Submitted Photo
Ochsner St. Mary’s Kellie Burnett was named Administrative Assistant of the Month at the St. Mary Chamber Business Luncheon on Feb. 1. She's shown at left receiving the award from Chamber Vice Chair Laura Meadows and Chair Ed "Tiger" Verdin.
Former Nicholls Athlete and alumna Allison Cazenave, RDN, CSO, LDN, has been chosen as the 2022 Morrison Healthcare Clinician of the Year, selected from a field of over 1,500 registered dietitians from across the country.
Cazenave returned to Thibodaux to work as an inpatient RD at Terrebonne General Medical Center after graduating from Nicholls, completing a one-year dietetic internship at Southern University A&M College and passing her RD exam. Cazenave became a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in October 2020.
“When I started creating and building this nutrition program in 2019, an award of this magnitude was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Not only is having the ability to provide medical nutrition therapy to our patients an honor and privilege, but having the ability to develop and implement a complete, comprehensive nutrition program at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been a dream come true,” said Cazenave.
“To know that I am able to impact and provide benefit to someone going through the toughest battle of their life is such a blessing. Every time I attend a bell-ringing ceremony, I get full-body chills. These patients are fighting the toughest battle ever, and yet, they continue to put on a smile every day, inspire everyone around them and never give up. Lastly, I would like to thank the gentlemen with Roux For A Reason for trusting and believing in my goal and vision with this nutrition program. Without their continued support, none of these incredible achievements would have been possible.”
Cazenave works with patients daily to help provide them with nutritional support throughout their cancer treatment.
Proper nutrition during a cancer treatment can help improve overall health, improve tolerance of treatment therapy, reduce hospitalization and decrease incidence of malnutrition.
Oncology patients are often under-recognized and undertreated with nutritional support due to a lack of resources and staff. Registered dietitians are required to be an available resource at a cancer facility but are not required to provide full-time service, the university said in a press relase. Having a board-certified specialist in oncology mutrition is even more beneficial to the patients as they are able to provide oncology-specific medical nutrition therapy to improve the nutritional status of the patients.
Cazenave is one of only eight board-certified specialists in oncology nutrition in the state and one of only two in the Bayou Region. Her work with the Thibodaux community through the Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkinds Cancer Center made her an excellent choice for the award, the university said.
The mission of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Nicholls State University is to provide comprehensive learning experiences immersed in Bayou Region culture to prepare students for supervised practice, leading to eligibility for the CDR credentialing exam to become Registered Dietitians.
Louisiana casino gaming revenues in the last half of 2022 continued to lag behind pre-pandemic numbers, with revenues down more than $43 million and remitted fees down $5 million.
Total revenues for land and riverboat casinos from July through December 2022 was $992 million, generating $216 million in remitted fees to the state. During the same time frame in 2019, the casinos took in $1.04 billion, with $222 million in fees remitted.
The difference is a decline of $43 million in revenue, and $5.13 million less in remitted fees, compared to the pre-pandemic figures, according to data from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.
Most riverboat casinos were also down in December, compared to the same month the year prior. The biggest drops came from New Orleans riverboats, which were down 23.4% in December 2022 versus December 2021. Baton Rouge riverboats were down 9.1%, while Shreveport/Bossier riverboat revenues were down 6.2%. Lake Charles was the only region where riverboats overall posted higher revenues in December 2022 than December 2021, up 16.1%.
Overall, riverboat casino revenues were down 0.9% in December compared to December 2021. Riverboats collected a total of $858 million in revenues and remitted $184 million in fees from July through
December 2022, which was down 2% from the same time frame in 2021, and down 4% from the same months in 2019.
Harrah’s New Orleans Casino, the state’s only land-based casino, generated $22 million in December 2022, which equated to $5 million in fees due. That was down 1.6% from the prior month, but up 3.8% from December 2021.
For July through December 2022, Harrah’s revenue was $133 million, generating $32 million in fees. Those figures were $143 million and $30 million, respectively, for July through December 2019, which puts fees remitted up by 9% but revenues down by 7% compared to 2022. Admissions were also down 27% at Harrah’s over the last six months of 2022 compared to 2019.
