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JAMES E. CARPENTER

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 12:02pm

November 15, 1932 -March 7, 2017
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 9, 2017, at noon at First Baptist Church in Patterson for James E. Carpenter, a native of Calvin, Louisiana, and a longtime resident of Patterson, who was called home to be with the Lord at the age of 84 on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Interment will follow in the Morgan City Cemetery. The Rev. Mark Norwood, the Rev. Joe Thibeau and the Rev. Lamar Carpenter will conduct the services.
Serving as pallbearers will be Justin Carpenter, Adam Vaccarella, Carson Vaccarella, Matthew Carpenter, Denis Gravois and Peter Vaccarella. Honorary pallbearers will be John Garrett, Jack Bice, John Carpenter, Wesley McReynolds, Bob Watson and Jerry Boyles.
Relatives and friends are invited to join the family for the visitation on Thursday at First Baptist Church from 9 a.m. until time of service at noon.
James was a very hard-working father and provider for his family who was devoted to his oilfield skill of wireline operator and services, eventually becoming a business owner for many, many years.
James and his wife, Helga, founded and operated Slickline Services, Inc. in 1979 and successfully operated the business until they sold their business many years later. James continued his career in the wireline industry, consulting for over 10 years for Superior Energy Services before retiring in 2013 at the age of 80.
James always loved cooking and spent many hours reading his hundreds of cookbooks and years of preparing and serving up his “surprise” dishes to his beloved family and friends. There was never a hungry guest at his home. James also enjoyed his garden and grew many wonderful vegetables that he proudly shared with all family and friends.
Above all, James loved his family, his children and grandchildren, and in his way, shared and taught to them his most valuable characteristic, that of a very strong work ethic and desire to work hard to succeed. He loved and shared the many years of his life with his wife Helga, “Peanuts”, who he knew was truly “one of a kind”. “James, Jim, Dad, Paw, John Wayne, the Duke,” as he was known and loved by his many family members and friends, will be sadly missed.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Helga “Peanuts” Benkert Carpenter; four children, Thomas H. Carpenter, Denise Carpenter Gravois and her husband Denis, Kelly Carpenter Vaccarella and her husband Peter, and Scott Carpenter; two sisters, Patsy Carpenter and Polly Carpenter Witt; and six grandchildren, Justin, Adam, Carson, Matthew, Sarah and Hannah.
He was preceded in death by his son, Eddie Carpenter; one grandson, Michael Thomas; his parents, Frank and Edith Carpenter; and one brother, Lanis Dale Carpenter.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in James’ name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014, 1-800-708-7644, www.michaeljfox.org.
Family and friends may view the obituary and express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary Inc., 1111 Lia Street, Patterson, LA 70392, 985-395-7873.

Wheel House for March 8

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:58am

DINNERS
Sold by Deep Waters Ministries, 1120 Lia Drive, Patterson, 11 a.m. Saturday, March 18. Menu: baked chicken, red beans and rice, green salad and cake. Cost $7.

CLIFTON BENEFIT
A benefit dinner, bake and craft sale and auction set 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Stephensville Park benefits Lee Clifton, a double amputee. Live entertainment by Southern Roots. Auction at noon includes aluminum boiler, fryer, pirogue and barbecue pit, and more. Meal of fried fish, white beans and jambalaya, $8. For info call 985-518-1207, 985-758-1195 or 985-759-1836. Proceeds benefit the care of Clifton.

WOMEN
Women’s Conference 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 19 and 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at Siracusa Recreation Center, 1110 Grace St. Speaker Minister LaDon Vinette-Thompson, founder of What About Me, Kenner. Registration $25. For info call 985-232-1129; 985-518-4547; or 085-498-0050.

