RSS Feed

Bessie Hidalgo Mayon was born March 17, 1931 in Bayou Sale to Caliste and Zulama Hidalgo. She met the one and only love of her life Dudley “D.J.” Mayon at 15 and married him at 16. They were married for 45 years when he passed away in 1992. She loved to sew and taught her two daughters this art when they were very young. In the 70’s she obtained her GED and decided she wanted to get a job and so she did but she still always made time to work in her garden and tend to her beautiful flowers. She sewed, did alterations and monogramming at Joe’s Boots for many years until her failing health caused her to quit.
In 2005 she lost her only son Danny, and more recently her youngest daughter Malisa. She was also preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Earl, Roy, and Leo Hidalgo, as well as her two sisters, Elma Barras and Dot Pusateri.
She is survived by one daughter, Christine Bailey and husband Randy of Biloxi, MS.; one granddaughter, Danielle Sansone and husband Alex of Houston, TX; one sister-in-law, Virgie Hidalgo of Morgan City, and numerous nieces and nephews.
We will miss her so much but we are comforted knowing she is reunited with all those she loved and missed.
The family especially wants to thank Legacy Healthcare for the love and attention she received while a resident there, as well as St. Joseph Hospice.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at Twin City Funeral Home. Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 13, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.

April 23, 1935 — December 7, 2023
Maggie Marie Keller Vidos, 88, a resident of Stephensville, passed away peacefully, Thursday, De-cember 7, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.
Maggie was born April 23, 1935, in Bayou L’Ourse, the daughter of Raymond Keller and Maggie Blanco Keller.
Maggie was a homemaker who dedicated her life to family and making sure they were supported in whatever they did, and that her family never felt anything other than love.
Cooking was one of her favorite passions, which always included Sunday dinner. Her specialties were her crawfish bisque and turtle sauce picante, which were enjoyed by all. And no one could touch her wiener spaghetti and cornbread dressing according to her grandchildren- and honestly, they were right.
She also enjoyed sewing, where she made most of her children’s clothing and three of her daughter’s wedding gowns, as well as crocheting; she crocheted the sweetest little baby booties you ever wanted to see, and she enjoyed embroidering.
Maggie enjoyed the outdoors, and you could always find her in her flower beds, vegetable gardens, and fishing.
She also enjoyed spending time with her sisters and sisters-in-law, playing cards, especially Pedro, as well as traveling.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her seven children, Debra Mason and husband Albert, Jr., Sheryl Cline and husband James, Johnny Vidos and wife Claudette, Dale Stephens and husband Donald, Carla Dolci, Brett Vidos and wife Angelette, Angela Jameson and husband Joe; twelve grandchildren, Steven Mason and wife Jole, Angele LaCroix and husband Christopher, Amanda Talbot and husband Shane, Jason Cline and wife Nicole, Falon Peltier and husband Brayton, Lindsey Bolano and husband Christopher, Megan Blanchard and husband Jason, Ashlyn Guidry and husband Brett, Mallory Stephens and significant other Marcus Milam, Thomas Dolci and significant other Victoria Bergeron, Blake Vidos, and Kimberly Hohmann and husband Daniel; fifteen great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; two siblings, Ethel Aucoin and Patsy Laverne; three sisters-in-law, Tweetie and Bobbie Keller and Ann Aucoin.
Maggie was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers and three sisters, and father of her seven children, John Vidos Jr.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, December 11, 2023, at Holy Cross Catholic Church with Father Francis Kayaye officiating. Visitation will be held Monday, December 11, 2023, at Twin City Funeral Home from 9:00 a.m. until the rosary at 12:00 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., the family will process to Holy Cross for Mass. After Mass, Maggie will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery Mausoleum, and pallbearers will be her seven children.

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

Morgan City police and St. Mary deputies reported arrests Thursday on reckless operation charges.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 51 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Malcolm Ted Watkins Jr., 28, Short Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:07 p.m. Thursday on a Morgan City Police Department warrant alleging reckless of a vehicle.

--Cody Gibbs 28, Sycamore Place, Corpus Christi, Texas, was arrested at 12:58 p.m. Thursday on a Morgan City Police Department warrant alleging theft of a motor vehicle.

