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Franklin Junior High School will remain closed through the end of the week as the district addresses the complete extrication of bats from the school’s campus, the school system said Wednesday.

Students and staff will return to school at the normally scheduled time Feb. 25. A schedule to recover instructional time lost due to recent school closings will be communicated to parents, students, and staff once school resumes.

President Donald Trump's border barrier isn't likely to affect the barrier federal and local officials hope to build to combat Bayou Chene flooding, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham said Wednesday in Morgan City.

Last week, the president reluctantly went along with a budget deal that contained only $1.4 billion of the $5.7 billion the president wanted for a wall on the Mexican border. Then Trump declared a national immigration emergency that could allow him to re-direct other federal funds.

One source mentioned as a possibility is flood prevention work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. One pending project is the $90 million Bayou Chene Flood Control and Diversion Project, which would funded as part of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. The project includes a permanent flood wall near Amelia to stop backwater flooding from Bayou Chene.

Abraham, who voted against the budget deal and supports the emergency declaration, said Louisiana officials have been monitoring the status of those projects and have been assured they won't be affected.

Wednesday marked Abraham's second stop in Morgan City in less than three weeks, following a Feb. 4 appearance at a St. Mary Industrial Group meeting. Abraham, R-Alto, is challenging Gov. John Bel Edwards' re-election bid. The third announced candidate is Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone.

The winner of the gubernatorial election could be the candidate who wins a pair of arguments: Were tax increases pushed by Edwards to overcome a big budget shortfall the right course? And can Louisiana reinvigorate the state's energy industry with tax cuts and deregulation, or will the state lose out to inland shale plays?

The inland production has put the United States back on top of world oil producers. U.S. production rose from 5.3 million barrels a day in June 2010 to an estimated 11.9 million barrels a day this month, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Alone, the Permian Basin in west Texas and New Mexico has seen production quadruple to 4 million barrels a day since 2010.

Abraham blamed part of Louisiana energy's slump on the legal climate and tax disparities. Louisiana's severance tax, the money companies pay for extracting oil, is 12.5 percent, while the same tax in Texas is 4.6 percent.

"We can compete," Abraham said. "In Louisiana, we have reserves that can compete with the Floridas and the Texases and anybody in the world."

The tax debate results from Edwards' steps to deal with a projected $750 million state budget shortfall as he took office in 2016 and a projected shortfall of nearly $2 billion for 2017. His solution, engineered in a series of special sessions, included tax increases. Among them was temporary sales tax hike.

Last year, the Legislature went along with a partial sales tax renewal. Edwards also pointed to a state budget that spent $1 billion less and employed 30,000 fewer people than a decade earlier. But Republicans criticized the seemingly never ending special sessions and the increase in sales taxes that were already among the highest in the nation.

Abraham said that even with the tax increases, Louisiana hasn't managed to devote more money to its deteriorating infrastructure.

"We've got to spend more wisely," Abraham said. "And we've got to get these taxes under control. With a Republican governor and a Republican Legislature, it's doable."

Abraham, who trained as a veterinarian and went back to school to become a physician, is also no fan of Edwards' decision to expand the state-federal Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.

Earlier this year, the administration announced that the expansion has added more than 500,000 people to the Medicaid rolls in a state where nearly a quarter of the population was already on the program.

"I'm a country doctor and I want everyone to have insurance," Abraham said. But "they don't have medical care under Medicaid."

This story has been corrected to name Eddie Rispone as a Baton Rouge businessman.

