RSS Feed

Bears are migrating this time of year, and some of them are ending up in residential areas.
Though this has been a decades-long occurrence, the number of Louisiana black bears making incursions into populated areas seems to be increasing.
St. Mary Parish Councilman J Ina brought up the subject at the parish council’s Wednesday meeting.
Chief Executive Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said the parish has a bear conflict officer tasked with handling reports and complaints, and is also a liaison with state and federal wildlife officials.
“We also had a bear in Bakertown last week, I understand,” LaGrange said. “The bears are moving around and doing those kinds of things.”
LaGrange said it was previously believed that the most impact from bears was south of US 90. “Now it seems like we’re getting more infiltration all the way up La. 182,” he said. “Our anticipation is that at the renewal of our solid waste contract we’ll have an opportunity to sit down with Pelican Waste and talk about expanding the bear-resistant cart area.”
Willie Rack, of Ninth Street, Franklin, said his wife had recently gone out to the car and he heard a racket. “I went to the door and this bear was at the trash can,” he said. “The bear stared her down as if, ‘What you doing out here?’ Across the street…(the resident) got two feet from the trash can and the bear opened the trash can.”
He called the police departments, noting that it’s illegal to shoot the bears. “I did not know that they were that intelligent,” he said. “This bear would come to the trash can—he had cubs. He would take the food from my can and bring it to the cubs. Then he’d get some, and he’d sit down and eat, and come back. It’s a bad feeling especially when it’s at your house.”
LaGrange said persons having nuisance bear problems can contact the parish bear conflict officer for suggestions on how to keep bears out of trash receptacles, and other solutions.
Parish President David Hangagriff mentioned that the situation Rack mentioned is one of the more dangerous scenarios, when cubs are involved.
In other business:
—An ordinance was introduced amending and re-enacting the parish budgets; and several zoning and specific use items.
—Resolutions were approved for reconstruction of Flattown Road in Charenton from Chitmacha Trail to Ralph Darden Memorial Parkway; a cooperative endeavor agreement with the state regarding the Plantation Pump Station replacement; approving infrastructure improvement and construction of a welding training facility at the industrial site on the Charenton Navigation and Drainage Canal; and for professional engineering services for solid waste needs and facilities in the parish.
—Alvin P. Lodrigue Jr. was reappointed the the Fire Protection Dist. 7 board in Bayou Vista.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, CEO of Teche Action Clinic, outlined the clinic’s impact on the health of the community before the St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday.
He said that 10,068 persons used the clinic’s services between June 2017 and Oct. 2018. Of those, 1,839 were uninsured. “So in spite of Medicaid expansion we still see a large number of folks that are working, some of them working two jobs, who don’t have health insurance provided by their employees and they can’t afford that insurance even on the market,” he said.
To illustrate that condition, Wiltz pointed out that 18 percent of clients are self-pay; 54 percent are Medicaid; 16 percent are Medicare; and 12 percent are private insurance.
He said there are 343 homeless users; 101 veterans and 172 public housing clients.
“We are a means-tested organization, so anyone that comes to us has to provide proof of income,” Wiltz explained. “You can’t just come to us and say you don’t have income, you have to provide proof through your W-2 form, or if you work for someone, how much you’re being paid. We adjust that against the federal poverty guidelines then we do a sliding fee discount.”
There is often a nominal fee of $10-20. “If there is a hardship then we do promissory notes, and if they can’t pay that we dip into an indigent fund which is the money that you (the parish council) provides for us,” Wiltz said.
Sliding fee adjustment and uncompensated care rings in at $1,084,298; for the same in pharmacy, it is $302,091.
There have been 45,068 visits in the time period. They were 31,444 medical; 7,954 dental; 4,836 mental health and 734 enabling services.
Among diagnosis, the top were 31 percent hypertension; 21 percent anxiety, depression or similar; 16 percent diabetes and 11 percent tobacco use disorder.
The clinic employs 113 persons in the parish as an economic impact.
Mental illness is a pertinent issue. “It’s left the coroner and law enforcement community in straits,” he said. “Families don’t know what to do. They have people with severe mental illness, bipolar, and when they get out of control then they have no choice but to call the coroner for emergency commitment, or to call law enforcement. There’s an initiative called the Mental Health First Aid Program…we sent some of our folks to the training and that’s something we’re going to work closely with you on.”
He closed by quoting Hubert Humphrey: “The moral test of government is how that government tests those who are the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”
Teche Action Clinic has a school-based clinic at West St. Mary High School and Raintree Elementary will have one soon. There are clinics in Morgan City, Pierre Part, Houma, Dulac, Thibodaux, Galiano, Reserve and Edgard.

Morgan City High School volleyball standout Sh’Diamond Holly recently signed with the University of New Orleans to continue her playing career.
She said playing college volleyball is something she has aspired to do.
“It’s very exciting to get to play at the next level and for … my coaches recognizing my talents,” Holly said.
Holly was a three-time first-team all-district selection during her high school career, earning the honors during her sophomore, junior and season seasons.
As a senior, she helped lead Morgan City to the Division III quarterfinals. It was Morgan City’s first state tournament appearance in 10 years.
Holly finished her senior season with 58 aces, 489 kills, 100 total blocks, 49 assists and 275 digs.
Following her season, she participated in the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star Game as a member of the west squad.
Holly said her offers during her high school career included Xavier, Nicholls and Alcorn State, but she choose the University of New Orleans because she said she felt “comfortable” with the players and coaches.
“When I went there for camps, it just felt like home already, and as I played with them, I was like, ‘this is where I want to be,’” she said.
Holly doesn’t know what position she will play on the collegiate level, but she is assuming she will remain in the front row as a middle. However, she will play wherever they put her.
“I’ll just be ready to play at any position,” she said.
Holly, who is competing in basketball and will close her senior year as a member of the Lady Tigers’ track and field team, said she will be playing travel volleyball during basketball season in order to improve her skills, while she also will be working out in the weight room to improve for college.
She said she intends to major in criminal justice at the University of New Orleans and minor in child education.
The University of New Orleans finished the 2018 season with a 12-19 overall mark, including a 6-10 record in Southland Conference play.