Two United Airlines pilots were busted for being drunk as they prepared to fly 141 souls to New Jersey on the weekend.
I hear you. If you had to fly to Jersey, you’d throw back a couple of belts, too.
But this latest in a binge of tipsy pilot arrests, including two Canadians last month, adds yet another disturbing question for the nervous flyer:
How can you tell if your pilots are drunk? I mean, before they pass out at 30,000 feet.
“This is your first occifer speaking! Say, doesn’t that cloud look like a rabbit?”
Good grief. It’s bad enough waiting for the wings to fall off.
Must we also take a whiff in the cockpit as we board? Or ask the crew to walk a straight line down the aisle?
United pilots Brady Grebenc, 35, and Carlos Licona, 45, were arrested by Scottish police at Glasgow’s airport. Their Flight UA162 to Newark Saturday was delayed 10 hours until sober replacements could be found.
Grebenc and Licona are reportedly U.S. military veterans and flight instructors. Grebenc’s LinkedIn profile says he has “3,200+ hours of accident- and incident-free flying in high-performance fixed-wing aircraft.”
It says he specializes in “low visibility approaches” though I do not think that covers being blind drunk.
Brebenc and Licona are to appear in court Monday on charges related to British air safety laws. Drinking and flying, basically.
Was good Scotch involved?
Glasgow was the scene of another drunk flying bust last month. Air Transat captain Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and first officer Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were hauled off their flight to Toronto as it prepared to leave with 250 passengers.
Cabin crew noticed a problem in the nick of time. Perreault and Syed were charged with being over the alcohol limit — one-quarter of that allowed U.K. car drivers — plus abusive behaviour.
How’s your aviophobia now?
One in six of us is afflicted badly enough to avoid planes altogether. Many of us have a touch of aviophobia. Some treat it by getting plastered. But pilots? Some warning signs to watch for:
•Your flight attendant says, “Sorry, we’re out of vodka, sir. The captain is Russian.”
•You notice your Airbus is taking off by way of the car-park.
•The wings of your 747 dip back and forth in time to the soundtrack from the inflight movie.
•The copilot staggers into the lavatory and won’t come out.
•You catch a glimpse of the crew playing beer pong in the cockpit, shouting “Ooooh, that splashed on the auto-pilot!”
•The purser asks if there’s a doctor on board. Or an addictions counsellor.
Just kidding. Naturally, drunk pilots are rare. Most sky jockeys are sober pros determined to get you there in one piece. Drunk drivers are by far a greater evil. But...
There was, for instance, the America West flight out of Miami in 2002. Its pilots downed 350 ounces of beer between them, plus a martini and a burger, and were kicked out of the bar just before 5 a.m., then prepared for takeoff at 10:30 a.m.. They were stopped on the taxiway.
Times have changed.
In the 1950s, a tipsy pilot named Thomas Fitzpatrick — “Tommy Fitz” — landed on New York streets, twice, to win barroom bets. He flew Cessnas, but never mind.
As an ex-boozehound, I can tell you getting high may seem fine. It’s the landing that’s rough.
Strobel’s column usually runs Monday to Thursday. mstrobel@postmedia.com


Two United Airlines pilots were busted for being drunk as they prepared to fly 141 souls to New Jersey on the weekend.


They took it off for equality.
Women in major cities, including Toronto and New York, bared their breasts Sunday as part of GoTopless Day.
The annual international day of protest is a call for women to have the same right as men to bare their chests in public. In Ontario, the law already gives women that right.
Still, several women marked the day in Toronto’s High Park.
Diane Brisebois, coordinator of the Toronto event, said women everywhere should be able to go topless without having to worry about being judged.
“It’s still a big deal for our society to see women topless,” she said. “Still, the moment a woman shows her breast, people are surprised.”
The event began nine years ago, and takes place on the Sunday closest to Women’s Equality Day (Aug. 26), marking the day American women earned the right to vote.
A few dozen women, and some men, went topless Sunday afternoon as they walked down Broadway in New York City.
The march was led by some women carrying a banner, followed by others in a convertible, with the top down, of course.
Coming up at the end was a pair of giant inflatable breasts. Onlookers gawked and took photos as the parade participants went by.
A group of about 50 women and men walked topless in the oceanside Los Angeles neighbourhood of Venice.
Marchers walked behind an inflatable pink breast with the phrase “equal topless rights” written on it. One marcher carried a sign reading: “My Body Is Not A Crime.”
Cities and states have varying laws regarding whether it’s legal for women to go topless in public.
— With files from the Associated Press


Honoured to be assistant coach @BelRedDevils. Thanks to Roberto Martinez & the Royal Belgian Football Association. Very excited.Can't wait.

Тьерри Анри: "Для меня честь быть помощником главного тренера сборной Бельгии"


Новый тренер сборной Бельгии Тьерри Анри признался, что рад присоединиться к тренерскому штабу Роберто Мартинеса.


My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough

Кузина Дуэйна Уэйда погибла в Чикаго


Двоюродная сестра защитника "Чикаго" Дуэйна Уэйда Николь Олдридж погибла в результате перестрелки в "Чикаго", сообщает Bild.


Кузина Дуэйна Уэйда погибла в Чикаго


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"Газпром-медиа", владеющий "Матч ТВ", понес убытки в 9,1 миллиарда рублей за первое полугодие


Крупнейший российский медиахолдинг "Газром-медиа" понес убытки в размере 9,1 миллиарда рублей в течение первого полугодия 2016 года.


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On 15 August 2016, the police in Bengaluru registered a first information report against the human-rights organisation Amnesty International India under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including sedition. The FIR was registered after representatives from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad—a student body affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh—sought action against the organisation. The ABVP activists claimed that “anti-national” activities had taken place at “Broken Families,” an event that Amnesty India had hosted two days earlier at the United Theological College in Bengaluru, as part of its campaign against human-rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Protests against the human-rights organisation, primarily within Karnataka, have intensified since, and Amnesty India’s employees have reportedly been asked to work from home as a “precautionary measure.”
I have waited to get some clarity on what actually transpired at the event. Now that I have it, I feel compelled to say a few things. I hope they are read and pondered over in the right spirit by all parties, especially Kashmiri Pandits.
There is no doubt that the Amnesty International, like most rights groups, has turned a blind eye towards the plight of Kashmiri Pandits. That the organisation is sympathetic to Islamic groups became clear after the head of its gender unit, Gita Sahgal, left it six years ago, accusing it of “ideological bankruptcy.”
On the question of morality, the Pandits have had an edge so far. The azadi movement in Kashmir lost its moral high ground in 1990, when the minority Pandits were hounded out of their homes and over seven hundred of them were brutally killed by Islamist extremists. Even after they were driven out of a land that their ancestors had lived on for thousands of years, and forced to reside in tattered tents, in exile and extreme humiliation, the Pandits never took up arms.
There was no dearth of attempts to radicalise us. But, instead of picking up Remington pistols, we chose Resnick-Halliday textbooks. Amnesty may think that the Pandits do not deserve to be included in events on “Broken Families” [of Kashmir]; Tara Rao, its programmes director in India, may not have had accurate statistics on the number of Pandits thrown out of the valley when she spoke at the event; but the fact remains that nobody can take our truth away from us. In the last 26 years of exile, hundreds of Pandits, from Jammu to Johannesburg, acting individually, have braved adverse and belligerent crowds to put forth our narrative.
But let us look at what happened in Bengaluru. Amnesty India had invited a few individuals from the valley who have lost their near and dear ones in rights violations committed by Indian security forces. There were disconsolate mothers and grieving fathers, hoping to be heard outside Kashmir, perhaps hoping for some catharsis.
Then, a handful of Pandits came in, wearing T-shirts, which reportedly read: “Kashmiri Pandits.” RK Mattoo, the president of the Bangalore Kashmiri Pandit Association, was on the dais (he was invited by Amnesty India at the last moment after he threatened to protest outside the venue with his group). The attempt should have been to listen to each other; the attempt should have been to narrate what happened to Pandits in Kashmir in the name of azadi; it should have been to remind them of what happened in Kashmir on the night of 19 January 1990, when hundreds of thousands of people were out on the streets, asking that Kashmir be turned into Pakistan, without Pandit men, but with Pandit women.
Mattoo began on a discordant note. He accused Amnesty of ignoring the story of Kashmiri Pandits. Then, he made a comment on the Indian army being one of the most disciplined forces in the world. The seven or eight Pandits who were wearing the “Kashmiri Pandits” T-shirts reportedly applauded this statement.
While this may be true of the Indian army, you do not say it in a hall filled with people who have directly suffered at the hands of the armed forces. The assertion was obviously not well received by those from the valley. Even then, things would have settled in a few moments had it not been for one chest-thumping Pandit in the audience, who stood up and called the other group “terrorists.”
What have the Pandits achieved from this event? A few sufferers have returned to Kashmir, with a very bitter experience. In their hearts, perhaps, some may now even justify what happened to the Pandits in 1990. The Pandits have not been able to put across even a single, coherent fact about their truth at the event. While the Indian army should be lauded for the valiant efforts it has made to fight terrorism in Kashmir, why do the Pandits feel compelled to be alambardars (flag-bearers) of the army, or for that matter, the Indian state? Isn’t the failure of the Indian state responsible for their exodus and their long exile, which is, despite the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s bravado, almost becoming permanent?
Suddenly, an event that could have paved the way for Kashmiris to reach out to each other, has instead catalysed a debate on sedition. At the heart of it, the Kashmiri Pandit has come across as a rabid, extremist villain who has no tolerance.
Let us stop this madness. Let us fiercely defend our story, and let it not be at the cost of others’ stories. Let us not lose our morality.

Kashmiri Pandits don’t have to be flag-bearers of the Indian state


The Amnesty India event, which could have paved the way for Kashmiris to reach out to each other, has instead catalysed a debate on sedition.


