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Wheel House for Nov. 13

LOSS OF SPOUSE
Support Group meeting 12:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15, for catered Thanksgiving lunch at Atkinson Memorial Presbyterian Church hall, 212 Fourth St., Morgan City. Speaker Brent Bourgeois, Thibodaux Catholic Church. Group, for people who have lost a spouse due to death, meets third Friday each month. RSVP to Doylene Porter, 985-384-3277.

BERNICE STREET
Hosts its 29th Christmas by Candlelight from 5:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 (in case of rain moves to Dec. 21) with Santa Claus, Corner Stone Ministry puppet show, and musical entertainment. Refreshments available. Traffic enters at Cottonwood Street (Morgan City) and exits on Redwood Street. Walkers welcome, no bicycles or skateboards on sidewalks, and no parking on Bernice Street. Container available for donations of canned goods for St. Mary Outreach.

USHERS’ DAY
Celebration at Mt. Era Baptist Church, 406 Lawrence St., Morgan City, 11:15 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24. Public invited.

Iran's new oilfield has 50B barrels

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has discovered a new oilfield in the country’s south with over 50 billion barrels of crude, its president said Sunday, a find that could boost the country’s proven reserves by a third as it struggles to sell energy abroad over U.S. sanctions.
The announcement by Hassan Rouhani comes as Iran faces crushing American sanctions after the U.S. pulled out of its nuclear deal with world powers last year.
Rouhani made the announcement in a speech in the desert city of Yazd. He said the field was located in Iran’s southern Khuzestan province, home to its crucial oil industry.
Some 53 billion barrels would be added to Iran’s proven reserves of roughly 150 billion, he said.
“I am telling the White House that in the days when you sanctioned the sale of Iranian oil and pressured our nation, the country’s dear workers and engineers were able to discover 53 billion barrels of oil in a big field,” Rouhani said.
Oil reserves refer to crude that’s economically feasible to extract. Figures can vary wildly by country due to differing standards, though it remains a yardstick of comparison among oil-producing nations.
Iran currently has the world’s fourth-largest proven deposits of crude oil and the world’s second-largest deposits of natural gas.
It shares a massive offshore field in the Persian Gulf with Qatar.
The new oil field could become Iran’s second-largest field after one containing 65 billion barrels in Ahvaz.
The field is 2,400 square kilometers (925 square miles), with the deposit some 80 meters (260 feet) deep, Rouhani said.
Since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, the other countries involved — Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China — have been struggling to save it. However, they’ve offered no means by which Iran can sell its oil abroad.
Any company or government that buys Iran’s oil faces harsh U.S. sanctions, the threat of which also stopped billions of dollars in business deals and sharply depreciated Iran’s currency, the rial.
Iran has since gone beyond the deal’s stockpile and enrichment limits, as well as started using advanced centrifuges barred by the deal. It also just began injecting uranium gas into centrifuges at an underground facility.
The collapse of the nuclear deal coincided with a tense summer of mysterious attacks on oil tankers and Saudi oil facilities that the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran denied the allegation, though it did seize oil tankers and shoot down a U.S. military surveillance drone.

TGMC gets recognition for patient safety

Terrebonne General Medical Center was awarded an A from The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grade.
The designation recognizes TGMC’s efforts in meeting the highest safety standards in the United States and protecting patients from harm. The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving healthcare quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.
The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.
“We are proud to achieve this outstanding level of patient safety through this national recognition,” said Phyllis Peoples, TGMC president and CEO. “Our dedicated physicians, nurses, and staff worked diligently to ensure we are providing the safest environment for our patients while providing exceptional healthcare.”
“A hospitals show us their leadership is protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes genuine commitment at every level – from clinicians to administrators to the board of directors – and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this A.”
Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. To see TGMC’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

Verdun's Agency ribbon-cutting

The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute
Verdun’s Agency LLC held a St. Mary Parish Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting Saturday at its new location at 500½ Brashear Ave. in Morgan City. The agency now has two locations. Its Patterson office is found at 112 Park St. Joining owners Carolyn Verdun and Robert Verdun for the ribbon-cutting are family, friends, and parish and Chamber representatives. The Morgan City location is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Louisiana Politics: Local races will drive voter turnout, too

