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MICHAEL JOSEPH 'MIKE' VEILLON

Michael Joseph “Mike” Veillon, 54, a resident of Bayou L’Ourse, passed away Sunday, May 14, 2017, at Teche Regional Medical Center.
Mike was born Nov. 10, 1962, in Bunkie, the son of Ronald Veillion and Elise Vicknair Veillion.
Mike was a man who loved to be in the outdoors, whether he was fishing or tending to all of his animals. He loved being with his friends and family, but especially loved spending time with his grandchildren who held a special place in his heart. He will always be remembered as someone who always put the needs of others before his and who always helped anyone who was in need.
He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife, Gwyn Veillon of Bayou L’Ourse; three daughters, Misty Vaughn and husband Raymond of St. Amant, Reba Skeen of St. Amant, and Natasha Todd and husband Pratt of South Carolina; three sons, Earl Skeen and wife Tara of Gonzales, Travis Skeen of Bayou L’Ourse and Michael Veillon Jr. of Puerto Rico; 11 grandchildren, Ashlyn, Gage, Baileigh, Khloe, Khayren, Khynlee, Aaiden, Adalyn, Ty, Erik and Bryson; father, Ronald Veillion of Port Allen; grandmother, Ethel Courville of Broussard; and two brothers, Harold Veillion and wife Venita, and David Veillion and wife Brenda.
Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Elise Vicknair Weaver.
Pallbearers will be Earl Skeen, Ronnie Bailey Jr., David Veillion, Harold Veillion, Raymond Vaughn, Chris Veillion, Lonnie Veillion and Greg Josey.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 18, 2017, at Twin City Funeral Home. There will be a visitation held from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at Twin City Funeral Home with the visitation resuming from 9 a.m. until the time of the service on Thursday at the funeral home. Following the services, Mike will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.

JERRY DAVID DUVAL JR.

January 2, 1966-May 14, 2017
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 11 a.m. at Ibert’s Mortuary in Patterson for Jerry David Duval Jr., a native of Subic Bay, Manila, Philippines, former longtime resident of Morgan City and a resident of Patterson for the past 11 years, who passed away at the age of 51 on Sunday, May 14, 2017, in Patterson.
Following the service, Jerry will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery. Father Angelo Cremaldi will conduct the services. Serving as pallbearers will be Chris Wilson, Jack Rock, James Duval, Chad Duval, James Wilson and Mat Moore.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Tuesday, May 16, 2017, at Ibert’s Mortuary from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., with the rosary being prayed at 7 p.m. Visitation will resume Wednesday morning with private time for family and law enforcement at 9 a.m. followed by public visitation at 10 a.m.
Jerry worked in law enforcement his entire adult career, proudly serving the citizens of St. Mary Parish for 27 years. He was a fair and honest officer who was loved and well-respected by all. Some of his favorite pastimes included hunting, fishing, going camping, spending time with his family and spoiling his grandkids.
Survivors include his wife of 11 years, Bonnie Wilson Duval; his stepchildren, Chris Wilson and wife Allyson, Frank Rock, Jack Rock and wife Celena, and Denise Desormeaux; his mother, Maria “Betty” Duval; two brothers, James Duval and wife Michelle, and William Edward Duval and wife Evelyn; two sisters, Dorothy Marie Duval and Betina Lynn Duval; four grandchildren, James Wilson, Sonia Pillaro, Zane Wilson and Jacqueline “Peanut” Rock; nieces and nephews, Chasity Duval, Harley Duval, Chad Duval and Thiel Duval; as well as numerous extended family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Jerry David Duval Sr.; as well as by his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Family and friends may view the obituary and express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary Inc., 1111 Lia Street, Patterson, LA 70392, 985-395-7873.

Wheel House for May 16

VFW MEETING
At 7 p.m. Friday, May 19. Dinner at 6 p.m.

GRADUATES
Little Zion Baptist Church Educational Service program honoring graduates at 8 a.m. Sunday, May 21. Guest speaker Patterson Mayor Rodney Grogan. Public invited.

DAY CAMP
Morgan City Recreation Department Summer Day Camp program for youth ages 6 by May 1, 2017, and not 13 on or before July 31. Day Camp sessions: June 5-16; June 19-30 and July 3-14 (closed July 4). Cost per child per session, $160. For info call 985-380-4600.

FEEDING PROGRAM
At Lee Chapel AME Church has been rescheduled for June 21.

