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Keeping seniors healthy

Submitted Photo
Keeping senior citizens active within the community is not an easy task, yet St. Mary Council on Aging does exactly that every day. Pat Blanco, left, Patterson Senior Wellness & Activity Center coordinator, accepts a donation from Patterson State Bank head teller Peggy Darce. The donation directly benefits the program and helps to provide local seniors many opportunities to participate in an assortment of events throughout the parish.

Failure to appear results in two arrests

Staff Report
Morgan City police rounded up two men who failed to appear in court, Police Chief James F. Blair said.
—Gregory Scott Free, 36, of Egle St., Morgan City, was arrested at 3:51 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear.
A check revealed the Morgan City Court warrant after officers came into contact with Free near Eighth and Willard streets. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Jheremy Travaughn Coleman, 33, of First Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant alleging five counts of failure to appear.
Officers came into contact with Jheremy T. Coleman at his residence. A warrant check revealed the 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.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith advises that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 29 complaints and reports the following arrests:
—Ebony R. Antoine, 36, of Samuel Street, Franklin, was arrested at 11:38 a.m. on a charge of possession of marijuana. Antoine was released on a summons to appear June 20.
—Brian Keith Lively, 33, Patricia Ann Street, Jeanerette, was arrested at noon Tuesday on a Jeanerette warrant for failure to appear on the charges of headlights required and no driver’s license. Lively was released after he paid his fine.
—Kaleb Woods Meadows, 21, of Patty Lane, Bayou Vista, was arrested at 1 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of Schedule II drugs, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest or officer, and on an MCPD warrant for failure to appear on the charge of open container. Bail was set at $3,947.50.
—Brian Anthony Washington, 45, La. 1, Labadieville, was arrested at 3:26 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. Bail was set at $46,969.90.
—Michael Paul Lovell, 52, of Stacy Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:27 p.m. Tuesday on charges of turning movements and signals required and driving under suspension. Lovell was released on a summons to appear June 29.
—Steven Robert Declouet, 68, of Taft Street, Patterson, was arrested at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday on charges for no headlights and possession of marijuana, and on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of possession of marijuana, improper lane usage and operating a vehicle without a driver’s license. Declouet was released on a $250 bond.
—Terrance Matthew Clark, 50, of Easy Street, Franklin, was arrested at 9:15 p.m. on a Franklin Police Department warrant for failure to appear on the charges of molestation of a juvenile and sexual battery. Bail was set at $200,000.
—Donald Ray Richard, Jr., 38, of Buxton Drive, Grand Prairie, Teas, was arrested at 9:14 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of possession of marijuana. Richard was released on a $568 bond.
—Beau James Viator, 29, of Hulan Street, St. Martin, was arrested at 9:43 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of theft. Bail was set at $7,500.
—James Michael Bertrand, 59, of Baronne Street, Baldwin was arrested 12:33 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of operating a vehicle with improper taillights. No bail has been set.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported this arrest:
—Tina B. Robinson, 45, of Cherry Street, Patterson, was arrested at 2:35 p.m. Tuesday on Park Street in Patterson on charges of wrong way on a one-way and no driver’s license. Robinson posted $531 bond.
Berwick Police Chief David S. Leonard reported no arrests.

Morgan City police radio logs for March 3-4

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, March 3
7:50 a.m., 300 block of Franklin, animal.
7:52 a.m., 1000 block of Duke, animal.
8:15 a.m., 1200 block of Brashear, medical.
8:46 a.m, 6400 block of La. 182, abandoned vehicle.
9:24 a.m, 7200 block of La., 182, welfare check.
10:25 a.m, 6000 block of La. 182, stalled vehicle.
12:01 p.m., 1400 block of Federal, reckless driver
12:28 p.m., 1100 block of Brashear, vehicle..
1:58 p.m., 1900 block of Federal, disturbance.
2:13 p.m., 2000 block of Federal, medical.
2:53 p.m., 500 block of Terrebonne, traffic.
3:06 p.m., 400 block of Louisiana, theft.
3:30 p.m., 200 block of Franklin, theft.
3:41 p.m., 1000 block of Marguerite, shoplifting.
3:45 p.m., Eighth and Chlotilde, arrest.
6:34 p.m., 2000 block of Keith, complaint
6:47 p.m., 7500 block of La. 182, criminal damage to property.
7:15 p.m., 2300 block of Clements, disturbance.
7:34 p.m., 500 block of Marshall, theft.
7:59 p.m., Brashear and Second, arrest.
8:15 p.m., 400 block of Kidd, theft.
8:42 p.m., Aucoin and Second, patrol request
8:50 p.m., 3100 block of Roselawn, juvenile problem.
9:39 p.m., 1100 block of Marguerite, assistance.
10:17 p.m., 2300 block of La. 70, suspicious vehicle.
Wednesday, March 4
12:48 a.m., 1000 block of Sixth, open door.
12:59 a.m., 800 block of Sacred Heart, complaint.
W3:57 p.m., 100 block of Youngswood, alarm