When voters head to the polls to complete the runoff process this weekend, many of them will select individuals to help manage their parishes and cities.
From the ranks of soon-to-be former legislators, Sen. Mike Walsworth of West Monroe and Rep. Andy Anders of Vidalia are in runoffs for clerk jobs and Rep. Steve Pugh of Ponchatoula has made it to the final round for a mayoral post.
—Assumption: Clerk of Court: Erin Hebert & Annette Smith Joseph
—Avoyelles: Sheriff: Douglas “Doug” Anderson & David L. Dauzat
—Beauregard: Sheriff: John L. Gott & Mark Herford
—Catahoula: Sheriff: Toney Edwards & Cedric Elias Martin
—Claiborne: Sheriff: Michael Allen and “Sam” Dowies
—Concordia: Clerk of court: “Andy” Anders and Phillip Webber
—East Carroll: assessor: Lee Ann W. Clement and Barbara McDaniel
—Evangeline: Sheriff: Brian Ardoin and Charles R. Guillory
—Franklin: Clerk of Court: Anita Gallagher-Wygal and Matthew Hollis
—Iberia: Sheriff: Murphy Meyers and “Tommy” Romero
—Lafourche: Parish president: Archie Chaisson III and “Luci” Sposito
—LaSalle: Sheriff: Scott Franklin and Charles “Chopper” Turnage
—Madison: Sheriff: Sammie Byrd and Donnell Rose
—Natchitoches: Parish president: John Richmond and Lee Waskom
—Ouachita: Clerk of court: Dana Benson and Michael A. “Mike” Walsworth
—Rapides: Sheriff: “Kris” Cloessner and Mark Wood; mayor town of Ball: Terry Allen Baker and “Gail” Wilking
—Red River: Assessor: Dovie Beard and Tenisha Canterbury
—Sabine: Sheriff: Aaron Mitchell and “Ronny” Richardson; assessor: Carroll Ellzey and “Chris” Tidwell
—St. Landry: Assessor: Blair Briggs & Sherri Zeringue McGovern; parish president: W.K. “Bill” Fontenot and “Ken” Marks
—St. Tammany: Sheriff: “Tim” Lentz and “Randy” Smith; parish president: Patricia “Pat” Brister and Michael “Mike” Cooper
—Tangipahoa: Mayor city of Ponchatoula: “Steve” Pugh and Robert F. “Bob” Zabbia
—Terrebonne: Sheriff: Blayne “Bubba” Bergeron and “Tim” Soignet
—West Baton Rouge: Sheriff: Michael “Mike” Cazes and “Mike” Zito
—Webster: Sheriff: Scott Mathews and Robert Patrick

Political History: When
Louisiana picked the president
Even though this is our gubernatorial election cycle, and despite Bayou State enthusiast President Donald Trump not appearing on a ballot until 2020, things around here are still getting downright presidential.
That was also the case down here in 1876, although the District of Columbia was and still is roughly 1,100 miles away from our northern state line. That’s when our homeland found itself pulled into — and not for the last time — the orbit of national politics as a disputed presidential election hinged on ballots that were cast in Louisiana.
With incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant plagued by scandals and looking to retire after eight years in the White House, the GOP nominated then-Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio as their standard bearer. According to his official White House biography, Hayes had the benefit of a Harvard Law degree and a chest full of Civil War decorations.
The Democrats, in turn, nominated Gov. Samuel J. Tilden of New York, a popular reformer who made a name fighting the power of the infamous Tammany Hall. (Corruption in a place called Tammany! Imagine that.)
When the votes were counted on Election Day, Tilden had clearly won the popular vote, leading Hayes by nearly 300,000 ballots out of the 8 million cast. But the count in the Electoral College was too close to call, and the returns were disputed in Louisiana, South Carolina and Florida. So tight were the numbers that all Tilden needed was just one electoral vote to claim is prize. Hayes, in turn, needed the votes of all three states.
Louisiana’s politics were a mess in 1876 (again, imagine that), according to historians Jack McGuire and Walter Cowan. Two different Louisiana governors were inaugurated due to related disputed returns, and each claimed to be the duly elected chief executive. (Imagine if that happened this month!)
Against this troubled backdrop, a group of Louisiana Democrats, led by state Treasurer E.A. Burke, sought to cut a deal with Washington Republicans.
They promised to deliver Louisiana’s 10 electoral votes to Hayes as long as their candidate, Francis T. Nicholls, would be recognized as the state’s legitimate governor. Plus, the new president would have to withdraw all occupying military units and officially end Reconstruction.
Hayes and his supporters agreed to the deal, which led to Hayes taking office as the nation’s 18th president and Nicholls winning control state government.
A Republican would not carry Louisiana in a presidential election for another 90 years — until Dwight D. Eisenhower won a second term in 1956.
For more Louisiana political news, visitwww.LaPolitics.com or follow Alford onTwitter@LaPoliticsNowWednesday, on WVLA-TV

