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In early 1949 people were talking again about finally building a road to Pecan Island, the isolated chenier south of Abbeville, but nobody was taking bets that it would actually happen.
People had talked about a road through the marsh since the 1930s, when the Works Progress Administration ( was looking for “make-work” projects for men who lost their jobs during the Depression. That road didn’t get built, nor had several other attempts fared any better, and a 2½ hour boat ride was still the only way to get to the place.
In March 1949 an unidentified writer for the Abbeville Meridional described the trip this way:
“From Abbeville [drive] out on the Perry Road, through the immaculate streets of that small community, past the Esther school and the Esther Catholic cemetery … and to Intracoastal City, where the Shell Morgan Steel Craft launch is waiting to take you to Pecan Island.
“Then into the Old Intracoastal canal, past abandoned trappers shacks … [and] a struggling oak repulsing the attacks of salt water … [passing] the Pecan Island mail boat returning to Abbeville with a few passengers and some produce … [and] through the waters of White Lake — and then you arrive at that part of Vermilion that is a land unto itself.”
About 500 people lived there then, fewer than only a decade before. The faint-hearted had moved “to the land of electrically lighted streets … of motion pictures and 5 &10c stores.” There were few, if any, electric lines or telephones on the island.
There was a road, but it ran on the island, not to it. It was seven miles long and stretched “from the West end of the Island down to where the Upper and Lower Ridges join,” then, according to the Meridional, it “forks and ventures on somewhat uncertain feet out into the marsh.”
But now there was talk of a “hug the coast highway” from Port Arthur to Abbeville that would link the people on the island with motion pictures, and medical facilities, and the entire outside world — if the money could be found.
In an editorial in April, the Meridional complained that “the people of Beaumont and Port Arthur have passed bond issues … for the paving of the proposed highway. … Cameron Parish, which is one of the most sparsely settled in the state, has also passed a bond issue. … But the people of Vermilion Parish, who would probably benefit more from the coastal highway than … either of the other areas, have not provided for their part.”
Vermilion finally promised to pay its share, but then the state dragged its feet.
In December, the Meridional reported that Gov. Earl Long and Highway Commissioner R. R. Richardson had written to the Abbeville Chamber of Commerce “promising that some action would be taken on the project in the near future.”
“The near future” turned out to be not as near as some people thought.
There was an all-day barbecue on Pecan Island in May 1950 to celebrate signing of a contract for “the Pecan Island road.” But the contract wasn’t for the paved hug-the-coast highway from Texas, only for a shell road inland through Forked Island to Kaplan. And that wouldn’t be built overnight.
Even so, practically everybody celebrated the contract, and celebrated again three years later when that strip of shell, in the words of a highway department release, opened “one of the last frontiers of Louisiana … to the traveling public.” The department promised then that the long-awaited paved road to Texas was coming “in the near future.”
Still, even a shell road was cause for celebration by all but a handful of curmudgeons. That handful didn’t mind a road that let people get from Pecan Island to the mainland; their problem was that it also made it easier for people from the mainland to get to Pecan Island.
One reason for that point of view was probably summed up in one line of the highway department story: “The 450 residents … [have not been] bothered by any established law or interference from outsiders.” The curmudgeons liked it that way.
The paved coastal highway was eventually completed, letting more outsiders in, disgruntling the disgruntled even more, but whetting the appetites of visionaries like Abbeville Mayor Jimmy Vorhoff. He wanted to link what is now La. 82 to one running across coastal Texas and into Mexico.
He also wanted to build roads to other isolated spots within the parish. It had the ring of déjà vu when he predicted in 1975 that a road to Chenier au Tigre, deep in the marsh, was “possible within a year or a year and a half.”
Pecan Islanders with good memories nodded politely, but thought to themselves, “Yeah, right.”
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.

A 36-year-old Morgan City man was booked on a domestic abuse battery warrant, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith said in a news release.

—Tobbie Ray Lacoste, 36, of La. 182 East in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:27 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with domestic abuse battery.

A corrections deputy made contact with Lacoste when he turned himself in at parish jail on a warrant. Bail was set at $1,500.

Smith reported that deputies responded to 39 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Jeremiah Arabie, 41, of Ditch Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:18 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of driving under suspension.

A deputy was traveling on Southwest Boulevard in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle on the side of the road. The deputy made contact with the driver, identified as Arabie. Upon assisting Arabie, the deputy learned that his license was suspended. Arabie was released on a summons to appear in court Sept. 26.

—Katherine Victoria Stoute, 27, of Comeaux Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1:20 a.m. on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of possession of Subutex less than two grams, possession of marijuana 14 grams or less and operating a vehicle while license is suspended/revoked/canceled.

A deputy assisting with a traffic stop on 4th Street in Morgan City made contact the passenger, identified as Stoute. The deputy was advised by dispatch of an active warrant for Stoute. She was jailed with no bail set.

—Jye Joseph Dore, 32, of West 178th Street in Galliano, was arrested at 4:36 p.m. Wednesday on charges of improper lane usage, driving under suspension, and possession of Suboxone.

—Frankie Lynn Falgout, 26, of West Seventh Street in Larose, was arrested at 4:36 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of synthetic cannabinoids under 14 grams and possession of Xanax.

—Tanya Medina, 44, of West Sixth Street in Larose, was arrested at 4:36 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of synthetic cannabinoids under 14 grams.

Narcotics detectives were patrolling the Siracusa area when they observed a vehicle cross over the center line and drive in the opposite lane. Detectives conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and made contact with the driver, identified as Dore, and two passengers, identified as Falgout and Medina.

