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Morgan City police radio logs for Feb. 11-12

Mon, 02/14/2022 - 12:16pm

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.
Friday, Feb. 11
8:07 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Theft.
8:37 a.m. 1200 block of Greenwood Street; Complaint.
8:42 a.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
9:28 a.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
9:47 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Traffic accident.
9:50 a.m. 800 block of Victor II Boulevard; Complaint.
9:52 a.m. 300 block of Garber Street; Com-plaint.
9:56 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Com-plaint.
11:05 a.m. 800 block of Ditch Avenue; Assis-tance.
11:33 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Lost property.
1:10 p.m. 900 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Complaint.
2:57 p.m. General Hodges Street; Traffic accident.
3:05 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
4:26 p.m. 1000 block of Third Street; Disturb-ance.
5:06 p.m. 1100 block of Levee Road; Complaint.
5:08 p.m. 900 block of Belanger Street; Com-plaint.
7:30 p.m. 100 block of Montana Street ; Assis-tance.
7:40 p.m. 300 block of Second Street; Com-plaint.
9:11 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
10:35 p.m. 1200 block of Victor II Boulevard; Alarm.
10:57 p.m. La. 182; Alarm.
11:55 p.m. 900 block of First Street; Complaint.
Saturday, Feb. 12
12:29 a.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Alarm.
1:02 a.m. 1000 block of Sixth Street; Suspicious person.
1:57 a.m. 100 block of Orange Street; Assis-tance .
2:38 a.m. 200 block of Railroad; Building check.
3:44 a.m. U.S. 90; Complaint.

Beattie, Dragna are Galatea royalty

Mon, 02/14/2022 - 8:44am

The women’s Krewe of Galatea presented Queen and King Galatea LIII Mrs. George Beattie and Lee Dragna during its tableau held Saturday at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. In keeping with the theme, “All You Need is Love,” the queen was Agape and the king was Eros. Galatea will present its parade at 2 p.m. Feb. 27 in Morgan City to close out its Carnival season.

14-year-old faces murder charge in death of Morgan City 11-year-old

Sun, 02/13/2022 - 12:35pm

A 14-year-old faces murder and weapon charges after the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old Saturday night in Morgan City, the Police Department said.

The 14-year-old boy, a Morgan City resident, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault and illegal use of a dangerous instrumentality.

The Police Department account says the report of a gunshot came in at 7:22 p.m. Saturday night from a residence in the 2200 block of Maple Street.

Officers arrived to discover that an 11-year-old male juvenile had been critically injured. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and the boy was pronounced dead.

Investigators discovered that several juveniles inside the residence gained access to a weapon. During the incident, and through evidence obtained, it was determined that a second juvenile, 14 years of age, took possession of the weapon, loaded the weapon and during the following moments discharged the weapon, tragically taking the life of the victim, the Police Department said.

The 14-year-old male juvenile, a resident of Morgan City, was detained. He was eventually arrested and transferred to a juvenile facility pending a hearing before a magistrate.

The MCPD Facebook page said Chief James F. Blair and the Morgan City Police Department extended their heartfelt condolences to the families affected by this tragedy:

"Join us in extending our grief. However, irresponsible social media speculation and hurtful comments only compound the sorrow that these families must endure. A family must deal with the tragic death of a child while others are beginning to deal with the aftermath.

"Chief Blair urges parents to survey their homes to determine that every step possible is taken to ensure that their homes are safe for their families and children. Nothing can be taken for granted. Detectives of the Morgan City Police Department are continuing their investigation. If anyone has any information that may aid investigators, we ask that they contact the Morgan City Police Department Detective’s Division at (985) 380-4605."

FULTON C. 'BUTCH' FELTERMAN JR.

Sun, 02/13/2022 - 8:59am

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Fulton C. “Butch” Felterman, Jr., by Father Herbert Bennerfield III on Monday, February 14, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Patterson, Louisiana. Butch died at age 94 on Thursday, February 10, 2022, peacefully surrounded by his family in his home on the Lower Atchafalaya River in Patterson. Visitation will be held on Monday, February 14, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Ibert’s Mortuary in Patterson. Interment will be at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Patterson.

Butch was born on September 30, 1927, at the F.B. Williams Cypress Company logging camp on the shore of Lake Verret in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. He was delivered by a midwife in his family’s cabin at the camp. Following the Great Flood of 1927, the camp, where his father worked, closed, and his family moved to his father’s hometown of Patterson.

