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LaGrange Karate Club holds annual exhibition

The LaGrange Karate Club held its annual Exhibition Tuesday at the LaGrange Elementary School Gymnasium. Members of all ages participated in several events. Above, youngsters break boards before parents, relatives, friends and instructors who attended the annual event.

Centerville to travel to Oak Grove

Centerville’s Dravyn Guilbeau makes adjustments after reaching first base Wednesday. No. 15 seed Centerville will travel to take on No. 2 seed Oak Grove Monday at 4 p.m. in the State Class 1-A Baseball regional round.

Arrest Reports 4-28-19

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported the following arrests:
Melissa Anne Castillo, 28, of 599 Katherine St., Jeanerette, was arrested Wednesday at 8:36 a.m. on charges of failure to signal and driving under suspension.
A deputy was traveling westbound on La. 182 approaching Yokely Road in Franklin when he observed a vehicle pass another vehicle without using a turn signal. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and contact was made with the driver, identified as Castillo. A background check revealed Castillo was driving under suspension. She was issued a summons.
Delvin Devon Darby, 26, of 323 Second St., Franklin, was arrested Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. on charges of turning movements and required signals and driving under suspension.
A deputy was patrolling the area of Martin Luther King Boulevard near Bollard Street in Baldwin when he observed a vehicle fail to use the proper turn signal. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and contact was made with the driver, identified as Darby. A background check on revealed Darby was driving under suspension. He was issued a summons.
Albert Joseph Stevens II, 45, of 301 David Road, Bayou Vista, was arrested Wednesday at 11:50 a.m. on warrants for failure to appear for the charge of two counts of issuing worthless checks.
Stevens was located at the Assumption Parish Jail on the above-mentioned warrants. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond was set at $2,000.
Sarah Rosa Cole Ambrose, 28, of 906 Federal Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested Wednesday at 8:33 p.m. on charges of no headlights, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A deputy was patrolling the area of Teche Road at the intersection of La. 182 in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle with only one operational headlight. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and contact was made with the driver, identified as Ambrose. While speaking with Ambrose, the deputy could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. Consent to search her purse was granted. Upon the search of her purse, the deputy located burnt marijuana cigarettes and drug paraphernalia. Ambrose was issued a summons.
Varice Kevin Richardson, 25, of 161 Friendship Alley, Amelia, was arrested Thursday at 12:15 a.m. on the charge of domestic abuse battery and warrants from the Morgan City Police Department for failure to appear on the charge of simple battery and failure to appear on the charge of contempt of court.
A deputy was dispatched to 161 Friendship Alley in Amelia in reference to a disturbance. Upon arrival, the deputy questioned Richardson, who admitted to pushing the victim. A background check on Richardson revealed the active warrants. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $3,102.
John Paul Dehart Jr., 35, of 142 Pitre St., Houma, was arrested Thursday at 2:06 p.m. on warrants for failure to appear on the charge of two counts of criminal neglect of family.
Dehart was located at the Terrebonne Parish Detention Center. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $15,057.
Walter Baker Jr., 57, 616 ½ Twelfth St., Franklin, was arrested Thursday at 3:40 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear for imposition hearing for the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Baker was located at 620 Willow St. in Franklin, on the above-mentioned warrant. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $21,088.
Anthony Tony Bourda Jr., 38, of 511 Seventh St., A, Franklin, was arrested Thursday at 6:06 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear for imposition hearing for the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Bourda was located at 505 Robinson St. in Franklin, on the above-mentioned warrant. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bond has been set at $17,153.

