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Parish Council OKs change in ambulance agreement

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:41am

LaGrange, Naquin retiring from parish posts; Ramsey won't run for council

Staff Report

The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday approved a change in its agreement with Acadian Ambulance to give the private emergency service provider more flexibility in how it responds, despite concerns about maintaining the appropriate level of care.

Also Wednesday, Henry C. “Bo” LaGrange announced his retirement after 33 years in parish government, the last 27 of them as chief administrative officer. The council had also heard that Homeland Security Director David Naquin is retiring. And Scott Ramsey of Bayou Vista announced that he won’t seek re-election to the council.

Acadian
agreement

Acadian cited continuing staffing shortages as it sought an amendment to its agreement with St. Mary Parish to allow wider use of basic life support ambulances for transporting patients.

BLS ambulances are staffed by emergency medical technicians, who receive training in noninvasive procedures. Advanced life support ambulances are staffed by paramedics, who receive hundreds of hours of additional training and are empowered to perform more advanced procedures, including administering medication and starting IVs.

Acadian’s request raised concerns on the council about the continuing availability of ALS ambulance service in the parish. Teddy Crochet, of Acadian’s Bayou Region, told
the council March 22 that the contract amendment wouldn’t affect ALS availability.

Centerville firefighter Brandon Lejeune, who raised the question of ALS availability March 22, came back Wednesday to say that after he reviewed the amendment, he believes the amendment adds service rather than reducing it.

But an email from Dr. Steve Domingue, medical director at Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City, objected to the amendment and argued that even transporting patients from one facility to another can require advanced lifesaving.

Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink, a physician as well as a Parish Council member, also objected, saying it’s important that ambulance transport provide the appropriate level of care.

“All of these patients have the potential for decompensation, whether it’s an inter-hospital transfer or a transfer from the scene,” Rink said.

“Decompensation” is the deterioration of a bodily system that had been functioning adequately.

The council passed the amendment by a 6-1 vote with Councilman Mark Duhon of Amelia abstaining. Council members J Ina and Rodney Olander of Franklin, Patrick
Hebert of Berwick, Gwendolyn Hidalgo of Bayou Vista, and Dean Adams and James Bennett of Morgan City voted for the amendment. Rink voted against it.

Departures

LaGrange’s retirement will be effective at the end of April. He has announced plans to run for the state Senate District 21 seat being vacated by Franklin Republican Bret Allain, who is term-limited. The state Senate primary will be Oct. 14.

LaGrange praised parish employees, state and federal officials, council members and the five parish presidents he has served as CAO for their dedication.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of St. Mary Parish,” LaGrange said.

Parish President David Hanagriff praised LaGrange for his service.

“I keep hearing the same joke he tells, and it’s not a joke by the way, that he’s trained five parish presidents,” Hanagriff said. “I am honored to be the last parish president he’s trained.”

Ramsey is nearing the end of his second stint on the Parish Council. Health problems have led to frequent absences from council meetings in recent months.

“I’ve enjoyed working with everyone,” Ramsey said, “but at some point you have to say enough is enough.”

Ramsey said he hopes to spend more time with his family and to travel.

The next council elections will be Oct. 14.

Naquin, a former St. Mary Parish sheriff, was praised by Hanagriff for “a tremendous job” during recent hurricane scares.

A replacement would be named by chief administrative officer. Hanagriff said Naquin has agreed to stay on until his successor is appointed.

Hanagriff made a pitch for the promotion of assistant Jimmy Broussard to the director’s post.

UPDATE: SMPSO releases ID of woman killed in Friday shooting

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:35am

Staff Report

The St. Mary Sheriff's Office has released the name of the victim in Friday's fatal shooting in Franklin.

The office identified her as Tatravia Rashannita Bryant, 28, New Iberia.

The shooting is being investigated as a homicide.

About 3:24 a.m. Friday, dispatch received a call about a victim with a gunshot wound who was brought to a medical facility in Franklin. Patrol deputies and detectives were dispatched and an investigation was begun.

