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DANIELLE ADAMS MIRE

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 10:14am

December 24, 1968 — April 6, 2022
Danielle Adams Mire, 53, a resident of Morgan City, passed away peacefully, Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City.
Danielle was born December 24, 1968, in Thibodaux, the daughter of Clifford Joseph Adams Jr. and Jennefer Becnel DeHart.
Danielle retired from Cannata’s Super Market after 25 years. She loved frogs and had a huge collection of ceramic ones in her home. She enjoyed cooking, fishing, and going to the Saints games in New Orleans. After retiring, Danielle enjoyed spending all of her time with her grandchildren and her husband.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her mother, Jennefer DeHart; husband of 31 years, Brian Mire; son, Joshua Adams; brother, Chris Adams; sister, Janna Scioneaux; three grandchildren, Bradley, Benjamin, and Lennox Adams; uncle, Benjamin Becnel.
Danielle was preceded in death by her father, Clifford Adams Jr., her grandparents, Glovance and Irene Becnel.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Houma.
Memorial services will be held at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 14, 2022 at Twin City Funeral Home with Monsignor Courville officiating. A memorial visitation will be held Thursday, April 14, 2022, at Twin City Funeral Home from 3:00 p.m. until the time of services.

MAZIE LANDRY

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 10:13am

June 6, 1940 — April 11, 2022
Mazie Landry, 81, a resident of Stephensville, passed away peacefully, Monday, April 11, 2022 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center.
Mazie was born June 6, 1940, in Pierre Part, the daughter of Emile Leonard and Lorrena Landry Leonard.
Mazie was a religion teacher for 19 years and worked at St. Martin Water and Sewer for 9 years. She loved to help people and never met a stranger. Mazie loved to cook, and was known for her white beans and tarts.
Mazie will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her husband of 66 years, Leonard Landry of Stephensville; five children, Virginia Moxley and husband Henry, Harold Landry and wife Susan, Penny Gros and husband Junius, Valarie Mahfouz and husband John, Rebecca Fabre and husband Jody; nine grandchildren, Tabatha Broussard and husband Jeremy, Alicia Moxley, Raven Mendez and husband Jose, Matthew Gros, Dustin Gros and fiancé Mariah, Vanessa Jackson, Thomas Mahfouz and wife Meghan, Sean Mahfouz and wife Brittany, Viola Voisin and husband Ernie; nine great-grandchildren, Abigail Broussard, Gaven Mendez, Jase Mendez, Jordin Jackson, Reed Jackson, Sarah Mahfouz, Samuel Mahfouz, Scott Voisin and Chloe Mahfouz.
Mazie was preceded in death by her parents, Emile and Lorrena Leonard; siblings, Henry Leonard, Lesley Leonard, Ella Mae Landry, Elie Leonard, and Abner Leonard; two grandchildren, Jacob Gros and Brandon Fabre.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Visitation was held Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Twin City Funeral Home from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., and again Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at Twin City Funeral Home from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. After Mass, Mazie was laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.

LSU survey: Most people pessimistic about La.'s future

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 10:01am

PIPER HUTCHINSON, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE -- For the first time since 2016, a majority of Louisiana residents believe the state is heading in the wrong direction.

A survey released Tuesday by the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, part of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, showed that two-thirds of Louisiana residents now believe the state is taking a turn for the worse.

The report, the first of a six-part series on the annual Louisiana Survey, paints a negative picture about residents’ views of the state. The survey was based on phone interviews or online responses from 508 residents.

Only 26% of those surveyed say they think the state is going in the right direction. That is the lowest percentage since the Manship School began doing the annual survey in 2004.

The pessimism is widespread across political and demographic backgrounds. Seventy-one percent of Republicans report that they feel the state is headed in the wrong direction and 54% of Democrats agree with them. The numbers are closer among racial identities, with 68% of white and 61% of Black respondents having a pessimistic view, as well as regionally, with 69% of South Louisiana residents and 64% of those living in North Louisiana having a negative view.

Louisiana residents’ faith in their government also fell to the lowest point since the survey began measuring it.

