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Melissa Darden was administered the oath of office Wednesday for the office of Chitimacha Tribal Chairman, the first woman ever elected to the top post in tribal government.
She was sworn in at Chitimacha Tribal Courts by judge pro-tempore Ed Leonard.
Leonard said the tribal chairman is “looked upon, by tradition, by the broader community as the tribal leader on both legal and public matters.”
He said he has worked with Darden within the tribal court system. “From day one I have admired and appreciated her efforts,” he said.
Darden won election in June against incumbent chairman O’Neil Darden.
After the swearing-in, Darden thanked her supporters. “I promise to work with the tribal council for what is best for the tribe,” she said.
According to the tribe’s website, “In 1916, the Chitimacha Tribe was federally recognized by the United States Government. During most of this time the tribe was governed in the traditional manner, by a Chief. However, on November 7, 1970, the General Council of the Chitimacha People voted to adopt a constitutional form of government, which was approved by the Secretary of the Interior on January 14, 1971 and has been in force since that time. The Chitimacha Tribal Constitution provides for residence on trust lands, membership criteria, and most importantly for governance of tribal affairs, though a five member Tribal Council. The chief executive of the Chitimacha tribe is the Tribal Chairman. The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana was the first Louisiana tribe to adopt a constitution.”

The Patterson 12U All-Stars finished pool play undefeated Tuesday and earned the No. 3 seed in the 12U Bracket at the Babe Ruth World Series in Jensen Beach, Florida.
Patterson defeated the Ellensburg, Washington, All-Stars, 10-0, and the Indiana-based East Side All-Stars, 7-3, to conclude pool play with a 3-0 mark. Patterson's other pool play victory was an 11-3 win against the Iowa-based Big Bend All-Stars Sunday.
Following pool play, Patterson was seeded No. 3 in the 12U bracket and faced Bonkid, China, at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Patterson already defeated Bonkid in an exhibition game Saturday, 8-1.
In its three pool games, Patterson has outscored opponents by a combined 28-6.
Patterson’s three pool play opponents, Ellensburg, East Side and Big Bend, are seeded Nos. 10, 6 and 12, respectively, in the bracket.
Meanwhile, Bonkid has had a tough time as the team finished 0-3 in pool play and was outscored a combined 47-0 in the three games. Bonkid fell to the Salem, New Hampshire, Blue Devils and the Shenandoah, Virginia, All-Stars in a pair of 15-0 games Tuesday and dropped a 17-0 contest to the Jacksonville, Florida-based Southside Shake & Bake Sunday. Shenandoah is the top seed, while Salem is seeded fourth and Southside, eighth.
The Patterson-Bonkid winner will meet the winner of East Side and No. 11 seed Stafford, Virginia, Shockwave Wednesday at 2 p.m. The losers of the Patterson-Bonkid game will meet the loser of the contest between Big Bend and No. 5 seed Jefferson Parish Recreation Department East Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Bracket play will continue through Friday with the consolation game set for 3 p.m., the third-place game at 1 p.m. and the title game at 5 p.m.
In Tuesday’s win against East Side, Patterson took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but East Side countered with three runs in the bottom of the frame.
However, Patterson came back with two runs in the second, one in the fourth and two more in the fifth for the final margin.
Patterson outhit East Side, 11-6.
Kamille Lightfoot led Patterson with a 2-for-3 performance with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Other top Patterson offensive contributors included Laila Dugar, 2-for-2 with two RBIs; Abbie Scully, 2-for-3, an RBI; Mikah Ortiz, 1-for-3, an RBI and a run scored; Emily Lipari, 1-for-2, a stolen base and two runs scored; Amaya Williams and Hilary Pillaro, each 1-for-2 with a run scored; Hailey Skiles, 1-for-1, a stolen base; and Maggie Lemoine, an RBI.
Dugar earned the win. In three innings, she surrendered three runs (three earned) on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Olivia Black pitched two innings and surrendered one hit, hit one batter and fanned two.
Against Ellensburg, Patterson scored a run in the first, six in the second, one in the third and two more in the fourth inning.
Patterson outhit Ellensburg, 8-4.
Ortiz led Patterson with a 3-for-3 performance with two doubles, a stolen base and three RBIs. Other top Patterson offensive contributors included Lightfoot and Lemoine, each 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored; Skiles, 1-for-1, a stolen base and two runs scored; Williams, 1-for-2, a run scored; Bryleigh DeHart, 1-for-1; and Ana Vaccarella, an RBI.
Black earned the win. In four innings, she surrendered four hits and fanned two.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Review Sports Editor Geoff Stoute is in Jensen Beach, Florida, for the Babe Ruth Softball World Series. Follow him on Twitter for updates. His handle is @MCJournalist. Also, updates will be posted to www.stmarynow.com and The Daily Review’s Facebook page.

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Shoppers get a discount on Louisiana’s state retail sales tax on many purchases this weekend.

People will pay 3 percent state sales tax instead of 5 percent Friday and Saturday on most items, including back-to-school supplies, electronics and appliances.

The exemption covers $2,500 of the price on each eligible item.

For instance, state Department of Revenue spokesman Byron Henderson says someone buying a $2,500 flat-screen TV and a $2,500 refrigerator would pay 3 percent tax on each item, rather than 5 percent. That would work out $100 total savings.

If something cost $2,800, the full 5 percent tax would be charged on $300 of the cost.

The exemption doesn’t apply to vehicles that must be titled and licensed, or to restaurants or taxable services such as laundry or hotel rooms.