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Songwriters festival marks second year in Morgan City

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:31am

Staff Report

For the second year, songwriters are showcasing their craft in Morgan City with a festival that features a conference and performances by artists in multiple musical genres.

Road to 3rd Street - Songs On The Bayou Songwriters Festival kicked off last week in conjunction with the Cypress Sawmill Festival near Patterson.

The festival features songwriters from multiple genres, including country, blues, Cajun, zydeco, outlaw country and Americana, and is presented by D.a.T. SaUcE and Last Honky Tonk Music Series.

The inaugural Road to 3rd Street Songwriters Festival was held in 2017. Organizers named the festival after 3rd Street Songwriters Festival in Baton Rouge and hope to grow the Morgan City festival each year.

Admission is free to all performances except headliner concerts Friday and Saturday.

“We’re making this a music city,” Festival Director Brigitte London said.

London, a songwriter herself, also runs Last Honky Tonk Music Series, which has events nationwide. Last year, London said the aim of the festival is to build a “music business community” in Morgan City.

A music business conference will be held from 1-5 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. All workshops Wednesday are free, and there will be one free copyright workshop to start Thursday. All other workshops Thursday are $20 each.

Then, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Hampton Inn & Suites will host a free workshop on the future of women in music.

A Fais Do Do and Cajun Cookout will start at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Lake End Park in Morgan City. Admission is free and food is also free. There will be a cash bar.

A Swamp Pop Party with Cliff Hillebran will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lake End Park. Admission is also free to the party, which will have free food and a cash bar.

Visiting songwriters will also be able to attend songwriting retreats at multiple locations in the area.

Twelve different venues in the Morgan City area will host songwriter performances Friday and Saturday.

Admission is free to 10 of those venues including A.J.’s 2nd Street Pub, Atchafalaya Café, Bay City Bistro, Bourbon’s, Daiquiris & Co., El Toro, The Galley, Mama G’s, Tampicos, Latin Corner and Mosquito Bar. Performances will be from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday and noon-6 p.m. Saturday.

Also Friday, the downtown Morgan City springtime music series, Rhythms on the River, will feature Don Rich at 6:30 p.m. on Front Street outside of Café Jo Jo’s, which organizes Rhythms on the River.

Friday’s headlining concert will start at 9:30 p.m. Friday at NicoBella in Morgan City. Country singer Ray Scott and outlaw country singer Billy Don Burns will perform during the event. Seating is limited and tickets are $25 each.

Another headlining event, Songs on the Bayou Extravaganza, featuring 30 national songwriters, will start at 7 p.m. Saturday at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. General admission tickets are $10 and front preferred seating tickets are $25. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

The songwriters festival will end Sunday with Last Honky Tonk Fest from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Gros’ Marina on Four Mile Bayou. An after party will follow from 5-8 p.m. at Mosquito Bar on East Stephensville Road.

For more information on the festival, visit the Road to 3rd Street - Songs On The Bayou Songwriters Festival page on Facebook.

Panel OKs bill to protect La. foster kids

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:29am

By TRYFON BOUKOUVIDIS, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE–The Senate Finance Committee approved a bill Monday that would ensure that the state funds full-time students who are in foster care until they complete high school or turn 21.
Currently, Louisiana supports foster children until they reach 18 without taking into consideration whether they have completed high school by that age.
The bill would cost about $1 million. That raised concerns among some committee members worried about the state’s project revenue shortfall.
But the panel’s chairman, Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte, offered an amendment to cover the appropriation from an annual $53 million oil-spill settlement with BP, the global oil company. The bill goes next to the full Senate.
Sen. Ryan Gatti, R-Bossier City, who sponsored the bill, said that once some foster children reach 18, they end up living at laundromats or becoming victims of sex trafficking as they are “the weakest among us.”
Marketa Walters, secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, said that of roughly 200 foster children “aging out” of the program this year, about half chose to remain connected through the agency’s Independent Living Program.
Young people still in high school can now receive federal money until they graduate, but not state dollars, she added.
“We’re hanging by a thread, members,” she lamented. “Our caseloads are appalling.”
Before LaFleur offers his amendment to provide funding from the BP settlement, Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, said, “I love the bill, I want do it, but to get money to you, I have to get it from somewhere else.”

Parria is TGMC Employee of the Month

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:27am

Staff Report
Terrebonne General Medical Center has named Kim Parria the April Employee of the Month.
Parria, a TGMC employee for nearly three years, works in the Food & Nutrition Services department as a catering coordinator.
Employee of the Month recipients demonstrate outstanding and constant commitment to the wellbeing of patients, their extended families and the staff. The Employee of the Month also makes it a priority to live TGMC’s mission of providing exceptional health ccare with compassion.
As a catering coordinator, Parria frequently manages and executes catering orders for hospital meetings and events. Parria is responsible for organizing the requests, communicates the expectations to the team and personally delivers the food ensuring that all orders are completed flawlessly. In her spare time, she also prepares select food items for the cafeteria to sell, stocks the areas and assists coworkers with any other additional projects.
“I was floored when my name was announced,” Parria said. “I strive each and every day to be the best me that I can be. I just didn’t expect everyone to notice my actions and make it known through the Employee of the Month program.”

