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The Krewe of Galatea Parade rolled Sunday afternoon in Morgan City. The Nike chidren's krewe and the Krewe of Hannibal were also part of Sunday's parade.

Next up on the parade schedule is the Amani Parade at 1 p.m. Monday in Patterson and the Krewe of Hera Parade at 7 p.m. Monday night.

The Review/Bill Decker

Thomas Hutchinson Jr., who has filled the Morgan City Council District 5 seat for 10 months on an interim basis, will soon be an interim pick no longer.

Hutchison qualified without opposition to run for the seat in the May 16 election.

The showdown between incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and challenger Julia Letlow, a U.S. representative, took shape.

Qualifying was Wednesday-Friday.

In St. Mary:

--Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard qualified for re-election without opposition.

One Franklin City Council race emerged from qualifying. Pearl Barnes Rack and Ella B. Hamilton qualified for the District C seat.

The other districts drew one candidate each: Lester “Motor” Levine for the at-large seat, Jaime B. Robison in District A, Chuck Autin in District B, and Joseph “Joe” Garrison in District D.

--Glen Elliot of Morgan City qualified alone for justice of the peace in Ward 8.

--U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, qualified with opposition in the 3rd Congressional District Republican primary.

Three candidates qualified to run in the Democratic primary: John Day of Lake Charles, Tia LeBrun of Sulphur and Caleb “With A C” Walker of Lafayette.

The U.S. House and Senate primaries will be run as closed party primaries this year.

--Cassidy and Letlow qualified for the statewide Republican primary, along with state Treasurer John Fleming of Minden and Mark Spencer of Belle Chasse.

On the Democratic side, the qualifiers are Nicholas "Nick" Albares and Gary Crockett of New Orleans and “Jamie” Davis of Ferriday.

A recent trip to the East Coast to visit a grandson gave me a chance to partake and enjoy Maine seafood, particularly the bountiful supply of lobster. Now coming from the Bayou State with the best seafood in the nation, my standards are high. And with all due respect to the fine folks in Maine, I was disappointed.
My first food stop was for a lobster roll at one of the seafood joints that are on every corner. Now a lobster roll is simply a hotdog bun filled with lobster meat with a little mayonnaise on top. Sure, the lobster meat was tasty, but the roll needed spicing up a bit. So like any other hungry Louisianan would do, I asked for some Tabasco sauce. “Don’t have any,” I was told. I received the same response at several other seafood stops.
The lesson here is that our Yankee friends don’t know how to spice up their seafood. It is often rather bland. Seafood and hot sauce go hand in hand down here where I live. And Tabasco is the gold standard when it comes to condiments. I was in northern Thailand a few years ago eating lunch at an outdoor cafe with dirt floors along the Cambodian border, and when my rice dish was served, it included the Tabasco sauce. But I couldn’t find it in Maine.
I first learned about Tabasco sauce in a rather unpleasant way back in 1972. I was a newly elected state senator and one of my first proposed new laws was to create a Louisiana cancer registry. The Bayou State has what has been called “cancer alley” along the Mississippi River south of Baton Rouge. My proposal was to direct the Department of Hospitals to put in place a monitoring system to try and determine what was causing such high incidences of cancer.
When I spoke before the Senate to lobby for my suggested legislation, I told my colleagues: “We really do not know what is causing such a high rate of cancer. Maybe it’s in the air along the river, perhaps it’s in the water, or maybe it’s something we eat. For all I know, it could be the Tabasco sauce.” As the president would say, my mistake was HUGE.
Remember now, I was a redneck legislator from Ferriday, and back then we did not spice up our food that much. Not having used Tabasco sauce, I honestly thought the name was generic, like mustard or ketchup. I had no idea Tabasco was a popular brand name.
Later that night, I was asleep in my apartment at the Pentagon Barracks when the phone rang. It was a state trooper stationed at the Governor’s Mansion, and he told me a Mr. Walter Mcllhenny was desperately trying to get in touch with me. I immediately called him and it would be an understatement to say he was upset. I explained that I genuinely thought the brand was generic and I profusely apologized.
I told him I would stand up in the Senate the next day, explain my regrets and try to clarify my mistake. “Oh no,” he admonished. “That could only make things worse. Let’s just let it be.” So I learned a good lesson, and have become a Tabasco aficionado ever since. I often carry a small Tabasco sauce bottle as I travel, particularly in “bland, food seasoning free zones” like Maine and the West Coast.
Louisiana has to be considered the spice capital of the nation. Whether we cook with the holy trinity of spices (onions, bell pepper and celery) or blend in garlic, bay leaves thyme and stewed tomatoes, it’s the herbs, spices and other special flavors that make the Bayou State unique when it comes to succulent cooking. But of all the ingredients, it’s the hot sauce that really brings out the taste. And despite my faux pas many years ago, this redneck has become a convert.  Hey, pass me the Tabasco sauce.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownla.com.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married 50 years and recently remembered that my husband cheated on me with several different women. He admitted to one affair but swears he saw her only twice and they had sex only once. He says I’m imagining the other two. He hasn’t apologized for the one he admitted to and refuses to discuss it or the other two, though I can see them in my mind’s eye and feel it in my gut.
At this point, I’m more angry about his lying than I am about something that happened decades ago. Am I wrong to want the truth so I can get angry, deal with it and then forgive him? I also want a heartfelt apology.
HEARTSICK
IN TEXAS

DEAR HEARTSICK: You do not need “the truth” so you can get angry. You are ALREADY as mad as heck. What you want is an apology from your cheating husband, and you aren’t going to get it. Discussing this with a licensed marriage and family therapist may help you dissipate some of your anger and move on.

DEAR ABBY: Two of my mom’s best friends ended their friendship with her after almost 50 years because of political differences. I grew up spending every holiday with these ladies and their families, in addition to summer lake and winter ski vacations and everything in between.
One of them is my godmother, and they both were like second moms to me. Can it be that simple to act as if they were never friends in the first place? Must Mom just accept the change, or can she try to repair the friendships?
SAD SON
IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR SON: When political differences run so deep that close friendships are destroyed, I am sorry to say they are often not salvageable. I am not sure that time can heal the rift when someone is so entrenched in their political beliefs that they would jettison a 50-year friendship.
Suggest to your mom that rather than look backward, she may try to cultivate friends who are less contentious.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 75-year-old therapist who was virtually a single parent. I still struggle with the guilt that I didn’t do a good enough job with my three grown children, despite my trying with what energy and resources I continue to have. Their father has been pretty much absent since our divorce 35 years ago.
How can I get rid of the feeling that I am disrespected by my ungrateful adult children, and how do I stop trying to compensate them for their missing parent? There is minimal chance that they will change their attitude or beliefs at this point.
STRUGGLING IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR STRUGGLING: Thank you for asking. By now you must have realized that you can’t buy love. As a psychotherapist, surely you are aware that therapists have therapists of their own (and many need this support). Because you are in pain over something you can’t change by yourself, recognize that it’s time to become proactive on your own behalf and consult one.

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Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 446, Kings Mills, OH 45034-0446.