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Mayor gives updates on infrastructure, various programs

Wed, 01/16/2019 - 9:55am

Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard submitted his executive report Tuesday, outlining his first six months in office.
At the city council meeting, Foulcard thanked the council members for their support and recognized Franklin’s newly appointed police chief Morris Beverly, stating that he looked forward to working with him.
Foulcard announced that the city is set to begin work next month on the overlaying of South Willow Street at Chatsworth Road, and is currently in the process of bidding the job with Miller Engineers & Associates.
Of his accomplishments, the mayor pointed to: the first job fair ever conducted in Franklin which took place in October in cooperation with South Louisiana Community College; the institution of Project Front Yard, a community beautification initiative reportedly begun under the auspice of Lafayette Consolidated Government; a community connections meeting hosted in December with the Louisiana Housing Corporation; work on a $1.8 million sewer rehabilitation project and water lines provided throughout portions of the city which were previously without adequate water pressure.
He further noted working with Fire Chief Chuck Bourgeois to “rewrite” safety manuals for the city’s respective departments, and the guidelines overseeing their conduct.
Lastly, he pointed to August’s Art Walk as a success, along with last month’s Christmas parade and the Merchants’ Association’s Mingle and Jingle festivities.
Director of Utilities Bernard Daniels gave a report concerning the Roseville Street water line extensions and renovations at the city’s sewer plant.
“The Roseville project is 100 percent complete,” Daniels said, adding that the water line extensions “did exactly what we expected them to do.”
He went on to say that they are 95 percent complete with the Norman and Bauer and Main Street tie-ins, which he says will help give adequate fire protection to the area behind the John Deere dealership.
As for the sewer plant renovations, Daniels reported that the same contractor working on the water line extensions will see to adding air relief valves at the Magnolia Street project.
In other news, Joe Phillips was appointed to the West St. Mary Port Commission and Edward Delone was appointed to the Civil Service Board.
Announcements included:
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day March will be held Monday at 12 p.m. on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Wall Street and will end at the Triumph Baptist Church.
—Main Street University Conference will be held Wednesday and Thursday at the Lamp Post in Franklin. Commercial revitalization will be discussed with guests from the State and visitors from across the state.
—Franklin City-Wide Clean-Up will be held Feb. 9 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Stage parking lot.

St. Mary Parish Fair kicks off Thursday

Wed, 01/16/2019 - 9:54am

St. Mary Parish Fair and Junior Livestock Show kicks of tomorrow at Franklin Senior High School.
The show is for all parish 4-H and FFA students, where there will be exhibits of livestock, homemaking and arts and crafts. Livestock includes cattle, goats, lamb, rabbits and poultry. There will be market breeding classes and showmanship skills.
The livestock show begins at 1 p.m. Friday, and the goat, cattle and swine show will follow. The rabbit show is at 5 p.m. Friday, and poultry will be judged at 10 a.m. Friday.
There will be educational exhibits from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; homemaking will be on public view Friday from noon to 6 p.m.
The buyer appreciation luncheon and livestock awards and homemaking division are at 11 a.m. Saturday, with market sale at 1 p.m.

'Rock the Runway' for cancer victims slated Jan. 26

Wed, 01/16/2019 - 9:54am

“Rock the Runway Fashion and Talent Show” is set for Jan. 26 at the Franklin Recreation Center at 6 p.m.
Theresa Boykin, volunteer and member of the Lydia Cancer Association, filled in the St. Mary Parish Council on the event and its significance to cancer patients.
The tenth event benefits the association. Tables are sold on, but single seats are still available, Boykin said.
The association has been in existence for 14 years and serves Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin and Vermillion parishes.
It has provided more than $700,000 to cancer patients over its tenure.
“I’m asking each of you to help me support this organization,” Boykin said. “To help people in this community that are battling cancer. It’s financial assistant to these folks.”
Boykin, a cancer survivor, was an early recipient of the organization. “It will help them with the utility bills, the grocery bills, a medical expense,” she said. “That is a relief off your mind that you can put gas in your car to go to a chemo treatment or enough to pay a doctor bill.”
She said anyone wishing to purchase tickets at $10 can call 337-578-1618, or to make a donation, as well as seek assistance. The website is lydiacancerassociation.org.
“We’re a homegrown association,” Boykin said. “Nobody on the board gets paid, no members get paid, no volunteers get paid. A hundred percent of what is brought in is given to cancer patients.”