The Panama News lives, and will be up to full speed shortly!


Vote June 11 - NO on fraud, NO on a purge of Democrats Abroad Panama


When Thibodaux resident Lida Wiley found out the National Park Service was turning 100 Thursday, she decided to take her kids for a trip.
They went to the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center at 314 St. Mary St. in Thibodaux, one of six Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve sites scattered across south Louisiana.
Wiley said her older children attend summer camp there, and her 2-year-old son enjoys seeing the ducks near the bayou and participating in a scavenger hunt inside.
"I'm hoping that it lasts much, much longer," she said. "It would be neat to think that people would celebrate 300 years one day. For the kids, this is cool because when you get older, you're going to say you were around when they were celebrating 100."
President Woodrow Wilson signed an act creating the National Park Service on Aug. 25, 1916.
Allyn Rodriguez, a park ranger at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center, said the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve was established in 1978. It's named after a French-American privateer in the early 19th century Gulf of Mexico.
"The first to come online was the Chalmette Battlefield, and that is where he aided Andrew Jackson, who was then a general, to defeat the British in our last engagement we would ever have against the British," Rodriguez said. "We added the Barataria Preserve because he and his men frequented that area. The French Quarter (Visitor Center) was the third in that original legislation. Then the three cultural centers, including us here in Thibodaux, were added 10 years later."
Rodriguez said the Thibodaux building is also about 100 years old and was donated to the National Park Service. A theater was added, and the building was upgraded and brought up to code.
The center celebrated the centennial Monday night with a Cajun music jam and Wednesday night with the Cercle Francophone French conversation group, Rodriguez said.
"We felt it was a really wonderful opportunity to highlight not only the culture, but the language, which is being disappearing because it's not being spoken as widely as it was at one time," she said.
Rodriguez said she's been with the Thibodaux center for a little over a decade and has seen it become more active. Her goal is to reach more young people.
The center offers boat tours to the E.D. White Historic Site and Madewood Plantation, walking tours of downtown Thibodaux, summer camps and an art gallery. Next week, Wi-Fi will be installed.
Rodriguez said seeing overpopulation, pollution and other threats to natural resources shows the importance of the National Park Service.
"How visionary 100 years ago, when everything was really wide open, to say, 'If we don't do something, we're going to lose this,'" she said. "That's a wonderful legacy that we try to continue to this day, but every day it becomes more and more challenging."
Wiley said exploring the Thibodaux site leaves her children with many questions, which they then research as a family. National parks allow people to learn not only about nature but also history and culture, she added.
"They're places for learning," she said. "Whatever it is you're passionate about, there is something for you to learn."
-- Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.

Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center celebrates National Park Service's 100th anniversary


When Thibodaux resident Lida Wiley found out the National Park Service was turning 100 Thursday, she decided to take her kids for a trip.


Nicholls State University nursing sophomore Madison Kohan got a call from her family in mid-August that they were evacuating their St. Amant home and coming to stay with her at her Thibodaux apartment.
Kohan is one of the more than 50 Nicholls students who are feeling the impact of the recent flooding across the state. Other students and local residents have since raised about $11,500 for an NSU Flood Emergency Relief Fund, which exceeded the original $10,000 goal.
Nicholls culinary students organized a jambalaya sale on Friday that raised $4,570 of the total. The rest came from donations.
The fund will be available to students who need help making ends meet for things like books, clothing and dorm items due to losses in the storm.
The house that Kohan shares with her grandparents and father had five feet of water in it for about a week. They did not have flood insurance because the area had not historically flooded.
Her first semester school bills were already paid for, but she now says they’re taking things “day by day” and that she is grateful for the help she has received.
“Any little bit of help is great,” Kohan said. “It’s just nice having so many people on campus care about me and ask about me ... or hang out with me and spend time with me.”
She said she attended every Welcome Back Week activity at school to keep her mind off of things before heading home for the weekend to help with the cleanup.
Freshman Joseph Fuentes also plans to spend some of his weekends back home in Denham Springs to help out. His family’s home took in about three feet of water that destroyed some of the things he was planning on taking to school with him for his dorm.
“It really does change perspective on life,” Fuentes said. “You see in the news with (Hurricane) Katrina about how those houses were destroyed. You never think it will happen to you, but one day you wake up and it does.”
Money can still be donated online at nicholls.edu/relief. Students who are interested in receiving money should contact Vice President for Student Affairs Eugene Dial.
-Staff Writer Emma Discher can be reached at 448-7636 or emma.discher@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmadischer.

Nicholls community raises $11,500 for students affected by flooding


Nicholls State University nursing sophomore Madison Kohan got a call from her family in mid-August that they were evacuating their St. Amant home and coming to stay with her at her Thibodaux apartment.


The big question is this: Will Tropical Depression 9 take a hard turn east as most forecasts predict?
Almost all of the computer models predicted the Gulf storm would take a hard turn east-northeast tonight or early Wednesday. The Hurricane Center predicted the storm would hit Thursday somewhere between the mid-Florida Panhandle and the Tampa area.
“We're looking at tomorrow night it will take an easterly turn, which will assist us tremendously,” Lafourche Parish Homeland Security Director Josh Champagne said today. “We're not in the impact zone right now, but just in case it doesn't make the turn, ... we will have our Emergency Operations Center in tomorrow night to monitor.”
The storm's center was about 180 miles west of Key West, Fla., late tonight, moving west-northwest about 5 mph with sustained winds of 35 mph. The National Hurricane Center predicted sustained winds would reach 39 mph sometime today. If it does, it would be named either tropical storm Hermine or Ian, depending on whether another depression in the Atlantic off the Carolinas beats it to that strength.
"I would not say Louisiana is out of the woods yet, but it is looking more like a Florida storm versus Louisiana at this point," WWL-TV meteorologist Dave Nussbaum said this evening in an online forecast. "Don't let your guard down yet, but don't be worried about this either. You should already be prepared for a storm by now, so make sure your plan is in place just in case."
Terrebonne and Lafourche emergency directors and public officials advised residents to do the same.
“It's still unpredictable,” South Lafourche Levee Director Windell Curole said. “The key thing right now is to be as prepared as we can. … Everyone should be at that level and just really pay attention to it."
Officials and workers in both parishes were checking levees and pumps and making other preparations.
Terrebonne's Levee District closed floodgates on the Humble Canal, Bayou Terrebonne, Boudreaux Canal and Placid Canal, along with its Upper Little Caillou Auxiliary Structure. Lower Dularge and Bush Canal could close soon, officials said today.
“What really kills us is the rain,” Terrebonne Levee Director Reggie Dupre said. “There was 3 inches of the rain on the lower end of the parish today. ... I'm happy with where we're at despite the rain.”
The National Hurricane Center said 3-7 inches of rain was possible over much of the Florida peninsula through Thursday, with up to 10 inches in isolated spots along the state's Gulf Coast.
The National Weather Service forecast a slight chance of rain all week Terrebonne and Lafourche, though that could change if the storm veers closer to the area than most models predicted. Tides locally were expected to rise 1 to 2 feet above normal, leading the Weather Service to issue a coastal flood watch through Thursday.
Port Fourchon Executive Director Chet Chiassion said the tides should not impact traffic to and from the oilfield hub at south Lafourche, either by water or along La. 1, which is prone to flooding during Gulf storms or sometimes heavy rain.
Forecasters are also watching a disturbance off Africa that is expected to strengthen this week as it churns west across the Atlantic toward the Caribbean.
Hurricane season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30, usually peaks in August and September.
-- Staff Writer Emma Discher can be reached at 448-7636 or emma.discher@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmadischer.


Emergency officials advised Houma-Thibodaux residents to monitor a strengthening tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico.


Ashley Arnold and Meagan Hebert still remember many of the dances from their time on the dance team at Central Lafourche High School.
The sisters kept up with the current team from the back of the auditorium during a pep rally today.
Arnold, class of 2001, and Hebert, class of 2006, were just two of the hundreds of alums who took a trip down memory lane this weekend during the high school’s 50th anniversary celebration. Many more people clad in green and gold took to the school’s auditorium and hallways for a pep rally, live music, food, silent auction, memorabilia display and more.
“We focused on what were the best parts of being at Central Lafourche High School and how we could recreate that for 50 years of alums,” said Brandy Wiley, who is a 1998 alumna, junior class counselor and member of the planning committee.
The committee began planning in January and made sure to include current and past students in everything. That included picking bands with alums as members, inviting alum craft vendors and having current students represent their clubs and organizations at the food and activity booths.
Current senior class president Joel Weaver, who is part of the 50th anniversary “golden” class, helped run the pep rally, which was clearly a favorite of the day as families packed into the auditorium for dance performances, games and music.
Just like the sisters reminisced on their time on the dance team during the pep rally, the day reminded John Dufrene, class of 1984, about his time as the first male cheerleader at CLHS. His uniform was on display with other uniforms, yearbooks and class rings from the past 50 years.
Some alums said that being back in the high school was both “awesome” and “weird,” since many of them remembered a parking lot where the library is now.
CLHS is a family both figuratively and literally. Arnold and Hebert’s mother was also part of the dance team in 1976, Arnold’s husband is the current assistant principal and her three children will eventually attend CLHS, too.
Greg “Gabby” Borne and Lea Borne, both class of 1974, met while in the 11th grade at CLHS. Desiree Cressionie Dufrene, class of 1988, and John Dufrene just missed each other while at CLHS, but now their daughter Courteney is a sophomore there.
Asked what he will take away from his time at CLHS, Weaver referenced this feeling of community outside of just biological families.
“Definitely to have pride in and respect for your neighborhood,” Weaver said.
-Staff Writer Emma Discher can be reached at 448-7636 or emma.discher@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmadischer.

Hundreds celebrate Central Lafourche HIgh School's 50th anniversary


Ashley Arnold and Meagan Hebert still remember many of the dances from their time on the dance team at Central Lafourche High School.


