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CULVER CITY, Calif. (AP) — Glance around the “Jeopardy!” set during rehearsals for its first-ever team championship and it’s easy to be intimidated by the assembled brain power.
There’s Brad Rutter, whose overall “Jeopardy!” haul, $4.3 million, is the most won on any game show. And Ken Jennings, a 74-game winner and top moneymaker, with $2.5 million, in non-tournament “Jeopardy!” competition. And Buzzy Cohen, the reigning Tournament of Champions winner.
They’re among the six captains who will join their teams in competing for a top $1 million prize in a series of 10 episodes that begin airing Feb. 20 and conclude March 5. The other three captains: Julia Collins, No. 2 in overall winnings on the show; Colby Burnett, a Teachers Tournament and Tournament of Champions victor, and Austin Rogers, No. 5 in games and money won.
“It’s like the Mount Rushmore of ‘Jeopardy!’” observed Jimmy McGuire, part of the traveling “clue crew” that poses video answers from distant spots.
The 18 contestants were chosen primarily on the basis of their previous success, with an edge going to fan favorites as determined by social media, said Harry Friedman, executive producer of the syndicated show hosted by Alex Trebek and featuring announcer Johnny Gilbert.
Can “Jeopardy!” soloists work together? “We’re going to find out,” Trebek said.
The captains, who will also play, built their three-person teams from among the remaining 12 contestants. The full teams won’t play directly against each other, with one person from each team designated to compete in a game’s first round, another to play double “Jeopardy!” and the third to play the final round.
The winning teammates will get equal shares of the top prize, about $330,000 each, said Friedman. The second- and third-place prizes to be split are $300,000 and $100,000.
Players are working hard for the money, in the strategy sessions held at the beginning of each game and, more importantly, in the cramming that Friedman metaphorically termed “test prep on steroids.”
Exhibit A — as in type A — is Cohen, who created mental and physical training drills to prepare for his previous “Jeopardy!” appearances and resumed them for the tournament with teammates Alex Jacob and Jennifer Giles.
“I would go the gym, hang from a bar and have my trainer quiz me to try to recreate the stress” of being in the thick of the game, Cohen said. This time around, he added NFL reaction-time drills — to sharpen his skills with the buzzer that gives players a chance to score — along with “deep secrets” he gleaned from Jacob.
Rogers, whose team includes Roger Craig and Leonard Cooper (“I drafted up,” Rogers said of his picks, both educated and working in the sciences) said he’s so comfortable on the “Jeopardy!” set that it feels like home. But he admits to some anxiety.
“I do not care if I fail. But if I fail other people on something that I should know, that I should have memorized ... like a world capital or an Oscar year, and I’m letting someone else down, that’s not cool,” he said.
Collins said she enjoyed taking a cooperative approach to a game that’s typically an individual experience, beyond splitting the workload.
“It is very solitary to be on the show in the normal format and compete alone, which is what you’d expect. But you go through the whole experience of the show by yourself, so it’s nice to have your teammates who are sharing that experience with you,” she said.
Burnett, who picked Pam Mueller and Alan Lin for his team, was eager to compete but said his work as a college counselor came first. “Even if I were to win the grand prize, it’s not as if I would or could retire. But I’m putting my best foot forward,” he said.
The other matchups are Jennings with Matt Jackson and Monica Thieu; Collins with Ingram and Wilson; Rutter with Larissa Kelly and David Madden.
There’s something else unprecedented besides the team format, producer Friedman said.
“We do a nice little opening interview piece at the beginning of the first episode with the six captains, and you’ll see some fun, good-natured trash talk,” Friedman said.
But Rogers, pointing to the other contestants on the set, said restraint was in order.
“Look at them,” he said playfully. “It’s not fair to beat up on nerds.”
As a precaution and to permit further monitoring, Franklin Junior High School is closed on Tuesday and will be closed Wednesday.
The necessary monitoring of conditions results from a series of recent bat sightings in and around the school campus. The school system’s maintenance personnel have been onsite to check conditions and will continue to conduct frequent checks throughout the week, the school system said.
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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.
Monday, Feb. 18
6:30 a.m. 1200 block of Onstead Street; Medical.
7:16 a.m. 800 block of Fig Street; Juvenile problems.
8:10 a.m. 1400 block of Federal Avenue; Theft.
9:19 a.m. 600 block of Marshall Street; Complaint.
9:57 a.m. La. 182 and Roderick Street; Complaint.
10:09 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Arrest.
10:31 a.m. 300 block of Chennault Street; Criminal damage to property.
10:55 a.m. 400 block of Barrow Street; Complaint.
11:06 a.m. 6900 block of La. 182; Crash.
12:43 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
1:01 p.m. 1500 block of Bernice Street; Assistance.
2:39 p.m. 200 block of Mallard Street; Stand by.
2:43 p.m. 1100 block of Seventh Street; Complaint.
3:48 p.m. 600 block of Seventh Street; Complaint.
4:23 p.m. 1400 block of North Third Street; Medical.
