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Morgan City police radio logs for July 15-16

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the Police Department at 985-380-4605.
Friday, July 15
8:41 a.m. 1300 block of Nebraska Street; Complaint.
9:16 a.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Theft.
9:16 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
12:23 p.m. 1000 block of Third Street; Patrol.
1 p.m. 7000 block of La. 182; Lost and found.
1:11 p.m. 3200 block of Roselawn Drive; Medical.
1:26 p.m. 3000 block of Keith Street; Complaint.
1:34 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Animal complaint.
2:14 p.m. Brashear Avenue; Stalled vehicle.
2:33 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Alarm.
3:02 p.m. Federal Avenue and Adams Street; Patrol.
3:23 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Traffic incident.
4:04 p.m. 800 block of Village Lane; Medical.
4:38 p.m. Sixth and Maine streets; Loud music.
5:31 p.m. 3000 block of Roderick Street; Arrest.
7:26 p.m. 1100 block of Victor II Boulevard; Theft.
6:50 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Arrest.
7:32 p.m. 300 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.
8:07 p.m. Short Street; Arrest.
8:12 p.m. 2400 block of Sixth Street; Music complaint.
8:34 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
11:22 a.m. 400 block of Belanger Street; Vehicle accident.
11:41 p.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Medical.
11:57 p.m. 900 block of Duke Street; Disturb-ance.
Saturday, July 16
12:22 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Subject removal.
1:27 a.m. 700 block of Maine Street; Medical.
1:30 a.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Arrest.
2:51 a.m. 1400 block of Second Street; Complaint.
3:08 a.m. Sixth and Onstead streets; Complaint.
6:29 a.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
6:30 a.m. 600 block of Levee Road; Complaint.
7:07 a.m. 400 block of Bowman Street; Medical.
7:34 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
9:14 a.m. 8100 block of La. 182; Patrol.
11:30 a.m. 1100 block of Front Street; Alarm.
1:05 p.m. 600 block of Everett Street; Com-plaint.
2:08 p.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Peeping Tom.
2:35 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Removal of subject.
2:56 p.m. 600 block of Arenz Street; Medical.
3:27 p.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Traffic incident.
3:34 p.m. 800 block of Brashear Avenue; Complaint.
4:10 p.m. 1000 block of Ditch Avenue; Removal of subject.
4:19 p.m. 700 block of Leona Street; Disturbance.
7:20 p.m. 300 block of Kidd Street; Complaint.
7:31 p.m. Victor II Boulevard near Brashear Avenue; Crash.
7:27 p.m. 2400 block of Tiger Drive; 911 hang up.
8:08 p.m. 100 block of Arkansas Street; Complaint.
9:34 p.m. 600 block of Fifth Street; Complaint.
10:42 p.m. 900 block of Hickory Street; Fire.
11:55 p.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Disturbance.
1:08 a.m. 1400 block of Federal Avenue; Complaint.
1:20 a.m. 1400 block of Pecan Street; Stand by.

STANLEY JONES

Stanley Jones, 66, a native of Morgan City and resident of Amite, died Thursday, July 14, 2022, at Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. until services at 1 p.m. at Siracusa Recreation Center.

He is survived by his wife, Deborah Jones of Amite; two sons, Michael Ledet Jr. and Stanley Ledet, both of Hammond; two daughters, Tyinna Singleton of Villa Rica, Georgia and Keisha Harris of Dacula, Geor-gia; sisters, Sandra Broussard, Willie Jor-dan, Donna Briscoe and Olivia Madise, all of Morgan City, Yvette Eurbanks of Augusta, Georgia, and Mykel Barthelemy of Atlanta; brother, Raymond Poole of Wichita, Kansas; 12 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a
host of other relatives.

He was preceded in death by a son, mother, father, brother and two sisters.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrange-ments.

