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June 15, 1991 - May 17, 2018
Matthew Joseph Pusateri tragically passed away at the age of 26 on May 17, 2018 in Arkansas. Matthew was born and raised in Franklin and has resided in Lafayette for the past eight years.
Matthew was a loving, charismatic young man with an infectious laugh and a hilarious personality that could put a smile on anyone’s face. He was a 2010 graduate of Hanson Memorial High School and was currently working at CPL Systems. Matthew was a people person who never met a stranger. He had a positive outlook on life and he lived his life to the fullest. Matthew’s family played an intricate role in molding who he was and he cherished his time spent with them. He was also passionate about celebrating good times with friends. Matthew was a child at heart and he loved spending time with his nieces and nephews. He also loved to fish, golf, hunt, cook, and play video games, but more than anything he loved his wife, Erica, whom he married on April 21, 2018. Even though their love story had only just begun, Matthew and Erica were meant to be. They were perfect partners who were together for many different phases of their lives. Matthew and Erica were soul mates who adored and complemented each other in many ways. He protected and took care of her, and she was devoted to him. Matthew will be deeply missed and affectionately remembered by all who knew and loved him.
Those he leaves to cherish his memory include his wife, Erica Hahn Pusateri; his parents, Sammy Pusateri and Cindy Battaglia Pusateri; his brother, Samuel A. “Sam” Pusateri III; his father and mother-in-law, Timothy and Alice Hahn; his maternal grandmother, Theo Battaglia; aunt and uncles, Mike Pusateri and his wife Kim, Andrew Clark, Jodi Landry and her husband Jay, and Tony Battaglia and his wife Carol; sisters-in-law, Melissa Snowbarger and her husband Adam, Jessica Montoya and her husband Gabriel, Laura Breaux and her husband Jordy, and Karla Dias and her husband Dakota; cousins, Trey Landry, Saron Battaglia, Joseph Battaglia, Christopher Battaglia, Jeremy Pusateri and his wife Jennifer and their children, Miles Pusateri and his wife Lani, and Ian Clark and his wife Stacy and their children; and his nieces and nephews, Kaden and Ali (also his godchild) Snowbarger, Evelyn and Camila Montoya, Connor, Logan, and Jane Breaux, and Zoe, Emmy, and Ezra Dias.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Joseph A. “Joe” Battaglia; his paternal grandparents; Samuel A. Pusateri Sr. and Dorothy Hidalgo Pusateri; his aunt, Patricia Pusateri Clark; and his grandparents-in-law, Clyde and Dolores Hahn and Helen Benge.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin beginning at 9 a.m., with the Holy Rosary being prayed at 11 a.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. with Father Michael Russo as the Celebrant for the Mass and Father Lloyd Benoit, Father Oneil Landry, Father Billy Ruskoski, Father Ruben Primor, and Father Peter Emusa concelebrating. Inurnment will follow in the Franklin Cemetery.
The family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to Ursula Gouner with CPL Systems, Captain Brady Gore with the Arkansas State Police, and the staff of Brazzel Funeral Home in Hope, Arkansas for their compassion and support during this difficult time.
Family and friends may view the obituary and express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., 1007 Main Street, Franklin, La. 70538, (337) 828-5426.
St. Mary Emergency Aid Center – United Way for South Louisiana Director Patti Ibert poses with recent donations from local churches, schools and community organizations. Ibert says the United Way-sponsored facility has recently received over one ton of canned goods, and she urges the community to help EAC prepare for this summer by donating. Ibert said there is a particular need for fans.
Kristal Hebert, director of Center of Hope, and client Billy Duhon Jr. appeared before the St. Mary Parish Council Wednesday.
Duhon works in the center’s paper recycling department, and Hebert said there is also janitorial services and a thrift store in Franklin.
“It’s very important to know that people like Billy can get out and work,” Hebert said. “It’s a place for them to work in St. Mary Parish. Billy earns a paycheck every two weeks.”
Duhon added, “We pick up recyclables on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Hanagriff’s (Machine Shop), Vital Fitness and (Rep.) Sam Jones’ office.”
Hebert said the objective is to get clients into the community as part of a “supported employment” initiative. “We came up with an inexpensive way to put trash cans out,” she said. “They go out every afternoon and pick up plastics to recycle. It’s really important to us.”
The janitorial crew serves five locations; recycling bins are located in Baldwin, Franklin, Patterson, Bayou Vista and Morgan City; there is a horticulture program where clients crack and/or peel pecans, and a program where recycled Mardi Gras beads are sorted, bundled and resold each year.
