PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news from St. Mary Now. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!
BATON ROUGE – The House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure moved House Bill 136 to the full chamber for debate that halves the waiting period for families with children seeking no-fault divorce from one year to six months.
State law originally required 180 days for parents of minor children seeking no-fault divorce. In 2006, the law was changed to double that waiting period year in an attempt to encourage reconciliation between spouses. State law currently allows spouses without minor children to only wait 180 days.
LSU Family Law professor Andrea Carroll said the bill, authored by Rep. Patrick Jefferson, D-Homer, has support from many law practitioners and the Louisiana State Law Institute.
Carroll said children are harmed by divorce, but harmed much more by the conflict between parents. She also said an entire year is enough time for divorce lawyers to play “legal games” and for new boyfriends and girlfriends of the separated parents to enter the picture.
“There’s nothing more pernicious to our children than to see two spouses who don’t speak to each other,” Jefferson said.
Carroll and Jefferson argued the current process is too complicated and expensive, especially for litigants acting as their own lawyer. Jefferson, who is an attorney in a parish close to Arkansas, said clients have left him to go elsewhere to get divorce because of this requirement.
HB136 also changes spousal support rules to permit support for both a 6-month period before and after a judgment of divorce.
Caroll said the experiment of the 2006 change has “failed” and created “unintended consequences,” mostly increased litigation and conflict between affected families. She said the law does not promote reconciliation any more than a 6-month waiting period — rather, it promotes conflict between parents.
Carroll said lawyers have not seen the predicted outcome that extended time would heal wounds. She said time fostering healing is “extremely rare” for these couples and lawyers in the field have seeen more reconciliations after the divorce judgment is entered rather than during the waiting period, according to lawyers in the field.
Both proponents acknowledged they cannot stop the social epidemic of divorce, but the revision would help mitigate damage to children.
Six months is still longer than much of the remainder of the nation.
Carroll said the vast majority of states have a waiting period between zero and 90 days. Only a few have a longer waiting period than Louisiana.
Rep. Tanner Magee, R-Houma, said the biggest promoter of divorce is not the time-period, but finances. “If you want to stop divorce, just make it really expensive,” he said. “You’ll cut Louisiana divorce by 45 percent within the first year.”
Magee asked specifically about Louisiana’s neighbors, such as Mississippi and Arkansas.
“Let’s not copy Mississippi and Arkansas,” joked Rep. Robbie Carter, D-Amite.
Carroll noted the bill is not derived from data, nor is it anecdotally driven.
Carroll’s colleague, LSU Law Professor John Randall Trahan, opposed the bill, says he was “surprised” to hear Carroll tell the committee there are no social science data to support her argument because the most recent data from 2011 suggests a longer waiting period actually deters divorce, while a shorter waiting period fosters higher rates of divorce.
Trahan argued that many marriages that end up in divorce “are not that conflictual and the data suggests the law should “give more people time to cool off and give them an opportunity to reconcile.”
Louisiana Family Forum Executive Director Gene Mills also disagreed with shortening the waiting period, calling the idea “a terrible thought.” He said the notion of making divorce permanent is “troubling” to him.
Jillian Rodrigue, a Berwick High alumna, graduated April 7 from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Advanced Academy at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland, after she completed the full curriculum that provides the strategic level training and education and the essential skills needed for emergency management professionals to manage dynamic and resilient emergency management programs.
Rodrigue is the daughter of Lindsey “Tiger” and Chris Rodrigue of Berwick. She is the assistant director of Douglas County Emergency Management in Lawrence, Kansas.
Rodrigue completed the four one-week resident courses in the Advanced Academy including: A Survey of Advanced Concepts in Emergency Management, Assessment and Application of Professional Style in Emergency Management, Advanced Concepts and Issues in the Emergency Management Organization and Advanced Concepts and Issues in the Emergency Management Community and Profession.
FEMA’s National Emergency Management Advanced Academy reinforces the qualities needed to manage emergency management programs, provides relevant management theories and concepts, and utilizes appropriate case studies. Advanced Academy participants work within a collaborative environment on projects and establish a network of their peers. The Academy is designed for Emergency Management mid-level managers wanting to advance their skillset. Students learn skills critical to performing emergency management responsibilities, such as: program management and oversight, effective communication at all levels, integrated collaboration, and strategic thinking, along with completing a Research Project one month prior to attending the final course.
The Advanced Academy provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking ability through a guided research project.
Students apply the key learning concepts from the Advanced Academy curriculum relative to their own skillsets and abilities within their organizations, and their own performance environments.
For more information on FEMA’s training classes through the Basic, Advanced, and Executive Academies, or other emergency management courses, go to: http://training.fema.gov/empp/.
