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Chris Landry / The Abbeville Meridional
Twin Parish Port Commission Director Wendell Verret (center) introduces Dwight’s Restaurant owner Dwight Breaux (right) and general manager Brandy Mitchell (left) to the Delcambre Board of Aldermen on Monday. Breaux and his daughter, Mitchell, are planning to build a Dwight’s on the Bayou restaurant at Bayou Carlin Cove, and plan to have a music stage as well as volleyball and cornhole tournaments at the site, as well as fishing tournaments based there.

New restaurant planned at Bayou Carlin Cove

Thu, 05/19/2022 - 1:43pm

Delcambre tables annexation of site for month to look into costs, lease issues

Chris Lanadry

DELCAMBRE — A proposal to bring a Dwight’s on the Bayou restaurant to Bayou Carlin Cove is an exciting prospect for the town of Delcambre, Mayor Pam Blakely said at Monday’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen, but the board opted to table the annexation of Bayou Carlin Cove until next month’s board meeting while costs and lease issues are looked into.
“We’re ready to move forward,” Blakely said. “We’re excited. We want this.”
“We are, too,” said Brandy Mitchell, general manager of Dwight’s Restaurant located on Johnston Street in Lafayette.
Mitchell and Dwight Breaux, owners of the restaurant, handed out preliminary site plans for the proposed restaurant at Bayou Carlin Cove. Breaux said later that Mitchell is Breaux’s daughter and would be the owner of Dwight’s on the Bayou, the restaurant at Bayou Carlin Cove.
“This is something that we’ve been talking about since January or February of this year. We are trying to figure out what we really want to do out there, what will work for the city and everyone else involved,” Mitchell said. “We want to bring revenue to Delcambre, and we feel like this will do the job. On top of the food, bringing live music, bringing fishing tournaments, bringing cornhole tournaments, bringing volleyball tournaments, so this is just a few examples of how we’d like to lay out the property.”
Wendell Verret, port director for the Twin Parish Port Commission, proposed annexing Bayou Carlin Cove. The port district goes from Bayou Petit Anse to the Abbeville airport and from U.S. 90 to Vermilion Bay.
“Our purpose is economic development within our district,” Verret said. “For many years we’ve been trying to bring projects to Delcambre and Erath and bring jobs to the community and the area.”
Bayou Carlin Cove, established in 2014, is a 14-acre tract with a paved road, boat launches, a pavilion and parking. The site has vacant space and has had plans on paper for several years for its use. A restaurant would be a great benefit not only to the port and the community as well as the town, he said.
“The port wanted to petition the town to annex that property so that sales tax from the restaurant would benefit the town,” Verret told the aldermen. “We’re here to ask for sewer water tap and for police patrols to continue.”
The restaurant would need access to the town’s water and sewer lines and gas lines. The town will use the next month to look into costs for making those connections, as well as seeking permission from the state to bore under La. 330 (Railroad Street) to bring gas lines to the restaurant. Verret said that he had already discovered a water main brought to the site, but sewer connections would have to be made.
Verret said the port district has an agreement with the town and pays $950 a month to provide police patrols. If the town annexes Bayou Carlin Cove, that payment will cease, but until the restaurant gets built, the district would like to continue the payments. Verret also asked the town to contribute to help split the costs for infrastructure improvements at the site.
Verret said there are plans on paper for an RV park and boat storage sites at Bayou Carlin Cove, but the plan is to bring utility service with enough amperage for the restaurant and the RV park and boat storage facility.
The time before the next meeting also allows for the restaurant owners to sign a lease for the site and to determine construction costs, an issue brought up by District 3 Alderman Tipper Esponge.

Alison Miller

Vermilion Parish tourism figures are on the rise

Thu, 05/19/2022 - 1:40pm

By Alison Miller, Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission Executive Director

