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DOG WASH
Fundraiser by St. Mary Parish 4-H is 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at Tractor Supply, U.S. 90, Bayou Vista. Donation minimum, $10.

RIB DINNERS
Sponsored by Second Missionary Baptist Church Saturday, Oct. 19. Menu: ribs, red beans and rice, green salad and bread. Donation $8. To order call 985-714-6250 or 985-255-6294. Orders picked up at 1529 Bernice St., Morgan City.

WOMEN IN PINK
Program at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 507 Fourth St., Morgan City, 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 27. Theme: “Women of Worship on the Battlefield for the Lord.” Public invited.

An officer noticed a passenger license plate on a pickup truck and discovered the driver had a suspended license, no insurance and multiple warrants, Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair said in a news release.
—Eddie Brown IV, 46, of Joseph Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:32 p.m. Monday on charges of switched license plate, no insurance, driving under suspension and warrants for the City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear on the charges of driving under suspension and charges of contempt of court.
An officer in the area of Railroad Avenue noticed a pickup truck that had a passenger car license plate on it. The vehicle was stopped and the driver identified as Eddie Brown IV. During the stop, the officer learned that Brown was driving under suspension and that the vehicle had no insurance. Brown also had warrants for his arrest from City Court of Morgan City. He was jailed.
Blair also reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 36 calls for service and the following arrests were made:
—Brennan Tabor, 31, of Hendricks Street in Patterson, was arrested at 10:14 a.m. Monday on a warrant for the 16th Judicial Court for failure to appear to drug court, warrants for the City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear to pay fines for the charges of drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension, no turn signal, no insurance and two counts of contempt of court. Tabor was located on La. 182 by officers who knew of warrants for Tabor. He was jailed.
—Ty Thai, 48, of Vivian Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:30 a.m. Monday on a warrant for City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear to pay fine on the charges of disturbing the peace intoxicated. He was jailed.
—Maranda Landry-Hampton, 26, of Thoroughbred Drive in Thibodaux, was arrested at 5:44 p.m. Monday on warrants for the City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear to pay probation fee and for failure to appear for possession of marijuana. Officers located Hampton at a Brashear Avenue business. Officers found that Hampton had warrants from City Court of Morgan City. He was jailed.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that the Sheriff’s Office responded to 27 complaints and the following arrests were made:
—Timothy Troung, 24, of Village Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 12:48 a.m. Monday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of simple battery. A deputy was patrolling the area of Lake Palourde Road when he observed a male subject on a bicycle with no lights. The deputy made contact with the subject, identified as Troung, and was advised by dispatch that Troung held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed with no bail set.
—Raquel M. Barber, 43, of Bowman Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:48 a.m. Tuesday on charges of proper equipment required on vehicles, driving under suspension, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A deputy was patrolling the area of Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle with a defective taillight. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Barber, and a passenger. Through the stop, dispatch advised that Barber’s driver’s license was suspended. Drug paraphernalia belonging to Barber was also found, Smith said. Barber was arrested and released on a summons to appear on Jan. 10.
—Juvenile Male, 11, of Morgan City, was arrested at 12:09 p.m. Monday on charges of criminal damage to property. A deputy was dispatched to a location on Joseph Street in Siracusa in reference to a complaint of criminal damage to property. The deputy made contact with the complainant who stated that a juvenile had broken a window. Through the investigation, the juvenile was located and transported to the Morgan City Branch Office for booking. The juvenile was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported no arrests.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported no arrests.

The heart of flu season is approaching. In Louisiana, flu activity has already been reported at a moderate activity level, according to the Centers for Disease Control website.
A 2018 CDC study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggested that on average about 8% of the U.S. population gets sick from flu each season, with a range of between 3% and 11%, depending on the season.
According to Dr. Robert P. Blereau, a CDC sentinel flu physician located in Morgan City, “you can’t ever tell how many cases you will have in any given year, that’s why you need protection.”
The flu vaccine is suggested as the best way to prevent seasonal flu.
On Sept. 27, 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, along with other public health and medical groups, kicked off the 2018-19 flu vaccine campaign held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
CDC early estimates indicate that more than 900,000 people were hospitalized and more than 80,000 people died from flu last season across the nation.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported that last year in Louisiana, there were more than 14,000 hospitalizations, and more than 1,400 deaths attributed to the flu.
“Everyone 6 months of age and older, unless they have some contraindication, should get a flu shot,” Blereau said. “A contraindication would be if someone had an allergy to some component in the flu shot, which is rare, but virtually everyone 6 months and older should get one.
“It’s the only way to provide protection. It’s not 100 percent, but it’s the best we got for the flu.”
The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza virus that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. “There are some different strains this year. (The Centers for Disease Control) gets whatever is circulating in the early part of the year around the world and that is how they pick out which strains to put in the flu shot and they hope they have a match between what is circulating and what hits us so that it will be effective. Some years it is a good match, some years it’s a bad match,” Blereau said.
It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. That is why it is better to get vaccinated by the end of October, before the flu season really gets under way.