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DOTD chief: Time to tend to communities

Tue, 05/03/2022 - 1:25pm

BILL DECKER

The man in charge of maintaining Louisiana’s roads on Saturday urged St. Mary Parish people to keep up their communities, too.
Dr. Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, spoke at the 17th annual Tri-City Helping Hearts Foundation Banquet at the St. Mary Parish Senior Citizens Center.
The banquet is a fundraiser for the foundation, the primary purpose of which is “to assist citizens needing financial assistance with the burial expenses of a loved one,” according to the foundation’s website.
The organization’s website is www.tchhf.org.
Wilson, who has served as the state transportation secretary since 2016, began his analysis of community ills with a look at rents. He cited a study by LSU professors Jim Richardson and Roy Heidelberg for the Louisiana Housing Corp. that says more than 44% of Louisiana renters pay at least 35% of their income on rent.
That gives Louisiana the fifth-highest percentage of households considered rent-stressed in the United States.
The professors warned in an Advocate story that their 44% figure can include wealthy people with significant disposal income left after they pay rent. But they also noted that the percentage of households considered to be rent-stressed is up 15 points since 2000.
“How do you build communities without investing in home ownership?” Wilson said in Morgan City.
Another problem facing communities is Louisiana’s incarceration rate, Wilson said. About 1,100 of every 100,000 Louisiana people are in the justice system, including 24,000 in state prisons, 12,000 in local jails and 1,009 in juvenile detention.
“These are our people,” Wilson said. “They come from our families. They come from our homes. They come from our communities.”
Louisiana also ranks near the bottom in health care outcomes, Wilson said, and suffers from lagging high school graduation rates.
“We have to start our children on a path to science, technology, engineering and math,” Wilson said.

Author of book on Marine Shale will speak here Thursday

Tue, 05/03/2022 - 1:23pm

Staff Report

The author of a book about the Marine Shale controversy, from which environmental and political ripples are still felt after nearly four decades, is coming Thursday to Morgan City.
Dr. John W. Sutherlin of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, author of “Playing With Fire: The Strange Case of Marine Shale Processors,” will appear 4-7 p.m. Thursday at The Frame Shop and Gallery Coffee, 708 Front St.
Sutherlin, who wrote the book with law student Daniel Elliot Gonzalez, will sign autographs and take part in a question and answer session.
Sutherlin’s view of the Marine Shale saga makes it a strange case indeed.
Businessman Jack Kent Sr. developed a plan to use a 275-foot incinerator at his Amelia site to turn hazardous waste into glass-like pellets that could be used for road-paving and other purposes. Sutherlin said it was part of an ill-fated plan to make Louisiana the nation’s hazardous waste handler.
Marine Shale began incinerating waste in 1984. Kent’s assertion that he ran a recycling operation, rather than a hazardous waste operation, was the rationale for avoiding some of the environmental permits he would have otherwise needed, Sutherlin said in a phone interview.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was new and rapidly developing a reputation for being friendly to business.
But fate began to turn against Marine Shale. The election of Buddy Roemer as governor in 1987 brought a new emphasis on the environment and pollution control. Roemer appointed Paul Templet to head the DEQ, and Templet took a tougher line on pollution generally and on Marine Shale in particular.
Five cases of neuroblastoma, a central nervous system cancer usually found in children, were identified in the Amelia area. No definitive link between the cancers and Marine Shale operations was established. But a group of mothers formed South Louisiana Against Pollution and made their voices felt at public hearings.
In 1990, the state and federal governments sued Kent and Marine Shale, alleging illegal operation of a hazardous waste facility. The cases wore on for 16 years — Marine Shale ceased operations in 1996 — before an agreement among the governments, Kent, Marine Shale and two companies that had disposed of waste in Amelia resulted in a $15 million settlement.
The agreement set aside money for a cleanup at Marine Shale, a process that wasn’t completed until 2013. Kent was prohibited from operating any other hazardous waste businesses.
The outcome looks like a win for pro-environment forces, but the case had other implications, Sutherlin believes.
For one, Kent vigorously fought Roemer’s reelection in 1991, when the incumbent governor finished out of the runoff that developed between former Gov. Edwin Edwards and former Klansman David Duke.
“The reason we had the so-called Runoff from Hell was Marine Shale,” Sutherlin said.
Pro Publica, the online investigative reporting operation, reported that Kent spent $400,000 to defeat Roemer in 1991.