Each year, the Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission (VPTC) compiles tourism figures and compares these numbers to previous years to measure how tourism is doing in the parish. After being down for a couple of years, tourism is beginning to pick up in the parish. Although not yet back to pre-COVID visitation, the Tourist Commission is noticing more people coming into the Center on a daily basis, including a few international visitors.
According to official tourism figures, VPTC had a total of 21,203 inquiries for 2021 which is 28% higher than 2020. This figure represents 1,382 visitors stopping in the Center for information; 289 call-ins; 9,683 website requests and information downloads; 9,849 requests from e-mail and ads placed in regional and national publications. Walk-in visitors included people from all over the United States and a couple of visitors from Germany. In 2021, over 281,400 people visited the tourism website and social media numbers continue to grow each year.
VPTC is solely funded through a two percent occupancy tax on parish accommodations to operate the Tourist Center and market the parish as a tourist destination. The first quarter of 2022 has seen an increase in occupancy tax revenue and the second quarter is expected to follow that trend with large baseball tournaments occurring almost every weekend at AA Comeaux Park. For March, occupancy tax was up by 10.5% due largely to the two tournaments that were held in Abbeville and Erath. The return of our parish festivals, as well as Acadiana festivals, has helped bring tourists into the parish. Another item that could help with future tourism is the renewed interest in downtown Abbeville and the repurposing of the Audrey Hotel. These projects could open more tourism opportunities and bring in much needed revenue to the City and parish.
To cover the majority of the marketing costs, VPTC applies for grants whenever possible. In 2021, the Commission received $20,000 from the Louisiana Office of Tourism (LOT) to help market the parish. In addition to this grant, VPTC received a $11,746 LOT Sunshine Grant and $1,443 from the Lt. Governor’s Co-op Grant to be used on approved state advertising programs. These grants help VPTC promote our parish’s tourism entities to a wider audience through print, digital and social media.
For more information on what to see or do in the area or to request a copy of the 2021 Progress Report, visit www.mostcajun.com or contact VPTC at 898-6600 or info@vermilion.org. The Tourist Commission office is located at 200 N Magdalen Square in downtown Abbeville and is open Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 am-4:30 pm and Saturdays from 9:00 am-3:30 pm.

Photo credit: Doug Dugas /
UL Lafayette)
UL Lafayette will award 1,753 degrees during individual Commencement ceremonies.

Vermilion Parish natives among 1,753 to receive degrees during UL Lafayette’s 2022 Spring Commencement

Thu, 05/19/2022 - 10:22am

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is celebrating its Spring 2022 graduates during Commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday.
The University conferred 1,387 bachelor’s degrees, 328 master’s degrees, 36 doctoral degrees and two certificates. Graduates are from 55 Louisiana parishes, 36 states and U.S. territories, and 33 foreign countries.
The Graduate School has broken several records this semester. Its 365 total graduate degrees and certificates are the most in University history. Among that number are the highest number of master’s degrees ever awarded and the second-most doctoral degrees in school history.
The Spring 2022 class is also notable for diversity. It is tied for the largest number of graduates of Hispanic descent (115) and the second-largest number of minority graduates (478).
The class also stands out for academic achievement. Its 28 summa cum laude graduates – those with perfect 4.0 GPAs – set another school record; the University’s 432 honors graduates with GPAs of 3.5 or higher are the second-most ever.
Spring 2022 graduates hold a special distinction, as well. They are members of the first graduating class since the University’s official designation as a Carnegie Research 1 University. Graduates from just 3% of colleges and universities in the United States hold degrees from a top-tier R1 institution.
During the ceremony for the College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, told graduates that “the University believes in your professional achievements and success.”
“As an institution, we have high expectations for our alumni – and the excellence embodied by the graduates of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences certainly has raised that bar throughout the years,” he said.

Vermilion Parish

Baccalaureate Degree

Arts
Zachary Broussard
Grant Christopher Clark
Claire Lorraine Daigle
Brittney C Detraz
Jacob Anthony Gerard
Baron C Rosa
Jude Michael Schexnyder
Business Administration
Hunter M Bertrand
Lexie Elizabeth Broussard
Taylor Choate Broussard
Weston J Cormier
Jesse M Gaspard
John-Tyler E Lege
Taylor M Luquette
Matthew J Mire
Catherine C Simon
Taylor Stelly
Sarah Marie Vice

Education
Reilly D Boling
Natalie C Duhon
Madisen Fontenot
Shauna Marie Hebert
Courtney Duhon Morales
Holly D Necaise
Cailyn E Simon
Bethany L Sistrunk
Engineering
Hunter M Bourque
Devin S Broussard
Kaleb John Connor
Curtis R Crochet
Matthew P Derise
Jada F Hebert
Michael Paul Lacour
John N Langlinais
Cauy A Menard
Thomas James Poche
Ashley Renee Richard
Spence Mickal Suire
Payne M Touchet
Andrew Trahan