Robert “Bob” William Easter

Robert “Bob” William Easter, 72, passed away Saturday, April 20, 2019.
He leaves his wife of 41 years, Suzanne Broussard Easter; his daughter Nicole Easter Cozadd along with her husband Bill and grandsons William, James and Joseph; as well as his sister Kathy Becker. He is preceded in death by his father John Easter, mother Wilma Easter, father-in-law, Robert James Broussard and sister Lonna Easter Riffle.
Bob was born in Keokuk, Iowa on November 17, 1946. After he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the Navy and served in the Navy five years and 11 months as a nuclear power plant operator aboard the USS Truxtun (CGN-35) during the Vietnam War. He left the Navy and served in the Louisiana National Guard for two years and three months. Bob then attended Northeast Louisiana University (ULM), where he met Suzanne Broussard in Army ROTC. He earned his bachelor’s degree and was commissioned as a U.S. Army engineer officer shortly before their May 14, 1977 wedding. Their first assignment was in Stuttgart, Germany. After returning to the U.S., Bob and Suzanne’s only child, Nicole, was born in 1983. In 1991, Bob graduated from Old Dominion University with a master’s degree in engineering management before returning to Germany. In 1992, after 15 years of active service, Bob retired from the U.S. Army as a major and began his second career as a DOD civilian management analyst in Hanau, Germany. He was transferred from Germany to Ft. Hood, Texas in 1998. In 2018, after 26 years of federal civil service, he retired for a second time and three days later began working for Simply NUC, a local computer company. Bob loved working at Simply NUC and worked there up until the day before passed away.
Saturday, April 20, Bob passed away unexpectedly. We don’t have any answers, but we know he is safe and in heaven right now with Jesus. He dedicated himself to following God, loving his family and serving those around him. He was a loving and committed husband and friend for Suzanne and poured his energy into doing everything for and with his daughter, son-in-law and treasured grandsons. The boys were his pride and joy, the twinkle in his eye and his favorite people to be with. He was so full of energy and life; he relished trying new things and going on adventures. He would take the whole family on miles-long bike rides; swim and rough house with them in the pool; ride the zip line with them. Bob learned to water ski at 70; frequently took us all camping and did all the setup because “that’s what I’m here for.” His absence has been acutely felt, because Bob was such an integral part of our lives. We miss him dearly.

May declared Older Americans Month

Baldwin Mayor Abel “Phil” Prejean, Executive Director of St. Mary Council on Aging Beverly Domengeaux and Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard, pictured above from left, signed a proclamation on Thursday declaring the month of May as Older Americans Month, it was also proclaimed by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

New business will bring new jobs to the parish

Joseph Mount of Infinity Water addressed the St. Mary Parish council Wednesday to announce plans to build a new plant in Morgan City.
Mount said, “What we hope to manufacture here are, chopes—air to water harvesters; and what they do is they capture moisture from the air and make potable drinking water.”
He explained that chopes could capture to manufacture anywhere from 15 to 10,000 gallons of drinking water per day. But, Mount did not stop there. He said his company possesses water cleaning technology as well, which “can clean just about any water there is.”
“We are going to be an international company and we are going to bring some new technology here, and jobs,” he said.
“Our first year we predict about 34 to 36 jobs and about 15 indirect jobs with most of our starting salaries at $15 per hour and above, with healthcare.”
Mount closed by saying he hopes to have the new facility completed by October.
Ahead of Mount’s address, Frank Fink, director of the St. Mary Parish Office of Economic Development, provided councilmembers with a brief update on the parish’s economic outlook.
Fink expressed that the parish is showing signs of recovery from the 2014-2015 oil crash, but also said that recovery is happening slowly.
According to Fink, the prevailing mood among oil company executives seems to be one of optimism amidst rising oil prices.
He went on to say the parish has new parcels of land coming up for sale, rental percentages have gone up in comparison to this time last year, and sales tax collections are up one percent, quarter to quarter, from last year.
“Look, it’s no secret we lost over 5,000 jobs since the oil field collapse, and today, believe it or not, there is a shortage of workers and fitters in the shipyards,” Fink said.
He went on to point to parish-wide gains in industry, as well.
“We’ve had requests for expansions from Lapco in Morgan City,” Fink said, “Bollinger put in for an industrial tax exemption and they added 29 employees last year, and they are coming in for another expansion this year for $1.5 million with an additional 25 employees.”
And, Fink said, add to those the culmination of the Cleco/Cabot project, the West St. Mary Port expansion project and a new truck stop planned for Centerville, showing that the parish’s industrial economy is growing.
In other news, Parish Councilman Craig Mathews requested and was approved an allocation of $13,000 to go toward Recreation District 5 for the 2019 Raintree Preperatory Academy Summer Camp.
Mathews also requested and received an allocation of $5,000 to go toward the town of Baldwin to purchase communication equipment for Baldwin Fire Rescue.
Parish Councilman J Ina requested and received an allocation of $3,250 to go toward the city of Franklin for the Fun Foundation Unlimited Necessities Summer Program.
All three allocations came from Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10s 3/10 percent sales tax fund.
In execution of old business, Mathews appointed Deborah Aymond to the vacancy on the board of commissioners of Recreation District 5.
Lastly, classmates from the Franklin Senior High School Class of 1992 presented fundraising checks to St. Mary Council on Aging and FSHS. The donations were accepted by Beverly Domengeaux, executive director of SMCOA and Ty Burdett, principal at FSHS.

