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Deputies arrested two men Tuesday on aggravated battery charges, St. Mary Sheriff Blaise Smith said.
—Elder Rogoberto Portillo-Vigil, 33, Barrow Street, Amelia, was arrested at 6:31 p.m. Tuesday on charges of second-degree aggravated battery and simple battery. No bail has been set.
—Elmer Daniel Reyes, 26, Barrow Street, Amelia, was arrested at 6:31 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of second-degree aggravated battery. No bail has been set.
Smith also reported these arrests:
—Donavon Sentrell Washington, 23, Labau Street, Baldwin, was arrested at 4:03 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for aggravated flight from officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest or officer, and no driver’s license. Washington was released on a $2,500 bond.
—Patrick Dwayne Thomas Sr., 46, Morris Street, Franklin, was arrested at at 2:57 a.m. Wednesday on charges of improper lane usage, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Thomas was released on a summons to appear Oct. 22.
Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported this arrest:
—Ernest R. Harris Jr., 44, St. Michael Street, Patterson, was arrested at 7:14 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear.
Harris was located at an address on Third Street and placed under arrest on an active warrant held by the City Court of Morgan City. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:
— Jordan Darrall McManus, 28, of Billville Road, Hammond, was arrested Tuesday on charges of public intimidation, telephone communications (improper language, harassment) and three counts of simple assault.
Deputies were dispatched to a Labadieville location related to McManus threatening members of a household.
At some point, the deputy made contact via telephone with McManus.
During that conversation, the suspect made comments that were concerning to the deputy and sufficient to constitute violations of a criminal nature.
The deputy applied for and was granted arrest warrants for McManus. Those warrants were entered into the National Crime Database.
As a result, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested McManus.
McManus was transported to Assumption Parish on Tuesday and booked into the Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
—Terrence Joseph Dupaty Jr., 23, Dorseyville Lane, Paincourtville, was arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated flight, speeding, driving on a roadway laned for traffic, two counts of failure to yield, resisting an officer, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and parole violation (felony).
The arrest was in connection with a July 8 attempted traffic stop and subsequent pursuit.
On that date, a deputy observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation near La. 1 and the La. 403 Bridge in Paincourtville and attempted to conduct a violator vehicle stop.
The driver sped off onto La. 308 and at some point, jumped out of the car while it was still engaged and fled on foot.
The deputy seized the vehicle as well as several items of evidence connecting Dupaty to the incident.
Warrants were obtained for Dupaty’s arrest. He was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center. Dupaty Jr. remains incarcerated pending a bond hearing.

Water is essential for life. Generally speaking, a human can go without food for about three weeks, but typically would perish without water after just three to four days.
When people consume water, they are doing so with the assumption or hope that the water is clean and free from harmful contaminants.
Even though municipal water systems filter and test water supplies, the company EcoWater Systems says some of the most common tap water contaminants they encounter actually enter water sources after they have been tested at treatment facilities.
Drinking water may contain small amounts of contaminants that are not unsafe to consume at certain levels. However, at higher levels, these same substances can be problematic.
Contaminants can include hydrogen sulfide, raised acidic levels, arsenic, lead, nitrates, and microbiologicals, which include viruses, protozoan and parasites.
Homeowners can take proactive approaches to test their water to determine if it contains potentially harmful levels of contaminants. This is especially crucial for those who rely on residential well water, which is not subject to the same testing as municipal systems.
Anyone who knows there may be a problem with the ground water or drinking water in their area or who notices a change in water odor, color and taste can request more information.
One place to start is with a Consumer Confi-dence Report. Most people on municipal water should receive an annual water quality report called a CCR, or Consumer Confidence Report, states Cons-umer Reports. People who rent or didn’t receive one can contact their local water supplier or their landlords.
Testing can be initiated by contacting one’s local health department, which may provide free private well or drinking water testing, advises the Envir-onmental Protection Agency. Homeowners also can reach out to a state-certified laboratory to test drinking water. These organizations can provide the most accurate results. Call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
People also can buy test kits from their local home centers or online. These tests come with a package of strips that contain reactants that change color to indicate the presence of various contaminants in the water. Keep in mind that quality control may vary, and that tests can give false readings.
Testing drinking water can alert to potential problems and compel homeowners to take action regarding contaminated water.

