YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER LAROSE, LA thelafourchegazette.com
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Task force looking for ways to spend more on LA roads
SERVING: MATHEWS • GHEENS • LOCKPORT • VALENTINE • LAROSE CUT OFF • GALLIANO • GOLDEN MEADOW • LEEVILLE • GRAND ISLE
Larose Floodgate removed, shipped off for repairs
King of the cakes …
Buster Avera Contributing Writer
MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Replace the state gasoline tax with a sales tax on all fuels. Direct more money in the state construction budget to road work. Steer dollars to highways that otherwise pour into Louisiana’s “rainy day” fund. Those are among the ideas on a list approved Monday by a legislative task force trying to drum up new cash for highway repairs and improvements in a state that has a $12 billion backlog of road and bridge work. But rather than offer specific recommendations, the Transportation Funding Task Force is forwarding all the ideas it heard, without prioritizing proposals it submits to lawmakers. See Roads Page 10-A
LA 1 in Leeville will close for 20-minute intervals Saturday
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces that a portion of Louisiana Highway 1 in Leeville will have intermittent road closures on Saturday, January 17, due to Entergy Transmission utility work. LA 1, directly north of the Leeville Bridge near the See LA 1 Page 10-A
MEETINGS THURSDAY, JAN. 15
VETERANS MEMORIAL DISTRICT / WARD 10 5:00 p.m. Behind Memorial Monument Hwy. 3235 - Galliano
BAYOU FELLOWSHIP #484 7:00 p.m. East 93rd St. - Galliano THE CENTER Special Ed. Dist. #1 12 Noon 5510 W. Ave. D / W. 55th Cut Off
Staff photo by Babs
They can be seen and sold everywhere … yep, talking about king cakes! Whether you like the traditional iced cinnamon coffeecake type, or the donut style, they will be around for awhile. Hunter Terrebonne is shown checking out the Mardi Gras cookies, while Karen Knight checks out the king cake display at Frank’s in Larose. The Golden Meadow-based Krewe Des Petite Lion’s Children’s Parade will kick off the Carnival season on the bayou when they roll on Sunday, February 1. The all-male Krewe of Hercules kicks off the Houma area parade season when they roll on Friday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. Check out the complete bayou area parade schedule on page 10-A.
Flu season hitting state hard this year
The flu season is here with a vengeance, and this year’s flu shot does not appear to be a good match to the most common strain. The vaccine isn’t as effective as doctors had hoped it would be this flu season. The strain infecting most people around the country, H3N2, has mutated since the vaccine was created in February 2014 and makes the shot less effective for some patients. It’s estimated that 300,000 Louisiana residents have already contracted the flu, with 3,000 of them requiring hospitalization. It typically kills about 400 people in Louisiana each year, especially the elderly. Dr. Frank Welch, immunization medical director for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said the flu season started early this year and described the flu season in the state so far as “terrible.” “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said. Flu outbreaks normally peak in Louisiana this month and into February, resulting in aches, fever and coughs in those infected. But the outbreak has reached high levels since the latter part
Arrests.............................8-A Bid Notices......................8-A Calendar of Events.........2-A
Classifieds................6-A/7-A
Lottery.............................2-A News In Brief.................10-A
Obituaries.......................7-A
Surfin The Net................8-A
of 2014, and Welch said he doesn’t see any signs of it letting up in the near future. He does recommend what he calls “kindergarten rules” to help prevent and spread the virus. “Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough and stay home when you’re not feeling well,” he said. “It’s not worth getting other people sick.” Most people who get the flu will not need medical care and will recover in less than two weeks. But some people, however, are more likely to get complications that can result in hospitalization and occasionally even death. Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections are examples of flu-related complications. To help prevent the spread of flu: • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. • Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
According to the South Lafourche Levee District (SLLD), the Larose floodgate, which protects lower Lafourche from a rising tide in the Intracoastal Waterway, has been removed for maintenance. What this means is that until the gate is reinstalled, it is possible that a 1.5-foot tidal surge in the Intracoastal Waterway could cause flooding in Golden Meadow. At Monday’s SLLD public meeting, General Manager Windell Curole explained why the removal of the gate was required and the risk involved, and expressed confidence in getting the work done in a timely manner. The Larose floodgate, also known as the Ted Gisclair floodgate, has been in place for many years but has never been removed, said Curole. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has mandated periodic examination of the floodgate as a routine step in maintaining the gate system. But SLLD has been hesitant to remove the gate in the past because of the risk of flooding and instead sent divers below the water line to examine the gate doors. “The divers saw no rust and only a handful of barnacles on the locks,” said Curole. As to the question of why the gate has been removed now, Curole said because of USACE’s insistence, SLLD felt that the work should be done in the first two months of the year. See Floodgate Page 10-A
One of the floodgate doors are shown after having been removed and placed on a barge for transport to Belle Chasse.
See Flu Season Page 10-A
Rivet, Breaux to reign over Atlantis
INSIDE
Public Notices.................8-A
VOLUME 49 NUMBER 18
Dustin Rivet and Carrie Breaux
The New Krewe of Atlantis presents their king and queen for the 2015 carnival season. Dustin Rivet, son of Dray and Amanda Rivet, will reign as King of the New Krewe of Atlantis. Dustin is the brother of Dray Rivet, Jr. and Destiny Rivet. Dustin is a full-time employee at Wal-Mart. Carrie Breaux, wife of Miles Breaux, Jr., and mother of 5year-old Kaycee, will reign as Queen of the New Krewe of Atlantis. Carrie is employed at Ochsner St. Anne General Hospi-
tal.
The Krewe of Atlantis Jr. Maids will be Kelsie Varnes, Nevaeh Hebert and Zayle Falgout; Jr. Duke is Landon Varnes; Maids are Destiny Rivet and Becca Danos; Dukes are Aaron Breaux and Dray Rivet, Jr. The Krewe’s Ball will be held on February 13 at The Cut Off Youth Center and will begin at 7 p.m. The parade will roll through Golden Meadow on Saturday, February 14 beginning at 12 noon.
Reigning as queen over this year’s Krewe Des Petite Lions Children’s Mardi Gras Parade will be Miss Kesha Renee Eymard, a 12-year-old Golden Meadow Middle School student. Kesha, who has a great passion for softball and Mardi Gras, is an original rider who’s been part of the krewe since she is old enough to ride.