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Jeremy Alford: Louisiana's big race gets off to a slow start

Wed, 02/02/2022 - 8:38am

JEREMY ALFORD

By January 2014, during the last open race for governor in Louisiana, the field of candidates was already hopping and bopping.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, then a state representative, had been raising money for months and building his name recognition. Former U.S. Sen. David Vitter had recently announced on YouTube and Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, who would go on to endorse Edwards the following year, already had an active website and was publicly campaigning.
As we enter the same pre-election cycle stretch in January 2022, ahead of the 2023 governor’s race, there’s not a candidate to be found. The closest thing we have to a declared player is Treasurer John Schroder, who told supporters via text last week he “will be entering the governor’s race,” while telling reporters it was not an official announcement.
Why is this contest taking so long to take shape? There are obvious reasons, like our recent string of world-is-burning events, from hurricanes and flooding to COVID-19. Raw politics were neither welcomed nor appropriate at multiple junctures over the last two years.
The personalities are different as well. Eight years ago, everyone was eager to differentiate themselves from former Gov. Bobby Jindal and the disastrous budget he was leaving behind. Edwards might be a polarizing figure to some, but he’s unlikely to fit the archetype of a final-term Jindal.
Right now, there’s no clear benefit to being first, especially when politicos across the state have a good idea about who might make the field, aside from Schroder.
“The biggest difference this time is that the worst kept secret in Louisiana politics is that (Attorney General) Jeff Landry and (Lt. Gov.) Billy Nungesser are going to jump into this race,” said pollster and consultant John Couvillon of JMC Enterprises. “But the fact that they aren’t announced yet may be giving other candidates pause.”
There’s no doubting the seriousness of the two men. Landry has a top staffer, Solicitor General Elizabeth Murrill, who’s telling people she’s interested in running to replace the attorney general. Nungesser is also said to be staffing up.
Other Republicans, like Sen. Rick Ward of Maringouin and Rep. Richard Nelson of Mandeville, have expressed interest in the race. But speculation is building about the plans of Sen. Sharon Hewitt of Slidell, who has kept her politics quiet and her fundraising aggressive.
We did get a bit of preview of the GOP side of the race recently when Landry sent a letter to one of his likely opponents, Schroder. In the letter, the attorney general asked Schroder to follow the lead of West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore, who announced last week his state would no longer invest with BlockRock, Inc. The company has been under fire from conservatives since its CEO wants to oversee a “decarbonization of the global economy,” Landry wrote in his letter. These net-zero goals don’t sit well with Landry, an unapologetic champion of the oil and gas industry.
Then there’s the other side. As has been the case for the past several months, all is quiet on the Democratic front. Aside from Sen. Gary Smith of Norco thinking about the race, no other Dems have emerged as likely candidates.
Right now all of the players involved are trying to run for governor without announcing and exposing themselves, said Democratic consultant and direct mail guru Trey Ourso. “Seems like it’s mostly jockeying going on,” he added.
Still, there’s definitely less jockeying to the left of the field. When, exactly, will we finally see more action from the Democratic side of things?
“I think people are just … Actually, I really don’t have a good answer for that,” Ourso said with a laugh. “I believe there are people who are interested in it, and they’re just trying to see if there’s a reasonable path.”
Those paths will have to make themselves known sooner than later, because the clock is ticking. After Washington Mardi Gras this month and redistricting and campaign finance deadlines next month, room for jockeying will start running out.
For more Louisiana political news, visit
www.LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.