Police Reports 5-16-17

Franklin Police Chief Sabria McGuire reported the following arrests:
John Felton Jr., 52, Hamilton Street, Franklin, was arrested on Friday at 7:21 a.m., for simple battery, disturbing the peace and resisting an officer by force. Felton was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Frank Small Jr., 37, Third Street, Franklin, while incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center, was arrested on Friday at 10:22 a.m., on warrants the charge of distribution of Schedule I narcotics – marijuana and inciting a felony. Small was also arrested on warrants for the charges of possession of Schedule I narcotics – marijuana with intent to distribute, illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, monetary instrument abuse, violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law in a drug-free zone, illegal carrying of a weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Small remains incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Gary Jones, 49, Ibert Street, Franklin, was arrested on Friday at 5:04 p.m., on a warrant for theft of goods. No bond is set.
Alonia Sherron, 49, Carl C. Foulcard, Franklin, while incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center, was arrested on Sunday at 8:33 a.m., on a warrant for the charge of theft by shoplifting. Sherron remains incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Linda Lange, 53, Hebert Street, Franklin, while incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center, was arrested on Monday at 7:58 a.m., on a warrant for the charge of violation of a protective order Lange remains incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Chitimacha Police Chief Hal Hutchinson reported the following arrest:
Hilry Lemoine, 47, Crestwell Street, New Iberia, was arrested on Monday for theft. Lemoine was released on a summons.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert reported the following arrests:
Luis Valadez, 21, 416 Mozart Drive, Houma, was arrested on Sunday at 9:52 p.m. for resisting an officer and on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of possession of Schedule I drugs and operating a vehicle without a driver’s license. No bail is set.
Brian Prince, 21, 405 Camille Drive, Patterson, was arrested on Monday at 12:41 a.m. for violation of the maximum speed limit law. He was released on a summons.
Dayshawn Short, 32, 710 Everett St., Morgan City, was arrested on Monday at 10:36 a.m. on a warrant for failure to comply with a court order to enroll with a batterers’ intervention program. No bail is set.
Dean Lacoste, 26, 106 Sunnyside Lane, Berwick, was arrested on Monday at 10:53 a.m. for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Lacoste was released on a summons.
John Henry, 28, 920 Irish Bend Road, Franklin, was arrested on Monday at 2:21 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear for a drug court status conference and failure to comply with the terms and conditions of drug court. Bail on the warrant is set at $100,000.
Carlon Gonsoulin, 27, 101 Martin Lane, Amelia, was arrested on Monday at 3:12 p.m. for domestic abuse battery. No bail is set.
Tobin Dinger Jr., 22, 167 La. 182 East, Bayou Vista, was arrested on Monday at 5:04 p.m. for cruelty to animals. Dinger was released on a summons.
Roland Alfred, 36, 1031 La. 318 Lot 4, Jeanerette, was arrested on Monday at 3:33 p.m. for armed robbery, criminal trespass, illegal carrying of a firearm by a convicted felon, warrant for failure to appear on the charge of aggravated battery and warrant for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. No bail is set.
Emilie Elkins, 24, 1114 Lee Charles St., Franklin, was arrested on Monday at 9:25 p.m. for possession of Schedule IV - Xanax, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a drug free zone and obstruction of justice. No bail is set.
Rita Guillot, 76, 1114 Lee Chares St., Franklin, was arrested on Monday at 9:25p.m. for possession of Schedule IV – Xanax and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a drug free zone. Guillot was released on a $1,000 bond.

Nursing Home Week

Mayor Raymond Harris Jr. signed a proclamation on Monday declaring May 9-15 as Nursing Home Week. The document states that “nursing home residents of any age or ability are themselves living history and a precious resource.” It asks for Mayor Harris to “urge every citizen to honor the elderly and disabled residents of nursing homes by visiting or volunteering…to bring good cheer to the residents and staff.” Mayor Harris is joined by Shawn Verdin and Vicky Landry of Franklin Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. (Janell Parfait/Banner-Tribune)

Guests don’t know each other? Help them mingle

Couples who meticulously plan every aspect of their wedding can still have trouble predicting: Will the guests have fun?
That question becomes even harder to answer when guests don’t know each other. A generation ago, couples from the same town or right out of college were more likely to have a cohesive group of shared friends. Today, many couples are inviting a broad mix of family and friends from different parts of their lives and different parts of the world.
How do you ensure that a roomful of people who haven’t met will mingle and have a good time together?
LOCATION, LOCATION
Deborah Moody, a California-based wedding planner, said guests will look for ways to make conversation if you help them along. An easy first step: “Make the location interesting.”
An unusual setting can be an instant conversation starter. And within your venue, consider creating spaces specifically to help guests socialize.
“No one is going to someone else’s table uninvited,” even if they’d like to strike up a conversation, said Natasha Brody, director of events at Hello Productions in Pittsburgh. She suggests creating a lounge area with sofas and love seats, so people can sit down away from their tables.
“It brings a different level of design” to the reception area, she said, and allows people to sit down casually and talk.
PRE-WEDDING INTRODUCTIONS
A wedding website or Facebook group is a great way to introduce guests to each other. Invite them to post photos and information about how they know the bride and groom.
To take those pre-wedding introductions further, a service called Guesterly will create photo books of your guests with short bios.
“Many times, we just want a reason to start a conversation — or to continue one the next day,” said Rachel Hofstetter, Guesterly’s founder, who first created a photo book before her own wedding.
Or plan a group event to take place right before the wedding. Make sure it goes beyond a standard welcome reception at a hotel bar or restaurant; when Brody plans summer weddings, she often suggests a group outing to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game on the Thursday or Friday night before the wedding. Group tickets are inexpensive and guests can pay for their own refreshments. The casual, informal “beer and hotdogs” atmosphere makes guests comfortable, so “everyone’s more prone to chat it up together,” she said.
If your budget for events is limited, Brody suggests spending on this sort of pre-wedding event rather than a post-wedding Sunday brunch.
THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
At the reception, something as simple as a “signature cocktail” can help guests find an initial topic for conversation, said Moody.
And extended family members who might not have met would probably love to talk if someone introduces them. “Relatives view weddings as a family reunion, so they have family stories and memories to keep the conversation going,” Moody said. “If you don’t know your relatives, this becomes a perfect time to meet them.”
Hofstetter agrees: She said it’s worth planning ahead to make sure introductions take place, and even appointing “ambassadors” to introduce people.
OUT OF THEIR SEATS
“Forcing people to sit at tables with strangers does not always work well,” Moody said. “It is not that people do not engage. It is more that they tend to stick to their comfort zone.”
So give them something to see and do out of their seats: Picture boards, video montages, scrapbooks or a photo booth can “help to stimulate conversation and laughter,” she said. This works with food as well: Food trucks and dessert tables serving fun things like candy bars or gourmet doughnuts help people mingle.
To encourage guests to circulate and talk at a wedding in the Pittsburgh suburb of Fox Chapel, Brody’s company created an elegant cigar and whiskey bar that opened on an outdoor patio after dinner had been served.
Even if something like that is an added expense, it could be worth splurging, and saving money elsewhere. Guests might not remember your flowers or linens, Brody said, but they will remember meeting people and having fun socializing.
Most important, Moody said, is the couple at the heart of the wedding: “If the bride and groom are having fun and enjoying themselves, the guests will too. They take their cue from you!”

