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Holiday closings

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 11:40am

Closures for the New Year’s holiday have been announced.

St. Mary Parish, Berwick and Patterson municipal offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 30 and Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. Morgan City municipal offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 2, 2023.

The Harold J. “Babe” Landry Landfill in Berwick will close at noon, Saturday, Dec. 31 and will be closed all day New Year’s Day.

Garbage collection by Republic Services and Pelican Waste & Debris will not have any interruptions. Routes for both collection services may run earlier than usual.

Morgan City Review will be closed on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in observance of New Year’s. All editions of the newspaper will be published and distributed as usual.

KING EVENT
New-Age Patterson Civic Organization annual Dr. King Celebration, “Keep Marching; The Walls will Come Down,” is 9 a.m. Jan. 16, 2023, at Zion Chapel AME. Church, 1511 Cherry St., Patterson. Speakers: The Revs. Mitchell Williams, Richelle Castine, Lee A. Condole and Angelika Jones. A march and fellowship to follow.

Around Town for Dec. 30

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 11:38am

Happy birthday Melanie Ruffin and Doris Folse from family, friends and Ira.

Franklin church donates toys for inmates' children

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 11:30am

Sheriff's Office Photo
Sheriff Blaise Smith and the deputies of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Offcie offered thanks to the people of the Church of the Assumption in Franklin. The Rev. Joel Faulk and his congregation once again opened their hearts to the children of incarcerated inmates at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center. They purchased toys for the children, and the deputies delivered them last week. The Sheriff's Office called the gift "a beautiful example of love and care. May we all be inspired to continue meeting the needs of others as we go forth into the new year."

Coast Guard suspends search for copter survivors

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 11:26am

The Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday at approximately 6:15 p.m. for four passengers aboard a downed helicopter approximately 10 miles off Southwest Pass.

Coast Guard District Eight watch-standers received a call at approximately 8:40 a.m. from Rotorcraft Leasing Company personnel stating a company helicopter with four people aboard went down in the Gulf of Mexico while in the process of departing an oil platform.

Sector New Orleans watch-standers coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and a Coast Guard Station Venice 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew to assist in the search.

The crew searched approximately 180 square miles for eight hours.

“It is always a difficult decision to suspend a search,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator. “Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends during this difficult time.”

Rescue crews involved in the search were:

--Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter air crew
--Coast Guard Station Venice 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew

Notable moments in Martin Luther King Jr.'s life

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 10:20am

Few individuals in American history have made an impact as sizable as Martin Luther King Jr. King wore many hats throughout his tragically short life, from minister to activist to scholar, leaving behind a legacy that is worthy of celebration.
Though King was assassinated before he even reached his 40th birthday, his life was filled with many notable events. Many of those events positively affected, and continue to affect, the lives of millions of others.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University noted that the following are some of the major events of King’s life.
—Jan. 15, 1929: Now commemorated annually as Martin Luther King Jr. Day (in 2023, the holiday is observed on Monday, Jan. 16), Jan. 15 marks the day King was born in 1929. King was born in Atlanta, where his father was a pastor at the Ebenezer church.
—Sept. 20, 1944: Despite being only 15 years old, King begins his freshman year at Morehouse College. King was only a high school junior in 1944, but he was admitted to Morehouse, where his father studied for his ministerial degree, after passing the school’s entrance exam.
—Aug. 6, 1946: King’s letter to the editor of The Atlanta Constitution is published. The letter reflects King’s belief that Black Americans are entitled to the same rights and opportunities as White Americans. King’s father later admitted this letter was the first time he and his wife recognized their son’s “developing greatness.”
—Feb. 25, 1948: Following in his father’s footsteps, King is ordained and appointed assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in his hometown of Atlanta.
—June 8, 1948: King earns his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Morehouse College.
—May 6-8, 1951: King graduates from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. He delivers the valedictory address during the graduation ceremony.
—June 18, 1953: King marries Coretta Scott near the bride’s family home in Marion, Alabama. Coretta Scott King would also become a vocal activist, advocating for peace and gay rights and expressing her opposition to apartheid in the 1980s. She would not remarry after her husband’s assassination.
—June 5, 1955: King ears his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University.
—Dec. 5, 1955: King becomes president of the Montgomery Improvement Association after the organization is formed at the Holt Street Baptist Church. MIA is formed in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks five days earlier after she refused to vacate her seat for a white passenger.
—Jan. 27, 1956: A threatening phone call late in the evening inspires King to carry on with his activism.
—Jan. 30, 1956: King’s home is bombed while he is elsewhere delivering a speech. His wife and daughter are not injured in the blast.
—Jan. 10-11, 1957: King is named chairman of what becomes the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which was an organization of southern black ministers working together to combat segregation.
—June 23, 1958: King and other leaders meet with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Washington, D.C.
—Sept. 17, 1958: Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story is published. It is King’s first book.
—Sept. 20, 1958: King survives a stabbing during a book signing in Harlem, New York. During a surgery after the stabbing, doctors remove a seven-inch letter opener from King’s chest.
—April 16, 1963: King writes his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to criticisms of the Birmingham Campaign, a collective effort on the part of the SCLC and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to combat segregation in the Alabama city. The letter becomes one of King’s most famous writings.
—Aug. 28, 1963: King delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
—Jan. 3, 1964: King is named “Man of the Year” by Time magazine.
—Dec. 10, 1964: King receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.
—March 17-25, 1965: King helps to lead civil rights marchers from Selma to Montgomery.
—June 7, 1966: King and other leaders resume James Meredith’s “March Against Fear” from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi. Meredith was unable to continue after he was shot and wounded.
—April 3, 1968: King delivers his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” as he returns to Memphis to lead a peaceful march of striking sanitation workers.
—April 4, 1968: King is shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. He is buried in Atlanta five days later.