Jim Bradshaw: Two longtime La. newsmen pass from the scene

Wed, 02/02/2022 - 8:27am

JIM BRADSHAW

The deaths of Richard D’Aquin and Pete Piazza in the same week unleashed a flood of memories about old newspapering days, and brought a sense of loss. Another, more personal, one touched me in a different way.
D’Aquin was my boss for 30 years. As publisher of the Lafayette Advertiser, he became a legend in the Thomson Newspapers organization for his devotion to the bottom line.
For years The Advertiser was the biggest per capita money maker in one of the biggest newspaper chains in the world — and that included the parent newspaper, the London Times. A fellow that worked at the North American headquarters in Chicago once told me, “The accountants cross themselves and genuflect when he visits.”
We had some momentous arguments when, as editor, I pushed for more news space and he, sharp pencil in hand, refused to budge one iota from a strict news-to-advertising ratio. I remember particularly a Monday when we were about to send the first men to the moon. Monday papers were almost always the smallest of the week and there was no way to fit all the news into one.
“This is huge news,” I argued, “bigger than Columbus finding the New World.”
It didn’t sway him.
“If Columbus wanted a big news play,” he responded, “he wouldn’t land on a Monday.”
His unflinching financial stewardship came not because he was a penny-pincher, but from a sense of duty that characterized all of his life. Thomson appointed him to run the newspaper as a business, and he saw it as his duty to do just that. He also did his duty in Korea, where he fought as one of the Army’s youngest-ever commissioned officers. He saw it as his duty to work to better his community and contributed time and money to many causes. He also thought it a duty to stand by friends through thick and thin.
I was one of those, and he did.
Pete and I shared hundreds of assignments over 20 years and together produced Our Acadiana. We drove more than 5,000 miles together working on that book, down every back road we could find, sometimes looking for something specific, sometimes just to see what we would see.
He was a consummate professional with an unfailing eye for the picture that captured an event or topic. He climbed towers in winter winds, hiked up tall bridges on hot summer days, did what needed to be done to get the picture right.
I still laugh about an event that showed his devotion to getting the picture. We were driving in his truck on Highway 14 between Abbeville and Delcambre on a stormy summer day. I looked out across a field and saw a tornado coming out of a cloud.
“Pete,” I said, “that’s a tornado,” thinking he would want to drive away from it.
“It sure is,” he said, turning into the field, grabbing a camera, and running toward it.
He came running back just a few seconds later. “Hang on,” he said. “That thing’s going to my Momma’s house.”
At one point, as we sped down the highway, I noticed that he had one arm out the window, shooting with an automated camera he was holding on the truck roof. He was dialing his mother on his cell with the other hand, and was steering the truck with his knees. I thought I might die that day, but not from the tornado.
We somehow made it down a rural road to the house and came to a skidding stop on her gravel driveway. But Pete, camera in hand, began running away from the house, not toward it.
He hollered to me as he ran, “Go throw Momma in the bathtub. I’ve got a great shot from the fence line.”
Luckily, that wasn’t necessary. The tornado lifted with little damage to anyone. Pete got a great shot.
Other memories: He made a mouth-watering spaghetti sauce. He was regularly honored as the community’s leading blood donor. Even his dogs reflected his devotion to photography. They were named Nikon and Leica.
Those deaths bring a sense of loss. There was no obituary for the third one, but it added immeasurably to a sad week.
Nellie was a little black cat who fit in the palm of my hand when we found her in the back yard. She was blind in one eye, her neck was twisted at a strange angle, a snaggle tooth poked above her lower lip. I didn’t think she would last a week. I was wrong. She greeted me each morning for 21 years.
From force of habit, I took out her food dish this morning. She set priorities, insisting that each day should begin with her getting fed, then I could start the coffee. Those things stay with you.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Jim Brown: Tort reform didn't lower auto premiums