Radio logs for April 11

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:25am

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.

Tuesday, April 10

6:50 a.m. 1000 block of Shaw Drive; Suspicious person.

7:49 a.m. La. 182 East; Traffic incident.

7:59 a.m. 7100 block of Park Road; Warrants.

8:04 a.m. 200 block of South Railroad Avenue; Juvenile problems.

8:17 a.m. 1900 block of Federal Avenue; Building check.

8:27 a.m. 800 block of South Everett Street; Animal complaint.

8:32 a.m. 300 block of Mallard Street; Domestic disturbance.

8:33 a.m. 1500 block of Bernice Street; Animal complaint.

8:34 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182 East; Complaint.

8:36 a.m. 7400 block of La. 182 East; Warrants.

10:35 a.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Building check.

11:04 a.m. 300 block of Terrebonne Street; Complaint.

1 p.m. 200 block of Headland Street; Animal complaint.

1:19 p.m. 1100 block of Florence Street; Animal complaint.

1:42 p.m. 700 block of General Patton Street; Warrants.

1:46 p.m. 1800 block of Elk Street; Warrants.

2:21 p.m. Fourth and Greenwood streets; Vehicle accident.

2:45 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.

3:48 p.m. 200 block of Patton Street; Complaint.

4:27 p.m. 2400 block of Cypress Street; Juvenile problems.

4:29 p.m. 500 block of Fifth Street; Juvenile problems.

4:59 p.m. 600 block of Franklin Street; Lost/found.

6:33 p.m. U.S. 90 West; Crash.

6:51 p.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Welfare concern.

7:49 p.m. 500 block of Leona Street; Reckless driver.

9:07 p.m. 700 block of Fifth Street; Assistance.

10:18 p.m. 1200 block of Victor II Boulevard; Complaint.

Wednesday, April 11

1:45 a.m. Federal Avenue and Onstead Street; Disturbance.

3:04 a.m. 3000 block of Keith Street; Complaint.

4:20 a.m. 700 block of Fifth Street; Disturbance.

Ribbon-cutting for Mon Ami

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:21am

The Daily Review/Zachary Fitzgerald
The St. Mary Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for Mon Ami, 515 Main St. in Patterson. The restaurant opened in June 2017. Its hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.

Bollinger delivers Coast Guard cutter

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:20am

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal, the 28th fast response cutter, to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery March 29 in Key West, Florida. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for July in Washington D.C.
This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the second FRC to be stationed in Atlantic Beach, N.C., said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and CEO. Previous cutters have been stationed around the nation including Alaska and Hawaii. FRCs already in commission have protected the country by seizing tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved hundreds of lives, Bordelon said.
The 154-foot patrol craft Nathan Bruckenthal is the 28th vessel in the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class FRC program. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials. To build the FRC, Bollinger used an in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard hero Nathan Bruckenthal. In April 2004 while serving aboard USS Firebolt, Bruckenthal was killed in the line of duty while conducting maritime intercept operations in the North Arabian Gulf.

Steve Gardes: Setting the record straight on Medicaid fraud

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:18am

By STEVE GARDES

I read with great interest the recent article by the Medicaid director of the Louisiana Department of Health ("Setting record straight about Medicaid," The Advocate, March 31), which concluded that it is imperative that readers get the facts (rather than deliberate misinformation) when it comes to what state government is doing to prevent Medicaid fraud. I could not agree more, so let’s do that.
A great place to start would be looking at the Minutes of the Task Force on Coordination of Medicaid Fraud Detection & Prevention Initiatives meeting held Oct. 25. The following are a few excerpts from this meeting that are most informative:
--The Legislative auditor pointed out that “he calculated that about 208,000 applicants under Medicaid expansion are possibly not eligible.” [Note: this indicates that $1.019 billion of estimated Medicaid payments ($4,900 average annual benefit x 208,000) may be in error].
--Sen. Fred Mills asked, “If someone was Medicaid eligible, but two months later landed a job which makes them now ineligible, what catches that change?” LDH responded that “LDH reevaluates the recipient when they receive reported data from other sources, but only use “25 percent reasonable compatibility” (most other states use a tighter 0 percent to 10 percent compatibility) because of the severe restraints of LDH’s system. We're behind the eight ball, so until certain circumstances change in terms of resourcing, they are stuck.”
--Rep Tony Bacala said, “This shows the need to pay more attention to the eligibility determinations.”
--The Legislativeauditor noted that in 2016 there were only 18 referrals related to eligibility (from a population of 1.6 million) sent to sheriffs.
-- Matthew Block, executive counsel for the governor, pointed out that LDH’s eligibility staff was reduced by 26 percent and that he hopes that Legislators realizes this; and next year the state is facing a fiscal cliff and LDH may face further budget cuts.
Of significance, Mr. Block also observed “that it seems like the people at the table are not on the same team -- We need to work together --to not pay those (fraudulent) claims and to stop them on the front end.”
Based on the above facts, It is obvious there is still much to do to improve Louisiana’s existing Medicaid fraud system. We have possibly $1 billion of questionable payments which need to be investigated; LDH, the attorney general, and the legislative auditor need to be working together as a team; there must be adequate resources allocated to the LDH “Eligibility Division”; and that the passing of HB 480 (interagency data sharing) and HB 163 (create a Medicaid Recipient Fraud Unit that is funded 50 percent by Washington) should be a high priority for the Legislature.
Steve Gardes is a certified public accountant and certified valuation analyst with over 40 years of public accounting experience.

