Louisiana
Jambalaya Festival’s Gracie Guillot crowned Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals queen
The Jambalaya Festival’s reigning queen, Gracie Guillot, has been crowned the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals queen, a spokesperson for the festival association announced in a news release.
The Jambalaya Festival, held annually over Memorial Day weekend in Gonzales, is one of the premier events in Louisiana. As the spokesperson reported in the release, the prestigious honor recognized Guillot’s dedication and served as a testament to the diligence and work done by the festival committee and its many volunteers.
Notably, the storied festival enters a new era this year as it moves to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, the sprawling Ascension Parish venue located off Hwy. 30 near Interstate 10 in Gonzales.
The move away from the traditional Irma Blvd. area around city hall reflected the festival’s growth and increased significance in the community, per the release. The tradition has drawn visitors from throughout the state and beyond to experience the culture, food and heritage of the area.
Guillot expressed excitement and gratitude after she received the once-in-a-lifetime honor.
“I’m still trying to find the right words to explain what I’m feeling,” she said in the release. “Being crowned the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen is a pivotal moment in any festival queen’s journey – a title that many dream of and prepare for, for years. As this was my first LAFF Convention, I went in just hoping to represent the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival to the best of my ability and let the Lord do the rest. I wanted to put our festival and Ascension Parish back on the festival map and make my association proud. Making Top 10 was an honor I dreamt of for many years, but being crowned LAFF queen is the biggest honor of my life.”
She added that she is looking forward to representing all of the state’s fairs and festivals, promoting Louisiana industries, cuisine, music and culture.
“My life has been changed in the blink of an eye, and I can only thank God for trusting me with this role,” she said in the release. “I have to thank my family and friends, my rhinestone sisters, and my JFA members for believing in me and supporting me every step of the way. I’m ready to get to work and make the LAFF board and the State of Louisiana proud.”
For more information on the Jambalaya Festival, see the new website at jambalayafestival.net and follow JFA on social media.
A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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