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DONNA BELAIRE CHERAMIE

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 6:18am

July 31, 1958 — February 15, 2023

Donna Belaire Cheramie, 64, a resident of Morgan City, passed away peacefully, Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.

Donna was born July 31, 1958, in (Franklin), the daughter of Al Belaire and Anna Lee LaJaunie Belaire.

Donna’s grandchildren were her world and she loved spending time with them. She loved Mardi Gras and was a past Galatea Queen. Donna could do anything she put her mind to; she was very creative and always had a project going on. She also enjoyed traveling and could live on the beach, as it was her favorite place to be. Donna’s true passion was her family. She was greatly loved by all who knew her.

She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her husband, Tommie Cheramie of Morgan City; son, Ryan Thomas Cheramie and significant other Jenna Ryder of Mobile, AL; daughter, Sissy Cheramie Daigle of Morgan City; two sisters, Karen Belaire, Susan LeBouef and husband Jeffery; William “Bill” McCarty, who was always like a brother to her; three grandchildren, Rylee Cheramie, Hazel Daigle, and Rose Cheramie; two godchildren, Jamie Mallet and Aiden LeBouef; nephew, Colin Mallet; niece, Amanda Mallet; numerous great nieces and nephews.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Al and Anna Lee Belaire; one niece, Jada Bernadou.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 24, 2023, at Holy Cross Catholic Church with Father Jay Baker officiating. Visitation will be held Thursday, February 23, 2023, at Twin City Funeral Home from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Visitation will resume Friday, February 24, 2023, at Holy Cross Catholic Church from 9:00 a.m. until the time of Mass. After Mass, Donna will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery Mausoleum.

Wheel House for Feb. 21

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 6:15am

BLACK HISTORY
And Pew Rally program at Zion Chapel AME Church, 1511 Cherry St., Patterson, at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 26. Speakers Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan and Cornel Keeler. Public invited.

Tax Foundation: La. has highest sales taxes

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 6:13am

VICTOR SKINNER, The Center Square

Louisiana’s combined state and local sales taxes are the highest in the nation, a reality critics contend is one of several tax and spending issues plaguing the state.

The Tax Foundation released a report last week that compares state and local sales taxes across the nation, ranking states based on both the state sales tax and combined state and local rates.

The research shows that as of Jan. 1, Louisiana’s state sales tax of 4.45% ranks 38th from the top. But when that figure is added to the average local tax rate of 5.10%, the state’s 9.55% combined rate becomes the highest among 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“Sales taxes are just one part of an overall tax structure and should be considered in context,” according to the report. “For example, Tennessee has high sales taxes but no income tax, whereas Oregon has no sales tax but high income taxes. While many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within policymakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.”

The report comes as Louisiana lawmakers are studying potential changes to the state’s tax structure ahead of the 2023 legislative session. Vance Ginn, chief economist for the Pelican Institute, contends that excessive government spending is one factor driving higher taxes in Louisiana, though he believes personal income taxes are having the biggest impact on the state’s economy.

“We have got to find a way to restrain excessive government spending at the state and local level,” he said.

“The sales tax is high in Louisiana … but really the focus should be on the burdensome income tax.”

The Pelican Institute is advocating for a flat income tax that eventually phases to zero.

“That will allow for more job creation and economic growth,” Ginn said.

The Tax Foundation ranks Louisiana 25th nationally for income taxes, 32nd in the nation for corporate income tax, and 23rd for property taxes. Those rankings, combined with other measures, puts the state in 39th place overall in the foundation’s 2023 State Business Tax Climate Index.

The foundation’s most recent report notes that sales tax rates can have a significant impact on where residents make major purchases and where businesses locate, and it cites examples of states that have increased per capita sales by maintaining rates lower than their neighbors.

The analysis shows Louisiana’s 9.55% combined sales tax rate is more than 2% higher than Mississippi’s 7.07% rate, and 1.35% higher than Texas at 8.20%. Arkansas’ combined rate of 9.46% is the third highest nationally, behind Louisiana and Tennessee at 9.55%.

California has the highest state sales tax rate at 7.25%, followed by four states tied for the second-highest rate, at 7%: Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.

Five states do not have a state sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. The lowest rates for states with sales tax include Colorado at 2.9%, followed by Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, New York and Wyoming, all at 4%.

States with the highest average local sales tax rates include Alabama at 5.25%, Louisiana, Colorado at 4.88%, New York at 4.52%, and Oklahoma at 4.48%.

