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St. Mary Parish focus shifts from Marco to Laura

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 5:37pm

GEOFF STOUTE

Focus has shifted from Tropical Storm Marco to Tropical Storm Laura in St. Mary Parish with a close eye on the western portion of the parish as more is learned about Laura’s projected path.
Parish President David Hanagriff said after the 4 p.m. briefing with the National Weather Service that Laura is projected to hit around Cameron early Thursday.
“With that being said, this could be very similar to Rita,” he said. “In fact, in some ways, it could be more, especially if it’s larger than a Category 2.”
Main areas of concern with Laura approaching, Hanagriff said, are Cypremort and Burns points as well as the Franklin areas where they received water in the past.
The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch from Port Bolivar, Texas, to west of Morgan City.
Monday, the parish issued a voluntary evacuation for areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway, and it may be upgraded to a mandatory evacuation if the storm stays on its projected path and strengthens, Hanagriff said.
“The levees and gates that we put in place, I think we’re far more protected than we were for Rita going forward,” Hanagriff said.
He said he thinks they will have a better picture of Laura’s track Tuesday, especially in the 10 a.m. briefing.
The focus shifted to Laura after Marco has become “really little to no concern of ours as of right now,” Hanagriff said, noting it’s basically a tropical depression that will present few problems for St. Mary Parish.
While the current evacuation is a voluntary one for Laura, Hanagriff encouraged residents to leave these areas, noting many people had to be rescued last year when Barry impacted the area.
While the rain is expected to come Wednesday evening, Hanagriff cautioned that in the past, the water has risen following the storm.
“It’s not necessarily when the eye makes contact,” he said. “It’s usually within the 24 hours afterwards, so Thursday is going to be the big day to watch, especially with rising water.”
West end closures to provide protection have taken place along the Franklin, Yellow Bayou and Hanson canals as well as flood gates in the eastern end of the parish in Berwick and Morgan City.

Republic Services to run route in Morgan City Tuesday

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 3:35pm

Staff Report

Republic Services will run its regular Tuesday pickup in Morgan City.
The company also will try to collect Monday’s entire route that was cancelled.
Residents are asked to place their receptacles by the street for pickup.

Voluntary evacuation called for St. Mary Parish areas south of Intracoastal

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 3:22pm

Staff Report

A voluntary evacuation for areas of St. Mary parish south of the Intracoastal Waterway was issued by Parish President David Hanagriff Monday.
The voluntary evacuation, effective at noon Monday, was called due to the effects of tropical storms Marco and Laura.
Also earlier today, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith announced the parish law enforcement center’s inmates had been relocated from Centerville to other agencies Sunday in preparation for the storm.

Locals seem to take double hurricane threat in stride

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 2:24pm

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

BERWICK — They took a break Sunday afternoon to get a look at David Washington III’s phone.
David Griffin Sr., David Griffin Jr. and Melissa Brannon had been filling sandbags near where Washington had been loading more bright yellow bags into a small trailer. They were under the bridge near Berwick Town Hall.
Washington had the day off Sunday from his offshore job. But his company still sent the latest forecast tracks for Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura to his phone.
And the tracks seemed to have moved westward, making it a little less likely that the St. Mary Parish area would get the worst of two storms within two days.
But the National Weather Service warns that Hurricane Marco could bring up to 4 inches of rain and a 3-foot storm surge into Tuesday. Laura, a tropical storm as of Sunday evening, threatened to have stronger winds, up to 10 inches of rain and surge that could reach 10 feet at the coast Wednesday into Thursday. Laura could yet become a major hurricane, said meteorologist Roger Erickson at the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.
Despite the unprecedented threat of two hurricanes in two days, smiles were more apparent than urgency among the people filling sandbags at Berwick on Sunday.
“I guess it’s because it’s getting to be a routine,” Brannon said.
“Well,” Washington said, tying a sandbag closed. “You’ve got to protect your property.”
Across the Atchafalaya in Stephensville, there wasn’t much visible reaction to St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars' midday Sunday request for a voluntary evacuation of the lower parish.
An hour or so after the announcement, Charlotte Ratcliff, who chairs the St. Martin Parish Recreation District No. 1 board, was washing down the parking lot at the district’s new park near the Stephensville School. Ratcliff hadn’t heard the news about the voluntary evacuation, but she and her husband might not have evacuated their home anyway.
“We never did except one time,” Ratcliff said. “We ended up in Baton Rouge and got it worse than here.”
Down La. 70 at Doiron’s convenience store, there was no sign of people in a hurry to gas up and bug out.
But they were buying gasoline.
“They’re filling up gas cans for generators,” said Paula Wunstell from behind the counter. “Maybe if [Marco] wasn’t a Category 1 or a Category 2, more people would evacuate.”
Bags and sand were available at areas around the parish Saturday and Sunday, including:
—Under the bridge on David Drive in Morgan City.
—Near the water tower on Taft Street and across the tracks near the Volunteer Fire Department substation in Patterson.
—Under the bridge in Amelia.
—At the parish barn in Bayou Vista.
—At the Hanson barn in Franklin.
—The Glencoe fire station.
—The Four Corners fire station.

