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!
The Morgan City Police Department is seeking the whereabouts of Mary A. Landry. Landry is wanted on a charge of felony theft from a local business and on numerous narcotic violations.
Landry 39 years, is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weights about 150 pounds. Here last known address is in the 1500 block of Main Street in Patterson.
Anyone knowing Landry\s whereabouts is urged to contact the Morgan City Police Department at 985-380-4605.
A 41-year-old Bayou Vista man was arrested Thursday after a deputy found a stolen license plate on his vehicle, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert said in a news release.
—Richard Sauce, 41, of Polaris Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 6:26 p.m. Thursday on a charge of filing a false report and illegal possession of stolen things.
While investigating a civil complaint, a deputy found that Sauce gave false information. Sauce told deputies over the phone that he was out of town. However, a deputy located his vehicle in the parking lot of a business in Bayou Vista and then located Sauce at the business.
The deputy also found that the license plate displayed on Sauce’s vehicle had been reported stolen. Sauce was jailed with no bail set.
Hebert reported responding to 37 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrest in east St. Mary Parish:
—Heidi Sams, 38, of Fourth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:29 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of direct contempt, careless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to honor written promise to appear.
Sams was also charged on a warrant for probation violation. A deputy investigating a civil matter encountered Sams at a residence on Polaris Road in Bayou Vista and located the active warrants for her arrest. Sams was jailed with no bail set.
Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported the following arrests:
—Shanita Evans, 38, of Oak Street in Morgan City, arrested at 10 a.m. Thursday on a charge of theft by shoplifting.
Officers responded to an alleged shoplifting complaint at a local business on La. 182. Upon arriving officers spoke with management who identified Evans as being observed concealing merchandise in her purse valued at $56.29.
Evans was detained by store personnel at which time police were contacted. Evans allegedly admitted to the theft. Evans was jailed.
—Joshua A. Falgout, 37, of Sycamore Street in Morgan City, arrested at 10:40 a.m. Thursday on a charge of contempt of court. Falgout, who was already incarcerated at the Morgan City jail, was booked on a city court warrant.
—Taylor Murphy, 22, of Green Leaf Boulevard in Morgan City, arrested at 1:55 p.m. Thursday on a charge of theft by shoplifting and warrant charging her with probation violation.
Officers responded to an alleged shoplifting complaint at a business on La 182. Upon arrival, officers spoke with management, who stated that a woman was observed concealing merchandise in her purse valued at $105.91 and had left the business prior to officers’ arrival.
Police received a description of the woman and located Murphy in the area moments later. While speaking with officers, Murphy allegedly admitted to the theft. Murphy also had a city court warrant for her arrest. Murphy was jailed.
—Latifah Friels, 24, of Fifth Street in Morgan City, arrested at 4 p.m. Thursday on a charge of direct contempt of court.
Friels was arrested in city court. Friels allegedly did not abide by the terms or her court ordered probation. Friels was jailed.
—Heidi R. Sams, 38, of Fourth Street in Morgan City, arrested at 6:28 p.m. Thursday on a charge of probation violation. Sams was located at the police department and arrested on a city court warrant. Sams was jailed.
—Patricia A. Horton, 51, of Cypress Street in Morgan City, arrested at 10:24 p.m. Thursday on warrants charging her with possession of synthetic marijuana and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug free zone.
Horton was located at a home on Cypress Street and arrested on warrants. The warrants stem from a February investigation.
Officers allegedly came in contact with Horton in the area of Egle Street. During the encounter, Horton was found to be in possession of suspected synthetic marijuana. The area where the incident took place was in a drug free zone. The suspected synthetic marijuana was sent to the crime lab for analysis and an arrest warrant was prepared for Horton’s arrest. Horton was jailed.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrest:
—Glenn Guidry, 36, of Carline Street in Berwick, was arrested at 2:10 p.m. Thursday on a charge of disturbing the peace intoxicated fifth offense. Bail was set at $256.
Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported no arrests.
WASHINGTON — Cancer patients often wonder “why me?” Does their tumor run in the family? Did they try hard enough to avoid risks like smoking, too much sun or a bad diet?
Lifestyle and heredity get the most blame but new research suggests random chance plays a bigger role than people realize: Healthy cells naturally make mistakes when they multiply, unavoidable typos in DNA that can leave new cells carrying cancer-prone genetic mutations.