Behind Louisiana with the highest combined state and local sales tax is Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama at 9.25% and Oklahoma at 8.98%.
States with the lowest average combined rates are Alaska at 1.76%, Hawaii at 4.44%, Wyoming at 5.36%, Wisconsin at 5.43%, and Maine at 5.5%.

Gov.'s proposed budget has teacher raise

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 6:11am

MOLLY RYAN and CLAIRE SULLIVAN, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards proposed a budget Friday that includes a $2,000 pay raise for K-12 teachers that could climb to $3,000 if more money becomes available.

He also called for a $1,000 pay raise for support workers at schools.

Those basic raises would cost the state about $200 million eachyear. Teachers could receive the additional $1,000 raise, bringing the total increase to $3,000, if the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference increases its revenue projections again in May.

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said that would finally push teacher salaries in Louisiana to the Southern regional average and cost an additional $74 million annually.

In unveiling his final budget proposal, Edwards touted his sixth year in a budget surplus after inheriting a $2 billion deficit in his first term. Edwards’ second term ends in January.

“We’ve had the best budgets for education in the history of our state, from early childhood through K-12 and certainly including higher education,” Edwards said.

Edwards’ proposed budget also includes $57.1 million for the early childhood program with the Department of Education, more money for need-based Go Grants to cover college tuition costs and a 2% pay raise for university faculty.

“This is a home run for education at every level,” Dardenne said.

Thanks to federal aid and higher-than-expected tax collections, the state finds itself with a budget surplus of $726.5 million from the previous fiscal year and $928 million in excess funds that must be spent before June 30.

Though the excess money is recognized as recurring funds, Edwards wants to allocate most of it to one-time expenses out of caution as the temporary 0.45% increase in sales tax is expected to roll off at the end of 2025 and could leave the state facing a revenue shortfall.

The one-time expenses include $340 million for transportation projects and the $45 million that the Legislature allocated earlier this month to a plan to lure home insurance companies back to the state.

Dardenne told reporters that $100 million would be placed in a higher education initiative fund to support programs like training nurses and $20.5 million would be used to help close the Road Home program, which assisted citizens after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Plus, $84 million would be allocated for acquisitions and major repairs to state buildings, primarily spent on corrections. The Department of Child and Family Services would also benefit in the form of cars and other equipment. DCFS has struggled to hire and retain employees and seen many failed cases in recent years.

Part of the surplus would be used to push the state’s rainy-day fund to its highest point ever of $903 million.

Under Edwards’ proposal, the budget for the state’s general fund would be $11.4 billion while the total budget, including all federal aid, would be $45.7 billion.

Increased revenue from federal aid after Hurricane Katrina led the Legislature and previous governors to make tax cuts that ended up pushing the state into the deficit Edwards inherited when those federal dollars rolled off.

A temporary law passed in 2016 increased sales tax by a penny. When that was set to expire in 2018, the Legislature faced a fiscal cliff, and had to call three special sessions to pass the temporary 0.45 cent of sales tax that is due to expire at the end of fiscal 2025.

The Legislature will review Edwards’ latest proposal in a session starting April 10 and is free to make changes. Dardenne told reporters that he expects little resistance to the spending from Republican lawmakers because it is an election year.

However, Rep. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, asked Edwards if some of the expenditures could leave the next governor facing another hole in his or her second year in office once the .45 cents of sales tax expires at the end of fiscal 2025.

Miguez expressed concern that the state’s current fiscal strength may stem too much from federal aid that could shrink and an extra boost from construction activity after the recent hurricanes.

Edwards said that the expiration of the .45 percent of sales tax could reduce state revenue by $800 million. But, he said, the state budget seems to be on a sound path, and if anything changes, the next governor would have time to decide how to handle it.

Dardenne told reporters that if there is no recession, gains in tax revenue should offset the revenue that the state loses when the extra sales tax expires.

Referring to the continuing growth in the economy so far, and the boost it is giving to state revenue, Dardenne said, “Nobody can say it’s not real.”

Edwards also struck a bipartisan tone, thanking lawmakers for all they have done to place the state on a better financial footing.

“It is remarkable how far we’ve come together since the early years after I took office,” Edwards said.

Franklin man will join band mates at Jazz Fest

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 6:04am

CHRIS LANDRY, Banner-Tribune

Jazz Fest in New Orleans annually features some of the biggest musical acts from around the world, and 2023 is no exception.

While the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will be headlined by such diverse artists as Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Ludacris, Dead & Company, the Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Santana, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, a band with local ties will perform at the second-largest stage of the event on May 5.

Undivided Band, a Lafayette act that includes lead guitarist Scott Burdett of Franklin, will play on the second Friday of the two-week music festival.

