had an obliterated serial number.

At the time, deputies had to transport Walker to a local hospital for treatment of an undisclosed medical condition. Warrants were obtained but temporarily held.

On Tuesday, Walker was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center, where he remains incarcerated without bond. The previous felony conviction was for cocaine possession.

—Garrett Hopwood, 26, Brittney Renee, Zachary, was arrested Aug. 13 on charges of bank fraud, forgery, monetary instrument abuse, theft under $1,000 and parole violation. He was also named in a Rayne Police Department warrant.

—Tricia Cortez, 32, Jon Michelle, Zachary, was arrested Tuesday on charges of forgery, bank fraud, monetary instrument abuse and theft under $1,000.

— Anthony Vega, 36, Tannehill Lane, Walker, was arrested Aug. 24 with the assistance of Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office on four counts of bank fraud, four counts of forgery, monetary instrument abuse and felony theft.

On Aug. 5, detectives initiated an investigation into counterfeit payroll checks being cashed at a Pierre Part business.

Through investigation, detectives determined that counterfeit payroll checks drawn on other local businesses had been presented and cashed.

Through a lengthy investigative process, detectives were able to identify five suspects who presented the fraudulent checks for cashing.

Deputies are looking for Alvin Johnson, 36, Oakmount Drive, Baton Rouge, and Sarah White, 34, Seven Pines, Baton Rouge. They’re wanted on charges of forgery , bank fraud, monetary instrument abuse and theft under $1,000.

—Ashley Marie Chevis, 31, Jefferson Street, Napoleonville, was arrested Monday a charge of second-degree battery related to a fight Aug. 18.

On Aug. 24, deputies responded to a call requesting assistance to unlock a vehicle on Gold Street in Napoleonville. The deputy requested a warrant check on the complainant who was identified as Chevis .

At that time, the deputy was advised that a warrant charging Chevis with second-degree battery was outstanding.

That warrant stemmed from the fight on Aug. 18 in which an individual received injuries requiring hospital care. It was determined that Chevis and the injured party engaged in a verbal dispute that turned physical.

As a result, charges were filed.

Chevis was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and released on a $5,000 surety bond.

—Brandon Jamar Williams, 36, South Holly Road, Labadieville, was arrested Tuesday on charges off possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of MDMA ( ecstacy ) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In previous weeks, Narcotics Division agents received numerous complaints alleging that Williams was involved in illegal drug activity at a Labadieville apartment complex.

Agents initiated an investigation and on Tuesday made contact with Williams at the mentioned location.

Agents observed activity suspicious in nature and proceeded to interview Williams. As a result of that interview, a K-9 was used for an open-air sniff on the suspect’s vehicle and issued a positive alert for the presence of illegal controlled dangerous substances. A search of the vehicle yielded quantities of marijuana, MDMA and assorted drug paraphernalia.

Williams was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center where he remains incarcerated. Bond has been set at $20,000.