Hebert said there is a YouTube channel for the center that she produced as a graduate school student project on her favorite non-profit organization. The title is Arc of St. Mary/Center of Hope.
The center’s website is www.saintmarycenterofhope.com
“We do have fun days, it’s not all work and no play,” she noted. “We have crawfish boils, we do dances on Fridays to celebrate the work week.”
She said all individuals “love to come to work. I invite ya’ll to come at any time because saying it is different than seeing it, you just feel it, from all of them, how happy they are to be there.”
There will be a poker run fundraiser on June 16 in the Stephensville area, which pays the mortgage on the center’s building, $25 per hand, as well as plate lunches, music and a raffle to kick off the season.
It will start at Doiron’s Landing and make stops at the Spunky Monkey, Sac-a-Lait Sue’s, an optional stop at Lake View Inn, then to the Mosquito Bar and end at Gros Marina.
Also Wednesday, Ed “Tiger” Verdin said there will be a mini Fit, Fun and Fabulous event in Morgan City on June 2 at the AARP building, free to the public.
There will be free health screens and live music. St. Mary Parish Council on Aging will be selling foods.
On Oct. 4, the main FF&F will be held in Franklin, Verdin said.
In other business:
—Ordinances were introduced amending the dates and sale and discharge of fireworks, and reducing the speed limit on Hemlock Street.
—Ordinances were adopted renewing the parish library system tax and the criminal justice system tax; establishing the speed limit on Foxglove Drive, Patterson; authorizing the parish president to enter a lease agreement with the City of Patterson on the Jessie B. Hayes Memorial Boat Landing; and a rezoning map amendment.
—Resolutions in memory of Captain Michael Luke Marino Jr. and centenarian Dorothy Mae Dennis Guienze Butler.
—Resolutions were passed to execute engineering services for infrastructure work in several areas across the parish, including Charenton, Baldwin, Irish Bend Road, Garden City, Four Corkers, Ashton, Patterson, Bayou Vista and Amelia as part of the parish’s road improvement project.
Revival of Franklin’s farmer’s market may be located to the St. Mary Parish Courthouse square if the parish council agrees.
Once held at the Old City Market on Willow Street, backers of resurrecting the market say it was too out-of-the-way, and the courthouse location would provide better visibility to people passing by.
Faith Broussard, Centerville, approached the council with the idea. She is a grower and former vendor of the previous farmer’s market.
“People love their fresh vegetables…you know, the last couple of years, it’s all about diet and fresh produce, things that aren’t sprayed with toxins,” she said. “It’s something the community wants. I put it on Facebook, and it just blew up.”
Broussard said she believes that location would make the market successful. “It’s been proven that it’s one of the things that brings a community together,” she said. “It would work here, it would be wonderful for our residents, and it would bring people to our area.”
Local residents sometimes travel to Thibodaux or New Iberia for farmer’s market goods. Broussard said she understands that there should be guidelines for vendors.
Market would be early Saturday mornings, and in peak growing seasons, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., March to April and August to September. There might also be a winter growing season based on availability.
Councilman Dale Rogers said he spoke with Broussard, and had obtained the city’s prior rules and guidelines. “I know there might be some legal issues,” he said.
Parish President David Hanagriff said he sees the potential of a market, and that the “structure” of the event should pass through the administration. He said he has asked legal counsel Eric Duplantis to study the matter.
Broussard said she knows of about four vendors so far, but said when the market begins to operate there will likely be more. She said local vendors would be preferred.
There would be an application process for growers to validate that they are actually growing the produce. Vendors will also be responsible for any applicable taxes.
The matter will be further studied.
June 15, 1991 — May 17, 2018
Matthew Joseph Pusateri tragically passed away at the age of 26 on May 17, 2018 in Arkansas. Matthew was born and raised in Franklin and has resided in Lafayette for the past eight years.
Matthew was a loving, charismatic young man with an infectious laugh and a hilarious personality that could put a smile on anyone’s face. He was a 2010 graduate of Hanson Memorial High School and was currently working at CPL Systems. Matthew was a people person who never met a stranger. He had a positive outlook on life and he lived his life to the fullest. Matthew’s family played an intricate role in molding who he was and he cherished his time spent with them. He was also passionate about celebrating good times with friends. Matthew was a child at heart and he loved spending time with his nieces and nephews. He also loved to fish, golf, hunt, cook, and play video games, but more than anything he loved his wife, Erica, whom he married on April 21, 2018. Even though their love story had only just begun, Matthew and Erica were meant to be. They were perfect partners who were together for many different phases of their lives. Matthew and Erica were soul mates who adored and complemented each other in many ways. He protected and took care of her, and she was devoted to him. Matthew will be deeply missed and affectionately remembered by all who knew and loved him.
