Morgan City residents settled in Wednesday morning to await Hurricane Francine, due to make landfall near the city early Wednesday evening.
The Review/Bill Decker
“Cleco is prepared to safely and efficiently respond to power outages due to Hurricane Francine,” said Clint Robichaux, director of distribution operations and reliability. “As soon as conditions are safe, the company’s focus will be on responding to unsafe electrical situations and restoring power to critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and water systems, and then restoring power to the greatest number of customers until power is restored to all.”
How Cleco Restores Power During a Storm
Once conditions are safe, workers begin to assess damage by land and air.
Next, transmission and distribution lines are inspected and repaired. Transmission lines are critical to power restoration because they carry electricity from power plants to substations that deliver electricity to distribution lines which deliver electricity to homes and businesses.
Power is restored to critical community services first, such as hospitals, nursing homes, water systems, fire and police departments.
Power is then restored to the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time until power is restored to all customers who can receive power.
Safety Tips
Generator Safety
Generators should be operated outdoors only and in well-ventilated areas.
Plug appliances directly into portable generators with grounded extension cords that can handle the load.
Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. It could back feed electricity through your home's wiring to the entire Cleco circuit and cause injury or death to a worker attempting to repair that circuit.
Don't exceed the rated capacity of the generator and only refuel when the engine is off and cool.
Powerline Safety
Assume all downed power lines are live and stay away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 1-800-622-6537 and 911.
Don't step in nearby puddles or attempt to move any object that comes in contact with a downed power line.
For more before, during and after the storm safety tips, visit www.cleco.com/StormSafety.
Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC is a regional energy holding company that conducts its business operations through Cleco Power LLC, a regulated electric utility company that owns eight generating units with a rated capacity of 2,676 MWs and serves approximately 295,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.
From the Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Louisiana to supplement response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Francine beginning Sept. 10, 2024, and continuing.
The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population and to provide appropriate assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support, will be provided at 75% federal funding for the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.
Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75% federal funding for the parishes of Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll and Winn.
Sandra L. Eslinger has been named Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
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Parish President Sam Jones has ordered a parishwide curfew from 5 p.m. Wednesday until 7 a.m. Thursday, the hours when Hurricane Francine will be at its most intense.
The curfew applies to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic, but not for emergency service personnel. Also, the curfew does not prohibit people for going to or from work.
Morgan City and Berwick police chiefs announced a curfew for11 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.
Chief Chad M. Adams and the Morgan City Police Department are asking all residents to shelter in place. This area should be experiencing tropical storm force winds at or near the noon hour with landfall at around 7 p.m.
Everyone is asked to keep the streets clear during and after the storm so that damage can be accessed. Please allow city crews and first responders time to deem the area safe.
Berwick Chief David S. Leonard offered much the same message. Both chiefs said the curfew is subject to change after a 10:15 a.m. weather briefing Wednesday.
Click on the link below to download a .pdf version of the minutes.
DEAR ABBY: A close male friend, “Will,” ended our friendship without warning. I didn’t know he had such strong feelings about my current arrangement. I have been dating a married man, “Bart,” whose wife suggested he get himself a girlfriend if he wanted sex/intimacy/companionship. She also told him she would “never want to sleep with him again.” It has been 10 years since they were last intimate or even shared a bed. They don’t live together; Bart lives in his guest house. They share a son, which is why he doesn’t want to leave.
As a parent, I understand. It’s why I stayed in my own marriage for so long. The circumstances are less than ideal and something I never thought I’d be a part of, but I haven’t felt this wonderful in years. My ex-husband and I were never this compatible. When I’m with Bart, it’s magical, and I believe it’s mutual.
For this choice of mine, Will has severed our friendship. He did it via text. I’d told him about it two weeks earlier, and he advised me to be careful. He called Bart and me “cheaters,” but it’s not exactly like that. I’m deeply hurt over this loss. I want to know if Will is in the wrong or if I am.
NO CHEATER
IN ARIZONA
DEAR NO CHEATER: Does who is “right or wrong” matter at this point? Your friend Will does not approve of your affair with Bart because of his marital status and has chosen to distance himself. That’s his privilege. You made an adult decision to engage in this relationship, and it has cost you a friend. Live your life, but don’t be shocked if others also feel the way Will does.
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been dating a wonderful guy for the last six months. Our relationship is great, but he has an ex who is much younger than us (a 16-year age gap). He started seeing her while she was pregnant by someone else. He stayed with her until the baby was 3, but, given the circumstances, he continues to get the baby for weekends, etc. He is not on the birth certificate, but the baby knows only him as her dad.
