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As parts of the South hunker down for winter precipitation, east St. Mary may escape without even dipping below the freezing mark.
The latest National Weather Service forecast from Lake Charles calls for a low of 33 degrees Thursday morning and 36 degrees early Friday. Then a warming trend will begin.
More importantly, no precipitation is in the forecast through Sunday.
So the weatherman is expecting no repeat of the 2- to 3-inch snowfall of Dec. 8, 2017.
Snow flurries were reported Tuesday in northern Louisiana.
The National Weather Service says accumulating snow is likely in northeast Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, northwest Tennessee, western and central Kentucky and southern Illinois and Indiana. Farther south, forecasters expect lighter snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Forecasters are warning drivers to use caution, saying roads may be slippery and visibility may be poor.
Officials say they’re preparing to clear icy roads and bridges, with Mississippi Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert saying Tuesday that crews in that state were readying plows and salt spreaders.
Forecasters say moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is interacting with colder air during the year’s first cold snap across much of the region.

July 30, 1958- November 12, 2018
Ronnie James Bailey, 60, a resident of Morgan City, passed away Monday, November 12, 2018.
Ronnie was born July 30, 1958, in Morgan City, the son of Herman Leon Bailey Sr. and Alma Alleman Glavin.
Ronnie was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was a man of God who attended the Crossing Place Church and through it all stood strong by his faith. Ronnie was loved by so many including his family from Scotland. He was a long-time employee of Conrad Industries. He enjoyed working in the yard and garden. His favorite thing to do was to help people. He enjoyed visiting the elderly and bringing them all milkshakes. He always kept himself readily available to anyone in need. He always worried about others before himself and always made sure everyone always knew how much he loved them.
Ronnie will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife of 12 years, Linda Cameron Bailey of Morgan City; son, Ronnie Bailey Jr. of Morgan City; daughter, Samantha Bailey Lemelle and husband John of Berwick; step-son, Michael Oates and wife Jessica of Scotland; step-daughter, Lisa Harvey and husband Stevie of Scotland; mother, Alma Glavin of Morgan City; nine siblings, Eula Arceneaux and husband Roy of Gibson, Bernadette “Cricket” Bailey of Bayou Vista, Virginia Bailey of Bayou Vista, Regina Duval and husband Earl of Morgan City, Herman Bailey Jr. and wife Robin of Morgan City, Geraldine “Jurdina” Kovac and husband Andy of Patterson, Shelia Bailey of Bayou Vista, David Bailey of Morgan City, and Roxann Yarbrough and husband Allen of South Dakota; six grandchildren, Alyssa, Haydn, Chloe, Bria, Gracyn and Liam; and five step-grandchildren, Kael, Owen, Elsie, Iona and Lilia. Ronnie will also be deeply missed by his two dear friends, Brent Landry and Louie Stuer, who were more like brothers to him.
Ronnie was preceded in death by his father, Herman Bailey Sr.
Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Friday, November 16, 2018, at Twin City Funeral Home. Services will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, November 16, 2018, at Crossing Place Church with Pastor Den Hussey officiating. After services, Ronnie will be laid to rest in Morgan City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the family.

State lawmakers won’t return to Baton Rouge for another regular session until April 8, 2019, but many are already working on their policy agendas, which include ideas new and old.
You’ve probably heard about the prospects for a teacher pay raise bill next year. Gov. John Bel Edwards is backing the proposal — and like lawmakers, he faces re-election that fall.
There have also been rumblings concerning a revised gas tax proposal and there’s always the possibility that another budget battle will boils down to principles rather than pennies.
But what about those fiscal-related bills favored by House conservatives in years past? Will those policy ideas make appearances during the 2019 regular session as well?
Probably so, according to House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia.
“With the budget reforms, as we’ve talked about over the years, a spending cap and the work requirements and income verification on Medicaid, I think you’ll see a lot of that get repeated as we continue to see that budget grow and the dependence on federal dollars grow,” said Barras. “So trying to get as much efficiency as we can built into the spending side to avoid having to do much more on the revenue side, I think you’ll see that combination continue to work through.”

Competitive insurance race likely
According to sources connected to his developing statewide bid, Temptan president Tim Temple of DeRidder will soon officially announce the formation of a campaign for insurance commissioner.
Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has held the post for a dozen years, and by all indications he will seek another term. In his last finance report filed in February, Commissioner Donleon had $204,000 in his campaign kitty.
The likely candidate’s father was Aubrey T. Temple Jr., the founding chairman of the board of Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation.
This campaign would be Temple’s first run for elected office. However, he does have some experience in state government, having worked as an aide to former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu during her tenure as state treasurer.
Statewide candidates sharing fundraiser
After working for a few state senators in Louisiana and further building out a political book of business in Florida with candidates there, consultant Terri Hutchinson has been hired as a fundraiser by both businessman Eddie Rispone and Attorney General Jeff Landry.
Rispone has announced his 2019 candidacy for governor, a race for which Landry is often listed as a potential contender.
Political history: Plaquemines, Slidell and the presidency
Nearly two centuries before a controversial presidential election was investigated for alleged interference and words like “collusion” became part of the popular political lexicon, one Louisiana congressman used his own creative method to ensure that his preferred candidate resided in the White House.
In the 1844 presidential election, Gov. James K. Polk of Tennessee faced off against U.S. Sen. Henry Clay of Kentucky. Polk, a Jacksonian Democrat, played up his rough and tumble image as an outsider from the frontier. Meanwhile, Clay, a Whig, made his case based off his decades of experience in Washington and reputation as the country’s foremost political insider.
In New Orleans, then-Congressman John Slidell was working hard to ensure a Democratic victory in the Bayou State. According to "The Political Apprenticeship of John Slidell" by Joseph Tregle, the congressman was eager to move up the ladder in Washington and was more than happy to help out Polk if it could further his ambitions, too.
With voting only a few weeks away, the national vote appeared pretty evenly split. Louisiana, a swing state, would have the power to tip the election to either candidate.
According to "A Perfect War of Politics" by John M. Sacher, the state’s geography was a big factor in the contest. Slidell knew that for Polk to win Louisiana and the presidency, he would have to carry a part of the southern portion of the state. His solution for the problem was simple.
On Election Day, the congressman chartered a riverboat in New Orleans and loaded hundreds of the city’s Irish immigrants on to the vessel. They then traveled downriver to Plaquemines Parish, where everybody disembarked and proudly cast their ballots for Polk.
According to Sacher, Plaquemines had only had 290 residents vote in the 1840 presidential election, however, four years later, Polk carried the parish by 990 votes, also winning the statewide vote in the process.
As for Congressman Slidell, the new president rewarded him with a plum diplomatic post in Mexico.

They said it
“Sometime around 2:15, I get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
—Gov. John Bel Edwards, on his lunch, on WVLA-TV
“If you get a strange call from a government phone number, hang up.”
—Attorney General Jeff Landry, on spoof phone calls, in The Daily Iberian
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.

ubmitted Photo
Patterson State Bank recently purchased po' boys to support Berwick High School Project Graduation. Gina Sanford, po' boy sale chairperson. accepts the check on behalf of Patterson State Bank from Teresa Rappmundt, senior vice president. Berwick project graduation is a continued success because of the support of the surrounding community.