FUNDRAISER
Morgan City High School Drama Club holding a Fish Fry fundraiser 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 24 at MCHS. Menu: fried catfish, French fries, cole slaw and pistolette. Cost: $12. Monies raised will help the club put on its May 14 production of “Frozen Jr.” For tickets call 985-384-1754.
January 6, 1945 — February 11, 2022
Walhalla — Peacefully resting at her home in Walhalla, South Carolina, Carolyn Sue Gamble Lee, age 77, passed away on February 11th, 2022, returning to her heavenly home after a six-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Born in Natchitoches Parish, LA, on January 6, 1945, Carolyn’s formative years took root in the small community of Marthaville, surrounded by a loving family and quality friends. After graduating from Marthaville High School in 1962, Carolyn prepared to follow her lifelong passion — teaching. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Northwestern State University in 1965, both master’s and master’s +30 degrees from Nicholls State University, and a specialist degree in education from Lincoln Memorial University, TN, in 2006.
Carolyn devoted forty-eight years of her adult life to teaching public school. She taught elementary, middle school, and hospital homebound in St. Mary Parish, LA, later teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and serving as a Parent Coordinator in Gwinnett County, GA.
Carolyn’s strong faith in Christ led her to many opportunities to share Him using her gifts. Countless children and adult lives have been influenced and nurtured by her teaching the scriptures and truths of God in Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible School, Women’s Missionary Union groups, and nursing homes. What service!
Carolyn was a wife, mother, grandmother, Christian, teacher, singer, fighter, encourager, helper, friend, and to several … the Love of their lives.
She is preceded in death by her grandparents Travis Wright Durr and Amanda Mallet Durr; James Gamble and Bernice Gamble; her parents Henry Ross Gamble Sr., and Rommeiss Vivian Durr Gamble; and two brothers Circe Travis Gamble and Nolan Ross Gamble.
Immediate survivors include her husband Hardy Lee; sister, Kathleen Ann Boswell; brothers, Henry Ross Gamble, Jr. and wife Cheryl; and Irby Stuart Gamble and wife Judy; a daughter, Kathleen Elise Mancil and husband Keith; a son, Herman Lee Albritton, Jr. and wife Tammy; five beautiful grandchildren, Andrew Michael, Ross Henry, and Madeline Grace Albritton, Kelli Mancil Theriot, and Samuel Kullen Mancil; two great-grandchildren, Jude Theriot and Gianna Mancil; and a former spouse, Herman Lee Albritton, Sr.
Extended family survivors include, stepdaughter, Rebecca Johnson and husband Adam; stepson, Benjamin Lee and wife Sarah; step-grandchildren Ellie, Isaac and Silas Johnson and Adelyn, Aubrey and Asher Lee; special thanks to sister-in-law Janet Gillis and husband Vernon, her angels in disguise.
Carolyn has taken her Heavenly reward! Rest easy to our beloved “Little Bit”, “Little Lady”, “Lady Bug”, “Coralyn”, “Carolina”, “Sweet Girl”, “Grammy”, “Mama”, and “Mamaw”.
A memorial service will be held at a later date at Beulah Methodist Church in Marthaville, LA. Memorial gifts may be made to Beulah Methodist Church Cemetery Fund or Kindred Hospice, at 1704 E. Greenville Street, Suite 1C, Anderson, SC 29621. A message of condolence may be written to the family by visiting www.sandiferfuneralhome.com.
Sandifer Funeral Home is assisting the Lee family.
Redistricting is among the most important political tasks the elected members of the Louisiana Legislature will face. So naturally, there’s money attached.
Representatives and senators will conclude their ongoing special session on redistricting this weekend. By Sunday at 6 p.m., they hope to have new maps — presumably approved by Gov. John Bel Edwards — detailing new election districts.
The resulting maps are needed to determine what the next election lines will look like for our congressional delegation and the Legislature. New maps are also expected for the Public Service Commission, state Supreme Court and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The redistricting process happens every 10 years, right after the U.S. Census completes the nation’s official population count. This process is costly, both emotionally (for those involved) and financially (for everyone else).
Taxpayers will pick up the tab for the special session, as well as the legal costs association with any lawsuits resulting from the Legislature’s maps.
Much has been made of the legislative leadership’s decision to hire the law firm of BakerHostetler, which has strong ties to Republicans around the country. According to documents released by the Senate, the Ohio-based firm will cost the Legislature $10,000 per month, or as much as $60,000 monthly once lawsuits are filed.
Post-session litigation seems inevitable, which means that legal bill will be on the higher side. That’s especially true if more than one lawsuit is filed in Louisiana, like we’ve already seen in several other states.
Lawmakers, however, aren’t the only ones spending money.