The Golden Nugget Lake Charles and L’Auberge Lake Charles riverboats were by far the most visited in December, with admissions at 272,530 and 272,213, respectively. Both took in more than $30 million in revenue, and both contributed about $6.5 million in fees.
The state’s least visited riverboat, Belle of Baton Rouge, reported total admissions of 12,970 in December, with revenues of about $1.1 million and fees of $242,412.
shows
If I had to nominate one sound that epitomized the history of south Louisiana, I would be mightily tempted to suggest the chuff-chuff, chuff-chuff, chuff-chuff-chuff of a steam locomotive leaning into its load as it pulled out of a depot or freight yard.
The railroad opened the prairies to new settlements and brought modern times to old towns, and steam locomotives made it happen. They are inexorably linked with who we are and how we got (sometimes literally) to be where we are. They were the engines of commerce for more than a century.
That’s why I paused nostalgically when I recently came across a photograph from the front page of the Bunkie Record of March 13, 1953. It showed nine steam locomotives, hitched in tandem, passing through town. The headline below told the story: “Last Nine Steam Engines on T&P Line, Louisiana Division, on the Way to Scrap Pile.”
They weren’t the last steam engines to be seen in south Louisiana — the “Iron Horses” pulled some Southern Pacific trains at least for another few years — but, as the Record reported, “the charge against these locomotives is obsolescence” and the verdict for others like them was fast approaching.
“Unquestionably this is progress,” the Record said. “The old must give way to the new and modern. … Thus the reason for the passing of the old steam locomotives and the inauguration of … the Diesel, which is far more comfortable, easier to maneuver, moves with less noise, and has considerably more power.”
All of that was true. Diesels were less expensive to operate, more powerful, and didn’t require huge water tanks all along the line to keep them running. But they were never as romantic, at least to me, as the sleek, slim steam engines that pulled the Sunset Limited across Louisiana or the sturdy ones that used a spur track just blocks from my house to pull freight to the port pf Lake Charles.
Even those more mundane, workaday engines had a bit of romance about them that made me want to be a railroad engineer, at least for a time.
You could tell that those engines were powerful just by looking at them. But they weren’t powerful enough. A railroad executive told the Alexandria Town Talk in August 1953 that the average steam locomotive could pull about 50 cars. The diesels could pull twice that. “We can travel 500 miles without refueling and get more work done in less time,” he said. “The noise and dirt of the old engines are
gone and the diesels are easier for the engineer to operate.”
Even a math challenged guy like me can figure the economics involved here. But, as I remember, that noise — steam hissing, bells clanging, iron wheels on iron rails — was part of the steam locomotive’s allure. I was apparently not the only one who thought so. Hundreds of songs have tried to capture the clackety-clack of a moving train or the mournful sound of a steam whistle from far across the prairie.
I had the same kind of fascination with the tugboats that pushed big freighters around at the port, but the trains were more accessible. I would always change my bike-riding route and head for the tracks when I heard a train coming.
I got to know the individual locomotives by their numbers and the engineers who leaned out their windows by sight, especially the ones who gave a little toot on the whistle when they saw me.
Sometimes I’d put a penny on the track for the train to run over and flatten it into the size of a silver dollar.
I can still remember my panic when I did it the first time, and suddenly feared that my little coin might derail the engine.
Thankfully, it never did.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.
I returned a message from my friend I’ve known for many years.
He was calling to tell me goodbye. He told me he was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and didn’t know how his memory would hold up in the weeks to come.
What do you say to a colleague in such a condition? Apparently, a number of people just wake up to the fact that they have been captured by Alzheimer’s and take a last gasp to put their life in order.
I was touched indirectly, but somewhat forcefully by the ordeal of CBS "Sunday Morning" reporters Barry Peterson and his wife, Jan. The married journalists were living and working in Asia, until Jan’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s at age fifty-five cut their close relationship short. Barry was a guest on my nationally syndicated radio program on several occasions.