Science standards rewrite wins support, with tweak

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:54am

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s top school board is poised to rewrite the state’s two-decades-old science standards for public schools, after a debate that veered into disagreements over evolution.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, known as BESE, gave preliminary support Tuesday to the standards, which were drawn up by a review committee packed largely with local educators.
With a 9-0 vote, a panel of nearly all BESE members agreed to the standards revisions. But support came only after language was added to remind educators about a Louisiana law that allows public school science teachers to use supplemental materials in their classrooms.
Supporters of the addition wanted the language included as a way to encourage teachers to challenge evolution in their science classrooms.
“If you really believe we should teach the controversy, why is that not included in the standards?” asked Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray.
Amedee was among several speakers who wanted the standards tweaked to raise questions about evolution.
Gene Mills, president of the conservative Louisiana Family Forum, said evolution is referenced 25 times in the standards, but with no mention of “opposing theories.”
“Teachers, like the test, will follow the standards,” Mills said.
Science teachers urged the education board to adopt the rewritten benchmarks without language challenging evolution.
“These standards are not based on biased opinions, but are supported by years and years of scientific research,” said Kyle Duhon, a science teacher at Jennings High School who helped work on the standards revamp.
In response to concerns about evolutionary teaching, BESE members added a provision in the standards referencing a 2008 state law called the Louisiana Science Education Act.
The law allows public school teachers to use supplemental materials to promote “critical thinking skills” in areas like evolution and global warming.
Critics call the law a backdoor way to introduce creationism into science classes, which supporters of the law deny.
BESE members voted 7-2 to include information from the state law in the standards, before the committee then approved the full package without dissent. The board is expected to give final passage to the standards Wednesday.
But the transition to the new teaching benchmarks won’t be immediate.
The upcoming 2017-18 year will include teacher training and field testing, according to the education department, with the standards fully phased in by the 2018-19 school year.
The classroom standards set guideposts for what students from kindergarten through 12th grade should know in basic science, physical science, physics, biology, chemistry, earth science and other scientific fields by the end of each grade.
The current standards were written in 1997.
The education department says only two states, New Mexico and Wisconsin, use older science standards. The rewrite was aimed at better preparing students for jobs in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math.
Louisiana ranks poorly in national comparisons of science testing results

Rotary Club happenings

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:52am

Morgan City Rotary Club members hosted Central Catholic High School students Drake Angeron and Parker Green at a recent luncheon where the students spoke about their current school activities and their education plans. From left are student visit director Edgar Barousse, Angeron, and Green.

Helping out the Legion

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:47am

Submitted Photo
M C Bank recently made two donations to the American Legion Post 242 for their annual fish fry and Boys & Girls State. Pictured are Barton Blanco, executive vice president and chief lending officer, and VFW Commander Troy LaRive.

Hackers drawn to energy’s lack of controls

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:35am

HOUSTON (AP) — Oil and gas companies, including some of the most celebrated industry names in the Houston area, are facing increasingly sophisticated hackers seeking to steal trade secrets and disrupt operations, according to a newspaper investigation.
A stretch of the Gulf Coast near Houston features one of the largest concentrations of refineries, pipelines and chemical plants in the country, and cybersecurity experts say it’s an alluring target for espionage and other cyberattacks.
“There are actors that are scanning for these vulnerable systems and taking advantage of those weaknesses when they find them,” said Marty Edwards, director of U.S. Homeland Security’s Cyber Emergency Response Team for industrial systems.
Homeland Security, which is responsible for protecting the nation from cybercrime, received reports of some 350 incidents at energy companies from 2011 to 2015, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle has found.
Over that period, the agency found nearly 900 security flaws within U.S. energy companies, more than any other industry.
Steps are being taken to thwart attacks. For instance, the Coast Guard in a joint operation with Houston police patrolled the waters southeast of Houston last year conducting sweeps for unprotected wireless signals that hackers could use to gain access to facilities. The operation was one of the first of its kind in the U.S. concentrating on cyberattacks by sea.
But the vast network of oil and gas operations makes it difficult to secure.
Thousands of interconnected sensors and controls that run oil and gas facilities remain rife with weak spots.
Many companies the technology and personnel to detect hackers. Equipment was designed decades ago without security features, and efforts over the years to link computer networks to devices that monitor pressure or control valves have exposed operations to online threats.
“You could mess with a refinery or cause a vessel to explode,” Richard Garcia, a former FBI agent who became a cybersecurity specialist, told the Chronicle.
Power, chemical and nuclear facilities must adhere to strict cybersecurity measures, but federal law doesn’t impose such standards on the oil and gas sector.
And when oil and gas companies have been infiltrated by a hacker, they’re not required to report the incident.
More than 20 of the nation’s largest oil companies — including Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips, refiner Phillips 66 and pipeline operator Kinder Morgan — declined to comment or did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The American Petroleum Institute, the national trade association for oil and gas, also declined to comment.
Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice University’s Energy and Environment Initiative, said oil companies tend to rush to deploy new computer technologies that make operations more productive, but only afterward considering ways to defuse online threats.
“The pace of change of the technology we’ve adopted is every step of the way more and more vulnerable to cyberattack,” McConnell said.
___
Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com