Through the investigation, detectives learned that the shooting occurred in the St. Joseph area and a female victim had been shot and transported to the medical facility. She subsequently succumbed to her wounds.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact the SMPSO at 337-828-1960, or send a crime tip to www.stmaryso.com/crime-tips
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You can remain anonymous.

WADE JOSEPH BLACKBURN SR.

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:31am

Wade Joseph Blackburn Sr., 46, a native and resident of Patterson, died Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at his residence.

Visitation will be Saturday from 11 a.m. until services at 1 p.m. at New Salem Baptist Church in Patterson. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

He is survived by four brothers, Kenneth Evans III of Port Arthur, Texas, Bennie Blackburn of Oklahoma, and Dwayne Blackburn and Greg Hunt, both of Patterson; six sisters, Ashley Jacquet, Sharthine Gant, Tina Robinson and Orielle Butler, all of Patterson, Kendra Hawkins of Lake Charles and Tonya Hunt of Lafayette; and a grandchild.

He is preceded in death by his parents, a son and a sister.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Wheel House for April 14: Mission Day, Revival

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:29am

MISSION DAY
Service at Zion Chapel AME Church, 1511 Cherry St., Patterson, 8:30 a.m. Sunday, April 23. Guest speaker Whitney Breaux, MBA, CPA, and M C Bank credit analyst/accounts receivable executive assistant. She will give an overview on banking. Public invited.

REVIVAL
“Lifting Jesus to Draw to Lost” set at three area churches at 7 p.m. April 26-28. Revivalist the Rev. Moses A. Simms, Greater Turner Chapel AME Church, Greensburg, will be at Union Bethel AME Church, 956 Lake Palourde Road, Amelia, April 26; Zion Chapel AME Church, 1511 Cherry St., Patterson, April 27; and Lee Chapel AME Church, 609 Freret St., Morgan City, April 28. Public invited.

Lawmakers balk at using surplus for teacher raise

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:26am

MOLLY RYAN, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE –Conservative lawmakers’ concerns about spending some of the state’s surplus on teacher pay raises are already stirring up controversy.

Education Superintendent Cade Brumley told the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday that the department’s budget proposal would give an initial $2,000 pay raise to teachers and $1,000 to support workers as outlined in Gov. John Bel Edwards’ budget.

Edwards wants all K-12 teachers to receive an additional $1,000, bringing the total to $3,000, if state revenue projections increase in May.

If that additional revenue becomes available, the Education Department’s proposal, however, calls for putting it into a pool that could be divided differently among teachers. Brumley suggested that teachers in hard-to-fill positions like special education, math and science might receive anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 on top of the basic $2,000 raise.

He said this proposal would still bump teacher salaries in the state by an average of $3,000, pushing Louisiana to the Southern regional average, which includes Virginia and West Virginia, and above the average for states with universities in the Southeastern Conference, or SEC.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has unanimously approved the department’s proposal.

Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue, R-Houma, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, was encouraged by the department’s proposal for giving bigger raises to teachers in high-priority areas and called it “game-changing.”

Some lawmakers expressed concerns about the nature and sustainability of the raises.

Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield and chairman of the Louisiana Conservative Caucus, said the state would take on $525 million in recurring expenses if an average pay raise of $3,000 is implemented. He worried that the raises are consuming the revenue generated from the temporary 0.45 percent sales tax increase that ends in 2025.

McFarland and Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Ascension, suggested the Legislature would have to cut funds elsewhere to sustain the pay raises.

“Everybody can talk about it, but we have to fund it,” McFarland said.

The state has a $1.6 billion surplus but cannot spend more than $500 million of it without a two-thirds vote from lawmakers, and McFarland has raised concerns about increasing the cap.

Additionally, Bacala expressed hesitation about giving additional funding to low-grade schools.

“It’s time for us to use this budget to press bad systems to get better for the benefit of the kids,” Bacala said.

He pointed out that Louisiana spends more per student than other states with SEC schools yet falls behind them in teacher salaries. He questioned whether resources are being distributed efficiently. Bacala said he wants to use money to incentivize better performance from schools to benefit children.