Only 25% of residents say they are either very confident or somewhat confident in the state government to address important problems effectively. This dropped from 41% in 2021 and is several points lower than its previous record low of 33% in 2006.

Christina Stephens, the spokeswoman for Gov. John Bel Edwards, said the Democratic governor knows that the state has been through difficult times.

"That’s why he is focused on leading Louisiana’s recovery from the economic and health impacts of the pandemic and the damage caused by the major hurricanes, fighting for better education funding and pay for our workers, investing the resources we have wisely to improve our infrastructure and protect our state and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to make our future better and support our coastal communities," she said.

Tanner Magee, R-Houma and the second-ranking Republican in the House, said residents realize that "it’s been a difficult run the last five to six years. The state has endured a downturn in oil and gas, COVID and hurricanes. The economic picture has been tough in addition to the state’s historic problems of poverty, poor health and education. We as leaders have failed to change these issues, and it feels like our challenges are too great.”

Survey respondents identified education, infrastructure and the economy as top issues.

The economy topped the list, with 35% of people identifying it as one of the top five most important issues and 14% identifying it as the most important issue.

The report indicates that this may be an undercount of residents who are concerned about the economy, as several issues, including economic inequality, the minimum wage and public assistance programs were not tallied as economic issues alongside jobs, inflation and income.

The survey also found that 41% of residents think they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, with just 21% of residents indicating that they believe that they will be in a better position in a year.

When asked to forecast the economic prospects for the state as a whole, 7% said they expect good business conditions a year from now, and 80% predicted that widespread depression and unemployment were more likely in the next five years than a good economy.

The survey indicates that Louisiana residents are largely split over the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Forty-one percent indicate that they approve of how the state handled the COVID-19 pandemic, with 39% disapproving. That is several points lower than last year, when 49% of residents reported approval.

Republicans make up the biggest shift, with those saying they approve of the state’s handling of the crisis falling from 39% to 24% from 2021 to 2022.

The survey also showed major splits in who received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Eighty-four percent of college graduates report being fully vaccinated, while 56% of non-college graduates report the same. Eighty-six percent of Democrats report being fully vaccinated, while 63% of Republicans and 56% of independents report being fully vaccinated.

Overall, 65% of respondents reported that they were fully vaccinated.

New Orleans residents are much more likely to be fully vaccinated than those in other parts of the state, with 75% of New Orleanians reporting being fully vaccinated. Baton Rouge falls behind the state average, with 56% of residents reporting being fully vaccinated.

Additionally, most of those surveyed are opposed to vaccine mandates. Sixty-two percent were opposed to employers mandating the vaccine, with 58% saying they opposed the state government requiring it for public employees.

Sixty-one percent oppose requiring children 12 and older to be vaccinated, and 67% oppose it for children aged 5-11.

The report indicates that political identity plays a major role in these attitudes, with over two- thirds of Democrats supporting vaccine mandates for employees and students above the age of 12, and over half of Democrats supporting a mandatory vaccine for students aged 5-11.

In comparison, only 14% to 21% of Republicans support mandating the vaccine in any of these scenarios.

Editorial: Preserve public notice requirement

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 9:51am

Newspapers remain one of the cheapest ways to communicate and establish a reliable public record.

Since the days of Benjamin Franklin, who was one the nation’s earliest printers, to today, the printed word on a piece of paper is the tried and true standard for a historic record.

There are some in the Legislature and elsewhere who think allowing government and business to replace the historic newspaper standard with notices on the internet is a smart idea to save money. But almost all local governments spend much less than 0.09% of their budget on public notices.

Senate Bill 322 by Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, would allow local and state government to place their public notices on their websites. That’s a recipe for disaster. We all know the potential for what’s posted on the internet to be changed, hacked or deleted.

Using newspapers as the vehicle for public notices is as old as our republic for good reasons. Once printed in a newspaper, a public notice cannot be altered. The newspaper becomes the permanent and easily accessed source for public information such as city council minutes, elections, public hearings and so on.