Those he leaves to cherish his memory include his wife, Erica Hahn Pusateri; his parents, Sammy Pusateri and Cindy Battaglia Pusateri; his brother, Samuel A. “Sam” Pusateri III; his father and mother-in-law, Timothy and Alice Hahn; his maternal grandmother, Theo Battaglia; aunt and uncles, Mike Pusateri and his wife Kim, Andrew Clark, Jodi Landry and her husband Jay, and Tony Battaglia and his wife Carol; sisters-in-law, Melissa Snowbarger and her husband Adam, Jessica Montoya and her husband Gabriel, Laura Breaux and her husband Jordy, and Karla Dias and her husband Dakota; cousins, Trey Landry, Saron Battaglia, Joseph Battaglia, Christopher Battaglia, Jeremy Pusateri and his wife Jennifer and their children, Miles Pusateri and his wife Lani, and Ian Clark and his wife Stacy and their children; and his nieces and nephews, Kaden and Ali (also his godchild) Snowbarger, Evelyn and Camila Montoya, Connor, Logan and Jane Breaux, and Zoe, Emmy and Ezra Dias.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Joseph A. “Joe” Battaglia; his paternal grandparents, Samuel A. Pusateri Sr. and Dorothy Hidalgo Pusateri; his aunt, Patricia Pusateri Clark; and his grandparents-in-law, Clyde and Dolores Hahn and Helen Benge.
A gathering of family and friends was held Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin at 9:00 a.m., with the Holy Rosary being prayed at 11:00 a.m. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at 1:00 p.m. with Father Michael Russo as the Celebrant for the Mass and Father Lloyd Benoit, Father Oneil Landry, Father Billy Ruskoski, Father Ruben Primor, and Father Peter Emusa concelebrating. Inurnment followed in the Franklin Cemetery.
The family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to Ursula Gouner with CPL Systems, Captain Brady Gore with the Arkansas State Police, and the staff of Brazzel Funeral Home in Hope, Arkansas for their compassion and support during this difficult time.
Family and friends may view the obituary and express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., 1007 Main Street, Franklin, LA 70538, (337) 828-5426.
Due to a production error by our printer, page five and six of the 5-25-18 edition of The Daily Review are incorrect. The correct pages are here:
Subtropical Storm Alberto lumbered ashore Monday on the U.S. Gulf Coast, pelting white sand beaches with blustery winds and stinging rain that kept the usual Memorial Day crowds away.
Forecasters warned heavy rain, flash flooding and dangerous surf posed the biggest threats as Alberto's ragged core made landfall near Laguna Beach in the Florida Panhandle. A few brief tornadoes also were possible in much of Florida and parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 5 p.m. EDT Monday that Alberto was centered about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west-northwest of Panama City, Florida. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph), Alberto was moving north at 9 mph (14 kph).
Rough conditions were whipping up big waves off the eastern and northern Gulf Coast, and authorities warned swimmers to stay out of the surf because of life-threatening swells and rip currents.
Between four and eight inches (10-25 centimeters) of rain could pummel Florida Panhandle, eastern and central Alabama, and western Georgia before the storm moves on. Isolated deluges of 12 inches (30 centimeters) also were possible as the storm heads inland, threatening heavy rains around the Southeast in the coming hours and days.
As Alberto's center heads inland — deprived of the warm waters that fuel tropical weather systems — the storm was expected to steadily weaken. A subtropical storm like Alberto has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds are found farther from its center. A tropical storm warning is in effect for a stretch of coastline between Aucilla River in Florida's Big Bend and the Alabama-Florida border.
Lifeguards posted red flags along the white sands of Pensacola Beach, where swimming and wading were banned.
Meanwhile, the storm forced some Memorial Day tributes to be cancelled across Florida's Panhandle. Safety was the priority, but the decision was still a "heartbreaker," said Tom Rice, a 29-year-old Army veteran who leads the organizations that planned a ceremony Monday at Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach.
Some stragglers still made their way through the rain to pay tribute at the cemetery's Veterans Tribute Tower, however. Rice said American flags had been placed Saturday on the graves of all 1,700 veterans buried in the cemetery.
