YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER LAROSE, LA thelafourchegazette.com
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Sunday, December 21, 2014
Lawmakers back Jindal plan to close $170M deficit BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to use a mix of patchwork financing and modest cuts to close a budget deficit topping $170 million won approval Thursday from state lawmakers, who had only a few days remaining to rebalance the budget and avoid a special session. Minor changes were made to the plan submitted last month by the Jindal administration. Some financing sources were swapped. Agriculture department job cuts were scrapped. A cut to road maintenance work was eliminated. Otherwise, the plan to rebalance the $25 billion budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30 stayed largely intact when it was approved without objection by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. “I feel comfortable with it,” said committee Chairman Jim Fannin, R-Jonesboro. See Lawmakers Page 9-A
Social Security to increase 1.7 percent for 2015
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 64 million Americans will increase 1.7 percent in 2015, according to the Social Security Administration. The 1.7 percent cost-ofliving adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that more than 58 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2015. See Increase Page 9-A
MEETINGS
Port Fourchon budgets for a busy year ahead
Merry Christmas
MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press
By: Doug Cheramie, II Contributing Writer
LAFOURCHE GAZETTE HOLIDAY HOURS: CLOSED, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24 AND THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25
Check out our special Holiday Greetings section filled with holiday messages and greetings from area businesses and individuals.
Study shows more abused kids die as officials fail to protect
HOLBROOK MOHR and GARANCE BURKE Associated Press
BUTTE, Montana (AP) — At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in plain view of child protection authorities — many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger, The Associated Press has found. To determine that number, the AP canvassed the 50 states, the District of Columbia and branches of the military — circumventing a system that does a terrible job of accounting for child deaths. Many states struggled to provide numbers. Secrecy often prevailed. Most of the 786 children whose cases were compiled by the AP were under the age of 4. They lost their lives even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some
form of protective services because of previous instances of neglect or violence or other troubles in the home. Take Mattisyn Blaz, a 2-month-old Montana girl who died when her father spiked her “like a football,” in the words of a prosecutor. Matthew Blaz was well-known to child services personnel and police. Just two weeks after Mattisyn was born on June 25, 2013, he came home drunk, grabbed his wife by her hair and threw her to the kitchen floor while she clung to the newborn. Jennifer Blaz said a child protective services worker visited the day after her husband’s attack, spoke with her briefly and left. Her husband pleaded guilty to assault and was ordered by a judge to take anger management classes and stay away from his wife.
Missing the turn …
MONDAY, DEC. 22
VOLUME 26 NUMBER 10
The Greater Lafourche Port Commission plans for a busy year in 2015 as their projected budget for the coming year shows several construction and improvement projects slated for Port Fourchon and the South Lafourche Leonard Miller, Jr. Airport. For 2015, the commission budget is expected to be $78.6 million, an increase of some 11 percent over the 2014 budget. Over $28 million of the projected budget will be sourced from tenant rent in 2015, while $16 million is expected to come from grants and $4.3 million from ad valorem taxes. The bulk of the remainder is slated to come from accrued savings. “We have an exciting 2015 planned as we work to meet the needs of our customer and tenant base,” said Commission Executive Director Chett Chiasson. Among the projects highlighted for the upcoming year include bulkhead work at Slip C. A $28 million project will place over 5,400 feet of linear bulkhead at the slip. A little over $1 million has been budgeted for beginning work on the dredging of Slip D. The eventual price tag on this dredging will run to some $15 million. Over $3.7 million has been budgeted for drainage work as well as the elevation of Nolty J. Theriot road, a major thoroughfare in the port. Some $1 million is planned for the placement of 18 mooring dolphins at the port, which will provide critically needed docking space for vessels. $2 million has also been budgeted in 2015 for the dredging of Bayou Lafourche adjacent to Port Fourchon. According to port officials, once this dredging work is complete, that segment of waterway will be turned over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permanent maintenance. See Port Page 9-A
Versailles first krewe to announce 2015 royalty
See Abuse Page 3-A
LAFOURCHE PARISH FIRE DISTRICT #3 Board of Commissioners 6:30 p.m. Fire Central 17462 W. Main - Cut Off
INSIDE
Arrests............................7-A
Calendar of Events.........2-A
Christmas Greetings........1-B Classifieds................6-A/7-A
Horoscopes...................6-A Lottery...........................2-A
News In Brief...................2-A
Obituaries.......................7-A
Surfin’ the Net.................7-A
Worship Directory...........8-A
Staff photo by Babs
This 18-wheeler couldn’t quite make the turn Thursday at the lift bridge crossing Bayou Lafourche in Larose. No one was hurt in the accident.
The Krewe of Versailles Carnival club held their announcement party Saturday, December 6 at the Larose Civic Center where the 2015 royal court was announced. Reigning over Versailles’ 41st year will be King XLI Jerome Joseph Shields and Queen XLI Charlene Pierce Plaisance. The Krewe’s tableau is scheduled for Saturday, February 7 at the Cut Off Youth Center. Versailles is set to parade at noon on Sunday, February 8 along the city streets of Larose with the theme of Once Upon a Time in Versailles.
Don’t forget to order your complete holiday dinner & party trays! 7114 Hwy. 1 - Lockport 13086 Hwy. 3235 - Larose 2113 S. Alex Plaisance Blvd. - G.M.
Shank Portion
Smithfield Hams Lb.
1
$ 79
Regular or Honey Glazed Sliced
Spiral Ham
Lb.
2
$ 39
Boneless, Center Cut
Pork Loin Roast Lb.
1
$ 99
John Morrell Whole, Bone In
Smoked Ham Lb.
1
$ 79
12 Pack Cans
Coca-Cola
3For$11 Must buy 3.
Singles $529
14.5 - 15 Oz.
Green Giant Selected
Canned Vegetables
2For$1
Prices Good Through Tuesday, December 24th
5 Lb. Bag Fresh
Red Potatoes
.99¢
1/2 Gallon Ice Cream
4
Blue Bell
$ 88