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Candidate announcement: Keith Thibodeaux, 16th JDC judge

Keith Thibodeaux
16th JDC judge
I am proud to announce my candidacy for Judge of Louisiana’s 16th Judicial District Court, right here in St. Mary Parish. My Dad was a boat captain, and I was blessed to grow up spending time on the water with my Dad in Morgan City. The citizens of St Mary Parish hold a special place in my heart and deserve a judge who is a judge for the people. Please join our campaign today and get involved at thibodeaux4judge.com.

Morgan City student joins honor society

Jordan Landry of Morgan City has accepted membership in The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an honor society for high-achieving first- and second-year college students with a minimum of 3.0 grade point average.
NSCS is an honors organization that invites less than 10% of all eligible students nationwide.
NSCS is made up of scholars from two-year, four-year and online institutions.
Notable NSCS distinguished honorary members include former president Jimmy Carter, U.S. Amba-ssador Dr. Robin Renee Sanders, the late Sen. John McCain, and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.
“We welcome Jordan Landry to our community of like-minded, high- achieving nationwide scholars,” said NSCS Executive Director Scott Mobley.

State House approves $250 in COVID 'hazard pay'

The Louisiana House of Representatives on Thursday sent the state Senate a proposal to give workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic $250 of one-time “hazard pay.”
“Critical infrastructure workers” who made $50,000 or less last year are eligible. That includes health care providers, grocery store employees, bus drivers and many other types of workers who worked at least 200 hours outside their homes between March 22 and May 14.
Eligible workers would be able to apply with the Louisiana Department of Revenue from July 15 through Oct. 21.
Rep. Sam Jenkins, the Shreveport Democrat who authored House Bill 70, said he would have preferred to include higher-income workers but wanted to control the cost, which will be paid for out of federal CARES Act pandemic relief money. His original version set the income threshold at $70,000.
“We tried to find a midpoint salary,” he said in response to a question about the income limit. “We have critical workers, believe it or not representative, making minimum wage.”
He suggested adjustments could be made later if money is left over.
The program is capped at $50 million in payments, half from $511 million currently set aside for local governments and half from a $300 million grant fund for small businesses.
The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget has authority to shift money from one fund to another, and Jenkins said his bill would not prevent the committee from adding $25 million back into the business fund if local governments are unable to use their full allotment.

Committee stops bill ending qualified immunity

BATON ROUGE —A House committee rejected a bill Wednesday that would have prohibited police officers from receiving immunity in civil cases involving abuse allegations.
The bill by Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, aimed to address pushes for police reform after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
Members of the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee killed the bill in a 9-7 vote, mostly among party lines. All Democrats on the panel voted in favor of the bill, while most Republicans opposed it. Reps. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, and Richard Nelson, R- Mandeville, voted alongside Democratic members.
Qualified immunity protects government officials from civil lawsuits that claim the official violated a plaintiff’s rights. Suits are only permitted if an official violated “clearly established” rights.
Qualified immunity has been debated at the federal level as Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have called for its end in the wake of Floyd’s death. Congress has debated repealing the doctrine, and the Supreme Court announced Monday that it had declined to hear U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Democrat who represents New Orleans and parts of Baton Rouge, wrote a letter to the state House committee urging members to support the bill.
“Many of you here have been upset that contact tracing or wearing a mask could violate your constitutional rights,” he said. “Isn’t the taking of a life a much more egregious violation?”
Supporters of the bill said qualified immunity protects “bad actors” in law enforcement and makes it harder for people injured by police to go to trial and get compensation.
Jim Craig, an attorney and the director of the Louisiana office of the MacArthur Justice Center, said Jordan’s bill would have held officers accountable “while still protecting those officers who are faced with difficult judgment calls about the use of force.”
Representatives of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association opposed the bill, saying it was concerned that the language could invite lawsuits against officers who used force under reasonable circumstances.
“We’re here to make sure law enforcement continue to believe they can do their job, and when they don’t use excessive force...that they’re not going to lose everything and go through extended court processes,” said St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne.
Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, also opposed the bill, saying it could have “vilified” officers and disincentivized them from doing their jobs out of fear of being sued. Her nephew, a police officer, was killed on duty.
Lawmakers recently heard another piece of legislation that addressed police brutality. Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, proposed a bill that would have created a study on policing. Several Republicans opposed the bill, and removed wording that mentioned Floyd and police brutality before passing it.