LEEDONNA ATCHLEY

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 2:15pm

June 28, 1948 — August 23, 2020

LeeDonna Atchley, a past resident of Bell River and Bayou Vista, was called to her heavenly home on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at the age of 72.

LeeDonna was known for being an excellent cook who adored her children and especially her grandchildren. LeeDonna enjoyed spending time with her family more than anything else in the world.

Those left to cherish LeeDonna’s memory are her children, Toney Ackman and his wife, Debbie, Dana McGraw and her husband, Robert, and Brad Ackman and his wife, Lydia; six grandchildren, Meaghan and her husband, Darick, Justin, Robert, Macaeley, Jesse, and Gracie; two great-grandchildren, Darin and Emma; three step children, Darlene, Pauline, and Kevin; five sisters; five brothers and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a son, Troy Allen Ackman; her parents, Dalton and Gladys Ackman; two sisters and five brothers.

In keeping with family wishes, memorial services will be held for LeeDonna privately at a later date.

Griffin joins staff at Ochsner St. Mary

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 2:11pm

Vicky Griffin, DO, OB/GYN, has joined the Ochsner St. Mary active medical staff, effective Wednesday, Aug. 26, hospital Chief Executive Officer Fernis LeBlanc said last week.
With more than 30 years of experience practicing medicine, Griffin completed her OB/GYN residency at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Flint, Michigan, in 1994. She received her doctor of osteopathic medicine from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, California, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of North Dakota.
“We are excited for Dr. Griffin to join Ochsner St. Mary and practice medicine in our community,” LeBlanc said in a news release. “With the addition of Dr. Griffin, we will be able to increase our existing obstetrics and gynecology services, keeping members of our community at home for their healthcare needs.”
Griffin joins Dr. Julie Price, OB/GYN, and Tiffany Waguespack, NP, at Ochsner St. Mary Women’s Clinic in Morgan City.
“I am looking forward to working with Dr. Price to expand obstetrics and gynecology services for the community,” Griffin said in the news release.
As an OB/GYN, Griffin cares for conditions such as pregnancy, endometriosis, incontinence, ovarian cysts and menopause, just to name a few. She also specializes in gynecological surgery, including abdominal surgery, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery and hysterectomy.
Griffin now is accepting new patients. Her office is in the Medical Office Building behind the hospital at 1151 Marguerite St., Suite 700, in Morgan City.
To learn more about Ochsner, visit www.ochsner.org/info. To schedule an appointment, visit Ochsner.org/schedule or call 985-221-4400.

