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(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

St. Mary deputies arrested two people Tuesday on drug possession charges, while Morgan City police detained two men accused of disturbing the peace by fighting.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 48 complaints and made these arrests:

—Joseph Paul Trahan, 27, Gray, was arrested at 10:06 a.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no insurance. Bail has not been set.

—Lacey Nicole Yates, 39, Patterson, was arrested at 3:50 a.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of Schedule II drugs, no headlights, possession of drug paraphernalia and no insurance. Bail has not been set.

—Drake Christopher Miller, 20, Morgan City, arrested at 10:34 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of simple criminal damage to property. Bail has not been set.

—Ronald Ray Wesley Jr., 40, Jeanerette, was arrested 7:52 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Bail has not been set.

—Jukobie Michael Matthews, 21, Amelia, was arrested at 12:13 p.m. Tuesday on charges of hit and run, reckless operation with accident and no insurance. Bail was set at $2,000.

Morgan City

Interim Police Chief Mark E. Griffin reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 50 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

—Christopher Sylvester Jr., 26, Pinecrest, Pineville, was arrested at 6:10 a.m. Wednesday on charges of disturbing the peace (fighting) and failure to appear for trial (16th Judicial District Court).

—Joseph Noel, 44, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:10 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of disturbing the peace (fighting).

—Shannon Ashmore Wainright, 50, Pecan Street, Patterson, was arrested at 10:09 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of telephone harassment.

Franklin

Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to nine complaints over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

—Anthony Wells, 69, Antigo Alley, Franklin, was arrested at 7:58 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant dated June 15 alleging remaining where forbidden. Wells was booked, processed and released on a $500 bond.

—Alicia Sereal, 39, Adams Street, Franklin, was arrested at 10:02 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of theft. Sereal was booked, processed and held on a $1,500 bond.

Louisiana tourism hasn’t rebounded all the way to pre-pandemic levels. But visitors are on their way back, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told a St. Mary Chamber Business Luncheon audience Wednesday, with the help of a very long alligator, some London taxicabs and the Louisiana Legislature.

“I’m so impressed where we are today, coming back from COVID,” said Nungesser, whose office makes him head of the state’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

Before COVID, Louisiana enjoyed its eighth straight record-breaking tourism year with more than 53 million visitors who spent $18.9 billion, according to the Louisiana Travel Association. That spending led to the employment of more than 24,000 Louisiana people.

Restaurants, hotels and other business sectors related to tourism were hammered by the COVID restrictions of 2020. But the number of visitors rose again to 41 million in 2021.

Nungesser won’t be around for Morgan City’s biggest tourism event, the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, this weekend. He’s scheduled to perform the coin toss at Sunday’s Florida State-LSU football game.

But he talked about the importance of local festivals and thanked state legislators for coming up with money to promote them.

“Coming out of COVID, nobody has money to market their business,” Nungesser said.

The long alligator was a parade float, Louisiana’s first-ever entry in the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The float, and some TV commercials with close-ups of the alligator’s eye and a warning that “Louisiana is coming” attracted positive attention for the state.

The “Celebration Gator” was the longest float in parade history at 60 feet and was seen by an audience estimated at 1.5 billion.

Then it was on to the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena. The “Feed Your Soul” float was the only float in the parade representing a single state. Its riders included first responders, among them Dr. Brian Bonin of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center; a teacher of the year, pageant queens; and Cajun Navy founder Todd Terrell.

Also, Louisiana decorations on London taxicabs helped attracted 6,000 visitors, Nungesser said.

Other tourism developments, Nungesser said:

—Louisiana’s Civil Rights Trail, which Nungesser started based on similar projects elsewhere in the South, had its first three markers in 2021. Now there are nine markers.

—State parks enjoyed their best year ever in 2021, and seven parks were in the black for the first time.

—The Office of Culture, Recreation and Tourism is negotiating jurisdiction over state museums with the Secretary of State’s Office. Each state museum will soon be the subject of a video that Nungesser
hopes will attract interest from history buffs.

