A recent ribbon-cutting opened 24-7 Prayer, an international, interdenominational prayer movement, with a vision to revive the church and rewire the culture through nonstop, night and day prayer. Located at 777 Delmar Ave., Bayou Vista, this is the first 24-7 prayer space of its kind in Louisiana. 24-7 Prayer says it is for the super-spiritual, the seeker and the spiritually curious.
Owner Tallie Matte and husband Jaret Matte cut the ribbon recently to open Pretty Fit, 217 Everett St., Morgan City. They were joined by family, friends, U.S. Rep. Garrett Graves' representative Christian Bergeron, St. Mary Chamber President Beth Chiasson and Assistant Trinisha Hayes. Pretty Fit offers personal training, yoga and other fitness training.
M C Bank recently marked the opening of its Bayou Vista Banking Center, 1305 Southeast Blvd., with an open house and ribbon-cutting. Pictured are M C Bank President and CEO Christopher LeBato, the bank's Board of Directors, staff members, and Chamber Assistant Trinisha Hayes.
This caption has been updated to correct the bank's address.
St. Mary Chamber Photos
A recent ribbon-cutting launched Sweet Treats!, a mobile refreshment bar owned by Calvin and Rose Aucoin. This mobile bar is rented for parties and serves soft serve ice cream, daiquiris, coffees, milkshakes and much more. To reserve, customers should call 985-518-6878. Present along with the owners were Parish Councilman James Bennett, Morgan City Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Solar and Chamber President Beth Chiasson. Also present was the owners' granddaughter, Noelle.
Submitted Photo
Ochsner St. Mary hosted a free health fair Saturday for members of the community. Visitors received free health screenings, educational material and giveaways, and met with health care professionals.
The Pat and Kate Brady family has pledged to donate $420,000 to the Nicholls State University Foundation to assist with the future construction of the new College of Business Administration facility and for naming rights of the atrium at the new facility. The atrium will be named the “Pat and Kate Brady Family Atrium.”
“When you start adding together my family members who are Nicholls alumni, the number gets into the double digits. We’ve had a great relationship with the university and have always believed that if you can afford to give, you give. You get back more than what you give – trust me. We are excited to partner with Nicholls State and contribute to a new, state-of-the-art business building that will transfer young adults into the business leaders of tomorrow,” said Pat Brady.
“We want to thank the Brady Family for doing this. It’s a dream for all of us to be able to have a location on campus that reflects the quality of our program. There really is something unique about Nicholls. We’re small, but we’re mighty, and I think the quality of students coming out of the College of Business Administration is unrivaled. Community support makes us stronger,” said Dr. Marilyn Macik-Frey, dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of management.
The atrium’s naming will commemorate the late Kate Brady, who’s been described as a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law and “Grannie.” Her grandchildren were her pride, and hunting was her passion. She loved Mardi Gras and was an original member of the Krewe of Versailles.
and past royalty. Kate was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church and a member of the Ladies Altar Society, Safari Club International and the Cruisin’ Cajuns.
The Nicholls College of Business Administration offers degrees in Accounting, Finance, Computer Information Systems, Management, Marketing and Business Administration, including a fully online Business Administration degree and four pathways to earn a MBA. AACSB is the gold standard in quality accreditation for Colleges of Business, and less than 5% of Colleges worldwide hold this accreditation. The Nicholls State University College of Business Administration has held this distinction for over 30 years. To learn more, visit https://www.nicholls.edu/business/.
Despite an early voting process that underperformed, state election officials are standing by a primary turnout prediction of somewhere between 42% and 46%.
Joel Watson, the deputy secretary of state for outreach, acknowledged fewer people voted in person last week than during the 2022 early voting period.
“But it was only slightly lower,” Watson added.
However, when compared to the last gubernatorial early voting period, in 2019, there was an 8% drop in participation, according to John Couvillon of JMC Analytics and Polling.
That’s why Couvillon, along with other politicos, believe turnout for Saturday’s primary election cycle could land somewhere between 38% and 40%.
“I don’t think voters are really engaged,” Couvillon said in an interview last week with www.LaPoliticsWeekly.com.
Couvillon said he could see the trends clearly in his polling, from the large portion of the undecided vote to how long it was taking his team to collect a sample.
Dr. Edward E. Chervenak, director of the Survey Research Center at the University of New Orleans, said the early vote “provided circumstantial evidence for the lack of enthusiasm in this election.”
Yet some corners of the electorate are exhibiting a “degree of enthusiasm,” he said, particularly White and Republican voters.
