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Last summer in Louisiana, we were affected by a heatwave that spread across the southern tier of the U.S.
This heatwave was caused by a persistent, strong ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that led to low precipitation. This played a key role in the unforgiving high temperatures we endured in 2023.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, recent summers have been 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in prior years. Climate model projections indicate there is a continued and increasing risk of such heatwaves as the climate warms, especially in dry years. And this summer will be no exception. That means it’s time to get prepared for drought and heat conditions in the garden.
Managing drought stress in your landscape requires efficient water use, proper plant selection and diligent care. You can keep your plants thriving during extended dry periods by keeping in mind some basic do’s and don’ts.
Do monitor soil moisture regularly. Mulch, shade and control weeds. Group plants with similar watering needs.
Don’t use unnecessary herbicides or pesticides. Avoid heavy pruning or fertilizing. Don’t ignore water restrictions or waste water.
Let’s start with watering wisely. The best way to water plants is to do so deeply but less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Be sure to water plants early in the morning or late in the evening to minimize evaporation. Use efficient systems and opt for a soaker hose or drip irrigation to deliver water directly to the root zone.
General watering guidelines include watering bedding plants two times a week in times of drought at a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Shrubs should be watered two times a week at a depth of 12 to 18 inches, and trees need to be watered once a week at a depth of 18 to 24 inches.
How do you know you’ve made it to 8 or 24 inches of depth? Use the screwdriver method by inserting a screwdriver or thin metal rod into the soil. If it penetrates easily, the soil is moist; if not, water until moisture reaches the recommended depths. Use a ruler to measure the depth of the soil left on the metal.
Apply a thick layer of organic mulch (wood chips, straw, compost) to retain soil moisture, suppress weeds and reduce evaporation. Use shade cloth or temporary structures to reduce water loss through evaporation and protect plants from extreme heat. In addition, windbreaks such as hedges, trees and tall grass, wooden fences and garden structures such as pergolas, arbors and trellised vines can prevent further drying from strong winds.
Improve soil quality with organic matter to enhance moisture retention. Healthy soils retain moisture better. You can improve soil quality by adding organic matter to improve the water-holding capacity, helping the soil become like a sponge that retains moisture and makes it available over time.
Some great soil amendments that can improve water retention in your landscape are compost, worm castings and aged manure. When using these amendments, it’s essential to follow recommended application rates.
Keep your landscape and garden free of weeds. Weeds compete with landscape and garden plants for water and nutrients. This will help reduce the drought stress on plants.
Be sure to prioritize your water usage. Focus on your most valuable and vulnerable plants first. Healthy plants stand a better chance of surviving droughts with careful water management. Adapt your schedule to your garden’s needs and let less critical areas go without watering if necessary.
Trees are the longest-living plants in the landscape. They are critical to monitor during and after droughts. If you have trees that suffered damage last summer, assess them carefully now. Remember that hurricane season is rapidly approaching.
Dead trees pose significant dangers, including the risk of falling branches or entire tree collapse, which can lead to property damage, personal injury and even fatalities. The cost of removal can vary widely based on the tree’s size, location and complexity, often ranging from $200 to more than $2,000 per tree.
Hiring a licensed arborist is crucial to ensure safe, efficient removal and to avoid potential liability issues. Certified professionals have the expertise to assess the risks, provide accurate estimates and perform the job safely while adhering to local regulations.
Visit the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry website for a list of licensed and insured arborists.

