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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.
Thursday, Sept. 28
7:12 a.m. 1000 block of Sycamore Street; Theft.
8:12 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Medical.
8:53 a.m. 1200 block of Brashear Avenue; Alarm.
9 a.m. 400 block of Louisa Street; Assistance.
9:32 a.m. 300 block of Wren Street; Alarm.
9:48 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
10:20 a.m. 7800 block of La. 182; Suspicious vehicle.
10:58 a.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Assistance.
11:37 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Removal of subject.
11:56 a.m. 1100 block of McDermott Drive; Criminal damage to property.
12:28 p.m. 800 block of Fourth Street; Suspicious person.
2:26 p.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Theft.
3:04 p.m. 500 block of Duke Street; Frequent patrols.
3:36 p.m. 1200 block of Spruce Street; Complaint.
3:44 p.m. 1000 block of Marguerite Street; Officer stand by.
4:41 p.m. 700 block of Greenwood Street; Alarm.
4:52 p.m. 200 block of Onstead Street; Reckless driving.
5:11 p.m. Mallard and Canary streets; Accident.
6:22 p.m. Sixth and Poplar streets; Suspicious subject.
6:42 p.m. 500 block of Belanger Street; Welfare concern.
6:52 p.m. 400 block of Laurel Street; Complaint.
7:02 p.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Telephone harassment.
7:37 p.m. 1500 block of Bernice Street; Warrant.
8:07 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Arrest.
8:26 p.m. 300 block of Second Street; Complaint.
8:51 p.m. 1500 block of Chestnut Drive; Juvenile problem.
9:41 p.m. Karen Street and Chestnut Drive; Juvenile problem.
9:50 p.m. 200 block of Wren Street; Juvenile problem.
10:10 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
10:58 p.m. 1200 block of Kenneth Street; Alarm.
11:47 p.m. 1000 block of McDermott Drive; Lost and found.
Friday, Sept. 29
12:54 a.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Complaint.
12:58 a.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Complaint.
1:24 a.m. 1500 block of Bernice Street; Arrest.
1:40 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Animal complaint.
1:44 a.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Loud music.
1:52 a.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Removal of subject.
4:39 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.

MORGAN CITY — First Baptist Church members heard the story of how hope can come from a simple shoebox, when Operation Christmas Child spokeswoman Anabel Rosario Fermin gave her testimony Wednesday.
“God was showing me his faithfulness in a shoebox,” said Fermin, who was a recipient of an Operation Christmas Child shoebox when she was a child.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization, in which volunteers donate gifts and pack the gifts in shoeboxes to be distributed around the world.
“A simple seed can turn into the most beautiful faith,” said Kevin Brown, regional director of the organization, in reference to Fermin.
Fermin, who grew up as a pastor’s daughter and in poverty in the Dominican Republic, received a shoebox when she was 10 years old when she prayed to God to finally give her a gift for Christmas.
“My father always told me God is faithful. So I decided to put God up to a test and I prayed for a gift,” said Fermin.
Fermin didn’t receive a gift for Christmas but during kid’s day at her father’s church in January she received a shoe-box.
“I knew then that God is faithful. He answered my prayer and He still does,” said Fermin.
Fermin said she loved all the items in her box, but what she still re-members the most is the picture and letter that she got from the family that packed her box.
“The only thing I recognized is the word ‘love.’ The letter inspired me to learn the (English) language so that I may one day tell this family thank you,” said Fermin.
Years later, while she was attending college, Fermin’s mother, father and oldest sister were killed in a car crash, which made her question her faith. However, Fermin remembers the teaching of her father that God is faithful. She stayed in college.
Fermin moved to Miami to continue her dream of learning English and eventually joined the evangelistic project in 2015.
Since then, Fermin moved to be with her family in Seattle and got married. She currently works as a radio personality but also encourages people to give with Operation Christmas Child since her shoebox pushed her closer to God.
Members of First Baptist Church in Morgan City along with other Morgan City residents and volunteers are working to fill up at least 6,900 shoeboxes to help Operation Christ-mas Child fulfill their goal to pass out 12 million shoeboxes. Residents can drop off gift donations to First Baptist Church during Operation Christmas Child’s national collection week Nov. 13-20.
“God will always place the right child with the right shoebox,” said Fermin. “What a privilege to be a part of something. It’s not just 12 million gifts or shoeboxes but 12 million souls being brought to God.”
