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The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival and Fair Association and the Past Queen’s Club are in search of that special young woman to carry on the tradition of representing the oldest state-chartered harvest festival. She will be goodwill ambassador for the Tri-City area and will represent the 82nd Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival held Labor Day weekend.
All candidates must be at least 18 years old and not more than 23 by Jan. 1, 2018. Candidates and their parents shall be residents of east St. Mary Parish or lower St. Martin and Assumption parishes.
Each candidate should have attended at least their junior and senior year in an east St. Mary Parish high school. Candidates shall be high school graduates by not less than one year, shall never have been married, pregnant or given birth to a child.
The candidate selected to represent the 82nd festival will travel statewide promoting the festival and the City of Morgan City. The new queen will be required to attend 11 festivals selected by the board. She is encouraged to attend, when possible, all other festivals and city functions to which she is invited. Authorized travel and miscellaneous expenses are paid by the festival.
The queen must abide by all rules and regulations of the host festival while attending as representative of the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival.
She will also be required to attend the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians’ Mardi Gras Ball in Washington, D.C. Before embarking to Washington, D.C., she and queens from other Louisiana festivals will be honored at a luncheon hosted by the Louisiana governor and first lady in Baton Rouge.
The 82nd queen is also required to attend the annual Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Convention in Baton Rouge.
If the parents of the new queen should move from the area, the queen must maintain an area residence during the term of her reign. In the event the queen should marry or she becomes ineligible to represent the festival, the festival shall consider the crown vacated and all privileges and duties of the queen shall revert to one of the crown princesses, at the festival’s choice.
The young woman chosen to represent the festival must relinquish all other beauty titles, other than high school or college, and as a festival queen may not enter any beauty contest during her reign. She must conform to all festival regulations as queen and must not conduct herself in any manner other than that befitting of a queen.
Maids will be presented during the 82nd Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival Coronation and Ball at 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.
Information and applications may be obtained by calling the festival office at 985-385-0703, emailing director@shrimp-petrofest.org or request may be made to P.O. Box 103, Morgan City, LA 70381. The deadline for submitting completed applications is June 2.

For the second consecutive season, two St. Mary Parish teams will be playing at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/Louisiana High School Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament.
However, unlike a year ago when cross-parish rivals Central Catholic and Hanson Memorial met in the Class 1A semifinals, this season, Berwick and Central Catholic will make the trip and compete in Class 3A and Division IV, respectively.
The two schools, in municipalities separated by the Atchafalaya River, will play on consecutive days. Central Catholic, Division IV’s top seed, will play Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on Field 40 against No. 4 seed Ascension Catholic, while Thursday, Berwick, Class 3A’s No. 3 seed, will meet No. 7 seed and 2016 Class 3A state runner-up South Beauregard on Field 41 at 4:30 p.m.
Central Catholic Coach Tyler Jensen, who is bringing his team to the state tournament for the sixth consecutive season and is attempting to repeat as a state champion after winning a title in 2016, said that it’s a positive for the area with multiple teams in Sulphur.
“I said it last year when we played Hanson: It’s good for this area as far as pride and just showing how good of an area St. Mary Parish is with baseball,” he said. “A lot of our guys are good friends with their guys and just to have that extra presence there is always big for St. Mary Parish and Berwick and Central Catholic.”
Central Catholic enters the state tournament with a 26-7 mark, while Berwick sports a 25-10 mark.
Berwick is making its first state tournament appearance since 2007. The Panthers are led this season by first-year Coach John Menard.
“Coach John Menard’s a first-class guy,” Jensen said. “There’s probably no one else that deserves it than him and his guys. They’ve had a lot of talent there for a couple of years, and it’s good to see a team with a bunch of seniors like that that finally put it all together and punched that ticket.”
Menard also was complimentary of Jensen.
“Coach Jensen does a great job over there at Central year in and year out getting his guys ready to go,” Menard said.
“We talked about this a lot over here, wanting to make it to the next level, getting past the first round, second round, getting all the way over there to the tournament.
“It’s going to be huge. I know we have a lot of people talking about coming to support us. We’re actually going to go up there Wednesday night and try to catch some of the Central game, support them, kind of see the atmosphere, so it should be exciting.”
For a preview of Central Catholic’s contest, see page 8, while Berwick’s preview will be featured in Thursday’s newspaper.

Staff Report
A 16-year-old boy was arrested after a fight at Patterson High School resulted in a broken jaw, according to St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert.