Committee passes review of La. policing

A Louisiana House of Representatives committee on Thursday agreed to create a task force that would review the training, tactics and selection of law enforcement officers.
The House criminal justice committee approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 by Sen. Cleo Fields, a Baton Rouge Democrat, without objection. If approved by the full House, the 23-member group would include legislators, the attorney general’s office, community activists and youth leaders, academics and representatives of defense attorneys and law enforcement.
Topics would include de-escalation skills, racial bias recognition, duty to report misconduct, use of force, and identifying and eliminating bad actors. Their report would be due to the Legislature by February.
Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, said she has never before gotten more emails in support of a pending resolution.
“I think that speaks volumes to the people in Louisiana that we are ready to come together and address these issues that we’re facing throughout the nation,” she said.
Like a similar resolution advanced by a different House committee, Fields’ proposal mentions the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the treatment of black men by police generally. But this time, the Republicans on the committee didn’t insist on removing that part of the preamble and replacing it with race-neutral language.
Rep. Tony Bacala, a Prairieville Republican and former law enforcement officer, brought up the number of white men killed by police, which is higher than the raw number of black men killed but is still a much lower rate when the relative proportion of the population is taken into account. He also brought up the number of officers killed in the line of duty, which drew some complaints from some of the people attending the meeting, but all of his comments were prefaced by his assurance that he supported the measure.
Bacala previously has been praised by Democratic members of the Black Legislative Caucus for condemning the killing of Floyd on the House floor.
Representatives of chiefs of police, sheriffs and district attorneys turned in green cards expressing support. Those same groups turned in red cards of opposition Wednesday to help defeat a measure to rein in qualified immunity for law enforcement officers.
“The time is very appropriate that we come together, and we will do our part,” Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Michael Ranatza said.

K9 Vickie helps Sheriff's Office make arrests

K9 Vickie helped the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office make two drug arrests early Thursday, Sheriff Blaise Smith said.
—Jacob Zirlott, 36, Cayce Street, Franklin, was arrested at 2:51 a.m. Thursday by the K-9 and Narcotics Sections on charges of driving left of center, driving under suspension, resisting an officer, possession of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and transactions involving drug proceeds.
—Roni M. Landry, 31, Paul Lane, Franklin, was arrested 2:51 a.m. Thursday by the K-9 and Narcotics Sections on charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A deputy patrolling the area of U.S. 90 near Patterson conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and made contact with the driver, identified as Zirlott, who was driving with a suspended license, and a passenger, identified as Landry.
Through the investigation, a K9 deputy arrived on the scene and deployed K9 Vickie to conduct an open-air sniff. K9 Vickie showed an odor response on the vehicle. Methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, two extended magazines for a semi-automatic pistol, a BB gun pistol and $6,694 in cash were found.
Zirlott and Landry were transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail has been set at this time for either.
Smith also reported these arrests:
—Bryson Matthew Skinner Sr., 26, Grace Street, Siracusaville, was arrested at 11:38 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of resisting an officer by flight. Skinner is being held for another agency.
—Donnell Darby, 43, Isabella Street, Franklin was arrested at 7:41 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of possession of marijuana. Darby was released on his own recognizance.
Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported these arrests:
—Terry Donald Sandlin, Third Street, Berwick, was arrested at 7:13 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of speeding and on a warrant for three counts of failure to appear.
An officer conducted a traffic stop in the area of La. 182 and Federal Avenue. The driver was identified as Sandlin. A warrant check revealed City Court of Morgan City held active warrants for his arrest.
He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Magan Renee Gaudet, 28, Parro Lane, Berwick, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for six counts of failure to appear.
Officers responding to a complaint on Allison Street came into contact with Gaudet. A warrant check revealed the City Court of Morgan City held active warrants for her arrest.
She was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.