The Lafourche Parish Council decided not to override a veto from Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle about a job rule after talking with District Attorney Cam Morvant.
The council voted 5-2 on Aug. 9 that no parish department head can hold more than one position at a time after receiving an opinion from the District Attorney's Office. Cantrelle vetoed the restriction six days later.
“The issue that was before you ... was to pass an ordinance that the parish president could not appoint one person to represent two departments and also require the department heads to be full time,” Morvant said at Tuesday's Parish Council meeting. “Those are issues that are administrative issues that the parish president has the sole authority in the parish charter to deal with. ... I would ask you not to (override the veto).”
Councilman Jerry Jones, who proposed the initial item, then pulled it from discussion.
This discussion has previously been directed at Tommy Lasseigne, who is both the finance director and the human resources director.
Jones had also put an item on the unanimous agenda for later in the meeting to rescind the approval of Lasseigne as finance director and human resources director. He also pulled that item when it came up.
-Staff Writer Emma Discher can be reached at 448-7636 or emma.discher@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmadischer.

Lafourche Council decides against veto override on job rule


The Lafourche Parish Council decided not to override a veto from Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle about a job rule after talking with District Attorney Cam Morvant.


Louisiana has recorded its first cases of West Nile this summer, and officials are asking residents to take precautions as heavy rain and flooding have increased breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the disease.
Fourteen cases have been confirmed across the state, none in Terrebonne and Lafourche, the state Health Department reported Monday. Of those, eight are dangerous infections of the brain or other parts of the nervous system, four are flu-like West Nile fever, and two were detected by blood tests in people with no symptoms.
Three of the more-serious cases were reported in Calcasieu Parish, two in Caddo and one each in Beauregard, East Baton Rouge and Ouachita. The West Nile fever cases are in Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes, and the cases detected by blood tests are in East Baton Rouge and Vernon parishes
“These West Nile infections all occurred before the recent flooding," state epidemiologist Dr. Raoult Ratard said in a news release. "I do not expect that we will see as many cases as we’ve seen in past as we are having a late start to the time of the year when we normally begin to see people getting West Nile virus infections.”
The Health Department also confirmed three additional cases of the Zika virus in Louisiana residents who contracted the illness while traveling, bringing the total to 26.
So far, all of Louisiana's confirmed Zika cases are travel-related, though officials say the mosquitoes that carry the disease, which can damage the brains of developing babies in pregnant women, are abundant across the state, especially in coastal areas like Terrebonne and Lafourche.
Though they escaped the flooding that inundated other parts of the state, Terrebonne and Lafourche have seen above-average rainfall this month.
Through Monday, Houma had seen 11.56 inches of rain, 4.2 inches more than normal for August, according to Accuweather. Thibodaux has recorded 16.97 inches, 9.41 inches above the norm. Galliano has seen 11.61 inches, 4.03 inches higher than the August average.
Dr. Frank Welch,the Health Department's medical director of community preparedness, said recent floods east and north of Houma-Thibodaux increase the risk of West Nile virus. He said the number of mosquitoes will drop initially because the floods drowned most of the larvae, as the waters reside, the insects will return and their numbers will increase due to standing water left behind.
“We can expect to see an increase in many types of mosquitoes after flooding, and also in the mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus," Welch said. “The mosquitoes that can carry Zika virus are located in the region in and around New Orleans, which were not impacted by the floods. However, there has been a lot of rain in the New Orleans area, which does foster the environment where the Zika virus mosquito thrives."

La. records summer's first cases of West Nile


Louisiana has recorded its first cases of West Nile this summer, and officials are asking residents to take precautions as heavy rain and flooding have increased breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the disease.


A tropical depression appeared to be taking a turn toward Florida late tonight, while local officials said it's a reminder about the importance of having a plan in place as hurricane season reaches its historical peak.
Tropical Depression 9, which Houma-Thibodaux residents and officials have watched for days, was about 375 miles west of the Florida Keys, according to the National Hurricane Center. Sustained winds were expected to reach tropical storm strength of 39 mph today. If they do, it would be named either tropical storm Hermine or Ian, depending on whether another depression in the Atlantic off the Carolinas beats it to that strength.
The Gulf storm was heading west-northwest at 5 mph, the Hurricane Center said.
"It will turn to the north as the trough of low pressure over the eastern U.S. pulls it north," WWL-TV meteorologist Dave Nussbaum said in an online forecast this evening. "Forecast models still show a cold front moving into the southeast U.S., and this will turn the storm to the northeast, away from Louisiana."
The storm was expected to hit Florida on Thursday somewhere between Panama City and the Tampa area, the Hurricane Center said.
Nussbaum said sustained winds should be around 65 mph at landfall. Storms become hurricanes when sustained winds reach 74 mph.
Terrebonne and Lafourche officials said they continue to monitor the storm and prepare for any effects. The latest forecast predicted that the only impact on the Houma-Thibodaux area would be tides that run 1-2 feet above normal.
Terrebonne Parish President Gordy Dove said the parish is ready in case the storm fails to make the turn in the forecast and instead threatens Louisiana.
“It doesn't look like it's going to hit us, but all my departments are still working as if it's coming at us,” Dove said. “Until it turns, we'll be on 100 percent guard and ready to go. You never know when these systems are going to turn on you.”
For Terrebonne, this dress rehearsal of sorts is especially important because the Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee system finally serves as a complete barrier, without any gaps, to buffer the parish against storm surges.
“We're ready with our levees,” Dove said. “We mobilized about six contractors to shore up all the levees. For the first time in the history of Terrebonne Parish, we can close in the entire 35-mile system.”
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Historically, August and September are the most active months.
-- Staff Writer Emma Discher can be reached at 448-7636 or emma.discher@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmadischer.

Gulf storm appears to begin turn away from La.


A tropical depression appeared to be taking a turn toward Florida late tonight, while local officials said it's a reminder about the importance of having a plan in place as hurricane season reaches its historical peak.


It's a hot, steamy summer across much of the United States, and mosquito bites are as much a part of the season as backyard barbecues. This year, though, daily headlines remind us that a bite can bring more than an irritating itch.
Mosquitoes can be highly efficient disease-transmission machines. The outbreak of Zika virus in parts of Miami has put pregnant women there at risk.
Mosquitoes can also transmit West Nile virus, dengue fever and chikungunya, another viral illness finding its way into the United States.
Separating fact from fancy can help us better protect ourselves against mosquito bites and the diseases they can spread.
Myth No. 1: Mosquitoes find everyone equally tasty.
Female mosquitoes don't much care who they bite; they're just out for blood, which they need to produce eggs. This has led some people to conclude that the bugs don't show any preference when it comes to their victims. NBC News, for example, explained that mosquitoes are drawn to CO2, which all of us produce. BugOfff.com, a site about insect pests, says it's a myth that "mosquitoes choose who to bite."
But research has shown that some mosquito species prefer certain types of people. The insects rely primarily on smell to find prey, and female mosquitoes seem to flock to certain individuals over others based on differences in the odoriferous chemicals produced by the human body. One study in Gambia, for example, found that pregnant women were especially attractive to the Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit malaria. Another study in Burkina Faso found that beer consumption increased subjects' attractiveness to the same type of mosquitoes.
That doesn't mean you can change your diet to change your smell. You won't stop a skeeter, for example, by eating garlic or taking vitamin B supplements, studies suggest. And there aren't clear, consistent dietary explanations for why some people seem to be mosquito magnets.
Myth No. 2: You're safe if you spend most of your time in air conditioning.
When Zika was discovered in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised pregnant women to stay inside, in air conditioning. Prevention magazine says avoiding the outdoors, at least at certain times of the day, is one of the best ways to avoid exposure.
It's true that spending the bulk of your time inside, with doors and windows shut, will lower your risk. Buildings without air conditioning and window screens are contributing to mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas.
But that doesn't mean mosquitoes can't be a problem inside. Some, especially the Aedes aegypti mosquito which can carry Zika and dengue, can live in nooks and crannies in homes and yards. One exterminator wrote about discovering mosquitoes breeding in boiler rooms and potted-plant containers. On another blog, a homeowner vividly described the mosquito population he found in his bathroom. "Right now the mosquitoes are much worse inside of our house than outside," he wrote. "Yes we have screens. Yes we keep our doors closed. But these ones come from within." That's why, in high-risk areas, experts recommend sleeping under mosquito netting at night, particularly for infants.
Myth No. 3: You're safe from mosquitoes if you're not near a swamp.
Most mosquito species crave warm weather and moist soil or still water to lay their eggs. This makes swamps particularly appealing - as one website explains, mosquitoes "most commonly infest ponds, marshes, swamps and other wetland habitats." Some people have even suggested draining wetlands to cut down on these pests.
In reality, that would do little to reduce mosquito populations. Many species don't need a swamp to reproduce; some are more comfortable in human habitats. Aedes aegypti prefers the company of humans - so much easier to find blood. Female Aedes aegypti chiefly lay their eggs in artificial containers with vertical walls and a bit of standing water. They find the perfect incubators in those flower pots, tires, buckets, planters, toys, birdbaths, empty garbage cans and lids in our yards and on our decks. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae drop down into the water, where they mature into adult mosquitoes. This is why it's so important to check your house, yard and neighborhood weekly for these kinds of containers. Empty and scrub them. Turn them over, cover them, dry them out or throw them out.
Even mosquitoes born in swamps can pose a danger to humans who don't live nearby. The species Aedes sollicitans prefers stagnant salt marshes along the ocean for its eggs and larvae. However, the insect can fly 10 miles or more inland to find animals or people to bite.
Myth No. 4: Mosquitoes hate citronella candles, bats and Listerine.
The Internet is awash in ideas for repelling mosquitoes. Websites sell wooden bat homes for back yards, promising that their omnivorous occupants will devour the pesky bugs. Emails circulate suggesting that a bowl of water with a few drops of liquid soap, a spray of Listerine or half a lemon stuffed full of cloves will keep the bloodsuckers away. Amazon even sells an "eco friendly" device that emits ultrasonic waves to fight the bugs.
Unfortunately, most of these "natural" solutions provide little, if any, relief. Take citronella candles - Harry Savage of the CDC told CNN that they don't do much. "To me," he said, "citronella only protects the candle." Ditto with mouthwash, bats (which don't consume enough mosquitoes to make a measurable difference) and ultrasonic waves.
Research shows that the best mosquito repellents are Environmental Protection Agency-registered sprays for use on the body, such as products that contain DEET or picaridin. (Groups like the CDC, Consumers Union and Environmental Working Group offer useful guides.) As one expert noted, "Many, many studies throughout the world have shown that botanical based repellents provide substantially less protection against biting mosquitoes than DEET or Picaridin."
Additionally, it's not enough to take precautions only at night. Sure, mosquitoes such as those in the Culex genus, which can spread West Nile virus, tend to attack after dusk. But others, including Aedes aegypti, bite by day.
Myth No. 5: We should wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are killed by mosquito-borne diseases. In the past decade, malaria claimed the lives of 6 million people; as Bill Gates explained, the illness "threatens half of the world's population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually." These staggering costs have led several experts to suggest that we make mosquitoes extinct. "It's time to kill all the mosquitoes," Slate wrote. "It's time for mass mosquito-cide."
In reality, though, total extinction of all mosquito species could be risky and almost impossible. First, not all mosquitoes are problematic - although there are about 3,500 varieties, only 200 or so bite us. Additionally, in many places, such as the Arctic, the bugs are a vital source of food for animals.
Mosquitoes are also tenaciously resilient, and they live in close contact with human communities. Pesticides alone are not an answer, as there can be enormous risks to human and ecological health from misuse of pesticides, and mosquitoes can often develop resistance. "There is going to be no silver bullet that is going to eradicate them all," Joseph M. Conlon, technical adviser to the American Mosquito Control Association, told Vice. "There is going to be some environmental damage and possibly in ways we couldn't even predict."
In the future, experts say, we might be able to limit certain species of mosquitoes using genetic modification to make them infertile. But even that could be a challenge - the number of modified mosquitoes you'd have to release would be phenomenal.
-- Kim Knowlton is the senior scientist and deputy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Science Center.