The Louisiana Committee for a Conservative Majority, which has worked for years to get more Republicans elected to the Legislature, has spent $46,000 on “generic redistricting research services.” The work was conducted by BDPC LLC in New Orleans, which is run by pollster and demographer Greg Rigamer.
The payment was made around the same time LCCM underwent a leadership change. Attorney General Jeff Landry resigned as co-chair of the group in late November, leaving U.S. Sen. John Kennedy as the lone chairman. (LCCM stakeholders say Landry vacated his post to focus on a potential bid for governor.)
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has dropped a few dollars, too. Over the past five years, entities affiliated with LABI have spent $15,000 on Maptitude redistricting software, developed by Calipher Corporation of Massachusetts. LABI, a state chamber organization and one of the most influential lobbies in Louisi-ana, has also hosted redistricting seminars for lawmakers over the past year or so.
With the exception of the Legislature’s arrangement with BakerHostetler, all of these expenses were reported in campaign finance reports filed with the Ethics Administration.
Over at the Louisiana Republican Party, where Chairman Louis Gurvich was recently elected to another term, $8,300 has been spent since October on legal fees for “redistricting.” The payments were split almost equally between Bienvenu, Foster, Ryan and O’Bannon in New Orleans and Daigle, Fisse and Kessenich in Covington. (The party is also sitting on another $13,000 in related debt owed to Bienvenu, Foster, Ryan and O’Bannon.)
As for the Democratic side of the equation, both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union have had a presence at the Capitol during redistricting — and representatives from both groups have publicly discussed the possibility of litigation.
The Democratic Caucus, meanwhile, has retained the services of its own consultant through the Louisiana Democratic Party. Those services are likely connected to $18,000 in in-kind “redistricting services” the Louisiana Democratic Party reported receiving in December from the National Democratic Redistricting PAC, which is run by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Simply put, all of these dollars were spent to boost partisan election opportunities. Republicans want more Republicans in elected office and Democrats desire more of their own as well. Politically, the money is worth the spend, especially since redistricting is a decennial task.
Financial resources are also being dumped into the special session because advocates for Black citizens fear they won’t get a fair shake from the Louisiana Legislature. For example, even though one-third of the state’s population is Black, the maps most likely to pass provide for Black representation below that threshold.
No one, though, will get more bang for their buck than Gov. Edwards. There’s nothing more valuable in this redistricting process than the power of the veto pen, but Edwards has refused show his hand during these final days of the special session. That silence costs the governor nothing, but it won’t last much longer.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
(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.)
A busy week for drug ar-rests continued Wednesday, with charges filed by St. Mary and Assumption deputies and officers in Morgan City and Franklin.
Local authorities reported three drug arrests Monday and Tuesday and seven over the weekend.
Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 48 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:
—Jonathan Joshua Humphrey, 40, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension, and on a 16th Judicial District warrant alleging failure to appear for imposition hearing.
St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith ad-vised that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 31 complaints and made these arrests:
—Don Guy, 38, Houston, was arrested at 6:16 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of marijuana. Guy was released on a summons to appear May 10.
—Marcus Damond Austin, 37, Franklin, was arrested at 8:02 p.m. Wednesday on charges of no headlights, possession of Schedule II drugs, possession of Schedule IV drugs, possession of mari-juana, obstruction of justice (tampering) and resisting arrest or officer, and on a warrant for failure appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Bail has not been set.
—Karon Lamar McBride, 30, Baldwin, was arrested at 9:48 p.m. Wednesday on warrants alleging failure to appear in Lafayette Parish and Harris County, Texas. McBride is being held for another agency.
—Tristen John Charpen-tier, 24, Carencro, was arrested at 11:39 p.m. Wednesday on charges of speeding, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of THC wax and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Bail has not been set.
—Kalep Percle, 19, Hou-ma, was arrested at 11:39 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Percle was released on a summons to appear May 10.
Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 17 complaints over the past 24 hours and made these arrests:
—Nicholas Turner, 29, Easy Street, Franklin, was arrested at 8:28 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant dated Dec. 9 alleging simple criminal damage to property. Turner was booked, processed and released to appear in 3rd Ward City Court.
—Jonathan Stovall, 19, Canal Drive, Franklin, was arrested at 3:52 p.m. Wednesday on the charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Stovall was booked, processed, and released on a $3,500 bond.
—Chantell Guillot, 57, Guidroz Street, Franklin, was arrested at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday on 11 counts of identity theft and 11 counts of bank fraud. Guillot was booked, processed and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:
—Robbie Lyn Pierce, 36, Ambassador Court, Gibson, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana (first offense), evidence of compulsory motor vehicle liability and switched plates.
The charges resulted from a traffic stop in the Bayou L’Ourse area.
During the driver interview, the deputy asked for consent to search the vehicle which was granted. As a result of the search, a quantity of marijuana and methamphetamine was located.