Submitted Photo
Teche Regional Medical Center offered thanks to the Central Catholic High School Acts of Random Kindness Club for donating the beautiful Easter baskets for the pediatric patients at Teche Regional. Pictured from left are Sabrina Williams, director of marketing for Teche Regional, and Mary Francis Cali, Emily Price, and Taylor Blanchard of Central Catholic.
An “armed and ready,” Louisiana-based super PAC called Truth In Politics started taking aim at Gov. John Bel Edwards last week not long after lawmakers convened their spring regular session.
With startup funding from a group of well-connected donors like Cajun Industries founder Lane Grigsby and a fundraising operation being headed up by Allee Bautsch, who helped build the campaign war chests of former Gov. Bobby Jindal, the group will operate under a large umbrella that will include 501(c)3, 501(c)4 and 527 structures.
Media consultants have already been hired as well.
While such threats are not uncommon across today’s political landscape, those involved with Truth In Politics insist the effort is not a flash in the pan and that organizers are committed to three years of engagement.
Television, radio, billboards and polling are all part of the larger game plan as Edwards inches toward re-election and navigates one tumultuous session after another.
Kelli Bottger, currently the state director of the Louisiana Federation for Children, will be transitioning away from that position to lead Truth In Politics.
“We’re going to be an accountability hub,” she said. “And we have the whole kitchen sink coming. We’re ready.”
While the focus will be on Edwards, his politics and his policy agenda, Bottger said other elected officials may be taken to task as well by the group.
This creates a possible PAC-against-PAC face-off with Rebuild Louisiana, the pro-Edwards organization being operated by Baton Rouge consultant Trey Ourso.
He said he welcomes the competition and plans to place “an emphasis on truth” as the anti-JBE group gears up.
“We wouldn’t want a PAC named that telling lies about the governor,” he said with a laugh.
The attacks actually started last week with a Truth In Politics digital ad called “Louisiana’s Hurting.”
It claims that the governor “raised taxes on nearly everything” last year.
The spot also seeks to undermine the administration’s session agenda.
Meanwhile, Ourso’s outfit, Rebuild Louisiana, started circulating an internal poll that showed wide support for the governor’s session plan.
A PAC is a political action committee regulated by the state Ethics Administration. Sometimes they oppose or support candidates. In other instances they might just push a single issue.
PACs can be structured in different ways — for example, a super PAC is allowed to raise unlimited donations and does not have to follow the same giving guidelines as standard PACs.
JBE has leadership PAC, too
Not to be outdone by the donor forces acting against him — and in an effort to help groups like Rebuild Louisiana — supporters of Gov. John Bel Edwards quietly established a leadership PAC last year to help further his agenda.
The John Bel Edwards For Louisiana Leadership PAC is definitely off to a much slower start compared to the official Edwards campaign, which raised an impressive $3.3 million last year with roughly that much in the bank as of Feb. 15.
The leadership PAC, being run by Robert and Gwen Barsley of Ponchatoula, raised $77,000 in 2016 and has $65,000 cash on hand.
The governor’s special guest
Gov. John Bel Edwards had a special guest on the House floor with him last week during his session-opening speech — his brother, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards.
It was yet another show of support from the governor for his sibling.
According to The Advocate, “the FBI has launched an investigation into a fraudulent bail-bond scheme within the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, bringing fresh federal scrutiny to the administration of Sheriff Daniel Edwards.”
The sheriff is declining to comment on the investigation while still confirming it, while the governor told Baton Rouge’s daily newspaper in December, “Without any fear of contradiction or ever being proven wrong, I will tell you now, he did not engage in anything improper, much less illegal.”
North Louisiana runoff still hot
Raymond Crews continues his charmed candidacy in the House District 8 runoff with endorsements from U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, Congressman Mike Johnson, Attorney General Jeff Landry and retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness.
With the bulk of Baton Rouge’s business lobby behind him as well, Crews enters the April 29 runoff against Robbie Gatti with a political wind at his back.
But Gatti, a fellow Republican, is by no means going at it alone. His brother — Sen. Ryan Gatti, R-Bossier City — is a legislator, he’s well-liked in his church community, Bossier City Mayor Lo Walker is behind him and the American Physical Therapist Association has endorsed his campaign.
The Louisiana Federation for Children, however, has been pouring money into the race to help Crews push past the finish line, with radio and mail continuing in the runoff.
That total investment could potentially end up being somewhere north of $80,000.
Locally, you couldn’t find a hotter race, especially after the opposition research dump on Gatti in the primary, which largely surfaced on TheHayride.com.
That research questioned everything from personal to business decisions.
Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, among others, have been hands-on. Seabaugh, for his part, recently took to Facebook with this line: “Louisiana can not afford another Gatti in the Louisiana Legislature.”
Political history: Sessions
weren’t always like this
Historically Louisiana lawmakers are fond of making changes to when they meet in legislative sessions.
