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Expressions of mourning for local figure

Members and supporters of the Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts are mourning the death of Tyra Yarber who passed away early Sunday morning at his home. The historic marquis at the theater on Main Street has been reconfigured in Yarber’s memory, and flowers are being placed by the community at the theatre doors. Yarber was a board member, director and held many other responsibilities over many years in the theatre group. There will be a public visitation on Saturday at the Teche Theatre from 11 a.m. until a memorial tribute celebration at 1 p.m. Ed “Tiger” Verdin will serve as the master of ceremony.

Center of Hope support

The Center of Hope is holding its annual raffle to raise funds to help with the costs of the new vocational training facility for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities in Centerville. This year’s raffle ticket will be for more than 20 prizes totaling over $3,500 and sell for $2. Tickets can be purchased from Center of Hope participants or by calling the office at 337-836-9445 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Pictured above, on the right are Center of Hope participants, Melvin, from Franklin, and Billy, from Baldwin, selling a ticket to Earolyn Choate.

Jeanerette Museum hosts program on World War I

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, the Jeanerette Museum is hosting a presentation at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 by Nicholls State University professors Paul Wilson and Kurt Stiegler.
The discussion will include the origins of World War I, what happened on the Eastern and Western fronts, America and World War I, the home front in America, and more.
Wilson is the head of the Department of History and Geography and associate professor at Nicholls. His interests include modern Euro-pean and American history, and the history of Western civilizations.
Stiegler serves as assistant professor of the Department of History and Geography at Nicholls.
This history talk is being held free of charge and is suitable for an adult audience. Seating may be limited and taken on a first come, first serve basis.
For more information visit www.jeanerettemuseum.com or email jeanerettemuseum@yahoo.com or call the museum at 337-276-4408 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
The museum is located at 500 E. Main St. in Jeanerette.

AgCenter presents Wine and Roses at Burden on Oct. 11

BATON ROUGE — The LSU AgCenter will present Wine and Roses, an evening of cocktails and dinner under the stars and among 2,000 roses in the Rose Garden at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on Oct. 11.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music by the John Gray jazz trio. Dinner catered by Heirloom Cuisine will follow at 7 p.m. in the Rose Garden.
This year, the LSU AgCenter College of Agriculture is collaborating with Mendel University of the Czech Republic to present an exceptional exhibit of flora and fashion. Students’ living floral garments will be presented in high runway style followed by an opportunity to meet the student designers and models.
“Come experience the magic of the Botanic Gardens at night,” said Jeff Kuehny, resident director of the Botanic Gardens.
Presented by the LSU AgCenter and the Burden Horticulture Society, the annual Wine and Roses event supports the educational programs at the Botanic Gardens.
Admission is $100 for members of the Burden Horticulture Society and $125 per person for others. Tickets may be purchased by contacting Mary Coco at the Botanic Gardens at mcoco@agcenter.lsu.edu or by calling 225-763-3990, option 6.
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden is located at 4560 Essen Lane at I-10 in Baton Rouge.

