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A Franklin man was arrested for alleged drug and wildlife violations and two other Franklin men were cited with alleged wildlife violations.
On Sept. 26, Eric L. Peltier, 38, was charged with possession of methamphetamine, hydrocodone, Xanax, clonazepam, marijuana, possession of a firearm while in possession of illegal drugs, intentional concealment of illegally taken wildlife, hunting deer from a boat, hunting deer during illegal hours with artificial light, hunting deer during a closed deer season, possessing a firearm while frogging at night, collecting reptiles/amphibians and fishing without a basic fishing license.
Leon P. Savoie, 39, and Shelly G. Lee, 38, were charged with intentional concealment of illegally taken wildlife, hunting deer from a boat, hunting deer during illegal hours with artificial light, hunting deer during a closed deer season, possessing a firearm while frogging at night, collecting reptiles/amphibians and fishing without a basic fishing license.
Agents with the Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and stopped a vessel around 11 a.m. to perform a boating safety and creel check. Agents reportedly found Peltier in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. Upon completion of the investigation, agents located several other types of suspected illegal narcotics belonging to Peltier including hydrocodone, Xanax, and clonazepam.
The three individuals had set out to go fishing with jug lines and to catch frogs without basic fishing licenses, officials say. They also learned that while frogging after dark the subjects spotted a deer and shot it from their vessel with the assistance of an artificial light. After shooting the deer, the subjects hid the deer in the front storage compartment of the vessel.
Agents seized a doe deer, an 18-foot vessel, 35 horsepower outboard motor, a 12 gauge shotgun, the illegal narcotics and a .22 caliber pistol. Peltier was booked into the St. Mary Parish Jail.
Intentional concealment of illegally taken wildlife, taking deer during a closed season and hunting deer during illegal hours brings a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail for each offense. Possession of a firearm while frogging carries a $250 to $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Hunting deer from a boat carries a $100 to $350 fine and up to 60 days in jail. Collecting frogs and fishing without a basic fishing license carries up to a $50 fine and 15 days in jail for each offense. They may also face civil restitution totaling $1,624 for the illegally taken deer.
Buddy, a five-year-old Dutch Shepherd from the St. Mary Parish Sheriffs Office K-9 unit was the special guest, accompanied by his partner Detective Chris Crappell. Rev. Stephen H. Crawford performed the blessing.
Photos by CASEY COLLIER
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A Berwick High School football player took a knee during Friday’s homecoming game in Berwick against Ascension Episcopal.
The player’s father was also escorted out of the game after allegedly cursing at other people in the stands toward the end of the game, according to a report by KLFY in Lafayette.
Berwick High cornerback Keyon Singleton was the only member of his team to take a knee during the national anthem.
The protest comes a week after President Donald Trump made comments at a rally in Alabama saying that he would be in favor of NFL owners firing players who kneel in protest during the national anthem.
Other high school players around the country have also kneeled in protest in addition to NFL players. The original protests began in August 2016, when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat on the bench during the national anthem at a preseason game in protest of racial inequality and police brutality against minorities.
St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent Leonard Armato issued the following statement in response to Singleton kneeling during the national anthem.
“We expect and encourage our students to stand for the national anthem and the flag. We also respect an individual’s first amendment right. As a system, we rather see an individual take the protest to another venue and not bring the protest to a high school event,” Armato said.
Armato said that taking a knee during the national anthem is not a punishable offense for the student.
Floyd Malveaux, Singleton’s father, told KLFY that his son decided on his own that he would take a knee due to racial injustices and also because he is aware of the third verse of the national anthem, which he says his son finds racist.
Malveaux said when he returned to the stands, another parent approached him and began swearing and using inappropriate language, the article stated.
A verbal altercation allegedly ensued between the two parents. However, when the police arrived Malveaux said he was told to leave but not the other parent, the KLFY article said.
The Daily Review attempted to contact Malveaux Monday morning through Facebook, but had not received a response back as of 9 a.m.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard confirmed that officers responded to a complaint in the stands with just a couple of minutes left in the game.
Officers responded at about 10 p.m. Friday to the complaint of a man allegedly cursing, Richard said. The man was escorted out of the game and removed from the stadium, Richard said. The man wasn’t arrested in the incident, and Richard wouldn’t confirm any of the names of the parties allegedly involved.
