Jim Parker, left, performs while fellow musician Troy Martin listens Saturday at Bay City Bistro in Morgan City as part of Songs on the Bayou — Road to 3rd Street Songwriters Festival and Bayou Music City Summit. The festival featured performances at various local venues.
The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute
Leisha Bertrand of Patterson looks at items at Saturday’s Treasure Sale at the Berwick Civic Complex. Proceeds from the event benefit the Brown House, Berwick’s Heritage Museum.
The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute
Saturday's Easter egg hunt at the Louisiana State Museum — Patterson, home of the Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill museums.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Owners of a newly completed south Louisiana pipeline say they expect the transport of crude oil from Lake Charles to St. James to begin Monday.
Energy Transfer and Phillips 66 Partners said in a news release that construction was recently completed. Environmentalists and some landowners fought the project in state and federal courts, challenging permits and the methods by which private land was obtained, through a process known as expropriation, to facilitate construction.
They said construction destroyed centuries-old cypress trees and animal habitat in Louisiana swampland, and they said a pipeline spill would do further damage.
Pipeline owners said government environmental impact assessments were comprehensive and found no significant impact from the project.
The 163-mile (262.31-kilometer) pipeline was the second phase of the project. The first, connecting Nederland, Texas, to Lake Charles was completed in 2016.
Energy Transfer owns 60 percent of the project; Phillips 66 Partners, 40 percent. The companies tout the project as a means of providing Louisiana refineries with “more efficient and sustainable access to North American crude oil as well as market diversification for North American producers.”
Completion was a defeat for environmental groups. Anne Rolfes, of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade was critical of state regulators and Gov. John Bel Edwards for allowing construction.
“The pipeline, however, was a public awakening that has set the scene for important battles over eminent domain and, in St. James Parish, the construction of the Formosa Plastics Plant,” she said in a news release touching on another project opposed by environmentalists.
Legal issues linger, even with completion of the pipeline.
Among them is an appeal of a state judge’s December decision allowing expropriation to proceed even though he ruled that the pipeline builders had trespassed on land of three people challenging construction.
Judge Keith Comeaux awarded each of the owners $150 in compensation but allowed work to continue.
Pipeline opponents had hoped Comeaux would halt construction or, at a minimum, order a major damage award to discourage what they called the illegal taking of land. Bill Quigley, an attorney for environmentalists, said any action in the state appellate system is likely months away.
Additionally, a decision is pending in St. Martin Parish on whether 15 people will be prosecuted for trespassing onto the pipeline construction site. Quigley said those arrested had written permission from landowners.
May 15, 1937- March 28, 2019
Herman Joseph LaJaunie Jr., a native of Garden City and a resident of Morgan City, passed away peacefully at his home on March 28, 2019, at the age of 81, surrounded by his loving family. Herman was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend to everyone he met. Herman was a devoted member of the Marine Corps League and a life member of the American Legion where he served as Commander for years at Post 96. He was a very active member in both organizations for many years.
Herman leaves behind to cherish his beautiful memory his three daughters, Angela Fabre and her husband, Jan, Christine Castille and her husband, Greg, and Kelly White and her husband, Curtis; 11 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; two brothers, James (Jim) LaJaunie of Bourg, Louisiana and Richard (Dickie) LaJaunie of The Woodlands, Texas; a sister, Cathy Beaugh and her husband, Andre of Morgan City; and his sweet little dog, Sally.
Herman joins in heaven his wife, JoAnne LeRay LaJaunie; his daughter, Denise LaJaunie Gros; his parents, Herman Sr. and Mildred Simoneaux LaJaunie; one sister, Helen LaJaunie Steele; and one brother, A.J. LaJaunie.
Visitation was observed on Monday, April 1, 2019, from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Following services Herman was laid to rest in the Berwick cemetery with his wife JoAnne.