We talked at length, both on and off the air, of the trials he faced taking care of and loving his wife, and trying to figure out what his own life would become in the years ahead.
“The hardest thing was watching her disappear a little more,” Barry said.
They discussed what Barry’s life might look like without her.
“She was very adamant that if something happened to her, which I didn’t think was going to happen, that I should go on and have the rest of my life,” he said.
As Jan’s condition worsened, Barry was alone, and he had to make a difficult decision.
“I really felt that for my survival, my sanity, my desire to have conversations with someone that really understood the process, that I needed to reach out and I did,” Barry told me.
Here’s how Barry dealt with the difficult problem of being a caregiver and also trying to carry-on a separate relationship.
He met Mary Nell Wolff.
Friends encouraged Mary Nell to go on Match.com. She said she later got a message from Barry, who shared his story about his wife’s illness.
With Barry traveling the world for work, Mary Nell took on care-giving responsibilities for Jan. “I felt at peace the moment that Jan and Mary Nell bonded,” Barry says.
“I didn’t not love Jan, and I was not going to in any way abandon her, but I loved Mary Nell at the same time,” he explains. “And Mary Nell now loved me, and Mary Nell loved Jan.”
Barry shared his experience in his book called “Jan’s Story.” Jan passed away in 2013.
He said if you can understand the love he shared with her and Mary Nell, “then you have understood the matrix of what love is like with Alzheimer’s for people who just want to survive.”
Each time Berry appeared on my radio program, I was stunned at the number of messages, calls, and emails that I received.
So many people wanted to share their stories of dealing with Alzheimer’s as a caregiver supporting someone who was suffering from the disease.
Following one of the appearances by Barry on my radio program, I stopped in at a local hardware store that specializes in radio cables and microphones. I gathered the few items I needed, then went to
the cash register to pay for my acquisitions.
As I handed over my credit card, the salesman asked if he could visit with me for a while. “Of course,” I said.
He told me that he has been a caregiver for his wife who has had Alzheimer’s for the last 12 years.
He was taken by my interview with Berry and told me how much it meant to him that I would brooch such a difficult subject.
As he shared more about his wife’s deteriorating condition, tears filled his eyes, and he finally lay his head on the counter and cried and cried.
I did my best to console him, but it was obvious that I could do little more than standby and watch him as all these pent-up feelings came out. I still call him from time to time.
Finding a cure is not close at hand. This chronic disease often begins years before it is diagnosed. Oh, scientists will eventually find a cure. Sadly, it will be a good way into our future.
But we have to continue to hope.
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 regular podcast at www.datelinelouisiana.com.
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.
Monday, Feb. 13
7:32 a.m. Veterans Boulevard and La. 70; Disturbance.
8:46 a.m. 200 block of Aucoin Street; Medical.
9:34 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
9:42 a.m. Greenwood and Ninth streets; Crash.
10:14 a.m. 1000 block of David Drive; Animal complaint.
10:35 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.
10:37 a.m. Victor II Boulevard and Clothilde Street; Crash.
11:06 a.m. 100 block of Egle Mill; Disturbance.
12:29 p.m. 600 block of Grove Street; Medical.
1:01 p.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Juvenile complaint.
1:23 p.m. 800 block of Sacred Heart Drive; Theft.
2:22 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Arrest.
2:23 p.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Alarm.
2:40 p.m. 3000 block of Helen Drive; Animal complaint.
2:58 p.m. 600 block of Louisa Street; Arrest.
3:10 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
4:16 p.m. Front Street; Patrol.
4:20 p.m. 2500 block of Elm Street; Complaint.
5:06 p.m. 100 block of Railroad Avenue; Lost and found.
5:54 p.m. 300 block of Iowa Street; Juvenile complaint.
6:03 p.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Disturbance.
7:06 p.m. Area of Orange and Apple streets; Complaint.
8:26 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Lost and found property.
9:54 p.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Complaint.
11:52 p.m. 700 block of Terrebonne Street; Complaint.
12:07 a.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Complaint.
3:29 a.m. 1300 block of Front Street; Medical.
5:01 a.m. Area of Greenwood Street; Suspicious vehicle.