The juvenile male, of Patterson, was arrested at 2:06 p.m. Friday on a charge of simple battery. A school resource officer responded to a report of a fight at Patterson High School. The juvenile was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
The SRO did a follow-up investigation and found that the juvenile victim suffered a broken jaw. The new information on the case was turned over to the district attorney’s office.
Hebert also reported the following arrests:
—Ernest Harris Jr., 40, of St. Michael Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Friday on Friendship Alley in Amelia. Harris was arrested on a warrant for unauthorized use of a movable. Harris was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail is set.
—Shane Price, 23, of La. 182 in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 1:24 a.m. Saturday on Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista. Price was arrested for speeding and operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license. Price was released on a summons to appear in court Aug. 15.
—A juvenile male, 12, of Patterson, was arrested at 2:40 a.m. Monday for curfew violation and resisting an officer. While patrolling Bayou Vista, a deputy observed juvenile males near the intersection of Southwest Road and Saturn Road. The 12-year-old juvenile attempted to run away from deputies. The juvenile was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
—A juvenile male, 14, of Franklin, was arrested at 2:40 a.m. Sunday for curfew violation. While patrolling Bayou Vista, a deputy observed juvenile males near the intersection of Southwest Road and Saturn Road. The juvenile gave the deputy a fake story as to why he was out after curfew. The juvenile was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
—John Verdin Jr., 64, of Kathleen Street in Patterson, was arrested at 2:05 a.m. Saturday. A St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy patrolling Bayou Vista observed a vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign.
A traffic stop was made during which the deputy smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on the driver’s breath and body along with several other indicators of impairment. The driver was identified as Verdin.
The deputy administered a standardized field sobriety test in which Verdin registered a 0.199 grams-percent blood alcohol concentration. Verdin was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Verdin was released on a $2,750 bond.
Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported the following arrest:
—Kandance D. Francis, 27, of Maple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:59 a.m. Friday on two arrest warrants held by 6th Ward Morgan City Court. Francis was charged with failure to appear to pay probation fee and failure to appear to pay fine. Francis was jailed.
—Ramon L. Figueroa-Lugo, 38, of Karen Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:41 p.m. Friday. Figueroa-Lugo was charged with disturbing the peace by fighting and aggravated assault. Figueroa-Lugo was jailed.
—Luis Perez, 19, of Karen Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:41 p.m. Friday. Perez was charged with disturbing the peace by fighting. Perez was jailed.
—Angie G. LeFleur, 37, of Honey Lane in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:27 p.m. Friday on Front Street. LeFleur is charged with disturbing the peace, resisting an officer, and battery on a police officer. LeFleur was jailed.
—Nakeitha Bennett, 30, of Grout Street in Patterson, was arrested at 9:14 p.m. Friday. Bennett was charged with driving with a suspended license. Bennett was jailed.
—Jason P. Myers Sr., 42, of North Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:28 p.m. Friday. Myers was charged with loud music in excess of 50 feet. Myers had previous warnings and citations in regard to loud music. Myers was transported to Morgan City Jail.
—Joseph J. Thibodeaux, 19, of West Ivert Street in Franklin, was arrested at 10:11 p.m. Friday in the area of La. 70. Thibodeaux was arrested on an active warrant held by the 6th Ward Morgan City Court for failure to appear to pay fine. Thibodeaux was jailed.
—Donald R. Turner Jr., 35, of Adams Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:56 p.m. Friday on Brashear Avenue. Turner was charged with driving while intoxicated, open container, and speeding 46 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle speeding in the area of Brashear Avenue. A traffic stop was initiated and Turner was identified as the driver.
The officer detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage and Turner performed poorly on a standardized field sobriety test. Turner was transported to Morgan City Jail and submitted to a chemical test, registering .163 grams-percent blood alcohol content. Turner was jailed.
—Natosha Brinlee, 39, of Burchfield Lane in Berwick, was arrested at 12:46 a.m. Saturday on La. 182. Brinlee was charged with disturbing the peace intoxicated and simple battery. Brinlee was jailed.
—Yiron D. Dorsey, 23, of Morriswood Drive in Harvey, was arrested at 11:59 a.m. Saturday on La. 70. Dorsey was charged with theft by shoplifting. Dorsey was jailed.
—Paul M. Daigle, 38, of Shaw Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:25 a.m. Sunday at the Patterson Police Department. Daigle was charged on an active warrant held by 6th Ward Morgan City Court with failure to pay fine. Daigle was jailed.