Morgan City police radio logs for June 16-18

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.
Tuesday, June 16
5:33 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
5:35 a.m. 300 block of Third Street; Medical.
5:49 a.m. 1100 block of Hickory Street; Complaint.
8:21 a.m. 600 block of Seventh Street; Medical.
9:53 a.m. 100 block of Railroad Avenue; Assistance.
11:36 a.m. Federal Avenue and Terrebonne Street; Utilities.
11:46 a.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
12:10 p.m. Victor II Boulevard and Marguerite Street; Accident.
1:42 p.m. 500 block of Orange Street; Medical.
2:38 p.m. 100 block of Glenwood Street; Civil issue.
3:13 p.m. 500 block of Third Street; Medical.
3:21 p.m. 7100 block of Park Street; Complaint.
3:30 p.m. 1000 block of David Drive; Complaint.
3:34 p.m. 600 block of Railroad Avenue; Medical.
3:57 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Unauthorized use of vehicle.
4:23 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Accident.
5:45 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Alarm.
5:52 p.m. 200 block of Halsey Street; Loud music.
5:53 p.m. 3300 block of Lake Palourde Road; Assist.
6:34 p.m. 1400 block of North Third Street; Disturbance.
7:17 p.m. Old Bridge; Assist.
7:44 p.m. 300 block of Fifth Street; Disturbance.
7:45 p.m. 200 block of Third Street; Juvenile problems.
8:21 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Assist.
10:28 p.m. U.S. 90 before Brashear Avenue exit Westbound; Accident.
11:50 p.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Theft.
Wednesday, June 17
4:56 a.m. 500 block of Bowman Street; Complaint.
5:22 a.m. 1200 block of Brashear Avenue; Alarm.
6:53 a.m. Sixth and Arenz streets; Arrest.
8:32 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Stalled vehicle.
8:50 a.m. 7300 block of La. 182; 911 hang up.
9:18 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.
10:33 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Medical.
10:53 a.m. Sixth and Spruce streets; Suspicious subject.
11:02 a.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Arrest.
11:34 a.m. 600 block of Greenwood Street; 911 hang up.
1:02 p.m. 3000 block of Allison Street; Arrest.
2:22 p.m. 500 block of Bush Street; 911 hang up.
3:04 p.m. 3000 block of Allison Street; Juvenile problem.
3:51 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Complaint.
4:08 p.m. 1600 block of Filmore Street; Medical.
4:17 p.m. 600 block of Greenwood Street; 911 hang up.
5:59 p.m. 1100 block of Brashear Avenue; 911 hang up.
6:02 p.m. 500 block of First Street; Harassment.
6:16 p.m. Morgan City Police Department; Theft.
7:50 p.m. 100 block of South Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
8:54 p.m. 100 block of Mount Street; Disturbance.
9:19 p.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Assistance.
Thursday, June 18
1:13 a.m. 500 block of Barrow Street; Drug activity.
3:11 a.m. 1100 block of Brashear Avenue; 911 hang up.