Liberal Arts
Morgan Nicole Alleman
Taylor E Baudoin
Shelby Marie Breaux
Noah Jamison Broussard
Lauren Callahan
Ajah Len Cox
Mallory Claire Desormeaux
Shea Duplechain
Sydnee Nicole Gaspard
Ezra Reed Gyles
Madeline M Hammer
Kelli L Maner
Alyssa Marie Pellegrin
Leah Renee Phillips
Taylor A Plaisance
Nursing & Health Sciences
Taylor E Abshire
Alana A Burroughs
Heather F. Cormier
Laigha Nicole DeRouen
Lena Marie Landry
Andrew Joel Middleton
Jaden A Romero

Sciences
Jaida R Abshire
Bailey J Bernard
Chene J Blanchette
Monique O Broussard
Bryce C Lavergne
Alex Michael LeBlanc
Tommy S Nguyen
Haley Q Nguyen
Kyle J Ramke
Claire A Schexnider
Colby R Taylor
Sara A Trahan
Paul John Tran
Kieu K Tran

University College
Elisabeth Grace Duplantis
Trevor Eaton
Devan Michael Georgia
Ben States Olivier
Masters Degree

Business Administration
Kadie Leigh Castro
Jenci Sellers Dronet
Mary Catherine Ortemond Franques
Wyatt Andrew Hardee
Courtney Ari Lyles
Chad Massie
Liberal Arts
Haley Marie Faulk
Reilly Mcewen Goldsmith
Nursing & Health Sciences
Mikki Andrea Royston

Ten North Vermilion High School seniors who were awarded $1,000 scholarships by the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund pose with members of the Baumgardner/Vincent family during Senior Day awards at NV on Monday.

Ramsie Kate Baumgardner

Family members of Ramsie Baumgardner were present at North Vermilion on Monday morning.

Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund awards scholarships to 10 North Vermilion seniors

Thu, 05/19/2022 - 10:11am

Vincent tells daughter’s classmates to ‘be the light and fear less’

Chris Lanadry

To learn more or to donate to the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund, or for a link to Louisiana organ donation websites, go to rkbmemorialfund.com.

MAURICE — Ramsie Baumgardner was a force to be reckoned with in life.
Her family is ensuring that she continues to be a force for good, establishing the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund in the late North Vermilion High School student’s honor. The RKB Memorial Fund distributed $1,000 checks on Monday to each of the 10 NVHS seniors who applied for the first scholarships awarded by the fund in memory of their classmate, who was killed in a two-car accident on La. 167 in January.
North Vermilion held Senior Day awards on Monday morning.
“Our family decided early on that we needed somehow to turn pain to purpose,” said Ali Vincent, Ramsie’s mother.
They decided the best way to do that was establishing a memorial scholarship fund to have education help carry students forward, with one scholarship awarded each year in her honor.
But since this was to be Ramsie’s graduating class, and because so many people had donated so much to the fund, the memorial fund awarded scholarships to all of the seniors who applied this year — Sophie Broussard, Ethan Guidry, Emma Hebert, Estelle Lebourgeois, Lexi Broussard, Blair Saltzman, Mallie Gardiner, Hailey Broussard, Jude Meaux and Kayla Veronie.
Vincent asked the graduating seniors to keep her daughter’s life and legacy in mind whatever paths they choose in life — college, trade school, military service, careers.
“Whichever path you choose, please remember, when standing at the crossroads of right and wrong, think Ramsie, choose right,” she said.
“When deciding between holding onto anger or choosing forgiveness, think Ramsie, choose forgiveness. When deciding to push through or give up, think Ramsie, keep pushing. When deciding to meet and greet or continue to walk on by, think Ramsie, meet and greet.”
She then stressed the way her daughter felt, using her favorite saying, one that was printed on the T-shirts worn by family members at Monday’s senior ceremony — Fear Less.
“When feeling scared and unsure, think Ramsie — fear less,” Vincent said.
The 10 senior scholarship recipients also were given handmade crosses made from flowers from Ramsie’s funeral, donated to the family for the purpose.
While the Baumgardner/Vincent family surprised the seniors who applied for the scholarship with checks this year, the senior class also surprised the family by honoring Ramsie. She was voted Biggest Party Animal (“You’ve gotta love that, right?,” said Ali Vincent) and Best Smile by the senior class, and was voted Miss North Vermilion High School, with dad Brian Baumgardner accepting that honor on behalf of her family.
“You could definitely feel her presence yesterday in that room,” Ali Vincent said. “It’s our cross to bear, but there’s definitely a lot of people who were affected by her death.”
Students can apply for the scholarship at www.rkbmemorialfund.com, which also includes a link where those interested can donate to the fund.
In the future, one scholarship will be awarded annually to a senior who must have attended North Vermilion High School for the previous two years, achieved a 3.0 or better grade point average throughout their junior and senior years, maintained a good disciplinary record, and demonstrated both school and community involvement.
Applicants also must submit an essay of no more than 300 words explaining how they have contributed to their school and community.
This year’s essays touched on subjects including the lighting on Highway 67 to organ donation, a subject near and dear to the family even before the accident that took Ramsie’s life. The family has known people who have needed organ transplants, and Ramsie made that a point of emphasis of her own.
“Ramsie, when she got her driver’s license, checked off all the boxes to be a full organ donor,” said Ali Vincent. “After the accident, when they told us she wasn’t going to make it, we called LOPA (the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency) immediately.”
Because of the extent of damage to her organs, only Ramsie’s eyes were able to be donated, her mom said. But because the issue was an important one to her, there is a link to the LOPA website and the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner hero story (https://www.lopa.org/hero-stories/ramsie-baumgardner) on the RKB Memorial Fund website.
“We look forward to awarding many scholarship awards in years to come,” Vincent said at Monday’s ceremony. “Be the light and fear less.”

