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DEAR ABBY: My husband was diagnosed with advanced chronic leukemia seven years ago. After two rounds of chemo, he was better for a while but was diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma a year ago. He has been through almost constant chemo and radiation, lost more than six inches of height due to osteoporosis and fractures, and can barely walk around the house or get in and out of the car for his doctor’s appointments. We almost lost him three times, but he’s hanging on. For us, this is reality. But we have a teenage daughter, and I still have to work to support us. I do not share this information at work.
A business colleague I’ll call “Amy” was just diagnosed with chronic leukemia. It’s in the early stages, with no chemo or radiation, just monitoring. Now, in every business call and video meeting, Amy talks about how she is surviving cancer and is going to beat this because she is stronger than cancer. Everyone in the office is talking about Amy being a cancer survivor and saying we should do something for her.
It grates on me because my husband is so much sicker, and she’s planning vacations and trips to concerts and telling everyone how great she feels. We all deal with disease differently, but I want to tell her to keep this to herself and focus on work. Should I, and if so, how?
RESENTFUL IN NEW YORK

DEAR RESENTFUL: I sincerely hope you will refrain from doing that. Not all cancers are alike. Everyone’s experience with this frightening disease is different. That Amy is doing as well as she is is a blessing. It could also be that she’s trying to stay positive, putting on a brave face and living her life to the fullest extent for as long as she is able.
I am truly sorry for your pain. I have “walked a mile in your shoes.” It’s wrenching and awful. But you will not lessen it by telling your colleague to keep anything to herself. Leave the room instead.

DEAR ABBY: My two sisters live in our old hometown, a five-hour drive from my current home. When they have visited, my husband, kids and I open our home to them. We even welcome their dog. They are both empty nesters who live with their husbands in spacious homes. When I visit their town, they never invite us to stay with them. Never! This has hurt my feelings.
Our parents have passed away. I recall Mom and Dad telling us that once they’re gone, we will no longer have their house, “the family hub,” in which to gather, and that we’ll need to make an effort to get together. I long for our family to be close, but I’m afraid it’ll backfire if I say anything. Thank you for any advice you can offer.
DISTANCED IN MICHIGAN

DEAR DISTANCED: I don’t think it should cause a rift in the family if you were to simply ask your sisters why your hospitality has never been reciprocated. And when you do, remind them what your parents said. There is always a reason.
The answer could be as simple as their husbands being uncomfortable hosting houseguests.
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To receive a collection of Abby’s most memorable — and most frequently requested — poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

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, Sept. 14
7:31 a.m. 100 block of Chennault Street; Juvenile problems.
8:32 a.m. La. 182 Bridge; Complaint.
8:56 a.m. 900 block of Second Street; Com-plaint.
8:57 a.m. 1000 block of Seventh Street; Alarm.
9:01 a.m. 300 block of Patton Street; Com-plaint.
9:10 a.m. 800 block of Willard Street; Welfare concern.
10:09 a.m. Lawrence Park; Complaint.
10:31 a.m. Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
11:06 a.m. Victor II Boulevard/Cottonwood Street; Stalled vehicle.
11:51 a.m. La. 182 Westbound; Traffic complaint.
11:53 a.m. Martin Lu-ther King Boulevard; Animal complaint.
12:07 p.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Fight.
12:11 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Theft.
12:38 p.m. 300 block of Glenwood Street; Loud music.
12:42 p.m. 100 block of Wren Street; Animal complaint.
12:54 p.m. 1000 block of Third Street; Assistance.
1 p.m. 1800 block of Dale Street; Animal complaint.
1:01 p.m. U.S. 90 Westbound; Stalled vehicle.
1:17 p.m. Victor II Boulevard/Dollar Tree; Accident.
1:38 p.m. Fourth Street/Railroad Avenue; Traffic complaint.
1:56 p.m. 100 block of Oak Street; Medical.
3:03 p.m. 2300 block of Federal Avenue; Simple battery.
3:24 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Warrant.
3:29 p.m. 2000 block of Keith Street; Complaint.
4:24 p.m. 6600 block of La. 182; Complaint.
5:38 p.m. 600 block of Grove Street; Disturbance.

The St. Mary Parish Council wants no part of the first proposed settlement in lawsuits against energy companies over damage their operations caused to the Louisiana coast.

The council on Wednesday refused to sign on to a $100 million settlement deal involving the state government, coastal parishes and companies affiliated with Freeport McMoRan.

Dozens of lawsuits allege that by digging canals and performing other work, oil and gas companies damaged coastal Louisiana and violated state and federal laws, even though the work was carried out under federal permits.
The Center Square reported in March that the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office negotiated the settlement with Freeport McMoRan Oil and Gas and affiliated companies. Under the deal, the companies would pay about $24 million into a fund for coastal restoration projects over 20 years.

Freeport McMoRan would receive environmental credits that could be used to pay off its remaining $76 million obligation.

But all 12 coastal parishes that would be parties to the settlement must enter memorandums of understanding with the state and the other parishes.