Richard did say that the man “was not removed from the stands because someone was kneeling.”
Richard said the man “was removed from the stands and removed from the park because of the cursing and profanity.”
The alleged incident in the stands stemmed from “some type of discussion he was having with others in the stands,” the chief said.
“No officer witnessed any of that (discussion),” Richard said.
However, officers did witness “the cursing and foul language he was using,” the chief said. Officers didn’t witness anyone else cursing when they responded to the complaint, Richard said.
In the first four weeks of the season, the Central Catholic Eagles have shown improvement as they navigated their predistrict schedule, whether it was in the run game, the win column the passing game or its defense.
This week, the Eagles will attempt to take that next step with a young squad when it faces Lafayette Christian, Class 1A’s fourth-ranked team in the latest Louisiana Sports Writers Association 1A poll, Thursday at 7 p.m. in Morgan City.
“When you look at the schedule before the season starts, you realize that Lafayette Christian is probably the (district) favorite by most people coming into this year because they have I think it was 18 returning starters off of a team last year that went 7-3 so a lot of experience back on that team and a lot of talented players,” Central Catholic Coach Tommy Minton said. “We were young coming in. We had to replace a lot of guys, and I feel like we’ve gotten experience every week. We played some tough competition early in the year, and this is the game we wanted to kind of be peaking for, and hopefully we’re doing that.”
Central Catholic (2-2 overall, 1-0 in district) comes into this week’s matchup, riding a two-game winning streak.
The Eagles defeated Gueydan, 46-29, a week ago. Central Catholic trailed 29-22 at halftime but outscored Gueydan 24-0 in the second half and held the Bears to just one first down.
Meanwhile, Lafayette Christian (4-0, 1-0) topped Highland Baptist, 56-7.
Lafayette Christian junior quarterback Zachary Clement had three passing touchdowns, while the Knights’ defense held Highland Baptist standout running back to 11 carries for minus-4 yards rushing.
Minton agreed that Thursday night’s district matchup would be a great atmosphere.
“The kids are excited,” Minton said Wednesday. “It’s been a phenomenal week of practice. I told the coaches yesterday when we walked in after practice we couldn’t have asked for three better days of effort so far from the kids and focus. That goes a long way in being prepared for game night, and I’m just pleased with the way they’ve prepared and pleased with the attitude and hopefully that’s going to carry over into a great effort on Thursday.”
As for the Knights, the Eagles will face a squad that Minton said runs and passes the ball well.
“Offensively, they’re really tough to defend, because most of the time in high school when you go into a game, you feel like if you take away the run game or if you take away the pass game, you cripple a team, but they do both of those very, very well,” Minton said. “If you take away one, they can do the other just as good. When you look at Clement, the quarterback, and then Breaux, the running back, they’re two of the best athletes in the district, so we’re going to really, really have to do a good job of tackling on those guys.
“We’re going to have to do a good job of limiting big plays,” Minton added. “We want to make them try to earn everything, make them try to go on 10 to 12 plays and let them make a mistake and not give up the big play, which that’s easier said than done when you dealing with a bunch of good athletes like they have.”
Defensively, Minton said the Knights run a 3-4 look and have some size.
“They present a great challenge, but over the years, this is the games you like to be in,” Minton said. “You like to be in meaningful games. You like to be in games where you got to compete all week long to prepare for. If you know that you can show up on Friday night and you’re physically superior than the other team, then it kind of takes some of the fun out of it. These are the games that you want to be a part of. These are the games that help determine championships, and it’s fun to be in.”
Offensively, the Eagles’ run game has led the way this year.
Senior running back Chris Singleton has rushed 81 times for 670 yards and 10 touchdowns, while sophomore Davidyione Bias has carried the ball 65 times for 392 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Sophomore quarterback Taylor Blanchard has completed 12 of 26 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions
Junior DeDe Gant leads the Eagles’ receivers with eight catches for 156 yards.
Additional reporting by www.theadvertiser.com/sports
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As we move into fall, many gardeners consider this the end of the vegetable gardening season in Louisiana. What a pity. An amazing selection of vegetables can only be grown here during the cool season from October through April. And these cool-season vegetables include some of the most delicious, nutritious and popular ones around.