Detectives were advised by dispatch that Dore was driving under suspension. Through further investigation, drugs were located inside the vehicle. Dore, Falgout and Medina were transported to parish jail. Bail on Dore was set at $1,250. No bail was set for Falgout and Medina.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 58 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Natron Terrell Gray, 24, of East 12th Street in Thibodaux, was arrested at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday on charges of tail light violation, expired license plate, driving under suspension, expired motor vehicle inspection and no motor vehicle insurance.

A patrol officer observed a vehicle commit a violation in the area of La. 182 and U.S. 90 intersection. The officer conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Gray. During the traffic stop, police learned that the vehicle Gray was driving had an expired license plate, expired rejection inspection sticker and did not have valid motor vehicle insurance, Blair said. A computer check revealed Gray’s driver’s license was under suspension. He was jailed.

—Glenn Gregory Johnson, 19, of Freret Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with burglary and possession of stolen property.

Detectives identified Johnson as a suspect in a September 2018 vehicle burglary with the assistance of the patrol division. During his Tuesday arrest, he was found in possession of a stolen item from that burglary. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant and located Johnson at the police department. He was jailed.

—Mark Broussard Jr., 29, of Vivian Street in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested at 11:25 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in court.

Broussard was located at the Terrebonne Detention Center and arrested on a city court warrant. He was jailed.

—Nathaniel Albert Rollins, 23, of Brashear Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:27 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of theft.

Officers were dispatched to a business on La. 182 in reference to a theft. Upon officers’ arrival, Rollins was identified as a suspect of a theft valued at $8.70, Blair said. He was located at the business and arrested. He was jailed.

—Gregory K. Gober Jr., 31, of Sixth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:49 a.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in court. Gober was located at the Berwick Police Department on a warrant for City Court of Morgan City. He was jailed.

Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrests:

—A male juvenile, 16, of Second Street in Berwick, was arrested at 3:56 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of controlled dangerous substance law in a drug-free zone.

At about 3:19 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a home on Second Street for a complaint of illegal use of narcotics taking place. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the homeowner who gave officers consent to search the home, Leonard said.

At that time, marijuana and items of drug paraphernalia were located in the juvenile’s bag, Leonard said. The home where the incident occurred is across the street from a school. The juvenile was arrested and transported to the Berwick Police Department. Following booking, the juvenile was released to a guardian.

—Gregory Gober, 31, of Sixth Street in Berwick, was arrested at 12:32 a.m. Thursday on a Morgan City warrant charging him with failure to appear to pay a probation fee.

At about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, officers observed Gober walking and learned that he had active warrants through the Morgan City Police Department. Gober was arrested and transported to the Morgan City Police Department after booking.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported no arrests.

BATON ROUGE (AP) — The state-federal health program that covers nearly half of St. Mary Parish residents will spend about $400 million less than expected in the nearly ended budget year, largely because tens of thousands of people were booted from Medicaid rolls amid bolstered computer checks of eligibility.
The latest Louisiana Medicaid forecast for the budget year that ends June 30 showed the program was expected to spend about $12 billion on the government-financed insurance coverage this year, rather than the $12.4 billion allocated for health services.
Nearly all the money Louisiana won’t spend is federal financing that simply won’t be drawn down from Washington, said the Louisiana Department of Health’s chief financial officer Cindy Rives. The small general state tax dollar savings already was taken by lawmakers and spent elsewhere in the just-ended legislative session.
More than 22,000 St. Mary residents are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the state Department of Health's October report. That number includes more than 9,000 children.
The less-than-expected spending mainly stems from more frequent checks of whether people enrolled in Medicaid earn too much to qualify for the coverage, Rives said.
The health department has begun using an upgraded computer system that does quarterly eligibility checks, rather than previously performed annual checks, and uses more wage data for comparison.
More than 30,000 people lost their Medicaid coverage at the end of March after the first use of the upgraded system, and more are threatened with removal from the program later this month if they can’t prove their eligibility.
Nearly 1.6 million people, one-third of Louisiana’s residents, are enrolled in Medicaid. But the number of people receiving the taxpayer-financed health insurance coverage has fallen by more than 80,000 since January, according to health department data.
About 50,000 of those exiting the coverage were non-elderly adults enrolled in Medicaid through the expansion program enacted by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2016. The latest Medicaid forecast report shows 450,000 people in the expansion program.
Rives said it’s unclear if the decline in enrollment — or the smaller-than-expected level of spending on health services — will continue or be a short-term anomaly.
“To say that’s an ongoing trend, I don’t have the data to support that,” she said.
Health department leaders say some people enrolled through Medicaid expansion likely have fluctuating or seasonal changes in employment that could keep them going in and out of the Medicaid program throughout the year, as their wages change.
“We don’t know what the churn is going to be, which people are going to come back, and only time will tell,” Rives said.
The budget for the financial year that begins July 1 includes expectations that spending on Medicaid services will grow to $12.6 billion. A final tally of this year’s spending won’t be complete until October.
Under Medicaid expansion, adults ages 19 to 64 with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level — about $16,750 for a single adult or $28,680 for a family of three — are eligible for the coverage. The federal government pays most of the cost. Louisiana is paying a share that eventually increases to 10 percent, but lawmakers passed financing tools to help cover the state’s share, including a tax hike charged on health maintenance organizations.
Republican officials and Louisiana’s legislative auditor have raised concerns that the Medicaid program has wasted millions on people who shouldn’t be receiving the coverage. The Edwards administration says the computer system upgrade addresses those concerns.

Immanuel Christian School