Sisters of Siervas are a rock band like ‘nun’ other

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) — Eleven nuns take the stage wearing traditional black-and white habits but are anything but old school as they belt out songs to the ringing of electric guitar and a rock ‘n’ roll beat.
Known as “Siervas,” the band was born in a Peruvian convent three years ago and now travels far and wide to perform.
Of all the extraordinary things about Siervas the most remarkable may be they are not just a novelty. They have a genuine international following.
Their songs of love and faith have earned over a million YouTube views, led to the release of two CDs and now they are waiting to see if they are among the honorees when Latin Grammy nominations are announced Wednesday.
Siervas recently traveled to Southern California and drew 4,000 people when they headlined a Spanish-language Catholic music festival.
“Everyone was calling our office saying we want to see these nuns, when are they singing?” said Ryan Lilyengren, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, which organized the event. “They’re sharing their message in a way people are willing to hear it.”
The nuns, who come from eight countries and range in age from 20s to 40s, insist they aren’t rock stars. But they certainly act the part when on stage performing to the electric guitar, steady drumbeat and catchy lyrics, uniformly smiling as silver crosses dangle from their necks.
Their name Siervas — Spanish for “the servants” — comes from the convent where the band was formed and still lives.
At first, they composed and played music together as a hobby after spending days praying with incarcerated women and the poor in Peruvian shantytowns.
When Siervas had enough original music they compiled a CD. That led to a concert performance that attracted local media attention in Peru and then invitations to perform in nearby Colombia and Ecuador. Interest skyrocketed on the internet and the group released a second CD.
Now, they rehearse together twice a week, melding upbeat lyrics with Latin pop and rock. Each nun also practices daily on her own, honing skills on instruments ranging from cello to electric guitar.
A YouTube video of the group standing on a rooftop helipad overlooking Lima, Peru, and belting out their song “Confía en Dios” — or “Trust in God” — has more than 1 million views.
The band’s popularity comes at a time when the Catholic Church and other religious organizations are seeking to draw younger people. Among America’s so-called millennial generation, more than a third reported no religious affiliation and only 16 percent identified as Catholic, according to a 2014 study by the Washington-based Pew Research Center.
“Modern times have modern music,” said Sister Monica Nobl, a 40-year-old vocalist. “Pop-rock music is a kind of music we’ve heard all or lives. We grew up with that kind of music, so it’s also just natural to use it.”
Sister Andrea Garcia, 47, remembers listening to Michael Jackson when she was a college student. She thought she’d pursue a career in biology, but found faith instead.
“We think this music, or this genre, resonates with young people today,” said Garcia, a composer and vocalist from Argentina. “Our goal is that through the melodies, our lyrics will reach people.”
They sing in Spanish and their themes are Christian, but fans post messages to them on social media from Asia and Europe as well as Latin America. And while many fans are devout Catholics, others are from different denominations or even atheists, Garcia said.
Milagros Lizarraga, a 53-year-old real estate agent in Simi Valley, California, said she isn’t particularly religious but was drawn to the band’s songs encouraging unity.
“I am not a churchgoer, but I love this music,” said Lizarraga, who helped start a Peruvian community organization in Southern California. “I love it because they are breaking a paradigm. They are out of the box.”

(Updated) Motorcyclist dies after crash

Patterson police say Gilbert Wilson died after sustaining severe injuries in a Sept. 17 crash

A Patterson man has died after being severely injured in a Sept. 17 crash during which he lost control of his motorcycle and drove into a ditch, Assistant Police Chief Gary Stevenson said.

Police identified the man as Gilbert Wilson, 36, of Patterson. Wilson died Thursday at Lafayette General Medical Center, according to his obituary on Otis Mortuary’s website.

The crash occurred at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday as the motorcycle was traveling on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue toward Red Cypress Road in Patterson when Wilson lost control and was ejected, Stevenson said. Wilson wasn’t wearing a helmet, Stevenson said.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Police don’t know what may have caused Wilson to lose control of the vehicle. Wilson was airlifted to Lafayette General Medical Center after the crash.

Results of a toxicology test are pending, Stevenson said.

Recalls: 4-drawer dressers that may tip, stake lights

Dressers are being recalled because they can tip if not anchored properly. Here’s a more detailed look:
4-DRAWER DRESSERS
DETAILS: Room Essentials 4-drawer dressers sold in three colors. Model number 249-05-0103 (black), 249-05-0106 (espresso), or 249-05-0109 (maple) is printed on the product’s packaging. They were sold at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com from January 2013 through April 2016.
WHY: The recalled dressers are unstable if they are not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children.
FOR MORE: Call Target at 800-440-0680 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily or visit www.Target.com or www.Facebook.com/Target.
STAKE LIGHTS
DETAILS: Moonrays brand large mystic globe and winter-themed snow globe stake lights. The lawn and garden decorations are plastic globes mounted on a metal stake that can be inserted into the ground. Water and antifreeze allows glitter inside the globe to float.
The light stake is framed by a snowman, Christmas Tree, Santa Claus or reindeer. The solar-powered lights also contain LED bulbs that run on AA NI-cd or AA-NI-Mh rechargeable batteries. They were sold at Moonrays and home improvement and hardware stores nationwide and online from August 2016 through March 2017.
WHY: Light refraction through the stake lights can singe or melt items in contact with or in the immediate proximity, posing a fire hazard.
FOR MORE: Call Southwire at 888-847-8709 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit www.southwire.com, www.southwire.ca or www.moonrays.com.

