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St. Mary Parish is taking the initiative after a new criminal justice reform law was signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
St. Mary is taking the first step developing a re-entry program for former inmates.
The Capital Area ReEntry Coalition, a nonprofit organization that helps with the transition of ex-offenders back into society, will host a volunteer mentor training 9 a.m.-2 p.m. July 8 in the Siracusaville Recreation Building.
Training will be conducted by Jim Rentz, chaplain of Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, and the Rev. Wilford Johnson, of A New Chapter Transition After Care program, who is also a former ex-offender.
Volunteers are trained to assist with essential pre-release preparation, serve as re-entry support, networking with community and religious organizations, and serving the needs of the incarcerated and his or her family for both male and female inmates.
“We need people who can volunteer and are willing to do the work,” said Ann Poole, facilitator.
Volunteers can be any adult with photo identification and who consents to a background check. Ex-offenders who are not on parole or probation are welcome to volunteer.
Special guests to the training will include James LeBlanc, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Corrections, and James Windom, founder and executive director of the coalition. Local Tri-City area, parish and state law enforcements will attend to support the training.
Volunteers who complete the training will receive certification for general mentorship and mentorship certification with D.O.C. following the background check. A continental breakfast and light lunch will also be provided.
The training part of the program will follow the guidelines and principles of the coalition.
The 10 bills that Edwards signed into law, known as the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Package, aims to reduce Louisiana’s notorious reputation of being the most imprisoned state by reducing the prison population by 10 percent and saving $262 million over the next decade.
The savings are to be invested in policies that will reduce recidivism, or re-offending of ex-offenders, and support victims of crime. The new laws will fully take effect Nov. 1.
The coalition assists with housing, job placement, substance abuse counseling, family counseling, and more, as needed by the ex-offender. Ex-offenders will be managed on a case by case basis and partnered with a mentor. Assistance provided will be based on the individual needs. The developing St. Mary Parish re-entry program is encouraging a peer group among ex-offenders as well as mentorship.
“(Ex-offenders) will challenge you but we are working to pull their walls down,” said Poole.
The overall goal of the re-entry program is to provide a smooth transition of ex-offenders back into society, reduce crime in the community, bring families back together and close the door on re-offending.
For more information about the training and volunteering, contact Poole at 985-354-6106.

February 12, 1935-July 2, 2017
Albert Henry “Sonny” Dinger Jr., 82, a resident of Patterson, passed away Sunday, July 2, 2017, at Teche Regional Medical Center.
Sonny was born Feb. 12, 1935, in Berwick, the son of Albert Henry Dinger Sr. and Lorena Dardar Dinger.
Sonny was a very talented musician and loved to spend his time playing music. He could pick up any instrument and after a few hours he knew how to play it. He was a former maintenance worker for the St. Mary Parish School Board and was also an ordained minister.
He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his stepdaughter, Betty Hebert and husband Albert of Berwick; two grandsons, David Paul Hebert of Gibson and Troy Hebert of Berwick; and two great-grandchildren, Kara Lynn Hebert of Morgan City and Lex Hebert of Berwick.
Sonny was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Henry Dinger Sr. and Lorena Dardar Dinger; and his wife, Bessie H. Dinger.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 5, 2017, at Twin City Funeral Home with a visitation being held from 9 a.m. until the time of the service. Following the services, Sonny will be laid to rest in the Berwick Cemetery.