Jim Bradshaw: Standing up for booze on the bayou

When Prohibition became the law of the land, it was not very popular in south Louisiana. I’m told that some of the best illegal whiskey made anywhere during those supposedly dry days came from communities along Bayou Teche, and that smuggling in factory-made stuff was a substantial enterprise along parts of the Louisiana coast and in the Atchafalaya Basin.
The ban on booze went into effect on Jan. 17, 1920, when the Volstead Act spelled out how the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would be implemented. The Louisiana legislature had ratified the amendment by only a narrow margin in November. Legislators from north and central “dry” parishes scraped together just enough votes to overcome vigorous objections from New Orleans and the “wet” parishes of south Louisiana.
But then French Louisiana found an unexpected ally in Mrs. Chauncey Olcott, a woman in Paris who mounted a serious, though short-lived, legal fight, claiming that Louisiana should have been exempt from the law altogether because of our French heritage.
She argued that the Louisiana Purchase treaty between France and the United States in 1803 gave France the perpetual right to send liquor to the Louisiana Territory, and that the treaty superseded the prohibition amendment She maintained that the treaty was international law, while the Constitution was limited only to the United States.
The New York Times reported the story on Aug. 6, 1922, and said that U.S. constitutional lawyers were “unimpressed” with her argument.
It could have been a big problem if she was right. Said the Times: “Officials ... pointed out that if France possessed any such treaty right, superior to the American Constitution, the great belt of States west of the Mississippi ... would again become wet.” That would include not only Louisiana, but Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
“The Washington viewpoint,” the Times said, “is that no treaty can rise superior to the Constitution. It has been repeatedly held by the Supreme Court that treaties, like law, to be valid must be constitutional and that any treaty contravening the Constitution must fall of its own weight.”
Scholars said the key fault in Mrs. Olcott’s argument was that the treaty granted rights to France in “the Louisiana Territory.” They said parts of the treaty that protected French trade while Louisiana was only a territory may have had some validity, but that the 1803 treaty became generally moot once Louisiana became a state.
It does not appear that the case ever actually went to court, so Prohibition continued to be observed in Louisiana, but not as religiously by the people of south Louisiana as in some other places.
Lots of them took full advantage of the fact that it was never illegal to drink during Prohibition. The law never actually banned consumption of alcohol — just making it, selling it, and shipping it. If you could get it, you could drink it.
That kept a good many folks busy making their own replacements for the good French Bordeaux Mrs. Olcott wanted to sell us, or running out into the Gulf to meet boats hauling crates of fine scotch or good bourbon distilled someplace else.
A ditty of the day sums up the attitude in much of south Louisiana:
Momma makes brandy from cherries;
Poppa makes whisky and gin;
Sister sells wine from the grapes on our vine ─
My gosh, how the money rolls in!
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.

Births announced

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Batiste (nee: Ronlaisha Barrow) of Patterson, a girl, Tesonica Gwendolyn Christine Batiste, on June 1 at Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City. She weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 18 inches.
——
Born to Harley Marie Cain and Jalyn Dashun Bell of Morgan City, a girl, Kensley Victoria Bell, on June 2 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. She weighed 8 pounds, .6 ounces and measured 20 inches.
——
Born to Nubia Paola Paz and Jose Angel Guifarro of Morgan City, a girl, Ashley Paola Guifarro Paz, on June 3 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. She weighed 8 pounds, 13.38 ounces and measured 20 inches.
——
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Hung Tien Pham (nee: Tram Huyen Tran) of Morgan City, a boy, Khoi Dinh Pham, on June 4 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. He weighed 6 pounds, 5.59 ounces and measured 18.5 inches.
——
Born to Lindsey Morris of Morgan City, a girl, Ava Belle Morris, on June 7 at Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 19.75 inches.
——
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Gerardo Jazhiel Bravo Martinez (nee: Cristina Gomez Diaz) of Morgan City, a boy, Jazhiel Bravo Martinez, on June 9 at Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 20 inches.
——
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Michael Percle (nee: Courtney Mayon) of Morgan City, a girl, Abigail Kate Percle, on June 9 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. She weighed 7 pounds, 4.12 ounces and measured 18.82 inches.
——
Born to Brittany Noel Gobert and Russell Bernard Ellis of Berwick, a boy, Garrison Wayne Ellis, on June 9 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. He weighed 7 pounds, 9.7 ounces and measured 19.5 inches.

