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St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported the following arrests:
Shelia J. Naranjos, 52, of 186 Beadle St., Amelia, was arrested Tuesday at 7:51 a.m. on charges of following too close and possession of Schedule II drugs methamphetamine.
Herman Terrell Solone, 27, of 411 5th St., Morgan City, was arrested Tuesday at 7:51 a.m. on charges of possession of Schedule II drugs methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, illegal carrying of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance, and a warrant from Patterson Police Department for the charge of resisting an officer by giving false information.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, identified as Solone, and the passenger, identified as Naranjos. While deputies were speaking to Naranjos, she appeared to be nervous. Consent to search the vehicle was granted by Naranjos. During the search of the vehicle, methamphetamine and a rifle were located. A background check on Solone revealed the active warrant for his arrest and that he is a convicted felon. Both were transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond on Naranjos was set at $2,500. No bond has been set on Solone.
Frankie Gerard Clark, 35, of 149 Friendship Lane, Amelia, was arrested Tuesday at 11:12 a.m. on a warrant for failure to appear for charges of theft and criminal trespass, and a warrant for the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Clark was located at the Terrebonne Parish Detention Center on the above-mentioned warrants. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $22,363.
Crystal Celest Williams, 36, of 905 Anderson St., Franklin, was arrested Tuesday at 12:01 p.m. on charges of speeding and driving under suspension.
A deputy was traveling on US 90 eastbound approaching La. 182 near Baldwin, conducting traffic enforcement, when he observed a vehicle speeding. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as Williams. A background check revealed she was driving under suspension. She was issued a summons.
Kyle Jesse Sanders, 46, of 2827 Third St., Berwick, was arrested Tuesday at 12:13 p.m. on the charge of resisting by force, and on a warrant for failure to appear for contempt hearing on the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Sanders was located at his residence on the active warrant. When deputies were attempting to arrest him, Sanders began to resist the deputies. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $20,988.
Patrick Gilton, 38, of 106 Apple St., Labadieville, was arrested Tuesday at 1:48 p.m. on the charge of battery on a correctional officer.
A deputy performing duties at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center was pushed by an inmate identified as Gilton. Gilton was then placed under arrest.
Stephanie Ann Pharr, 53, of 5528 N Bayou Black Dr., Gibson, was arrested Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. on charges of speeding and driving under suspension.
A deputy working traffic enforcement was stationary on US 90 in Berwick, when he observed a vehicle speeding. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as Pharr. A background check on Pharr revealed she was driving under suspension. Pharr was issued a summons.
Antoine Leroy Reid, 27, of 2001 Tenth St., D, Slidell, was arrested Tuesday at 4:19 p.m. on the charge of attempted disarming of a police officer.
A deputy performing duties at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center was attempting to escort Reid back to his cell. Reid then attempted to take the deputy’s taser off of his duty belt. Bond was set at $2,500.
Holly Faith Dixon, 55, of 2803 Westminister Avenue, Monroe, was arrested Tuesday at 8:49 p.m. on charges of turning movements and required signals, and driving under suspension.
A deputy patrolling US 90 Westbound near Garden City area observed a vehicle turn several times without using a turn signal. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and the driver was identified as Dixon. A background check revealed she was driving under suspension. Dixon was issued a summons.
Lenord Howard Sr., 29, of 1016 Cypremont Road, Four Corners, was arrested Tuesday at 3:03 p.m. on charges of general speed law, resisting an officer, obstruction of justice, possession of Schedule I drug with the intent to distribute marijuana, possession of Schedule II drugs liquid codeine, possession of Schedule II drugs hydrocodone, possession of Schedule IV drugs Xanax, transactions involving drug proceeds and driving under suspension.
Narcotics detectives were traveling down Cypremort Road approaching La. 318 when they observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. Detectives attempted to catch up with the vehicle and observed the vehicle stop at a nearby residence. The driver, identified as Howard, fled on foot as he noticed detectives. After a short foot pursuit, detectives apprehended Howard. Detectives located a bag of marijuana, hydrocodone, and $1,062 in cash on his person. During the search of the vehicle, detectives located a mixed drink with liquid codeine. Also located inside the vehicle was marijuana and Xanax pills. Howard was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $50,000.
Lonnie J. Stratton, Jr., 26, of 127 Riverview Drive, Patterson, was arrested Wednesday at 3:05 a.m. on the charge of possession of Schedule I drugs marijuana.
A deputy was dispatched to the area of Patterson, in reference to a male subject lying in the roadway. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with Stratton. While speaking with Stratton, the deputy could smell an odor of marijuana coming from his person. He produced marijuana and admitted that it was his. Stratton was issued a summons.