A gift for the grieving

Submitted Photo
Ochsner St. Mary was given a CuddleCot on Feb. 18 by the Life Church and Ardent Foundation, a nonprofit organization helping families of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and those suffering from infant loss. A CuddleCot is a medical device that extends the time grieving parents can spend with their child. Ochsner St. Mary is the only provider in the parish to provide this support to grieving families. Pictured from left are Amanda Ducote; Lynelle Lincecum from the Life Church; Candance Muller, president of The Ardent Foundation; Dr. Julie Price, OB/GYN; Tabby Lipari, drector of the Women's Services Department; Gabrielle Aucoin; and Fernis LeBlanc, CEO of Ochsner St. Mary.

Breaux-Verret set April 4 nuptials

Christine and Raymond Verret Jr. of Shadyside wish to announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Mary Lauren Verret, to Brody Vins Breaux, son of Melissa Rodrigue, and Kent and Jackie Breaux of Raceland. The wedding will take place at 8 p.m. April 4 at The Balcony Ballroom in Metairie. ...

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Girl Scouts Cookie booth sales set

Area Girl Scouts have set up Girl Scout Cookie booth sales in the Tri-City area.
Girl Scouts depend on funds raised during Girl Scout Cookie season to fund troop activities throughout the year.
According to Lena Clements, Girl Scout Service Unit 270 administrator and manager, “money raised by each troop stays with that troop.” Unit 270 is comprised of Girl Scouts in the Tri-City area.
March 6-8 and March 13-15, a Girl Scouts Cookie booth will be located at Walgreens at 815 Brashear Ave. in Morgan City and the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 1002 La. 70 in Morgan City.
The Patterson Branch Library at 521 Catherine St. will have a booth on March 7.
On March 14, a booth will be located at Tractor Supply located at 773 U.S. 90 East in Bayou Vista and at Morey Park located at 1156 Main St. in Patterson.
A booth will be set up on March 15 at Tiger Island Hardware located at 7393 La. 182 in Morgan City.
“Funds raised goes for supplies for troop meetings, membership fees and any trips the troop wants to take,” Clements said. “Cookie sales help the child enjoy the (Girl Scout) program.”
Cookies available include thin mints, thanks-a-lot, lemonades, peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter patties, caramel deLites , shortbread and S’mores — at $4 a box — and gluten-free caramel chocolate chip — for $5 a box.
Girl Scout Cookie sales help provide experiences for girls that broaden their worlds, teach them essential skills and launch them into a lifetime of leadership, according to Girl Scouts Louisiana East.
“It is a good organization,” Clements said. “They have STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities.”
According to Clements, Girl Scouts is so much more than cookies, but the cookie sales help provide the necessary funds for the scouts to experience programs that help expand their horizons.
Girl Scout Cookies can only be purchased from a registered Girl Scout.
To order cookies directly from a troop in the Tri-City area contact:
—Troop 20166: Leader Debra Green at cristalyse@aol.com.
—Troop 20539: Leader Lena Clements at lenafaith06@gmail.com.
—Troop 20704: Leader Alex Neil at aneil5706@gmail.com.
—Troop 20782: Leader Rachel Walter at rae.walter@yahoo.com.
—Troop 20890: Leader Gina Marshall at geniebake@yahoo.com.
There is also a free official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app available for download at the iOS and Android app stores.
For information about Girl Scouting in the Tri-City area, contact Clements at 985-519-3962.

How finances change when starting a family

Financial changes are a fact of life. Changes occur at every turn, including when students leave home for the first time, people get married and when families purchase their first home. One of the biggest financial changes occurs when starting a family.
Starting a family can come with a measure of sticker shock, particularly for young couples without much financial history. Since the 1960s, the costs associated with raising a family have risen exponentially, says the financial resource MarketWatch.
Between 2000 and 2010, costs rose by 40 percent. Data from Money.com indicates that, as of 2015, American parents spent, on average, more than $230,000 on child costs from birth until the age of 17. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that today that number is closer to $245,000 per child, which does not include the cost of college.
BabyCenter.com offers a cost comparison tool to help prospective parents get started on creating family budgets.
When mulling the cost of starting a family, prospective parents can ask themselves the following questions to get a handle on their finances.
—Can I afford big-ticket baby items related to safety and comfort? Items may include a new vehicle with high crash-test ratings, or renovations to a home to provide a safe nursery. If renovations are unlikely, then would-be parents may need to consider the costs of moving.
—Have I considered daily child expenses? Diapers, formula, laundry detergent, clothing for each stage of growth and various other items are necessary when raising a child. Make a list of such items and their potential costs.
—Do I have adequate health insurance? Pew Research states that expenses for a delivery can range from $3,000 to upward of $37,000 per child for a normal vaginal delivery, and from $8,000 to $70,000 if a C-section or special care is needed. Consider how much your health insurance will cover and how much adding a child to a policy will increase your rates.
—Will I need daycare? In order to afford added expenses, both parents may have to work. BabyCenter.com states that a family’s average childcare costs are roughly $755 per month.
—Can I afford life insurance? Once you begin a family it is important for both parents to have a life insurance policy in place to provide for surviving family members in the event of an untimely death.
Couples who want to start a family can make the transition go smoothly by figuring out their finances before welcoming a baby into the family.

NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys set meeting for parents in St. Mary school desegregation case

NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys representing the plaintiff class in the decades-old St. Mary Parish school desegregation case have called a Thursday night meeting for parents of public school students.

The attorneys hope to hear views on whether students of all ethnicities are treated equally when it comes to factors such as school discipline and educational opportunity.

The meeting will be 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, 113 Federal Ave. in Morgan City.

Since 2016, the U.S.Justice Department has made a push to resolve old school desegregation cases, many of which date to the 1960s.

The St. Mary case, Boudreaux et al v. St. Mary Parish Board of Education, was filed in 1965 and resulted in the end of separate public schools for black and white children. The case was later certified as a class-action suit on behalf of the parish's black students. But the case was never definitively resolved.

Typically, such cases resulted in consent decrees among the parties setting out a process for eliminating segregation. A period of meetings under the direction of a federal court would follow to see how much progress was being made toward ending bias in facilities, student and faculty assignments, extracurricular activities and transportation.

Those areas of potential bias are called "Green factors" after a Supreme Court ruling that defined the process.

Once the court agreed discrimination had been eliminated in all those areas, the school district was said to have achieved "unitary status" and was free of direct federal oversight.

At a federal court proceeding in January in Lafayette, NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys representing the plaintiffs argued that other factors, such as differences in educational opportunity afforded to minorities and the impact of the district's disciplinary policies on minority students, should be taken into account.

U.S. District Judge Robert R. Summerhays, the latest in a long line of judges who have presided over the case, indicated that he's inclined to gauge the district's progress based on the original Green factors.

The parties agreed on a timeline that indicates work on the St. Mary case, including talks and site visits, will continue until at least October.

There is evidence in the court record that a federal judge was prepared to say the St. Mary system had achieved unitary status as far back as the 1970s, and an order to that effect was actually prepared. But the order was withdrawn for reasons the court record doesn't make clear.

Ceremony marks opening of Patterson water plant

Mayor will sing at opening of session Mayor Rodney Grogan announced at Tuesday's meeting that he has been invited by Gov. John Bel Edwards to sing the national anthem Monday at the opening of the 2020 legislative session.

PATTERSON — After five years of work, Patterson’s new water plant is online, capable of providing up to 1.5 million gallons of water a day with fewer chemicals than are needed in conventional water systems.
The Patterson City Council staged a ribbon-cutting at the plant site near City Hall before Tuesday’s regular monthly meeting.
Mayor Rodney Grogan said the plant may become a model for other cities.
Voters approved a bond issue for the plant, which cost an estimated $6 million, Public Works Director Steve Bierhorst said.
The plant uses a technology called Actiflow, which uses microsand to help filter unwanted material from drinking water.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, consulting engineer Melanie Caillouet gave the council a report on its drainage study. The study began after April and June flash floods last year threatened Patterson homes. Gauges were placed around the city to collect data on how water drains.
The study identified problem areas including the Hickory at Red Cypress intersection, U.S. 90 at Red Cypress, an area near Patterson State Bank, and Church at U.S. 90.
Remedies range in cost from $50,000 to $490,000 each. The big ticket items are likely to be culvert replacement along the length of Kelli, Mike, Leo and David at a cost of $500,000 each.
Caillouet urged council members to study the plan.
The council approved an ordinance suggested by the Parish Council to regulate political signs.
The ordinance would ban political signs from public property and utility poles.
Signs would have to be removed from public view within 30 days of the election or the defeat of the candidate placing the sign. Candidates and campaign managers would be responsible for following the law.
Failure to comply could ultimately result in a $500 fine and 30 days in jail.
Another ordinance was introduced to allow the city to accept sealed bids for one-year leases on two tracts it owns south of the railroad tracks.
The council passed resolutions of respect for Pastor Ronnie Cuvillier and former police officer Roussel Thomas Sr., both of whom died recently, and Fannie May Dugas Mouton, a longtime Patterson resident who turned 100 at her new home in Texas Saturday.

JOSHUA L. FRANCOIS

Joshua L. Francois, 28, a resident of Berwick, Louisiana, passed away on Monday, March 2, 2020, at Ochsner St. Mary at 8:59 p.m.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangemeents, which are incomplete at this time.

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