Jim Bradshaw

Try electro-anthropology for your ails

Thu, 05/19/2022 - 9:51am

Jim Bradshaw, LSN columnist

There appeared to be more skeptics than believers when a Professor Shaw, self-proclaimed scientist, classical scholar, and creator (and likely sole proprietor) of the Science of Electro-Anthropology began touring south Louisiana just before the Civil War.
People said his lectures were entertaining, sometimes amusing, but probably had little to do with science. Reading the old accounts, it seems to this unscientific mind that electro-anthropology was nothing more than plain old hypnotism, but that he was very good at it.
Anthropology is the study of human behavior, so that part of his science makes a little bit of sense. But Thomas Edison was still a kid in knickers and was decades away from making electricity practical, and Professor Shaw seemed not to have used any sort of device, so I’m not sure what the “electro” part referred to — nor was anyone at the time.
After his first lecture in Franklin, for example, the newspaper reported, “Last evening, we were among a goodly number who assembled at the Court House to hear the introductory lecture of Prof. Shaw on this mysterious science. Whether it is founded on truth or fallacy we are unable to say — in this respect let every man judge for himself. The lectures, however, are worth attending.
“He tried experiments on some of our citizens and many of the youth of our town, and the gyrations and antics he made them go through were truly amusing. He gives another lecture this evening in which he promises to introduce further evidence of the truth of the science and to extend his experiments.”
He was in Opelousas a month later, where, the newspaper said, “He has been successful in almost all his experiments, which were truly interesting, edifying and amusing. He … appears to have absolute control over the imagination and will of his subjects. Persons put under his influence perform all things suggested by him, see what he sees, feel what he feels, and are another himself. … We believe the professor can produce effects not alone entertaining, but also useful in their nature.”
Editors of the Opelousas Courier confessed, however, “we cannot for our part distinguish the difference … between his science and that of … mesmerism, although we are convinced that no mesmerizer ever carried his science to such an extent and with so little difficulty as Prof. Shaw does.”
To help the poor editors understand the difference between electro-anthropology and mesmerizing, the professor handed out a booklet filled with testimonials from Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and other places that would have made Dudley LeBlanc proud when he began spreading Hadacol propaganda a century later.
One writer testified he was present when the professor first laid hands on a 16-year-old boy who was “afflicted with White Swelling … and had not been able to walk without crutches.” The professor laid hands on the boy, according to the writer, and “In less than five minutes … the boy, to the utter astonishment of himself and the family, was able to and did walk without his crutches all over the house.” There was, however, no testimonial from the boy or his family.
Another man said his wife had absolutely no hearing in one ear and was “so deaf in the other that she could not hear … an ordinary conversation,” but that her hearing was “entirely restored … by Prof. Shaw, with a single application of his astonishing Science of Electro-Anthropology.”
The witnesses didn’t convince everyone. The Planters’ Banner took passing note when the professor brought his lectures to Thibodaux almost a year after he’d been to Franklin.
“We perceive by the Thibodaux Minerva that this illustrious lecturer is now holding forth at that place,” the note said. “He paid us a visit last summer, but our citizens were too stubborn to swallow his theories and practices as facts. In consequence of which he quickly departed in disgust. Perhaps better success is in store for him.”
It looks like there was no better success. That visit to Thibodaux seems to have been his last in south Louisiana, and maybe the end of electro-anthropology itself. Today, a computer search for the phrase turns up something about a musical group. For “White Swelling” the computer screen gives the equivalent of a blank stare.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Linda Woodruff , club President, Tiyuanna Baudoin , and Shalcy Baudoin.

