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Two young teens arrested in Berwick church burglary

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 1:03pm

(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.)

A 13-year-old and a 14-year-old have been arrested and accused of burglarizing a church and vandalizing Pharr Park, Berwick police said.

Also, Assumption Parish authorities report the arrest of a juvenile in the threat discovered Nov. 30 at Pierre Part Elementary.

Berwick

Police Chief David S. Leonard reported these arrests:

--Juvenile male, 13, Berwick, was arrested at 3:01 p.m. Friday on two counts of simple burglary, intentional vandalism (under $500) and simple criminal damage to property (under $1,000).

--Juvenile male, 14, Berwick, was arrested at 3:01 p.m. Friday on two counts of simple burglary, intentional vandalism (under $500) and simple criminal damage to property (under $1,000).

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, officers responded to several complaints concerning burglaries and vandalisms occurring at a church and at Pharr Park.

The first call was received on Thanksgiving evening regarding a church that had been burglarized. Officers determined that a window was busted on a rear door and entry was made into the church, but nothing was stolen.

A second building on the property was found to have been burglarized as well and although it was rummaged through, nothing was stolen from there. While processing the scene, officers located physical evidence at the scene that could aid with identifying the suspects.

The next call was received the morning of Nov. 25 regarding a vandalism that occurred at Pharr Park. Responding officers found that the suspects destroyed a large number of Christmas decorations at the park.

The last call was received on Sunday morning, Nov. 27. The same church that had been burglarized had another window busted out in the rear, but entry was not made this time.

Detectives began following up on this matter and through investigative means, were able to identify two juvenile suspects. Both were questioned at the Police Department and both admitted to burglarizing the church and damaging the decorations at the park.

The evidence recovered at the church was linked to one of the juveniles. During the investigation, two other juveniles were identified as possible suspects, but through further investigation and interviews, they were eliminated as suspects.

Warrants were prepared for the two juveniles arrests and on Dec. 2, they were arrested. They were processed at the Berwick Police Department and released to their guardians pending juvenile court proceedings.

Leonard would like to remind everyone that if you are to see what you believe as suspicious activity taking place, please call the Berwick Police Department. “If you see something, say something,” he said.

Morgan City

Police Chief Chad M. Adams reported that Morgan City Police Department responded to 144 calls for service over the last 96-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Irvin Tyric Celestine III, 22, Cypremort Road, Franklin, was arrested at 2:05 p.m. Thursday on a charge of failure to appear for arraignment (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Lacie Black, 28, Maple Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:17 p.m. Friday on a warrant alleging terrorizing.

--Casey Nicole Francois, 36, Railroad Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:46 p.m. Friday on a charge of failure to appear for arraignment (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Vernon James Robinson Jr., 36, Chennault Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:26 p.m. Friday on charges of stop signs and yield signs and operating a vehicle with a suspended license, and on five warrants alleging failure to appear to pay fine and failure to appear for arraignment (all from 6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Keith Crappell, 67, Headland Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:29 Saturday on charges of manufacturing or distributing marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law (drug-free zone) and transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses.

--George Randall Newlin, 69, La. 70, Stephensville, was arrested at 1:19 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana (over 14 grams), illegal carrying of weapons and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law (drug-free zone).

--Raymond Lee Gautreaux, 29, Bridge Road, Patterson, was arrested at 2:43 p.m. Sunday on warrants alleging failure to appear to pay probation fine and failure to appear to pay fine (both 6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Randy Lee Hatcher, 43, Aucoin Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:27 p.m. Sunday on charges of disturbing the peace (intoxicated), simple assault, resisting arrest or officer, and remaining where forbidden.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 72-hour reporting period, the Sheriff's Office responded to 116 complaints and made these arrests:

--Derek Moses Gaskins, 43, Amelia, was arrested at 12:52 p.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on charges of operating a vehicle while license is suspended, revoked, or canceled; modified exhaust; and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Gaskin was released on a $6,000 bond.

--Don Michael Fryou, 34, Gibson, was arrested at 4:59 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of operating a vehicle while license is suspended, revoked or canceled.

--James Cameron McFarland, 37, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:10 p.m. Saturday on an Assumption Parish warrant simple criminal damage to property. McFarland is being held for another agency.

--Samantha Jo Sargee, 38, Patterson, was arrested at 4:03 a.m. Sunday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of unauthorized use of an access card. Bail is set at $1,500.