St. Mary mayors point to progress

Tue, 05/03/2022 - 1:19pm

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

Berwick’s new thing, the recently completed series of Friday night live music performances on the riverfront, is called Live After 5. The rest of the parish is still kicking, too, to judge by completed and pending projects cited by area mayors at April 27 St. Mary Chamber Business Luncheon.
Parish President David Hanagriff joined mayors Lee Dragna of Morgan City, Duval Arthur of Berwick, Eugene Foulcard of Franklin and Abel Prejean of Franklin. Patterson City Accountant Reginald Weary filled in for Mayor Rodney Grogan.
They came armed with a list of good things going on in each of their cities and, in Hanagriff’s case, parishwide. The list included a new water plant being planned in Morgan City, more than $1 million in street repairs in Patterson and long-awaited flood protection in Berwick.
“We’re not going to be the same old same old,” Dragna said.
At least one battle is ahead for Berwick, where Arthur said a Census 2020 undercount kept the town’s official population below 5,000, the point at which a town becomes a city in Louisiana. Arthur says indicators such as utility hook-ups show an increase in population, not the decrease reported by the Census Bureau, and he plans to appeal.
“I’m going to fight this until they tell me I can’t fight anymore,” Arthur said.
Here are highlights of the progress listed by east St. Mary mayors and Hanagriff:
Morgan City
About 1,800 tons of concrete from demolition of the old city power plant and the municipal swimming pool is being used to expand the marina at Lake End Park, adding 75 new spots. Plans also call for a development to make the beach area a bigger draw.
Water Sector Program funding, fashioned from federal COVID aid and administered by the state, will help Morgan City build a new $5.2 million water plant, modeled on the new plant in Patterson. It is designed to require fewer chemicals.
Dragna said the savings from labor and chemicals at the plant will amount to $300,000 a year.
The city government is now seeking $5 million in funding for improving the sewer system.
The city also acquired the M.D. Shannon Elementary building for $100,000 from the School Board, with plans for the city’s Development District to sell a portion of the city block as residential lots.
New equipment includes a street sweeper, police cars, a Bobcat and a dump truck, replacing equipment Dragna said was in bad shape.
“Now our employees want to come to work,” Dragna said.
The city is also expanding its walking and bike trail system with help from $1 million that St. Mary Excel helped the city obtain.
Berwick
The Live After 5 events were popular, Arthur said. More riverfront improvements have been installed or are in the works, including water and electric hook-ups for boat and security systems.
More housing is becoming available, too. The new Atchafalaya River Subdivision has 36 lots for sale and has a boat ramp. Southern Oaks consists of five 5-acre lots, and Berwick LLC plans a 10-lot subdivision on Patti Drive near the golf course.
Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act money paid for raising Front Street in the older part of town as a flood safety measure.
The state government has awarded $1.6 million to Berwick to deal with flooding in Country Club Estates. Flash flooding in 2019 pushed water into dozens of subdivision homes, leading the town government to design a solution.
Some steps are relatively easy, such as cleaning out ditches. But part of the solution includes underground work to install storm sewers, the objective of the $1.6 million.
The Police Department has been acquiring body cameras, and a private citizen donated eight bullet proof vests and a hand-held radar.
And Berwick’s story is being told at the Brown House, the town’s museum.
Patterson
A Community Development Block Grant provided $800,000 to rehabilitate 12 streets, and small, lightly trafficked streets are being improved with more than $500,000 made available because of a bond refinancing.
The millage that is repaying the $5 million raised for the new water plant has been reduced from 16 mills to 12.4 mills, Weary said.
Improvements at Morey Park continue as the city works to build a pavilion, restrooms and a walking trail.
Tutoring has resumed at the Patterson Community Center, which now also offers free aerobics classes.
The city is also involved in a feeding program offering free meals to senior citizens and disabled people four Wednesdays each month. Eighty-five percent of the food is donated, Weary said.
St. Mary Parish
A series of road improvement projects have been completed or are in the works, Hanagriff said. They include St. Peters Road, Proctor, Bergeron, East Martin Luther King in Charenton and St. James in Amelia.
Work is also under way on nearly $3 million in drainage district pump station work in eastern St. Mary.
Fairview Treatment Center has received a $1.3 million renovation, and $1.1 million worth of work is underway at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Hanagriff praised the work of the St. Mary Parish Levee District, the lead local agency on the new Bayou Chene Flood Control Structure. The Bayou Teche Flood Control Structure near Baldwin was completed recently, and an extension of the Yokely Levee is underway.