Public notices in newspapers help 64 parish governments, 64 sheriff’s offices, 70 school districts and more than 300 municipal governments keep the public informed using a broad network that is trusted and relied upon by the state’s citizens.

Over the years newspapers developed their own websites, a louisianapublicnotice.com website, email delivery and text delivery of public notices. Public notice rates in newspapers have not increased in 30 years even as they expanded access through technological means.

An impediment to using the internet alone for public notices is the lack of broadband access in many rural parishes. Almost 744,000 Louisianans lack the digital literacy to take advantage of the internet, while 1.6 million residents do not have access to high-speed internet.

Newspapers are under tremendous economic strain today and SB 322 adds to the industry’s threats. Big Tech takes 50% to 70% of every advertising dollar from news publishers, while hiring no local reporters or creating local jobs. Despite the Big Tech threat, newspapers generate a $330.2 million economic impact, employ nearly 5,000 people in the state and pay about $12.7 million in state and local taxes.

Revenue from public notices helps keep newspapers alive and able to report on local government, print community news and photos. Take the public notice revenue away and many local newspapers would be forced to close. A community without a newspaper allows local governments to be less transparent and invites corruption. We op-pose Senate Bill 322 and you should also, so please contact your Senator and ask them to vote no on this bad piece of legislation.

Ben Franklin believed the press had a public-service duty and we believe diligently printing public notices is im-portant to large and small communities.

--LSN
Editorials represent the opinions of this newspaper, and not of any one individual.

Morgan City police radio logs for April 10-11

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 9:34am

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.
Sunday, April 10
6:46 a.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Death.
9:22 a.m. 700 block of Belanger Street; Com-=plaint.
9:24 a.m. 300 block of Garber Street; Criminal damage to property.
10:10 a.m. Mikes Car Wash; Complaint.
10:57 a.m. 100 block of Mount Street; Alarm activation.
12:44 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
12:53 p.m. 1800 block of Elk Street; Animal complaint.
13:44 p.m. 1100 block of McDermott Drive; Accident.
14:26 p.m. Victor II/Martin Luther King boulevards; Stalled vehicle.
16:11 p.m. Lake End Park; Complaint.
7:24 p.m. Area of Ter-rebonne Street; Com-plaint.
7:31 p.m. 500 block of Arizona Street; Disturbance.
8:05 p.m. 1600 block of Victor II Boulevard; Car accident.
8:59 p.m. 1300 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
9:06 p.m. Area of Fed-eral Avenue and Franklin Street; Traffic stop/summons.
9:27 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
Monday, April 11
12:51 a.m. 1000 block of Ninth Street; Complaint.
2:12 a.m. 2300 block of Cedar Street; Complaint.
3:32 a.m. 2300 block of Cypress Street; Complaint.
4:23 a.m. 700 block of Brashear Avenue; Complaint.
6:11 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
6:24 a.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Criminal damage to property.
7:11 a.m. Onstead and Cedar streets; Lost and found.
9:23 a.m. Glenwood Street; Animal complaint.
9:30 a.m. 300 block of Levee Road; Complaint.
10:04 a.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Alarm.
10:40 a.m. 1400 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
10:40 a.m. Federal Avenue; Disturbance.
11 a.m. 1000 block of Seventh Street; Hit and run.
11:15 a.m. 3000 block of Lizabeth Drive; Medical.
11:58 a.m. La. 70 and Marguerite Street; Reckless operation.
12:03 p.m. Veterans Boulevard; Patrol.
12:27 p.m. 400 block of Garber Street; Medical.
12:53 p.m. 600 block of Second Street; Suspicious subject.
1:40 p.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Assistance.
2:51 p.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Medical.
4:06 p.m. 6700 block of La. 182; Reckless operation.
5:24 p.m. La. 70/U.S. 90; Crash.
5:35 p.m. La. 182 and Myrtle Street; Arrest.
5:36 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
5:52 p.m. La. 182 and Myrtle Street; Stalled vehicle.
6:30 p.m. Mount Street/Railroad Avenue; Warrant.
8:51 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Theft.
8:59 p.m. 2200 block of Clements Street; Mental subject.
10:20 p.m. 2200 block of Clements Street; Mental subject.
11:05 p.m. 2200 block of Clements Street; Mental subject.
12:21 a.m. Sandra Street; Suspicious subject.
1:01 a.m. Sammy’s Car Wash; Complaint.
1:27 a.m. 3200 block of Karen Drive; Suspicious subject.

