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Nungesser: Millions got a look at La.'s 'Celebration Gator'

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 11:02am

For a second year in a row, Louisiana’s “Celebration Gator” made a hugely successful crawl through the streets of New York City in the 96th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said in a press release.

According to NBC, the live three-hour morning special, an afternoon encore, plus digital and streaming viewership delivered 27.7 million viewers with another 3 million estimated along the parade route. Pre-parade media coverage of the “Celebration Gator” garnered Louisiana an additional reach of 873 million people, representing an ad value estimate of $8.1 million.

Those numbers do not include the number of people treated to a glimpse of what to expect leading up to the parade as the watchful eye of the “Celebration Gator” promoted Louisiana on huge screens in both Times Square and Macy’s on West 34th Street in New York.

“It was so exciting to learn so many people got to see our gator take over the streets of Manhattan. The crowds reminded me of Mardi Gras right here in Louisiana, except we let you thrown stuff from the floats,” said Nungesser.
“There is no doubt our float is special and unique just like Louisiana. You can see it in the eyes of people along the parade route as they light up when the “Celebration Gator’ gets close. The message it brings to check out Louisiana as a travel destination is being received. We monitor the website traffic to LouisianaTravel.com. After the parade airs, we notice a significant increase in page hits from people interested in traveling to Louisiana. In just the first year of our participation, we saw a 50-to-1 return on investment.”

Inspired by all facets of Louisiana’s culture and thriving tourist appeal, the “Celebration Gator” features a colorful street view of Louisiana: a blend of the New Orleans French Quarter architecture with heavy influences of Spanish colonial rule and Creole fashion. It is the longest float to ever roll in the parade, measuring 60 feet from mouth to tail.

Riding aboard the float and performing this year was New Orleans native and Grammy winner Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Trombone Shorty won his first Grammy this year and recently released his latest album, “Lifted.”

BESSIE CHARLES JONES

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:49am

Bessie Charles Jones, 78, a native and resident of Morgan City, died Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at her residence.

Visitation will be Saturday from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. at New Zorah Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Morgan City Cemetery.

She is survived by her husband, Herman Jones Sr.; six sons, Dedric Jones, Shawn Jones, Alfred Charles, Elton Jones Sr., Jerome Jupiter and Herman Jones Jr., all of Morgan City; two brothers, Anthony Charles Sr. and Harold Charles Sr.; a sister,
Carolyn Charles of Morgan City; 36 grandchildren, 67 great-grandchildren; and a host of relatives.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two sons and two brothers.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Police reports: Assumption deputies investigate threat at school

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:43am

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.)

Assumption Parish deputies and detectives responded Wednesday to Pierre Part Elementary School in reference to a threat against the school, Sheriff Leland Falcon said.

The school was immediately placed in lockdown mode and the facility was secured by the Sheriff’s Office and school personnel.

The threat was in the form of a note found in a restroom.

The entire school was searched, and every individual went through a metal detector. No weapons were found.

The facility returned to normal operation as detectives investigate the origin of the threat.

“There were no acts in furtherance of the threat, and we believe the students, staff and facility are safe,” Falcon said.

Morgan City

Police Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 45 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Shelby Braud, 31, Front Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of disturbing the peace.

--Shawn Michael Guidry, 44, Aucoin Street, Morgan City, 1:58 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of battery of a dating partner.

--Joshua James Robert Jones, 35, Louisa Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:37 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of failure to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff's Office responded to 35 complaints and made these arrests:

-Jason Dale Smith, 40, Patterson, was arrested at 3:12 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of reckless operation (no accident) and driving while intoxicated. Bail has not been set.

--Juan Cerritos-Hernandez, 61, Amelia, was arrested at 2:21 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and disturbing the peace (intoxication). Bail has not been set.

Franklin

Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to six complaints over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:

-- Lee Segura, 70, Becky Drive, Franklin, was arrested at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of obscenity. Segura was booked, processed and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.

About 2:06 p.m. Wednesday, the Franklin Police Department received a complaint from a concerned citizen regarding a male subject who was sunbathing nude on the roof of a residence. Officers observed the nude subject and requested that he descend from the roof, where he was subsequently arrested.

Morgan City police radio logs for Nov. 30-Dec. 1

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:23am

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.