Jim Bradshaw: The towns named for the towers

Tue, 05/03/2022 - 1:13pm

JIM BRADSHAW

By JIM BRADSHAW
One of my gifts under the tree last Christmas was a T-shirt inscribed with the question: “Have you ever noticed how many towns are named after their water tower?”
It gave me a good laugh when I unwrapped it, and it also caused me to wonder when we started building the towers and putting our names on them. I’ve heard somewhere that naming began as a way to guide pilots in the early days of aviation, but I think it probably started earlier than that.
The first towers began to sprout in the late 1800s, when reliable steam pumps capable of pushing water into them began to be developed. They were hailed as an inexpensive way to use gravity to distribute water, but the first ones were also symbols of community growth — showing that a place had become big enough to need one, and prosperous enough to build one.
I haven’t been able to find for sure just where the first one went up in south Louisiana, but a remembrance in 1899 by a man who appeared to be well past middle age gives New Iberia a good claim. The tower there, he said, had been built by his grandfather “by the old ferry crossing” and was filled with water pumped from Bayou Teche. We don’t know how old grandpa was when he built the tower, so we can’t put a date on when he did it, but he seems to have been an innovator.
“The tower was built from a large, hollow cypress log, about 60 feet high, sawed off square and a bottom nailed on, and mounted on a platform,” according to the reminiscence.
Lafayette was planning construction of a fancier tower about the time that letter was written. The engineers said it would be made of steel plates riveted together, 12 feet in diameter, 125 feet high, and that it would hold more than 100,000 gallons of water.
Opelousas was putting up a steel tower on the courthouse square about the same time, but it was not so well received. People were afraid it would topple over and kill someone.
The police jury had a long and contentious meeting over the question of “whether it was dangerous to the public and private property in that vicinity, and whether, safe or unsafe, it should be allowed to be built on the square.”
The controversy came to a head after the town council condemned the foundation for the tower and ordered the contractor “to construct a new one of better material.”
The parish and town officials ultimately met in a joint session and the police jury approved the tower, with a new base, by a 6-4 vote.
In Alexandria in May 1898, folks were so proud of their 140-foot tower that they raised money to put a pole on top of it to fly “a great flag … [that] can be seen all over town and far into the country.”
Alas, the big, visible flag, perhaps a forerunner to painting a name that could be widely seen, lasted only a year.
There may or may not be some moral to be drawn here, but it was on July 4, 1899 — Independence Day — that lightning shattered the flag staff, and — shades of Opelousas anxiety — “a few of the larger pieces that struck the ground would have killed whoever had been struck by them.”
The adage “pride goeth before the fall” comes to mind, but I make no judgments.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Police chief's pay, Acadiana Crime Lab on Patterson council agenda

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 12:24pm

Staff Report

The Patterson City Council will consider a request from Police Chief Garrett Grogan for a 38% increase in pay at Tuesday’s meeting.

Grogan seeks a raise from $54,000 a year to $75,000.

Patterson voters cleared the way March 26 for Grogan to get the raise immediately. They passed a charter amendment that allows the chief to receive a pay raise in the same four-year term in which the council approves the hike.

Before the amendment, pay cuts or raises for the chief had to wait until after the end of the term in which the change was approved.

Also Tuesday, the board will consider final action on leasing space at the Community Center to 100 Black Men of St. Mary Parish and may take the first step toward prohibiting farm animals larger than chickens from being kept in the city limits.

The council will also be asked to introduce the city’s 2022-23 budget. And District Attorney Bo Duhe, who has been asking local governments to support funding for a new Acadiana

Crime Lab headquarters, is on the agenda along with a resolution to support the project.

Click on link below to download a copy of the agenda download a copy of the agenda.

UPDATED WTH SHERIFF'S OFFICE ARRESTS: Morgan City police make arrests on meth, MDMA charges

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 12:01pm

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.)

Morgan City police made arrests over the weekend on charges related to methamphetamine, MDMA and marijuana.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 113 calls for service during the past 72-hour reporting period and made thes arrests beginning Friday:

—Jerald Watson Jr., 36, South Railroad Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:08 p.m. Friday on warrants alleging possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of controlled dangerous substance laws (drug-free zone).

—Tremain Steele, 38, South Bell Circle, Houma, 4:08 p.m. Friday on a warrant alleging unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

—Jeffery Scott Lambert Jr., 24, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:25 p.m. Friday on a charge of aggravated assault.

—Brittney Marie Topham, 21, Maple Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:25 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Sean David Patrick Howell, 47, Uranus Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 12:50 a.m. Saturday on charges of possession of MDMA, distribution of MDMA and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance laws (drug-free zone).