5:41 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Lost/ Found.
6:49 p.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Suspicious person.
6:50 p.m. 600 block of Front Street; Alarm.
6:50 p.m. 400 block of Garber Street; Welfare concern.
6:57 p.m. 1400 block of Elm Street; Assistance.
7:58 p.m. Fifth and Louisiana streets; Noise complaint.
8:57 p.m. 2000 block of Allison Street; Arrest.
9:16 p.m. 2400 block of Cypress Street; Medical.
9:22 p.m. 300 block of Second Street; Medical.
10:43 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Assistance.
11:42 p.m. 7900 block of La. 182; Alarm.
Tuesday, Feb. 19
1:58 a.m. 500 block of General McArthur Street; Arrest.
2:37 a.m. Fifth and Louisiana streets; Noise complaint.
3:39 a.m. 1100 block of Ninth Street; Arrest.
Central Catholic High School will open Division IV postseason play Monday when the No. 8 Lady Eagles host No. 9 Highland Baptist Monday at 6:30 p.m. in Morgan City.
Both teams, who are District 7-1A opponents, met a little more than two weeks ago in Morgan City as the Lady Eagles topped Highland Baptist 54-51 in league play.
Both teams received a first-round bye in the Division IV playoffs.
Highland Baptist enters Monday’s contest with a 12-8 mark, including a 1-4 record in District 7-1A action.
The squad won its regular-season finale with a 51-35 victory against Hanson Memorial in district play.
Central Catholic comes into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak. Their last loss was a 68-25 defeat to Division IV’s top seed, Lafayette Christian Academy on Jan. 29.
“We’re undefeated in February, and we had some tough games,” Central Catholic Assistant Coach Joe Jones said.
The Lady Eagles endured a tough schedule this season with all but one team they fell to qualifying for the playoffs.
“We (were) in a lot of the games, so we got great experience from it,” Jones said. “We played well.”
Jones said the Lady Eagles have improved this season.
In the Central Catholic-Highland Baptist regular-season contest, two Highland Baptist players scored in double figures as Bri Sensley had 20 points and Jasey Roy contributed 12.
Jones said that Sensley and Roy, who are both guards, and Mavin Barras, a post player, are Highland Baptist’s main players.
“They have come a long way,” Jones said of Highland Baptist.
Jones said Highland Baptist has beat some good teams this season.
However, he said even though the Lady Eagles defeated Highland Baptist this season, that doesn’t mean anything come Monday night.
“This is when we’ve got to beat them right now … to continue playing, and our girls know that so they don’t take anybody for granted or anything like that because you (are) one-and-one if you just take them for granted,” Jones said.
In the first matchup, the Lady Eagles also had two players in double figures as Yani Johnson had 29 points, while Jalaysia Bertrand scored 12.
Jones said he would like to see the Lady Eagles shoot free throws better and play better defense.
“If we do those two things right there, we’ll be alright,” Jones said.
Admission to Monday night’s game is $8.
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A Berwick man who was convicted in 2014 of indecent behavior with a juvenile has been charged again with a sex crime against a juvenile.
Dex Clements, 32, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested Feb. 10 on a warrant charging him with sexual battery. The victim in the case was a 13-year-old girl, Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. said.
The sex offender registry accessible through the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office website shows Clements was convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile July 3, 2014, and convicted of failure to register as a sex offender Jan. 8, 2015. Clements was released from jail July 6, 2017, on the latter conviction, according to the registry.
The Daily Review had reported in August 2014 Clements was charged with failure to register as a sex offender 15 days after avoiding jail time in a guilty plea for indecent behavior with a juvenile.
After his plea to indecent behavior he was given three years of supervised probation and ordered to register as a sex offender for 15 years by then-16th Judicial District Judge Paul deMahy. While pleading guilty to the charge, Clements did not admit his guilt when he agreed to what is called a best-interest plea, the article said.
Clements had been accused by a girl of having committed two sexual batteries upon her between October 2006 and March 2007 when she was 6 years old, an April 2013 St. Mary Parish Sheriff's arrest affidavit stated.
An 18-year-old Patterson man was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm after allegedly putting a gun to someone’s neck.
—Kamiah K. Jones-Riley, 18, of Hickory Street in Patterson, was arrested at 12:09 a.m. Saturday on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. Jones-Riley was accused of placing a gun against the alleged victim’s neck during an incident. No bail was set.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrest:
—Marco Lee Andrus, 21, of Evangeline Drive in Lafayette, was arrested at 6:47 p.m. Friday on a charge of obscenity. Andrus paid a $271 fine.
Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 131 calls and reported the following arrests:
—John Henry Davis Jr., 22, of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Patterson, was arrested at 9:30 a.m. Friday on charges of speeding in a school zone, suspended driver’s license and a Patterson police warrant charging him with failure to appear for speeding.
Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Davis was driving on Federal Avenue. During the traffic stop, police learned his driver’s license was under suspension and held an active warrant through the Patterson Police Department. He was transported to Morgan City Police Department.