--Olga Argueta, 39, Helen Drive, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:52 a.m. Thursday on charges of simple battery and simple cruelty to animals.

--Immanuel Lee Gary, 34, Orange Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:45 p.m. Thursday on a City Court of Morgan City warrant alleging red light violation.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 45 complaints and made this arrest:

--Emanuel Jefferson, 21, San Leandro, California, was arrested at 9:49 p.m. Thursday on a charge of reckless operation with accident, simple criminal damage to property and driver must be licensed..

Bail has not been set at this time.

Franklin

Chief Cedric Handy reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to eight complaints over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Darien Mitchell, 26, Adrian Street, New Iberia, was arrested at 3:45 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for 3rd Ward City Court alleging failure to appear on charges of off-road vehicles, driving under suspension, stop sign violation, establishing of speed zones and reckless operation.

Mitchell was booked, processed and released on a $518 bond.
\
--Asia Do, 28, Willow Street, Franklin, was arrested at 11:31 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for 16th Judicial District Court alleging failure to appear on a charge of criminal neglect of family. Do was booked, processed and held on an $18,231.67 bond.

In November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its latest version of the Hardiness Zone Map. This mapping system categorizes geographic regions according to their average annual minimum winter temperatures.
The map helps by assisting gardeners, horticulturists and landscaping experts in choosing plants suited to specific climates.
The USDA Hardiness Zone Map has a history dating back several decades, and it has undergone multiple revisions to reflect the changes in climate knowledge and technology.
The first version of the map was developed in 1938 by then-Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace. The early map divided the United States into 10 temperature zones based on average annual minimum winter temperatures.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that the USDA updated the map. This revision included more detailed temperature zones and took into account additional factors such as elevation, wind exposure and proximity to large bodies of water.
The most well-known and widely used version of the USDA Hardiness Zone Map was released in 1990. This version, developed by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA, further refined the zones and incorporated more sophisticated technology, including the use of computer-based Geographic Information System mapping.
The USDA last released an updated version of the map in 2012. This revision was based on more recent weather data and trends. It also introduced half-zone increments to better represent small-scale climate variations.
The new version was released in November in response to ongoing climate changes and advancements in climate science. It’s essential to periodically update the map to reflect shifts in temperature patterns and to provide accurate information for gardeners and horticulturists.
Louisiana’s 2023 zoning has been adjusted, with north Louisiana now classified as zone 8b and the southernmost tip as zone 10a — each moving up by half a zone.
Each zone number represents a 10-degree Fahrenheit difference in average low temperatures in winter. The “a” and “b” denote half-zone increments, representing a 5-degree difference in average minimum winter temperatures within a main zone.
Zones labeled with an “a” indicate the colder part of a numbered zone while “b” designates the warmer part of a zone. This provides more specific information for tailored plant selection in areas with temperature variations.
Each zone has a temperature range associated with it. For example, zone 8 has a range of 10 to 20 degrees. This means that plants recommended for zone 8 are generally able to withstand winter temperatures within this range.
The zones of Louisiana range from 8 to 10. In zone 9, average minimum winter temperatures range from 20 to 30 degrees, and in zone 10, the range is 30 to 40 degrees.
For reference, here are the average low temperatures for all 13 hardiness zones, which stretch from Alaska to the north and Hawaii and Puerto Rico:

Zone 1: Below -50 degrees
Zone 2: -50 to -40 degrees
Zone 3: -40 to -30 degrees
Zone 4: -30 to -20 degrees
Zone 5: -20 to -10 degrees
Zone 6: -10 to 0 degrees
Zone 7: 0 to 10 degrees
Zone 8: 10 to 20 degrees
Zone 9: 20 to 30 degrees
Zone 10: 30 to 40 degrees
Zone 11: 40 to 50 degrees
Zone 12: 50 to 60 degrees
Zone 13: 60 to 70 degrees

The USDA Hardiness Zone Map is available online at www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. It is a valuable tool for gardeners and plant enthusiasts, helping them choose plants that are well-suited to the specific climate conditions of their region.
For us in Louisiana, the recent changes to the map may mean it’s time to incorporate more semitropical and tropical plant species.