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Dear Abby: Dentist's office won't contact correct parent

Fri, 01/17/2025 - 6:00am

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have four kids, so there are many, many appointments to make and keep. We both have full-time jobs, so we split up the responsibilities by category; I get the pediatrician visits, and he does orthodontist and dentist. This works fine for me, but for some reason, these offices are stubbornly unwilling to communicate with him as a parent.
No matter who is listed as the contact person, they always call me — the mother. The dentist is particularly bad. They have my husband listed as the main contact. He’s the one who makes all the appointments and takes the kids. My name is listed only as an emergency contact, but they still call me with all the reminders and schedule changes. If I don’t respond, they text me repeatedly.
One time, my husband was late getting to their office, and they called and yelled at me about his lateness. I said I wasn’t sure what they expected me to do about his being late. (I was on a business trip and out of state that day.)
We have explained multiple times that he is the person they need to talk to, and that I am not involved in these appointments. We’ve even had them put notes in the kids’ records, but they still call me first. Do you have suggestions about how to overcome this bias (that doesn’t include me taking over the whole family calendar)?
IGNORED IN DELAWARE

DEAR IGNORED: I certainly do. It appears someone in this dental practice is tone deaf. Rather than discuss this (again) with the office staff, you or your husband should complain directly to the dentist. Tell them this is a mistake that happens repeatedly and that if it happens one more time, you will take your business elsewhere. Then follow through.

DEAR ABBY: My husband of 58 years is an alcoholic, but not a mean one. He used to be the life of the party, but now his days consist of playing games on the computer and going to his friend’s house to drink. He has lost so much weight. He used to like to go places, but no longer. The kids have noticed the changes and so have the grandchildren. I am at my wits’ end because I don’t know what the matter is. His doctors say he’s fine, but he’s not. What can I do now?
OUT OF IDEAS IN TEXAS

DEAR OUT: Your husband may need a second opinion about his health. While there may be nothing physically wrong with him (yet), it appears there may be plenty wrong with him emotionally. He may suffer from depression. He may need to be evaluated neurologically or psychologically.
Something has driven his change in behavior, but no one can solve what’s wrong until you get to the bottom of it. You may be able to gain insight by attending some Al-Anon meetings and discussing this with others who are in the same boat. You can find them at al-anon.org/info.

***

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

Morgan City police radio logs for Jan. 15-16

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:52am

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.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
6 a.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Medical.
9:17 a.m. Sixth/Marshall streets; Suspicious subject.
9:32 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
10 a.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Alarm.
10:54 a.m. Sixth/Belanger streets; Assistance.
11:42 a.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Medical.
12:01 p.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Welfare concern.
12:54 p.m. 1300 block of Nebraska Street; Animal complaint.
1:22 p.m. 100 block of Poncio Street; Patrol request.
1:32 p.m. 700 block of Levee Road; Animal complaint.
1:42 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Theft.
3:04 p.m. 500 block of Barrow Street; Medical.
3:06 p.m. 1800 block of Elm Street; Medical.
3:47 p.m. 1800 block of Dale Street; Medical.
3:51 p.m. 900 block of Everett Street; Remove subjects.
4:12 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.
4:42 p.m. 600 block of Arenz Street; Medical.
5:20 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
7:10 p.m. 100 block of Poncio Street; Complaint.
7:27 p.m. 300 block of Barrow Street; 911 hang up.
7:38 p.m. 300 block of Barrow Street; 911 hang up.
7:52 p.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Welfare check.
11:16 p.m. First Street; Open door
Thursday, Jan. 16
1:48 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.

Hephaestus Queen's Party

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:49am

Submitted photo
The Krewe of Hephaestus celebrated the start of Mardi Gras season with its traditional 12th Night Queen’s Party on Jan. 6 at the home of our Queen Hephaestus LXIV, Natalie Bourgeois. The party was hosted by the queen and her parents. From left are the queen parents, Gerard and Ruth Bourgeois, Queen Natalie, King Hephaestus LXIV Joe Sanford and his wife Gina. Not pictured are the captain of Hephaestus, Ken Conrad, and his wife, Roslyn Conrad.