Rep. Rodney Lyons, D-Jefferson, said a school’s annual “D” or “F” grade is not necessarily an indication that teachers and other staff are not working to improve performance or that they are undeserving of a raise.

Judge blocks controversial waterways rule

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:22am

KIM JARRETT, The Center Square

North Dakota U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday that blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s clean water rule, also known as WOTUS.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers published the rule on Jan. 18 that brings the country’s wetlands, streams and other waterways under federal jurisdiction. The rule was implemented during the Obama administration and repealed under the Trump administration.

Twenty-three states and several organizations joined North Dakota in the lawsuit filed on Feb. 21.

Hovland said in his order that the EPA exceeded its statutory authority and could be unconstitutional.

“The first category under the new Rule are traditional navigable waters, territorial seas, and interstate waters,” Hovland said. “The EPA has now taken the position that
‘interstate waters’ includes all such waters — even those that are not ‘connected to navigable waters’ in any manner. There are serious questions whether this is a permissible construction of the Clean Water Act as the Rule essentially reads non-navigability out of the Act. And does the Clean Water Act support making every wetland, stream, tributary or other water traversing a border subject to federal jurisdiction?”

Hovland said claims by North Dakota and West Virginia officials that the rule would cause their agencies harm outweighed the harm the injunction could do.

“An injunction at this early stage can avoid the massive waste of resources and delayed projects in pursuit of permits that may soon be legally irrelevant,” Hovland said. “By contrast, the EPA will not suffer any real harm that would justify a denial of injunctive relief. And any potential harm the federal agencies may suffer from compliance with an injunction is not enough to tip the scales at this stage. In fact, it is difficult to see what those potential harms may be.”

The EPA said in an email to The Center Square that the agencies are reviewing the decision and their options.

“The agencies continue to believe the rule, which is informed by the text of the relevant provisions of the Clean Water Act and the statute as a whole, as well as the scientific record, relevant Supreme Court case law, input from public comment, and the agencies’ experience and technical expertise after more than 45 years of implementing the longstanding pre-2015 regulations defining waters of the United States, is the best interpretation of the Clean Water Act,” the agency said. “In light of the preliminary injunctions, the agencies are interpreting ‘waters of the United States”’ consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime in 26 States until further notice. The agencies remain committed to establishing and implementing a durable definition of “waters of the United States” informed by diverse perspectives.”

Gov. Doug Burgum said the rule would have created confusion and driven up costs for consumers.

“North Dakota has some of the cleanest air and water in the nation because we responsibly develop our natural resources and properly exercise our state’s authority to
protect our own waters from pollution,” Burgum said.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond also praised the ruling.

“The Biden administration routinely infringes on the 10th Amendment rights of Oklahoma and other states, but today the Court put that overreach on hold,” Drummond said in a statement.

Public safety officials seek more money for salaries

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:11am

MOLLY RYAN and JENNA BRIDGES, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE–The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday discussed expanding the budgets for youth, corrections and public safety services as state officials expressed a need to address employee turnover rates through higher salaries.

Corrections Department Secretary James LeBlanc underscored the stressful, difficult work his staff does and noted that shots have recently been fired at probation officers.

Col. Lamar Davis, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said Louisiana is short 166 state troopers. He believes the state needs to make trooper salaries more competitive, citing that Louisiana’s starting pay for troopers is lower than in neighboring states like Mississippi.

“We have some very good, very smart people out there with good hearts, but we have to pay them,” he said.

Curtis Nelson, deputy secretary of the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, said his officials have also struggled with employee turnover rates, especially for those on the front lines who are in constant contact with juveniles and work 12-hour shifts.

He said his office addressed this issue by incentivizing the work with better pay. Individuals only need a high school diploma to work for youth services, and after 18 months, the office can bump their pay from around $30,000 to $45,000, which Nelson felt is competitive for people without a college degree.