“The higher turnout rates for Republicans in early voting is somewhat surprising,” said Chervenak. “Former President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters have been highly critical of early voting and absentee voting. Their take on the process is that it is fraught with manipulation and fraud and should not be trusted.
"Republicans in Louisiana appear to have a different take. In fact, they have embraced early voting, and it seems to be working out well for them.
:Republicans are showing up for early voting to a greater extent than their political competition and giving their candidates the edge in elections.”
Chervenak found that even though Republicans comprise 33.8% of registered voters in Louisiana, they somehow comprised 44.8% of this year’s early vote.
“That’s an advantage of 11%, the largest in all the voter categories,” said Chervenak. “The advantage for Democrats is much smaller. They are 38.7% of registered voters and they comprised 40.3% of early voters, leading to a 1.6% advantage.”
Using the same formula, the most disadvantaged group of early voters are Independents and third-party voters. They comprise 27.5% of the registration rolls but are only 14.9% of the early vote — a gap of 12.6%.
That’s why consultant Michael Wong of W Strategies Group declared Republicans as the big winners from early voting.
Last year was the first year Republicans outperformed Democrats in Louisiana early voting, a process that seemed to peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operatives like Wong wondered if Republicans could continue to gain during the 2023 early voting process.
“Republicans took the early vote lead on day two, and didn’t really looked back,” Wong said in last week’s issue of www.LaPoliticsWeekly.com.
“The Republican vote spread just kept growing. Turnout looks like it’s going to be fairly low statewide, which likely means more chronic voters and less persuadable swing voters making up the electorate.”
For political purists, the early voting numbers don’t provide much confidence ahead of Election Day, which is, after all, held regularly to attract voters. Even when turnout is high in Louisiana, the share of the electorate that participates is well below the population figures our elected officials represent.
Outgoing Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has battled low turnout during his time in office and fought back with techniques both sophisticated (like enhancements to the GeauxVote! portal) and not (handing out really cool stickers for voting).
There’s not much to be done, though, when voters aren’t enthusiastic about the candidates on the ballot or the issues being discussed. There simply aren’t enough stickers in the world to fix that problem.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.
Authorities have released the names of the two men whose bodies were recovered Thursday after the plane crash at Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport.
They were identified as Dean Lee Felterman, 69, of Patterson and Mufid Jabour, 48, of Denham Springs, according to St. Mary Coroner Dr. Eric Melancon.
Felterman was the son of the late Patterson businessman and philanthropist F.C. "Butch" Felterman. The younger Felterman had been in the boat brokerage business and was involved in a variety of civic causes in Patterson.
A Facebook account for Mufid Jabur lists him as a certified pilot and tax preparer in Denham Springs.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB investigators arrived at the site Friday.
"Please pray for the victims' families in this tragic loss," Melancon said in a text Friday.
NTSB spokeswoman Sarah Taylor Sulick said Friday that the Cessna 414 crashed at 3:11 p.m. Thursday.
The NTSB will issue a preliminary report, typically within two weeks. But the official determination may take as long as one to two years, according to the NTSB website.
According to Sulick, NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. As part of this process, investigators will gather the following information and records:
--Flight track data
--Recordings of any air traffic control communications
-- Aircraft maintenance records
--Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident
-- Pilot’s license, ratings and recent flight experience
--72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safety operate the flight
--Witness statements
--Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation
--Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras
A fire followed the crash, Sulick said. The Patterson, Bayou Vista and Franklin fire departments responded.
The Cessna 414 is a twin-engine aircraft. The model first flew in 1968, and the model has been in service since then in several engine and airframe modifications.
KLFY in Lafayette reported that the plane is registered to MJ Aviation in Denham Springs. The Federal Aviation Administration's online database shows that a Cessna 414 registered to MJ Aviation was manufactured in 1973.
Weather appears unlikely to have been a factor. About 3 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service at Lake Charles was reporting overcast skies at the airport, and about 4 p.m., skies were reported to be clear. The wind was from the north at 10 mph, and visibility was 10 miles.
The fire resulting from the crash was a special source of concern given the drought conditions and the statewide burn ban that has been in effect since late August. The ban was modified Sept. 27 to allow burning in sugar cane fields, but only after harvesting. The Berwick Public Works Department's monthly reports to the Town Council reported a total of less than 5 inches of rain in August and September.
Halloween is often just what the doctor ordered. Nestled between the start of a new school year and the arrival of the holiday season, Halloween is an opportunity for children and adults alike to have some fun as they dress up in costumes and indulge in some sweet treats.
Even though Halloween is designed to be an entertaining day, it’s not without its risks. The Child Safety Network says on average, two times as many child pedestrians die on Halloween compared to other days.