Alleged threat being investigated at Berwick High

Berwick High School officials were working with local law enforcement Wednesday morning in response to a report that a student made a threat.

“The principal sent out a JText notifying parents of the situation,” said Joe Stadalis, assistant superintendent of St. Mary Parish Schools.

Parents received that text from Berwick High School’s JCall System Wednesday morning informing them that all students, faculty and staff were safe.

The text went on to explain that earlier in the morning it was reported that a student allegedly made a threat and all precautions were immediately taken, district protocols were enacted and law enforcement were notified.

The text continued to say that there is an ongoing investigation and law enforcement will have an increased presence at the school over the next few days.

“Students are safe and secure at school,” Stadalis said.

Closure of Hattie Watts

An unexpected power outage near Hattie Watts Elementary is necessitating early dismissal of students beginning at 10 a.m., Dr. Teresa Bagwell, Superintendent of St. Mary Parish Schools said in a news release.
Buses will transport students home and parents who normally pick up their children may do so beginning at that time.

Scores tell story of two Maitlands

Elementary school gets a D grade but is praised for early childhood education

Only at Maitland.
That is the slogan Julia B. Maitland Elementary School in Morgan City displays on their school spirit shirts and apparel. This concept rings true in many different ways for the school.
It’s only at Maitland that the early education program has a rating of Excellent in the state accountability system.
No other school in the parish earned that rating this year. However, the K-5 score for the school overall is a 57.1 D. The school fell 2.9 points short of earning a C.
So where is the disconnect for these kids between early education and elementary?
First, the scoring systems are very different.
Early education, which is classified as pre-kindergarten, is judged using a rating system called CLASS.
“The state comes and does an observation and I do an observation,” Tonia Verrette, principal of Maitland, said. “So you have an outsider coming in and you have an insider. You are basing the observation on the teacher themselves, not on the scores of the kids.”
This system judges the program by judging the teacher. There are three domains the observer is looking at: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.
For emotional support, the teachers are judged according to whether the environment is warm and positive and they are building trusting relationships with children.
For classroom organization, the teacher is judged on whether the classroom is organized with a daily routine and minimal disruption.
For instructional support, teachers are judged on whether they help children learn concepts and connect ideas through dialog and play.
“Because you have an outsider and an insider coming in, the scores have to be within one point of each other to be valid. This is from the state, they come in unannounced, they observe, then they take an average of our scores,” Verrette said. “Our teachers are scoring high.”
When you start rating the rest of the school, you are looking at student scores from the LEAP2025 test they take at the end of each year. This score is composed of 75% student performance on the test and 25% student growth.
According to the School Finder website the Louisiana Depart-ment of Education offers at louisianaschools.com, Maitland’s students are showing growth, but still have an overall poor performance on the assessments.
The student progress grade for the school is 79.6, which is a B, but the student performance is a 49.6 which is an F. The overall grade grew from last year’s score by 2.2 points.
“We are improving,” Verrette said, “but I think to judge a teacher by student scores, I think it's ridiculous. Our teachers here teach. They do everything teachers at other schools do and more.
“Teachers need to be judged on how they improve kids, but the kids aren’t the same everywhere, it isn’t one size fits all. Improving a kid doesn’t just mean the number they score on a single test.
“If our scores were based off of our teachers we would have excellent ratings throughout,” Verrette continued. “The state comes in and they are amazed at what they see at this school. They bring teachers from other parishes to look at my teachers. My Eureka person in second grade teaches other teachers about Eureka. It’s not the teachers. Sometimes it is a home factor that is going to affect you or it might be an outside factor in the community and it may be an outside factor for the kid.”