The Berwick Panthers routed Hanson Memorial 17-5 in five innings in Berwick Tuesday.
While Hanson took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Berwick responded with eight runs in the bottom of the frame and added another in the second inning for a 9-1 lead. Hanson cut its deficit to 8-5 in the fourth, but Berwick added eight more runs in the bottom of the fifth. The game was called in the fifth inning due to the 10-run mercy rule.
Brett Williams led Berwick with a 3-for-4 performance with two RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs. Other top Berwick contributors were Barrett Hover, 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, a stolen base and two runs; Mitchell Sanford, 1-for-3, a triple, two RBIs and two runs; Ethan Nguyen, 1-for-3, a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs; Seth Giroir, 1-for-2, three RBIs, a stolen base and two runs; Seth Canty, 1-for-3, two RBIs and a run; Zeph Hoffpauir, 1-for-2, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs; and Chad Lagrange, an RBI and a run.
Zeph Delatte earned the win. In four innings, he surrendered five runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks, one hit batter and fanned one. Lagrange pitched an inning of relief and fanned three.
Monday, Berwick fell to Ascension Catholic 5-4 in a battle of state champions.
Berwick is the defending Class 3A state champion, while Ascension Catholic won the Division IV title a year ago.
While Berwick took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second, Ascension Catholic rallied with four runs in the top of the third. Berwick tied the score at 4 in the bottom of the third, and the score remained the same until Ascension Catholic pushed across the eventual game winning run in the top of the sixth.
Hunter Landry suffered the loss in relief. In 4.1 innings, he surrendered one unearned run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Canty started the game for Berwick and in 2.2 innings, he surrendered four earned runs on two hits with six walks, one hit batter and two strikeouts.
Hover led Berwick with a 2-for-3 performance with two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base. Other top Berwick contributors were Landry, 2-for-4; Sanford, 1-for-3, a triple and a run; and Hoffpauir and Nguyen, each 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Saturday, Berwick defeated Morgan City 12-4 in a six-inning contest at Morgan City’s jamboree.
Berwick (1-1) will return to action Thursday when it hosts South Terrebonne at 7 p.m. in the Tri-City Baseball Classic.
MCHS falls
to New Iberia
New Iberia routed Morgan City Tuesday 12-1 in five innings in New Iberia.
Chris Pitre suffered the loss.
Offensively, William LaRocca led Morgan City with a 2-for-2 performance with two stolen bases and a run, while Dylan Tingle was 1-for-2 with a double.
Saturday, Berwick defeated Morgan City 12-4 in a six-inning contest at Morgan City’s jamboree.
Morgan City will return to action Thursday when it hosts Hanson at 7 p.m. in opening-day action of the Tri-City Baseball Classic.
Patterson edges
John Ehret
Reid Perkins stole home in the bottom of the seventh as Patterson recorded a 6-5 walk-off victory against John Ehret in the Lumberjacks’ season opener at home.
Perkins, who reached base on a one-out single in the seventh, advanced to second and third on an error before stealing home with two outs to end the game.
He also was the winning pitcher in relief. In 2.1 innings, he surrendered one hit and fanned six.
Joseph Larson began the game for Patterson, and in 4.2 innings, he surrendered five earned runs on 10 hits with one walk, two hit batters and five strikeouts.
Early on, John Ehret took a 2-0 lead in the first and extended its advantage to as much as 4-0 in the top of the fourth. Patterson scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the sixth to tie the game at 5.
Dylan Fabre led Patterson with a 2-for-3 performance with two RBIs, while Perkins was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and a run. Other top Patterson contributors were Noah Bryant, 1-for-4 with a triple and a run; Randy Paul, 1-for-2, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs; and Jonathan Cheely, 1-for-3, an RBI.
Saturday, Patterson finished 2-0 in Morgan City's Jamboree with a 7-0 win against Franklin and a 2-0 victory against Hanson.
Patterson (1-0) will return to action Thursday when it hosts Westgate at 7 p.m. in opening-day action of the Tri-City Baseball Classic. Westgate was a Class 4A semifinalist a year ago.
CCHS wins
season opener
Trent Hillen drove in the eventual game-winning run via a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning, and Central Catholic defeated St. John 2-1 in Plaquemine Monday.
Central Catholic previously had led 1-0 after scoring a run in the top of the third inning before St. John, the defending Division IV state runner-up, tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the fourth.
Caleb Menina earned the win as he tossed a three-hitter. In seven innings, he surrendered one earned run with one walk, one hit batter and fanned eight.
Offensively, Grant Stansbury led Central Catholic with a 2-for-2 performance. Other top Central Catholic hitters were Philip Guarisco, 2-for-3 with a run; Bryce Grizzaffi, 1-for-3, a double and an RBI; Hunter Daigle, 1-for-4, a double and a run; and Hillen, an RBI.
Saturday, Central Catholic won two three-inning games at Central Lafourche’s jamboree, defeating Central Lafourche 5-0 and South Lafourche 4-0.
Central Catholic (1-0) will return to action Thursday when it hosts East St. John at 7 p.m. in opening-day action of the Tri-City Baseball Classic.

The Nicholls State University baseball team tied a program record with 25 runs during its 25-5 rout against Alcorn State University Tuesday at Ben Meyer Diamond at Didier Field.
The Red and Grey also tallied 25 runs on April 6, 2005, against Memphis.
Colonels (3-1) starter Parker White earned his first win of the season, allowing two unearned runs in five innings.
Braves (1-3) righty Jacob Kieffer suffered the loss, surrendering 13 runs (11 earned) in 1.2 innings.
Nicholls scored six runs in the first inning, highlighted by a Brady Bell grand slam. It was Nicholls’ first since grand slam since Dillon Belle’ had one against Southern on May 9, 2018.
Alcorn scored two runs in the top of the second by taking advantage of two Colonel errors.
Nicholls’ response consisted of a seven-run bottom half of the second on six hits, including doubles from Bell and sophomore Austin France.
The Colonels continued to pad their lead with two runs in the fourth and three runs in the sixth.
Nicholls committed three fielding miscues in the seventh, allowing the Braves to send their final three runners home.
The Colonels concluded their offensive outburst with a six-run eighth.
Bell finished with four hits and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Senior Ethan Valdez added three hits.
Patterson High alum Jamie Fabre, who plays for Alcorn State, finished 1-for-3 in the loss
In Alcorn State’s win 10-9 against Arkansas Pine Bluff Saturday at the MLB Urban Invitational in New Orleans, Fabre recorded a 1-for-4 performance with an RBI And a stolen base.