Costume safety and food allergies are some additional hazards to contend with on Halloween. Parents can work together to help reduce the safety risks associated with Halloween.
Light it up
Lack of visibility and dim lighting at night increase the risk of pedestrians being struck by cars on Halloween. Improving visibility can go a long way toward cutting down on accidents and related deaths.
Make sure costumes with masks allow enough eye opening for proper vision. Face makeup is always an option.
Homeowners can keep the lights turned on and perhaps illuminate neighborhoods even more by temporarily installing strands of Christmas or bistro style lights.
Children can carry battery-powered flashlights, lanterns or even glow sticks to make them more visible. Reflective tape placed on candy bags or somewhere on costumes also can help.
Set up safe trick-or-treat zones
The popularity of trunk-or-treat events that emerged several years ago took some of the risk out of Halloween by containing trick-or-treating to a parking lot at a school or church.
Neighbors can establish something similar close to home by petitioning the town for permits to close a specific road or roads to vehicular traffic for a “block party” of sorts. Residents in the area can trick-or-treat and party in the street without risk of injury from cars. Ask participating neighbors to chip in for refreshments and entertainment, if desired.
Check candy
Generation Xers may recall their parents warned against eating candy from Halloween before it could be inspected for hazards. Unfounded claims of dangerous items being lodged into candy perpetuated the suspicion of all Halloween confections for some time.
There is a risk of eating candy without thought, but that risk is now primarily related to food allergies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that, each year in the U.S., allergic reactions to food results in 30,000 emergency room visits, 2,000 hospitalizations and 150 deaths.
Common allergens include peanuts and other nuts as well as eggs and dairy. Others may be intolerant to ingredients like gluten or soy.
Inspecting candy nutrition information can help weed out candy that may cause a reaction for those with food allergies or other concerns.
Prepare homes
Adults and parents can take additional steps to prepare their homes for Halloween.
Keep the porch and front yard clear of tripping hazards, such as garden hoses, decorations and toys. Sweep away leaves and branches to prevent tripping or slipping. Restrain pets so they do not jump on trick-or-treaters. Offer a variety of treats for kids of all ages so trick-or-treaters get age-appropriate items.
Halloween fun and safety can go hand-in-hand this October.
DEAR ABBY: My fiancé and I have been together nine years. During that time, we have had our ups and downs.
Eight years ago, after a year of dating, we decided to move in together. The following year we got into a big argument because his ex-girlfriend was sticking her nose into our household. (She was also dating his brother.) He moved out that night, but we were able to repair our relationship and decided to live separately for a while.
A month and a half after he moved, I found out she was pregnant. Her due date was nine months from when he moved out. He swears it’s not his child and that it’s his brother’s. I have tried to let it go because I can’t accuse him of lying just because of the timing of her pregnancy.
We were engaged once before, and I called it off because of this. He proposed to me again two years ago, and our wedding date is set for next year.
I don’t want to call it off again, although this is still bothering me. He knows I was hurt by an ex-boyfriend who cheated on me in the past, and I think he knows if I find out the truth, I will leave him.
He treats this child like she’s his own, not a niece. He picks her up and takes her out for dinner and to the park and other stuff he doesn’t do for his other nieces or nephews.
Should I let it go, or trust my gut?
SECRET OR NOT IN NEW YORK
DEAR SECRET: Tell your fiancé you want him to consent to giving a sample of his DNA, as well as his favored niece’s, to be tested. His reaction will speak volumes.
If he agrees, you will finally have the answers you are looking for. Do not go ahead with the wedding until you have that information.
DEAR ABBY: Every time my brother or another relative calls or visits, they deliver uninterruptible lectures on subjects we disagree on. There is no real conversation or exchange of ideas.
I’ve told them I don’t discuss politics, etc., and interrupted their lecture (which I’ve heard many times before) to say I have to go, but they keep talking.
Once I said I was hanging up, but I’m not sure my brother heard me. He was angry and offended when I did.
If I introduce a new topic in the middle of the lecture, they will morph it into something to lecture on within a minute. They never have facts or data behind their “what’s wrong with the world” views.
The lectures become tense for both of us, as they try to “sell” their points of view and I become frustrated at the whole process.
Any advice?
SISTER WHO’S HEARD IT ALL
DEAR SISTER: You stated that you have asked these relatives not to discuss topics that make you uncomfortable. Because they can’t resist doing it anyway, screen your calls and talk to them less often.
Just because someone phones does not mean you must talk to them, but if you are trapped, tell the person you can talk only for 10 minutes. When that time has elapsed, say goodbye and hang up.
If someone is offended by this, remind them that they were warned.
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Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.
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Fax: 337-828-2874
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Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255