Wednesday, Nov. 30
7:12 a.m. Area of Veterans Boulevard and La. 70; Animal complaint.
7:23 a.m. 2400 block of Tiger Drive; Complaint.
7:25 a.m. 500 block of Aucoin Street; Stand by.
8:04 a.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
8:36 a.m. Area of Pecan and Fig streets; Animal complaint.
9:35 a.m. 100 block of Chennault Street; Alarm.
9:40 a.m. 700 block of Fourth Street; Complaint.
10:32 a.m. 700 block of Hilda Street; Animal complaint.
11:19 a.m. 500 block of Seventh Street; Complaint.
11:51 a.m. Area of Federal and Brashear avenues; Vehicle accident.
12:33 p.m. Area of U.S. 90 West Bound; Complaint.
1:57 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
2:57 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
3:34 p.m. 500 block of Freret Street; Complaint.
3:54 p.m. 700 block of Onstead Street; Complaint.
4:24 p.m. 900 block of Fig; Street; Patrol request.
5:22 p.m. 6000 block of Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
6:01 p.m. Railroad and Martin Luther King boulevards; Burglary.
6:13 p.m. 1800 block of Federal Avenue; Juvenile complaint.
6:18 p.m. 2300 block of Clements Street; Complaint.
6:29 p.m. 400 block of Louisa Street; Juvenile Complaint.
6:30 p.m. 600 block of Kentucky Street; Complaint.
6:59 p.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Alarm.
7:27 p.m. 600 block of Louisa Street; Complaint.
7:28 p.m. 100 block of Dugas Street; Complaint.
8:23 p.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Disturbance.
9:21 p.m. 2300 block of Clements Street; Animal complaint.
9:54 p.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Medical.
10:03 p.m. 600 block of General Patton Street; Medical.
10:52 p.m. 2000 block of Railroad Avenue; Suspicious subject.
11:50 p.m. 500 block of Louisa Street; Alarm
Thursday, Dec. 1
12:53 a.m. 200 block of Wren Street; Medical.
1:22 a.m. 300 block of Aycock Street; Animal complaint.
1:46 a.m. Roderick Street; Suspicious vehicle.
4:17 a.m. 900 block of Fig Street; Arrest.

John K. Flores: It's time to chase winter catfish

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:20am

JOHN K. FLORES

Several years ago, prior to COVID, I got together with my friend, Joey Ratcliff, to do some winter catfishing. Joey is a local fella who spends most of his spare time at the camp fishing and hunting.

Joey happens to have a knack for catching big catfish, particularly blue catfish, which is why I nagged him to take me. I say nag, but the truth is you don’t need to twist his arm. Joey is an affable guy who typically is more than willing to accommodate anyone who asks.

We headed south out of Jesse Fontenot Memorial Boat Landing in Berwick and after making a few zigs and zags off the Atchafalaya River we caught Greens Bayou near Lake Salve and started fishing.

The weather was cold and there was a frost on the marsh. The cutgrass, flag grass and bull tongue were flat, where you could see clean across the marsh. It’s amazing how vast the marsh is south of the Intracoastal Canal.

I must admit, I wasn’t too impressed with the spot my friend selected. The water was dirty and moving fast, where I had to use a one-ounce pyramid sinker on my drop rig in order to keep it from bouncing along the bottom or ultimately rising in the current.

I made a cast to one side of the bayou, while Joey threw his bait closer to the boat, where a backwater eddy made a spiral in the current. His bait no sooner touched bottom, when he gave his pole a jerk and the fight was on.

At first it looked like the fish was winning. Joey’s pole was bent over like a horseshoe, and he had sort of a grimace on his face. I figure it was the pole stuck in his belly, while he held onto the pole with one hand and worked the reel with the other.

The whole affair didn’t last long. The water was cold, and the blue cat seemed to quickly succumb to the strength of my buddy’s forearms. What’s more, it didn’t hurt that his reel was stuffed with 20-pound test line.

We didn’t have a scale in the boat, but the blue cat easily weighed 10 pounds, in my estimation. After a photo session, Joey told me to push us off the bank while he started the motor. Just like that we were off to another backwater eddy he regularly fished during the winter months.

Winter catfishing lesson number one, look for backwater eddies. The eddies usually form a deep hole along the bottom where catfish can lay in ambush for prey passing through the eddy.