Tuesday, Feb. 14
6:30 a.m. 700 block of Belanger Street; Medical.
8:33 a.m. Fig Street and Veterans Boulevard; Stalled vehicle.
8:35 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Alarm.
8:38 a.m. Greenwood and Ninth streets; Crash.
9:09 a.m. Victor II Boulevard and Brashear Avenue; Crash.
9:16 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Stand by.
10:22 a.m. 900 block of Wytchwood Drive; Alarm.
11:19 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Warrant.
1:22 p.m. 300 block of Union Street; Theft.
2:24 p.m. 600 block of Railroad Avenue; Medical.
3:15 p.m. 100 block of Chennault Street; Loud music.
3:33 p.m. 500 block of Leona Street; Medical.
3:58 p.m. U.S. 90; Suspicious subject.
4:31 p.m. 300 block of Eighth Street; Crash.
4:47 p.m. 900 block of Spruce Street; Disturbance.
4:48 p.m. 800 block of Ditch Avenue; Patrol.
6:17 p.m. 800 block of Levee Road; Theft.
6:28 p.m. Area of Seventh Street; Complaint.
7:07 p.m. Area of Apple Street; Disturbance.
7:31 p.m. 700 block of Freret Street; Loud music.
7:32 p.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Complaint.
7:57 p.m. Area of Egle Street; Loud music.
8:30 p.m. 500 block of Leona Street; Complaint.
11:26 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
11:53 p.m. Area of Veterans Boulevard and La. 70; Suspicious person.
12:18 a.m. Area of Everett Street; Suspicious person.
12:20 a.m. Area of Idaho and Kentucky streets; Disturbance.
12:49 a.m. 1700 block of Elk Street; Complaint.
2:10 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; 911 hang up.
King and Queen Hephaestus LXI Gerard Bourgeois and Emma Levert Aucoin will bid farewell when the Krewe of Hephaestus holds its court presentation at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Floor seating is invitation only. Public viewing is available from the balcony. Krewe members will parade at 2 p.m. Fat Tuesday in Morgan City.
King and Queen Amani XXIII Renwick McPherson and Eartha Lewis will make an outgoing appearance when the Krewe of Amani holds its coronation at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Patterson Area Civic Center. Floor seating is invitation only. Amani patrons are reminded that doors to view the tableau will close at 7:45 p.m. and not reopen until the presentation is complete. Amani will hold its Lundi Gras parade at 2 p.m. Feb. 20 in Patterson. A block party will follow on Martin Luther King Avenue.
For nearly 50 years, Black History Month has been celebrated in the U.S. The story took root when Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, and minister Jesse Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1926. The official month-long celebration did not begin, however, until 1976, and is widely recognized as a time to highlight the achievements of Black Americans.
During this month, we should recognize and celebrate those Black Americans who had a lasting impact on both horticulture and agriculture. One of the most highly recognized figures is, of course, George Washington Carver, who in 1896 was the director of the Agriculture Department at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Known most famously for hundreds of inventions of products made from horticultural crops such as peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes, he is one of the most important figures in regenerative farming and environmental sustainability.
One of his most important historical scientific impacts on agriculture was his work in the improvement of soils through the development of a crop rotation using nitrogen-fixing peanuts and by promoting the practice of composting. By alternating the planting of crops such as cotton followed by legumes such as peanuts the soil could be regenerated and its productive capacity increased while also diversifying the types of crops farmers sold. His promotion of the use of compost is still an important practice in home gardening and organic farming today.
Carver also worked to provide agricultural education to Black Americans under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, and he worked to promote self-sufficiency practices so farmers did not have to rely on white landowners or the cotton market for income.
Henry Blair was another important figure from the early 1800s. He was the second Black man to be awarded a U.S. patent. He provided the world with two important inventions: corn and cotton seeders. He first designed the wheelbarrow-type corn planter, and two years later, he patented an invention for a mechanical horse-drawn cotton planter. Both inventions increased yield and efficiency of labor and time that saved farmers money.