--Michael Wade McFarland, 68, New Iberia, was arrested at 4:26 p.m. Sunday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle. Bail has not been set.

--Mikelyn Kaye Antoine, 25, Jeanerette, was arrested at 10:33 p.m. Sunday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of possession of marijuana and possession of alprazolam. Bail has not been set.

Patterson

Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported this arrest:

– Alvin Cook, 67, Anderson Street, Franklin, was arrested at 3:27 p.m. Friday on charges of speeding 45 mph in a 35 zone, driving with license revoked or suspended, expired license plate and no seat belt. Cook was issued a summons.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:

--Juvenile, 14, was arrested Thursday on a charge of terrorizing.

The 14-year-old male was in connection with the threatening note found Nov. 30 at the Pierre Part Elementary School.

After a thorough search of the school, the sheriff said, no weapons were found. There were no acts in furtherance of the threat and the school is back to its normal operating procedures.

The juvenile in question will be released to the custody of his parents.

Any discipline measures will be handled by the school administration.

Falcon commends all who worked diligently to move this matter to conclusion and to all students and staff for their cooperation.

--Shara Samantha Cabellero, 37, La. 401, Napoleonville, was arrested Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse (aggravated assault with child endangerment).

On Oct. 28, deputies responded to a complaint in Pierre Part in connection with a domestic incident.

Deputies interviewed the complainant who advised that he was at a local retail outlet with a friend when his wife arrived and attempted to run him over with her car. Deputies interviewed a witness and reviewed video footage of the incident.

At the conclusion of those interviews, deputies obtained an arrest warrant for the complainant’s wife, now identified as Cabellero. The suspect had already left the scene.

Cabellero was arrested on Sunday and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center.

At the time of the incident, two children were present.

Cabellero remains incarcerated pending bond proceedings.

731 vote early in advance of Dec. 10 balloting

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 12:31pm

A shorter ballot has translated into a sharp fall-off in voter interest in the Dec. 10 general election as measured by early voting.

The St. Mary Registrar of Voters Office said 731 people cast early ballots during the early voting period, which opened Nov. 26 and ran through Saturday.

St. Mary ballots will be much shorter Saturday than in the Nov. 8 primary, when the issues included races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, St. Mary School Board, Berwick and Baldwin municipal offices, the state Court of Appeal, and the Public Service Commission, plus eight state constitutional amendments and a Morgan City tax renewal.

The Nov. 8 election drew 3,945 early votes.

On Saturday, St. Mary voters will decide whether to open the Parish Council chair and vice chair posts to any of the council's 11 members. The parish charter currently limits those positions to members elected from the three at-large districts, representatives of which are each elected parishwide.

On the statewide ballot:

--Amendment 1 would change the state constitution to explicitly require U.S. citizenship of anyone voting or registering to vote in Louisiana. The current language requires U.S. citizenship.

--Amendment 2 would require state Senate confirmation of the governor's appointees to the State Civil Service Board.

--Amendment 3 would require state Senate confirmation of certain gubernatorial appointees to the State Police Commission.

In Baldwin, there will be two runoffs for town offices.

Ronnie Fuselier and Anthony "Gip" Gibson are vying to become police chief.

Carolyn Bowser and Marion J. Newton are in a runoff for a Board of Alderman seat.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the Dec. 10 election is 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The absentee ballot return deadline is 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Please visit www.geauxvote.com for more information

UPDATED WITH PRINCIPAL'S REACTION: Patterson Jr. High recognized for pandemic-time academic progress

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 11:53am

Principal Lauren Rentrop called it a "great day to be a Lumberjack."

Patterson Junior High was one of 41 Louisiana schools recognized Monday by the state for “significant gains in both math and English language arts since the pandemic and the two historically active hurricane seasons,” according to the state Department of Education.

The department of Education (LDOE) is recognizing the impact educators have made with students despite facing extraordinary obstacles over the past two years. The department on Monday recognized the schools as Louisiana Comeback Campuses.

"We are elated to be recognized as a Louisiana Comeback Campus! Our students and faculty have worked diligently to overcome many obstacles to improve academic achievement," Rentrop said. "It is a great honor to receive this acknowledgment from the Louisiana Department of Education. Students and faculty perseverance and grit has paid off!

"Our school motto, 'Prepare to Achieve Strive for Success" (P.A.S.S)' has become a reality for us today."