My problem is the ex. She constantly calls or texts him for money or to say she bought things for the little girl. She has called him to come over to hang out, and, most recently, asked him to co-sign for a new car for her.
I’m not OK with the lack of boundaries, and I have said so. He hears me and has told her several times to back off, but she doesn’t listen. It’s causing arguments between us. The child isn’t his actual child, but that fact obviously isn’t changing anything. Should I walk away?
THIRD WHEEL
IN THE EAST
DEAR THIRD WHEEL: Your boyfriend is clearly attached to the little girl. You can’t change that, nor should you try. That said, he is still with you in spite of the fact that his ex may be trying to get him (and his financial support) back. Whether you should grit your teeth and tolerate it isn’t something I can answer. Your boyfriend can, however, and whether you should walk away is a question you should be asking him.
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Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.
As we enter the waning days of summer, many of our plants are just plain tired after enduring months of heat — and they’re showing it.
Roses are no exception. They tend to get a bit leggy and overgrown this time of year, and you’ve probably noticed their blooms are smaller and less colorful.
There’s an easy fix, though, and now is the time to do it.
We’re talking about pruning — trimming away excess growth to shape plants and control their size as well as removing dead and damaged canes.
Doing so will refresh your rose bushes and encourage a burst of flowers this fall. It also increases airflow in plants, which helps ward off diseases.
You need to make sure to prune roses by about Sept. 8. Why is it important to meet this deadline? When roses are pruned, a growth response is triggered, kickstarting new leaf and branch development and the blooming process. About 45 days after pruning, the plants will be in full bloom.
You can take advantage of this cycle and time your pruning so plants bloom when you want them to. Pruning now will lead to a mid-October bloom — which is ideal because roses look their best during the cooler nights and drier weather typical of those early fall days.
Before you get started, you’ll want to check what kind of roses you have. Many everblooming roses commonly grown in Louisiana — including hybrid tea, grandiflora and shrub rosesa — will benefit from being pruned in late August and early September.
But stay away from once-blooming types such as old garden roses and climbing cultivars, or you’ll risk having fewer blooms next year. Once-blooming roses usually don’t require as much pruning, and when it’s needed, it should be done in early summer after the annual bloom.
The pruning process
First, you’ll need some bypass pruners. If your rose bushes are older, you may need a pair of loppers to be able to chop off larger canes. The blades should be sharp. Dull pruners and loppers won’t make clean cuts, impeding healing and inviting insects and diseases to take up residence.
It’s a good idea to sanitize pruners and loppers to avoid spreading diseases to other plants.
Clean the tools before and after your pruning job with a 10% bleach or rubbing alcohol solution, then dry thoroughly to prevent rust.
If you notice something that looks like a disease problem while pruning a rose bush, sanitize your tools before moving on to the next plant.
Finally, you may want to wear gloves and long sleeves to avoid getting poked by thorns.
Start by getting rid of dead canes along with any that look damaged, weak, yellow or spindly. Remove each of these canes entirely, making the cut at its point of origin.
Next, trim any shoots that are much taller than the overall plant. Then, begin cutting and shaping everything else. You can prune off up to one-third of the height of the plant; be careful to not exceed this amount. Always cut stems right above a node.
While you’re at it, consider making a light application of fertilizer to help your roses through the last days of summer and to fuel them up for fall bloom production.
You also could replenish the mulch around your rose bushes to retain moisture and insulate the roots as cooler temperatures approach.
If your roses need more extreme pruning — for example, if they’re way bigger than you would like, even after taking off one-third of the height — you can tackle them again in January and February. Another round of pruning in late winter is recommended anyway, as it will help prepare plants for spring and summer blooms.
When Huey Long was shot in the state capitol on Sept. 8, 1935, nobody could understand why Dr. Carl A. Weiss, a mild-mannered specialist from Baton Rouge, would do such a thing. Weiss himself was shot dead during the confrontation, so could not say.
The prevailing story at the time was that Weiss was upset about a bill in the legislature that would strip power from Opelousas Judge Benjamin H. Pavy and District Attorney R. Lee Garland, both staunch Long opponents. Weiss was married to Judge Pavy’s daughter, Yvonne.
The Opelousas Clarion-News, a newspaper with a definite anti-Long bias, certainly linked the bill and the shooting in its edition of September 12, running a story headlined “Pavy-Garland Struck Blow in New Bill” immediately next to the report of Long’s death.