Wed, 02/02/2022 - 8:16am

JIM BROWN

Now let’s see. It’s been almost two years since the Louisiana Legislature passed legislation taking away certain legal rights of Louisiana insurance policyholders. But it will be worth it said many legislators and the insurance commissioner. We were assured that there was to be a dramatic drop in the cost of automobile insurance. By 25% said the insurance commissioner. I’ve been waiting and waiting to spend these great savings all of us were prom-ised.
So just how much in savings have we received so far? Zilch, zero, naught, nil, nix, absolutely nothing. In fact the supposed cost reductions for Louisiana policy holders has gotten much worse. Far from any savings or even maintaining the status quo, insurance rates have skyrocketed. Bottom line? We all got conned by the insurance industry, the insurance commissioner, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, and numerous legislators, both Republican and Democrat. That’s right policyholders. You got snookered, thwarted, stymied, stumped and outright lied to.
The results are in and here is what policyholders are facing. The Zebra, the nation’s leading insurance comparison site, released its 2022 State of Auto Insurance Report revealing the national average annual cost for car insurance. Their report concludes: “Louisiana saw the largest increase of 42%, which now puts the state at the top spot for most expensive insurance.” Forty-two percent? You’ve got to be kidding.
Then look at what Zebra concludes are the top three most expensive cities in all the U.S. for car insurance. New Orleans comes in at number one with an average auto rate of $3,532. Next (in all of America) is Baton Rouge with an average rate of $3,473. And third is Alexandria at $3,202.
The study shows that the national average annual cost for auto insurance is $1,529, so the Bayou State is almost double this amount. In fact, Louisiana is some $626 more than Michigan, the next highest state in the nation.
Aah, but this must be an aberration say these so-called tort reformers who want to take away policyholder rights. O.K, so let’s take a look at the conclusions of another new report just released this week. It says: “A study by Dolman Law ranks the 50 states from best to worst in which to drive. The biggest loser? Louisiana. Insurance costs are high in Louisiana, which leads to a large number of uninsured drivers (22%) on the road. The state has a death toll of 1.53 deaths for every 100 million miles.”
Law journal the Louisiana Record headlined last week that “tort reform has yet to lower Louisiana auto insurance rates, new data suggests. A 2020 tort reform measure has given consumers a false hope of auto insurance rate reductions in the wake of a new study predicting rising premium rates this year in Louisiana. The average cost of auto insurance in the state is now $3,720, which is 92% higher than the U.S. average, ValuePenguin reported.
And here is what was reported in the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate: “Louisiana drivers will pay the highest prices for auto insurance in the nation next year despite having passed a sweeping tort reform law that was sold as a way to dramatically lower premiums by as much as 25%, an insurance industry executive, who was one of the primary forces behind the legislation, told a panel of primarily Republican businessmen and legislators, who helped pass the new law.” The panel was told that “Lowering auto insurance rates really wasn’t the point of the tort reform legislation.”
So after legislators and the insurance commissioner told legislators that auto insurance rates would drop by 25% by the end of the year, we now learn that the whole lobbying effort by the insurance industry was a ruse! A sham! bogus! A fraud! The insurance industry will line their pockets at the expense of Louisiana policyholders.
Policyholders all over the state are being shortchanged by the failure of those in charge to act and build fairness into the insurance regulatory system. And you wonder why this are so few new residents moving into Louisiana.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

Nike has two tableaus set

Wed, 02/02/2022 - 7:51am

King and Queen Nike XLVIII Ethan Toups and Mary Alice Dohmann will make a farewell appearance Friday when the children’s Krewe of Nike presents its first of two tableaus this weekend. Saturday's event will feature Nike's 50-year celebration. Friday’s and Saturday’s tableaus each begin at 7 p.m. at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Both are invitation-only events. Toups is the son of Bliss Landry and Chad Toups. Dohmann is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joey Dohmann. Krewe members will parade behind the Krewe of Galatea’s 2 p.m. parade Feb. 27 in Morgan City.

Divorced father hopes to reenter daughter’s life

Wed, 02/02/2022 - 7:48am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: My ex-wife and I were divorced seven years ago. It was my doing. I had two affairs, the second of which resulted in my current marriage. I have always regretted my actions and the pain it caused, and I vowed to never make that mistake again.
My ex is happily remarried, but here’s the problem: We have a daughter in her late 20s who seemed to adjust to our situation quickly.
However, her mother has turned our daughter against me to the point where she has cut off all contact. It has been nearly three years and it eats away at me every day. Her mother has completely brainwashed her. I recently found out my daughter is pregnant, which has made it worse.
As it stands, I’ll have no contact with my grandchild, while my ex rubs it in my face. Abby, I’ve never said a bad word about my ex, even though I know she’s not a good person.
She has used people, stolen, cheated and lied most of her life and apparently continues to do so. She’s told outright lies about me to our daughter and others.
I have admitted my misdeeds, but my ex can’t or won’t do the same. I want to expose her, but I know I can’t if I want any hope of reconciliation with my daughter.
How can I talk to my daughter, at least to get closure?
SAD DAD IN OHIO

DEAR DAD: Send your daughter a REGISTERED letter telling her how much you love her and congratulating her on her pregnancy. At the same time, without pointing fingers at your ex-wife, which might only further alienate your daughter, explain that some of the things she may have been told about you aren’t true and you would like to discuss them with her.
Then cross your fingers and hope she agrees.