“It’s real big for us,” Burdett said. “We’re all looking forward to it.”

Burdett, 31, is a 2009 Franklin Senior High graduate and a Louisiana Tech graduate who teaches and coaches at Centerville High School. The band plays a variety of musical genres, but most of its original music is a country/hip-hop/rock fusion.

“We play music,” he said. “The term we’ve kind of coined is Hick Hop, but it’s a mixture of rock, rap and country. When we do our cover songs, we cover everything from Brooks & Dunn to Dr. Dre. We’ve got a little something for everyone.”

John Breaux, who performs under the stage name Jay Da Wizard, is a vocalist and DJ for the band. Jerad Bridges is a vocalist and plays acoustic guitar. Kevin Dorr is the basist. Austin Bodenheimer plays rhythm guitar, and Ian Willis plays drums for the band.

Jay and Burdett were in a band together in around 2014, and when Jay Da Wizard and Bridges got together to do a one-off country/hip hop mix tape, they called Burdett to play guitar on one of the tracks.

“About two weeks later, I got a call from Jay saying that they were putting a whole band together, and he asked me to be the guitarist,” Burdett said.

Burdett is the only local resident in the band. Jay Da Wizard is from Lafayette, and Willis grew up in Crowley, though he has some family from St. Mary Parish. Bodenheimer, who is Dorr’s nephew, is from
Seattle and lives in Ponchatoula. Dorr is from Mandeville, and Bridges is originally from Zwolle.

Burdett said that Bridges and Dorr have both played big stages before.

“Jerad was signed twice into Nashville and cut an album,” Burdett said. “Kevin’s the original bassist for a band called 12 Stones that was real big in the early 2000s, so they’ve kind of done that before, but for the rest of us, it’s huge.”

The band’s music and videos can be found on all streaming services, Burdett said, and the band has a website (www.undividedband.com) and a Facebook page (found by searching Facebook for Undivided Band official).

In addition to the band’s music, Jay Da Wizard has a song called “Neck,” dedicated to LSU, that has more than a million streams on Spotify, and Bridges has a song called “She Ain’t You” that’s playing on country radio stations in Texas, off an album entitled “Boys Become Men.”

Breaux sent an application in to Jazz Fest officials to perform, and although he sent it after the due date, the group was told they’d be performing.

“I guess they liked what they heard, because they put us on the second-biggest stage at the festival,” Burdett said.

The band won’t be playing any cover songs at Jazz Fest.

“It will be all 100% our originals and some of Jerad Bridges’ originals,” he said.

In addition to teaching, coaching and playing music, Burdett finds plenty of other things to do with his time. He’s one of former Franklin Senior High Head Baseball Coach and Principal Ty Burdette’s two sons, and played multiple sports at Franklin Senior High. He still stays active in sports as well.

“I shoot in the Acadiana Pool League, I play football for the Louisiana Bayou Hurricanes out of Lafayette,” he said.

Jim Bradshaw: When the snow was flying on Mardi Gras

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 6:01am

JIM BRADSHAW

Big preparations had been afoot for weeks for Mardi Gras celebrations across south Louisiana in 1899.

It was to be especially festive because Mardi Gras fell on Valentine’s Day that year.

Nobody anticipated that what may have been the worst blizzard ever to hit the state would undo it all.

Feb. 14, 1899, remains to this day south Louisiana’s coldest Mardi Gras on record, and the chill that came with its frigid winds was long remembered as among the coldest for any day — Mardi Gras, Christmas, or whatever.

The Weekly Messenger reported in mid-January that the Board of Trade was planning a big “Flower Parade … [that] promises to be the prettiest ever seen in St. Martinville,” and that “the great and mighty Potentate,” King Progress, had invited “all loyal subjects to decorate their carriages with flowers” and particularly invited the ladies “to ride in the procession which will be formed at my arrival in the lovely city of the Teche.”

But, when the day arrived, the flowers were frozen and instead of lovely ladies the Potentate was greeted by what the Messenger called “a blizzard that came direct from the frozen regions of North Dakota.”

It covered most of south Louisiana with three or more inches of sleet and snow and brought “the severest cold known for many years.”

Official Mardi Gras events were canceled in St. Martinville.

The Greig Orchestra did give “a little ball” that hardly anybody attended, because “very few ventured outside, unless it was absolutely necessary.”

It was so cold, that “the butchers could not cut their meat because it was frozen hard, and the milk froze in the cans so the milk men could not supply their customers with so indispensable an article,” The Messenger said.