October 23, 1931- March 29, 2019
Margaret Louise Pope, 87, passed away peacefully on March 29, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Margaret was born on October 23, 1931, in Waldo, Arkansas, to Thomas and Christeen Lewis and graduated from Taylor High School in 1950. She married her high school sweetheart, Glenn Felix Pope, on July 6, 1950, and together, they raised four daughters: Glenda P. Duplantis of Sarepta, Louisiana; Paula P. Watkins of Plain Dealing, Louisiana; Debra P. Torline of Berwick, Louisiana; and Christene Pope Manfre of Houston, Texas, each of whom were sources of tremendous pride. Margaret’s greatest joys were spending time with her family and friends, listening to and writing country music, playing bingo, and helping others. She attended Bayou Vista Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn Felix Pope; parents, Tom and Christeen Lewis; brothers, Thomas Junior Lewis and Glen Dale Lewis; son-in-law, Mark Thomas Manfre; and grandson, Jamey Watkins.
She leaves behind, her daughters; sons-in-law, Errol A. Duplantis Sr., James A. Watkins and Brian T. Torline; grandchildren, Errol Duplantis Jr., Edmee Maronge, Sunshine Duplantis, Greg Watkins, Camille V. Watkins, Tyler Hernandez, Patrick Hernandez, Elizabeth Manfre and Margaret Manfre; great-grandchildren, Madelyn Duplantis, Cullen Duplantis, Kip Maronge, Justine Maronge, Wyatt Trahan, Abigail Bordelon and Gabriel Trahan; siblings, Jerrell Don Lewis, Aaron Truman “Pete” Lewis, Ermon Lynwood “Buster” Lewis and Bonnie Sue Vollmer; and many cherished nieces, nephews and friends.
Margaret was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. Her faith, generosity of spirit, and dedication to family was an example for all. She will be deeply missed.
Visitation began at noon Monday, April 1, 2019 with funeral services following at 2 p.m. at Bailey Funeral Home in Springhill, Louisiana. Burial immediately followed at the Waldo Cemetery in Waldo, Arkansas.
The family request memorials be made to the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, St. Jude’s Hospital, or Autism Speaks.
Hargrave Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.
Joanna Bills Stauts went home to be with the Lord on March 28, 2019. Joanna was born in Paducah, Texas to James B. Bills and Betty Bearden Bills as their only child. During her early life, she lived in West Texas, Texarkana, Karnack, and finally Marshall, Texas. She was a proud graduate of Marshall High School in 1969, and sang in the All-State Choir as a senior. Three months after graduating from high school, she met the love of her life, Rick Stauts, who had just returned from Vietnam. They dated for nearly four years and were married in 1973. During the 45 plus years of their marriage, they lived in Texarkana, Texas; Ruston, Louisiana; Morgan City, Louisiana; Tallahassee, Florida; and finally, in Homestead, Florida. In 1983, Joanna graduated from Nicholls State University with a degree in Art Education. Three months later, she began what would be a 20-year career as a Middle School Art teacher, first in Morgan City, and later at Fairview and Swift Creek Middle Schools in Tallahassee. Two of Joanna’s greatest joys were serving her Lord and encouraging her young students to use their imagination.
In July 2012, she was diagnosed with colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver. As the cancer progressed over the past six plus years, the display of her faith in the Lord served as a witness to others. She knew God had a plan for her life and she just wanted to follow that plan. As her disease progressed, Joanna knew that she was either going to be healed in this life or be healed as she left this life. She always believed that she was not a human being having a spiritual experience, but was rather a spiritual being having a human experience. That human experience ended on March 28, 2019.
Joanna leaves behind her husband Rick; two uncles, Louis Bearden of Floydada, Texas, and James Dempsey of Seminole, Texas; a host of cousins, and many friends and former students whose lives she touched. Joanna will be cremated at her request and will be interred next to her parents at Grange Hall Cemetery in Marshall, Texas. She loved East Texas in the spring, so Rick will take her home for burial sometime in April or May. The graveside service at that time will be handled by Sullivan Funeral Home in Marshall.
Asa Elmer Stewart Jr., 90, a resident of Bayou Vista, died Friday, March 29, 2019, at Iberia Medical Center in New Iberia.