Barnett is Bayou BBQ Bash Grand Champion

Dustin Barnett of Southern Q was awarded the top prize of Grand Champion Saturday at the conclusion of the 11th annual Bayou BBQ Bash presented by the Marine Corps League, St. Mary Detachment 600. Taking home the Reserve Champion award was Adam Gautreau of Cajun Blaze.
Barnett received a trophy and a special Bayou BBQ Bash ring created by Klutts Jewelers.
The three day event began with a welcome event Thursday before competition began Friday and Saturday under the U.S. 90 bridge in downtown Morgan City. More than 30 teams from across Louisiana and several states competed in the Barbecue Competitors Alliance-sanctioned event.
Sam Guarisco of The Station BBQ was crowned this year’s St. Mary Parish Champion. The Corporate Champion was Chris Bridge of The Smoke House.
In the Kids-Q contest, Jaxsen Airado was first in pork chop category, Steven Sims was second and Bryce Barrilleaux was third. First in the chicken category was Audrey Cheramie, second was Olivia Viet Vu and Raillie Cheramie was third.
The top adult winners in each category was Adam Gautreau’s Cajun Blaze, first in brisket; James Curse’s Stockyard Landing, first in chicken and Dustin Barnett’s Southern Q, first in ribs.
Bayou BBQ Bash was founded in 2012 by Mata Tellman and the late Don Tellman.

Norwood on medal-winning relay team

Morgan City High grad Vernon "Tootie" Norwood helped the U.S. mixed 4x400 relay team win the bronze medal Friday in the World Track Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Norwood ran the third leg for the U.S. team, which finished with a time of 3:10.6.

The team of Norwood, Elija Godwin, Allyson Felix and Kennedy Simon finished behind the Dominican Republic, 3:09.82, and the Netherlands, 3:09.90.

Norwood, who starred at Morgan City High and then at LSU, brought home two medals from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He was a member of the men's 4x400 relay team that won a gold medal. he also competed ii the mixed 4x400 relay, where the U.S. won the bronze medal.

After his performance in Tokyo, Morgan City High named its track in his honor.

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Drug-related arrests reported by St. Mary, Morgan City, Berwick authorities

(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 Parish deputies and police in Morgan City and Berwick all reported arrests related to drug possession Thursday and Friday.

Berwick

Police Chief David S. Leonard reported this arrest:

—Kristie Blanchard, 44, River Road, Berwick was arrested at 2:32 a.m. Friday on charges of possession of a legend drug without a prescription (gabapentin), possession of marijuana (under 14 grams), possession of drug paraphernalia, modified exhaust and driving under suspension, and on a Berwick warrant alleging disturbing the peace.

About 2 a.m. Friday, a vehicle was observed traveling on Texas Street with a loud modified exhaust system and playing loud music. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, and officers made contact with the driver who was identified as Blanchard.

An odor of marijuana was detected coming from the vehicle. Blanchard admitted that she had a small amount of marijuana on her person. Officers collected the marijuana and also located gabapentin pills for which she could not provide a prescription for.

It was learned that her driver’s license was suspended and that she held an active warrant through the Berwick Police Department. Blanchard was transported to the Berwick Police Department where she was book. No bond was set.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 30 complaints and made this arrest:

—James Anthony Tarleton, 28, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was arrested at 2:39 a.m. Thursday on three warrants alleging failure to appear on charges of criminal neglect of family; possession with intent to distribute clonazepam; possession with intent to distribute of alprazolam; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; operating a vehicle while license is suspended, revoked or canceled; and resisting a police officer with force or violence.

Bail has not been set at this time.

Morgan City

Interim Police Chief Mark E. Griffin Jr. reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 38 calls for service in the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

—Kristin Michelle Aucoin, 29, River Road, Berwick, was arrested at 1:56 a.m. Friday on warrants alleging criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, urinating in public and disturbing the peace.

—Tabitha Star Nevels, 32, Poncio Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:10 a.m. Friday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of cocaine.