James Landry Hebert: Rising star charts his course as an actor

Wed, 01/16/2019 - 9:53am

By ROGER EMILE STOUFF

James Landry Hebert presents an amiable figure as he approaches, with an infectious grin and casual gait.
He’s wearing a cowboy hat, jeans, Navajo print shirt and a sheepskin-collared coat, belaying his origins as a Charenton boy who is charting a steady and successful trajectory as an actor in Hollywood.
In fact, local television viewers have probably seen him on the screen in their homes already: Hebert has donned an impressive roster of roles on such series as Netflix’s runaway hit Stranger Things, HBO’s equally popular Westworld, Marvel’s Agent Carter and NBC’s Taken, as well as supporting roles in studio films like J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, Warner Bros. Gangster Squad, not to mention lead roles in indie films such as Two Step, Carnage Park, Ghosthouse and Carter & June.
A quick search on IMDB.com reveals, “Some would say that actor James Hebert was born in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1984. Others would argue that after spending most of his adolescence on an Indian reservation (Chitimacha), the storyteller was born while studying theater at Louisiana State University. And still others, James included, believe his birth is an ever on-going process that grows closer with each new role.”
The film Texas Killing Fields was a “game changing” role where he met cast member Stephen Graham’s manager, Ben Levine, who went to college in New Orleans and came to visit the set; James advised them to stay off of Bourbon Street and stick to Frenchman Street in their leisure time. He joined them when he wrapped, and ended up waking up to a management firm in Hollywood who set him up with his agent, Samantha Crisp, at one of the oldest agencies in Hollywood, the Kohner agency. Paul Kohner was known for being Marilyn Monroe’s agent.
There’s another uniqueness to Hebert’s childhood: He lost his parents when he was young, and he was adopted by a Chitimacha couple, Ted and Rhonda Darden, who raised him. He was likely the first non-Indian to attend the tribal school. He is still close to the tribe, and he hopes to work on story-telling projects with youth. “I don’t think I realized how unique that was,” he said in retrospect. “But I feel like my Chitimacha pride has only grown.”
An orphan and evacuee who thought he wanted to work in the music business until he returned to his beleaguered home state after hurricane Katrina, James discovered a growing Hollywood boomtown which he was only too eager to take part in. Cutting his teeth as Brad Pitt’s stand-in on The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons led to work in casting extras with local casting director Elizabeth Coulon, which he calls his “second education.” But it wasn’t until his turn as “talent agent” Mitch Racine in Warner Bros.’ Gangster Squad, that James’s career lived up to his talent.
Two-Step, his first feature lead, premiered at South by Southwest with glowing reviews, most notably for James’ work. Since that time he’s been called “the nicest bad guy you’ll ever meet” and, in addition to James’ commitment to Native American, environmental and animal activism, he continues to collaborate with some of the most respected actors, writers and directors of this generation.
It hasn’t come easy, but “it feels like a fairytale.” James has just wrapped one of his favorite characters he’s played to date in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He shares the screen with actors such as Pitt, who actually remembered him as his earlier stand-in, and was pleasantly not-surprised James had come so far in such a short period of 10 years.
Ever since Hebert and Chickasaw Films took on the The Chickasaw Rancher, the story of a Chickasaw cattleman along the Chisolm Trail, his career is coming full circle.
He has started an Original Storytellers program to help give the power of storytelling back to the original storytellers by inviting Hollywood filmmakers to visit tribal schools to teach native youth the art of storytelling today.
In five years? “I would like to have told my story and for the modern world to be able to see a film about being adopted by locals, Ted and Rhonda Darden, which allowed me to be one of the first non-natives to attend the Chitimacha tribal school.”
Hebert said that was “an experience that strongly shaped how I interact with the world and for which I am forever grateful. I’d also like that same world to know how we pronounce Hebert down the bayou. If they can’t do that, I’ll settle for Landry. Equally as Cajun, but easier to pronounce,” he laughed. “Beyond that I’d like to do my part in preserving the culture of the village that raised me by producing Acadian and Native American entertainment and creating incentives in Washington to encourage producers in Hollywood to tell more stories set in south Louisiana. Now that I’m doing what I love for a living…I have a platform for what I’d like to see change in the world.”
After exploring his sense of duty as a series regular as the safe-cracking, magic-tricking, gun-wielding spy known as “Rem” on NBC’s Taken series, Hebert camped out in a tipi in the midst of a blizzard during the Standing Rock pipeline protests. He says art continued to meet life while working with actress and Taken co-star Jennifer Beals, who raised money and supplies which she and Hebert delivered in person. He stayed in support of the fight for Mother Nature.
“I stayed long enough to get an apartment there where I housed the cold water rescue team,” he said. “I was able to join, given a particular set of skills I learned on the Bayou Teche. I left Taken in Toronto to vote, and feeling like I could make a difference, but after the battle at Standing Rock, I felt otherwise. But that’s what led me to believe that movies were the secret weapon with which we could all use to influence culture for the greater good. And that’s when the Original Storytellers program was born.”
Look for James on the big screen in Tim Sutton’s The Donnybrook, set to hit theaters on Feb. 15.
He added that fledgling actors can get a start the same way he did by signing up as an extra at:
www.mycastingfile.com.