"We got the flags out," Rice told the Northwest Florida Daily News as wind whipped a massive U.S. flag flying at half-staff. "That's what's important."
Along the Florida Panhandle coast known for its pristine beaches, tourists vowed Alberto wouldn't dampen their vacations.
Jason Powell said he was seeking to keep his children entertained until Alberto blows past his Panhandle vacation spot.
"So far we've seen a lot of wind and the ocean is really high, covering up the entire beach," Powell said. "We're not letting it ruin our vacation ... we're going to watch some movies inside and a little TV, and hopefully maybe even get into the pool" despite the rain.
Janet Rhumes said her group of friends from Kansas had been planning their Memorial Day weekend on Navarre Beach since October. They stocked up on groceries and planned to play card games. No storm could deter them.
"We've never seen one before and we're here celebrating a friend's 20th birthday," Rhumes told the Daily News. "So how often can you say you rode a storm out?"
The mayor of Orange Beach, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, said Alberto brought rain and aggravation — and dashed hopes for record Memorial Day crowds. Instead, red flags flew on Alabama beaches and officers patrolled, making sure no one entered the water.
Elsewhere, Florida's Division of Emergency Management said, about 2,600 customers were without power in northwestern Florida on Monday morning.
Scarlett Rustemeyer, a barista at the Fosko Coffee Barre in Pensacola Beach, said she always frets about power outages whenever storms bluster through.
"My boyfriend and I usually try to go to the store and stock up on lots of bottled water, and get like canned goods and things that won't go bad if our power goes out," she said.
Alberto, the first named storm of 2018, got an early jump on the Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the annual hurricane season forecast Thursday in which they call for 10 to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. One to four hurricanes could be "major" with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph).
If that forecast holds, it would make for a near-normal or above-normal season. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
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Kay reported from Miami Beach, Florida. Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this story.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office received two complaints Friday afternoon of a phone scam, a news release said. The victims, who both have the 395 Bayou Vista/Patterson area prefix in their phone numbers, report that the caller claimed to be with a hospital.
The caller claimed that the victims’ loved ones were in the hospital with injuries from a vehicle crash. The caller goes on to state that the loved ones need money in order to be treated and/or released from the hospital.
After receiving the calls, the victims checked on their family members and found that the phone calls were scams. In these types of scams, the callers attempt to prey on the victims’ emotions and fears.
Never give personal information out to anyone over the phone. If you truly believe a loved one is in danger, call 911 immediately. Talk with your family members and friends about these dangers so they do not become victims, the release said.
A Morgan City man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Lafayette to failing to report more than $250,000 in income on his 2012 tax return, U.S. Attorney David Joseph said in a news release.
The same man, who's a former chairman of the Morgan City Housing Authority Board, was convicted in Baton Rouge earlier in May of insider trading in connection with the acquisition of Shaw Group in 2012.
On Wednesday, Victory Nam Ho, 39, of Morgan City, pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Whitehurst . The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote, Joseph said.
According to the guilty plea, Ho engaged in stock transactions and made $251,196 in 2012, but when he filed his taxes, he reported $14,742 as his income. As a result, he paid no income tax that year, which resulted in a loss of $69,167 to the U.S. Treasury.
Ho faces up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, restitution and a $100,000 fine. His sentencing date is set for Aug. 31.
The IRS conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly P. Uebinger is prosecuting the case.
In August 2016, Ho resigned from the housing authority board following a drug arrest.
Earlier this month, Ho; Kelly Liu, 32, and Salvador Russo III, 35, both of Baton Rouge; were convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud, commonly known as insider trading in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.
Ho made about $300,000 from the illegal insider trading activities, according to authorities.
In late July 2012, Shaw and Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, known as CB&I, came to an agreement whereby CB&I acquired all outstanding shares of Shaw stock. The merger between the two companies was publicly announced July 30, 2012. As a result of the public announcement, Shaw’s stock price rose substantially, a release said.
As the evidence established, prior to the public announcement and through her job at Shaw, Liu obtained inside information that Shaw was being acquired by another company and passed the inside information to Ho, through another individual, and to Russo, for their use in trading Shaw securities, the news release said.
Later, Ho and Russo allegedly purchased Shaw securities before the public announcement. Ho sold his Shaw securities after the public announcement had caused Shaw’s stock price to rise, while Russo held his Shaw securities
Franklin Banner-Tribune
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Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
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Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255