DEAR ABBY: I’m a married woman in my early 40s with two small children. I am blessed to enjoy a close relationship with my parents, both of whom are now in their mid-to-late 70s. My siblings and I all live within 15 minutes of them, and we spend a lot of time together for holidays, special occasions and general get-togethers.
Lately, I can’t stop thinking about my parents dying. It will be awful once they are gone. It has reached a point where if one of them gets a cold, I’m terrified it will turn into something more serious. I’m also scared that something else traumatic might happen, and I dread receiving that phone call.
I don’t know how to stop thinking like this. I know death is a part of life, but I don’t want every day to be clouded by thoughts of something bad happening.
Is there any way to have a healthier mindset?
LOVING DAUGHTER IN TEXAS

DEAR DAUGHTER: There is more than one way to approach this. The first would be to turn off the news for a week and see if it lowers your level of anxiety, which may stem from the incessant drumbeat of reporting about COVID. If that doesn’t help, then it might benefit you to talk with a licensed mental health practitioner for help to ease your anxiety by getting to the root of what is causing it. If your parents are in good health, they may be with you for many years to come.
It would be a shame to waste that precious time because of fears about what will one day happen to us all.
***
What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

How population shifts will affect Louisiana redistricting

Tue, 02/01/2022 - 2:37pm

By LURA STABILER and BRAXTON BROWN, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE–As the Legislature gets ready to start a special session Tuesday on redistricting, one major focus is whether two of the state’s six congressional districts should be redrawn to give minority residents a better chance to elect two Black congressmen instead of one.
Black leaders and civil rights groups say that is only fair since African Americans make up nearly one-third of the state’s population and the 2020 Census shows that northern Louisiana, which has two white representatives in Congress, has lost population.
But Republicans want to hold onto the five congressional seats they have. And the politics will get even more complicated–and potentially tense–when it comes to redrawing the 105 Louisiana House districts and the 39 districts that send state senators to Baton Rouge.
The Census data shows that the suburban areas around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette are among the fast-growing areas in the state, and their voters are mostly white and Republican. And most of the state legislative seats now held by Black politicians are in districts that lost some population and will have to be redrawn.
Lawmakers say the population shifts lay a foundation for debate, but political considerations play a huge role as state lawmakers battle each other to maintain their electoral advantages and the parties fight over a congressional seat that could help tilt the balance of power in Washington.
Adding even more intrigue is that Louisiana is the only Deep South state with a Democratic governor who could potentially veto the maps that the Republican-dominated Legislature draws.
As for how all of these considerations will affect how the district lines are redrawn, there is no way to know for sure what will emerge from the three-week special session.
“You have a lot of possibilities,” said demographer Greg Rigamer, a political consultant in New Orleans. “You can configure them in all sorts of ways to meet the minimum requirements,” he said.
Rigamer said there are many ways mathematically to make the districts even in population, but politicians have different ideas to make the redrawn lines benefit their party. He the Republicans are hoping to keep the congressional districts the same but with small variations.
Rep. Tanner Magee, the second-ranking Republican in the state House, said he expects the House to “draw its maps in a way that we have always done stuff, which is fairly cooperative.”
The Democratic Party is fighting to condense the two northern congressional districts, which now sit side by side running north to south, into one horizontal district along Interstate 20, so another majority-minority district could be added to south Louisiana.
Jared Evans, policy counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said that black voters have been packed into District 2, which meanders from predominantly Black areas in New Orleans to similar neighborhoods in Baton Rouge.
The NAACP submitted seven different district maps to the legislature a few weeks ago that included two majority-minority districts, said Evans.
“In all the seven maps, we proposed splitting up New Orleans and Baton Rouge,” said Evans, “New Orleans remains the anchor of the 2nd Congressional District, and Baton Rouge would be the anchor of an additional majority-minority congressional district.”
But Republican leaders, like State Rep. Jack McFarland from Jonesboro, said northern Louisiana needs to hold onto all the representation it can get to help it recover economically.
Rigamer said it also is possible for the Legislature to keep the six congressional districts much like they are with some changes.