5 myths about mosquitoes (You probably believe at least one)


It's a hot, steamy summer across much of the United States, and mosquito bites are as much a part of the season as backyard barbecues. This year, though, daily headlines remind us that a bite can bring more than an irritating itch.


A 2013 federal lawsuit against the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority over the executive director's alleged sexual harassment of an employee has been settled.
Tyrikia Porter filed the lawsuit Sept. 19, 2013, in U.S. District Court in New Orleans
On Aug. 19, 2014, U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel E. Knowles III granted the defendant's request to dismiss the case. The next day, he issued a judgment in favor of the defendants.
Porter filed an appeal with the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which on Nov. 17 reversed Knowles' ruling.
On Aug. 1, Knowles signed an order of dismissal, saying "all of the parties to this action have firmly agreed upon a settlement and compromise, and that they need only execute releases and deliver funds in accordance with their agreement."
This story will be updated.

Housing Authority sexual harassment lawsuit settled


A 2013 federal lawsuit against the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority over the executive director's alleged sexual harassment of an employee has been settled.


The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store is set to hold a grand re-opening event to celebrate longer store hours at 10 a.m. Sept. 9.
Customers asked that the thrift store extend its hours of operation and Lee Landry, who became the store's manager three months ago, decided to accommodate the request beginning last week. The store is now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
Landry assumed the role of manager after James and Phylles Lagarde retired after 30 years of service to St. Vincent.
"I have some big shoes to fill," Landry said.
The thrift store is the project of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Diocesan Council of Houma-Thibodaux and provides a place to shop economically.
The grand re-opening event, which will feature a ribbon cutting and a storewide sale, will include Bishop Sheldon Fabre giving the opening prayer before board President Pete Cavalier and Landry speak about the society and their plans for the store. Landry said he hopes at the store will be able to expand.
“Hopefully, it’s going to be a year or two. If I’m there long enough I’m planning to have another store, but that’s in the future," he said.
The money St. Vincent de Paul makes from its thrift store is used to operate the store and the society's pharmacy for the needy that it opened in 2001.
Several area parishes support St. Vincent de Paul. According to the council’s rules, anyone needing aid must first be visited by their home parish representatives.

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store plans reopening event


The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store is set to hold a grand re-opening event to celebrate longer store hours at 10 a.m. Sept. 9.


In other Terrebonne Parish Council action: Aug. 24, 2016
The following is a rundown of action taken by the Terrebonne Parish Council at Wednesday’s council meeting. All members were present, and all votes were unanimous unless otherwise stated.
Action: Commended Dr. Donaldo Batiste on his retirement from public service.
Action: Heard a presentation by Parish President Gordon Dove & engineer O’Neil Malbrough regarding restoration and protection projects in Terrebonne Parish.
Action: Lee Landry addressed the council regarding the grand re-opening of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store on Sept. 9 at 10 a.m.
Action: Declared a property located at 617 Hobson St. as surplus and authorized disposal.
Action: Declared one 2003 Daewoo marsh buggy from the Forced Drainage Division with a value in excess of $5,000 as surplus and authorized disposal.
Action: Amended the 2016 Adopted Operating Budget and Budgeted Positions for the following: Houma Police Department, $6,131; General Fund-Holiday Decorations, $36,500; Planning and Zoning, ($116,000); Recreation, ($25,000); Human Resources, ($19,850); Risk Management, ($5,910); Houma Fire Department, ($60,000); Juvenile Detention Center, ($63,700).
Action: Authorized the parish president to enter into and execute an agreement with any political subdivision or agency wishing to lease space in the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Justice Complex for housing juvenile detainees.
Action: Appointed Anthony J. Alford Insurance Corp. as agent of record for Dearborn and Prudential Insurance Co. to handle employee benefits for short-term disability, long-term disability, basic life and voluntary life insurance coverage.
Action: Amended the Zoning Ordinance, Section 28-1, definitions to include accessory dwelling units and Section 28-47, residential districts, to establish accessory dwelling units as a use by right.
Action: Approved renewal of the application for the restoration tax abatement for RICO 6, LLC.
Action: Appointed Gary Beeson to the Recreation District No. 2-3 Board.
Action: Appointed Arnold Adams and Karen Moore to the Recreation District No. 1 Board.
Action: Appointed Edward Domangue and Edward Pontiff to the Terrebonne Parish Veterans Memorial District Board.
Action: Appointed Michael Garcia, Priscilla Larpenter and Bobby Barthel to the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority.
Action: Appointed Katie Sims, Trudy Hebert and David Tauzin to the Houma Board of Adjustments.
Action: Appointed Robert Landry to the Houma Terrebonne Airport Commission.
Action: Delayed an appointment to a vacancy on the Fire District No. 5 Board for two weeks.
Action: Delayed an appointment to a vacancy on the Fire District No. 8 Board for two weeks.
Action: Delayed an appointment to a vacancy on the Fire District No. 10 Board for two weeks.
Action: Announced one vacancy on the Recreation District No. 6 Board.
Action: Announced one vacancy on the Houma Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.


The following is a rundown of action taken by the Terrebonne Parish Council at Wednesday’s council meeting. All members were present, and all votes were unanimous unless otherwise stated.


In other Terrebonne Parish Council action: Aug. 24, 2016


They can recite the histories of the residents of the St. John’s Historic Cemetery in Thibodaux as easily as their own.
These men are the core of the group that preserves and restores the cemetery at 718 Jackson St. They serve as the St. John’s Historic Cemetery Association president, vice president and cemetery warden.
Over the past four years, they have restored the cast iron gates, preserved 25 graves and installed about 25 signs marking the burial sites of historic people including Gov. Francis T. Nicholls. Others buried there are Richard Henry Allen, a 19th century owner of Rienzi Plantation; Silas T. Grisamore, Indiana native and newspaperman-politician; Georgiana Suthon, an early missionary to Japan; and veterans dating back to the War of 1812.
“They don’t have a spokesman,” Strausser said. “We have to be their spokesmen.”
There are more projects planned, such as installing signs for the names of the paths, adding more grave markers and restoring more tombs. They want to ultimately ensure that the historical significance of the area carries on.
“If you don’t embrace the history, it’s lost,” church member James Bourgeois said. “If we don’t tell our children and pass it on it’s gone forever.”
Bourgeois also works on the cemetery’s projects as a contractor at cost. He became involved with the association because of his father who was on the board and is now buried in the cemetery.
The group faces many unique challenges associated with restoration and preservation of the cemetery that was created in 1843. The masonry work requires special and personalized cleaning and plans. Many of the stones are of different materials and sizes that need to be matched before some can be replaced. Common cleaning supplies also can’t be used because they can damage the stones. So soft cleaners like horse shampoo need to be used.
The roots of the oak trees that line the cemetery have also grown into the fences and graves, which presents another dilemma as both require preservation.
The work costs thousands of dollars per project. To clean, repair and preserve a single grave can cost from $3,000 to $25,000. The association works with specialized workers around the state for a quote and then submits financial requests to dozens of associations.
“It’s hard to do everything at once,” Plater said. “You just hope you live long enough to do everything.”
More information about the association and its work can be found at http://www.stjhca.org/.
-Staff Writer Emma Discher can be reached at 448-7636 or emma.discher@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmadischer.

Association takes care of St. John's Historic Cemetery in Thibodaux


David Plater, Michael Strausser and David Cassard are living history books.


NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Fire Department says two bodies have been found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain just north of the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.
Spokesman Gregory Davis said the Cessna was pulled from the water Tuesday morning by a crane and the aircraft was placed on a barge. He said the bodies of the pilot and one passenger were in the plane's cabin.The passenger was identified as Reginald Hillard Jr., 25, by family members. The pilot was identified as Jim Biondo, 58, of Thibodaux.
"They said that he was in the plane. I still didn't believe it," said Reginald Hillard Sr., of Baton Rouge, who was at the lakefront.
Hillard Sr. was told of the official identification minutes after the plane was pulled from the water three days after the crash.
Relatives said Reginald was afraid of flying, but put aside his fears when his girlfriend, Briana Davis, surprised him with an aerial tour of the city.
A family member said Reginald was able to unbuckle Davis from her seat and push her out of the aircraft after it hit the water.
Davis was able to get out of the sinking plane and was rescued by a nearby boater.
"The couple had hired the aircraft to take them on a night time flight around the city of New Orleans," said Lakefront Airport Director Ben Morris.
"They did that, they were coming back in, and again, it appears they hit a little rain shower, a very significant rain shower, a rainstorm. They were making their approach to the airport, and at that point, they disappeared off the radar."
"It's a very sad thing because she did tell us that she and her boyfriend were holding hands when she slipped out of the aircraft," Morris said.
Family members were at the site as the plane was pulled from the water and lifted onto the barge.
Divers located the plane just 1,000 feet short of the Lakefront Airport runway Sunday.
A crane mounted on a barge was brought in Monday evening to lift the plane out of the water.

Thibodaux pilot's body recovered from plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain, authorities say


NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Fire Department says two bodies have been found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain just north of the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.


Terrebonne Parish officials are working to get contractors to raise a levee in Chauvin to provide better flood protection.
The Ward 7 Levee from Thompson Road to Boudreaux Canal was built wide but short. As part of the parish’s plan to raise the levee to 10 feet, the footprint of the levee needed to be widened to provide a certain slope for stability.
"The problem with this levee is they've cut this levee down and widened it, but it doesn't have a lot of height. We're going to see if we can't get them to pick it up a little bit," Parish President Gordy Dove said. "It's probably about 5 or 6 feet, but I'd feel a lot safer if it was 8 or 9 feet."
With hurricane season beginning to be more active, it is vital the levee is high enough to provide enough protection, Parish Councilman Dirk Guidry said. Meteorologists are watching an area of low pressure that could turn into a tropical storm and make its way into the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days.
"It’s critical to Bayou Little Caillou with this storm coming and Morganza not quite finished. They’re getting it real wide, but to get it wide, they’ve had to knock it down. We need a little bit more protection. If we had another year without any hurricanes, I wouldn’t worry about. But in this situation we need to see what we can do," he said.
The upgrades will give residents additional protection from Lake Boudreaux, which has seen severe erosion in recent years, increasing the risk of flooding during storms.
The $14.8 million, 13-mile project has been paid for through Community Building Development Grant money and has undergone major renovations since hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Gustav and Ike in 2008.
A marsh creation project is also underway for mitigation of the levee between Lashbrooke Street and Boudreaux Canal. The work involves creating 35 to 38 acres of intermediate marsh by dredging sediment from Lake Boudreaux.

Parish officials want to raise Chauvin levee


Terrebonne Parish officials are working to get contractors to raise a levee in Chauvin to provide better flood protection.


A Terrebonne Parish councilman wants to get state aid to build a new recreation center in the Village East/Lafayette Woods area of Houma and to renovate the Mechanicville gym.
A recreation center in Village East is a major need, Councilman John Navy said.
"Everyone knows one of the biggest outcries in that area is that we don't have any positive places for our kids to go to, to do recreation and other things that kids should be allowed to do," he said, "I'm trying to give the kids in that area a positive place to go to and have."
Last October, the parish christened a new multi-purpose center in Mechanicville, but the gym itself has not seen major renovations since it was built in the 1970s, outside of some work done by the Sheriff's Office trusty program.
Besides minor face-lift fixes, the Mechanicville gym is in need of a new air-conditioning unit, a new roof, new bleachers and other upgrades. The money may not be available to build an entirely new gym, but Navy is confident the money can be found in state construction money to renovate the gym.
"It's a lot of work that needs to be done. We don't have the money to build a new gym, but I'm submitting an application to at least allow us to renovate that gym. We'll have the new multi-purpose center and a renovated gym that'll be comparable to any gym in Terrebonne Parish," he said.
Recreation centers provide a safe haven for young people to stay out of trouble, Navy said.
"With all the shootings that have been going on and people complaining about the shootings, and the black-on-black crime and all the other stuff that’s been going on. We need to stop talking and put up some action and start putting up positive places for the kids," he said.

Councilman seeks money for building, upgrading recreation centers


A Terrebonne Parish councilman wants to get state aid to build a new recreation center in the Village East/Lafayette Woods area of Houma and to renovate the Mechanicville gym.


Lafourche voters will decide Dec. 10 whether to limit parish presidents' and council members' terms in office.
This story was corrected to show the correct number of terms that council members and parish presidents would be eligible to serve consecutively under the new proposal.
The Parish Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night to send the issue to voters.
If approved, council members could serve up to three consecutive four-year terms. Parish presidents could serve up to two consecutive terms. The measure would take effect with terms that begin in 2020.
“As far as freedom and democracy it seems like a fleeting thing these days,” said Councilman Bo Melvin, who cosponsored the measure with member Corey Perrillioux. “I believe in letting the people vote. We're not putting term limits. We're giving them the freedom to choose. This is all about freedom and letting them choose.”
Both are first-term council members. Melvin ran for office in support of term limits; Perrillioux said he supported the idea after voters in his district reached out to him about it.
Proponents contend term limits ensure new members with different plans and ideas can get elected, some arguing that political office was never meant to be a career.
Daniel Lorraine, in his ninth term and 33rd year representing south Lafourche on the council, cast the sole dissenting vote. He said voters already have the right to limit candidates' terms and mandating limits takes away choices.
Under the proposal, council members or parish presidents who reach the maximum number of consecutive terms could run again after sitting out four years.
Thibodaux voters passed a similar Home Rule Charter amendment in March, limiting City Council members to three consecutive four-year terms. Terrebonne voters enacted two-term limits for council members and the parish president in the mid-1990s.

Lafourche voters to decide on term limits for council, parish president


Lafourche voters will decide Dec. 10 whether to limit parish presidents' and council members' terms in office.


Louisiana metro area unemployment rates: Alexandria: 7.2 percent, unchanged from June and up from 6.8 percent in July 2015. Baton Rouge: 5.9 percent, down from 6 percent in June and up from 5.7 percent in July 2015. Hammond: 7.8 percent, down from 8 percent in June and up from 7.5 percent in July 2015. Houma-Thibodaux: 7.2 percent, down from 7.4 percent in June and up from 5.8 percent in July 2015. Lafayette: 7.8 percent, down from 8 percent in June and up from 6.6 percent in July 2015. Lake Charles: 5.5 percent, down from 5.6 percent in June and from July 2015. Monroe: 6.8 percent, down from 7 percent in June and from 6.9 percent in July 2015. New Orleans: 6.4 percent, unchanged from June and up from 6.3 percent in July 2015. Shreveport: 7.3 percent, down from 7.4 percent in June and up from 7.2 percent in July 2015. -- Source: Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The jobless rate for the metro area, comprised of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, was 7.2 percent, down slightly from 7.4 percent in June and up from 5.8 percent a year ago, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported today.
In July, the area was down 3,800 jobs compared to a year ago, the figures show. But compared to July 2014, when crude prices began the decline that has decimated jobs locally and throughout the global oil industry, Houma-Thibodaux has lost 8,500 jobs.
The number of nonfarm jobs in the area now totals 93,300. In July 2014, that number was 101,800.
For the 18th straight month, oilfield jobs were down compared to a year earlier. However, numbers held steady in some oilfield job categories between June and July.
Locally, oil and gas exploration and production jobs totaled 6,800 in July, the same as June but down 1,200, or 15 percent, from a year ago, according to the report. Oilfield service jobs rose by 100 for the month to total 5,900, but that was still down 1,100, about 16 percent, compared to a year ago.
Another oilfield-related category called "support activities for transportation," which includes mostly jobs in the area's offshore maritime industry, employed 5,500 people in July, down 100 for the month and 600 for the year.
Administrative and support services, which also includes mostly oilfield-related workers, employed 3,500 people locally in July, down 100 for the month and 300 for the year.
Among other figures in Friday's report:
-- Louisiana's unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in July, down from 7 percent in June and up from 6.6 percent a year ago.
-- The U.S. jobless rate in July, 5.1 percent, held steady for the month and was down from 5.6 percent a year ago.
-- Terrebonne's jobless rate was 7.4 percent in July, down from 7.7 percent in June and up from 6.1 percent a year ago.
-- Lafourche posted a 6.9 percent unemployment rate last month, down from 7.0 in June but up from 5.5 percent in July 2015.


Houma-Thibodaux lost 700 jobs last month as a two-year oil-industry downturn continues, new state figures show.


Fees at Start Corp.'s clinic at 420 Magnolia St. will be income-based. However, patients will not be required to have insurance. It also serves as a state-authorized Medicaid enrollment site.
Nicki Carter, a licensed practical nurse at the clinic, said the facility is needed in the community.
"I did not realize the homeless population in Houma was as big as it is. This is kind of a one-stop shop for people where they come to get some of the much needed services they need," she said.
The clinic, financed through a federal grant, has added mental health services and is renovating the building to allow for dental services. With mental health disorders and homelessness going hand in hand, it is important to have behavioral health care at the clinic, Carter said.
When events like the flooding in Lafayette and Baton Rouge happen, clinics such as Start's allow people who've lost everything to replace their medication if they don't have the means to.
"Situations like recent events in Baton Rouge cause people to be displaced and, of course, lose everything. Clinics like ours provide for everybody, but really the people who don't have the means to go and repurchase medications lost or go pay another copay to replace them," said Hannah Tranchina, a nurse practitioner at the clinic.
The clinic takes some of the burden off emergency rooms when it comes to non-emergency illnesses.
"Instead of going to the emergency for the common cold, they can come here and be treated for those things that don't necessarily warrant an emergency room visit," Carter said. "People turn to the ER because they can't afford a doctor visit copay or the full visit. We allow them to come here and be treated for those things at a lower cost or free."
"We also take care of their overall health and prevent some diseases from happening and help to manage some things they may have," Tranchina added.
In addition to remodeling the Start Opportunity Center to house the clinic, the nonprofit is providing some services in the community for people who have trouble getting to the clinic. It also offers transportation services for people who need a ride to the clinic and housing assistance services.