MCHS grad appointed to Gov.’s advisory board

Wed, 01/16/2019 - 9:35am

By ZACHARY FITZGERALD

zfitzgerald@daily-review.com

While still a college student, Logan Wolf is already getting experience with public service on the state level.

He was recently appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to the Governor’s Advisory Board of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The 20-year-old political science major at Nicholls State University was a 2016 graduate of Morgan City High School. His minor at Nicholls is international studies.

Wolf’s appointment to the Advisory Board of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention came after he saw a Facebook post inviting people to apply for a list of openings on many different state boards.

Wolf had been interested in getting involved in public service, so he scanned the list of openings. The juvenile justice board opening especially caught his interest.

He applied for the board not thinking he’d actually be selected. But he then got an email saying that Edwards had appointed him to the board.

“It was really a great surprise,” Wolf said.

The board doesn’t have set term limits, and appointees serve as long as the governor sees fit.

As one of the only young adults on the board, Wolf hopes to bring the energy and knowledge of being a young person to a board focusing on issues affecting young people. Many of the other board members have backgrounds working in criminal justice, and Wolf looks forward to discussing ideas with them.

He pointed to a recent decision by the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judges to no longer require pre-trial juvenile defendants to pay bail to be released from jail as a step in the right direction that all other jurisdictions in the state should follow, too. The judges stated that those defendants would no longer have to pay bail unless they’re deemed likely to not appear in court or be a danger to themselves or others, WWL -TV reported.

Decriminalizing marijuana is another way that Wolf sees that could help reduce delinquency in Louisiana among older teens and young adults. Wolf doesn’t think marijuana should be legal for younger children to use recreationally, though, he said.

After getting his bachelor’s degree from Nicholls, Wolf plans to either attend law school or get a master’s degree in foreign policy or public policy.

He was involved with a variety of organizations at Morgan City High including Key Club, which helped grow his interest in service. Helping with the parish’s Special Olympics was one of his favorite events.

Wolf was also a member of the Historical Society, which organized the school’s Veterans Day programs. He got to talk with veterans about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and issues with that department.

In addition, he was a member of JROTC , a program that he thoroughly enjoyed and through which he learned a lot, he said. Wolf was on his high school Quiz Bowl team as well due to his strong interest in history, geography and biology.

Sheriff seeking public's help in game altercation investigation

Tue, 01/15/2019 - 8:07pm

The Investigations Section of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public's help in an investigation into an altercation that occurred at a basketball game.