If you want to witness political favoritism and inside political wheeling and dealing  at its worst, just witness the mess that has been created by the Legislature as well as federal judges in Louisiana. 
Dysfunctional politics is about the best way to describe what is happening in the legally required process of reapportioning congressional districts in the Bayou State.
The Legislature, by federal law, has to reapportion each congressional district every 10 years.
It makes sense, because populations change, and each congressional district should be evenly balanced. So the ball was thrown to the Louisiana Legislature and the new governor to come up with a reapportionment plan to take place in the fall elections.
And boy did everyone in the process make a mess of the whole effort.
The legislative struggle apparently had two priorities. One to protect current congressmen so they can be easily re-elected. But with one exception.
The governor has had a falling out with Republican congressman Garret Graves, whose district is centered in the Baton Rouge area. 
Under the guise of creating a new minority district, the Legislature shaped a new territory that meanders all over the state and presents an uphill fight for Graves to be re-elected. 
A three judge federal panel voted two to one to throw out the new reapportionment proposal, saying it was drawn strictly to create a minority district.
The judges were right.
What the Legislature did was to create a district that connected predominantly Black neighborhoods in and around Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Natchitoches and Shreveport.  It’s dead wrong to have a district that winds like a snake all over the state.
As syndicated columnist Quinn Hiller wrote this week: “For decades, courts have ruled, with good reason, that district shapes should be reasonably compact, and contiguous, except to take into account  geographical features, such as rivers or mountain ranges, and the districts, where possible, should not divide natural “communities of interest” such as common cultural heritage, or shaped economic bases.”
Having run in statewide elections  on six different occasions, I know from personal experience that voters in northeast Louisiana often have different views on a variety of state issues compared to voters in Cajun country.
New Orleans is a world all of its own. Each area of the state should be able to elect a congressman who reflects and votes the views of people that have some common interest. Right now, that’s not the case in the Bayou State.
And just who is the minority that needs to be represented anyway? 
African-Americans make up approximately 30% of the state’s population. The fastest growing population groups in the state are Hispanics and citizens with a Vietnamese background.
Should they not have some type of representation as a group?  Should legislators be allowed to draw congressional districts that twist like a snake all across the state?
Here’s what we have in Louisiana right now. 
In elections, people choose their legislators. But because of how reapportionment has worked, legislators choose their voters or choose the voters for their favorite congressman.
Just what are the alternatives? What are other progressive states doing to transfer the power of redistricting to a system less driven by self-interest?
Fourteen states have assigned the task to officials or panels outside the state legislature.
And independent redistricting wears the cloak of good-government reform, as long as a consensus can be built on just who will serve on such panels.
One idea would be to create a Louisiana Fair Reapportionment Practices Commission.
Let nominations for its members come from the Legislature, the Supreme Court, the good government groups like PAR and CABL, the various college boards, and perhaps a key business group or two. Then put all the submissions in a hat, and draw out eleven names to serve as members to begin their work right after the new census data is made available.
The goal for such a commission is simple – put the important issue of redistricting into the hands of less vested interests instead of those who in the past have been allowed to define the terms of their own cartel.
Simply put, it’s just wrong for legislators to draw these districts and then run in them. There needs to be a better way.
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 see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com. You can also listen to his weekly podcast at www.datelinelouisiana.com.

Are you the adventurous type? Are you looking for something where the business end of the creature you’re pursuing has teeth that immediately let you know, “Beware, I can bite you?”
If that’s you, then why not take advantage of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries alligator lottery. According to a May 10 department press release, applications are now available and due by June 23.
Alligator lottery opportunities include 22 LDWF Wildlife Management Areas, 28 public lakes, and one Army Corp of Engineers property with hunting taking place Aug. 28-Nov. 2.
My wife and I have put in for the alligator lottery held on the Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area and subsequently drawn out in years past. More specifically, we fished for our gators on the Wax Lake side of the WMA. On both of our respective lottery hunts/fishing trips, we caught our three alligators on day one.
For 25 years prior to putting in for these lotteries, I fished alligators commercially for my father-in-law. Those were the glory days of the wild harvest. During the 1990s, there were years when alligator hides brought upwards of $60 per foot.
Being somewhat of a statistician, one year I asked my old pop-in-law if he minded me doing an analysis that determined the probability of the average length of the gators we’d catch. The information I thought might help him determine what he could expect that year in revenue.
He gave me several years of receipts to formulate the mean and standard deviations. My analysis revealed our gators would average 7 feet 8 inches in length.
Well, simple math revealed those 7-plus footers were going to be worth about $420 each. It was that kind of math that brought quite a smile to his face. Our job was to simply get out there and catch them.
Times have changed and the price per foot in 2023 for wild alligators was in the single digits, where a 4- to 5-footer fetched $4 per foot, and 6 feet earned you $6 per foot. It wasn’t until you hit 7 feet that you reached double digits at $12 per foot.
Things got a little better last year, when you caught the bigger alligators and were paid $18 per foot for 8-footers, $20 for 9- and 10-footers, and $25 for 11- and 12-footers. The problem is, you have to go back to the law of averages. If your average is 7 feet which comes to $84 per hide, there’s a small drawback to the LDWF Alligator Lottery.
Applicants who draw out for the public lotteries will have to purchase a $25 alligator hunter license and pay a set fee of $40 per issued tag. The total cost per lucky lottery winner for three tags and a license is $145, not including the $5 application fee and $3.50 online processing fee.
Essentially, the wild harvest of alligators has a lot of competition when it comes to prices. For one, the farm alligator market can grow gators from hatchlings to 5 feet long in just under two years with controlled conditions.
By controlled, it means the water temperature young gators are kept in can be maintained at 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. This allows them to grow faster.
By contrast, a wild hatched alligator has a period from late fall through early spring where cold water temperatures cause its metabolism to slow and therefore not eat so much. Hence, wild alligators grow at a much slower pace.
In short, don’t look for the public alligator lottery hunt to be a big money-making windfall. Instead, look at it as a true Louisiana adventure. Quite honestly, there’s not that many people who can say they’ve harvested an alligator in the wild.
The LDWF, for convenience, has provided applicants with an Alligator Harvest Lottery Choices map along with quota information to make their selection easier. The Atchafalaya Delta WMA is label number 1 on the map, which shows there will be 20 hunter opportunities in 2024.
Last year’s Atchafalaya Delta applicant success rate was 19%. Label number 51 is for the Attakapas Island WMA, which has 10 opportunities available for 2024. Attakapas WMA wasn’t included in last year’s lottery alligator program.
It is recommended that successful alligator lottery hunters decide prior to the season on what they plan to do with their catch. For more information on the alligator lottery interested applicants can go to LDWF Website or contact LAalligatorprogram@wlf.la.gov before starting their adventure.
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.