Verrette pointed out that some of her students and teachers have experiences no other schools in the parish have.
“We locked up a person from the state when we had a code red one year,” Verrette said. “Poor lady had to sit in a classroom for three hours because we had a shooting near us, and she had never experienced that before.
“So these kids experience things, and they do it grandly. They are well-behaved, they know the routines, they don’t cut up, but it’s kind of hard and sad to say it is a normalcy for them. Something that certain kids would have no clue what it is really like, for these kids it’s just normal everyday life to know that someone nearby might be shooting. Also, nine out of 10, it is someone related to someone in this school,” Verrette said.
“The thing is, there are so many variables we can’t control. Just recently our school was shut down because of a hostage situation. Where else in this parish has that even occurred? It’s only at Maitland,” Verrette said.
Another issue Maitland has seen, which has affected other schools in the parish, are the changes that keep coming with curriculum. One change is the widely used Eureka Math system designed to align with Common Core.
“My kids did not adjust well with the math program change,” Verrette said. “When my school went down in scores, it was the introduction of Eureka.
“I’m not knocking the program. I think the program is great and I think my kindergarten kids that started in Eureka are going to do great, but my kids that didn’t learn math in the beginning, Eureka style, it was a struggle. And I don’t have parents at home that can understand this math. It isn’t the way they learned it.”
New curriculums are still being introduced and teachers are trying to learn and work their way through them. One of the new Tier I curriculums introduced last year for English language arts is called Guidebooks.
“You could swear Guidebooks is our only subject at this school this year, because it isn’t cut and dry and we are all learning it through professional developments and implementation,” Verrette said. “It’s a lot of planning, a lot of extra work, and to tell a teacher they aren’t doing enough based on a kid’s score, that’s not fair. They are prepping, they are planning, they do everything everyone else does.”
For the most part, teachers teach to enrich the lives of the students who come into their rooms. Teachers strive to provide their students with an environment that supports them emotionally where they can grow towards becoming a successful adult and member of their community. Teachers work at creating a classroom that is organized and works to help the student achieve academic successes. Teachers also do the main thing they are trained to do — provide instructional guidance and support.
These are the elements on which CLASS scores Pre-K, and the elements for which Maitland received a rating of Excellence.
“I think assessments only judge one part,” Verrette said. “They don’t paint an accurate picture of our school or any school, really. It’s just one part. Give us a score on that, fine, but come in and judge these teachers because when people from the outside come in and observe our teachers, they see the same thing they see at other schools. These teachers have 100 percent heart.
“What it comes down to is we need to prepare kids. I’m going to say it to the bitter end. We need to teach kids how to make good choices, how to be good citizens and how to be productive community members because in the end, when you are 18 and graduating, not every kid is going to college and no employer is going to look at you and say, ‘What did you do on your 8th-grade LEAP test?’ But they are going to want to know if you can work for them and do the job.”
“It’s not about the kids’ score; it’s about what are you doing to grow this kid. It has to be mentally, it has to be emotionally, it has to be environmentally because that affects kids, and academically. So yes, you need to look at my scores, assessment-wise, but you also need to look at everything else that is going on too,” Verrette concluded. “I think that is what education should be. We need to sometimes go back to what we started with, it worked at one point, it wasn’t all about numbers, because too many people are focusing just on those numbers. They are forgetting the kid.”