The Lafayette parade and pageant, staged by the hardy volunteer fire department, went on “notwithstanding the very disagreeable weather,” according to the Advertiser, but “maskers were few.”

Attendance would have been even lighter if 24 brave firefighters from Crowley had not joined the parade and participated in the pageant’s grand march, “executed by all the firemen present in full uniform.”

Back in Crowley, a few people gathered in the relative warmth of the post office to see if they got any Valentines, but there was no parade and, again, only a handful braved the weather.

The Rex and Comus parades rolled in New Orleans despite several inches of snow and a wind chill below zero, but the Krewe of Porteus postponed its parade because the owners of the mules that pulled the floats refused to risk them on the ice-slicked streets.

A large delegation from the Teche country had traveled to New Orleans for the celebration, but The New Iberia Enterprise reported that “festivities in the Crescent City were seriously marred by the intense cold, and many people left before the festivities were well under way.”

The Enterprise reported also that in New Iberia, “for the first time within the recollection of man the bayou Teche was frozen over its entire surface.”
St. Martinville’s celebration was postponed until Easter, which was probably a more appropriate occasion for a Flower Parade, anyway.

It turned out to be a bright day when “Spring smiled upon us … in all its beauty, and … the roads being smooth and dry, permitted people from adjoining towns and the country to come in large numbers,” all of whom cheered as the Potentate finally had his procession.

We’ve had some memorably cool celebrations since then, especially when the day falls in early February. (Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter, which varies according to lunar phases. The earliest Mardi Gras can fall is Feb. 3, the latest is March 9.)

The coldest in recent times was probably on February 7, 1989, when the high temperature in Lafayette was only 33 degrees.

The celebration in 1978 was only slightly warmer, as a shivering King Gabriel greeted his Lafayette subjects in a parade most remembered for the sleet storm that accompanied it.

But none of them seem to have matched the Mardi Gras that ran head-on into “a blizzard direct from the frozen regions,” and we can hope that no more of them will.

You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Battery, burglary arrests by Morgan City police

Mon, 02/20/2023 - 8:30pm

Staff Report

(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.)

Two battery suspects and a suspected burglar were among the weekend arrests reported by the Morgan City Police Department.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that over the last 72-hour reporting period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 132 calls for service and made these arrests:

--Jennifer Watts, 20, Terrebonne Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 11 a.m. Saturday on a charge of simple battery.

--Nyjanae Watts, 23, Terrebonne Street, Morgan City, was arrested on a charge of simple battery.

--Quentin T. Delco, 40, Bowman Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:36 a.m. Sunday on charges of simple burglary and two counts of possession of a legend drug.

--Amanda Soudelier, 45, Clark Road, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:53 a.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

--Tylane Smith Jr., 27, Diana Court, Gibson, was arrested at 11:43 a.m. Saturday as a fugitive from the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office.

--Elaina N. Ashmore, 23, Mallard Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:41 p.m. Saturday on a charge of self-mutilation by a prisoner.

--Dean A. Daigle, 58, Fourth Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:47 p.m. Saturday on warrants alleging simple criminal damage to property ($1,000-$5,000) and two counts of cruelty to animals.

--Ashton Money, 19, Old Cypress Drive, Broussard, was arrested at 3:04 p.m. Sunday on a charge of reckless operation of a vehicle.

--Juaquin G. Salazar, 43, Price Road, Mission Valley, Texas, was arrested at 9:23 p.m. Sunday on charges of noise violation and resisting an officer.