From its inception in 1812 until 1879 the Louisiana Legislature met on an annual basis. Just like it does now.
The exception was a span of time between 1845 and 1852 when lawmakers decided to go with a biennial 60-day session, meaning every other year.
In fact, lawmakers liked it so much that the Legislature went back to that biennial format in 1880 and stuck with it all the way up until 1954, when Robert F. Kennon was governor.
It was during the 1954 session that lawmakers advanced a constitutional amendment that set up the session framework we’re all familiar with today.
That legislation called for annual sessions, with those held in odd-numbered years hosting budget and fiscal matters.
Over the years lawmakers have reversed that order, going to tax matters only in even-numbered years and, more recently, switching back to the 1954 model of having fiscal sessions in odd-numbered years.
The December 1954 edition of the Louisiana Law Review dives into a bit of this history and also made this observation, which serves as a reminder that some things never change at the Capitol:
“Anyone surveying the total of the legislative product cannot fail to be impressed with the large number of relatively trivial matters upon which the legislature is compelled to expend time during each session.”
They said it
“A good tax is one someone else pays and a bad one is one I pay.”
—Rep. Kenny Havard, R-St. Francisville
“This hearing gives me a headache every year. I’m sorry. It’s horrific.”
—Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, during a higher education budget meeting
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
There is a new book on a number of best selling lists about former President Richard Nixon by author John Farrell.
Nixon became the first and only president to resign from office. Those of you too young to remember the events surrounding Watergate missed one of the most riveting episodes of American history.
Nixon survived a number of bitter political fights, but he had always been able to bounce back. However, it was his own words in secret recordings that he personally authorized in the Oval Office that finally led to his downfall.
Throughout his political career, the 37th president made a number of trips to Louisiana. Nixon’s first trip to the Bayou State was with his wife Pat in 1941, shortly after they were married.
“I remember how we were moved by the wonderful food and the good music, but most of all by the warmth of the hospitality,” he often recalled.
He made fast friends with trumpeter Al Hirt and clarinetist Pete Fountain, both of whom he later invited to perform at the White House.
Nixon lost his first bid for president in a close defeat to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Some 10,000 votes could have changed the outcome, and some political observers still feel the election was stolen from Nixon by election shenanigans in Chicago.
Two years later, he tried for a political comeback running for governor of California, but was defeated by then Governor Pat Brown, whose son is the state’s governor today. Nixon told reporters he was through with politics, and they “wouldn’t have Nixon to kick around any more.”
But rumors surfaced a few years later that he again might be interested in the Republican nomination. I was class president at Tulane Law School in 1966 and had the chore of arranging speakers. On a whim, I wrote Nixon asking him to address the Tulane student body.
To my surprise, he accepted.
Over a lite lunch at the Tulane Student Center, he quizzed me about Louisiana politics and asked a number of questions about my background and future plans. I found him engaging, funny, and quite the dominating figure one would expect of a former vice president.
I introduced him to the packed crowd, and it was obvious from his remarks that he was running for president again. He invited my wife-to-be and me to join him for a Republican Party fundraising dinner that evening, and future governor Dave Treen joined us. Treen and I both felt like we were listening to the next president.
As the evening ended, his chief of staff asked if I would consider joining the campaign by heading up a Nixon for President group being formed in New Hampshire, the first primary state.
I was tempted, but chose instead to begin a new family and a new law career in the Crescent City.
My only other meeting with Nixon was in July 1972 at the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in the south Louisiana town of Houma.
We both were there for the funeral of U.S. Sen. Allen Ellender. An hour before the funeral, over a thousand people were packed into the street in front of the entrance.
Metal barriers had been set up to keep the crowd at bay, and the church was surrounded by state troopers, local police officers and numerous Secret Service agents.
It became obvious why there was so much security. President and Mrs. Nixon were to join a long list of dignitaries to remember the senator.
I had no official invitation and was just one of the crowd standing on the outside of the barriers. I was a new state senator then, and I hollered out a greeting to a colleague, state Sen. Claude Duvall, who was inside the barricade.
It was a stroke of luck, because Claude was in charge of the seating arrangements. He graciously opened up the gate, and led me into the cathedral.
Half an hour later, the official delegation that had just arrived from Washington was escorted into the church sanctuary.
When the president entered, he was led by the Secret Service to sit directly in front of me.
I introduced myself and reminded him of his visit to Tulane, and the offer to go up to New Hampshire. He said that I had missed a great opportunity.
Watergate proved otherwise. But he also told me that if I had to be living and working somewhere, Louisiana was one of the best places to be. He sure was right about that.
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.
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 18
8:42 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Assistance.
9:15 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Transfer.
9:37 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Warrant.
9:47 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
9:56 a.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Warrant.