Man's wife can’t stay awake to talk

DEAR ABBY: As the only income earner in our household of five, I work long hours. Sometimes I would enjoy talking about my day with my wife of 18 years. While she has no problem staying awake to watch TV or going out with her friends on the weekend, she usually falls asleep right in the middle of what I’m saying. It also happens in the car while I’m driving. Contrast this to a recent trip she took with her friends where they talked and yucked it up for five hours straight. No matter how tired I am at the end ...

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Parish snaps 20-month streak of declining hotel taxes

After 20 straight months of declining hotel tax collections, St. Mary Parish’s hotel industry saw a glimmer of hope in April. The parish’s hotel sales and use tax brought in $40,718, an increase of 1.1 percent from the $40,289 collected in the same month of the prior year, according to the monthly report. That slight rise in the hotel tax is the first monthly increase since July 2015 when collections rose 5 percent compared to July 2014. The greatest monthly decrease during the 20-month streak of declining hotel taxes was in May 2016 when collections fell 40.8 percent compared to the same ...

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PHS seniors get diplomas

Symbolic cedar rope turned over to juniors

The cedar rope is in new hands today.
The rope, a traditional emblem at Patterson High School, was passed to next year’s seniors by the Class of 2017, which received diplomas at commencement exercises Friday night.
Senior class Vice President Shelby Houghton presented the rope to Madison Paul.
Also Friday, Monica Barajas presented the class gifts to Maya Madise.
Blair Brown, a 4.0 student, gave the valedictory address.
She said the class is now like “baby birds flying from the nest, discovering new paths.”
Principal Rachael Sanders spoke of the trepidation she felt as the seniors prepared for commencement. She said feared that the seniors would have too little confidence or too much, would stay too close to home or never return, and more.
“We taught you the best way we knew how,” Sanders said to the Class of 2017. “We supported you the best way we knew how. We reprimanded you the best way we knew how. We prepared you the best way we knew how.
“To the Class of 2017, we loved you the best way we knew how.”

MELVIN J. BLANCHARD

Melvin J. Blanchard, 96, a native and resident of Morgan City, passed away Saturday, May 13, 2017.
Melvin served with the 754th Railroad Battalion with the China Burma India Campaign during World War II. Employed by Southern Pacific Railroad for 40 years as yard master. Member of Doric Lodge 205 and Lafayette 87. Served as Worshipful Master in Lodge 205. Member of the Eastern Star Alice Chapter #5. Member of Pharr Chapel United Methodist Church. Actively involved in the Youth Baseball program for many years. Served as Parade Chairman for the Children’s Parade for Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. Member of the American Legion and the VFW.
Melvin is survived by a son, Marshall Jay Blanchard and wife Sandra; a daughter, Melanie Blanchard-Baker and husband Donald; grandchildren, Dennis Jay Blanchard and wife Heather, Desiree Baker-Himel and husband Evan, Mellynn Baker, Olivia Baker and Tucker Baker; three great-grandchildren; and a brother, Terry Blanchard.
Preceded in death by wife, Dorothy Blanchard; daughter-in-law, Kay Blanchard; parents were Herbert and Aline LaRose Blanchard; and sisters, Olive Hebert, Ella Mae Bonnette and Joyce Greenhaw.
Visitation will be Tuesday, May 16, 2017, at Hargrave Funeral Home from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. with Masonic Service at 7 p.m. and Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at Pharr Chapel United Methodist Church from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Burial will be in the Morgan City Cemetery.

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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