Getting the holiday spirit

Here's a list of holiday events in Tri-City area

Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away, so soon the Christmas season will be in full swing.
Here's a list of Christmas events already on the calendar for this holiday season.
—Patterson annual lighting of Christmas tree at Morey Park, Sunday, Nov. 17, 5-7 p.m., at Morey Park, 1116 Main Street. Free for the public.
—Moonlight Monday, Nov. 25, 5-8 p.m. Start holiday shopping in downtown Morgan City. Get a card punched at all participating locations and turn it in for a chance to win a prize. Merchants will have their own specials and discounts plus vendors will be in The Green Room at Bay City Bistro as well as some craft items at The Everett Street Gallery. Plugged In will be singing Christmas carols. A Moonlight Meal ticket for ground meat spaghetti over penne pasta with a salad and a dinner roll from Bay City Bistro are available through advanced sales for $10 until Nov. 20. Tickets are available from The Frame Shop, Wildflower Boutique, Southern Roots Salon and Spa, Café JoJo’s, Bay City Bistro, Artists Guild Unlimited Everett Street Gallery, the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium and Main Street board members. Tickets can also be invoiced through Square and tickets will be mailed once the invoice is paid. Email b.price@cityofmc.com for more information.
—Morgan City annual Christmas lighting ceremony, Thursday, Nov. 28, 6 p.m., at the shrimp boat in the median of Brashear Avenue, Morgan City. Free for the public.
—Berwick Christmas under the lights, Thursday, Nov. 28, 6 p.m., at the Berwick Lighthouse located on the riverfront. Meet and greet with Santa at the Lighthouse, cookies and hot chocolate will be served and Christmas music will be played. Free for the public.
—Mistletoe and Moss Holiday Market, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 5-9 p.m., at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Holiday shopping will be available with 46 booths including crafts, boutiques, treats, services and more. Entry is free. Pictures with Santa will be available for purchase.
—Marine Corps. Christmas Concert, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. This is a family-friendly production featuring selections from the Concert and Jazz Bands. The performance is free and open to the public. If able, bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots to help a child in need.
—Berwick’s Second Annual Mistletoe Market, Friday, Dec. 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Berwick Civic Center. Holiday shopping will be available.
—Patterson Christmas in Morey Park, Lighted Boat parade, Saturday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m. Boat entry, $25. Prizes awarded: first place, $300; second place, $200; and third place, $100. Gumbo will be sold for $5, with sweets, popcorn and hot chocolate costing .50.
—29th annual “Christmas by Candlelight” on Bernice Street, Saturday, Dec. 14, 5:30-9 p.m. (if it rains, event will be postponed to Dec. 21). Santa Clause will be on hand to visit with children. Cornerstone Ministries, under the direction of Herb and Anita Stanley, will provide a puppet show. Other musical entertainment will be available. Refreshment tables will be located at designated homes along the street for those who tour the decorations on foot. Traffic for those wishing to ride through will be one-way, entering at Cottonwood Street and exiting on Redwood Street. A container will be placed at the Cottonwood Street entrance for donations of canned goods or money that will be donated to St. Mary Outreach for distribution in the community. No parking on the street and no bicycles or skateboards on the sidewalk.
—Christmas Movie Night, Saturday, Dec. 21, 6 p.m., at the Berwick Civic Center. Meet and take pictures with Santa from 6-7 p.m. The movie, Arthur Christmas, will begin at 7 p.m. Hot dogs, chips, drinks and popcorn will be served. This is a free event for the entire family and pillows and blankets are welcome.
—Plugged In at Lawrence Park, Saturday, Dec. 21, 6:30 p.m. The event will have the retelling of the story of Christmas and the Christian music group Plugged In. Plugged In will be located at the gazebo. The event is free and chairs and blankets are welcome.