“Louisiana’s students are coming back stronger, and this movement is being led by students, families, and educators,” said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. “I look forward to visiting these campuses to recognize their progress and learn how we can accelerate further growth for the children of this state.”

Louisiana Comeback Campuses are schools that are performing at higher levels in reading and math than before the pandemic. These schools increased the percentage of students scoring Mastery and above and decreased the percentage of students scoring unsatisfactory in both math and ELA on 2022 statewide assessments when compared to 2019. High school Comeback Campuses also increased their ACT score. Statewide, 41 schools representing 29 school systems earned this prestigious honor.

Brumley or a member of his leadership team will visit every Comeback Campus over the next few months to personally congratulate educators and students as well as to conduct a learning walk. The learning walk around campus will allow LDOE leaders to see the specific efforts that led to student growth and better understand how they can be used to benefit students across Louisiana.

Comeback Campuses gain a variety of benefits such as recognition on Louisiana School Finder and an official banner presentation.

Louisiana Comeback is a coordinated campaign to recover and accelerate learning lost due to challenges from the pandemic and hurricane-related school disruptions. In 2021, the LDOE asked school systems across the state to join the Louisiana Comeback by committing to invest a portion of their pandemic relief fund into three primary areas: attendance and wellbeing, recovery and acceleration, and professional learning. You can learn more at louisianacomeback.com.

The 2022 Louisiana Comeback Campuses schools can be viewed below:

--Acadia Parish: Church Point Middle School
--Advantage Charter Academy: Advantage Charter Academy
--Avoyelles Parish: Marksville High School
--Bienville Parish: Gibsland-Coleman High School
--Bienville Parish: Saline High School
--Bossier Parish: Bossier Elementary School
--Caddo Parish: Atkins Technology Elementary School
--Calcasieu Parish: A. A. Nelson Elementary School
--Calcasieu Parish: DeQuincy Elementary School
--Calcasieu Parish: Oak Park Elementary School
--Cameron Parish: South Cameron High School
--Claiborne Parish: Haynesville Jr./Sr. High School
--East Baton Rouge Parish: Park Elementary School
--Educators for Quality Alternatives: The NET 2 Charter High School
--Iberia Parish: North Lewis Elementary School
--Jackson Parish: Quitman High School
--Jefferson Parish: Woodmere School
--Lafayette Parish: Broussard Middle School
--Lafayette Parish: Early College Academy
--Lafayette Parish: Edward J Sam Accelerated School of Lafayette
--Lafayette Parish: Lafayette Middle School
--Lafayette Parish: Myrtle Place Elementary School
--Lafourche Parish: Galliano Elementary School
--Natchitoches Parish: Marthaville Elementary & Junior High School
--Orleans Parish: Travis Hill School
--Ouachita Parish: Boley Elementary School
--Plaquemines Parish: Phoenix High School
--Rapides Parish: Martin Park Elementary School
--Rapides Parish: Northwood High School
--Red River Parish: Red River Elementary School
--Southern University Lab School: Southern University Laboratory Virtual School
--St. Mary Parish: Patterson Junior High School
--St. Tammany Parish: Folsom Junior High School
--Tangipahoa Parish: Greenville Park Leadership Academy
--Tangipahoa Parish: Jewel M. Sumner Middle School
--Tangipahoa Parish: Midway Elementary School
--Terrebonne Parish: Village East Elementary School
--Vermilion Parish: Rene A. Rost Middle School
--Washington Parish: Franklinton Junior High School
--Washington Parish: Varnado High School