Morgan City police radio logs for July 14-15

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the Police Department at 985-380-4605.
Thursday, July 14
7:25 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
8:21 a.m. 600 block of Front Street; Suspicious vehicle.
9:05 a.m. 7700 block of La. 182; Theft.
9:25 a.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Reckless operation.
9:27 a.m. Victor II Boulevard and David Drive; Complaint.
9:36 a.m. 1500 block of Second Street; Theft.
9:36 a.m. 1000 block of Third Street; Theft.
10:08 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Medical.
10:10 a.m. 700 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Criminal damage to property.
11:46 a.m. 100 block of Glenwood Street; Telephone harassment.
12:42 p.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Crash.
3:37 p.m. 3100 block of Wytchwood Drive; Animal complaint.
4:10 p.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Complaint.
4:28 p.m. Freret Street; Complaint.
4:32 p.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Complaint.
6:45 p.m. Feder-al/Brashear avenues; Stalled vehicle.
6:53 p.m. 1600 block of Ridgeway Drive; Theft.
8:11 p.m. Fifth/Maine streets; Complaint.
9:41 p.m. Bowman Street; Suspicious person.
10:37 p.m. Federal Avenue/Belanger Street; Complaint.
10:39 p.m. Fourth/Freret streets; Complaint.
Friday, July 15
12:20 a.m. Apple Street; Loud music.
1:14 a.m. Fifth Street/Brashear Avenue; Stalled vehicle.
1:45 a.m. 600 block of Brashear Avenue; Warrant.
2:09 a.m. 3200 block of Vine Drove; Complaint.
2:25 a.m. California Street, Berwick; Assistance.

JEREMY ALFORD: Everybody has a story in the La. Senate race

John Kennedy has raised more money for his re-election bid than any other incumbent U.S. Senate candidate in Louisiana’s long and storied political history.

So far Kennedy has collected $26.5 million in individual contributions.

That’s a serious haul, and there are only 21 other senators in the country who have managed to raise more than the Bayou State Republican.

More surprisingly, Kennedy has only put about $13.7 million of this sum into operating expenditures, which is more money than all of his opponents combined have raised to date.

What his challengers lack in money, however, they more than make up for in personal stories — and they’re going to need them, because Kennedy will campaign like his life depends on winning.

The highest-profile challenger in the field is Baton Rouge activist Gary Chambers, a Democrat who has appeared on the pages of both Rolling Stone magazine and The New York Times.

His campaign ads featuring him smoking weed and burning Confederate flags have kept the money flowing.

Chambers has thus far out-raised his fellow challengers by collecting $1.3 million in contributions from supporters of his progressive messaging.

There’s only one problem: Chambers has already spent most of that cash, leaving his campaign with just $138,000.

That’s an uncomfortable spot to be in with qualifying scheduled to commence next week on Wednesday, especially when others in the field are ready to spend.

Enter Luke Mixon of Baton Rouge, a former fighter pilot who is the establishment Democrat in the field.

Mixon has the backing of Gov. John Bel Edwards and other party leaders, but he’s also one of the hardest working first-time candidates on the ballot this year.

While Chambers has benefited from national media coverage due to his flamboyant campaign commercials, Mixon has quietly built up a stockpile of local media coverage.

Mixon is visiting with civic groups, popping into newsrooms and engaging in old-fashioned retail politics.

Along the way, Mixon has raised $1.1 million in individual contributions and more than half, or $584,000, is still in the bank.

His expenditures show a professionally run campaign, with the largest checks going to digital services, media production and printing.

If Chambers is the wild card and Mixon is the establishment voice, then Syrita Steib of Vacherie is the Democratic outsider. Moreover, she has a personal story that’s just as compelling as those presented by a former fighter pilot and the guy who made it into Rolling Stone.

Twenty-three years ago, when she was 19, Steib joined the U.S. Navy and fell on hard times, which she said led her to make poor decisions that resulted in incarceration.

A scheme involving the transport of stolen vehicle across state lines resulted in a 10-year sentence.