Winter catfishing lesson number two, bring a variety of pyramid sinkers ranging from ¾ ounce to 2 ounces and match it to the current speed. You want to be able to tight line.

Therefore, use a weight heavy enough to get you down to the bottom, where it stays in place and does not bounce or rise in the current.

My friend Joey likes to use a 2/0 Kahle hook, but 1/0 Kahle will also work. I’ve also used 1/0 and 2/0 O’Shaughnessy bait hooks.

And, because I sometimes forget my cheater eyeglasses at home, I prefer tying my lines to O’Shaughnessy hooks with the bigger eyelets.

Blue catfish, unlike their close cousins, channel catfish, tolerate waters with slightly higher salinities.

Along the coast bayous like Big Beach, Little Beach, Greens, Big Hog and Little Hog that all empty into the Gulf are tidal and will have increased salinity during the fall and winter months.

When it comes to baits, blue catfish will eat just about anything that stinks, bleeds or crawls. I’ve even caught them on artificial baits accidentally while fishing bass in the fall. Some of the best baits to use for winter catfishing for blue cats are nutria liver, shrimp, and cut baits like mullet, pogy or shad.

Most anglers prefer smaller pan-size catfish to eat. However, large catfish can be cut up into cubes and fried or served in a court bouillon.

So, if you have a hankering for a good catfish court bouillon this winter, it’s time to get out during the holidays and chase a few cold-water cats along our St. Mary Parish central coastline.

John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflow@cox.net.

St. Mary unemployment rate dips below 4%

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:16am

Staff Report

St. Mary Parish’s unemployment fell below 4% in October, while the statewide jobless rate continued to set records.

The St. Mary unemployment rate was 3.9% in October, down from 4.3% in September and 5.2% in October 2021, according to figures from the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

The number of unemployed people in the parish, which exceeded 1,000 in October 2021, was at 723 in October 2022.

But the number of employed people declined, too. The commission said 18,168 St. Mary people had jobs in October 2021, compared to 17,876 in October 2022.

When a long slide in oil prices began in fall 2014, more than 27,000 were employed in St. Mary, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment dropped to near 18,000 and has stayed at that level.

Elsewhere in this region:

--Assumption Parish’s jobless rate was 4.1% in October, down from 4.9% in September and 5.7% a year ago.

--Unemployment in St. Martin was at 3.0% in October, down from 3.5% in September and 3.7% in October 2021.

St. Martin is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area, where joblessness was at 2.8% in October. The Houma MSA’s rate was 2.9% in October.

All nine Louisiana MSA’s reported a drop in the unemployment rate month to month.

The statewide jobless rate was 3.1%, down from 3.5% in September and 4.3% in October 2021.

October was the 20th straight month in which the unemployment rate fell from the same month in the previous year.

Louisiana added 7,107 jobs month over month, raising the total employment figure to 2,025,972, the eighth highest on record.

The industries that have gained the most jobs:

--Education and Health Services gained 4,400 jobs from September 2022.

--Professional and Business Services gained 3,000 jobs from September 2022.

--Government gained 2,000 jobs from September 2022.

The industries that have gained the most jobs year over year:

--Leisure and Hospitality gained 20,000 jobs from October 2021.

--Education and Health Services gained 16,100 jobs from October 2021.

--Professional and Business Services gained 11,200 jobs from October 2021.

The numbers released by the state are not seasonally adjusted.

The figures were released as economy-watchers were awaiting the national employment figure for November, which was due to be released Friday.

The forecasts were mainly gloomy after October’s unexpectedly strong gain of more than 200,000 jobs.

Terrebonne General's automated pharmacy system is on the job

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:13am

Terrebonne General Health System announced its new Omnicell XR2 Automated Central Pharmacy System.

This device introduces groundbreaking technology for a more fully automated approach to medication inventory management, the hospital said.

After eight weeks of building, testing, training, and stocking the robot, the new equipment is now live.

"With the introduction of this groundbreaking technology, patients and employees stand to benefit in multiple ways," said Phyllis Peoples, president, and CEO.

This robot will improve the workflow of pharmacists and contribute to impactful patient outcomes. Some of the benefits are:

--100% bar code scanning of all medications to eliminate human error

--Model agnostic to support both cabinet fill and cartfill

--Supports native manufacturer packaging to reduce time and expense of repackaging

--Reduced handling of medications by technicians and pharmacists

--Electronic visibility to all medication in the XR2, down to the dose, provides the opportunity for better inventory management.