Fermin is one of 146 million children who have received a shoebox since the project’s inception in 1993.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

You can almost always find some Louisiana wildflowers blooming throughout the year. The spring and fall seasons, however, are when the most outstanding displays occur.
The fall wildflower season is just getting underway now and will continue through the end of November. The major colors of the fall display are golden yellow, purple, lavender, blue and pink.
Particularly noticeable are tall wildflowers. I already see the royal purple flowers of tall ironweed (Vernonia altissima) towering above surrounding plants. This dramatic wildflower is a perennial that lives and blooms for a number of years. It is beautiful enough to be used as a late-summer- and fall-blooming garden plant. I’ve used it effectively in beds with old garden roses, where the purple combines beautifully with the roses’ scarlet, burgundy, pink and white flowers.
Also notable are large bushes of American beauty berry (Callicarpa americana). Rather than flowers, these plants are known for their showy clusters of red-purple berries along the stems. This native, deciduous shrub is easy to grow in full sun to part shade. You may find plants at area nurseries, or they can be ordered from mail-order nurseries on the internet.
Goldenrods (Solidago sp.) are another group of tall-growing wildflowers. The bright golden yellow flowers are showy and make great cut flowers. By the way, goldenrods do not cause allergy problems this time of the year. Goldenrods are insect pollinated and produce heavy, sticky pollen.
It is the wind pollinated plants that dump pollen into the air in vast quantities and stimulate allergies this time of year. The flowers of wind-pollinated plants are small and insignificant because they do not have to attract insects. The main culprit for fall allergies is giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida), not goldenrod.
The narrow-leafed sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) blooms in October and November and is among the showiest of the fall wildflowers. Bright golden yellow daisy-like flowers with dark centers are produced in great quantity by tall plants. In naturalistic landscapes, it is an outstanding addition to low, wet areas.
Filling in below the taller plants are colorful wildflowers such as the blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum). The lavender blue color of the flowers provides a beautiful contrast to all of the gold-flowered wildflowers. I use this perennial wildflower in flower beds.
Other wildflowers you may see include white, lavender and pink asters (Asters sp.), golden yellow sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) and purple blazing star (Liatris sp.). Lavish displays of these fall wildflowers along with many others make a feast for the eyes for those who will notice.
Gardeners who may struggle to create beautiful displays of flowers in their own landscapes marvel at the way nature seems to achieve such beauty without effort. This may lead gardeners to wonder if they could create a similar effect in their own landscape.
Actually, you can. Fall is a great time to plant wildflower seeds that will produce a colorful display next spring and early summer. In some landscapes, natural-looking areas of wildflowers would be very appropriate. The wild, untamed look of these plants is entirely appropriate in casual, informal landscape designs.
Although the look you are trying to achieve may be spontaneous and natural, growing wildflowers requires planning. Look carefully at the growing conditions in the area where you want to plant wildflowers. You must use the wildflowers that will thrive under those conditions if you expect success. Note especially how much sun the area receives, the texture of the soil and whether the area tends to be damp or dry. You can find wildflowers that can be grown in virtually every environment with proper selection.
Based on the growing conditions in your site, choose a theme for your wildflower garden. Open, sunny areas are perfect for a field or meadow planting. Wildflowers in open areas along highways are typical of this type of planting. A shady woodland setting requires a different set of wildflower species. Even boggy, damp areas can make appropriate wildflower gardens if the proper plants are used.
The easiest type of wildflower garden to establish is the open-field type grown from seed. Fall planting of seeds tends to produce the best results and should be done in late October through November. Spring planting may also be done in late February, but it’s not as good as a fall planting.
Select a sunny area to be planted and eliminate existing vegetation such as aggressive grasses by hand removal or using glyphosate herbicide (Killzall, Roundup, Eraser and other brands). Wildflower seeds will not germinate well in an area with established, thick vegetation. Generally, no fertilizer or soil amendments should be added to the soil during preparation.
For a small planting, mix the wildflower seeds with sand or sandy soil and broadcast them evenly over the area by hand. Make sure you use seeds or seed mixes of species that do well in our state. Provide good seed contact with the soil, if practical, by pressing the seed into the soil with a board or roller.
The seeds should be watered occasionally if the weather is dry. But rainy winter weather generally makes watering unnecessary. Look forward to an abundant display in spring and early summer.