B&G Food donates to Toys for Tots

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 10:20am

Submitted Photo
B&G Food Enterprises donated toys and funds to the St. Mary Marine Corps League Toys for Tots initiative during B&G's annual Christmas banquet recently at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.

SLCC student speaker had a story to tell fall grads

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 10:19am

LEAH RICHARD, SLCC

Letessie Pierre’s journey across the graduation stage began with a single, life-changing step, deciding what she wanted to do with her life.

“I remember spending my time in the dialysis center, wanting this, wanting to complete my education. I wanted to attend college and pursue a Bachelor of Social Work to assist dialysis patients.”

Pierre, who is from Sunset, had been on dialysis for five years and needed a new kidney. In December of 2018, it finally happened. She received a kidney transplant from an unknown living donor; it was a huge step forward in her journey. The kidney transplant allowed Pierre a second chance at a better life.

“I had spent so long waiting, just surviving day by day, that I had to change my mindset once this miracle happened. My focus had been on my family, my two children, but now I had my entire life ahead of me.”

She wasted no time bringing her future into focus. Pierre enrolled in South Louisiana Community College from her hospital bed in New Orleans while recovering from her transplant. Just over a month later she was in class. The road was not easy, but Pierre had her goals and dreams in mind, and with the help of the SLCC community, she made it happen.

“There were setbacks. One day in class, I received bad news that my body was beginning to reject my new kidney. I was ready to give up, but I reached out to my Math 83 instructor, Mrs. Marlie Guillotte, for advice. She encouraged me and worked with me to complete all missed tests and assignments.”

That kind of support was exactly what Pierre needed. She found further support from SLCC’s Center for Minority Excellence and credits Kelita Johnson for providing one-on-one guidance.

“Ms. Kelita accompanied me to the appointment and set up math tutoring. With the assistance of my instructor and tutoring, I passed my first semester at SLCC with a 3.0 grade point average!”

Pierre has big plans for her future after graduation. She’s thankful for the critical first step in her education journey that SLCC provided.

“I needed a smaller environment to thrive, and God led me here. He had a plan for me, and I just had to listen. The atmosphere and the encouragement I found at SLCC got me where I am today.”

Pierre was chosen to share her story as the student speaker during SLCC’s Fall Graduation Ceremony on Dec. 15, when six Young Memorial Campus students were qamong those receiving diplomas.

She will be transferring to LSU Alexandria in the spring of 2023 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.

“I will become a social worker and my dream is to work with patients who are facing the same odds that I was once facing. I made it from there to here and I’ll help them do the same.”

Secret leads to havoc when family finds out

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 10:19am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: I was married to a man whose family always seemed to be in each other’s business. His 18-year-old niece already had two children when she became pregnant again. She hid it from everyone. When she was eight months gone, she came to me and told me she wanted to adopt the baby out to a family who couldn’t have children, because she couldn’t handle raising another child.
She begged me not to tell anyone except my husband (her uncle) and asked me to watch her two children overnight while she was at the hospital delivering. She also asked to meet the potential adoptive parents at my home and said she planned to have an open adoption without ever telling her parents. I told her she needed to talk with her mother, but she told me she was desperate for help, so I reluctantly agreed.
Two months after giving birth and placing the baby for adoption, she told her family about it. They became very upset with me. They said I should have told them she was pregnant and that it was my fault they “lost” the child. This ultimately led to my husband divorcing me. To this day, the niece is happy with her decision and participates in the open adoption. Was I wrong to help her and not tell the family?
CONFIDANT IN COLORADO