Louisiana Politics: Trump could show his hand on Louisiana fundraising case

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:14am

By JEREMY ALFORD

President Donald Trump’s administration could potentially offer a filing in an appeal the Louisiana Republican Party is pushing before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case challenges the federal ban on unlimited donations to political parties.
Trump’s Justice Department has until March 13 to file its response to a ruling last year from a three-judge D.C. District Court that upheld the limits enforced by the Federal Election Commission.
That response could be an indication of whether the Trump administration wants to challenge or protect the campaign finance law.
It could also place the Louisiana GOP at the epicenter of what could become another national debate over political donations.
The state Republican Party argues that donations to its coffers are equivalent to free speech, which is an argument the Supreme Court warmed to in 2010 when it paved the way for super PACs, or political action committees, to raise unlimited dollars to support or oppose candidates.

AFP targeting session again
The Louisiana chapter of Americans For Prosperity is preparing to be just as involved in the upcoming regular session of the state Legislature as it was in the 2016 sessions.
That means targeted mailers, door-to-door operations and robocalls in legislative districts as well as digital media buys.
State director John Kay said AFP will be making a big push against any kind of gas tax and any effort to extend the additional penny sales tax past 2018.
“We could be interested in broadening the sale tax base if it’s coupled with a decrease in the sales tax rate or even an income tax change that moves us to revenue neutral,” said Kay.
AFP will likewise advocate for spending reforms in the regular session.
Tight timeframe for regular negotiations
Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to rollout his plan for the spring regular session toward the middle of this month, possibly before the Baton Rouge Press Club.
The final touches are currently being made to the governor’s plan.
On the surface, that will give lawmakers less than a month to digest the plan before the regular session convenes on April 10. The administration, however, appears ready to start talks sooner than later.
This week the governor will start bringing groups of legislators and other stakeholders into his office to begin — and in some cases continue — discussions.

Dems get national spot
Louisiana Democrats now have a player on the national party scene.
In Atlanta last week, state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans, chairwoman of the state party, won an elected leadership spot on the Democratic National Committee.
She is the new vice chair of civic engagement and voter registration.
Peterson replaces political analyst and New Orleans native Donna Brazile.
As for the top national position, Tom Perez, the labor secretary under former President Barack Obama, was elected DNC chairman.
Luntz, governor connect in D.C.
During Gov. John Bel Edwards’ visit to Washington last week to visit with President Donald Trump and others, he made an unlikely connection.
He enjoyed a brief visit with Frank Luntz, the cable analyst and political consultant who handled the conservative messaging for “Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America.”
The two agreed to get together soon, possibly during Luntz’s next visit to Louisiana.