Another Black American who made his mark on agriculture and the movement of perishable foods was Frederick McKinley Jones, who died in 1961. An electrical engineer, he was credited with many inventions — but most notable to agriculture was the mobile refrigeration system he invented. He patented his refrigeration system in 1940 and became the co-owner of the company Thermo King, which installed the system into airplanes, cargo ships, trains and trucks that transported perishable foods safely over long distances. Because of his invention, fresh seasonal produce could be enjoyed throughout the entire year. Other concepts such as frozen foods, supermarkets and container shipping were all derived from the work of Frederick Jones.
Finally, Booker T. Whatley, who followed in the footsteps of Carver, was a horticulturist and agriculture professor at Tuskegee University in Alabama. His lasting legacy has been his passion for sustainable farming practices, community supported agriculture and farming cooperatives. He was the first to introduce the concept of community supported agriculture groups, commonly known as CSAs, in the 1960s as a solution for struggling Black farmers who were often denied loans and grants typically granted to whites. These CSAs were introduced as “clientele membership clubs” where farmers could sell prepaid boxes of crops at the beginning of the season to ensure a guaranteed income. One might say that Whatley paved the way for today’s farm-to-table and local eating movements in addition to his influence on CSAs and U-Pick farms.
Whatley examined efficient farming practices that allowed the small farmer to make the most of their farm while making a decent living and published these practices in his 1987 book, “How To Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres.” The book lists 10 commandments of farming that help farmers minimize unnecessary costs, limit waste and maximize income and farm space with smart crop selection.
These Black Americans, followed by countless modern-day farmers, bring food to the table, ensure environmental sustainability, economic stability and health and wellbeing through their contributions to agriculture and to the people of Louisiana and the rest of our world. We celebrate these heroes and continue to encourage and support the Black community of growers and farmers.
DEAR ABBY: My married friend is a swinger. She says her husband’s sex drive has declined lately, but it hasn’t. He keeps trying to get me to talk “naughty” with him, but I always refuse.
To me, that would be betraying my friend. He has encouraged her to get a live-in girlfriend for herself. I asked her what she thinks would happen if she did and he decided to do the same. She doesn’t believe he would, but I do.
Abby, I value our friendship. If I tell her about his late-night habits, it would hurt her. If I don’t and she finds out, it will also hurt her. He always apologizes after each attempt. Apologies mean nothing if he continues to repeat his actions. Lately, I have avoided spending time with her because of his late-night requests.
What should I do?
TURNED OFF IN THE SOUTH
DEAR TURNED OFF: Tell him his advances are not welcome and to stop calling you, and that is he doesn’t, you will tell your friend.
If he persists, inform your friend how long this has been going on and that you have been reluctant to tell her, but it has reached the point that it is making you not want to be around her either.
After that, the ball will be in her court.
DEAR ABBY: My adult son is married with a newborn son.
I recently learned that he is the victim of spousal abuse. He was keeping it a secret from us, but we found out when authorities became involved.
My son loves his wife and wants to make it work. I have no idea how to navigate holidays and special occasions when we will see them.
Knowing your adult son is being harmed by his wife, how would you interact with this woman?
UNEASY IN ARIZONA
DEAR UNEASY: Be glad that the fact your daughter-in-law is a spousal abuser is now on record. Before the next holidays, you and your husband should have a talk with your son about why he has tolerated the abuse and WHAT HIS OPTIONS ARE. Is she so out of control that she could hurt the baby in a fit of rage? Are they receiving counseling? Has he spoken to an attorney about this?
A support group your son would find helpful is Stop Abuse for Everyone (stopabusefor everyone.org).
Once he gets in touch, he will realize that he’s far from the only husband who has been battered. He also needs to know you are there for him regardless, so when the holidays roll around, be “cordial” — and keep your eyes open.
DEAR ABBY: I have two friends whose daughters will be married this fall, both for the second time. I have given gifts to both women for their first marriages. What is the rule of etiquette for the second time around?
WANTS TO KNOW IN MONTANA
DEAR WANTS: If you plan to attend the weddings, the rule is to give something less expensive this time around, along with your good wishes for a happy future.
***
To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255