—Heidi Renee Sams, 40, of Fourth Street in Morgan City, was arrest at noon Friday on a warrant charging her with probation violation. Sams , who was already incarcerated in the Morgan City jail, was booked on a city court warrant.
—Marco Lee Andrus, 21, of Evangeline Drive in Lafayette, was arrested at 12:25 p.m. Friday on charges of proper equipment required, driving under suspension and no insurance.
Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 in Morgan City for a traffic violation. Andrus was identified as the driver of the vehicle. Officers learned his driver’s license was under suspension, and the vehicle had no insurance, Blair said. He was jailed.
—Francis Lee Boudreaux, 34, of Legnon Court in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested at noon Friday on warrants charging her with failure to appear to pay a probation fee and two counts of failure to appear to pay fines.
Boudreaux was located in Tallulah, and transported to Morgan City Police Department and booked on city court warrants.
—Whitney Billiot IV, 42, of Leona Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:52 p.m. Friday on charges of disturbing the peace, resisting an officer, possession of heroin and two counts of simple assault.
Officers were dispatched to a business in reference to a disturbance. Upon officers’ arrival, they were advised Billiot entered the business making threats. Officers located Billiot on Leona Street and he resisted while officers attempted to arrest him, Blair said. He was eventually placed under arrest, and police located suspected heroin, Blair said. Billiot was jailed.
—Christine Maria Stoute, 43, of Roderick Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:22 p.m. Friday on warrants charging her with criminal trespass and failure to appear in court. Officers come into contact with Stoute on Roderick Street who had warrants for her arrest. She was jailed.
—Peter E Grogan Jr., 40, of Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:22 a.m. Saturday on a charge of monetary instrument abuse and a 16th Judicial District Court warrant charging him with four counts of failure to appear.
Officers responded to a call of a person attempting to pass counterfeit money at a business. Upon officers’ arrival, they come into contact with Grogan who was identified as the person attempting to pass a counterfeit $100 bill, Blair said. Officers also learned of an outstanding warrant for his arrest, and he was jailed.
—Mark Isaac Celestine, 63, of Charters Court in Houma, was arrested at 2:14 a.m. Saturday on charges of obstructing public passages, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 and identified Celestine as the driver of the vehicle. During the stop, officers located suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. He was jailed.
—Nickie Sabrina Arnould, 61, of Deprima Street in Berwick, was arrest at 6:10 p.m. Saturday on charges of reckless operation of a vehicle and DWI first offense.
Officers investigating a crash on U.S. 90 identified Arnould as a driver of one of the vehicles involved. Officers suspected Arnould to be under the influence of alcohol. She did poorly on a field sobriety test and later registered 0.138 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. She was jailed.
—Jermaine S. Keys, 43, of Camille Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 6:11 p.m. Saturday on charges of vehicle with unsafe equipment, suspended driver’s license and DWI first offense.
Officers investigating a crash on U.S. 90 identified Keys as a driver of one of the vehicles involved. Officers suspected Keys to be under the influence of alcohol. Keys did poorly on a field sobriety test and registered 0.172 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. He was jailed.
—Jena Gugliotta Landry, 49, of La. 182 in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:07 a.m. Sunday on a warrant charging her with failure to appear in court.
Landry was transported from Berwick Police Department to Morgan City Police Department and booked on a city court warrant.
—Jessica Griffin, 36, of Apple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:34 p.m. Sunday on a warrant charging her with contempt of court. Griffin was arrested at the police department on a city court warrant. She was jailed.
—Kedesha Nicole Scott, 24, of Federal Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Sunday on charges of theft less than $1,000, possession of marijuana second offense, possession of drug paraphernalia and warrants charging her with five counts of failure to appear in court.
Officers were dispatched to a business in reference to a shoplifter. Upon officers’ arrival, Scott was identified by employees of concealing items while in the store. Officers located suspected stolen items concealed on her along with suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. At the police department, police had five warrants for failure to appear in city court. Scott was jailed.
— Keddrick D. Jones, 31, of Belanger Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:36 p.m. Sunday on charges of illuminating devices required and driving under suspension.
Officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Sixth and Terrebonne streets. The driver, Jones, had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said. Jones was jailed.
—Jackie Jamall Lewis, 32, of Tunica Drive in Charenton, was arrested at 12:12 a.m. Monday on charges of headlights required, possession of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle and DWI first offense.
Officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and identified Lewis as the driver of the vehicle. Officers located an open alcoholic beverage container in his vehicle, Blair said.
Lewis registered 0.086 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. Lewis was jailed.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrests:
—Joshua Repp, 20, of Universe Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 7:38 a.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and a warrant charging him with possession of a firearm in a firearm-free zone. Repp was awaiting bail to be set.
—Chris Landry, 42, of Francis Street in Berwick, was arrested at 3:55 a.m. Sunday on a charge of violation of a protective order. Landry posted $2,500 bail.
—Ralph Patterson, 62, of Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 10:30 p.m. Sunday on a charge of suspended driver’s license. Patterson posted $126 cash bail.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255