Butch grew up playing on the Lower Atchafalaya River in a flatboat his father had built for him and his brother Ernest, sparking his lifelong love for boats and the water. After graduating from Patterson High School in 1944, he attended LSU for one year before the desire to become the captain of a shrimp boat drew him back to Patterson, where he bought the Tossup—the first of over 40 shrimp and oil field boats—and founded Felterman Shrimp Company.

Throughout his childhood years, Butch had tolerated a little red-headed, freckle-faced girl who lived in a big house down the street. It wasn’t until two years after he graduated from high school that Butch came to the sudden realization that this little freckle-faced kid had metamorphosed into a strikingly beautiful young lady. After inviting her over to listen to his new record player in his family’s living room and making small talk until it was time for supper, he was hooked on Sylvia Folse. They were married on September 5, 1949 and spent the next 70 years happily together.

While running Felterman Shrimp Company from 1948 to 1968 and then switching gears from shrimping to servicing the offshore oil and gas industry with Galaxie Marine Service, Inc., from 1965 to 1997, Butch was active in his community and family life. After he and Sylvia welcomed six children, Danny, David, Lee, Jon, Lisa, and Jody, they eventually made their home on his beloved Lower Atchafalaya River.

Butch was a co-founder of the Felterman Foundation, a co-founder and past president of the Wedell-Williams Memorial Foundation, the 1958 king of the Shrimp Festival based on his shrimp production on the Courageous, a member and co-founder of the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival King’s Club, a past chairman of the board and member of Twin City Fisherman’s Cooperative Association, a past president and king of Krewe of Adonis, a past president of Krewe of Grillades & Grits, a charter member of the National World War II Museum, a past president of the Rotary Club of Patterson, and a past director of the Offshore Marine Service Association. He was also a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Bayou Old Time Engine and Power Association, the St. Mary Industrial Group, Patterson Knights of Columbus Council No. 1710, the Krewe of Hephaestus, and the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians.

Over the years, Butch received a number of awards, including Morgan City Rotary Citizen of the Year 2016/Lifetime Achievement Award, the Community Foundation St. Mary Citizens of the Year Award 2015 (along with Sylvia), the Prestigious Historic Preservation Medal presented by the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Louisiana Association of Museums’ Elizabeth McLundie Bolton Award, the Patterson American Legion Russell J. Breaux Citizen of the Year Award, the Wedell-Williams Pilots Association Airman of the Year Award, and the St. Mary Parish Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award 2012. He received recognitions from the Louisiana Aviation Hall of Fame and from Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow.

Butch never retired and remained active well into his later years. He enjoyed family gatherings at The Old Warehouse and Fishermen’s Light, time with Sylvia, reading, woodworking, antique engines, flying, and traveling.

Butch was humble and never boastful, intelligent, even-tempered, easygoing, and inspiring. He was a generous philanthropist, devout Catholic, visionary, great decision-maker, and knowledgeable local historian and preservationist. Despite his many involvements and successes, nothing meant more to him than his faith, wife Sylvia, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends, and the Lower Atchafalaya River. His loved ones will miss his unconditional love, friendship, comforting and calming demeanor, strength, positive outlook, good advice, and vast knowledge.

Butch is survived by his children Danny Felterman and wife Linda, Lee Felterman and wife Jan, Lisa Felterman Kornegay and husband Brightman, and Jody Felterman and wife Elizabeth, all of Patterson; 10 grandchildren Katie Felterman Schexnayder, Tyler Felterman, Erin Felterman Nichols, Ben Felterman, Marc Felterman, Jon Felterman, Jr., Emily Kornegay LaMonica, Will Kornegay, Parker Felterman, and Luke Felterman; and 18 great-grandchildren.

Butch was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Sylvia Folse Felterman; parents, Fulton C. Felterman, Sr., and Una B. Felterman; sons David Felterman and Jon Felterman, Sr.; grandson Chad Felterman; sisters Alfreda Felterman Laws, Margery Felterman, and Hon Felterman Versaggi; and brothers Ernest Felterman and Roy Blanchard.

Pallbearers will be Butch’s grandsons Ben Felterman, Jon Felterman, Jr., Marc Felterman, Will Kornegay, Tyler Felterman, Parker Felterman, and Luke Felterman. The honorary pallbearer will be Chad Felterman.

The Felterman Family extends its gratitude to Butch’s longtime caretaker, Gail; recent caretakers Jackie, Paula, and Vickie; his outdoor caretaker and friend, Andrew; Heart of Hospice staff, especially Stephanie, Bonnie, and Niecey; and Memorable Obituaries.