Political history: The
first governor to lose
This week marks the 187th anniversary (March 7, 1830) of the death of Gov. Jacques Villeré, who was the first to achieve three very important and very different statuses among Louisiana’s chief executives.
Villeré was the first gubernatorial candidate in Louisiana to lose a race. He actually lost to the state’s first governor, William C.C. Claiborne, who captured more than 70 percent of the vote on the first ballot following statehood.
Not deterred, Villeré ran again four years later in 1816 and captured a razor-thin victory over Joshua Lewis, a judge, by just 169 votes. There were 2,314 votes case for Villeré and 2,145 for Lewis.
There were sharp political lines at the time drawn between French residents and Spanish Creoles, with Villeré falling into the latter category. In fact, Villeré was the first Creole elected governor in Louisiana.
More importantly, though, Villeré was also the first Louisiana-born governor to take the office. He was born in what is modern-day Kenner.
Villeré was arguably one of the most important figures during Louisiana’s early statehood and even served as a member of the convention that penned the first state constitution.
He served only one term in office, but tried to make a comeback bid in an 1824 special election for governor. Villeré, however, never made it to the ballot; he passed away at the age of 68 just four months before the election.

They said it
“I’m optimistic, but I’m certainly not delusional.”
—Gov. John Bel Edwards, on the prospects for budget and tax reform this spring, in the American Press
“My (question) light has been on so long they’ve had to replace it twice.”
—State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, finally getting to ask a question in the Senate Finance Committee
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.

Jim Brown: Can John Bel Edwards run for president?

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 11:11am

By JIM BROWN

The Louisiana governor is being touted as a Democratic Party contender on the national front. Just a little over a year in his present job, it may be a sign of the few future contenders the Democrats have available. Here’s what a writer for the The Huffington Post had to say last week:
“I would predict, that if he is interested, with a growing national appreciation that he’s the best Governor Louisiana has experienced in a generation, if his family allows, and if Trump remains Trump and has no Damascene moment during the early years of his Presidency, that the Democrats will win the White House in 2020 with Governor John Bel Edwards as their candidate.”
Many would consider an Edwards presidential candidacy pretty far-fetched, but he is one of a number of Louisianans who once had their eyes on the White House. How could we forget Bobby Jindal’s quixotic campaign effort? He was preceded by a presidential effort by former Gov. Buddy Roemer, whose campaign was doomed from the get go when he promised to limit contributions to $100. A good idea, but he had no money to deliver his message.
Roemer was the longest of long shots in 2012, but he also was back in 1987 when he pulled an upset victory to get elected as governor. He beat quite a pack of candidates back then, including incumbent Gov. Edwin Edwards, Congressman Billy Tauzin, almost future Speaker of the U.S. House Bob Livingston, and some other forgettable character named Brown.
Actually, no Louisianan has ever been elected president. Zachery Taylor might barely qualify, although he spent very little time down in the Deep South.
One resident of the Bayou State did make it to the nation’s highest court. Edward Douglass White, a former Louisiana Supreme Court justice, served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 27 years between 1894-1921. In 1910, at the age of 65, White was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court by President William Howard Taft.
So who were the other candidates? Edwin Edwards gave a national race a good look back in 1978, when the President Jimmy Carter was floundering.
Edwards just didn’t like Carter and had read several books on how the former Georgia governor had come from obscurity to the presidency. Edwards toyed with the idea for six months, and then ended up supporting Republican Ronald Reagan.
John McKeithen sought the national stage, and thought he had a commitment to be the vice presidential candidate on the Hubert Humphrey ticket in 1968.
The Hilton Hotel on Michigan Avenue in Chicago was the convention headquarters, and I had trekked up to the Windy City as an observer. I happened to be on the hotel elevator when McKeithen and Sen. Russell Long got on.
Long later told me they were on their way up to the penthouse meet with Humphrey and solidify McKeithen’s position as the vice presidential nominee.
Humphrey changed his mind from his earlier commitment, turned McKeithen down, and the Louisianan governor immediately left the convention to return home in a huff.
Don’t forget Huey Long, who had all but announced a challenge to sitting President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Though a backer of Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election, Long split with the president in June 1933, and planned to mount his own presidential bid for 1936 in alliance with radio’s influential Catholic priest Charles Coughlin.
Long was assassinated in 1935, and rumors abounded that his presidential ambitions played a role in why he was shot to death.
So we have Long, McKeithen, Edwards, Roemer, Jindal and maybe a second Edwards. All served in congress except McKeithen and John Bel Edwards.
I wonder how the results would come in if Louisiana would pick one of the living contenders in a presidential primary?
Along with Roemer, Jindal and the two Edwards, let’s thrown in country singer Tim McGraw, a Louisiana native who has expressed great interest in politics. And maybe Saints Quarterback Drew Brees along with Payton Manning, and General Russell Honore’ to round out the slate. Louisiana voters would love it. Mardi Gras just ended, so we need something way down here in the Deep South to keep us occupied.