Pierce was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and remains incarcerated pending a bond hearing.
Submitted Photo
Members of the St. Mary 100 Black Men hosted a Black History Quiz Bowl on Feb. 6 in Franklin. Among those shown are Edward Jones, Jay Ina, Travis Darnell, Daniel Druilhet, Butch Metz and Reginald Weary, members of St. Mary Parish 100 Black men, along with students from Patterson High and Franklin High. The winners of the competition were Tyson Leonard and Destin Smith of Patterson High School. Tyson, Destin and their teacher and coach for the bowl, Darnell, will travel to Miami this summer to compete in the National Competition.
BATON ROUGE —The only Republican bill that would have increased minority representation through redistricting reached its death on the House floor Wednesday, prompting its author to give his fellow lawmakers a tongue-lashing.
Rep. Barry Ivey, R-Central, authored HB22, a Supreme Court map that would have created a second majority Black district on the state’s seven-member court. The bill made it out of committee on a bipartisan vote but was involuntarily tabled on the House floor, much to the chagrin of its author.
“We’ll just continue to get by here in Louisiana, because we are too stupid to work together,” Ivey said in a no-holds-barred condemnation.
Rep. Mark Wright, R-Covington, moved to table the bill after asking whether it would be better to consider Supreme Court maps during the regular session in March.
Every House Democrat present voted in opposition to tabling the bill, but the motion passed 53-43, with a handful of Republicans, including Rep. Tanner Magee, R-Houma and the second ranking legislator in the House, and Rep. John Stefanski, R-Crowley, chair of the House commit-tee that oversees redistricting voting, against the motion.
Over the last two weeks, Republicans, who hold roughly two-thirds of the seats in the Legislature, have advanced bills to redraw the maps of the state’s six congressional districts, its 105 House districts and its 39 Senate districts without adding any more majority-minority ones.
They have passed bills that maintain the status quo in the racial breakdowns for members of the Public Service Commission and the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and they had advanced a Supreme Court bill that would leave the current district boundaries largely intact.
Ivey is known to be an independent thinker. In a committee hearing last week, Ivey said, “I kind of march to the beat of my own drum.”
Several years ago, Ivey was dubbed by some lawmakers as “Mr. Transparency” for his tendency to say what he thinks.
And that is exactly what he did during an eight-minute speech following the vote to table the bill, during which he pledged not to bring any more legislation in the regular session.
“The apathy throughout the state is evident in each of you when you fail to act, when you can, when you should,” Ivey said. “I’ve bit my tongue over the last nine years, and I’m not going to do it anymore.”
“I tell people this institution is the laziest group of people I’ve ever worked with because it’s true, because we’ve got problems everywhere and we don’t want to solve them,” Ivey said.
Rep. Lance Harris, R-Alexandria, took offense at Ivey’s comments.
“This is a lesson we all need to learn about,” Harris said. “Life does not give you what you want. It gives you what you deserve.”
That comment from Harris led to immediate uproar from the floor that caused House Speaker Rep. Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, to step in to calm the achamber down. Several members of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus objected to Harris’ sentiment.
“I take offense to that because you say it’s what I deserve,” Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches, said.
Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, defended Ivey and thanked him for his comments.
“Here’s the deal: if you’re in power and you want to keep power, and somebody calls that out, that’s not an issue. That’s just what it is,” Marcelle said. “I do believe this process is tainted.”
While the showdown on the floor was a surprise, it seemed inevitable to many that the Supreme Court proposal would not come to fruition. In fact, some legislators, including Ivey, have com-mented on the ticking clock.
The special session must wrap up by Sunday at 6 p.m., but legislative leaders have indicated a desire to finish by Thursday or Friday, even if that does mean Supreme Court maps may get left at the wayside.
Magee thought the maps would be revisited during the regular session, but added, “I’m not sure if it will get anywhere.”
Supreme Court maps are a unique beast in the redistricting session. Unlike legislative maps, the Legislature is not required to redraw them. The Supreme Court districts were last reconfigured in 1997, using data from the 1990 census, after a federal court compelled the state to create a majority-minority district in New Orleans.
Another hurdle in passing Supreme Court maps is that they require a two-thirds vote in both chambers, while legislative maps require just a simple majority.
That’s a tough hurdle to clear in today’s polarized legislature, even for other Republican proposals that maintained a single majority Black district.
Meanwhile Wednesday, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder’s state House redistricting bill, HB 14, headed to the Senate floor for final approval after a Senate committee voted 5-2 in favor of it. Stefanski noted that the bill, which redraws the boundaries of many of the state House districts, accounts for the population shift from north Louisiana to south Louisiana and boosts minority representation in District 62.
Rep. Daryl Adams, an Independent from Jackson, holds that seat.