Sugar cane planting off to good start

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 2:10pm

BRUCE SCHULTZ, LSU AgCenter

ST. GABRIEL — Good weather has allowed sugar cane farmers to get started planting their new crop.
LSU AgCenter sugar cane specialist Kenneth Gravois said July was wet. “These first two weeks in August have been drier, and people have made tremendous progress. We’ve got some people approaching the halfway mark,” he said.
Farmers tend to plant their poorest ground first.
The cane to be cut this year looks good and straight, with above-average height, Gravois said.
But farmers realize that tropical weather could cause problems. “We keep one eye on the tropics every year. It just takes one storm to turn the year around,” he said.
The 2019 crop of 482,000 acres will probably be surpassed this year. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s in the neighborhood of 500,000” acres, he said.
Blair Hebert, AgCenter agent in the Bayou Teche region, said planting is going well in his area. “We’re cautiously optimistic that it’s going to continue to go well,” he said.
Lodging has been minimal in seed cane fields that have been producing adequately to plant 5 acres for every acre of harvested seed cane, with a higher ratio for some, he said.
Whole-stalk planting is the dominant method, but more farmers are looking at billet, or partial-stalk, planting, and the AgCenter continues to research the planting method. “We do have more and more farmers inquiring about it,” Hebert said.
Farmers Chad Hanks and Carl Guidry, of Lafayette Parish, estimate they will be finished planting in about a week. “We could use some rain,” Hanks said.
They have been able to plant six acres per acre of seed cane, he said.
“It’s moving along pretty good,” said Mark Carriere, AgCenter agent for cane in Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge and Iberville parishes.
Most farmers have been able to get their work crews fully staffed. “I’m not hearing any major issues with that,” Carriere said.
Carriere expects Pointe Coupee will again be the top parish for sugar cane acreage statewide, probably surpassing last year’s acreage of 60,000 and again edging out Iberia Parish.
Matt Foster, AgCenter agent for sugar cane in the River Parishes and Terrebonne Parish, said this year is quite different from 2019. “It’s amazing what a year can change. Last year, some farmers were planting while harvesting because August was so wet,” he said.
Some farmers are harvesting soybeans to make room for planting a new cane crop.
Foster estimated harvest in his area is about 40% complete.
“This year, the crop was a little more mature, which makes for good planting material. It’s been a good year for cane. Everybody is optimistic,” he said.
As soon as the new crop is planted, farmers will turn their attention to getting ready for harvest. Grinding is expected to start as early as Sept. 15 for the Alma Mill in Pointe Coupee Parish, with others to begin in late September and early October.

Two die in crash after vehicle flees Patterson stop

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 1:57pm

Two Franklin residents died early Sunday in a fatal crash that occurred as they fled a Patterson Police Department traffic stop, Louisiana State Police Troop I said.

On Sunday, just after 12:30 a.m., Troop I responded to a single-vehicle fatal crash on La. Highway 182 near Alice C Road. The crash claimed the life of 46-year-old Warren Joe Hines Jr. and 17-year-old Markquel Trevon James, both of Franklin.

The preliminary investigation by state police revealed an officer with the Patterson Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a 1999 Cadillac Eldorado, driven by 39-year-old Joseph B. James of Franklin. James refused to stop and a pursuit ensued, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Prior to reaching the city limits of Franklin, the Cadillac ran off the road and struck a tree.

Hines and Markqel James were unrestrained passengers in the fleeing Cadillac and were pronounced dead at the scene. Joseph James, who was also not restrained, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The relation between the driver, Joseph James, and the passenger, Markqel James, is unknown.

A toxicology sample was obtained from James and will be submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.

Louisiana state law requires vehicle occupants to be properly restrained in all seating positions, day or night. Statistics show the chances of surviving a crash rise significantly when properly restrained but the decision not to wear a seat belt can have deadly consequences. Motorists are encouraged to make the smart choice and to always wear a seat belt.

Troop I has investigated 36 fatal crashes resulting in 40 deaths in 2020.

9 new COVID cases, no new fatalities in 3 local parishes

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 1:24pm

With testing interrupted or slowed by hurricane preparations, only nine new COVID-19 cases and no fatalities were reported in three local parishes Monday.

Six new cases were reported in St. Mary at midday Monday by the Louisiana Office of Public Health. The total number of COVID-19 positives here since the pandemic began is now 1,726 with 65 deaths.

St. Martin had three new cases for a total of 1,839 with 51 deaths.

Assumption's case count stayed at 631 with 21 deaths.

Statewide:

--623 new cases bring the pandemic total to 143,566.

--18 new deaths raise the toll to 4,623.

No new hospitalization figures were immediately available. As of Sunday, 941 COVID-positive patients were in Louisiana hospitals, including 152 on ventilators.

A touch of paint at Kemper Williams Park

Mon, 08/24/2020 - 12:47pm

Alfred Daigle, with spray gun, and Brandon Brown work Monday to finish repainting the old silo that serves as the Kemper Williams Park welcome sign near Patterson. They work for Wayne Hebert of Abear's Home Renovations in Bayou Vista.

The Daily Review/Bill Decker