Prepare the beds
Whether you are planting into an existing vegetable garden or starting a new one, you must pay careful attention to bed preparation to ensure success. Before planting, do a thorough job of removing any weeds that may have grown in the bed, or remove existing turf if this is a new bed. Turn the soil to a depth of 8 inches and spread a 2-to-4-inch layer of organic matter (compost, rotted manure, composted soil conditioner) over the bed.
Sprinkle a general-purpose fertilizer over the organic matter following package directions. In some areas of the state you may need to add some lime at this time. Do not apply lime unless you have had your soil tested and it indicates you need to. Finally, thoroughly incorporate everything into the soil.
If you prefer to garden in raised beds, which are generally less labor-intensive and easier to manage, kill (using an herbicide like glyphosate) and remove any vegetation growing where the beds will be built. Build the raised beds about 8 to 12 inches deep and 3- to 4-feet wide using your choice of materials, such as lumber, bricks or cinder blocks. The length is up to you. Fill them with a blended topsoil or garden soil mix you purchase in bags from local nurseries or in bulk from local soil companies. Incorporate fertilizer into the soil, but you generally will not need to add organic matter to a purchased topsoil or garden soil mix.
Crops to plant
Broccoli is an easy-to-grow and productive fall vegetable. Transplants are available at area nurseries now and can be planted through mid-October. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in rows or beds. The 12-inch spacing will produce smaller heads, but total production is greater because you have more plants.
Broccoli heads are harvested when the largest flower buds in the head are about the size of the head of a kitchen match. After the main head is harvested, the plant will produce side florets, and harvesting can continue for several weeks, often doubling the production of each plant.
Cauliflower transplants should be spaced 18- to 24-inches apart; spacing closer than 18 inches will greatly reduce the size of the head. Cauliflower produces only one head, so after harvest, remove the entire plant to make way for something else.
For white heads, blanch the cauliflower by pulling the leaves up over the head when it is about the size of a golf ball. Fasten the leaves with a clothes pin and check the head frequently. Harvest before the curds of the head starts to separate.
Other related vegetables include cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and collards. All of these can be planted from seed or transplants now through February.
Garlic may be planted now through November. Break the bulb into individual cloves, and plant them by pressing the big end down, pointy end up into a prepared bed. The tip of the garlic should be about one-quarter inch below the soil surface. Space the cloves 4 to 6 inches apart in rows spaced about 15-inches apart.
Garlic growth is slow, and the 15-inch space between rows can be used for intercropping.
Intercropping is a term used when two or more different vegetables are grown in the same space at the same time. The garlic plants will not need the 15 inches between the rows for several months, so a quick-growing vegetable can be grown in that area and harvested before the garlic needs it. Good choices would include radishes, leaf lettuce, beets and spinach. These vegetables are not large growers and will be harvested long before the garlic is ready next May.
Intercropping may also be done with other vegetables that are initially spaced far apart, such as cabbage and cauliflower.
Other vegetables related to garlic, including green or bunching onions, shallots, bulbing onions and chives, can also be planted now using transplants or seeds. In late November or early December, you may plant sets (small bulbs) of bulbing onions. Choose short-day or day-neutral cultivars of bulbing onions.
Root crops are also excellent for the cool-season vegetable garden. Root crops should always be directly seeded where they will grow and never transplanted. The tiny root the seed first sends out eventually develops into the edible vegetable. If this is damaged, as often happens when you transplant seedlings, the result is a deformed root.
Plant the seeds rather thickly to make sure you get a good stand, and then thin the seedlings to the proper spacing. Some commonly planted root crops and the proper spacing are: beets, 3 to 4 inches; radishes, 2 to 3 inches; turnips, 3 inches; carrots 2 inches; and rutabagas, 4 inches.
Some vegetables that can be planted this month include beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collard, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas (English and snow), radish, rape, rutabaga, shallot, Swiss chard, turnip and many herbs, such as thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, French tarragon, lavender, chives, cilantro, dill, mints and parsley.
WASHINGTON — It’s flu shot time, and health officials are bracing for a potentially miserable fall and winter.