Report of gun shots leads to man's arrest

Staff Report
Deputies responded to a call received about gunshots in Patterson and arrested a man who pointed a firearm at a group of juveniles, Sheriff Blaise Smith said in a news release.
—Stanley Gabriel Jr., 31, of Bergerie Street in New Iberia, was arrested at 6:55 p.m. Saturday on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and disturbing the peace intoxicated.
A deputy was dispatched to a residence on Gabriel Street in Patterson in reference to a complaint of gunshots. The deputy made contact with complainants who stated that Gabriel had pointed a gun at a group of juveniles.
The deputy made contact with Gabriel and transported him to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center. He was jailed with no bail set.
Smith also advised that the Sheriff’s Office responded to 125 complaints and the following arrests were made:
—Martaisha Lynn Brown, 34, of Levee Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:09 a.m. Friday on charges of traffic control signals and driving under suspension.
A deputy was conducting traffic enforcement on U.S. 90 West in Amelia when he observed a vehicle driving over the posted speed limit. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Brown. Through the stop, dispatch advised the deputy that Brown’s driver’s license was suspended. She was arrested a released on a summons to appear on Feb. 7.
—Diedre Louise Martin, 46, of William Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1:54 p.m. Saturday on charges of improper lane usage, resisting an officer by flight, possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance, possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance, two counts of possession of a legend drug without a prescription with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A deputy was patrolling the area of U.S. 90 westbound in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle cross the solid white line.
The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop; however, the driver did not pull over. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the parking lot of a local business, and upon exiting the vehicle the driver dropped plastic bags from her person onto the ground. Through the stop, drugs and drug paraphernalia belonging to Martin were located. She was jailed with no bail set.
—Lisa Dawn Caruso, 45, of Glenwood Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:14 p.m. Saturday for charges of failure to obey traffic control and driving under suspension.
A deputy observed a vehicle making an illegal U-turn from the J-turn on U.S. 90 at Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Caruso.
Dispatch advised the deputy that Caruso’s driver’s license was suspended. She was arrested and released on a summons to appear on Feb. 7.
—Stanley Gabriel Jr., 31, of Bergerie Street in New Iberia, was arrested at 6:55 p.m. Saturday on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and disturbing the peace intoxicated.
A deputy was dispatched to a residence on Gabriel Street in Patterson in reference to a complaint of gunshots. The deputy made contact with complainants who stated that Gabriel had pointed a gun at a group of juveniles.
The deputy made contact with Gabriel and transported him to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center. He was jailed with no bail set.
—James Duval, 37, of Pluto Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 9:09 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
—Jordan Derane Granger, 30, of Pluto Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 9:09 p.m. Saturday on three warrants through the Morgan City Police Department for failure to appear on the charges of contempt of court terms of probation, possession of marijuana and disturbing the peace intoxicated.
A deputy was patrolling the area of Pluto Street in Bayou Vista when he detected a strong odor of marijuana in the vicinity of Pluto Street and La.182.
The deputy made contact with Duval at his residence on Pluto Street and through the investigation, drugs and drug paraphernalia belonging to Duval was located. The deputy also made contact with Granger and was advised by dispatch that he held active warrants through the Morgan City Police Department. Duval was arrested and released on a summons to appear on Feb. 7.
Granger was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking and was later transferred to another agency.
—Dereke Southall, 39, of Sanders Street in Thibodaux, was arrested at 1:21 a.m. Sunday on charges of turning movements and signals required, operating a vehicle while under suspension or revocation and on a warrant for parole violation through another agency.
A deputy was patrolling the area of Amelia when he observed a vehicle fail to give a proper signal when changing lanes on Duhon Bypass Road.
The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Southall. Dispatch advised the deputy that Southall’s license was suspended and he held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed with no bail set.
—Alissa Garrison, 22, of Charlotte Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 9:01 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia in a drug-free zone.
—Dayton Clark, 22, of Friendship Alley in Amelia, was arrested at 9:01 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of marijuana.
A deputy was patrolling the area of Amelia when he observed a vehicle without operating license plate lights. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver and passengers, identified as Clark and Garrison. Drugs belonging to Clark and Garrison were found as well as drug paraphernalia belonging to Garrison. Both were both arrested and each released on a summons to appear on Feb. 7.