—-Alfred Johnson, 57, Clayton Drive, Baton Rouge, was arrested at 9:38 p.m. Saturday on a charge of disturbing the peace (intoxicated).

—Jayveon Jamal Grogan, 18, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:38 p.m. Saturday on a charge of simple battery.

Franklin

Police Chief Morris Beverly said the Franklin Police Department responded to 21 complaints over the past weekend and made these arrests:

—Michelle Brown, 50, Eighth Street, Franklin, was arrested at 11:06 p.m. Friday on a charge of simple criminal damage to property. Brown was booked, processed and released to appear in 3rd Ward City Court.

—Daylon Richard, 21, Richard Street, Baldwin, was arrested at 1:02 p.m. Saturday on a warrant dated March 23 and alleging illegal carrying of weapon and disturbing the peace by alarming the public. Richard was booked, processed and released on a $2,000 bond.

St Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 72-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 103 complaints and made these arrests:

--Dustin Michael Lovell, 25, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:27 a.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of possession of synthetic cannabinoids, speeding, and driving under suspension. Lovell was released on a $1,500 bond.

--Marlon Devante Green, 28, New Iberia, was arrested at 9:46 a.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of speeding and operating a vehicle while license is suspended, revoked or canceled. Green was released on a summons July 19.

--Galen Wayne Ford, 29, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:40 a.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of criminal neglect of family. Bail was set at $9,263.48.

--Da’zhane Gasery, 22, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:04 p.m. Friday on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Bail was set at $2,500.

--Shane Paul Trosclair, 50, New Iberia, was arrested at 6:56 p.m. Friday on charges of reckless operation (no accident) and driving under suspension. Trosclair was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Wilfred Minor, 28, Franklin, was arrested at 11:30 p.m. Friday on a charge of simple criminal damage to property. Minor was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Lorenzo Cornelius Johnson Sr., 48, Baton Rouge, was arrested at 12:39 p.m. Saturday on charges of speeding and possession of marijuana. Johnson was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Melvin Thibodaux, 52, Siracusa, was arrested at 1:31 p.m. Saturday on charges of driving on roadway laned for traffic, license plate lights required, open container and driving while intoxicated (second offense).

Thibodaux was released on a $6,000 bond.

--Jerrence Christopher Ford Sr., 33, Amelia, was arrested at 10:19 a.m. Saturday on charges of battery of a dating partner and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Bail was set at $7,500 bond.

--Sade Monie Bright, 32, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:59 p.m. Saturday on a New Orleans warrant alleging violation of protective orders. Bright was transferred to another agency.

--Hannah Prince, 21, New Iberia, was arrested at 9 p.m. Saturday on charges of improper lane usage and no insurance. Prince was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Jeffrey Noel, 41, Westwego, was arrested at 10:24 p.m. Saturday on a charge of driving under suspension. Noel was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Hodges Ferdinand Matthews, 43, Amelia, was arrested at 11:11 p.m. Saturday on charges of driving under suspension and proper equipment required on vehicles. Matthews was released on a summons July 19.

--Justin Dale Havens, 34, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:48 a.m. Sunday on charges of open container, general speed law, traffic control signals and resisting an officer by flight.

Havens was released on a summons to appear Aug. 26.

--Chasity Nicole Gros, 39, Pierre Part, was arrested at 8:59 a.m. Sunday on charges of improper lane usage, driving under suspension and texting while driving. Gros was released on a summons to appear Aug. 26.

--Leonard Allen Jr., 55, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:43 p.m. Saturday by the Narcotics Section on charges of improper lane usage, stop signs and yield signs, possession of alcoholic beverages in motor vehicles, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Allen was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Kristopher Savoie, 42, Patterson, was arrested at 4:16 p.m. Friday by the Narcotics Section on charges of possession of firearm in presence of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of firearm by person convicted of certain felony and possession of drug paraphernalia. Savoie was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Connie Ribardi, 49, Patterson, was arrested at 4:16 p.m. Friday by the Narcotics Section on a charge of possession of methamphetamine. Bail has not been set.

--Tina Stelly, 52, Patterson, was arrested at 4:16 p.m. Friday by the Narcotics Section on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of Adderall, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain felonies.

Bail has not been set.