Louisiana has a robust industrial sector, but the structure of the state’s industrial property tax exemption process has long hurt the taxing entities that desperately need more revenue, a community organizer says.

Broderick Bagert, lead organizer for Together Louisiana, spoke Wednesday during a St. Mary Chamber of Commerce business luncheon at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City.

Together Louisiana is a statewide network of more than 250 religious congregations and civic organizations across the state, representing over 200,000 people, according to its website.

The network has focused much of its recent efforts on advocating for reform of the state’s Industrial Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Program, known as ITEP, which has existed for more than eight decades.

In 2017, the program took away a total of $1.9 billion in potential revenue from any government entity that receives a property tax millage, including $720 million from public schools, Bagert said.

Louisiana is rich in natural resources and ranks among the nation’s leaders in oil refining, natural gas production and chemical production, among others. It’s among the worst states for infant mortality, poverty and life expectancy, Bagert said.

Bagert says public officials have been “way too lax” on giving out these exemptions without doing any cost benefit analysis.

“We’ve got one sector of our economy that is extremely important and valuable, industrial manufacturing, so important and valuable that they’ve got an enormous amount of influence over public policy,” Bagert said.

Louisiana is the only state in the nation to have a state level board, the Board of Commerce and Industry, that exempts manufacturers from the tax rolls of local entities without those entities having a say in the process, he said.

The state has oriented “the entirety of economic development toward that sector,” so that the tax burden is shifted to the other 99.6% of businesses that don’t receive the exemptions, he said.

Bagert doesn’t blame the companies who receive the exemptions for taking them. He says the structure of the Board of Commerce and Industry is the culprit in that the board is in a position “to give away somebody else’s money.” And the board only hears from companies requesting exemptions.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has made some significant reforms to the program since taking office in 2016, but the Legislature is considering some legislation that “would roll back those changes,” Bagert said.

The following information, along with additional details, on each of the three pieces of legislation to which Bagert referenced is available at legis.la.gov.

House Bill 539 would authorize the governing authority of a parish with a population of more than 435,000 to create an economic development district to provide for cooperative economic and community development among the district, the parish, the state and owners of property in the district.

Senate Bill 214 would add three local government appointees to the Board of Commerce and Industry to represent the local taxing authorities for the parish in which the project under consideration is located when the board is exercising its constitutional authority to enter into tax exemption contracts.

House Continuing Resolution 3 would require each parish to create a centralized local review board for the purpose of reviewing property exemption applications.

In 2016, Edwards issued an executive order stating that he wouldn’t sign off on any industrial tax exemptions unless the applicable local entities approve the exemptions.

Since that time, taxing entities have begun to scrutinize exemption applications and make more informed decisions on the costs and benefits of those exemptions, Bagert said.

With approval by the Board of Commerce and Industry and local governmental entities, ITEP currently provides an 80% property tax abatement for an initial term of five years and the option to renew for five additional years at 80% property tax abatement on a manufacturer’s qualifying capital investment related to the manufacturing process in the state, Louisiana Economic Development’s website says.

The Advocate reported that, for many years, the state Board of Commerce and Industry regularly gave 100% tax exemptions spread over 10 years to manufacturing companies spending money on new or existing facilities in the state. Edwards decided to limit the exemption to a maximum of 80%, a move aimed at giving localities some property tax revenue up front, The Advocate stated.

In 2018, St. Mary Parish government leaders made a push to streamline the process to determine whether to award a new manufacturer an industrial tax exemption. If leaders determine through analysis that awarding a company an exemption would create a net positive for the taxing entity in question, the parish president will discuss the benefits of awarding the exemption with the taxing entity.

Parish officials say exemptions are not awarded if they determine the exemption would not create a net benefit to the taxing entity.