—Nathan Adams, 23, of Martin Lane in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:50 a.m. Monday on charges of possession of marijuana, no driver’s license and improper lane usage. A deputy was patrolling the area of Amelia when he observed a vehicle cross the centerline. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Adams. Drugs belonging to Adams were found. He was arrested and released on a summons to appear on Feb. 7.
—Jason Roy Cavilier, 42, of Cremo Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 3:46 a.m. Monday on charges of resisting a police officer with force, possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. Deputies were patrolling the area of Amelia when they observed a subject that they knew held an active warrant for his arrest.
The deputies made contact with the subject, identified as Cavilier, who resisted arrest forcibly. He was jailed with no bail set.
—Willebaldo Flores-Ortiz, 34, of Lenny’s Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 10:57 a.m. Monday on charges of driving while intoxicated, open container and driver must be licensed. A deputy was dispatched to a reckless driving complaint in the area of U.S. 90 in Amelia. The deputy located the vehicle parked in the grass near the Recreation Center. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Flores. The deputy observed an open container and conducted field sobriety in which Flores performed poorly. Flores was transported to the Morgan City Police Department for chemical testing, which showed his blood alcohol content at 0.273g%. Flores was jailed and later released on a $3,250 bond.
—Charles Paul Elmore, 43, of Judy Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 8:04 p.m. Monday on charges of aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery and possession of a firearm by a felon. A deputy was dispatched to a residence on Judy Lane in reference to a disturbance in progress. The deputy made contact with another deputy who had been at the residence. The deputies made contact with Elmore and placed him in custody. Through the investigation, a victim had stated that Elmore had committed an aggravated assault. A firearm belonging to Elmore was also recovered at the scene. He was jailed with bail set at $25,000.
—Kristain Taylor Sanders, 21, of County Road in Stonewall, MS, was arrested at 9:45 p.m. Monday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. A transportation deputy made contact with Sanders when she transported her to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center She was jailed with bail set at $500.
Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 39 calls of service and the following arrests were made:
—Jordan Granger, 30, of Everett Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:14 a.m. Monday on warrants for charges of theft under $1,000 and four counts of failure to appear. Granger was located at St. Mary Law Enforcement Center and placed under arrest on active warrants held by City Court of Morgan City. He was jailed.
—Amber Lee Lovell, 32, of Rose Street in Berwick, was arrested at 3 p.m. Monday on warrants for charges of two counts failure to appear. Lovell was located at the Morgan City Police Department and placed under arrest on active warrants held by the City Court of Morgan City. She was jailed.
—Renata Jolene Harris, 39, of Bush Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:17 p.m. Monday on warrants for the charges of contempt of court and three counts of failure to appear. An officer on patrol came into contact with Harris on La. 70 and Victor II Boulevard. A warrants check revealed the City Court of Morgan City held active warrants for her arrest. She was jailed.
—Taurino Olivares Flores, 51, of Beadle Street in Morgan City, was arrested on 3:46 p.m. Monday on charges of reckless operation, driving while intoxicated and disturbing the peace intoxicated. Officers were called to the area of La. 182 and Florence Street to investigate a two-vehicle crash.
Officers came into contact with Flores. It was learned he was driving in a reckless manner and crashed into a second vehicle. Officers observed he was in an intoxicated condition. Witnesses advised after the crash, Flores caused a disturbance at the scene of the accident prior to the officers arriving.
He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department. Once at the Morgan City Police Department he was giving an intoxilyzer test. He submitted a breath sample of .231g%. He was jailed.
—David J. Hebert, 35, of Shell Beach Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:15 p.m. Monday on charges of improper display of license plate and possession of methamphetamine. An officer on patrol observed a traffic violation in the area of Clothilde Street and La. 70. The officer conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Hebert. During the traffic stop, Hebert was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine. He was jailed.
—Matthew James Miller, 25, of Marshall Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:51 p.m. Monday on a charge of disturbing the peace. Officers were called to a Marshall Street for a disturbance. Officers learned Miller came to the residence causing a disturbance. Officers were able to locate Miller in the area and place him under arrest. He was jailed.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrest:
—Raquel Marie Barber, 43, of Apahiem Drive in Houma, was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Monday on charges of no seatbelt and driving under suspension. She was jailed with bond set at $487.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported no arrests.

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ST. MARY NOW

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