That story began with this: “Realizations of the extent to which reprisal politics would lead a man in his grasp for power and ability to punish his opponents was understood in St. Landry Parish … when it was learned that the … legislature had passed [the bill].”
Until then, St. Landry and Evangeline made up the 13th Judicial District, with Pavy as judge and Garland as district attorney. Under the new legislation, St. Landry would be combined with Lafayette, Acadia, and Vermilion parishes into the 15th Judicial District and Evangeline Parish would be by itself in the 13th.
“Judge B. H. Pavy will become a secondary figure in the Fifteenth District and District Attorney R. Lee Garland will become an assistant district attorney,” the newspaper reported, adding that Long supporters J. Cleveland Fruge and Herman Guillory would become judge and district attorney in Evangeline.
The bill, H.R. 1, was passed by a vote of 73-14 on the day after the shooting, when, the Associated Press reported, “Long … was fighting a grim fight … against life and death from a pistol wound fired at close range … by Dr. Carl A. Weiss.” The AP report continued, “Why Dr. Weiss shot Senator Long was unanswered today.”
Judge Pavy’s brother, A. J. Pavy, told the Associated Press that Dr. Weiss was “a calm and deliberate man although somewhat high strung,” and that “there was nothing on his part to indicate to his family that he would ever do such a thing. He felt bitterly toward Senator Long, but no more than many other persons I know, and … had no specific grievances against the senator.”
Long biographer T. Harry Williams, wrote: “Carl Weiss was considered to be a brilliant young doctor, perhaps a genius … [who] was also accomplished in music, painting, mathematics, and mechanics.” But, Williams said, some of his peers also considered him a “brooding and intense and unstable man.” (“Huey Long: A Biography,” 1969)
In the years since the assassination, there have been various accounts of just what transpired that fateful night. Some of those accounts raise doubt over whether Weiss shot Long, claiming that the senator was accidentally shot by a bodyguard. They say Weiss didn’t even have a gun.
Dr. Donald Pavy, nephew of the judge, is one who believes that account, writing: “It is my conclusion that Dr. Carl Weiss had an inner seething to confront Senator Long and tell him personally how unfair he was to others, particularly his family. On the night of September 8, 1935, he passed in front of the capitol, saw an empty parking place and parked. He entered and went into the corridor where Huey was walking.
"Weiss asked to speak to the senator. … After the third very rough rebuff, Weiss, frustrated, lost his composure, screamed at Long and hit him on the lip. A scuffle occurred and Weiss was hit by bodyguard Elliot Coleman. One bodyguard, probably [Joe] Messina … [who was] always close and often to the rear of Huey, pulled his gun, which hung up in the holster and misfired, striking Huey in the back.” (Accident And Deception: The Huey Long Shooting, 1999)
Other bodyguards, thinking Weiss had fired the shot, then shot him.
Williams dismisses that story. He concludes: “[Weiss] went to the capitol that Sunday night to remove a tyrant. He went on his own and on an impulse, but one that had come to him many times before, and he went knowing that he himself would undoubtedly be killed. He did not care. He was willing to be a martyr.”
Others, such as author David Zinman (The Day Huey Long Was Shot, 1993) and journalist Jonathan Alter, have since concluded that, “Most history books, like the 1969 Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Huey Long,’ by T. Harry Williams, are too definitive in recording as fact that the assassin was Dr. Carl A. Weiss.”
It is unlikely that an undisputed version of just what happened will ever be known. Open questions remain, at least in some minds, of whether Dr. Carl Weiss fired the fatal bullet, and, if so, why he did it.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.
ANNUAL
MEN DAY
11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, Good Hope Baptist Church, Patterson. The pastor, officers and members will be celebrating the event. Guest speaker, Elder Clarence Robinson Jr. of Beacon Light Baptist Church, Houma. Everyone invited.
From the Department of Transportation and Development:
As a preemptive measure prior to the arrival of Tropical Storm Francine, DOTD announces that beginning Tuesday, September 10, 2024, LA 317 will be closed at the protection levee crossing, effective immediately.
This closure is expected to remain in place until the severe weather subsides and the route is deemed passable for the traveling public.
DOTD has the following resources in place to assist motorists.
--MyDOTD: Motorists can receive information on local projects, lane and road closures, and other DOTD activity by signing up for MyDOTD at www.dotd.la.gov.
--511 Traveler Information: Travelers can also find information regarding road closures and traffic by visiting www.511la.org or by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying the route or region about which they are seeking information. Out-of-state travelers can access the system by calling 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511).
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