--Dispenses first-to-expire medications, reducing waste and the associated cost

"We are here to provide our community with the lastest advances in technology through a “high tech” and “high touch” style of caring," Peoples said.

Lawmakers consider employment rules for medical marijuana

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:12am

VICTOR SKINNER, The Center Square

The Louisiana Legislature’s Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force discussed issues with unemployment compensation, impairment, and testing on Tuesday as they prepare to craft recommendations for lawmakers later this month.

Task force members are now working on an accelerated timeline to present recommendations to the Department of Health by Dec. 21, to ensure lawmakers have sufficient time to draft legislation ahead of the 2023 session in April.

At Tuesday’s meeting, members contemplated how to design protections for employees and employers without a reliable, cost effective way to test for marijuana impairment.

Kevin Caldwell, task force member representing the Marijuana Policy Project, noted that while current testing technology for marijuana impairment is not widely accepted and "very expensive," 37 other states with medical marijuana programs have nonetheless found ways to protect employees who use the drug.

"At this point I think we … see that these other states have put these employment protections in place without the clear scientific data as to what impairment is," he said. "But at the same time, … there are drug recognition experts in law enforcement that can tell when someone is impaired."

Caldwell, who chaired a subcommittee that explored testing technologies, said concerns center on whether tests would be "fiscally possible" for small companies, the timeline for receiving results, and whether courts would recognize the technology.

"This is not the first time these technologies have moved forward, but in the end none of them have ended up being legally accepted as a judge of impairment," he said.

"We want to make sure as a task force we’re doing what’s in the best interest of the patients in this state," said Janana Snowden, task force member and director of the Southern Institute for Medical Plants.

Task force member Troy Prevot, a physician assistant involved in employment drug testing, pointed out that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institute
of Drug Abuse only recognizes tests for urine, hair and oral fluids.

He also noted that "the difference between the technology for testing and the technology of measuring impairment can be night and day."

"Toxicology can’t tell you … this level means you’re impaired," Prevot said. "It just doesn’t exist."

Others on the task force raised questions about how any recommendations might comport with the Federal Drug Free Workplace Act and similar state laws that require certified tests for workplace accidents.

"We’re going to have to conform (to those laws) or modify the law in some fashion," said Mark Falcon, attorney and task member. "I don’t think we want to endorse someone losing their job because of a dip-stick type … it needs to be something that scientifically proven to be accurate."

Peter Robins-Brown, task force member with Louisiana Progress, suggested a recommendation to treat medical marijuana the same as prescribed drugs, which do not result in a positive result once a prescription is confirmed.

Snowden pointed out other states have eliminated testing for THC, the active component in marijuana, entirely.

"If you look across other states you’ll see that THC has been removed from those screenings, and that may be something we want to consider, as well," she said.

The hearing also featured testimony from several marijuana advocates, including multiple former military personnel and firefighters who want to be included in employment protections.

"I think we should be able to make that choice (to use medical marijuana) without repercussions," said Alex Tony, a former U.S. Army medic turned professional firefighter. "We should not be discriminated against because of our profession."

Task force members are now compiling a list of potential recommendations for lawmakers, which they plan to finalize by Dec. 21. Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, who authored the resolution that created the task force, said the timeline will provide the best odds of lawmakers taking up the suggestions, as they’re each limited to five bills during the 2023 session.

Around Town for Dec. 2

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:08am

Happy birthday Friday to Stephanie Augustus …. Happy birthday Sunday to Debra Oliney, Marcella Hoskins and Annie Wilson from friends, family and Ira.

DEO RAMKHALAWAN

Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:07am

Deo Ramkhalawan, 71, a native of Mendez Coora, Trinidad and Tobago and resident of Amelia, died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at his residence.

Visitation was Friday at Jones Funeral Home Chapel in Morgan City.

He is survived by his wife, Ana Sanchez Ramkhalawan of Amelia; son, Hector Cruz of Amelia; two daughters, Cindy Ramkhalawan of Houston and Michelle Ocasio of Harvey; brother, Bhanwari Ramkhalawan of Charleston, South Carolina; five grandchildren; and a host of relatives.

He was preceded in death by his father, mother, four sisters and four brothers.

Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.