Referring to the suburban seats around New Orleans and Baton Rouge now represented by Republican Reps. Steve Scalise and Garrett Graves, Rigamer said: “You can maintain the current district configuration with some changes, making Congressional District 1 and Congressional District 6 give up some people, which they have to do.”
The growth is in the Southern part of the state
Besides the size of the state’s Black population, part of the pressure to take a congressional seat away from northern Louisiana comes from the new Census data, which was released in August.
Although Louisiana overall has seen a small population growth rate of 2.7%, the 2020 census results show that northern parishes have experienced significant population loss while suburban areas in the southern parishes saw substantial population growth.
According to the 2020 Census, St. Bernard Parish and Orleans Parish in the New Orleans metro area and Ascension Parish in the Baton Rouge metro area saw some of the largest population growth rates. St. Bernard Parish had the largest increase of 30.8% from the 2010 Census count, and Ascension Parish had an increase of 20.6%. Even Orleans Parish itself had an increase of 11.69%.
By contrast, many northern parishes lost population, according to the 2020 census. Tensas Parish had a 22.32% decline, Vernon Parish saw a 12.6% decline, Winn Parish had a 12.20% decline, and Catahoula Parish saw a 10.7% decrease.
Why have so many northern parishes seen a steep decline? Rigamer and District State Representative Neil Riser, a Republican from in Columbia in Caldwell Parish, the answer is clear. All the jobs are saturated in southern cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
“People follow the bucks,” said Rigamer.
Rep. Riser said that jobs are dwindling in northern Louisiana. Riser’s district represents parishes that have seen some of the largest declines, like Tensas Parish, Catahoula Parish and Caldwell Parish. He believes that technology is a driving factor leading people to the southern districts. Riser said that bigger cities with more job opportunities have better internet connectivity and access to technology.
The increase in population in the south can also be attributed to trends that show gains in the population from areas extending between Highways I-10 to I-12.
“I believe that you can attribute some of the growth to people who have returned back following the severe storms that Louisiana has faced over the past 40 years,” said Dr. William Blair, Director of Demographic Services for the Louisiana Legislature.
Rigamer noted that Orleans Parish is experiencing more of a population recovery than population growth as more of the people who moved after Hurricane Katrina trickle back.
In 2000, Orleans Parish had a population of 484,000, and by 2010 this number dropped to 343,000, said Rigamer. Now the population sits at 383,000.
The population in Ascension Parish, a predominantly white area near Baton Rouge, has almost tripled since 1990, with an increase of over 80,000 residents. According to the Census data, Ascension is home to 130,096 residents, making it the 14th largest parish in Louisiana.
“Much of the population growth we experienced happened at a quick pace,” said state Rep. Tony Bacala, who lives in Prairieville.
Senator Katrina Jackson, a member of The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus and senator from Monroe, favors another majority minority district.
“There are minorities in north Louisiana that do not feel like they are fairly represented,” Jackson said.
What will happen with the state legislative districts?
But according to a recent analysis by The Advocate, the racial politics may get even more heated when it comes to redrawing the state Senate and House districts.
The newspaper found that 70% of the 27 state House districts represented by Black lawmakers will need to be redrawn to add more people to reach the minimum population total of 44,000 for each district.
The Advocate also found that five of the 10 state Senate districts held by Black politicians will need to be redrawn to add more people.
In some cases, the adjacent districts are represented by white lawmakers, who will not want to lose some of their loyal constituents.
What will happen over the next three weeks is hard to predict.
“Anything is possible during redistricting,” said Sen. Jackson.
Margaret DeLaney and Grace Schaumburg contributed to this story.

Morgan City police make arrests on assault and battery charges

Tue, 02/01/2022 - 2:27pm

(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 residents face charges of assault and aggravated battery after arrests Monday.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 37 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:
—Lynn R. Parfait, 53, Marshall Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:02 a.m. Monday on a charge of simple assault.
—Jason Alfred, 44, Railroad Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:56 p.m. Monday on charges of aggravated battery and criminal damage to property.

Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly said the Franklin Police Department responded to eight complaints over the past 24 hours and made this arrest:
—Roland Stansbury, 54, Julia Street, New Iberia, was arrested at 11 a.m. Monday on seven counts of theft. Stansbury was booked, processed and released on a $10,500 bond.