10:07 a.m. 6600 block of La. 182; Suspicious vehicle.
10:53 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
12:11 p.m. 1700 block of Youngs Road; Animal complaint.
1:20 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.
1:21 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Complaint.
1:37 p.m. 6200 block of La. 182; Stalled vehicle.
1:49 p.m. 1000 block of Greenwood Street; Complaint.
2:14 p.m. 900 block of Federal Avenue; Arrest.
2:26 p.m. 700 block of Front Street; Complaint.
2:43 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
2:57 p.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Alarm.
3:11 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
3:13 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
3:17 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
4:04 p.m. 700 block of Justa Street; Assistance.
4:08 p.m. Railroad Avenue and Avoca; Arrest.
4:24 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
4:43 p.m. 200 block of Mallard Street; Complaint.
4:54 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
6:14 p.m. 1900 block of Federal Avenue; Alarm.
6:47 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Reckless driving.
7:04 p.m. 100 block of 11th Street; Assistance.
8:25 p.m. 200 block of Leona Street; Suspicious activity.
9:04 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Frequent patrols.
9:25 p.m. Bowman Street; Theft.
10:58 p.m. 100 block of Glenwood Street; Frequent patrols.
11:04 p.m. 200 block of Leona Street; Suspicious activity.
11:54 p.m. 400 block of Laurel Street; Frequent patrols.
Wednesday, April 19
1:24 a.m. 200 block of South Railroad Avenue; Medical.
3:07 a.m. 200 block of South Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
4:27 a.m. 1300 block of Oil Tank Alley; Removal of subject.
BALDWIN _ The Delcambre Panthers edged past the West St. Mary Wolfpack 8-7 in 10 innings here Tuesday in District 6-2A action at WSM Baseball Field.
West St. Mary pitcher Oshay Phillips worked seven complete innings before giving way to relievers Dondre Johnson and Trey Jack.
Daylon Richard led the Wolfpack after going 2 for 3 with a run.
West St. Mary (4-7, 2-3) will travel to face Loreauville on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in District 6-2A action.
The Wolfpack will close out the regular season on Friday with a double-header at Franklin beginning at 4 p.m.
CENTERVILLE _ Pitcher Rylie Candella fired a one-hitter, leading No. 13 seed Centerville Lady Bulldogs past No. 20 Arcadia 15-0 in three-innings here Tuesday in the State Class A bi-district playoff game at Lady Bulldog Field.
Candella dominated in the circle, allowing no runs on only one hit while fanning five.
Leading hitters for Centerville were: Racheal LeBlanc, 3 for 3, double, 2 singles, 3 RBI; Chelsi Hebert, 2 for 2, 2 RBI; Hailey McDaniel, 2 for 2, single, sacrifice bunt; Naveah McDaniel, 1 for 2; Marlee Darden, 1 for 2; Nina Darden, 1 for 1, single, walk and Allyria Austin, 3 runs.
Centerville advanced to the second round of the State Class A playoffs with the 15-0 triumph over Arcadia.
The No. 13 Centerville Lady Bulldogs will travel to face No. 4 South Cameron on Friday at 5 in the State Class A second-round.
MANY 15, WEST ST. MARY 0
MANY _ Highly regarded Many toppled the West St. Mary Lady Wolfpack 15-0 here Tuesday in three-innings in the Class 2A playoffs.
The No. 2 seed Many Lady Tigers advanced to the second round of the Class 2A playoffs with the opening round win over West St. Mary.
Edward “Uncle Pop” Charles, Jr., 81, a resident and native of Four Corners, La., passed away on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at 10:50 a.m. at his residence.
Edward was a Veteran United States Army, receiving an Honorable Discharge.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday April 22, 2016 from 8 a.m. until funeral services at 11 a.m. at the St. John Baptist Church Four Corners, La., the Rev. Dr. David Jones, Pastor will officiate. Burial with Military Honors will follow in the Sorrel Community Cemetery in Sorrel.
Memories of Edward or Uncle Pop will forever remain in the hearts of his two sons, Aaron Perkins of Midlothian, Illinois and Darryl Gilton of Country Club Hill, Illinois; two daughters, Mrs. Lloyd (Caryl) Maxwell of Chicago, Illinois and Mrs. Donnie (Shartina) Bridges of Louisville, Kentucky; three brothers, Roland Charles Sr. and King Charles Sr. all of Four Corners, La. and Leonard Ray Charles of Dallas, Texas; five sisters, Martha Charles and Mrs. Donald (Evelyn) Simpson, Doretha Turner, and Mrs. Barry (Ellen) Lewis all of Houston, Texas and Mrs. Percy (Verna) Jennings of Chicago, Illinois; eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends who realizes that Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.
Edward was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, four brothers, and two sisters.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette-Houma in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255