She created Operation Restoration upon being released to focus on criminal justice reforms and re-entry issues.

The Democrat’s work ultimately caught the attention of former President Donald Trump, who granted her a full pardon.

Steib has turned her personal story into an upstart political campaign that has collected $121,000 in contributions.

Of that tally, she only has about $15,800 in the bank. Some of the money was used to build out a team, including a media professional who’s pitching her story to reporters.

Kennedy, for his part, probably won’t lose much sleep, not with a record-setting $26.5 million sitting in his campaign kitty.

Don’t get too used to that number, though. Campaign sources say the figure should reach $30 million by the end of the month.

For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.

DOUGLAS SCHOEN: Louisiana doesn't like Big Tech monopoly on news

Our politics are arguably more divided now than at any other time in modern history – however, the one thing that both Democrats and Republicans in Louisiana do agree on is the need to rein in Big Tech.
Big Tech companies – specifically Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook) – have come to dominate nearly every aspect of our daily lives, and now wield tremendous amounts of power over the news, content, and information we watch, read, and listen to.

Big Tech’s monopoly over the news and information space is not only blatantly unfair to smaller news outlets – and to conservative journalists in particular, who are too-often silenced – it is also one of the driving forces behind our deepening political divides.

The Founding Fathers enshrined protections for a press free from government regulation in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because a free and diverse press is the backbone of a healthy and vibrant republic.

But the Founders could not have envisioned a future in which nearly all news and information would be controlled by two private entities: Facebook and Google.

To be sure, Louisianans not only recognize the significance of the threat posed by Big Tech’s monopolization of the news and publishing industries, but moreover, are united on the need to curb the outsized economic and political power of these companies.

New polling by Schoen Cooperman Research – conducted among a representative sample of Louisiana adults, and commissioned by News Media Alliance – reveals widespread concern over Big Tech’s undue influence, as well as broad-based public support for reforms to rein in these companies.

In recent years, Big Tech companies have increasingly begun controlling political speech – and as a result, strong majorities of Louisianians are concerned
about the economic and political power of Big Tech companies (70%).

Roughly three-quarters of Louisianians are also concerned that Big Tech companies have too much power over the news & publishing industry (75%), and
manipulate these industries for their own gain (74%).

To that end, Louisianians are broadly concerned that Big Tech companies are driving small & local news outlets out of business (73%), and widely agree that “Big Tech’s monopoly over the news and publishing industries is a threat to the free press, and is unfair to publishers, especially small and local outlets” (80%).

In addition to being broadly concerned, Louisiana adults strongly support Congress acting action to implement reforms that would empower smaller news outlets by curbing Big Tech’s ability to expropriate their work.
Louisianians widely agree with statements to this effect, including: “I support Congress taking steps to give small and local publishers more power in negotiations with Big Tech companies,” (76%) as well as “Congress needs to rein in Big Tech by passing reforms that would make the publishing industry fairer for smaller media entities and local operators” (72%).

Notably Louisianans also support Congress taking actions that would allow news publishers to band together to collectively negotiate fairer terms for use of content by Big Tech (68%) and increasing regulations on Big Tech in order to curb the power of these companies over the news and publishing industries (56%).

Importantly, Louisianans also indicate that a political candidate’s support for these reforms – or lack thereof – could impact their vote in an election.

By nearly 30-point margins, Louisiana adults say they would be more likely, rather than less likely, to support a candidate for Congress who backed the aforementioned reforms.

In terms of real-world action that Congress can take now, our survey assessed Louisianans’ support for a specific bill that was proposed earlier this year. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is a bipartisan proposal that would empower small news publishers – across the political and ideological spectrum – to negotiate fair terms for use of their content by Big Tech companies.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Louisianians support of Congress passing the JCPA, and 62% say it is important for Congress to pass this bill. By a margin of more than three-to-one, Louisianians would also be more likely, rather than less likely, to support a candidate for Congress who supported the JCPA.