Sen. Edward Price, D-Gonzales, and Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, objected that the bill would not increase minority representation in the House.
Stefanski’s committee on Wednesday deferred–and thus rejected–efforts by Reo. Cedric Glover, D-Shreveport, to make changes in Schexnayder’s maps for the House districts in the Caddo and Bossier areas.
Allison Kadlubar and Margaret DeLaney contributed to this story.
Dorothy “Marie” Wilson, a resident of Morgan City, Louisiana, suddenly left this world and entered Heaven on Sunday, February 13th, 2022 at the age of 79 years old.
She was born to Dorothy “Dot” Mae and Warren “Cleve” Wilson on March 31, 1942. Growing up on a farm, she enjoyed many simple pleasures in life such as her morning coffee, playing cards, and spending time with her family.
She was preceded in death by her son, Donald Joseph Melancon Jr., her brother, James, and her parents, Dot and Cleve Wilson.
She left behind many loved ones including her daughter Jolie and son-in-law Dale as well as her grandchildren: Allie, Kade, and Jonah. She also will be greatly missed by daughter Cherie Melancon and grandchild Damien Brown. She was blessed with three great grandchildren: grandchild Donald Joseph III blessed her with her first, Madison Grace, followed by her grandchild Dillan and his wife Becca Melancon who had Michael and Mason Joseph.
Although she is no longer with us, her memory will live on in those she has left behind.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 18, 2022 at Twin City Funeral Home with a visitation being held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Following the services Marie was will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.
This photo, taken Sunday and posted this week on a Terrebonne Parish government Facebook page, shows the barge that will be the centerpiece of the Bayou Chene Flood Control Structure being moved out of the Bollinger facility in Amelia. The barge is the centerpiece of the $80 million project, designed to prevent back-flooding in the bayou when the Atchafalaya River runs high, potentially preventing flooding in six parishes. The barge is now in place in its holding structure, St. Mary Levee District Director Tim Matte said. Although work remains to be done, Matte said, as of Wednesday, the barge could be moved into place if needed for flood control.
Submitted Photo
(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 and Morgan City authorities reported three more drug arrests this week, including one for possession of heroin.
St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advis es that over the last 48-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 53 complaints and made these arrests:
—Jessica Smith, 34, Ame ia, was arrested at 4:57 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of methamphetamines and possession of heroin, and on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of theft (less than $1,000). Bail has not been set.
—Joe Joseph Walker Jr., 43, Patterson, was arrested at 4:57 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of possession of marijuana and on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of unauthorized use of an access card (less than $500). Bail has not been set.
—David Lenes Aucoin Sr., 44, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:30 p.m. Monday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of criminal neglect of family. Bail was set at $9031.
—Jovan Miguel Mosely, 41, Patterson, was arrested at 7:55 p.m. Monday for parole violation. Mosely is being held for another agency.
—Anthony Qint Hills, 34, Jeanerette, was arrested at 7:04 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges operating a vehicle not covered by security and operating a vehicle with improper headlamps. Bail has not been set.
—Destiny Young, 25, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:37 p.m. Tuesday on charges of no insurance, careless operation and driver must be licensed. Young was released on a summons to appear May 10.
Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 58 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests beginning Tuesday:
—Shanika Shantle Guidry, 39, Barrow Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:14 a.m. Tuesday on a 6th Ward Morgan City Court warrant alleging failure to appear for arraignment.
—Racquel Delaunce Barber, 47, Arizona Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:38 p.m. Tuesday on 6th Ward Morgan City Court warrants alleging two counts of failure appear for trial and failure to appear for jail time status.
—Nicholas Daniel Wiggins, 32, Tupelo Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:04 a.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of oxycodone and possession of alprazolam.
Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly said the Franklin Police Department responded to eight complaints over the past 24 hours and made this arrest:
—Hunter Boudreaux, 20, Bigler Street, Franklin, was arrested at 9:29 p.m. Tuesday on a 16th Judicial District Court warrant for alleging failure to appear on the charge of simple battery on the infirm. Boudreaux was booked processed, and held on a $6,000 bond.
September 29, 1939 — February 15, 2022
Ada Mae (“Maizie”) Landry, 82, passed away in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, February 15th, 2022. A Morgan City native, she was born September 29, 1939, third of the six children of the late Anthony James (“Sticks”) Olwell and Lydia Marie Barras. She is survived by her son Butch, daughters Cassandra and Melissa Brown Robinson, and granddaughter Molly Grace Brown.
Maizie loved painting, sewing, crossword puzzles, and spoiling her granddaughter.
Preceded in death by her husband of 38 years Alex E. Landry, she will be buried next to him in the Morgan City Cemetery.
A Mass of Christian Burial was Friday, February 18, 2022 at Holy Cross Catholic Church at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to the Alzheimer’s Association (ALZ.org).
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