Morgan City police radio logs for April 28-May 2

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 11:55am

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, April 28
8:50 a.m. Morgan City locks; Patrol.
9:48 a.m. 6600 block of La. 182; Arrest.
10:14 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
10:32 a.m. 1100 block of Seventh Street; 911 hang up.
11:14 a.m. 2400 block of Tiger Drive; Assistance.
11:42 a.m. 2600 block of Sixth Street; 911 hang up.
Noon 1000 block of Fifth Street; Fire.
12:11 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Stand by.
3:12 p.m. 900 block of Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
3:14 p.m. 1900 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
3:27 p.m. 6600 block of La. 182; Complaint.
3:44 p.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Theft.
4:57 p.m. 100 block of Eleventh Street; Disturbance.
5:03 p.m. 700 block of Freret Street; Assistance.
5:19 p.m. 1300 block of Second Street; Animal complaint.
5:36 p.m. 1100 block of Fourth Street; Medical.
5:57 p.m. 7100 block of Park Road; Animal complaint.
7:50 p.m. 500 block of Arenz Street; Complaint.
10:17 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
10:20 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Assistance.
10:23 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
11:31 p.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Complaint.
11:38 p.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Disturbance.
Friday, April 29
12:32 a.m. 100 block of Glenwood Street; Complaint.
1:06 a.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Alarm.
2:54 a.m. 300 block of South Railroad Avenue; Assistance.
Saturday, April 30
8:36 a.m. 7600 block of La. 182; Alarm.
9 a.m. Morgan City Junior High School concession stand; Complaint.
9:12 a.m. Popeyes; Alarm.
10:25 a.m. Florence/Eighth streets; Complaint.
11:01 a.m. Friendship Alley Amelia; Assistance.
11:16 a.m. 1500 block of Walnut Drive; Theft.
12:12 p.m. Morgan City Police Department breezeway; Complaint.
1:56 p.m. 500 block of Bowman Street; Complaint.
2:20 p.m. Rouses; Medical.
2:24 p.m. 300 block of Egle; Complaint.
2:30 p.m. Short/Cherry/Poncio/Mount streets; Complaint.
3:08 p.m. 4100 block of Youngswood Road; Alarm.
3:27 p.m. Angel Nails; Complaint.
4:33 p.m. 1800 block of Filmore Street; Com-plaint.
5:44 p.m. Area of Fifth Street store; Complaint.
5:49 p.m. 500 block of Aucoin Street; Complaint
6:03 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
7:47 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Medical.
8:16 p.m. 100 block of Oak Street; Disturbance.
8:17 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Suspicious vehicle.
9:15 p.m. 700 block of Everett Street; Arrest.
9:24 p.m. U.S. 90 West; Stalled vehicle.
9:47 p.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Complaint.
10:19 p.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Alarm.
10:24 p.m. 200 block of Patton Street; Loud music.
10:24 p.m. 1500 block of Filmore Street; Complaint.
10:39 p.m. 600 block of Railroad Avenue; Animal complaint.
10:56 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Complaint.
11:17 p.m. 200 block of Glenwood Street; Medical.
11:24 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Suspicious vehicle.
11:27 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Arrest.
11:42 p.m. 500 block of Railroad Avenue; Medical.
Sunday, May 1
12:05 a.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Complaint.
12:35 a.m. 600 block of Louisiana Street; Removal of subject.
12:54 a.m. 1300 block of Front Street; Medical.
1:49 a.m. 300 block of Patton Street; Assistance.
2:45 a.m. 500 block of Barrow Street; Disturbance.
2:47 a.m. 1200 block of Clothilde Street; Alarm.
7:05 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182 ; Complaint.
11:10 a.m. 700 block of Willow Street; Welfare check.
11:59 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Simple battery.
12:18 p.m. Red Roof Inn; Subject removal.
1:13 p.m. 600 block of General Patton Street; Medical.
2:15 p.m. 1500 block of Sixth Street; Fire (smoke).
6:33 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
10:37 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
10:44 p.m. 200 block of South Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
Monday, May 2
12:32 a.m. 8400 block of La. 182; Alarm.
12:56 a.m. 1200 block of Clothilde Street; Alarm.
1:17 a.m. La. 70; Arrest.
4:07 a.m. 2000 block of Railroad Avenue; Suspicious subject.

Sheriff thanks people for support, says cause of illness unknown

Mon, 05/02/2022 - 11:46am

Sheriff Blaise Smith thanked people in a Monday Facebook post "for their prayers, concern, love, and support" during a recent illness as he undergoes treatment at a rehabilitation center.

Smith said he still doesn't know the nature of the illness that kept him in a hospital from late March until April 20.