Jeff Crouere: Hillary Clinton is the most qualified loser

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 10:16am

By JEFF CROUERE

At the Simmons College leadership conference in Boston on Thursday, former first lady Michelle Obama praised her husband’s presidency while taking a veiled swipe at the current occupant of the White House. She said that her husband’s administration was “like having the good parent at home.” In Michelle Obama’s warped view, her husband filled the national role of a “responsible parent, the one who told you to eat your carrots and go to bed on time.”
This analogy is ridiculous as a “good parent” would not practically double the national debt, socialize healthcare, unconstitutionally grant amnesty to illegal aliens and disregard the readiness level of our military forces. This “good parent” pulled troops from Iraq too soon, which led to the formation of ISIS, and totally bungled a military intrusion into Libya, which led to the terrorist attack at our compound in Benghazi and the death of four brave Americans.
After the disastrous reign of the “good parent,” Americans were obviously ready for another type of “parent” and had the good sense to elect Donald Trump as President. In her remarks at the conference, Obama laughably implied that Trump was the “other” type of parent that allowed Americans to “eat candy all day and stay up late and not follow the rules.” Her clear implication was that while it may feel good to choose this type of a leader, the country will pay a terrible price for splurging on these unhealthy Trump induced habits.
Of course, Obama’s biased analysis was the result of wishful thinking and pure fantasy. In reality, President Trump is the “responsible parent” leading the country toward sane fiscal, trade, immigration and military policies. This President is the one who is finally dealing with the longstanding problems plaguing America such as open borders, horrible trade deals, high corporate taxes and a declining military.
During the Obama years, these crises were ignored, so no action was taken, and the problems worsened. For example, President Trump inherited from Obama a nuclear armed North Korea, an ISIS terror threat and military readiness crisis. A truly “responsible” parent would not have left such a miserable set of problems for his successor.
In her comments, Michelle Obama did share some truly wonderful news. Thankfully, she expressed no appetite to follow in her husband’s footsteps and run for President. She said, “I don’t want to be president; I don’t think I should be president; I think I can do a lot of things, but that’s not one of them.” For millions of Americans, this reassurance was quite a relief, as one Obama presidency is one too many.
Not surprisingly, she also extolled the virtues of 2016 Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who was the only candidate pledging to continue Barack Obama’s policies. She labeled Clinton the “best qualified candidate” for President who “wasn’t perfect, but she was way more perfect than many of the alternatives.”
Yes, she was “perfect” for Republicans, who campaigned against her record of incompetence as secretary of state. The Trump campaign also reminded voters of her missteps and lies regarding the Benghazi terror attack and her mishandling of classified and top-secret email communications.
Only in the mind of a far-left Democrat like Michelle Obama would Hillary Clinton be the “best qualified candidate.” This statement should have been part of a comedy routine, but, incredibly, Michelle Obama was being serious.
To the chagrin of Democrats, Hillary was a terrible candidate who lost, despite enjoying tremendous advantages over Donald Trump. In the 2016 presidential campaign, her political war chest was stuffed with donations from insiders who were convinced she would win. Facing Trump, Hillary had the national news media on her side and their coverage of her pathetic campaign was universally positive. In contrast, Trump was savaged by the liberal news media on a daily basis. In spite of these disadvantages, Trump won a 30-state electoral vote landslide over Hillary. Presumably, Michelle Obama believes that Americans were idiotic to reject the “best qualified candidate.”
Thank goodness the voters turned away from the policies of the “good parent” and did not elect the “best qualified candidate.” This fateful decision upset Michelle Obama and liberal Democrats, but it was an incredibly courageous choice in the face of horrific media bias. In fact, it was one of the wisest electoral decisions of all-time for the 63 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump actually saved America.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.

Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge trashing is despicable

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 9:54am

JOHN K. FLORES

Turning right off LA 317 in Centerville and onto Alice C Road this past weekend, I noticed the air suddenly filled with the putrid smell of rotting carcasses. Approaching, the Yellow Bayou canal on the Garden City Unit of Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge property, black vultures told the story of this disgusting scene. Someone deliberately dumped three dead hogs along the levee next to the bayou.
They literally took the time to load them into a truck from wherever they killed them, traveled to the refuge levee and got rid of them in the most distasteful way.
Earlier that morning, I was on the Centerville Unit of the refuge. What was pitiful was a blatant act of vandalism, where someone had taken a shotgun and blasted holes in one of the kiosk signs on the refuge, apparently using it for target practice.
Basically, they used the sign for sick sport.
If you’re unfamiliar with National Wildlife Refuge signage, they all have the iconic Canada goose symbol. The guys who did this didn’t have to lead, because it’s quite obvious they were aiming at the head of the goose.
First and foremost, I don’t consider whoever did these things to be hunters. They might be guys who like to kill and shoot guns, but they are not Louisiana sportsmen. Their behavior is inappropriate and inexcusable.
Signs aren’t cheap. Typically, all government entities must go through the public bid process when making high-dollar purchases.
Moreover, there are federal standards for signage used on refuges that must be met by suppliers, so they tend to cost more.
In this era of government budget cuts, the refuge system has been taking huge hits where spending is concerned. So, when you think of the vandals, remember, it’s your tax dollars they are messing with.
If it sounds like I have a real problem with this, I do. There is a pile of reasons this behavior is tasteless.
It’s bad optics. In other words, it’s a reflection on the hunting community as a whole of which I am one. There are a lot of people who participate in non-consumptive outdoor activities, such as hiking, birdwatching, canoeing and photography, who choose not to hunt.
But, they are no less outdoor people. You’ll never win these people over with poor behavior when it comes down to a policy decision that impacts public land use.
You’re also breaking the law.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agent, Cpl. Jake Darden, is assigned to St. Mary Parish.
“Litter and destruction of property are both violations you can be charged with,” Darden said. “And, there are multiple other violations stated in the refuge pamphlet you could be in violation of. But, you can be charged with either federal or state offences on refuge property that are punishable by fines or jail time.”
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division Media Relations Officer Adam Einck, says there are three categories for littering: simple, intentional and gross littering. Those convicted of litter violations face between $175 and $1,000 fines and up to eight hours in a litter abatement work program. Dumping violations can carry even more penalties and higher fines, depending on the severity of the dumpsite and the damage to the environment.
“Examples of simple littering can be trash flying out of the back of a pickup bed,” Einck said. “Intentional littering can be someone deliberately throwing trash out of a window onto the roadway and brings up to a $250 fine. Gross littering can be someone depositing large amounts of trash into a ditch or having an illegal dumpsite and carries $500 to $1,000 in fines.”
Criminal damage to property is found in Louisiana R.S. 14:56. Under this law, point B.(1) reads, “Whomever commits the crime of simple criminal damage to property where the damage is less than one thousand dollars, the offender shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.”
Point (4) says, in addition to the foregoing penalties, a person convicted under the provision of R.S. 14:56 may be ordered to make full restitution to the owner of the property.
Bayou Teche NWR is really a jewel to visit, and St. Mary Parish is lucky to have the refuge in our backyard. It’s never going to be a J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, like they have on Florida’s Sanibel Island. It may not even be as popular as, perhaps, Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Louisiana.
But, Bayou Teche NWR’s 9,028 acres, with hiking trails, canoe/kayak paddling and biking trails, may have some things these others do not offer.
One of the refuge’s management goals is to provide critical habitat for the Louisiana black bear, but it’s also important for other wildlife and migratory birds. The latter is what draws me to Bayou Teche each spring.
It’s difficult to determine and know what the economic impact of Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge is to our parish, but one thing is for sure: it won’t provide any economic or intrinsic reward if people continue to trash it.

Area bowlers to compete in state singles competition Friday

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 9:51am

The Tri-City area will be represented at state competition at All Star Lanes in Baton Rouge Friday by several singles qualifiers. The qualifying format this year has changed from taking the top averages of the losing teams’ competitors to instead selecting players based on their ending regular-season average. The bowlers will hit the lanes at 1 p.m. and winners will be determined by total pins knocked down. On the boys’ side, the area will be represented by: Zachary Stewart, Morgan City (205); Jonathan Spinella, Morgan City (193); Zach Aucoin, Morgan City (191); Abram Gilder, Berwick (187); and Dave Laubach, Central Catholic (185). On the ...

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