The Legislature must approve the settlement structure, and attempts to do that have failed twice. The Lafourche Parish Council has twice voted against entering a memorandum of understanding. Gov. John Bel Edwards stepped in to authorize the memorandum on Lafourche’s behalf.

At Wednesday’s meeting, 16th Judicial District Attorney Bo Duhé told the council that the settlement gives district attorneys the power to enter the memorandums on their own. But he went to the councils to ask them what he should do.

“At the end of the day, I’m looking to you for guidance ...,” Duhé said. “You’re elected to represent the people and do the people’s work.”

Marc Ehrhardt, executive director of the pro-energy-industry Grow Louisiana Coalition, asked the council to vote down the resolution authorizing Duhé to negotiate the memorandum for St. Mary.

The coalition has said the industry, which it says employs 10,000 people across the Bayou region and has invested hundreds of millions, would be hurt by the lawsuits.

The settlement is “a bad idea for St. Mary Parish,” Ehrhardt said. “It’s a bad idea for Louisiana.”

Council members were clearly inclined toward the coalition’s position against the memorandum. But Councilmen Scott Ramsey of Bayou Vista and Patrick Hebert of Berwick objected to a coalition Facebook post that they said accused the parish government and Duhé of conducting a “backdoor meeting” on the issue.

Council Chair Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink of Centerville acknowledged that representatives of the three parishes in the 16th Judicial District met with Duhé, but only to hear about their options.
“
There was nothing backdoor about this,” Rink said.

Duhé said that he personally opposes the lawsuits. But “what do lawyers do?” he said. “They tell you the pros, they tell you the cons, and then ask what do you want to do.”

Ehrhardt said the Facebook post had been removed.

“I apologize,” he said. “We’ll do better.”

The council voted 10-0 against the resolution authorizing Duhé to negotiate the memorandum. The 11th member, Rink, abstained.

The Louisiana House Ways and Means Committee held the first in a series of meetings on Tuesday to discuss the state’s tax structure, with a focus on eliminating the state’s income tax.

Lawmakers during the 2022 legislative session approved House Resolution 178, which authorizes the House Ways and Means Committee to study Louisiana’s tax structure “and to make recommendations concerning eliminating the state tax levied on individual and corporate income and reforming state tax exemptions and credits.”

HR 178 is sponsored by Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville, who told the committee on Tuesday that “when you look at the state and you look at the trajectory, where we’re going, … the tax structure in Louisiana is one of the fundamental things that’s holding us back.”

“We have an opportunity now to actually build a better mousetrap so we can move the state forward in the future,” he said. “I think eliminating the income tax and completely restructuring how we do business here in Louisiana is probably the most important way we can move this forward.”

Representatives from the Department of Revenue testified on a variety of aspects of the current tax system, as well as the lengthy history of prior attempts to study and reform it.

Rep. Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, questioned how a constitutional amendment to remove the federal income tax deduction on the state side in 2021 has impacted revenues.

“This is the first year that has been done, so we don’t have any type of historical data,” Louisiana Secretary of Revenue Kevin Richard said.

“By the time the session happens, those first returns should be coming in. I don’t know if we’ll have data by the time the session commences, but it is something we’re looking at.”

Luke Morris, the department’s deputy secretary, said officials won’t know whether the tax changes are revenue neutral as hoped until November of next year because of an automatic extension in the law.

“We will not have a good estimate until that time,” he said, adding that some will see tax increases and others tax decreases from the constitutional amendment.

DeVillier also questioned revenues collected from taxes on online sellers.

Since the department started officially collecting sales taxes from remote sellers in July 2020, a commission set up to collect the tax has taken $815 million in state and local taxes. After a 1% collection fee, the state received $384 million and the local portion was $423 million, Morris said.

Nelson questioned whether eliminating exemptions for taxes for a broader base, while lowering the rate, would be preferable to the current system with many exemptions, smaller tax base and higher rate.

Officials noted that Louisiana has the highest combined state and local sales tax in the nation, tied with Tennessee, which does not have an income tax.

Richard told the committee the department is currently studying how a broader sales and use tax, such as in neighboring Texas, could increase revenues, but agreed “if you have a simpler system, then it’s easier to administer a tax.”

“Simpler is always better,” he said.

Lawmakers also questioned revenues from the state’s corporate income tax, which officials said collected $809 million, with $1.46 billion in exemptions.

“We basically exempt twice as much as we collect,” Nelson said.

Deborah Vivian, economist from the Legislative Fiscal Office, also testified at Tuesday’s meeting, where she warned lawmakers about the potential ramifications of making big changes to the tax system.

Vivian highlighted the unknown impact from recent tax changes, a temporary flood of federal money, a volatile inflationary economy, and the unpredictable impact to other areas of the budget for lawmakers to consider.

“When you budget, you step back and you’re looking at the entire general fund, so it matters … what’s happening with everything else, because it’s never static,” she said.

Committee Chairman Rep. Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette, said the “daunting task” of reviewing Louisiana’s tax structure will continue with a subcommittee chaired by DeVillier that’s expected to meet every other week until the 2023 session convenes on April 10.