BATON ROUGE — The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden will hold a grand opening for StoryWalk at 10 a.m. on May 11.
StoryWalk is a new feature at Burden designed for families to enjoy together by reading a children’s story while walking through the woods.
StoryWalk is intended to encourage childhood literacy by providing pages of books on signposts along a wooded trail, said Becky White, a volunteer at Burden who retired from the LSU AgCenter as a family development specialist.
“The meandering trail will have pages of a storybook on individual signposts,” White said. “The books will be changed out four times a year.”
With financial support from the Junior League of Baton Rouge and in-kind support from Vivid Ink, the project will encourage both learning and outdoor recreation, she said.
The grand-opening celebration will include a book reading of “Please Please the Bees” and craft activities and snacks for children ages 3 to 8.
The event is open to the public at no charge.
Burden will join with more than 500 gardens nationwide in celebrating National Public Gardens Week on May 13-17.
“The annual, weeklong event represents a commitment to emphasizing the important role public gardens across the country play in promoting education and exposure to our environment as well as our gardens,” said Jeff Kuehny, resident director at Burden.
The week will feature activities for all ages themed around the importance of the environment. Educational sessions will be held in the Ione E. Burden Conference Center, and local organizations will provide information on various plants.
Each day will focus on a particular aspect of the garden:
—Monday will be specialty gardens day.
—Tuesday will be family garden day with emphasis on the pollinator and herb gardens.
—Wednesday will be farm day, with a hay ride and presentations on vegetables, ornamental plants and orchards.
—Thursday will be volunteer appreciation day, an invitation-only event to recognize LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens volunteers.
—Friday will be historical garden day with tours of Windrush Gardens.
The event is free and open to the public. National Public Gardens Week is a program supported by the American Public Gardens Assoc-iation.

The No. 17 Patterson Lumberjacks dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 16 West Feliciana High School in heartbreaking fashion in St. Francisville Tuesday.
Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, West Feliciana (17-12) scored the winning run when Patterson pitcher Reid Perkins was called for a balk, advancing the runner from third base to home.
The inning began when Perkins hit West Feliciana’s leadoff hitter with a pitch. The runner advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Lester for the first out, and moved to third when the following batter, Drake Weller, reached on an error by Patterson shortstop Joseph Larson.
The winning run came home two batters later when a balk was called with the bases loaded and the two-hole hitter, Skyler Ernest, facing a 0-2 count.
Early on, Patterson (18-14) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Noah Bryant, who led off the game with a walk and advanced to third on an error by Braden Corkern, scored on a single by Randy Paul for a 1-0 Patterson lead.
Another run came home two batters later on Larson’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 Patterson advantage.
West Feliciana scored a run in the bottom of the first when Peyton LaMartine, who doubled to begin the bottom of the frame, scored three batters later on a sacrifice fly by Corkern to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Patterson added a run in the top of the third on Larson’s groundout, while West Feliciana tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the third when Hunter Giroir’s double drove in two runs.
From there, the game turned into a battle of pitchers and defense until the bottom of the seventh.
After Don Diaz’s single in the top of the third, LaMartine relieved starter Brady Trisler on the mound. LaMartine retired 13 of the final 17 batters he faced with just one runner reaching second base after Larson singled and stole second base in the top of the sixth.
Meanwhile, after Giroir’s double in the bottom of the third, Perkins retired eight of the final 12 batters he faced between the third inning and the bottom of the seventh.
LaMartiniere earned the win. In five innings, he surrendered one hit, hit one batter and fanned seven.
Trisler received a no-decision. In two innings, he surrendered three runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
LaMartiniere and Giroir led West Feliciana’s offense. LaMartiniere was 2-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases and two runs, while Giroir was 1-for-3 with a double, a stolen base and two RBIs. Corkern added a 1-for-2 performance with an RBI.
Paul and Kaden Samuels led Patterson’s offense. Paul was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, while Samuels was 1-for-3 with a double. Larson added a 1-for-2 performance with an RBI.
Perkins, who pitched a complete game, suffered the loss. In 6.1 innings, he surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks, two hit batters and fanned four.
West Feliciana will continue postseason play this weekend when it travels to face top seed Sterlington in a best-of-three series.