Hospital looks for ways to fund repairs, upgrades

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:45am

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

The votes have been counted. Hospital Service District No. 2’s property tax is in place. Now it’s time for the district to make the repairs and improvements at Ochsner St. Mary voters were promised.
The district isn’t exactly fighting the clock. But it does have some issues with the calendar.
On Wednesday, Chairman Dr. Bill Cefalu Jr. said it’s important to begin the Ochsner St. Mary work, the need for which Hurricane Francine made obvious, before the next hurricane season.
Ten inches of rain or more, driven by 100 mph winds, pushed water into the Morgan City hospital during Francine, forcing the closure to patient admissions for a couple of weeks after the Sept. 11 storm.
The damage will run into the millions, Cefalu said.
The 9-mill property tax, to be imposed on St. Mary residents from the Calumet Cut east, passed by a 70%-30% margin Dec. 7, is expected to raise $3.4 million for building repairs and maintenance, plus scholarships for local people entering health-related fields.
But the tax, which takes effect this year, won’t put cash in the district’s account until property taxes are paid beginning late in 2025.
So the district is looking for ways to leverage anticipated tax receipts into money for an early start to repairs, which include sealing the hospital against the weather and installing a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
The district voted Wednesday to hire Trinity Capital Inc. to develop a financing strategy.
But the district will have to move fast to obtain financing in time for the June 1 start of the hurricane season, or even the season’s peak in August and September.
The possibilities include issuing bonds backed by the tax revenue and a request for state capital outlay funding.
The bonds would require an OK from the St. Mary Parish Council and the State Bond Commission, a process that is expected to take until May.
The district is also part of a negotiation centering on a damage claim to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Cefalu said Wednesday that a team from FEMA has inspected damage at the hospital. Now the question is whether the district, which owns the hospital building, or Ochsner Health, which operates the hospital under lease, should file the claim.
Also Wednesday:
—The board made its every-other-year choice for leadership positions. Cefalu, a physician who also practices at Ochsner St. Mary, was re-elected as chairman. Angelena Brocato was elected vice chair, and Jackie Cheramie was re-elected treasurer.
—The board will consider using TCI of Baton Rouge for public relations related to the work that will be done at the hospital. The company handled the district’s media messaging leading up to the successful tax vote.

Another infrastructure grant bound for St. Mary

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:35am

Staff Report

Last week’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for St. Mary turned out to be a two-fer.
Not long after U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s office announced $16.7 million in grants headed for Morgan City, the office announced another $2.5 million for Baldwin.
The money will go to “construct a public access road along the south side of the track within the BNSF right-of-way to facilitate vehicle access. It will enhance safety by addressing historical issues with incidents at these locations and will resolve blockages for vehicles and emergency responders.”
Baldwin and BNSF will contribute a 20% match for the federal funds.
“It’s important to invest in Louisiana’s railroads,” Cassidy said in a press release. “This funding will make our railroad crossings safer and build our economy for 2050.”
The grant followed the news in Morgan City, where the money will be used for street lighting, green spaces and other public projects. The big piece is a portion of the citywide walking and bicycle trail that will run from City Hall to South Louisiana Community College’s Young Memorial campus to Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.
The grants work their way into many public service areas, including health (trails for exercise), safety (street-lighting to prevent crime) and education (providing a safe path to the community college.)
“The original vision of working on the Infrastructure and Jobs Act was to create opportunity for state and local governments, but also to create opportunities for local communities to say what their needs are,” said Cassidy, who helped negotiate the IIJA’s passage early in the Biden administration.
The goal is to put Louisiana’s economy where it should be by 2050, Cassidy said.
The IIJA and other grant and relief programs have contributed to a virtual flood of federal money coming into the parish over the last five years.
Funding for the $80 million Bayou Chene Flood Control Structure came from the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority using funds from the BP oil spill settlement. The movable barge at the center of the work was built at Bollinger’s Amelia facility.
During the COVID pandemic, and in addition to stimulus payments directly to local households, about 2,000 jobless St. Mary residents received $600 enhancements to their state unemployment benefits.
The School Board received about $30 million in COVID-related aid, and another nearly $150 million came into the parish by way of forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans.
That’s in addition to millions in recent grants for water and gas system upgrades for Morgan City, Berwick and Patterson.

Taking a bow

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:19am

St. Mary schools photo
Directors, cast and crew performed "Frozen, Jr." Jan. 10-11 at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. The performers are members of the St. Mary Parish Schools Drama Club and were directed by Roland Bennett, Abbie Paradee, Allison Jones and Francesca Dagostino, all educators with the St. Mary Parish Talented Music and Theatre program.

Blanchard joins Terrebonne General staff

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:17am

Terrebonne General Health System announced that Dr. Deanna Blanchard, a family medicine physician, to its medical staff effective Jan. 6.
Blanchard is board-certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. Dr. Blanchard attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology.
She received medical education from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2011. Blanchard went on to complete her pre-internship at New York Medical College, Sound Shore Medical Center in Mount Vernon, New York, and then completed her family medicine residency at East Jefferson General Hospital in New Orleans, where she served as the chief resident 2015-2016.
Blanchard is also a certified culinary medicine specialist and a member of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners Drug Enforcement Administration.
In her personal time, Blanchard enjoys cooking, fishing, reading, yoga, nutrition and fitness, and spending time with friends and family. She is fluent in both English and Spanish and can also speak French.
Blanchard will be practicing at the Multispecialty Clinic in Gray and alongside Dr. Abou Issa at the Chauvin Clinic.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Blanchard join our team,” said Phyllis Peoples, president and CEO. “We look forward to the valuable contributions she will bring to our organization and to the patients we serve.”
The Terrebonne General team consists of 1,600 employees, including 450 medical staff providers in 42 specialties.