UPDATED WITH SMPSO ARRESTS: Morgan City police make three drunk-driving arrests

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 9:32am

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 reported three drunk-driving arrests in less than six hours Monday, while the St. Mary Sheriff's Office Narcotics Section reported four arrests on drug possession charges.

Morgan City

Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 46 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

—Melissa Autin, 56, Belanger Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 5:47 p.m. Monday on charges of driving while intoxicated (first offense) and possession of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.

—Layne Michael Arnaud, 26, Todd Street, Berwick, was arrested at 6 p.m. Monday on charges of driving while intoxicated (first offense), possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Kim Michelle Stelly, 45, La. 70, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:01 p.m. Monday on charges of driving while intoxicated (second offense) and speeding 70 mph in a 50 mph zone.

—Joseph Young, 52, Railroad Avenue, Patterson, was arrested at 6:44 p.m. Monday on 16th Judicial District Court warrants alleging failure to appear for arraignment and failure to appear for trial.

—Theodore Martell Harris, 35, Rodeo Circle, Farmerville, was arrested at 9:45 p.m. Monday on a charge of theft (under $1,000) and a warrant alleging theft (under $1,000).

St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff's Office responded to 28 complaints and made these arrests:

--Jose Blanco-Echeverria, 27, Baton Rouge, was arrested at 4:39 p.m. Monday on charges of reckless operation (no accident) and driver must be licensed. Echeverria was released on a summons to appear July 19.

--Marcus Theon Gray, 37, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:28 p.m. Monday on a charge of theft of a motor vehicle. Gray was released on a $3,000 bond.

--Laquisha M. Davis, 32, Franklin, was arrested by the Narcotics Section at 7:01 p.m. Monday on charges of window tint, improper lane usage, flight from an officer, no seat and no driver's license.

Bail was set at $3,500.

--Dea'zhone Baker, 27, Franklin, was arrested by the Narcotics Section at 7:01 p.m. Monday on a charge of possession of MDMA and on two warrants alleging failure to appear on the charges of purse snatching; operating a vehicle while licensed is suspended, revoked or canceled; and improper turn or failure to give required signal. Bail has not been set.

--Credrick Alexander, 40, Jeanerette, was arrested by the Narcotics Section at 9:14 p.m. Monday on charges of improper lane usage, possession of marijuana, possession of crack cocaine, possession of Lortab, possession of alprazolam and possession of a firearm in the presence of controlled dangerous substance.

Bail was set at $15,000.

--Tarik Terrell Rouchon, 21, Baldwin, was arrested by the Narcotics Section at at 9:44 p.m. Monday on charges of improper lane usage, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, general speed law, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bail was set at $20,000

--Robert Johnson Jr., 34, Patterson, was arrested by the Narcotics Section at 5:46 p.m. Monday charges of improper lane usage, window tint, no driver's license on person and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Bail was set at $20,000.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:

—Joey Anthony Choplin Jr., 42, La. 1000, Belle Rose, was arrested Sunday charges of improper lane usage, prohibited acts (Schedule III), possession of Valium and possession of Vivanse.

The charges resulted from a traffic stop Sunday near Amelia.

Deputies observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation and initiated a stop of that vehicle La. 182 near Amelia.

The deputy made contact with the driver, Choplin, Jr., and engaged into an interview.

At the conclusion of the interview, the deputy thought additional investigation was warranted and requested consent to search the vehicle, which the suspect granted.

During that process, deputies located several controlled dangerous substances.

Choplin Jr. was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center. He remains incarcerated pending a bond hearing.