LeBlanc said the corrections department also has increased pay and said it has seen success at job fairs. According to LeBlanc, there have been improvements in employment rates at every one of its facilities except for the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center and the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The state has a $1.6 billion surplus this year, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seemed receptive to officials’ requests for extra funding.
In addition to employee retention, Nelson emphasized a need to fund positions that would catch troubling juvenile behavior at early stages and before crimes were committed.

He said youth services in the state are overwhelmed and suggested funneling more money to reduce truancy. He said absence from school is a sign of trouble at home that increases the risk for juvenile detention.

Additionally, Nelson said juveniles in some jurisdictions have been moved to facilities outside of Louisiana due to a lack of space. He said those youth offenders are consequently unable to reap the maximum benefits of the Office of Juvenile Justice’s programs.

“It is important to remember that the role of OJJ is to deliver rehabilitation,” he said.

Nelson said there are about 50 youth offenders waiting to be put into a secure care facility, but there is no room to house them.

“We’ve got a real problem, and I think everyone in this room can agree with that, where the youth are going these days,” Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, said.

Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Jefferson, said the best way to address juvenile crime is to identify at-risk individuals, including those who are physically abused or have family members in jail.

She expressed frustration about repeatedly hearing about the same problems. “I just know we’re going to have the same conversation next year,” she said.

Villio proposed a working relationship with organizations like the Department of Child and Family Services to prevent criminal behavior.

Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Ascension, suggested turning an adult facility into a juvenile facility or leasing new space for juvenile offenders.

While a new high-security facility for youth offenders is being built now, Bacala said the urgency of this issue means it needs to be dealt with quickly.

Get It Growing: What’s growing on my shrub?

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:10am

By HEATHER KIRK-BALLARD, LSU AgCenter Horticulturist

Noticed some type of alien growth on your azaleas this spring? I’ve recently gotten phone calls for strange growths on azalea shrubs that were described by the caller as what looked like “cauliflower ear” — enlarged and puffy.
This condition is called leaf gall, and although they are unsightly and alien looking, these growths are not particularly serious.
Leaf gall can be common in Louisiana during early spring after extended periods of cool, wet weather. Two species of Exobasidium fungus cause this disease: one on azaleas and the other on camellias. Rhododendrons also can be affected, especially in spring.
The fungus infects plants and damages their leaves and stems, making them look thick and fleshy. It can sometimes be found on flowers and seeds, too. Symptoms typically appear soon after flowering on young, tender leaf and stem growth. The changes in texture and brown and white discoloration makes infected areas stand out against unaffected green leaves.
Affected leaves curl and turn from a pale green to white or pink. As time goes on, galls form and become covered with powdery, white spores, which is how the fungus spreads. The galls eventually turn brown and harden, and infected leaves fall off of plants. If not disposed of, infected, fallen leaves can lead to more diseased plants the following spring. The fungus also can survive within asymptomatic infected plant parts and as spores within the bud scales.
To manage this disease, it is best to use some good cultural practices such as increasing airflow between plants. Proper spacing when planting is important. Plants that are too close will spread the disease quickly. For established plantings, you can improve air movement by thinning out branches from the shrub. Thinning the canopy of the plant will promote the rate at which leaves dry out between rain events.
Frequent inspection of the plants and removal of infected leaves when they first appear are often all that is needed to control this disease. If large numbers of leaves are affected, prune the plants during late spring or early summer to remove infected leaves and stimulate new growth.
To remove the damaged leave, you want to cut out galled leaves a couple of inches below the symptoms and place infected leaves in plastic bags to prevent spreading of spores and discard them. It is especially important to rake up and destroy affected leaves that have fallen to the ground under the plants.
Preventative measures can be taken in late winter or early spring by applying fungicides such as triadimefon and others used to control petal and flower blights. Other chemical control may be necessary on azaleas. You can use products with the active ingredient mancozeb, or chlorothalonil fungicide sprays can be used according to label directions. Fungicides can give some control of leaf gall when they are applied beginning at bud break and repeated every 10 days as long as environmental conditions are suitable for disease — cool temperatures and high moisture.
Now that you know what that growth is, you can get into the garden and get it cleaned up. Pay attention to weather patterns in the future.
Our work in the garden is never finished, and the best gardens are those we check on often to tackle issues before they get out of hand. Don’t get caught with your plants down.