Morgan City police radio logs for Jan. 28-Feb. 1

Tue, 02/01/2022 - 11:57am

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, Jan. 28
5:58 p.m. 1600 block of Chestnut Drive; Warrant.
6:23 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Domestic.
8:02 p.m. 2500 block of Elm Street; Medical.
8:35 p.m. 1100 block of Brashear Avenue; Complaint.
10:16 p.m. Patterson; Transport.
11:06 p.m. 3000 block of Lake Palourde Road; Medical.
Saturday, Jan. 29
1:33 a.m. Morgan City; Be on the lookout.
2:42 a.m. 600 block of Front Street; Alarm.
8:32 a.m. U.S. 90 West/before Martin Luther King Boulevard Exit; Stalled vehicle.
9:32 a.m. 1200 block of David Drive; Alarm.
10:39 a.m. Delux Inn; Misuse of 911.
10:54 a.m. 400 block of First Street; Criminal damage to property.
12:01 p.m. 1300 block of Nebraska Street; Medical.
1:25 p.m. 200 block of Arizona Street; Animal complaint.
1:46 p.m. Lake End Park; Medical.
4:03 p.m. Freret Street and Florida Alley; Hit and run.
4:33 p.m. Lake End Park near Judges Stand; Unauthorized vehicles.
5:22 p.m. 100 block of Mount Street; Complaint.
5:51 p.m. 1600 block of La. 70; Patrol request.
8:12 p.m. 1600 block of Mayon Street; Assist.
8:20 p.m. 800 block of Ditch Avenue; Animal complaint.
9:12 p.m. 1000 block of Birch Street; Complaint.
9:54 p.m. 1000 block of Birch Street; Complaint.
11:10 p.m. 500 block of Levee Road; Complaint.
Sunday, Jan. 30
12:30 a.m. 900 block of Short Street; Complaint.
1:46 a.m. 700 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.
4:24 a.m. 200 block of Freret Street; Complaint.
Monday, Jan. 31
7:37 a.m. 700 block of Sixth Street; Alarm.
8:07 a.m. U.S. 90; Vehicle crash.
9:47 a.m. U.S. 90; Stalled vehicle.
10:35 a.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Domestic disturbance.
11:16 a.m. Second Street; Found property.
Noon 300 block of Aucoin Street; Domestic disturbance.
12:15 a.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Vehicle crash.
1:20 p.m. South Rail-road Avenue; Stand by.
1:20 p.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Trespasser.
1:20 p.m. 300 block of Franklin Street; Alarm.
1:59 p.m. 600 block of Bowman Street; Frequent patrols.
2:07 p.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Stand by.
3:39 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Disturbance.
4:34 p.m. 800 block of Walnut Drive; Complaint.
5:12 p.m. 1200 block of Greenwood Street; Alarm.
5:30 p.m. 600 block of Arenz Street; Medical.
6:04 p.m. 1000 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
6:32 p.m. Veterans Boulevard near Fig Street; Complaint.
7:01 p.m. 700 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.
7:04 p.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Alarm.
8:07 p.m. 5000 block of Railroad Avenue; Death.
8:31 p.m. 1400 block of Railroad Avenue; Alarm.
8:40 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Theft.
10:40 p.m. 300 block of Fifth Street; Medical/arrest.
Tuesday, Feb. 1
3:11 a.m. U.S. 90 West near Martin Luther King Boulevard; Accident/arrest.

Testing event Tuesday in Morgan City

Tue, 02/01/2022 - 8:08am

Click on the link below to see the flyer.

Two teens arrested in bomb threats at Franklin High

Mon, 01/31/2022 - 5:58pm

Staff Report

Franklin police arrested a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old after an investigation into a pair of bomb threats that led to the evacuation of Franklin High on consecutive days this month.

The two suspects were arrested at 11 a.m. Monday, Franklin Police Chief Morris Beverly said. The suspects, both of whom are boys, were each booked on charges of terrorizing and communication of false information. The 15-year-old also faces two counts of simple assault.

The two suspects were booked, processed and released pending juvenile court proceedings.

Police received calls about bomb threats at Franklin High at 7:10 a.m. Jan. 13 and 7:21 a.m. Jan. 14.

The Detectives Division, with help from the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office, identified the suspects, Beverly said.