Houma clinic opens to serve the uninsured


A new health clinic has opened in Houma to serve homeless, uninsured and under-insured people.


BATON ROUGE -- David Duke, the white suprematist candidate for the U.S. Senate, over the weekend asked voters to back him and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The Trump campaign quickly disavowed Duke's support in the robocalls made to Louisiana voters. CNN reported Monday that the Trump campaign had no "knowledge of these calls." The campaign went on to condemn Duke's stances, tweeting: "There is no place for this in the Republican Party or our country."
Earlier this year, Duke caused trouble by praising the Republican presidential standard bearer, causing Trump to reject the endorsement several times over several days.
Running as a Republican from Mandeville, Duke is one of two dozen candidates seeking this fall to replace U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, who is stepping down at the end of his term in January.
"I'll tell the truth that no other candidate will dare say," Duke said in the recorded message. "Unless massive immigration is stopped now, we'll be out numbered and outvoted in our own nation."
In addition to immigration, Duke also touched on issues raised by Trump -- high taxes and threatened gun rights -- on the presidential campaign trail.
Duke said when qualifying for the Senate race in July that he is running as an advocate for European Americans.
"We're losing our country," Duke continued. "Look at the Super Bowl salute to the Black Panther cop killers. It's time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me David Duke for the U.S. Senate."
Duke told the website BuzzFeed News Monday that "Everyone is saying they're voting for Duke and Trump."
Duke was a leader of a Ku Klux Klan faction in the 1970s. He ran strong, but losing campaigns for the U.S. Senate and Louisiana governor in the early 1990s. He pleaded guilty in 2002 on to the felony charge of filing a false tax return, though he contends he didn't do it, and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.

David Duke backs Donald Trump in robocalls to Louisiana voters


BATON ROUGE -- David Duke, the white suprematist candidate for the U.S. Senate, over the weekend asked voters to back him and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.


The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal on Thursday declared unconstitutional a search warrant that led to the Aug. 2 raid of a Houma Police officer's home as part of an investigation into an anti-corruption website.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office searched Wayne Anderson's home on St. Francis Street while looking into a defamation complaint by the parish's insurance agent, Tony Alford, over the blog ExposeDAT. State District Judge Randy Bethancourt signed the search warrant and upheld his authorization in an Aug. 5 hearing.
ExposeDAT began publishing articles about local public figures – including Sheriff Jerry Larpenter, Parish President Gordy Dove and District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. – and their business dealings in late June. The website can be viewed at http://exposedat.in/wp/.
Someone using the pseudonym John Turner created the blog. Anderson, a former Terrebonne sheriff's deputy, denies involvement.
Houma attorney Jerri Smitko and Thibodaux attorneys David Ardoin and Matthew Ory are representing Anderson and his wife, Jennifer. They believe the website falls under the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
"The 1st Circuit basically said what we've been saying, that the criminal statute they used is unconstitutional whenever it deals with public figures or matters of public concern," Smitko said. "There's no crime. It's unconstitutional, so the affidavit's no good. They reversed the trial court's decision and granted our motion to quash the search warrant."
'JUSTICE HAS PREVAILED'
Alford's firms broker coverage for the Sheriff's Office and parish government.
He contested a claim that Larpenter continued to pay broker fees to him even as the sheriff's wife, Priscilla, makes a six-figure salary running Alford's office. Alford said the sheriff's brokerage contract is with a firm owned by his business partner, Christian Lapeyre, but he acknowledged that as Lapeyre's partner, he does share in the proceeds.
The ExposeDAT website also says Alford lined up new insurance coverage for the parish government without going through a public bid process and without an authorizing ordinance that the parish attorney has said is required.
Smitko said the appellate court agreed that Alford, as president of the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District, is a public figure.
"Justice has prevailed," she said. "It sends a message to those involved that they cannot violate citizens' rights with impunity, and hopefully it will make the citizens of our parish less fearful about speaking out against matters of public concern."
She said the Andersons may seek damages for the search, which included the seizure of laptop computers and cellphones. The devices were held in the Clerk of Court's Office during the investigation.
Larpenter said Thursday evening that he hadn't seen the 1st Circuit's ruling and would wait to comment after he'd seen it.
Alford said he's accepted the 1st Circuit's ruling.
“That's what they thought, and we have to live with that ruling,” he said. “That's why we have a court system. We're moving on right now.”
THROUGH THE PROCESS
In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan that a state cannot award damages to public officials for defamation related to their official conduct unless they can prove "actual malice." In other words, the person who made the statement must have known it was false and exercised reckless disregard for its truthfulness.
That same year, the high court issued a similar ruling in Garrison v. Louisiana.
The Andersons were never charged with a crime. Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said Wayne Anderson was placed on paid administrative leave for the investigation but returned to work earlier this month.
Smitko and Ardoin filed a lawsuit Aug. 10 in federal court in New Orleans, with Larpenter the only defendant named.
The attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to keep the Sheriff's Office from continuing the investigation and to have the agency return the Andersons' property. They pointed out that Anderson couldn't work details while on leave, affecting his income, and that the investigation harmed his reputation.
Houma attorney Bill Dodd, who provides general counsel for the Sheriff's Office, said the agency withdrew from the criminal matter the day of Bethancourt's hearing.
On Aug. 16, Zainey cited the 1971 U.S. Supreme Court case Younger v. Harris in his reasons for denying Smitko and Ardoin's requests. The high court ruled in that case that a federal court cannot consider constitutional issues while a criminal case is pending in the same matter in state court.
Zainey also pointed out that Bethancourt's authorization of the search was at the center of the complaint, yet the Houma judge was not listed in the lawsuit. He found no legal error on Larpenter's part.
The state Attorney General's Office is handling the case after Waitz recused himself. Representatives did not immediately get back to WWL-TV on whether they plan to appeal the 1st Circuit's decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
-- WWL-TV contributed to this report. Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.
-- WWL-TV contributed to this report. Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.

Appeals court declares ExposeDAT search warrant unconstitutional


The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal on Thursday declared unconstitutional a search warrant that led to the Aug. 2 raid of a Houma Police officer's home as part of an investigation into an anti-corruption website.


Members of Congress are in an unusual position as they demand an explanation for Mylan's 400 percent price hike for the EpiPen and focus attention squarely on its CEO: Heather Bresch.
If lawmakers follow the usual script, Bresch could get called up to Capitol Hill next month to explain her company's justification for raising the price on the life-saving allergy shot. But that could be awkward, since she's the daughter of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
While Bresch's family ties may mute the ire of some lawmakers, others are already asking the company about taxpayers having to foot the bill for these price increases -- particularly after Bresch and the company successfully pushed legislation to encourage use of the EpiPen in schools nationwide.
Mylan is the latest drugmaker to provoke congressional ire for steep price hikes. Martin Shkreli and executives from the company he used to lead, Turing Pharmaceuticals, and executives from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. were called before congressional committees earlier this year to explain why they bought the rights to older drugs that lacked competition and raised the prices.
The Mylan controversy fits a similar pattern. Mylan has increased the price of its EpiPen from about $57 a shot when it took over sales of the product in 2007 to more than $600 for two auto-injectors. But the company's EpiPen is a more mainstream drug used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions from bee stings, food allergies or other triggers, which could give the issue a larger constituency.
Mylan declined to comment when asked to explain the price hike or Bresch's role in promoting legislation. Manchin's office also didn't respond to requests for comment.
Members in both chambers expressed outrage this week.
"I am deeply concerned by this significant price increase for a product that has been on the market for more than three decades, and by Mylan's failure to publicly explain the recent cost increase, which places a significant burden on parents, schools and other purchasers of the EpiPen," Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said Tuesday in a statement, noting that he is a parent of a child with severe allergies.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who has asked the company to lower its prices, is holding an event on Wednesday where he will call for investigations by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Federal Trade Commission into potential antitrust violations and deceptive and illegal trade practices.
Congressional anger may be fueled by the company's tactics in pushing legislation that helped boost the use of EpiPens.
Mylan spent about $4 million in 2012 and 2013 on lobbying for access to EpiPens generally and for legislation, including the 2013 School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, according to lobbying disclosure forms filed with the Office of the Clerk for the House of Representatives. Mylan also was the top corporate sponsor of a group called Food Allergy Research & Education that was the key lobbyist pushing for the bill encouraging schools to stock epinephrine auto-injectors, of which EpiPen is by far the leading product.
But Bresch's connections to Capitol Hill already have some lawmakers tiptoeing around the usual Washington blame game.
For example, Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a co-sponsor of the 2013 schools bill, asked Bresch in a letter Monday to explain the "shocking price increases."
However, in an interview Tuesday, he was less eager to talk about Bresch herself or the prospect that she might soon be testifying to the committee.
He initially answered during one telephone call that he was unaware that she had any direct involvement in the pricing. Then, in a follow-up call, Blumenthal responded when asked again about the possibility of her coming before Congress by saying, "I am just not going to comment on that."
Bresch, 47, has been CEO of Mylan since 2012 and previously held other senior posts at the company, including as head of government relations. Last year, she had to defend the company after it moved its corporate address overseas to lower its U.S. taxes in a transaction known as an inversion. Now incorporated in the Netherlands, its principal executive office is in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said Tuesday that he assumes Bresch's father, Manchin -- who is not on the Judiciary Committee -- would recuse himself "and put a lot of distance between himself and any investigation" into the matter.
"He'd be unwise to rise to the defense of Mylan," Baker said.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who is running for re-election, also wrote a letter to Mylan saying he was "concerned that the substantial price increase could limit access to a much-needed medication," asking for an explanation by Sept. 6, the day the Senate returns from its seven-week summer recess. Jill Gerber, Grassley's spokeswoman, said in an email that he wants to hear back from Mylan before considering holding a hearing.
Mylan has given away more than 700,000 free EpiPen's to schools since 2012 under a program that allows them to receive four free auto-injectors, the company said in a statement. Yet schools have to use their own funds to purchase additional pens. Mylan declined to comment on the price increases coinciding with legislation to encourage EpiPen use.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, asked the Federal Trade Commission on Monday to look into whether Mylan had done anything to deny competitors access to the market in order to keep raising prices. She pointed to a competitor product, Adrenaclick, that she said is less expensive but has only minimal sales. Klobuchar was also a co-sponsor of the schools bill.
In the House on Tuesday, majority and minority staff members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a meeting after receiving a letter from Representative Grace Meng, a New York Democrat, requesting the panel hold a hearing.
The majority staff scheduled a call with the company, though Democrats on the committee said they were waiting to hear back on whether a hearing will be scheduled.
A spokeswoman for committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah, said that as of Tuesday afternoon no hearing was scheduled. "And no comment beyond that," said the spokeswoman, M.J. Henshaw.
The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said Tuesday that he wants a hearing when lawmakers return from their summer break to Washington in September.
"The recent price increase for EpiPens places a financial burden on those who desperately need this drug to prevent life threatening allergic reactions, which is why we have expressed our desire for an investigation of this issue and for the Committee to hold a hearing in September," Cummings said Tuesday in a statement.