Daughter of self-centered mom craves a role model

DEAR ABBY: My mother is extremely self-centered. Ever since I can remember, everything has always been about her. That’s probably why she and Dad split. You can’t have a conversation with her without her turning it around and making it about her. I’m 25. I just want to have a regular conversation with my mom without her somehow bringing the mood down by saying she has demons to deal with on her own and she can’t be positive or happy for others. Abby, there’s nothing wrong with her! She’s healthy, fit, has a wonderful job she claims to love, and ...

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CCHS pulls away from False River for first win

Central Catholic High School won its first game of the season Friday with a 55-33 victory against False River Academy on the road Friday.
Central Catholic Coach Tommy Minton said his team was “resilient” in the back-and-forth contest in which the Eagles pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win.
“It was a good test, and it was a good part of the growing up process for our team,” Minton said.
Central Catholic had 390 yards of offense (341 rushing and 49 passing).
The team’s ground game was led by Chris Singleton and Davidyione Bias. Singleton rushed 24 times for 176 yards and two scores, while Bias had 18 carries for 137 yards and two scores.
Quarterback Taylor Blanchard completed 3 of 7 pass attempts for 49 yards with one touchdown and an interception. His top receiving target was Nathan Hebb, who caught one pass for 36 yards. DeDe Gant’s lone reception was a 5-yard touchdown catch.
Meanwhile, Brooks Thomas recorded two special teams touchdowns, one on a 90-yard kickoff return and another on an 86-yard punt return.
Defensively, the Eagles surrendered 346 total yards (314 rushing and 32 passing).
False River Academy quarterback Damian Johnson rushed 15 times for 206 yards and scored three touchdowns. He also tossed another for 30 yards. He scored on runs of 61 yards, 26 yards and 60 yards.
While Johnson made his share of plays, the Eagles were able to contain him when it mattered.
“We were able to force a couple (of) turnovers, especially in the third and fourth quarter, and that was big,” Minton said.
Minton credited his younger players who filled in at inside linebacker Friday night. He said the Eagles came in without starter Dominic Skipper due to injury and lost another linebacker, senior Cooper LeBlanc, to injury in the first quarter.
“We’re playing with some young kids at inside linebacker, and they did a good job,” he said. “They stepped in and filled some big shoes, and once they got their feet wet, kind of got better as the game went on.”
False River’s other score came via a Josh Gaspard 25-yard run.
“Playing them, you play a team a lot like we have to beat to win our district,” Minton said, referencing Lafayette Christian. “Quarterback’s very similar, so it gave us a chance to kind of prep for that.”
Central Catholic (1-2) will return to action Friday when it begins District 7-1A action at Gueydan in a 7 p.m. contest.
False River (1-2) will open District 5-1A action at home against Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.

MCHS storms past North Central 55-14

Morgan City pummeled North Central 55-14 Friday at Tiger Stadium in Morgan City. It was the second straight win for the Tigers. Morgan City defensive back Devonta Grogan got the party started with an interception and return down to the Hurricanes 2-yard line on the game’s opening series. Running back Trey Derouen pounded in from there to give Morgan City a 7-0 lead following the extra point by Tristen McCullough with 10:08 remaining in the first quarter. Derouen added his second short run with a 1-yarder with 7:11 left in the opening quarter, and McCullough’s extra point gave Morgan City a ...

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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