How big? About two-thirds of the mutations that occur in various forms of cancer are due to those random copying errors, researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday in the journal Science.
Whoa: That doesn’t mean most cases of cancer are due solely to “bad luck.” It takes multiple mutations to turn cells into tumors — and a lot of cancer is preventable, the Hopkins team stressed, if people take proven protective steps.
Thursday’s report is an estimate, based on a math model, that is sure to be hotly debated by scientists who say those unavoidable mistakes of nature play a much smaller role.
But whatever the ultimate number, the research offers a peek at how cancer may begin.
And it should help with the “why me” question from people who have “done everything we know can be done to prevent cancer but they still get it,” said Hopkins’ Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a pioneer in cancer genetics who co-authored the study. “They need to understand that these cancers would have occurred no matter what they did.”
GENE MUTATIONS CAUSE CANCER BUT WHAT CAUSES THE MUTATIONS?
You might inherit some mutations, like flaws in BRCA genes that are infamous for causing aggressive breast and ovarian cancers in certain families.
More commonly, damage is caused by what scientists call environmental factors — the assault on DNA from the world around us and how we live our lives. There’s a long list of risks: Cigarette smoke, UV light from the sun, other forms of radiation, certain hormones or viruses, an unhealthy diet, obesity and lack of exercise.
Then there are those random copy errors in cells — what Vogelstein calls our baseline rate of genetic mutations that will occur no matter how healthy we live.
One way to think of it: If we all have some mutations lurking in our cells anyway, that’s yet another reason to avoid known risks that could push us over the edge.
HOW CELLS MAKE TYPOS
New cells are formed when an existing cell divides and copies its DNA, one cell turning into two. Every time DNA is copied, about three random mutations occur, Vogelstein said.
We all harbor these kinds of mutations and most don’t hurt us because they’re in genes that have nothing to do with cancer or the body’s defense mechanisms spot and fix the damage, said Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society, who wasn’t involved in the new research.
But sometimes the errors hit the wrong spot and damage genes that can spur cancerous growth or genes that help the cell spot and fix problems. Then the damaged cells can survive to copy themselves, allowing important mutations to gradually build up over time. That’s one reason the risk of cancer increases with age.
THE STUDY FINDINGS
Thursday’s study follows 2015 research by Vogelstein and statistician Cristian Tomasetti that introduced the idea that a lot of cancer may be due to “bad luck,” because those random DNA copying mistakes are more common in some kinds of cancer than others. Cancer prevention advocates worried the idea might sway people to give up on healthier lifestyles.
This time around, the duo analyzed mutations involved in 32 types of cancer to estimate that 66 percent of the gene flaws are due to random copy errors. Environmental and lifestyle factors account for another 29 percent, while inherited genes made up just 5 percent of the mutations.
DIFFERENT ORGANS, DIFFERENT RISKS
The same person can harbor a mix of mutations sparked by random DNA mistakes, heredity or environmental factors. And which is the most common factor differs by cancer, the Hopkins team said.
For example, they estimate that random cell errors account for 77 percent of critical mutations in pancreatic cancer — while still finding some caused by lifestyle risks like smoking. And the random DNA mistakes caused nearly all the mutations leading to childhood cancers, which is not surprising because youngsters have had little time to be exposed to environmental risks.
In contrast, most lung cancer mutations were the result of lifestyle factors, mainly from smoking. And while lung tissue doesn’t multiply frequently, the small number of mutations caused by chance DNA errors might explain rare cases of never-smokers who still get sick.
“This paper is a good paper,” said the cancer society’s Brawley. “It gives prevention its due respect.”
OTHER SCIENTISTS SEE MORE TO THE STORY
Estimates from Britain suggest 42 percent of cancers are potentially preventable with a healthy lifestyle, and the Hopkins team says their mutation research backs that idea.
But Dr. Yusuf Hannun, Stony Brook University’s cancer center director, contends that’s just the number known to be preventable today — researchers may discover additional environmental risks we can guard against in the future.
He said the Hopkins paper exaggerates the effect of the unavoidable DNA mistakes. His own 2015 research concluded they account for 10 to 30 percent of cancer cases.
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!