As the consumer horticulture extension specialist for Louisiana, I am very interested in understanding how the stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the amount of gardening folks did while they were at home.
That’s why the LSU AgCenter is conducting a consumer gardening survey. If you haven’t taken it yet, please do so online at http://bit.ly/lsuaggardensurvey.
During the stay-at-home orders, many people had more time on their hands, and with that, cabin fever set in. Just as bicycles, free weights and other exercise equipment began to sell out, so did vegetable transplants, seeds and ornamental plants. People had more time to be active outdoors.
More than 1,900 people have already responded to our consumer gardening survey. The survey asks folks how long they have been gardening, how much time they spent in the garden prior to and during the stay-at-home orders, and what they expect after COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, 60% of participants answered they had been gardening for more than 10 years, 11% for five to 10 years, 17% for one to five years, and 10% said they were first-time gardeners.
Next, I ask if participants had increased the amount of time they spent gardening during the pandemic, and 82% of the participants said they had. When asked how often they were gardening during the pandemic, 46% said they were gardening five to seven days a week, and 35% said they were gardening three to five days a week.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from the survey was the reasons people gave for gardening. The No. 1 answer was “because it makes me happy” at 88%. Other answers included stress relief and relaxation at 88% and to be out in nature and outdoor physical activity at 87%. This confirmed my belief that indeed, most people garden because it is good for their health and well-being.
Finally, we ask how folks got the information they needed on gardening during the pandemic, and 51% of Louisianans said they got their information from the LSU AgCenter website, social media pages, news articles and local agents — another great find from this research. The Cooperative Extension Service is still the go-to source for information on gardening needs.
The history of the Cooperative Extension Service in the U.S. dates back to the Civil War in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, setting up the land-grant college system. The mission was to educate citizens in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts and other occupations through research and education. Louisiana State Univ-ersity and Agricultural and Mechanical College obtained its status as a land-grant university in 1877.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Smith-Lever Act, calling it “one of the most significant and far-reaching measures for the education of adults ever adopted by the government.” The act established the Cooperative Extension Service to “help people help themselves” by taking the university to the people.
This program was a cooperative plan between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and universities with funding from federal, state and local sources to help provide quality research-based science, education and real problem solving.
Back then, more than 50% of the population lived in rural areas, with 30% being farmers. The Cooperative Extension Service helped make the American agricultural revolution possible by helping increase farm productivity. The number of farms in the U.S. has gone from 5.4 million to 1.9 million. One farmer today supports the food needs of 140 people compared to 15.5 in the 1950s thanks in part to the Cooperative Extension Service.
During WW I, extension agents worked to help support the troops by helping farmers plant more wheat, taking wheat acreage from 47 million in 1913 to 74 million acres in 1919. They also taught homemakers to can, dry and preserve food from their homesteads and gardens.
During the Great Depression, agents taught farming techniques and management, teaching farmers how to keep accounting books, market their products, and organize buying and selling cooperatives. They promoted home gardening and poultry production to improve nutrition as well as sewing and canning and preserving food as a way to help families generate much-needed money.
During WW II, the focus again was on increasing food production. Production increased by 38% in 1944 despite labor shortages as a result, in part, of the extension service’s advocacy for victory gardens.
Fewer than 2% of Americans farm today, and only 17% live in rural areas. Cooperative Extension programs operate in all 50 states. And despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, agents continue to answer the call by providing reliable information from research regarding all things agriculture.
We continue putting on community events, conducting lectures and field days, and working to meet the demands of farmers, homeowners and consumers. Many of these services have been moved to virtual platforms to meet the restrictions created by the pandemic.
In the century since its inception, the Extension Service has and continues to adapt to change and meet the challenges set before us, from water scarcity and climate change to decreasing pollinator populations and increasing urban and suburban populations. Through new technologies and new approaches to research and education such as precision agriculture, we continue to help farmers increase production.
My gardening advice today is to get to know your local extension agents. Use the resources from the LSU AgCenter Cooperative Extension Service. We are here to support our communities with garden soil testing, plant disease and pest diagnoses, and programs in 4-H, textiles, nutrition and animal sciences. Visit lsuagcenter.com for more information.
I am proud to be a part of the Cooperative Extension Service of the United States of America.

Officials are warning of months of recovery ahead after Hurricane Laura tore up southwest Louisiana early Thursday.

"It's very, very catastrophic," Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a Sunday afternoon press conference. "It is widespread. And it's going to take quite a while to recover.

"But we can make people's lives better today."

The governor encouraged people to do what they can to help hurricane victims with donated water and other supplies, as long as the givers have coordinated with agencies or officials in the affected areas.

On Friday, President Donald Trump set one vital assistance program in motion within hours of receiving a request from Edwards and the state's U.S. senators. The federal major disaster declaration makes people and businesses in six Louisiana parishes eligible for individual aid. The parishes are Cameron, Calcasieu, Beauregard, Vernon, Jefferson Davis and Allen. Steps are underway to add more parishes to the list.

The president has also extended a measure that allows the federal government to pay the entire cost for activating more than 6,000 Louisiana National Guard troops who are manning shelters, clearing roads, and distributing food,water, tarps, ice and generators.

Trump came to Louisiana Saturday to tour storm-damaged areas.

"One thing I know about this state is they work fast," Trump said at a press conference. "We'll supply what we have to supply. You know what that is, right? A thing called green."

Working fast or not, Louisiana faces widespread tragedy and immense challenges:

--Laura killed 14 people, including eight who died from carbon monoxide poisoning linked to improperly ventilated generators. One boating death was reported, along with several fatalities resulting from trees falling on homes.

--As of 7 p.m. Sunday, nearly four days after Laura's eye came ashore in central Cameron Parish, about 320,000 homes and businesses were without power. That was despite an unprecedented response from utility companies in Louisiana and around the country.

Entergy, which has 88,000 blacked-out customers in Calcasieu alone, is supplying 13,000 utility specialists, Edwards said. Cleco adds another 3,000, and 700 more have been brought in by electric cooperatives.

The job of restoring power goes far beyond downed power lines and poles. Edwards quoted the Public Service Commission as saying 500 utility towers have been destroyed, including some 300-foot towers.

--Water is as daunting a problem as power. In the damage zone, 124 water systems that serve 400,000 people were out of action as of Sunday evening.

Some are down only because the power is out, Edwards said. But some, especially those in Sulphur, DeRidder, Lake Charles and Leesville, have sustained damage to the systems that will require additional repair.

Trump said Saturday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delivered 2.6 million liters of water and 1.4 million meals.

--Nearly 9,000 people who evacuated homes in the storm's path or have been moved because their homes are unlivable are being put up in hotels and motels in Louisiana. Another nearly 6,000 people are in Texas hotels and motels.