Morgan City’s newly renovated riverfront wharf on Front Street should officially reopen before the end of the summer, barring any more high water delays, Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said.
The $2.05 million project entailed extending Morgan City’s riverfront wharf by about 200 feet, upgrading the existing 800 feet of wharf and installing composite decking. The wharf will go from Brashear Avenue to Railroad Avenue.
Grizzaffi had hoped to have the riverfront wharf open to the public for the city’s Fourth of July celebration. However, the river conditions have caused substantial delays to the renovations during the past two years.
The new wharf will include electric outlets for boats and city water connections every 60 feet. There will be a grassy park area on the riverfront from Freret Street to the U.S. 90 bridge. The wharf will be an ideal place for shrimp boats to dock and sell shrimp to customers, Grizzaffi said.
A $1.24 million state Department of Natural Resources grant, $370,000 in city funds, $290,000 in port money and a $150,000 donation from the H&B Young Foundation paid for the project. The contractor is Larry Doiron of Morgan City, and the sub-contractor is Coastal Construction & Engineering of Broussard.
Officials had to halt work on the wharf several weeks ago, as workers were doing the finishing touches, due to the Atchafalaya River rising over the wharf.
Work to renovate the wharf began in the fall of 2015, but experienced a nine-month delay only a few months into the project after the city halted construction because of the unseasonably high water that winter.
Workers still have to add 40,000 screws to the top decking of the wharf, but have to wait until the river is consistently low enough to get that work done, Grizzaffi said. The only other work left to be finished is some moving of dirt and an entryway to the wharf at Freret Street, he said.
The river probably needs to drop another half-foot to be able to resume work to finish the wharf renovations, the mayor said.

Recalled consumer products include infant coveralls with a snap that can pose a choking hazard and dressers.
Here’s a more detailed look:
INFANT COVERALLS
DETAILS: Infant Butterfly Garden Coverall & Hat Sets. The coveralls are 100-percent organic cotton, and were sold in blossom pink with white butterflies. There is a white ruffle around the neck that runs down the front of the garment. It has snaps in the crotch and was sold in infant sizes NB, 3M, 6M, and 9M. The manufacture date code of August 2016 (08/2016) is printed on the inside garment tag located inside the seam of the garment.
“Burt’s Bees Baby” and the garment sizes are printed on the inside back of the garment. Only coverall sets with style number LY24195 on the hangtag are included in the recall. They were sold at Babies R Us, BuyBuy Baby, and online at babiesrus.com, buybuybaby.com, amazon.com, kohls.com, target.com, zulily.com, diapers.com, hautelook.com, and burtsbeesbaby.com from December 2016 through May 2017.
WHY: The snap at the crotch of the coveralls can detach, posing a choking hazard to infants.
FOR MORE: Call Burt’s Bees Baby at 877-907-7511 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or visit www.burtsbeesbaby.com.
DRESSERS
DETAILS: Summer Breeze style five-drawer chests of drawers sold in four colors. The model number is printed on a label on the back of the chest. The model numbers and colors are royal cherry with 3746035 or 3746035A, blueberry with 3294035 or 3294035A, chocolate with 3219035 or 3219035A, and white with 3210035 or 3210035A. They were sold at Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Wayfair.com and other online retailers from February 2005 through December 2016.
WHY: The recalled chests are unstable if they are not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children.
FOR MORE: Call South Shore at 800-290-0465 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays, send email to service@southshore.ca or visit www.SouthShoreFurniture.com.
TV CHESTS
DETAILS: Stockholm three-drawer TV chests sold in Java Brown, Sonoma, Sonoma/Java Brown and Java Brown/Sonoma. They were sold at Target.com from May 2015 through August 2016. Model number 249-09-2740, 249-09-0041, 249-09-2739, or 249-09-3429 is located on the back panel of the units.
WHY: The recalled chests are unstable if they are not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children.
FOR MORE: Call Homestar at 855-837-2569 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or visit www.homestarna.com.
VANITY LIGHT FIXTURES
DETAILS: Home Decorators Collection 3-Light and 4-Light Comotti Vanity Fixtures. The light fixture styles have three or four chrome-colored glass shades with clear acrylic ball strands that surround a halogen light. The wall plate is made of reflective stainless steel. They were sold at Home Depot stores nationwide and at www.homedepot.com from December 2014 through March 2017.
WHY: The light shades can detach and fall, posing laceration and burn hazards.
FOR MORE: Call Design Solutions International at 800-388-6141 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., send email to customersupport@dsilighting.com or got to www.dsilighting.com.