Family and friends may view the obituary online by visiting www.iberts.com and are encouraged to share their condolences, cherished memories, love, and support for the family.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., located at 1111 Lia Street, Patterson, LA 70392. 985-395-7873. The service will be live streamed on Ibert’s Mortuary’s YouTube channel via www.Iberts.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wedell-Williams Memorial Foundation benefitting the Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum and sent to P.O. Box 38, Patterson, Louisiana 70392.

La. joins lawsuit challenging $15 minimum wage for federal contractors

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 3:53pm

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration again Thursday, this time for requiring federal contractors to pay a $15 an hour minimum wage. It’s the 21st lawsuit the attorney general has filed against the administration. Joining him are the attorneys general from Louisiana and Mississippi.

“The president has no authority to overrule Congress, which has sole authority to set the minimum wage and which already rejected a minimum wage increase,” Paxton argues.

Their lawsuit follows one filed last December by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of outdoor adventure guides, Arkansas Valley Adventures (AVA), a licensed river outfitter regulated by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, and the Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA). The CROA, a nonprofit trade association, represents more than 150 independent operators who primarily conduct business on federal lands using special use permits through Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management.

They argue the requirement amounts to “an executive power grab to force a social agenda through federal contractors.”

At issue is a U.S. Department of Labor final rule issued Nov. 16, 2021, in response to an executive order President Joe Biden issued April 27, 2021. The order is similar to one issued by former President Barack Obama in 2014.

The rule change increases the hourly minimum wage for employees performing work on or in connection with federal contracts to $15 beginning late last month, Jan. 30.

It also eliminates the tipped minimum wage for federal contract employees by 2024, ensures a $15 minimum wage for workers with disabilities performing work on or in connection with federal contracts, and imposes minimum wage requirements on outfitters and guides operating on federal lands.

“President Biden has attempted to arrogate to himself the authority to impose sweeping changes on American society with little more than the stroke of a pen,” the attorneys general argue in their complaint. “In pursuit of partisan political objectives, Defendants are unilaterally attempting to impose a radical policy – a dramatic and rapid increase in the minimum wage for federal contractors – with little apparent regard for the widespread havoc on the economy that will result.”

Both lawsuits name Biden, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and the U.S. Labor Department, and its Wage and Hour Division and administrator, as defendants.

In defense of the rule, Walsh told reporters, it “makes progress towards reversing decades of income inequity.”

The DOL maintains that raising the minimum wage “enhances worker productivity and generates higher-quality work by boosting workers’ health, morale, and effort; reducing absenteeism and turnover; and lowering supervisory and training costs.”

Once the rule is fully implemented, the DOL projects 327,300 out of the 1.8 million potentially impacted workers will see a pay increase.

But AVA argues that it, and other companies like it, could go out of business, creating a rippling effect of direct and indirect lost jobs.

AVA, which provides a full range of outdoor experiences year-round, including guided, multi-day river rafting wilderness trips in the summer, isn’t a federal contractor and never has been. But because it holds a special land use permit to operate on federal lands, it’s subject to the requirement. It argues it’s wrongly being included in a federal contractor category, forcing it “to adopt a wage model that is fundamentally incompatible with the way that the guiding industry operates.”

The Trump administration understood the distinction, it argues in its complaint, which in 2018 gave it an exemption from the Obama-era mandate.

Obama’s mandate didn’t “promote economy and efficiency in making these services available to those who seek to enjoy our Federal lands,” the exemption held, according to PLF’s complaint. Instead, it “threatens to raise significantly the cost of guided hikes and tours on Federal lands, preventing many visitors from enjoying the great beauty of America’s outdoors.”

In order to comply with the rule, AVA would be forced to cut the length and type of trips its guides offer, cut their hours, or radically increase fees. Being forced to pay $15 an hour for multiple 24-hr day trips could effectively end them. The trips are a major source of AVA’s business, which if cancelled, could put them out of business altogether. The same would be true for CROA’s members.

The DOL estimates the rule change will impact more than 500,000 private firms, including approximately 40,000 that provide concessions or recreational services requiring special use permits or licenses on federal lands. It also estimates it will result in the transfer of income “from employers to employees in the form of higher wage rates” of “$1.7 billion per year over 10 years.”

But the “average annualized direct employer costs are estimated to be $2.4 million” for each firm, an “economically significant” amount, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determined, the PLF lawsuit notes.

And the Congressional Budget Office, “has recognized that changes in the minimum wage can lead to reductions in employment, increased costs of goods, inflation, and decreased consumption,” the attorneys general argue. “States will be burdened with higher unemployment benefits claims and a deteriorating economy, and young, less educated workers could bear the brunt of this economic disaster. With this knowledge, Congress has repeatedly rejected a $15-per-hour federal minimum wage.”