Successful Tutoring with Adria in conjunction with Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard and Chief of Police Morris Beverly will be held July 21 at Broussard-Harris Recreation Center, O'Niel Chube Drive, in Franklin from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for residents 18 y.o. and older, as well as unregistered voters.

A state lawmaker said at a St Mary Chamber legislative roundup Wednesday that she has doubts about the accuracy of statistics tracking COVID-19 and the usefulness of face coverings.

State Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, said she's been looking to reports about the statistics.

"What I'm discovering is that the numbers being presented to the public are not necessarily accurate," Amedee said during an event at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City, where a handful of local officials and reporters gathered at a half-dozen tables positioned for social distancing.

The Chamber event followed a month of surging COVID-19 numbers that followed the beginning of summertime activities, the lifting of the stay at home in mid-May and the move into Phase 2 economic restrictions in early June. Five months into the pandemic, nearly 37,000 of Louisiana's 84,131 COVID-19 positives have been recorded since June 15, according to number from the Louisiana Office of Public Health. Over the same period, the number of people in hospitals for COVID treatment has more than doubled, rising from fewer than 600 to more than 1,300.

Amedee said she looked into reports that test kits have been found to return positive results even though they haven't actually been used.

And "the number of COVID deaths is not the number of people who died because COVID killed them," Amedee said. "They're COVID-related deaths. There's a lot going on behind that word 'related.'"

Amedee said hospitals have attributed deaths to COVID based on tests that occurred two or three months earlier.

"Basically it's what you probably heard on social media, a scenario where Fred gets hit by a bus and is listed as a COVID death," Amedee said. "I'm finding a lot of those are true."

A Louisiana Department of Health spokesman said an answer to a request for a response is in the works.

Amedee noted that guidance about the effectiveness of masks has changed over time. She offered to provide businesses with signs outlining exemptions to the mask mandate put into effect by Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to recommend masks for people who go out into the public.

"Recent studies show that a significant portion of individuals with COVID-19 lack symptoms ... and that even those who eventually develop symptoms ...can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms," the CDC website said. "To reduce the spread of COVID-19, CDC recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain."

The effectiveness of masks figures in the decision to open school next month, too.

State Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, said he believes schools will open this year and that keeping them closed could do more harm than good.

But "always lean toward the science," Allain said. "Personal feelings and all are good but we need to follow the science no matter what."

The Houma Courier reported Wednesday that Terrebonne Parish public schools have delayed the start of the new school year to Sept. 8.

Also Wednesday, Allain, Amedee and state Rep. Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin, outlined legislative accomplishments during a regular session interrupted by the pandemic and the special session need to pass a budget.

Allain predicted that a product of state government action last year, the $80 million Bayou Chene Flood Control Project, will soon go to work. The project, paid for with funding through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, is a permanent structure designed to stop back-flooding when the Atchafalaya River runs high and eliminate the need to sink a barge in the bayou, a solution used three times since 2011.

"One year from today," Allain said, "I feel sure Bayou Chene will be in place and protecting parts of five parishes, including St. Mary."

Allain also pointed to funding for resurfacing La. 182 between Franklin and Centerville, a welding training center at the Charenton Canal Industrial Park and a wellness center on the campus of Franklin Foundation Hospital.

"Let's try to make people more well so we don't need the services of the hospital," Allain said. He believes the center can save enough in state Medicaid funding to pay for itself.

The Legislature also passed some tax reform measures, Allain said, including legislation to seek sales taxes on internet purchases to level the playing field for local brick-and-mortar businesses.

Other legislation made it less expensive to appeal Department of Revenue tax rulings and to extend the time for appeals to 30 days. Another bill provides funding for the Revenue Department other than the complete reliance on interest and penalties with which it has been financed..

Amedee talked about legislation that lowered the amount of damages that can send a lawsuit to a jury trial and keeping insurance companies whose only role lawsuits are as insurers from being named as defendants.

Other legislation was conceived to protect businesses from frivolous lawsuits over COVID-19 because of items donated for relief, creating a Main Street recovery program for businesses and to make state law clear that the state doesn't sanction or pay for abortions.

St. Blanc, elected last year, finished his first sessions last month. He said he is proud that the state is moving ahead with the Bayou Chene work.

"Now we don't have to worry about that," St. Blanc said. "We'll be ready for high water."

He thanked the voters of District 50 for putting him into office.

"I love what I'm doing," he said.