—Efrain V. Serrano, 49, of Spruce Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on La. 182. Serrano was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
—Angel L. Maldanado-Rodriguez, 23, of Kidd Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on La. 182. Maldanado-Rodriguez was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and broken tail light.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle traveling in the area of La. 182 with only one operable brake light and initiated a traffic stop. During the traffic stop, Maldanado-Rodriguez and Serrano were identified as occupants of the vehicle.
Officers detected an odor of suspected marijuana emitting from the vehicle and initiated a search. Marijuana and drug paraphernalia was located. Maldanado-Rodriguez and Serrano were arrested and transported to the Morgan City Jail.
—Paul T. Landry Jr., 21, of Lake Palourde Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Morgan City Police Department. Landry was charged on outstanding warrants for possession of marijuana, stop sign violation, no turn signal, and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance-drug free zone.
The warrants stem from an investigation in April in which a stop was initiated for a stop sign and signal violation. Landry was jailed.
—Terry L. Toups, 56, of Roderick Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:14 p.m. Sunday on La. 182. Toups was charged with possession of marijuana. Toups was transported to Morgan City Jail.
—Phillip J. Aucoin, 46, of Guzzetta Drive in Berwick, was arrested at 5:37 p.m. Sunday on Front Street. Aucoin was charged with possession of marijuana. Aucoin was jailed.
—Tamario Q. Ulmer, 25, of Glenwood Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:52 p.m. Sunday. Ulmer was charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle, no turn signal, no insurance, no inspection sticker, and no license plate. Ulmer was jailed.
—Erica L. Gaddy, 29, of Fig Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:32 p.m. Friday on Arenz Street. Gaddy was arrested on an active warrant held by 16th Judicial District Court for failure to appear for trial. Gaddy was jailed.
—Tanisha L. Wilkerson, 41, of Grace Street in Siracusa, was arrested at 1:33 a.m. Monday on La. 182. Wilkerson was arrested on an active warrant held by 6th Ward Morgan City Court for failure to appear to pay probation fee. Wilkerson was jailed.
—Conley T. Jones, 68, of Joseph Street in Siracusa, was arrested at 1:33 a.m. Monday. Jones was charged with possession of marijuana and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug free zone.
—Bryson Skinner, 22, of Grace Street in Siracusa, was arrested at 1:33 a.m. Monday. Skinner was charged with possession of marijuana, violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug free zone, no driver’s license, improper lighting, and on hold for an active warrant with Thibodaux Police Department.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle in the area of La. 182 with improper lighting. A stop was initiated and Skinner and Jones were identified.
Officers detected an odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and marijuana was located during a search. Skinner also had active warrants with the Thibodaux Police Department.
The area where the incident took place was within a drug free zone. Jones and Skinner were arrested and transported to the Morgan City Jail.
Franklin Police Chief Sabria McGuire reported the following arrest:
—Christopher Hines, 36, of Fournier Street in Franklin, was arrested at 9:59 a.m. Saturday on a warrant for the 3rd Ward City Court for failure to appear on the charge of driving while intoxicated.
Hines was also arrested on warrants for 16th Judicial District Court for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. Hines is currently held on a $15,965.16 bond.
—Tyler Guilbeau, 18, of St. Joseph Lane in Franklin, was arrested at 8:39 a.m. Friday on charges of simple criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing. Guilbeau was released on a $1,500 bond.
— Tylon Ireland, 17, of Antigo Alley in Franklin, was arrested at 1:42 p.m. Friday on charges of simple criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing. Ireland was released on a $1,500 bond.
—Alicia Bertrand, 32, of Orange Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:55 p.m. Thursday on a 16th Judicial District Court warrant for failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. Bertrand was jailed on $9,919.38 bail.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrest:
—Donald Turner Jr., 35, of Adam Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:43 p.m. Saturday at Morgan City Police Department for a warrant of second offense possession of marijuana. Turner was released on $5,000 bond.
—Jahmarcus Paddio, 20, of Fifth Street in Berwick, was arrested at 5:45 p.m. Thursday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor. No bail was set yet.
Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported the following arrests:
—Andrew Hall, 37, of Onstead Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:32 p.m. Friday on U.S. 90. Hall was arrested on a warrant for simple battery. Hall was released on a $319 bond.
—Victor Crane, 49, of Shady Grove in Patterson, was arrest at 8:08 p.m. Friday on Shady Grove in Patterson. Crane was arrested on two counts of simple battery involving domestic violence and disturbing the peace while intoxicated. Crane was released on a $5,500 bond.