Habbit will lead Danos decommissioning effort

Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:15am

Danos has promoted Blake Habbit to lead the growth and development of the company’s Gulf of Mexico decommissioning services.
As operations manager, Habbit will oversee business operations and customer support throughout the decommissioning phase. Leveraging Danos’ diverse portfolio of service offerings, he will coordinate across entities to ensure safe, seamless and efficient management of customers’ end-of-life projects, the company said in a press release.
“Blake’s extensive industry knowledge and proven track record of managing customer accounts make him the perfect fit for this role,” CEO Paul Danos said. “We are confident that under his leadership, our decommissioning services will expand, and we will be able to support the changing needs of our customers as they transition end-of-life assets.”
Habbit has 25 years of industry experience covering offshore production operations, drilling and safety.
He joined Danos as a production services account manager in 2019 and was named senior account manager in 2023.
Habbit earned an associate degree in occupational health and safety from Columbia Southern University. A native of Lafayette, he lives in Youngsville with his wife Katie and their two sons, Mason (10) and Landon (12).
For more information about Danos and decommissioning services, visit danos.com.

Authorities make theft, drug, assault arrests

Wed, 01/15/2025 - 5:37pm

Staff Report

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

Morgan City police reported arrests this week on theft, drug and assault charges, while St. Mary deputies worked domestic abuse and drug cases. Assumption deputies arrested another suspect on kidnapping and drug charges.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 78 calls for service over the last 48-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--James Philip Domangue, 74, Nebraska Street, Morgan City, was at arrested 6:25 p.m. Tuesday on charges of aggravated assault and theft (under $1,000).

--Virginia Anne Sanjuan-Herrera, 45, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested 12:52 p.m. Monday on a charge of disturbing the peace (intoxicated).

--James Philip Domangue, 74, Second Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:19 p.m. Monday on a charge of simple battery.

--Alton Fontenot Jr., Bayou Black Road, Gibson, arrested was arrested at 7:18 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, signals required and driving under suspension.

--Bliss Renee Roy, 49, Franklin Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:39 p.m. Monday on a charge of theft (less than $1,000).

--Sherrica Theriot, 44, Curtis Street, Pierre Part, was arrested at 8:59 p.m. Monday on a charge of failure to appear on a charge of contempt of court (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

St. Mary

Sheriff Gary Driskell reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff's Office responded to 93 complaints and made these arrests:

--Craig J. Theriot Jr., 63, Amelia, was arrested at 4:26 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of domestic abuse battery by strangulation. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Michael Shane Thomas Sr., 40, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of simple battery involving domestic violence.

--Bethany Crochet White, 28, Morgan City, was arrested at 5:20 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on a charge of criminal neglect of family. Bail was set at $4817.74.

--Rayshell Lawanda Williams, 37, Beaumont, Texas, was arrested at 3:50 p.m. Monday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on a charge of theft. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Cory Robert Frank Jones, 39, Patterson, was arrested 9:20 p.m. Monday on a charge of 0theft and on a warrant alleging failure to appear in a charge of operating a vehicle while license is suspended, revoked or canceled. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Jason Matthews, 43, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:24 p.m. Monday by the Narcotics Section on charges of possession of cocaine and obstruction of justice. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Hodges Matthews Jr., 18, Baldwin, was arrested at 4:24 p.m. Monday by the Narcotics Section on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of hydrocodone, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, transactions involving drug proceeds and violation of a drug-free zone.

Bail has not been set at this time.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:
--Ronald Dermonta Frazier, 24, Palm Lane, Labadieville, was arrested Tuesday charges of simple kidnapping, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, aggravated flight from an officer, illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance, illegal use of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of a person under 17, resisting an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, disregarded stop sign and genera speed law.

A uniformed patrol deputy assigned to the I.C.E. detail on Tuesday observed a southbound vehicle on La. 1 south of Napoleonville commit a traffic violation and attempted a traffic stop of that vehicle.

The suspect vehicle accelerated, engaging the deputy in a pursuit exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour. The suspect crossed over to La. 308 at the Supreme Bridge and headed south.

The suspect continued on into Lafourche Parish and into Thibodaux where the vehicle pursuit ended. The suspect now identified as Frazier was captured after a brief foot pursuit.

A K-9 conducted an open-air sniff of the suspect vehicle and alerted positive for the presence of controlled dangerous substances. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of illegal narcotics.

A juvenile occupant requested to be released from the vehicle during the pursuit, but the suspect refused, thus leading to the kidnapping charges.

Frazier was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.

Franklin man arrested on child porn charges

Wed, 01/15/2025 - 4:52pm

A Franklin man has been arrested by state authorities on 30 child porn counts.

The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation said Tyrese Jacoby Hines, 25, Cayce Street, Franklin, was arrested Wednesday on counts alleging pornography involving juveniles under 13, Attorney General Liz Murrill reported.
Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents arrested a man from Franklin on January 15, 2025.

Agents initially got a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This arrest was a result of a joint investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigators

Hines was ultimately booked into the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.

No bond has been set, and Murrill said the investigation continues.