Morgan City police radio logs for Feb. 16-17

Mon, 02/20/2023 - 8:26pm

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the Police Department at 985-380-4605.
Thursday, Feb. 16
6:01 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
7:03 a.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Simple battery.
7:08 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Welfare check.
7:25 a.m. 900 block of Fig Street; Patrol request.
7:33 a.m. 400 block of Sixth Street; Welfare check.
9:19 a.m. Second Street/Railroad Avenue; Fire.
10:13 a.m. 1800 block of Filmore Street; Complaint.
10:16 a.m. 10 block of Glenwood Street; Complaint.
10:46 a.m. 3100 block of Karen Drive; Animal complaint.
11:33 a.m. 300 block of Patton Street; Animal complaint.
1:20 p.m. 7000 block of La. 182; Simple battery.
2:45 p.m. 6000 block of La. 182; Vehicle accident.
3:03 p.m. 10 block of Glenwood Street; Vehicle accident.
3:27 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
3:45 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
4:53 p.m. Front/Louisa streets; Welfare check.
4:57 p.m. 400 block of Kidd Street; Welfare check.
5:14 p.m. Railroad Avenue/Oceaneering; Medical.
5:15 p.m. 200 block of Brashear Avenue; Medical.
5:32 p.m. 600 block of Louisa Street; Welfare check.
6:18 p.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Subject removal.
6:37 p.m. 3000 block of Catherine Street; Traffic complaint.
7:18 p.m. U.S. 90 West Bridge; Stalled vehicle.
7:37 p.m. La. 70/U.S. 90 Junction; Accident.
7:52 p.m. 100 block of Canary Street; Welfare check.
8:41 p.m. Cottonwood Street/La. 182; Missing person.
9:34 p.m. 7900 block of La. 182; Alarm.
9:35 p.m. 700 block of Sixth Street; Criminal trespass.
Friday, Feb. 17
12:05 a.m. 600 block of Fifth Street; Disturbance.
12:35 a.m. 600 block of Arenz Street; Assistance.
1:43 a.m. 800 block of Youngs Road; Mental patient complaint.
4:38 a.m. 800 block of Youngs Road; Mental patient complaint.
5:12 a.m. 900 block of David Drive; Alarm.
6:41 a.m. 900 block of David Drive; Alarm.
7:23 a.m. Union and First streets; Hit and run.
7:30 a.m. 900 block of David Drive; Alarm.
8:08 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
8:26 a.m. 700 block of Terrebonne Street; Patrol.
8:33 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Medical.
8:39 a.m. 600 block of Fourth Street; Complaint.
8:45 a.m. 600 block of Louisa Street; Warrant.
9:25 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Animal complaint.
9:44 a.m. 600 block of Kentucky Street; Complaint.
9:51 a.m. 300 block of Oriole Street; Medical.
10:12 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
10:14 a.m. 1700 block of Filmore Street; Complaint.
10:55 a.m. 500 block of Terrebonne Street; Medical.
11:03 a.m. 100 block of First Street; 911 hang up.
11:06 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
11:09 a.m. 700 block of Everett Street; Removal of subject.
11:37 a.m. Railroad Avenue and Second Street; Reckless operation.
11:42 a.m. 1200 block of Brashear Avenue; Stand by.
12:44 p.m. 6500 block of La. 182; Medical.
12:47 p.m. 100 block of Canary Street; Complaint.
1:05 p.m. 400 block of Fourth Street; Removal of subject.
4:09 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
5:41 p.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Complaint.
6:43 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
7:21 p.m. 900 block of Sycamore Street; Complaint.
7:33 p.m. 1400 block of Filmore Street; Juvenile problems.
7:45 p.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Hit and run.
8:02 p.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Criminal damage to property.
9:06 p.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Vehicle accident.
9:20 p.m. 5000 block of Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
10:18 p.m. 700 block of Sixth Street; Complaint.
10:48 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
3:17 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Vehicle accident.

Hera Parade lights up Lundi Gras

Mon, 02/20/2023 - 7:48pm

The Krewe of Hera Parade made its way through Morgan City on Monday to celebrate Mardi Gras.

This year's queen is Ruby Lemoine, and the king is Gerald Hotard.

One parade remains on the schedule: Morgan City's Hephaestus Parade at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The Review/Bill Decker

Police: Pills found in traffic stop contain suspected fentanyl

Mon, 02/20/2023 - 6:19pm

More than 500 pills that police discovered in a traffic stop tested positive for the presence of fentanyl, Morgan City police said.

Herman Yvette Gatewood, 46, Federal Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:36 a.m. Saturday on charges of possession of fentanyl, disregard of traffic controls, improper equipment and no driver’s license.

The Police Department said officers saw a vehicle traveling in the Federal Avenue area fail to stop at a stop sign, and saw that it had improper equipment. The vehicle, driven by Gatewood, was stopped.

She did not have a valid driver’s license, police said.

According to reports, officers saw green pills scattered on the seat, the center console and the floorboard, police said. They collected more than 529 pills suspected to be alprazolam, the antidepressant sold as Xanax. Field testing indicated the presence of fentanyl, they said. The total weight of the pills was more than 5 ounces.

Gatewood was transported to the Morgan City Jail, where she was booked. Bail was set at $201,500.

Fentanyl is deadly, Police Chief Chad M. Adams said in a press release.

“The Morgan City Police Department and other agencies in our area have seen an influx of overdoses believed to be linked to fentanyl. We are seeing the pills that are being pressed with fentanyl and even cases where heroin has been cut with the drug.

“Please understand the dangers of this drug. It only takes a small amount to kill. This is not only an epidemic in our area, but all over the country. Parents, please educate yourselves with the latest drug trends.

“It may save a life.”