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
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.

Sheriff: Drunk driver arrested after crash at Sonic

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 10:50am

Staff Report

A 31-year-old Bourg woman was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated Tuesday in Morgan City after running into a menu stand at Sonic, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert said in a news release.
—Heather Troulliet, 31, of South Jamon Court in Bourg, was arrested 8:38 p.m. Tuesday on the charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated-child endangerment law, turning movements and required signals violation, possession of open alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle and no driver’s license.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from an off-duty Louisiana State Police trooper of a reckless driver on U.S. 90 in the Morgan City area. Morgan City police also responded to the complaint. A sheriff’s deputy in Morgan City located the vehicle on La. 70 and initiated a traffic stop.
The deputy then observed the vehicle pull into the Sonic restaurant parking lot on Marguerite Street. The driver nearly came to a complete stop before accelerating and striking one of the menu and ordering stands. The deputy located the driver, Troulliet, and saw that there were children, ages 12 and 4, and an open bottle of beer inside the vehicle.
While speaking with Troulliet, the deputy noted that she smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage and had slurred speech. The deputy conducted a standardized field sobriety test. Troulliet performed the test poorly.
She was transported to the Morgan City Police Department where she registered 0.154 grams-percent blood alcohol concentration on a breath test. Troulliet was booked into parish jail with no bail set. The children were released to a guardian.
Hebert reported responding to 33 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:
—Renitra Christopher, 33, of Terrebonne Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:25 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of operating a vehicle with a suspended license.
A deputy located Christopher at a business in Bayou Vista on the warrant and transported her to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. She was released on $500 bail.
—Julie Bennett, 46, of Oregon Street in Berwick, was arrested at 8:09 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of theft. A deputy investigating a vehicle crash on U.S. 90 in Morgan City spoke with a driver, identified her as Bennett, and located the active warrant for her arrest.
Bennett was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking and then released on $500 bail.
—Jerry Henderson, 38, of Chirpy’s Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 2:17 p.m. Tuesday on the charges of possession of crack cocaine, obstruction of justice, and violation of a uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug free zone.
Detectives of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotics section were patrolling Amelia when they observed a man quickly walking away from a vehicle that was stopped on Lake Palourde Road. Detectives then observed the person attempt to throw a cellophane bag beneath a shed.
Detectives located the man, identified as Henderson, and recovered the discarded item. The bag contained crack cocaine. The illegal drug was found within 2,000 feet of a church. Henderson was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail is set.
Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported the following arrests:
—Wesley R. Bass, 19, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 4:05 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with direct contempt of court. Bass was arrested in the city court on a warrant and jailed.
—Kedesha N. Scott, 22, of Federal Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging her with probation violation.
Scott who was already incarcerated in the Morgan City Jail l was booked in on an additional warrant held by the 6th Ward Morgan City Court and remains incarcerated.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrests:
—Jeremy Smith, 29, of Utah Street in Berwick, was arrested at 12:36 p.m. Tuesday on the charge of disturbing the peace fifth offense. Smith posted $256 bail.
—Ashley Hebert, 27, of Utah Street in Berwick, was arrested at 12:36 p.m. Tuesday on the charge of disturbing the peace. Hebert posted $176 bail.
Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported no arrests.