Here's the senator's daughter who raised prices on anti-allergy EpiPen by 400 percent


Members of Congress are in an unusual position as they demand an explanation for Mylan's 400 percent price hike for the EpiPen and focus attention squarely on its CEO: Heather Bresch.


Thibodaux High senior Dwayne Coleman has played football most of his life. As a starting linebacker for the Tigers, he has participated in many important football games in front of thousands of spectators.
But one person who has never seen him play is his mother, Jennifer Coleman.
That changed during Thibodaux's football jamboree game against Assumption on Friday when Jennifer got to watch her son play for the first time.
Jennifer, a 40-year-old Thibodaux native, spent the last 15 years in prison due on second-degree aggravated battery and kidnapping charges. Dwayne, 17, was only 3 when his mother went to prison.
As she walked up to Thibodaux High's football stadium for the first time on Friday, Jennifer said she was overjoyed to get to watch her son play football.
“It's very special. I'm over-excited,” she said. “I'm probably going to cry. I'm really out here. This is really happening. It's been a really long time, and I can't believe I'm really out here. He was only 3 when I left. So now that it's his very last year, I'm just happy to be out here to see him play.”
Dwayne, a key senior leader and potential college football recruit for Thibodaux, said he could barely contain his emotions before the game. He has waited all his life to see his mom attend one of his football games. With it finally taking place, he said it felt like he was in a movie.
“It just felt weird. It just couldn't believe it,” said Dwayne, who led his team with 95 tackles last year. “It just don't feel real at all. I know she was excited to be here. Words can't explain it. It was emotional.”
Jennifer, a mother of four, was scheduled to complete her prison sentence next year but was released early on June 30. Now she's taking advantage of it by catching up on missed time with family.
“It was a mistake,” she said. “It was just like being in the wrong place at the wrong time and following the wrong people, but I'm sorry for the mistakes I made. I've learned a lot from my experience.”
While she was serving her prison sentence, Jennifer said, she heard about her son's success in football from family and friends, which was tough to swallow since she couldn't see him play.
“It hurt real bad. I still cry about it, but I'm here to support him now. I'm so proud of him,” Jennifer said. “I'm glad he's still doing the right thing despite me being in prison. It's nice that I get to see him because I wasn't supposed to get out until next year, but God just made a way for me to come home this year to see my baby play ball. I'm really excited.”
Whenever he visited his mother in prison, Dwayne said she would advise him to stay out of trouble and focus on getting a good education.
“She always encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing,” Dwayne said. “I was hoping that one day she could see me play, and now she's got that chance. God is good.”
Dwayne said he could tell his mother was having the time of her life in the stands watching him play during Friday's game.
“I heard her. I could just tell her voice,” Dwayne said. “From that squeak in the way she screams my name, I could just tell her voice. She was happy to be there. She just couldn't stop screaming.”
Both Jennifer and Dwayne expressed gratitude to family and friends for stepping in to take care of things while she was in prison, including his father, Wayne Morgan, uncle Henry Coleman Jr. and aunt Brenika Coleman.
Dwayne's grandparents, Henry Coleman Sr. and Olivia Coleman, raised him. His grandfather died in a car crash March 4, 2015, and Dwayne said he plays every game in his honor.
“My grandfather meant the world to me,” Dwayne said. “He taught me how to become a man. He passed away last year on March 4. That's why I wear the jersey No. 4, to never forget that day.”
Dwayne said the situation inspired him to take care of his family, including his 8-year-old cousin Dylan Walker, who has a hearing disorder but still plays bantam football.
"He really loves the game," Dwayne said. "He inspires me. He really loves to watch me play and does everything I do. I love him like he's my own child."
Thibodaux will begin its 10-game regular season at 7 p.m. Friday on the road against St. Charles Catholic High in LaPlace.
After missing so many games in the past, Jennifer said she will be there, ready to support her son.
“I'm going to every last one of them. I'm not missing a game,” she said. “All I'm going to be watching is No. 4. I'm going to be the loudest one in the stands. I just hope I don't get too carried away out here screaming too hard. I get too excited.”
And no one will be happier to see her there than Dwayne.
“Every night, I'm ready to give her something good to cheer about,” Dwayne said. “I'm extra motivated to play well for her and give it my all every night. We lost our jamboree game, but she was still happy for me. I'm just happy she was there to see me.”

Out of prison after 15 years, mom watches Thibodaux High student play football for first time


Thibodaux High senior Dwayne Coleman has played football most of his life. As a starting linebacker for the Tigers, he has participated in many important football games in front of thousands of spectators.


The following is a rundown of the action taken by Lafourche Parish Council at Tuesday's meeting. All members were present, and all votes were unanimous unless otherwise noted.
Action: Implemented all 2016 property taxes.
Action: Amended the Lafourche Parish Code of Ordinances for board membership, absences and removal to extend the period of time that an individual must take an oath of office from 30 to 60 days and gave power of discretion to the board to excuse absences. Daniel Lorraine voted no.
Action: Approved servitude, or right of way, agreements with Jerry Ledet and Corina Pitre Ledet, Debbie Elizabeth Toups Head, Dean Toups and Carlotte Pitre Toups and Elbert Bellamy and Anita Pereira Bellamy.
Action: Approved the $310,000 purchase of the Delta Farm boat launch.
Action: Approved the purchase of two lots of land at Heroes Park for $168,600 and $171,000.
Action: Reappointed Morris Guidry to the Fire Protection District 3 board.
Action: Reappointed Bruce Dufrene to the Fire Protection District 2 board.
Action: Approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with the South Central Planning and Development Commission for 2016-17 and membership dues.
Action: Approved an amendment to the engineering agreement with Picciola & Associates for the statewide flood-control program application titled “East Side Drainage Improvements.”
Action: Approved a cooperative endeavor with Drainage District 1 to share the cost of the statewide flood-control program application titled “East Side Drainage Improvements.”
Action: Rescinded an agreement with Sewer District 1 for payment of the construction of a new pump station and repairs.
Action: Approved an agreement with Burk-Kleinpeter for engineering services for the Theriot boat launch bulkhead improvements project.
Action: Rescinded an agreement with the state for a fishing pier project at the Leeville Boat Launch.
Action: Appointed a committee regarding the hiring of a legislative internal auditor.
Action: Increased the budget by $14,760.25 and the deadline by 42 days for the Bayou Lafourche Saltwater Control Structure project.

In other action: Lafourche Parish Council, Aug. 24, 2016


The following is a rundown of the action taken by Lafourche Parish Council at Tuesday's meeting. All members were present, and all votes were unanimous unless otherwise noted.


NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing a political problem as he lays the groundwork to seek billions of dollars in federal recovery aid for Louisiana flood victims.
Cassidy, the first-term GOP senator, was in the U.S. House in January 2013 when he joined 189 other Republicans to vote against a $50 Billion Dollar aid package for Hurricane Sandy victims.
At the time, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, blasted the GOP House members for partisan politics at its worst.
Now that Cassidy and fellow Louisiana Republicans, Reps. Steve Scalise and John Fleming, are asking for federal disaster relief and rebuilding grants for their state, some in the national media are calling them hypocrites.
But Cassidy says he's being consistent.
“I voted for Sandy relief,” he said. “What I didn't vote for was $20 billion or so tacked on as pork unrelated to Sandy relief. ... I want this to be related to disasters, and, obviously, we've had a disaster in our state.”
Cassidy did vote for an early version of Sandy relief that would have cost $17 billion. But as it wound through the legislative process, that plan ballooned to more than $50 billion and ended up including money for NASA and oil spill research, along with other programs that appeared to have little to do with Sandy's destruction.
Conservative critics of the Sandy spending called $16 billion of Community Development Block Grant money split among the affected northeast states and New York City “pork” because of the flexibility for locals to spend the housing aid.
But block grant disaster relief money provided $10 billion for the single largest housing recovery program in U.S. history in Louisiana after Katrina and Rita, the Road Home, and Cassidy said he's in favor of that type of funding for the flood victims of 2016.
“CDBG does have tremendous latitude in how it can be spent, but, in a sense, that increases the complexity. That's not my job; that's the state's job. My job is to advocate once the state has given us that figure,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy questions whether a Road Home-like program, run by state government for all homeowners affected by this month's flooding, would be the best use of the CDBG money this time around. He said he always prefers the money to be controlled at the most local level practical.
After Katrina, city and parish governments were destroyed along with their homes and infrastructure. But in this case, Cassidy said he's confident the parishes affected all have governments that are strong enough to stand up recovery programs of their own.
The senator said state officials are still trying to estimate the full scope of the damage so the congressional delegation can make a unified request to the rest of Congress. Cassidy said he's begun meeting with Senate Appropriations Committee staff members and has a meeting scheduled for Monday with Gov. John Bel Edwards to hash out details.
Still, it may take some time to get to come up with a final ask, he said.
“It's based on estimates, and what you don't want is lowball, right? And it may take a while for that estimate to be made,” Cassidy said, noting that road repair cost estimates require soil samples and other time-consuming work before total damage can be calculated.
Cassidy also called on President Obama to champion Louisiana's needs in Congress and especially with the Army Corps of Engineers, which he wants to move quickly to shore up flood protection in the Amite River basin.
“The president's visit focused national and international attention on the disaster; that was good,” Cassidy said. “We will not know how good the visit is, though, until we see if the president steps up as George W. (Bush) did after Katrina…. We need his personal involvement to make sure the money is there and that the Army Corps obeys the commander in chief.”

La. senator stands by no vote on Sandy relief: 'I'm being consistent'


NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing a political problem as he lays the groundwork to seek billions of dollars in federal recovery aid for Louisiana flood victims.


Jurors must weigh conflicting accounts of what happened April 6, 2015, as a Bayou Blue man charged with aggravated rape stands trial this week in Thibodaux.
Travis Solet's trial began Monday with jury selection in state District Judge John LeBlanc's courtroom. Jury selection continued Tuesday morning, and attorneys gave their opening statements that afternoon.
If convicted, Solet will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Assistant District Attorneys Diana Sanders and Heather Hendrix are prosecuting the case. Thibodaux attorneys Matthew Ory and David Ardoin are representing Solet.
In her opening statement, Sanders told the jury the case met three of the circumstances included in the definition of aggravated rape. She said the alleged victim:
• Resisted "to the utmost," but her resistance was overcome by force.
• Was prevented from resisting by threats of "great and immediate bodily harm" that Solet seemed able to commit.
• Was prevented from resisting because Solet was armed with a dangerous weapon, in this case a handgun.
Among witnesses expected to testify are deputies, detectives, doctors, a family friend who arrived at the crime scene and the alleged victim.
According to a Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office report, the woman said she found Solet in her bathroom before the rape and that he appeared intoxicated.
Ory acknowledged in his opening statement that Solet had consumed alcohol and male enhancement pills the day of the alleged crime. He said he's not denying that Solet and the woman had sex, just that it was nonconsensual.
He disputed Sanders' account that Solet was holding a gun when the woman opened the bathroom door, saying she saw it on the counter. He noted the woman's statements, in which she first alleged a struggle and then said she agreed to have sex with Solet because she was afraid.
Ory said the woman also gave conflicting statements about how the gun ended up under the bed. He argued that it was not a threat because the woman hit Solet with pepper spray prior to the alleged rape, rendering him unable to see where the gun had gone.
During a court hearing Friday, LeBlanc denied the defense's request to exclude Solet's police statement from evidence used in the trial. Prosecutors offered Solet 25 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea, but he refused.
The trial is expected to last through the week.
-- Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.

Bayou Blue man goes on trial on rape charge


Jurors must weigh conflicting accounts of what happened April 6, 2015, as a Bayou Blue man charged with aggravated rape stands trial this week in Thibodaux.


In case you missed it: Last week's top 5 local stories
Here is our ranking of last week's top 5 stories in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes:
1. Warrant used in sheriff's raid ruled unconstitutional
The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal on Thursday declared unconstitutional a search warrant that led to the Aug. 2 raid of a Houma Police officer's home as part of an investigation into a self-described anti-corruption website.The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office searched Wayne Anderson's home on St. Francis Street while looking into a defamation complaint by the parish's insurance agent, Tony Alford, over the anonymous blog ExposeDAT.
State District Judge Randy Bethancourt signed the search warrant and upheld his authorization in an Aug. 5 hearing.
2. Storm threatens
Forecasters and emergency officials continue to watch what is now a tropical depression brewing off Florida that could pose a threat to the Gulf Coast.
Stay abreast of the storm here at houmatoday.com and dailycomet.com.
3. Case ends with plea deal
A Bayou Blue man originally charged with rape pleaded guilty Wednesday to two non-sexual offenses, one of his attorneys said.
Travis Solet, 37, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment while armed with a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse-aggravated assault, said Thibodaux attorney Matthew Ory, who represented Solet with one of his law firm partners, David Ardoin.
State District Judge John LeBlanc of Thibodaux sentenced Solet to 10 years on the first charge and five years on the second, Ory said. That was the maximum sentence he could get on each charge, but it was unclear if the sentences were to run concurrently or consecutively.
Ory said the Lafourche Parish District Attorney's Office offered the amended charges.
4. Nicholls students return to class
The fall semester started Monday at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.
Among events, university President Bruce Murphy and his wife, Jeanne, hosted Party at the Prez Rez at their house on campus to welcome new students on the first day of class.
5. High school football season begins
Teams across Terrebonne and Lafourche squared off Friday night in jamboree games, pre-season matches that signal the start of high school football season.


Here is our ranking of last week's top 5 stories in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes:


In case you missed it: Last week's top 5 local stories


NAPOLEONVILLE – Thibodaux native Allison Leake could not help getting emotional when talking about the place she now lives and works.
The head volleyball coach at St. Amant High School was at the Assumption Community Center on Tuesday leading her team through an eight-team volleyball Hall of Fame exhibition hosted by Assumption High and spoke about how recent flooding has devastated many parts Ascension Parish.
The St. Amant area and St. Amant High were hit extremely hard.
“I am sorry if I cry,” Leake said. “In our area, it's bad. It really is. The devastation. Riding down the road, every single house has all of its belongings just sitting on the street. It is really hard to ride through and not get emotional.”
While Leake, the daughter of former longtime area high school Chip Didier, who also coached volleyball at Nicholls State University, did not have any water in her home, 12 players on the St. Amant team did.
The Baton Rouge Advocate reported 15,000 homes (nearly a third of the homes in the parish) were flooded after the levee along the Amite River was overtopped.
“Our girls are helping each other,” Leake said. “They are helping families, helping friends, helping neighbors. Every kid on our team has had someone affected. If it's not them, it a grandparent, an aunt or an uncle, a friend or another family member. Everybody has somebody.”
During the exhibition on Tuesday, which benefited the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame in Baton Rouge, East Ascension High also participated, and while the school itself did not take on the same damage as St. Amant, many students there were also impacted by the high water.
Rae Broussard is Leake's sister and another of Didier's daughters. She is an assistant volleyball coach at East Ascension High, which is located in Gonzales.
“We didn't have any of our volleyball players flood, but some of our football players and other students and some teachers did flood,” Broussard said. “I used to coach at St. Amant so we have been helping them out. Some of the players at E.D. White (where Leake and Broussard went to high school) came and cleaned some homes. John Curtis donated $1,000 to some families and all the teams (at the Hall of Fame exhibition) donated some stuff.”
Some of the goods the other teams at Tuesday's exhibition (Assumption, H.L. Bourgeois, Central Catholic, Vandebilt Catholic, Terrebonne and Morgan City) donated were cleaning supplies, pillows, plastic crates and all sorts of other items.
“We did not expect that,” Leake said. “Just to see that stuff. There is an entire room and an entire storage room full of stuff. It is so overwhelming.”
Assumption volleyball coach Sandy Fussell said she was glad the teams at the event could help.
“Initially, this event was designed to promote the (Louisiana High School Sports) Hall of Fame building (in Baton Rouge), but it turned into a group effort on behalf of all the teams here,” Fussell said. “East Ascension left with a busload of stuff that they will bring back to the area (and share with St. Amant) and they will bring back another busload (after the Assumption Jamboree today). It was a great afternoon.”
While St. Amant and East Ascension are huge rivalries, the schools have come together after the floods.
St. Amant, which lots thousands of dollars in athletic gear, has been practicing at East Ascension and using some of the Spartans' equipment.
“Ascension Parish is just an unbelievable community,” Leake said. “There are huge rivalries, but whenever anybody needs anything, everybody there to help.”
Leake said she was going to do all she could to make sure St. Amant, a Division I quarterfinal team from a year ago, would have a season, despite lots of uncertainty.
The students at St. Amant will attend Dutchtown High in Geismar on an adjusted daily schedule starting Monday until they can return to school and the sports teams are on track to play their fall seasons.
“It was really hard when everything was going on,” Leake said. “It was devastation after devastation. I had parents texting me asking what we were going to do. The kids were moping around and were depressed. They wondered if we were even going to have a season. I wanted them to know that we would have a season and that I would do everything I could to make sure of it.”
Broussard said Tuesday's exhibition was good for the players and coaches and she appreciates all the local volleyball community has done for their Ascension Parish counterparts.
“It's been rough,” Broussard said. “We have been missing practice. I think the kids are ready to get back to some normalcy. They need the getaway and break of playing volleyball. Playing gets their minds off of things and our volleyball families from Assumption and Thibodaux and all over have just been so helpful to us.”

Thibodaux natives coaching through Ascenion Parish floods


NAPOLEONVILLE – Thibodaux native Allison Leake could not help getting emotional when talking about the place she now lives and works.