Radio logs for April 26

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.

Thursday, April 25

7:20 a.m. 1900 block of Federal Avenue; Medical.

7:35 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Traffic incident.

8:20 a.m. 1600 block of Chatsworth Drive; Alarm.

8:33 a.m. 1700 block of Youngs Road; 911 hang up.

9:28 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Traffic incident.

10:13 a.m. 700 block of General Hodges Street; Complaint.

10:18 a.m. La. 182 East; Animal complaint.

10:58 a.m. 1200 block of Brashear Avenue; Lost and found.

12:02 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.

12:11 p.m. 2100 block of Maple Street; Suspicious subject.

12:43 p.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Crash.

12:47 p.m. 3200 block of Youngs Road; Burglary.

1:03 p.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Complaint.

1:37 p.m. Myrtle Street and La. 182; Crash.

2:27 p.m. 100 block of McClellan Road; 911 hang up.

5:13 p.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Complaint.

6:15 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Alarm.

6:21 p.m. 600 block of General Patton Street; Stand by.

6:40 p.m. 700 block of Everett Street; Medical.

6:47 p.m. Victor II and Martin Luther King boulevards; Crash.

7:45 p.m. 7000 block of La. 182; Suspicious subject.

8:12 p.m. 200 block of Belanger Street; Complaint.

8:18 p.m. Florence and Seventh streets; Loud music.

8:52 p.m. 400 block of Ninth Street; Disturbance.

8:57 p.m. 100 block of Chennault Street; Complaint.

9:37 p.m. 500 block of Orange Street; Medical.

10:05 p.m. 700 block of Federal Avenue; 911 hang up.

Friday, April 26

2:24 a.m. 500 block of Seventh Street; Theft.

3:49 a.m. 200 block of Arizona Street; Theft.

Lawrence Park Porchfest is Saturday

The fourth annual Lawrence Park Porchfest will be Saturday at Lawrence Park in downtown Morgan City. All proceeds from the event go toward refurbishing the park’s playground.

Porchfest consists of live music being played on porches of homes surrounding the park. Music will begin at 11 a.m.

The Jacques O’Neal 3.17 Mile Run/Walk & Kids Fun Run will be held in conjunction with porchfest. The fun run starts at 8 a.m. and 3.17-mile run begins at 8:30 a.m.

Lawrence Park Porchfest is organized by Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary. Dr. Scott Sicard, a Morgan City dentist, started the fest in 2016 in memory of his son, Jacques O’Neal Sicard, who died in 2015 at just 5 months old. The 3.17-mile race distance represents Jacques’ birthday of March 17.

Sicard got the idea to hold a Porchfest in Morgan City after attending one in Cleveland while he was doing his oral surgery residency there.

X-Treme Athletics’ fair burgers, pastalaya, The Big Chill Sno -Balls, soft drinks, beer and shirts will be sold during the fundraiser. Fun jumps, face painting, train rides and animals from the Morgan City Petting Zoo will also be there.

Hal Bruni will play from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on the porch of Anthony Governale followed by Cliff Hillebran from 12:15-1:30 p.m. on the porch of Ferris and Bonnie Gilmore, Rick Lorenzo from 1:30-2:45 p.m. on the porch of Barry Dufrene, Deric Anslum from 2:45-4 p.m. on the porch of Ed and Bonnie Leonard, The FamBand from 4-5:15 p.m. on the porch of Greenwood Marine Management and Barry Dufrene.

Driftwood will conclude the music from 5:15-7:45 p.m. in the Lawrence Park gazebo. For more information, go to the Lawrence Park Porchfest page on Facebook.