Local hams mark key date in radio

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:05am

On April 18, World Amateur Radio Day will be observed by amateurs (ham operators) internationally and their associations such as the ARRL, American Radio Relay League.

The ARRL and other associations are part of the IARU, International Amateur Radio Union, which was formed in Paris on April 18, 1925.

Morgan City and St. Mary Parish are represented by the Bayouland Emergency Amateur Radio Service, BEARS, which was organized in 1994 and is observing 29 years of service to St. Mary Parish. The club is always on standby to help with emergency communication during not only hurricanes but other emergencies that involve lack of communication.

On another note, the club is very active in promoting not only the parish but local organizations during events they are staging.

The first event this year will be a special event station on the banks of the Teche in Franklin for the Black Bear Festival and will be Saturday, May 6, and also highlight Franklin’s Main Street Main to Main. Due to the COVID shutdown, this will be the first Bear Festival in three years, and everyone is excited to be able to set up this station. BEARS says the special event station is popular with hams throughout the United States who look forward to making a radio contact and hearing about the festival, Franklin and Bayou Teche. .The ham radio station will be set up on the bayou side and is open to all visitors who would like to hear some of the contacts and conversations with hams from many different states.

Anyone interested in becoming a ham operator is especially welcome to come visit.

Mom’s comments about tattoos need to dry up

Fri, 04/14/2023 - 8:05am

By Jeannie Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: I am tattooed. I have 11 spread over my body. I grew up with strict rules. My mom always said no piercings (other than ears) or tattoos while I was under her roof. I got my first tattoo at 22 while away at college. I had to tell her about it because of a family beach vacation. She was disappointed. I have continued to get inked throughout my life. Every time she noticed a new tat, she voiced a negative opinion.
We live in different states now, so the subject of my tattoos hasn’t come up lately. A year ago, she was here to visit and didn’t say one word about my ink. I’m planning to have more work done this summer and I’m afraid that when she visits, she’ll be critical of me again, even though I’m 32, have an above-minimum-wage job, and my husband and I own our own home. What can I do or say to get her to keep her comments at bay?
TATTED IN INDIANA

DEAR TATTED: What you say to your mother is, “You know I love you, Mom. Thank you for the beautiful body you gave me. I’m sorry you are disappointed with what I have done with it, but in the future please keep your negative comments to yourself because they are hurtful.”

DEAR ABBY: I’m engaged to marry the love of my life. We’ve known each other since we were school-age (we are now 50).
It will be a second marriage for both of us. He is unaware that I have access to his Facebook account and can see that he looks up his ex about once a week. They have been divorced for three years. It bothers me, but I’m hesitant to say anything because I would have to reveal how I know. I absolutely know he loves me and is in love with me. What do I do?
PERTURBED IN TEXAS

DEAR PERTURBED: I can understand why you are bothered. Successful relationships — marriages in particular — are built on trust and honest communication, both of which appear to be absent in this love story. If you “absolutely know” your fiancé loves you, why have you been monitoring his online activities?
I think it’s time for full disclosure. Tell him why you felt the need to snoop on him and ask him why he feels the need to check on what his ex is doing. It could be simple curiosity, but if it’s more than that, you are entitled to know.

DEAR ABBY: Oftentimes, we like to pay our restaurant check with cash. So our server won’t mistake our intention, we place the money inside the folder with the ends of the cash exposed. More often than not, when the server picks up the folder she or he will say: “Do you need change?”
We think asking this question is tacky, and we would prefer something like: “I’ll be right back with your change.” My Scottish heritage wants to say: “Every penny!” but good manners prevents that. In some instances, we do leave a tip added on to the bill and don’t want change — in which case we say: “No thank you, the change is yours.” What is your response when the server says: “Do you need any change?”
ASSUMING IN ARIZONA

DEAR ASSUMING: My response would be to smile and say, “Yes, please,” if I didn’t want my server to keep it, which is rare.
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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.