The clues: The Southern Hemisphere, especially Australia, was hit hard over the past few months with a flu strain that’s notorious for causing severe illness, especially in seniors.
And in the U.S., small clusters of that so-called H3N2 flu already are popping up.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen but there’s a chance we could have a season similar to Australia,” Dr. Daniel Jernigan, influenza chief at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press.
The worrisome news came as the government urged Americans Thursday to make sure they get a flu shot before influenza starts spreading widely. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price got his own jab to publicize the importance, saying, “There’s no reason not to get protected.”
Last year, only about 47 percent of the population was vaccinated.
CDC’s Jernigan cautions there’s no good way to predict how bad the upcoming flu season will be. That H3N2 strain caused infections here last year, too. And although strains that circulate in the Southern Hemisphere often spread to North America and Europe, there’s no guarantee it will make a repeat performance.
Still, H3N2 is “the bad actor,” said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “If you needed another reason to get vaccinated, there it is. Best get that protection.”
Also Thursday, World Health Organization flu advisers meeting in Australia recommended updating future vaccines for the Southern Hemisphere to strengthen H3N2 protection.
Flu does constantly evolve, forcing new vaccine to be brewed each year to match the strains specialists expect to cause most illness. In the U.S., CDC’s Jernigan said this year’s shots aren’t perfect — but that the H3N2 strain traveling around the globe hasn’t significantly changed, so the vaccine remains a pretty good match.
“It’s the best tool we have right now for preventing disease,” he said in an interview.
Some things to know about the once-a-year rite of flu vaccination:
WHO NEEDS A SHOT?
Everybody, starting at 6 months of age, according to the CDC.
Flu is most dangerous for people over age 65, young children, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions such as asthma or heart disease.
But it can kill even the young and otherwise healthy. On average, the CDC says flu kills about 24,000 Americans each year, and last year, the toll included 105 children.
Last year, three-fourths of babies and toddlers — tots ages 6 months to 2 years — were vaccinated. So were two-thirds of adults 65 and older.
HOW WELL DOES THE VACCINE PROTECT?
The CDC says people who get flu shots have a 40 percent to 60 percent lower chance of getting seriously ill than the unvaccinated. If someone is infected despite vaccination, generally they have a milder illness than if they’d skipped the shot, Schaffner said.
“I like to tell my patients, ‘You’re here complaining, that’s wonderful — you didn’t die,’” he said.
DON’T DELAY
It takes about two weeks for good protection to kick in. Flu season tends to peak around January, but there’s no way to know when it will start spreading widely.
Manufacturers say between 151 million and 166 million doses will be available this year. It’s already widely available in doctors’ offices and drugstores.
WILL THE SHOT MAKE ME SICK?
You can’t get influenza from flu shots, specialists stress. But flu vaccine doesn’t protect against colds or other respiratory viruses that people can confuse with influenza.
LOTS OF OPTIONS
The regular flu shot comes in versions that protect against either three or four strains of influenza — including that problematic H3N2 strain, another Type A strain known as H1N1, and one or two strains of Type B flu.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about other options which are available for certain age groups.
For needle-phobes, there’s a skin-deep vaccine that uses tiny needles, and a needle-free jet injector that shoots another vaccine through the skin.
Two vaccine brands target the 65-and-older crowd. They’re especially vulnerable to flu’s dangerous complications because they tend to have more underlying health problems than younger people — and because standard flu shots don’t work as well with age-weakened immune systems. One high-dose version contains four times the usual anti-flu ingredient, while a competitor contains an extra immune-boosting compound.
And for those worried about allergies from eggs used in the production process, two more vaccines are egg-free.
SORRY KIDS, NO NASAL SPRAY OPTION
FluMist, a less ouchy nasal spray vaccine, once was popular with children. But last year, a baffled CDC said it was no longer protecting against certain influenza strains as well as regular flu shots — and told doctors not to use it. That’s the same advice this year: Youngsters will need a shot, just like their parents.
And for kids between the ages of 6 months and 8 years who are getting a first-ever flu vaccination, they’ll need two doses a month apart.
THE COST
Insurance covers most flu vaccinations, often without a copayment. For those paying out of pocket, prices can range between $32 and $40.
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