Harry and Meghan’s royal baby: Questions asked and answered

LONDON (AP) — The time is drawing near for the impending birth of the first child for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. The couple is keeping many details about Meghan’s pregnancy and birth plan private and say they don’t know the baby’s gender yet. Here are some key points about what will be the latest addition to the world’s most famous royal family.
HOW WILL WE HEAR ABOUT THE BABY?
Kensington Palace says the press and the public will be informed when Meghan goes into labor.
Harry has resented the often-intrusive coverage of the royals by the British press and he has toned down expectations for what information will be released about the new baby. That means the public won’t be told where Meghan plans to give birth.
Some observers think she will opt for a home birth away from prying eyes at a hospital. Queen Elizabeth II, Harry’s grandmother, had all her children at home but Harry’s brother Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, opted to give birth in a central London hospital.
Harry and Meghan have also indicated they won’t be posing on the hospital steps with their newborn hours after the baby has arrived, breaking with the pattern set by William and Kate. They have indicated it will be several days before they show the baby to the world.
Kate was both praised and trolled for how glamorous she looked greeting the world’s press just hours after each of her three babies’ births.
WILL THE BABY GROW UP TO BE A KING OR QUEEN?
The baby will be seventh in line for the throne, making it very unlikely that he or she will grow up to be the British monarch.
The current heir is Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year-old son. He is followed by William and William’s three young children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Next comes the new baby’s father, Prince Harry, and then the newborn.
WILL THE BABY AT LEAST BE A PRINCE OR A PRINCESS?
This won’t happen automatically. It’s really up to the queen to decide, although Harry and Meghan may also have a say.
A decree issued by King George V in 1917 limits the number of grand royal titles in a way that would make Harry and Meghan’s baby known as a “Lord” or a “Lady” rather than as a prince or princess. They would not become “his royal highness” or “her royal highness” under the current rules.
The queen has the authority, however, to intervene as she did when future king William and his wife Kate started having children. The queen decreed that all of William and Kate’s children, not just the eldest, would be princes and princesses.
She could do the same for Harry and Meghan’s offspring, but the queen’s feelings on that subject have not been made public.
It is also possible that Harry and Meghan could decide they don’t want the special designation for the baby, in order to give their child a more normal upbringing.
WHAT WILL THEY NAME THE BABY?
London’s savvy legal bookmakers believe the baby is likely to be a girl. They had to close betting on the name due to the heavy volume of bets favoring a baby girl.
Many believe that a baby girl would be named Diana, after Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997. Royal babies often get several names so it’s possible that Diana could end up as a middle name.
Other names seen as quite possible include Victoria, Alice, Grace and Elizabeth.
If it’s a boy, speculation abounds that he would be named Albert, Arthur or James.
Meghan is feminist and some believe she could name a girl Eleanor after both Eleanor Roosevelt, the former U.S. first lady who was a champion of women’s rights and civil rights, and Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England in the 12th century.
WILL THE BABY BE AMERICAN?
Meghan is an unusual addition to the royal family because she is an American citizen born to a white father and an African-American mother. Palace officials said at the time of her engagement to Harry that she planned to eventually become British, a process that can take several years.
She and Harry could decide to pursue American citizenship for their baby, so the child could end up having dual British and American nationality. That would give the baby the right to live and work in the United States without needing a visa in the future — and spare him or her the lengthy entry procedures that often face foreign visitors arriving at U.S. airports.
Meghan has not indicated whether she plans to give up her American status once she has British nationality — a decision that could have an impact on her tax liabilities but something she is not forced to do by British law.
What would the founding fathers think? Almost 250 years after the United States launched a revolution to rid itself of the British royal family, the next royal baby could be an American.
The idea that a scion of the former colonies would be seventh in line to succeed Queen Elizabeth II to the throne could change the royal family from within — and help extend a surge in popularity for the monarchy.
"It's quite possible the child will have a lot of American influence," royal commentator Hugo Vickers said. "The royal family is not totally unused to that kind of thing. Children have been born with Greek mothers or German mothers in the past, obviously, but Meghan is the first American mother so close in the royal family."
WILL THE BABY HAVE RED HAIR?
Harry is one of the most famous redheads in the world — “a ginger” in British lingo.
The baby’s hair color comes down to genetics. Harry is 100% redhead but it is not known if Meghan has a recessive redhead gene. Gene-ticists say there is a 50 percent chance the baby will have red hair if Meghan carries a recessive red-haired gene and no chance at all if she does not carry that gene.
—Sylvia Hui contributed.

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Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874

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Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255