State and federal officials were ready with a plan before the storm to house evacuees in hotels and motels because of COVID-19, Edwards said.

But "logistically it is much, much harder from a transportation perspective, from a nutrition perspective and just management of a shelter operation when you put people up in hotels," Edwards said.

FEMA aid

Individuals and businesses who sustained storm damage in the six parishes in the disaster declaration should register as soon as they can with FEMA, administrator Tony Robinson said.

They can sign up at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621 FEMA. The hearing impaired can call 1-800-462-7586. The hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.

Some people have already received denial notification. But Robinson said they shouldn't be discouraged. They should file claims with their insurers if they have them and submit settlement documentation to FEMA.

January 10, 1973 - August 25, 2020

Charles Thomas Findley passed away on Tuesday August 25, 2020 at 08:56 am. Charles was born in Red Lodge Mountain, Montana and resided in Patterson , LA and Lafourche Parish. Charles was survived by his wife Jamie Lirette Findley, mother Sharon Larson, and his oldest brother Garrett Findley. Survived by Charles Findley’s children Malachi Findley, Ty Findley, Jason Bledsoe, Gabe Findley, And Jaslyn Bledsoe. Wife of Garret Findley & Sister in law Mary Findley and son Ein Findley. Sister in law Courtney Hood, Ready Hood, and Deveraux Hood. Son Ty Findley, Daughter Joy Findley, and grandson Hunter Findley and granddaughter Jayla Pellegrin. Preceded in death by his brother Mike Findley Hood and nephew Cody Hood.

Charles Findley was a High School Graduate of 1992 from Patterson High School. After graduation he joined the United States Army to pursue a career in law enforcement. Charles began his law enforcement with St Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and Patterson Police where he obtained his Department of Correction Certifications. In May 2008 he completed his Law Enforcement Louisiana Peace Officer Standards Training Academy Certification later becoming a Louisiana Post Law Enforcement Officer. Charles joined Golden Meadow Police Depart with being Promoted to Assistant Chief of Police under Command of the Chief of a Police Under Randy Chaisson. Charles Findley was an honest, ethical, and moral man serving his community with love in his heart. After his car accident he had to retire from a job he loved. Charles was a beautiful soul if you had the chance to know him he was a truthful man, kept his word, and would give you the shirt off his back.
Family’s Personal memorial comments as follow:

~~~~~JASON/ Dad loves spending time with family and fishing. When you do find Dad fishing you can bet your bottom dollar he will be taking the fish off🐟 his daughter's pole🎣 because she claims they were ICK to touch them 😆. Dad loves to drive cars 🚘 that are fast. His dream was to one day own a corvette. (Not that mom would let him)

~~~~~MALACHI/ My dad was the best dad that I could have ever asked for or wanted. Dad has always called me Superman because of all the surgeries I’ve been through and when he called me that it made me feel so happy. I’ll miss him so and love ❤️ him.

~~~~~JASLYN/Dad has always taken care of me even though hard times. Dad never gave up on us. Dad and I were always together. We would go to stores, appointments, road trips, and even just stuck sitting at home. We ranted about everything to each other. He will always have a big place in my heart ❤️.

~~~~~MOM/ I LOVE YOU & Miss You

~~~~~GARRET/My baby brother was a great man & loving father. I love you and will miss you always.

~~~~~TY/My father was the best father any child could ask for. He was loved and will be missed dearly. He lived a full and happy life. He was a very loving and caring man who loved his children and grandchildren with all his heart. He loved fishing 🎣 or just being around his family.

~~~~~JOY/ Charles was amazing and loved holding his grandson Hunter and kissing on him. Charles even loved Jayla (my sister's daughter)as his own granddaughter. He would have one in each arm. Charles loved the outdoors, spending time with his kids, and being at family events. Charles never missed family events. No matter how far he had to drive to get there. There was no vacation spot that we would not travel to. He considers Me his (daughter-in-law) as his own daughter and Jayla his grand baby).

~~~~~GABE/Dad was honest and caring, and a bit irritable at times. He spent so much time caring for his children. He understood that when mistakes happen he tried tirelessly to fix them which he wasn’t perfect. He was human and tried his best to better himself.

~~~~~Courtney/I will miss your laid back honest demeanor and honest opinions. You were always a great listener and shoulder to cry on if need be. You were a great story teller and I always loved hearing about your adventures. I am so great full for for the vacations and holidays our families had together. I so wish there could have been so many more. Your smile will never be forgotten and your memory will be cherished. ❤️

~~~~~JAMIE/my heart is broken, lost, hollow. Charles is my best friend, my soul mate, my everything. We finish each other’s thoughts in our heads which is scary sometimes and we would laugh and say get out of my head...Thank you for loving me, holding me, and keeping me sane. I smile you got to spend the rest of your life with me. Tell mike and Cody to behave in Heaven for us. I love ❤️ you and like I promised you I will take care of your mom like agreed.