Bayou Horseshoe Pitchers Association

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 9:07am

Spring League
Week 1
................................... W L
Old Dawgs.................. 5 4
Inconsistent.................5 4
3 Tigers & A Dawg........5 4
Underdogs ................. 4 5
If The Shoe Fits...........4 5
X-Men.........................4 5
High scratch point average: (30’) Tim Gilmore 75.3, Jimmy Percle 48.7 and Angela Percle 33.7; and (40’) Dale Pearce 50.3. Glenn Miller 47.0 and Randy Giroir 43.0.
High individual ringer percentage: (30’) Gilmore 56.7, J. Percle 30.8 and A. Percle 20.0; and (40’) Pearce 36.7, Giroir 25.0 and Dwain Arceneaux 23.3.
High scratch game: (30’) Gilmore 82, J. Percle 52, A. Percle 52 and David Bourdier 46; and (40’) Pearce 61, Giroir 53 and Miller 51.
Most ringers: (one night) Gilmore 68, Pearce 44, J. Percle 37 and Giroir 30; and (one game) Gilmore 26, Pearce 18, J. Percle 13, Giroir 13, Miller 11, Clyde Landry 11 and A. Percle 11.
Most points one night: Gilmore 226, Pearce 151, J. Percle 146, Miller 141 and A. Percle 134; and best won-loss record: Landry 3-0 and J. Percle 3-0.
Most points one night – team: Old Dawgs 474 and Underdogs 402; and most ringers one night – team: Old Dawgs 114 and Underdogs 94.

Lions kids camp accepting applications

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 8:56am

Louisiana Lions Camp in Leesville is taking applications for its sum-mer program for children that deal with a variety of challenges. The Morgan City Lions is providing the free sponsorship.

The camp is located on 185 acres of piney woodlands and has served more than 26,000 children.

On June 5-11, the Louisiana Pulmonary Disease Camp Pelican will be held for youth with pulmonary disorders ages 5-15. Online information is available at camppel-ican.org for details.

Mentally challenged youth ages 8-19 will have two, one-week sessions available from June 19-25 and June 26-July 2.

Orthopedically challenged youth ages 7-19 and hearing/visually impaired youth ages 6-14 also have one-week sessions available from July 3-9 and 10-16.

From July 17-23, dia-betic youth ages 6-14 will be accommodated.

The last date, July 24-30, is reserved for Camp Challenge for youth ages 6-14 who are hematology/oncology, cancer and sickle cell patients.

Visit lionscamp.org for details on those camps.

For information, the Morgan City Lion’s contact person is Dianne Baillargeon at 985-399-6068.

Three sentenced for drug crimes

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 8:53am

Three Morgan City residents entered guilty pleas in drug prosecutions in Assumption Parish and received prison sentences ranging from 18 months to four years.

The sentences were imposed during the March 28-April 1 session by 23rd Judicial District Judge Jason Verdigets.
Sentenced were:

—Wesley Bass, 25, Cottonwood Street, Morgan City, who pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a Schedule II drug, two counts of possession of a Schedule I drug, possession or introduction of contra-band into a penal institution, and obstruction of justice.

Bass was sentenced to three years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

—Jerret Cortez, 33, Vivian Street, Morgan City, pleaded guilty to distribution of a Schedule II drug and was sentenced to four years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

—Jill Parker, 47, Two Brothers Street, Morgan City, pleaded guilty to possession of a Schedule II drug and was sentenced to 18 months with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Thomas Daigle.

SERVICES POSTPONED: TIPPY EDWARD LOVELL SR.

Tue, 04/12/2022 - 7:50am

Tippy Edward Lovell Sr., 68, a native of Morgan City and resident of Bayou L’Ourse, died Thursday, April 7, 2022, at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.

He is survived by his wife, Laurie Clements Lovell of Bayou L’Ourse; four children, Tippy Lovell Jr. of Franklin, Chad Lovell of Patterson, and Stacy Lovell and Taylor Murphy, both of Bayou L’Ourse; two sisters, Carolyn Walker of Patterson and Bonnie Vining of Gibson; 14 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and a granddaughter.

Funeral services originally scheduled for this week have been postponed. A date will be announced later.