Louisiana State Museum — Patterson will host its 19th Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Spring Festival from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 25. The egg hunt is a fundraiser for the museum.
Admission is $5 per person and includes an Easter egg hunt for children ages 2-10 years old, one goodie bag and a photo with the Easter bunny, slides, a fun jump, face painting, train rides and more.
The Easter egg hunt for ages 2 to 4 will begin at 11 a.m., ages 5 to 7 at 11:15 a.m. and ages 8 to 10 at 11:30 a.m. Egg hunt participants should bring their own baskets.
The lucky participants who find the special eggs will win a bicycle.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
The Louisiana State Museum — Patterson houses The Cypress Sawmill Museum and the Wedell-Williams Aviation Museum.
On ballots parish-wide Saturday is the election to fill the District 10, at-large St. Mary Parish Council seat vacated by former Councilman Steve Bierhorst, who stepped down in September 2016 due to health reasons. Pam Washington has replaced Bierhorst on the council until a new council member is elected.
Candidates for the seat include current District 6 Councilman Gabriel Beadle, R-Berwick; Darryl Perry, R-Bayou Vista; and Reginald Weary, D-Patterson.
Early voting was held March 11-18 with 963 votes cast, Registrar of Voters Jolene Holcombe said in a news release.
The candidates are vying for the vacant term that will expire at the end of 2019.
District 10 covers half of Berwick, extending west all the way to Centerville and also includes Four Corners. But all registered voters in St. Mary Parish are eligible to vote in this parish council race.
Also on the ballot for voters in the Morgan City area is a bond proposition for St. Mary Parish Consolidated Gravity Drainage District 2 to issue $6.25 million in general obligation bonds for 20 years. The proposition would allow the district to pay to build a new pumping station by Lake End Park as part of the Morgan City Levee Improvements Project.
Officials say the bond proposal wouldn’t in-crease anyone’s property taxes, but would allow the district to borrow more money based on a millage already in place.
Precincts will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Clarence Reed, 67, a native of Franklin, La. and a resident of Patterson, La., passed away on Tuesday March 21, 2017 at 11:40 p.m. at the Teche Regional Medical Center.
Visitation will be observed on Monday, March 27, 2017 at the St. Luke Baptist Church, 1709 Harry St., Patterson, La., from 9 a.m. until funeral services at 11 a.m., with Reverend Keith Verrett, Officiating. Burial will follow funeral services in the Home Industrial Cemetery in Patterson, La.
Memories of Clarence will forever remain in the hearts of his companion, a cousin, and seven children and a host of grandchildren to his relationship to Betty and a host of other relatives and friends.
Clarence was preceded in death by his parents, one aunt, and his paternal and maternal grandparents.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Houma-Jeanerette in charge of arrangements.
Chitimacha Police Chief Hal Hutchinson reported the following arrest:
Tomika B. Willis, 39, Canal Street, Franklin, was arrested on Thursday for simple assault. She was released on a summons.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert reported the following arrests:
Richard Sauce, 41, 189 Polaris Road, Bayou Vista, was arrested on Thursday at 6:26 p.m. for filing a false report and illegal possession of stolen things. No bail is set.
Heidi Sams, 38, 407 Fourth St., Morgan City, was arrested on Thursday at 6:29 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of direct contempt, careless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to honor written promise to appear. Sams was also charged on a warrant for probation violation. No bail is set.
Kendrick Madison, 39, 521 Augustine Maze St., Franklin, LA was arrested on Wednesday at 4:27 pm on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. No bail is set.
Narcotics agents arrested Matthew Green, 22, 8600 La. 182, Centerville, on Thursday at 3:37 p.m. on a warrant for possession of Schedule I – marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Green was also charged on a warrant for failure to comply with the terms and conditions of drug court. Bail is set for $106,500.
Zoie Charpentier, 18, 2060 La. 317, Centerville, was arrested on Thursday at 3:37 p.m. on a warrant for possession of Schedule I – marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Charpentier was released on a summons.
Renaldo K. Toussaint Sr., 39, 211 Batiste St., Baldwin, was arrested on March 23, 2017 at 9:03 p.m. for improper lane usage, reckless operation of a vehicle, resisting an officer, warrant for aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce and resisting an officer and two warrants for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. No bail is set.
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!
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