He is survived by three children, Brenda Smith, Donna Boykin and James Stewart.
Visitation was Monday from 9:30 a.m. until services as 12:30 p.m. at Hargrave Funeral Home in Morgan City. Burial, with military honors rendered by the East St. Mary Veterans Funeral Squad, was in the Morgan City Cemetery.
Submited Photo
The Tri-City area mayors meet last week to sign a proclamation declaring April 7-13 Junior Auxiliary Week. The Junior Auxiliary of East St. Mary's mission "is to encourage member Chapters to render charitable services which are beneficial to the general public, with particular emphasis on children, and to cooperate with other organizations performing similar services," the proclamation said. Seated are, from left: Mayors Duval Arthur of Berwick, Frank "Boo" Grizzaffi of Morgan City and Rodney Grogan of Patterson. Back row: Lyn Klein, Amy Isham and Darby Ratcliff of the Junior Auxiliary.
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s higher education policy leaders are setting an ambitious goal for the state, striving for six in 10 working-age adults to hold a college degree or other employment credential beyond a high school diploma by 2030.
That’s a high bar in Louisiana, which consistently lags the nation in educational attainment. Fewer than half of adults aged 25 to 64 have achieved such a standard.
But as the Board of Regents does a significant rewrite of the statewide master plan governing public higher education in Louisiana, it wants to spark conversation, encourage achievement and inspire a vision.
“We see it as a call to action for the state,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed.
Louisiana adopted its first statewide higher education master plan in 2001, a document that created statewide college admissions standards, incorporated mission statements for campuses and included a funding formula to divvy up dollars from the state. Adjustments have been made since then, but Reed and the Regents are doing a wholesale rewrite in response to a state law requiring an updated document to the governor and lawmakers by Sept. 1.
Goals of the new plan include expanding access to education beyond high school, eliminating equity gaps between white and minority students and helping adults who long ago left school to get a skills-based credential or other educational training.
While other states often gain their educated workforces with transplants from elsewhere, 96 percent of Louisiana’s workforce is made up of state residents. Reed said that drives home the need to bolster training and educational options here.
“We are not importing talent into our workforce. We have to cultivate the talent we have,” she said.
An estimated 56 percent of jobs require education beyond a high school diploma, but only 44 percent of Louisiana adults aged 25 to 64 have a skills-based certificate or college degree, according to Regents data.
To reach the 2030 goal will require producing 45,000 more credentials annually in 11 years — whether a skills certificate, associate degree or university degree — than students received in 2018. To make that happen, the Regents say, would require significant growth in the credentials obtained particularly by African-American residents.
The Regents say Louisiana will need to sell people on the increased salaries and better quality of life they can achieve with training beyond a diploma. But they acknowledge they’ll also need to sell that idea to policymakers, including lawmakers who help finance technical school and college campuses and slashed state funding for higher education repeatedly over the last decade.
No dollar figure has been placed on the 2030 goal yet, but the Regents clearly see financing needs attached to the attainment level they want to reach.
“We cannot achieve any of the goals at a standstill budget, or with the cuts we’ve taken,” said Regents Chairman Marty Chabert, who works for Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration.
That could be a tough ask of a majority-GOP Legislature that has talked of scaling back state spending and asked whether college leaders have done enough to trim their expenses.
At a recent budget hearing, House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry questioned an Edwards proposal to give $5 million to three campuses under accreditation review, amid concerns they are at risk of losing the validation standard. Henry said the schools should try to “rework their business model.”
“It can’t be, ‘When in doubt, we’ll just go to the Legislature and get more money.’ That’s not sustainable,” said Henry, a Jefferson Parish Republican.
Additional parts of the master plan discussion will include decisions on whether to tweak the financing formula or admissions standards, but the Board of Regents first wanted to set its overarching higher education goals before tackling the other details.
The admission standards in particular have become controversial because Louisiana State University has stopped solely relying on standardized test scores and grade point averages as the key to admission and has acknowledged it granted more exceptions than the master plan allows.
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