On Monday night, B. Edward Boudreaux Middle School hosted Morgan City Junior High for a basketball game and an altercation broke out between the players that spilled into the bleachers of the gym.

Detectives are seeking help from anyone that may have caught any of the altercation on video. If you have video of any part of the incident, please contact Investigations at 985-384-1622. You can remain anonymous.

Lumberjacks have overcome adversity this season

Tue, 01/15/2019 - 5:54pm

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

The Patterson Lumberjacks ended last season knowing they would have to replace one senior, Kamiah Jones, heading into the 2018-19 season.
However, during the offseason, the squad suffered two other key losses as senior-to-be point guard Drew Lucas transferred to Ellender Memorial and senior center R.J. Talver suffered an injury on the football field that left the squad needing to fill voids at those two positions.
Lucas, a second-team All-District 8-3A selection a year ago, had played since his freshman season and had started since he was a sophomore.
Losing Talver was a big loss for the team, too, Patterson Coach Ryan Taylor said.
“Not only (were) you losing somebody who’s athletic and plays defense and rebounds real well, (but) in all our little set plays we ran for the post guys against zones were for him,” Taylor said of Talver.
Patterson has worked its way through the personnel losses and currently is 9-7 overall and 3-1 in District 8-3A this season.
However, the squad still is trying to gel with younger players filling in those roles.
While he hasn’t been able to play this year, Taylor last week lauded Talver, who he said hasn’t missed one practice despite his injury. He said he was proud of how Talver has handled the adversity and has been a huge leader for the team.
Although Patterson has had to replace Talver and Lucas, they do return some firepower this year, including the district’s reining Most Valuable Player, junior Kai Schexnayder, and junior Tyrone Tillman, who was a second-team all-district selection a year ago.
While Taylor said he thought the team’s record could be better, he said that his team’s schedule also is tougher, specifically, their matchups in tournaments.
So far, Patterson has faced Thibodaux (Class 5A’s No. 1 team), Westgate (Class 4A’s No. 5 team), Tioga (Class 4A’s No. 10 team), Peabody (Class 3A’s top-ranked team and defending state runner-up).
“I think we’re progressing to where I would like to be,” Taylor said. “We’re still make a few mistakes that are uncharacteristic of a team that has the experience that we have. I think we need to correct that in this homestretch of the season in order for us to reach our goals that we want to achieve.”
However, Taylor said he is happy some of the younger guys that are playing for Patterson.
This year’s starting lineup features junior point guard Elijah Williams and at off-guards, Schexnayder and senior Dajon Richard.
In the post, the team will look to Tillman and sophomore Louis Jones.
The team’s sixth man is senior James Butler, who offers a versatile option for the team.
Patterson’s post players coming off the bench are Tron Clark, Irvin Celestine and Harden, all seniors, and junior James Gash.
Other guards coming off the bench are freshmen Kyler Paul and Dillon Gunner, sophomore Randan Paul and senior Telvae Phillips.
In all, Patterson has six seniors this year, but Taylor said the team still does feature some youth.
In the past, the Lumberjacks have been able to overcome their youth and still experience success.
The Patterson coaching staff has expressed to the players the program’s tradition and how there are certain expectations for the players and each year, they need to keep that tradition going.
While Patterson has won eight straight district titles, Taylor said winning a ninth one will be though this year. He said while in other years where there were one or two teams that they would have to contend with for a league title, this year, there are five teams that can dash the Lumberjacks’ title hopes.
“It’s a challenge, which is a good thing,” Taylor said, explaining that the schedule prepares his team for the playoffs and that the tough competition means they have to constantly be improving.
Among the top teams is district are Abbeville, which is ranked No. 5 in Class 3A, while David Thibodaux is ranked No. 6 in Division II. David Thibodaux defeated Patterson on the road for the Lumberjacks’ lone district loss.
Other teams in Patterson’s district are North Vermilion, Kaplan, Berwick and Erath.