The DOL acknowledges in its 348-page rule that once it’s implemented it will increase compliance costs, consumer costs, reduce profits and result in “disemployment” for some companies.

The PLF maintains that the president doesn’t have the constitutional authority to regulate minimum wage, only Congress does.

“Only Congress can make law setting minimum wages,” PLF attorney Caleb Kruckenberg said. “The president can’t establish a minimum wage through administrative fiat. The Constitution says that only Congress can make laws that bind the public.”

Even after the PLF’s lawsuit was filed last December, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division had already begun holding virtual compliance seminars and interactive webinars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders to learn how to comply with the new rule.

Local authorities report arrests on heroin, meth, codeine charges

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 2:24pm

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.)

St. Mary and Morgan City authorities reported arrests this week on drug charges that included possession of heroin, methamphetamine, codeine and marijuana.

St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith ad-vised that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 34 complaints and made these arrests:
—Kenward Thomas, 22, Jeanerette, was arrested at 3:56 p.m. Thursday by the Narcotics Section on charges of window tint violation, possession of marijuana, possession of promethazine with codeine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.
Bail was set at $9,250.
—Courtney Richardson, 36, Franklin, was arrested at 2 p.m. Thursday by the Narcotics Section on charges of possession of marijuana and obstruction of justice (tampering with evidence). Richardson was released on a summons to appear May 10.
—Patrick Thomas, 48, Lafayette, was arrested at 2:57 p.m. Thursday by the Narcotics Section on charges of possession with intent to distribute codeine, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to signal 100 feet prior to an intersection. Bail has not been set.
—Martin Bryan Robertson, 34, Franklin, was arrested at 10:23 a.m. Thurs day on charges of probation violation, failure to register as a sex offender or child predator, failure to provide notification as a sex offender or child predator, duty of offender to notify law enforcement of change of address, and failure to appear on the charge of indecent behavior with a juvenile.
Bail has not been set.
—Timothy Jones, 58, Franklin, was arrested at 12:47 p.m. Thursday on charges of obstruction of justice, open container and resisting arrest or officer. Jones was released on a summons to appear May 10.
—Juvenile male, 12, Bayou Vista, was arrested at 8:52 p.m. Thursday as a runaway juvenile. The juvenile male was released into the custody of a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
—Miranda Jean Topham, 40, Bayou Vista, was arrested at 5:26 p.m. Thursday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of battery of a dating partner. Topham was released on a summons to appear May 10.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that over the last 48-hour reporting period, the Morgan City Police Department reported 104 calls for service and made these arrests beginning Tuesday:
—Ethan J. Landry, 19, Glenwood Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:37 p.m. Thursday on charges of improper lane usage, possession of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle, unlawful purchase of an alcoholic beverage, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
—Korianne M. Parker, 33, Carol Road, Morgan City, was arrested at 5:42 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.
—Sherrick Every, 33, Bobby Street, Thibodaux, was arrested on 7:01 p.m. Thursday on a charge of resisting an officer (false information) and as a fugitive from the South Fulton, Georgia, Police Department.
—Renata J. Harris, 41, Village Lane, Amelia, was arrested at 7:04 p.m. Thurs-day on a warrant alleging five counts of theft.
—Martaisha L. Brown, 37, Joseph Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:53 a.m. Wednesday on warrants alleging home invasion and criminal damage to property less than $100, and a 6th Ward Morgan City Court warrant alleging failure to appear to pay fine.

COVID vaccinations at area health units

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 1:34pm

Click on the links below for information about vaccination days and times in St. Mary and Assumption.

St. Mary School Board Students of the Year

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 1:25pm

The St. Mary Parish school system's Students of the Year were recognized by the School Board at Thursday's meeting. They are, from left: Bayou Vista Elementary fifth-grader Lynkon Kitchen; Berwick Junior High eighth-grader Jude Tarver; and Patterson High senior Alyssa Perkins.

The Review/Bill Decker

LHSAA Poster Contest winner

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 1:18pm

Berwick High student Victoria Nguyen was honored by the St. Mary Parish School Board on Thursday for winning the LHSAA Poster Contest. Her work was selected from among more than 100 entries and appeared on the cover of the official program for the state football championships in December at the Superdome. A Berwick High student has been an LHSAA contest winner for five straight years. She's shown here with Berwick High Principal Paul Broussard and her mother, Melissa Nguyen.

The Review/Bill Decker

St. Mary Students and Employees of the Month

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 12:44pm

The St. Mary Parish School Board recognized its Students and Employees of the Month on Thursday.