DEAR CONFIDANT: Your letter proves the truth of the adage, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Your ex-husband’s niece was an adult at the time her third child was born. You were NOT wrong to help her. That she would betray you after begging for your help shows she wasn’t mature enough to handle the responsibilities of parenting yet another child.
You were not responsible for her baby being adopted — SHE was. Her parents have transferred their anger and disappointment in her to you. That it resulted in the failure of your marriage is a shame. I would offer my sympathy, but perhaps you should thank your lucky stars that this dysfunctional family is in the rear-view mirror.

DEAR ABBY: My neighbors and I are lucky to live in a beautiful community, which is quiet and peaceful. Most of us are retired. Four of us have dogs, and we enjoy meeting up and walking them down our street in the mornings. We never walk before 7:30. Quiet hours in our neighborhood are from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Naturally, we chat as we walk our dogs — at normal voice levels. One of our neighbors likes to sleep until 9 a.m., and he keeps complaining that our conservations wake him up. We try to talk softly. But he complains constantly — and nastily — about “the dog walkers.” How can we handle this tactfully? We feel we have the right to enjoy our beautiful neighborhood.
CO-EXISTING IN NORTH CAROLINA

DEAR CO-EXISTING: Of course you do. However, in the spirit of neighborliness, consider walking your dogs in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Either that, or stop chatting when you are near his house and resume once you have passed his bedroom window.
***
What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

LCTCS enrollment down despite spending increase

Fri, 12/30/2022 - 10:16am

VICTOR SKINNER, The Center Square

Enrollment in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System declined to the lowest level in 14 years, while state appropriations increased to a decade-high peak in 2022, according to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.

LLA Mike Waguespack issued an audit report for the community college system last week that evaluates the system's finances and accountability over public funds.

"Based on a five-year analysis, although the System's enrollment has declined 14%, total revenues have increased $150.2 million (29%)," according to the report's highlights.

"Federal Revenues increased $134.8 million, mainly due to COVID-19 Federal Funding and Other Revenues increased by $9.2 million, mainly due to increases in capital grants and gifts."

The data show the system's fall enrollment for fiscal year 2022 was 52,282, down 322 from fiscal year 2021 and nearly 23,000 fewer students than a peak of 75,167 a decade ago. The last time enrollment was comparable to fiscal year 2022 was in 2008, when enrollment was 52,405, according to the report.

The system's state appropriations was $151 million in FY 2022, up $29 million from the year prior and the highest level in a decade. Net revenue from tuition and fees, meanwhile, declined by $1 million from FY 2021 to $106 million in FY 2022. Those revenues had been above $110 million since 2014 and hit a peak of $123 million in FY 2019, before declining during the pandemic.

"The System's net position overall increased from negative $65.2 million (restated) to positive $33.5 million from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022," according to the report.

The change was due to a variety of reasons, including a $23 million net increase in current cash tied to federal funding, $18.2 million increase in net position for the LCTCS Facilities Corporations, a $241 million decrease in net pension liability and $169 million in deferred outflows and inflows related to pensions.

The system's capital assets increased by about $18.9 million, or 2.7%, from FY 2021 to $715.7 million in FY 2022, while investing $624 million leased assets.

The system held $435.1 million in outstanding bonds at year-end, or 4.3% less than last year, due mainly to principal payments, reduction of bond premiums and discounts and issuance of $150.8 million in LCTCS Facilities Corporations bonds.

The report also notes several facts and conditions that could affect the system in the future, from state funding, to energy costs, to the loss of COVID-19 federal relief funds.

System management predict rising energy costs will increase college budgets by up to $4 million, "which is further compounded by other inflationary factors in other areas such as operating supplies and instructional materials," according to the report.

Construction projects currently underway are also expected to cost about 52% more than budgeted, "requiring value engineering and smaller than anticipated projects in order to stay within budget," the report reads.

The Higher Education Emergency Relief funds, used to offset student enrollment declines from the pandemic, also end in the current fiscal year, while a forecast half-cent sales tax sunset in 2025 is expected to reduce the state general fund by $662 million.

Officials predict the former could cause problems for the system's budget with continued student enrollment declines.

"If student enrollment does not rise to pre COVID-19 pandemic levels, this may leave a budget deficit," the report read.