Patterson and Berwick deal for firetrucks

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 10:43am

By ZACHARY FITZGERALD

zfitzgerald@daily-review.com

Patterson, La.

The volunteer fire department plans to buy a new firetruck in 2018 that the fire chief says will have the ability to effectively respond to major emergencies.
A sale of another truck approved Tuesday will help provide some of the funds to purchase the new truck.

The Patterson Council accepted a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting to sell a 2004 pumper firetruck to the town of Berwick for $130,000.

Patterson Fire Chief Scott Domingue said the firetruck the city will sell to Berwick has only been minimally used in the past 12 years and is too big for what Patterson needs. However, the truck is in mint condition and will assist Berwick “because they’re in a dire situation for trucks,” he said.

In 2018, the Patterson Volunteer Fire Department is set to receive a scheduled allocation of funds from St. Mary Parish government to buy a firetruck to replace the one the city is selling.

The sale of the old firetruck will also help offset the cost of some of the new truck, he said. Domingue expects the new truck to cost about $325,000. Domingue plans to deliver the 2004 firetruck to Berwick soon.

Regulations require the city to have two primary fire trucks and a reserve fire truck.
“That’s the reason for purchasing a new truck,” Domingue said.

The new truck will be a “commercial chassis” modified to meet Patterson’s needs with the capability to handle a tanker fire on the highway or airplane fire, he said.

Patterson has 50 volunteer firefighters and “is doing the work of a big paid department,” responding to over 200 calls in 2016, including medical emergencies, Domingue said.

Maintaining proper equipment is essential for the department to continue to function at a high level, he said.

Also, the council approved donating a different firetruck that is in disrepair to Bayou Country Children’s Museum in Thibodaux.

During the council meeting, Melanie Caillouet, an environmental engineer for Providence Engineering, presented the results of a sewer rate study the city of Patterson requested the firm perform.

The last sewer rate increase was in 2007. Before that rate hike, rates hadn’t been raised since 1996, Caillouet said.

The city hasn’t added many new sewer customers during the past few years, while the city’s costs have risen, she said. Patterson’s average expense per customer is now higher than the average revenue per customer.

Though Patterson has covered those expenses with revenues from other utilities, an agency, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, may not award a grant to Patterson unless the city raises its rates.

“We have got to start increasing the rates to try to get this into the positives,” she said.

Caillouet recommended a rate increase schedule where rates would go from the current rate of $21.79 per month for customers using over 3,000 gallons of water to $23.72 per month in 2018. That schedule would progress to $25.06, $26.41, $27.75 and $29.10 per month each following year.

Those rates would give the city closer to the amount of revenues it needs to take care of Patterson’s sewer system with maintenance and repairs, Caillouet said.

Patterson officials also discussed the need to raise the city’s natural gas rates. The city is losing between 16 percent and 19 percent comparing expenses to revenues due in part to old meters, which the city plans to start replacing this year with state capital outlay funds, Mayor Rodney Grogan said.

But the city has to raise rates, too, to keep up with expenses, Grogan said. Patterson currently charges a flat rate of $3.70 per month for each customer using up to 300 cubic feet of fuel. Officials haven’t yet decided what the gas rate increase may be.

Grogan said the city should have followed a consumer price index starting in 1995 and raised gas rates gradually, but that didn’t happen.

Ordinances for the proposed sewer and gas rate increases will probably be introduced at the April council meeting, go through a public hearing and be up for adoption in May, and go into effect July 1 for the start of the city’s fiscal year, Grogan said.

In other business, the council
—Approved a flood damage prevention ordinance.
—Approved a liquor license for The Office, a bar and daiquiri shop to be located on Catherine Street.
—Introduced an ordinance to remove verbiage restricting bikes and skating on sidewalks.
—Introduced an ordinance to enter into intergovernmental agreement with the St. Mary Parish School Board for Hattie Watts Park.