Morgan City police radio logs for Dec. 1-4

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 11:18am

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, Dec. 1
7:01 a.m. 1100 block of Victor II Boulevard; Alarm.
8:16 a.m. Area of Pine Street; Animal complaint.
10:33 a.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Shoplifter.
10:40 a.m. 900 block of Spruce Street; Complaint.
11:32 a.m. Area of U.S. 90 Westbound; Reckless driver.
11:49 a.m. 900 block of Second Street; 911 hang up call.
2:04 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
2:57 p.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Repossession.
4:06 p.m. 3000 block of Susan Street; Theft.
4:22 p.m. 7000 block of Railroad Avenue; Robbery.
5:37 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Assistance.
6:11 p.m. Eleventh Street and La. 182; Crash.
6:33 p.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Patrol.
6:54 p.m. 100 block of Mallard Street; Medical.
7:17 p.m. 600 block of Everett Street; Disturbance.
7:54 p.m. 700 block of Freret Street; Stand by.
8:41 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Theft.
10:38 p.m. 800 block of Sycamore Street; 911 hang up.
11:47 p.m. 700 block of Freret Street; Welfare concern.
Friday, Dec. 2
12:42 a.m. Fifth Street; Suspicious subject.
2:35 a.m. 1400 block of Sandra Street; Medical.
3:29 a.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
4:56 a.m. 1000 block of Marguerite Street; Alarm.
5:54 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Lost and found.
6:04 p.m. 1800 block of Dale Street; Mental patient.
6:29 p.m. 1000 block of Victor II Boulevard; Traffic complaint.
7:56 p.m. 500 block of Aucoin Street; Stand by.
8:55 p.m. 500 block of Aucoin Street; Complaint.
9:09 p.m. 1400 block of Railroad Avenue; Theft.
9:35 p.m. 7100 block of Park Road; Mental patient.
11:56 p.m. 300 block of Mallard Street; Complaint.
Saturday, Dec. 3
1:34 a.m. 600 block of Brashear Avenue; Fight.
2:04 a.m. 800 block of Youngs Road; Mental patient.
2:12 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Alarm.
3:30 a.m. 800 block of Youngs Road; Mental patient.
8 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Silent alarm.
8:17 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Medical.
10:27 a.m. 300 block of Wren Street; Complaint.
12:22 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite St; Complaint.
1:24 p.m. Franklin/Maple streets; Vehicle accident.
2:45 p.m. Elm/Sycamore streets; Open door.
3:27 p.m. 600 block of Arenz Street; Disturbance.
3:49 p.m. Fifth/Louisiana streets; Patrol request.
5:12 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Hit and run.
6:05 p.m. Cottonwood Street/Victor II Boulevard; Accident.
6:06 p.m. 1000 block of Eighth Street; Assistance.
7:24 p.m. 1700 block of Youngs Road; Suspicious act.
8:06 p.m. Third/Freret/Everett streets; Patrol request.
8:29 p.m. 1200 block of Victor II Boulevard; Theft.
9:01 p.m. 800 block of Ninth Street; Alarm.
9:15 p.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Alarm.
9:23 p.m. 1100 block of Walnut Drive; Medical.
9:42 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Juvenile problems.
11:20 p.m. Sixth/Poplar streets; Suspicious act.
Sunday, Dec. 4
12:59 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Assistance.
5:54 p.m. Justa Street/La. 182; Accident.
6:46 p.m. 7100 block of Park Road; Building check.
7:07 p.m. 300 block of Mallard Street; Loud music.
8:50 p.m. La. 70/U.S. 90 Junction; Accident.
9:24 p.m. 500 block of Hilda Street; Disturbance.
11:05 p.m. 2000 block of Keith Street; Complaint.
11:40 p.m. 700 block of Federal Avenue; Attempted vehicle burglary.

Juvenile arrested in school threat

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 10:25am

Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported that a verified complaint has been filed against a 14-year-old male in connection with the threatening note found at the Pierre Part Elementary School on Wednesday.

Detectives took the juvenile into custody Thursday for processing on a charge of terrorizing.

After a thorough search of the school, the sheriff said, no weapons were found. There were no acts in furtherance of the threat and the school is back to its normal operating procedures.

The juvenile in question will be released to the custody of his parents.

Any discipline measures will be handled by the school administration.

Falcon commends all who worked diligently to move this matter to conclusion and to all students and staff for their cooperation.

Sheriff's Office: One wounded in Verdunville shooting

Sat, 12/03/2022 - 3:06pm

At 3:02 p.m., the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office reported a shooting in the 200 block of Prairie Road North in Verdunville.

A victim was hit by a bullet and was transported to a medical facility, the Sheriff's Office said.

The shooting is under investigation.