Erath edges Patterson 27-26 in district play

Tue, 01/15/2019 - 5:48pm

CORWIN MURRAY

Erath took a one-point lead into the final minutes of Friday’s District 8-3A scrap with Patterson.
The Bobcats led 25-24 with three minutes remaining after Patterson’s Zorrie Spain missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end, going scoreless for nearly two minutes until Erath scored to extend the lead to 27-24 with 50 seconds to play.
Spain answered for the Lumberjills with a running jumper to pull to 27-26 with 32 seconds.
Patterson intentionally fouled, and Erath missed both free throws with seven seconds left. However, Patterson couldn’t capitalize as Spain missed two free-throws with just over a second to play, and Erath held on for a 27-26 win.
“We have a young team, four freshmen, two sophomore and one senior, so I know we’re going to have growing pains,” Patterson Assistant Coach Trevor Richard said. “If we rebound and make free-throws, we win the game.”
Spain and De’Asha Williams led Patterson with six points each while Randalyn Paul and Alayah Williams added five points. Lanaisa Firmim and Aniyah Martin also had two points each.
“I’m very proud of the kids’ effort tonight,” Richard said. “We only have seven players for various reasons, but these are the kids that want to play. We’re building something good here.”
The Lumberjills (7-10 overall, 1-4 in district) will travel to North Vermilion Tuesday for more district action.
Lumberjacks
rout Bobcats
In boys’ action, Patterson pummeled Erath 82-20.
Patterson led 7-3 after a quarter of play and extended its lead to 36-17 at halftime.
In the second half, Patterson outscored Erath 46-3, with a 26-2 advantage in the third quarter and a 20-1 fourth-quarter scoring advantage.
Kyler Paul led Patterson with 12 points. Other Patterson scorers were Randan Paul, nine; Elijah Williams and James Gash, eight apiece; Dajon Richard, seven; Louis Jones, Tyrone Tillman and Dillon Gunner, six each; Kai Schexnayder and Austin Harden, five apiece; Irvin Celestine and Telvae Phillips, four each; and Tron Clark two.
Thursday, Patterson fell to Ellender 54-42 in nondistrict action in Houma.
While Patterson led 14-6 after a quarter, Ellender outscored Patterson 15-8 in the second period and trailed the Lumberjacks just 22-21 at halftime. Ellender led 38-34 after three quarters of play before outscoring Patterson 16-8 in the final frame.
Richard led Patterson with 15 points, while Schexnayder also reached double figures with 11 points. Other Patterson scorers were Tillman, eight; Paul, three; and Jones and Williams, two each.
Patterson (9-7, 3-1) will return to action Tuesday when it travels to face North Vermilion in district play.

Kaplan defeats Berwick Panthers 64-52 in District 8-3A action

Tue, 01/15/2019 - 5:43pm

A hot-shooting Kaplan basketball team came out firing on all cylinders Friday and grabbed an early lead on their way to a 64-52 victory against Berwick in District 8-3 play at Berwick. The Pirates trailed only once — in the very early stages of the contest — and led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter. Berwick (1-17 overall, 1-2 district) fell into trouble after a big run by Kaplan established the momentum for the night. Trent Dupuis stole the ball and converted a fast-break layup in the midst of a 14-0 Pirates run in which Kaplan jumped ...

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Madison Prep defeats Morgan City; Lady Tigers edge Franklin

Tue, 01/15/2019 - 5:39pm

The Morgan City High School Tigers fell in Baton Rouge Friday to defending Class 3A state champion Madison Prep 72-55 in nondistrict action. While Morgan City led 17-11 after a quarter, Madison Prep outscored the Tigers 14-6 in the second period and led Morgan City 25-23 at halftime. Madison Prep held a 23-17 scoring advantage in the third period for a 48-40 lead after three periods of play before outscoring Morgan City 24-15 in the final period. Deondre Grogan led Morgan City with 19 points. Other Morgan City scorers were Jared Singleton, 16; Kerwin Francois, 11; Nylan Francis, five; and Zion Landry and ...