Tomatoes, other vegetables featured in virtual field day

PAULINA. — The annual tomato field day had to be canceled this year, but the research continued.
Since 2009, the event has been hosted by the LSU AgCenter in St. James Parish at Raymond “T-Black” Millet’s farm in Paulina, said AgCenter agent André Brock.
“Each year, this field day typically draws nearly 200 people to what has become an annual community event that attracts tomato enthusiasts from neighboring parishes as well,” he said.
Over the years, it has become a community event, attracting tomato enthusiasts from neighboring
During a normal year, the field day would feature a field tour, presentations, awards and a free jambalaya dinner, said AgCenter agent Mariah Simoneaux.
“Since that was not possible this year, we conducted the research, and we’re presenting it without the usual audience,” Brock said.
The growing season this year has been either a bit bumpy or smooth depending on the crop and the insect and disease pressures.
“Helping people grow better tomatoes is the goal,” Brock said. “But the field day also offers the value of fellowship and a little friendly competition.”
“Though the field day had to be canceled as an in-person event, we did grow the vegetables and learned some things about the cultivated varieties we tried,” he said.
The virtual field day featured six tomato cultivars: Celebrity, Better Boy, Red Defender, Red Pride, Red Morning and Mountain Fresh Plus.
“All of these varieties were chosen as half-pound to 1-pound range red, round, disease-resistant tomatoes,” Brock said.
Disease concerns included verticillium wilt, tomato spotted wilt virus and a few other common ones. All tomatoes grown were hybrids, and all were determinate, except Better Boy.
“The Celebrity tomato was like a control group; everybody who grows tomatoes is probably familiar,” he said. “It’s a half-pound tomato adapted to a variety of growing conditions.”
People often want a tomato that tastes like tomatoes did when they were kids.
“Well, this one was an All-America Selection winner in 1984,” Brock said. “So if you’re my age, this is exactly what dads had in gardens when we were young. It’s still delicious, and performance and production have held up over the years.”
Red Defender was about the same as Celebrity; maybe slightly wider with shorter fruit, he said.
“Better Boy jumped out ahead early on as a larger plant (indeterminate growth pattern), though they evened out over time,” he said. “The fruit was similar to Celebrity, but perhaps a bit larger.”
Red Pride was similar, with consistently well-shaped fruit in the half-pound range, he said.
Red Morning was about the same, but the fruit was more consistently larger. Mountain Fresh Plus followed suit with perhaps slightly more pinkish fruit.
“Usually, taste sets the tomato varieties apart, but we did not have a taste test without the crowd,” Brock said. “The Millets and I found them all to be really good-tasting tomatoes. They all had a good acid bite and plenty of tomato flavor.”
This year’s bell pepper cultivars were Turnpike, Vanguard, Revolution, Declaration and Snackabelle.
“We had grown Snackabelle last year and wanted to see it again,” Brock said.
It’s a smaller plant with really small fruit 3 to 4 inches across but with a lot of volume. It readily turns red, while other varieties experience greater yield loss if left to ripen in the field.
“We think it would be useful for stuffing peppers as appetizers,” he said.
The other peppers were also all great producers with resistance including phytophthora blight, tomato mosaic virus and bacterial leaf spot.
They all made sturdy plants with large, blocky, thick-walled peppers.
“It’s hard to differentiate any of them,” Brock said. “But if you’ve been growing older varieties, your jaw will drop when you see these. Fruit quality, production and disease resistance were all outstanding.”
Brock and Simoneaux grew five cucumber varieties, which included Dasher 2, Bristol, Citadel, SV4719CS F1 and Silver Slicer.
Simoneaux said they all made lots of cucumbers on disease-resistant vines.
“Silver Slicer was easily identified by its white skin, which remained more tender,” she said. “It did not climb as high as the others. It kept wanting to spread.”
Like last year’s white variety Martini, Silver Slicer seems to last longer into the growing season than others and was still in great production in early June, she said.
More information about gardening, landscaping, or anything else horticultural in the River Parishes is available from St. John and St. James parishes agent André Brock at abrock@agcenter.lsu.edu or Mariah Simoneaux in Ascension and Assum-ption parishes at mjsimoneaux@agcenter.lsu.edu.

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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