Additionally, 62% of respondents agree that: “elected officials who oppose the JCPA are allowing Big Tech companies to continue manipulating the news for their own gain, leaving small and local publishers powerless.”

Ultimately, Louisianians are fed up with Big Tech companies being able to use their power to manipulate the news, silence opinions they don’t agree with, and crush local news outlets.

Louisianans want to rein in Big Tech, and are calling on their elected officials to deliver on targeted reforms – by supporting the JCPA – which our data indicates would have a positive electoral impact for these members.

Our findings present a clear call-to-action to Louisiana officials, who now have a mandate from their constituents to rein in Big Tech by passing the JCPA into law.

For more than 40 years, Douglas Schoen, PhD has been considered one of the most influential Democratic campaign consultants in modern American politics. He has guided both political and corporate clients around the world.

Ringers

These members of the Bayou Horseshoe Pitchers Association placed recently at the Ringer Round Up Horseshoe Tournament in Bryan, Texas. The tournament is a stop on the The Horseshoe Tour. The BHPA  partnered with the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau to host the Cajun Coast Classic Oct. 29-30 with a special Hi Lo doubles Oct. 28. Shown from left are Tim Gilmore, third place in Class B 30' Prime; Burnie Williams, third place Class E 30' Prime; Jimmy Percle, second place, Class G 30’ Prime; Clyde Landry, third place, Class G 40’ Prime; Hilton Rhodes, first place, Class J 40’ Prime; and Angela Percle, first place, Class L 30' Prime. Not pictured is Randy Giroir, who finished first in Class G 40’ Prime.

Submitted Photo

UPDATED: From backyard to competition: chefs learn barbecue lessons

There’s the barbecue you cook at your house. And then there’s barbecuing for competition.
The chefs who competed in the weekend's Bayou BBQ Bash made the transition and picked up some tricks along the way.

The defending St. Mary Parish champion is the Sewart Supply team, which dished out barbecued ribs at Thursday’s Bayou BBQ Bash Kick-off event at Hampton Inn & Suites.

The team’s secret?

“A whole lot of love,” said team member Billy Waguespack said.

Paul Cheramie Jr. joked that the team had a new member, Carl Beecher, last year, so maybe he was the secret weapon.

No matter the reason, the team had to learn a new way to cook when it entered competition.

“We’ve been told we’re pretty good backyard barbecuers,” Cheramie said. But “there’s a fine line between backyard barbecue and competition barbecue,” he said.

The big difference is that judges may take just one bite from an entry. So cooks season the meat more aggressively for competition than they would for a Fourth of July cookout.

“So we spiced it up and salted it up,” Cheramie said.

Sewart won last year after competing in the bash for 10 years.

For competitor Ryan Russo of Baton Rouge, barbecue is like comedy: "Timing is pretty much everything," Russo said.

Russo and his father Paul compete as Twisted Boot BBQ in Barbecue Competitors Alliance events.

"I saw them on Facebook," Ryan Russo said. "We decided to go into it, and bought a trailer and some pits."

There's the cook time itself in a competition where the first commandment is "low and slow" -- low heat and long cook times.

And then, Russo said, there are the demands imposed by the deadlines for submitting meat to be judged.

"You got three cuts of meat in an hour," Russo said. "It seems like a long time, but it's not.

"It's real easy to lose track of time when you're trimming a piece of meat, and then you're half an hour behind."

For Jereme Skrabanek of the Big Slick Cookers, "it takes a lot of practice and a lot of meat thrown away."

Big Slick, one of 31 competitors at this year's Bayou BBQ Bash, is from the Houston area and is affiliated with a Veterans of Foreign Wars post there.

"It's just a bunch of guys sitting around poker table and saying, 'We can do that,'" Skrabanek said.

They compete in events sanctioned by the Barbecue Competitors Alliance and the International Barbeque Cookers Association.

Mostly, Skrabanek said, it's about meeting people and helping organizations that benefit from the barbecue competitions.

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ST. MARY NOW

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