Friday prep football semifinal results

Sat, 12/03/2022 - 3:00am

Non-Select

Division I

No. 1 Ruston 32
No. 5 Zachary 22

No. 3 Destrehan 21
No. 10 Westgate 6

Division II

No. 4 North DeSoto 38,
No. 1 Iowa 9

No. 6 Lutcher 35,
No. 2 West Feliciana 21

Division III

No. 1 Many 32,
No. 4 St. James 13

No. 3 Union Parish 28,
No. 7 Amite 8

Division IV

No. 2 Homer 38,
No. 3 Mangham 18

No. 5 Oak Grove
No. 8 Haynesville

Select

Division I

No. 8 Brother Martin 55,
No. 3 Carencro 24

No. 3 John Curtis Christian 24,
No. 2 Catholic-Baton Rouge 21

Division II

No. 1 St. Thomas More 38,
No. 4 E.D. White 7

No. 6 Lafayette Christian 68,
No. 2 Teurlings 46

Division III

No. 4 Dunham 35,
No. 8 University Lab 28

No. 2 St. Charles 17,
No. 3 Notre Dame 10

Division IV

No. 1 Vermilion Catholic 41,
No. 4 St. Martin's Episcopal 7

No. 3 Ouachita Christian 42,
No. 10 Ascension Catholic 14

ELTON HENRY SR.

Fri, 12/02/2022 - 10:13am

Elton Henry Sr., 73, a resident of Morgan City, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, at 8:25 a.m. at his residence.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at Church of Christ on Railroad Avenue, Morgan City, from 10 a.m. until the funeral at 1 p.m. Burial will be held in the Franklin Cemetery on Main Street.

He is survived by his children, Tony Henry of Franklin, Lennis Henry, Vanessa Henry and Elton (Nikki) Henry Jr., all of Houston, Kandiss Henry of Morgan City, and Brandon Henry of Patterson; his sibling, Brenda Clavelle of Houston; 12 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a host of relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother and a sister.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Parish council votes down amendments on district changes, pay raise

Fri, 12/02/2022 - 8:18am

Staff Report

The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday turned back three attempts to put proposed charter amendments before voters.

Two dealt with changing the districts from which council members are elected, and the third could have given council members their first raise since the charter was adopted nearly 40 years ago.

The votes came at a special meeting at which three candidates for the registrar of voters position were interviewed in a closed-door session.

The public portion of the meeting was dominated by the three proposed amendments. All three amendments were introduced by Councilman J Ina of Franklin, two of them as ways to increase minority representation on the council.

The first of those would have changed the system of at-large districts.

Currently, eight council members are elected from geographic districts by voters within those districts in the traditional way. Three more members are elected from three larger districts called at-large districts, each of which includes about a third of the parish’s population.

Each at-large member represents a district, but each of those members is elected by a parishwide vote.

Under Ina’s amendment, the voting in any of those three districts would have been limited to the people who live there. That, he argued, would create a third district, District 9, in which a majority Black population has the opportunity to elect a Black council member.

Ina has noted that two of the council’s 11 members are African American while nearly a third of the parish’s population is African American.

A second proposed amendment would have created 11 single-member districts similar to the system used by the School Board, on which four of 11 members are Black.

Charter amendments require approval by eight council members before going to the voters. The at-large district proposal failed when it drew three yes votes and seven no votes. The proposal for 11 single-member districts, which would have gone into effect in 2028, failed on a 2-8 vote.

Councilman Patrick Hebert was absent.

The third proposed amendment would have raised the pay of at least eight council members. Under the charter adopted in 1983, at-large members received $800 per month and the other eight members receive $450 per month.

The proposed amendment would have raised the monthly pay to the average received by council members in the parish’s five municipalities, currently $800-$900 per month.
That amendment failed on a 2-8 vote.

In the public comment portion of the meeting, residents Jennifer Collins Lancelin of the Community of Friends
and Alfreida Edwards spoke in favor of the two district amendments.

Former Parish Councilman Peter Soprano was decidedly against all three.

“Not one will bring back businesses that we lost,” Soprano said. “Not one is going to stop the stringent
planning and zoning laws and ordinances adopted by the council since [Parish President] David Hanagriff has
been in office.”

The amendments wouldn’t do anything to clean up abandoned houses and mobile homes or to raise the pay of underpaid parish maintenance workers, Soprano said.
“We do not need any charter changes,” Soprano said. “What we need is for the council to stop the parish president from putting you all at odds.”

In a phone interview Thursday, Hanagriff noted that Soprano, who said at the meeting that he served 2000-08, was on the council when planning and zoning codes were adopted.

“If there are any restrictions, blame him,” Hanagriff said.

He also denied any attempt to divide council members.

“I’m the executive branch, and they’re the legislature ...,” Hanagriff said. “The council is a separate body from
me. ...