Five valedictorians will lead the way when Central Catholic High's seniors get their diplomas at 1 p.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Catholic Church.

The valedictorians are:

Miley Shae Bruni

Miley Shae Bruni, daughter of Hal and Robyn Bruni, is an active six-year member of ARK Club and BETA Club; she served as secretary of BETA this year. She is a four-year member of Key Club, where she served as vice president this year. She is a two-year member of the National Honor Society.

Miley is a senior leader in Campus Ministry, where she has served for two years on the Retreat Team. She is a one-year member of the Student Council, where she served as secretary. Athletically, Miley was a three-year member of varsity softball.

She was a two-year member of varsity volleyball. Miley has received Academic All-District for three years in softball, including an Honorable Mention award her junior year.

Additionally, Miley has received Academic All-District for two years in volleyball. She is the recipient of the Out-of-State Admissions Scholarship and the Crimson Legends Scholarship from University of Alabama. Miley plans to attend the University of Alabama and major in early childhood education.

Brandon Martin Cordero

Brandon Martin Cordero, son of Ariel and Yanet Cordero, is a four-year member of BETA Club. He placed first in state twice at BETA Convention for Spanish. He is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and the Hope Squad. He is a senior leader in Campus Ministry, where he served for two years on the Retreat Team. Athletically, Brandon is a four-year member of the varsity baseball team. He received Second Team All-District for baseball his freshman and senior years. He received First Team All-District his junior year. He also received the All-Academic Composite Boy’s Baseball Award.

He was Academic All-District all four years. He also received the KWBJ Shining Star Award this year. He was Central Catholic’s Student of the Year. He is the recipient of the Nicholls Academic Honors Scholarship. Brandon plans to attend Nicholls State University to major in psychology. After graduating, he plans to attend medical school to pursue the field of psychiatry.

Jacob Anderson Duval

Jacob Anderson Duval, son of Jude and Natalie Duval, is a four year member of 4-H Junior Leaders, having acted as club president for the past year. He is a 4-H Club member for the past eight years, having been the club president for the past four years. He is a two-year member of the National Honor Society.

He is a four-year member of Key Club and Ark Club. He is a one-year member of Hope Squad. He attended Louisiana Boys State last year. Athletically, Jacob was a three-year member of both the Powerlifting team and the Bowling team. He was a two-year member of Track and Field, and he was the baseball manager this year. He is the male Heisman recipient for Central Catholic.

He has been awarded the Teche Growers 4-H Scholarship and the Scott Foundation 4-H Scholarship. He has been awarded the Outstanding Student Scholarship Award at Louisiana Tech University. Jacob plans to attend Louisiana Tech University to pursue a degree in chemical engineering.

Alexa Celine Laubach

Alexa Celine Laubach, daughter of David and Celine Laubach, is a six-year member of ARK Club, where she served as secretary, and a six-year member of BETA Club. She is a three-year member of Key Club and Student Council; she served as executive president of the Student Council this year.

Alexa is a senior leader in Campus Ministry, where she has served for two years on the Retreat Team and one year in the choir. She is also a two-year member of the National Honor Society and Hope Squad. She is the recipient of the Diocesan Youth Leadership Award for Central Catholic. She also received the KWBJ Shining Star Award this year. Alexa is the recipient of the Academic Scholars Resident scholarship and the President Student Aid Job scholarship from Louisiana State University. Alexa plans to attend Louisiana State University to study dental hygiene. After graduating, she plans to continue her studies at LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans.

Madison Grace Simmons

Madison Grace Simmons, daughter of Tillman and Stacie Simmons, is a four-year member of BETA Club. She is a three-year member of ARK Club and Key Club. She is also a three-year member of the Student Council, where she served as executive vice president. She is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and Hope Squad.

Athletically, Madison was on the varsity cheerleading team for six years, where she served as captain this year. She is a four-year member of varsity volleyball. She received Academic All-District all four years for volleyball. She was also First Team All-District her junior and senior year as well as Second Team All-District her sophomore year.