"I have received many inquiries into my illness, and unfortunately, I do not have much information to give," Smith said in his post. "The specific underlying cause of my condition is still unknown. However, there is a suspicion that my bout with COVID19 in December of 2021 may be causing some of the complications."
.
Smith thanked medical staff members who treated him "with the utmost care" and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office employees, "who continue to serve the public with professionalism and dedication.
.
"I hope to return to work soon and be surrounded by some of the most dedicated law enforcement professionals I’ve had the pleasure to work with.
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"Please continue to pray for my family and me, and as always, peace be with you, and God bless."

Body recovered Sunday identified as Morgan City woman

Sun, 05/01/2022 - 4:33pm

The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office has released of the name of the woman whose body was recovered from the water Sunday near Berwick.

The victim was identified as Monique Barrilleaux, 38, Morgan City.

Marine Section deputies were dispatched Sunday morning after the Sheriff's Office received a call about the body about five miles south of Berwick.

SMPSO detectives have opened an investigation and further information will be released when it becomes available, the Sheriff's Office said.

Proposed law would require school districts to post documents online

Sat, 04/30/2022 - 2:07pm

VICTOR SKINNER, The Center Square

The Louisiana House Education Committee approved legislation this week to increase transparency of school finances by requiring school districts to post important documents online for public review.

Committee members voted 8-3 to approve House Bill 526, sponsored by Rep. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, "to require each city, parish, and other local public school board to post certain fiscal information on its website" annually by September 13.

The fiscal information includes a budget and general summary, annual independent audit, and quarterly reports of revenues and expenditures, as well as information on school board contracts for each quarter, including the identity of the vendor, payments made, and purpose of the contracts.

The bill would further require school districts to forward the same information to the Department of Treasury to post online. HB 526 calls for the treasury to provide an online tool for comparison of school board budgets and expenditures, in total and on a per-pupil basis, "subject to the availability of funds."

Edmonds said on Wednesday the bill follows in the same vein as legislation enacted several years ago to create the Louisiana Checkbook to bring transparency to government finances.

"It’s in the process now doing a really, really good job, you can just see just about anything you can name in the transparency area. I know our constituents are real pleased with that, so this just takes it forward into another section which we think is a great addition to law," he said.

Erin Bendily, vice president for policy and strategy with the Pelican Institute, noted that HB 526 simply requires schools to post existing documents online to "make it easier for parents and the public to get information about how public funds are being spent to support their students in their local schools."

Similar legislation sponsored by Edmonds was approved by the Legislature last year, but was vetoed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, who argued "our local school systems simply do not have the resources or technology to comply with this unfunded mandate."

Rep. Phillip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, questioned how Edmonds addressed issues raised by Edwards in his veto.

"One thing that we’ve done is we’re in a different section of law," he said. "The second thing is we’ve reduced some of the cost, which was one of the issues, so our (fiscal) note has gone down … substantially.

"So we think those things will probably be enough," he said.

Rep. Tammy Phelps, D-Shreveport, noted that the financial information is already available, though not in a centralized location, and questioned whether the cost associated with posting the information online is a wise use of limited education funds.

"I would love to see this money go into educating our students," she said.

Edmonds countered that the bill would increase public confidence the money is wisely spent, and argued the bill brings consistency on financial transparency statewide.

"When they’re asked for millage changes, when they’re asked for their tax dollars to go up, I think they should have or could have a possible level of higher confidence and trust, which we always ought to be attempting to build within our constituency," Edmonds said.

Dannie Garrett, with the Louisiana School Boards Association, testified in opposition to HB 526, which he characterized as "an unfunded mandate on school districts."

A fiscal note attached to the bill anticipates a cost of just over $1 million over five years to the treasury to set up the centralized website with the budget comparison tool. The cost to local school boards was undetermined, as some school districts already post the information, while others may need data reporting software to comply.

"Requiring us to compile a report for every one of those expenditures throughout an entire school district is going to be an unfunded mandate," he said. "And that money has got to come from somewhere."

The bill now moves to the full House for debate.

RSS Feed

DOTD chief: Time to tend to communities

Author of book on Marine Shale will speak here Thursday

St. Mary mayors point to progress

Jim Bradshaw: The towns named for the towers

Police chief's pay, Acadiana Crime Lab on Patterson council agenda

UPDATED WTH SHERIFF'S OFFICE ARRESTS: Morgan City police make arrests on meth, MDMA charges

Morgan City police radio logs for April 28-May 2

Sheriff thanks people for support, says cause of illness unknown

Body recovered Sunday identified as Morgan City woman

Proposed law would require school districts to post documents online

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