“[Soprano's] attacks on me are personal and they’ve been going on for decades.”

At the meeting, Soprano called the proposed amendments “self-serving, deceitful and not in the best interest
of the people you were elected to serve.”

He also said that, during an unsuccessful push for amendments during his time on the council, members
went to the five municipalities to get public input in comparison to what he called “secret” deliberations about
the current proposals.

Councilman the Rev. Craig Mathews of Jeanerette objected, saying the three proposals were among the recommendations delivered by an 11-member charter review committee in a March 10, 2020, letter after a series of public meetings in Franklin.

A copy of the letter shows that the committee recommended raising council members’ monthly salary to $800 but did not push for the district changes proposed by Ina.

Soprano said the current at-large districts mean that each parish resident is represented by four council members — one representing the resident’s single-member district and the three at-large members.

He also echoed an argument made by Councilman James Bennett of Morgan City: Any pay raises should first go to underpaid maintenance workers. Bennett said he would never accept a raise in his Parish Council position.

Mathews countered again, saying a higher council salary could open the council to more people.

“The reality is there should be an opportunity for those who don’t live as comfortably as others ...,” Mathews said. “It should be an opportunity for more to serve regardless of their economic status.”

In the decades since the charter was adopted, a movement for justice and equal opportunity has grown across the country and around the world, he said.

“I don’t care how much and how hard some of us want to fight it, it’s going to be overrun,” Mathews said.

In the 3-7 vote against the ordinance changing the at-large districts, Ina, Mathews and Rodney Olander voted yes. Voting no were Bennett, Les Rulf, Scott Ramsey, Gwendolyn Hidalgo, Dean Adams, Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink and Mark Duhon.

On the proposals for the 11 single-member districts and the council pay raise, Ina and Mathews voted yes. Olander, Bennett, Rulf, Ramsey, Hidalgo, Adams, Prejeant and Duhon voted no.

Two of Ina’s proposed amendments have fared better. A measure that would raise the parish president’s salary from $12,000 a year to the average of mayoral salaries in the parish’s municipalities, currently around $50,000 a year, is headed for the March 25 ballot.

The raise would not take effect until the next council term begins in 2024.

On Dec. 10, another Ina proposal, which would open the council chairmanship and vice chairmanship to any
council member, will go to St. Mary Parish voters.

Currently, the charter limits the leadership posts to members elected from the three at-large districts. Early voting on that amendment, three state constitutional amendments and two Baldwin town races ends Saturday.

SLCC helps business get $7M grant

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 11:22am

South Louisiana Community College, SBDC of Louisiana (Small Business Development Center), and MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) of Louisiana partnered to prepare a proposal for a $7 million grant that was ultimately awarded to Processors, LLC, which does business as Guidry’s Catfish.

The business is located in St. Martin Parish.

Processor’s LLC currently operates at maximum capacity to process farm-raised catfish and related products that are sold for retail and foodservice distribution. The $7 million awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program is designed to improve supply-chain operations within food manufacturing. Processor’s LLC will be using the funds to add a facility, modernize their processing equipment, and develop new value-added catfish products.

Rural Business Development Grants are intended to bolster the economies of rural areas or towns and increase jobs. SLCC’s Workforce Department, SBDC of LA, and MEPOL partnered together in coordination with Processor’s LLC to maximize the grant applications opportunity for success.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana is a sponsored program of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System serving Louisiana manufacturers statewide. The SBDC of Louisiana works hand-in-hand with these two educational entities to provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to thrive.

"SLCC and the Corporate College team is honored to be a part of this collaborative grant venture,” says Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development Steven Mathews. “The Corporate College team is very excited and looking forward to a continued partnership with Processors, LLC (Guidry’s Catfish). The $7 million awarded grant will ultimately benefit our local communities with employment opportunities due to the planned facility additions. We are looking forward to long and productive partnership with this great company and its amazing representatives.”

Processor’s LLC, one of the earliest pioneers in the U.S. catfish industry, opened in 1976 and has been innovating ever since. This Breaux Bridge-based operation currently employs over 180 people and has been cultivating a workforce that preserves Louisiana’s rural identity.

SLCC created its Economic and Workforce Development division in 2015 to offer continuing education courses, leisure learning programs, and customized training for businesses across its eight-parish footprint in Acadiana. Its focus is providing short-term training programs to prepare residents to meet the demands of area businesses.