—Trailers that can be moved to state parks when events are scheduled nearby can generate rental income, Nungesser said. They can also be used by families driven from their homes by natural disasters.

—Boats will make Poverty Point World Heritage Site more accessible to tourists. The site consists of a 72-foot mound and concentric earthen circles built by people who lived in northeast Louisiana up to 3,400 years ago.

Also at Wednesday’s Luncheon:

—Twin City Funeral Home was named Business of the Month, and Gabrielle LeMaire of Pelican Companies and Lake End Rentals was named Administrative Assistant of the Month.

—U.S. Rep. Garret Graves introduced himself to the luncheon audience. The redistricting that followed the 2020 Census put Amelia and eastern Morgan City into the 6th Congressional District now represented by Graves, R-Baton Rouge. The rest of the parish remains in the 3rd District, represented by Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette.

Graves pointed to the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival and noted that local shrimpers face competition from imports without adequate inspection.

And “we’ve got this administration coming in and saying we’re not going to produce any more oil in the Gulf,” Graves said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Some domestic shrimp producers say the imported product is often loaded with antibiotics used to limit loss to disease in farm-raised shrimp.

The Biden administration has sought to limit new offshore oil leases as a means of reducing carbon emissions.

Reagan Lyndsey, a 2021 Patterson High School graduate, is the Chi Chapter Grant-in-Aid recipient for 2022. She is majoring in education at Louisiana State University. Lyndsey, right, is Chi Chapter member and was presented the scholarship by Patterson High Principal Courtney Andrews. Each year Chi Chapter, of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, awards this grant to an outstanding St. Mary Parish female graduate who plans to major in the field of education in college.

DEAR ABBY: I recently met the love of my life, and I’m planning to leave my life and family in Arkansas and move to California to marry him. He’s recently divorced after a 25-year marriage. My problem is that his ex wanted the divorce, but now she wants him back. She knows he has met someone, but she’s constantly telling him she wants a “booty call.”
They have two grown children, and their daughter is being married soon. His ex is now threatening that if he brings me to the wedding, she will do something crazy. I know he loves me and he talks to her only to keep her calm, but I feel if he doesn’t take me to the wedding he will be highly disrespecting me. He still talks to her even though she has said some nasty things about me, which is also hurtful. Am I being too sensitive?
PERPLEXED IN THE SOUTH

DEAR PERPLEXED: When this man’s ex tells him she wants a booty call, how does he respond? If he’s still sexually involved with her, your odds of success with him are zero. He may talk to her (in spite of her saying nasty things about you) because they have children and possibly grandchildren in common. That he would REPEAT her less than complimentary comments to you does not say much for his judgment.
Under these circumstances, I don’t think you should insist upon attending that wedding. Instead, think carefully about the wisdom of leaving your life and family and relocating unless you have a job waiting and a guaranteed timeline regarding marriage.

DEAR ABBY: My 50-year-old nephew has always used women and was finally caught embezzling $60,000 from one of them. He was arrested and ordered to pay restitution, or he would stay in prison for years. After only two weeks of incarceration, he cried and pleaded with our family and promised he would pay anyone back the money if they would pay his restitution.
My sister was a wreck and came to me. I came up with the money and got a promissory note from my nephew. Long story short, he stuck my sister with every payment. When my sister went bankrupt because of it, I asked if he could at least pay $25 toward what he owed, but he did nothing. My sister finally repaid everything my nephew owed me, and now she expects us all to be one big, happy family.
She has invited me and my husband to come for the holidays, which will include my nephew. I told her I will never again be in the same room with that liar and cheat, so now she’s upset with me! Am I making the right choice? He used all of us to get out of jail, never paid anyone back and is still using women. For that I’m supposed to embrace him with open arms? I think it would be condoning his actions.
UPSET AUNT

DEAR AUNT: I agree with you about that. Your instinctive reaction to keep your sociopathic nephew at arm’s length (or even further) is HEALTHY. It’s safer to keep people with no ethics at a distance. After what happened, as much as your sister might wish it, you are no longer one big happy family.
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