Woman’s Club of Abbeville announces Scholarship Winner

Wed, 05/18/2022 - 9:49am

The Woman’s Club Of Abbeville Scholarship was recently awarded to Miss Tiyuanna Baudoin. She and her mother Shalacy Baudoin, were invited to attend a club meeting where she received the award.
Tiyuanna is an honor student, Beta Club member and a cheerleader at Abbeville High. She has also been chosen Abbeville High School Student of the Year.
She plans to attend Southern University .
Our congratulations to her and her family.

Erath dominates 6-3A All-District, including player & coach of year

Wed, 05/18/2022 - 9:46am

Erath High School dominated the coaches’ selections for the All-District 6-3A baseball team after winning the league title with an 8-2 record, including capturing the league’s top individual honors.
Freshman pitcher Seth Leger was the Player of the Year, while Jeremy Picard was Coach of the Year.
Five other Bobcats were named to the first team — junior catcher Trevor Huval, senior third baseman Coy Broussard, outfielder Brett Suire (Sr.) and utility players Sage Suire (Jr.), Ethan Sanfilippo (Jr.) and Thomas Collins (So.).
Five Kaplan players also were first-team selections after the Pirates went 7-3 in district — freshman pitcher Karter Meaux, sophomore first baseman Jude Bertrand, senior shortstop GrantCampbell, freshman utility player Remy Broussard and senior utility player Reece Hardee.
The second team included Erath’s Lynkon Romero (1B), Christen Migues (UT) and Jaden Soirez (UT) and Kaplan’s Hayes Mire (P), Grant Stelly (2B), Reece Guidry (OF), Landon Cheek (UT) and Cadem Campisi (UT)

2022 District 6-3A All-District Baseball
First Team
Pos. Name, School Class
P Seth Leger, Erath Fr.
P Karter Meaux, Kaplan Fr.
P Gavin Boudreaux, Crowley Jr.
C Trevor Huval, Erath Jr.
1B Jude Bertrand, Kaplan So.
2B Evan Bourque, St. Martinville NA
SS Grant Campbell, Kaplan Sr.
3B Coy Broussard, Erath Sr.
OF Brett Suire, Erath Sr.
OF Ryan Trahan, Crowley Sr.
OF Daylon Savoy, St. Martinville NA
UT Remy Broussard, Kaplan Fr.
UT Sage Suire, Erath Jr.
UT Ethan Sanfilippo, Erath Jr.
UT Thomas Collins, Erath So.
UT Reece Hardee, Kaplan Sr.
UT Kyrin Leblanc, St. Martinville Sr.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Seth Leger, Erath

Coach Of The Year
Jeremy Picard, Erath

SECOND TEAM
P Jackson Istre, Crowley So.
P Hunter Eastin, David Thibodaux Jr.
P Hayes Mire, Kaplan Fr.
C Canon Daspit, St. Martinville NA
1B Lynkon Romero, Erath So.
2B Grant Stelly, Kaplan So.
SS Wesley Mcquillen, David Thibodaux So.
3B Dayton Faucheaux, St. Martinville NA
OF Reece Guidry, Kaplan Sr.
OF Andrew Long, David Thibodaux So.
OF Keagon Facheaux, St. Martinville NA
UT Randy Fontenot, Crowley Sr.
UT Yates Cooper, David Thibodaux Jr.
UT Christen Migues, Erath Jr.
UT Jadon Soirez, Erath So.
UT Landon Cheek, Kaplan Jr.
UT Caden Campisi, Kaplan Sr.

HONORABLE MENTION
Brett Guidry, Kaplan; Aiden Mouton, Erath; Dominic Frederick, Erath; Rylan Frederick, Abbeville; Christopher Richard .Abbeville; Xander Babineaux, St. Martinville; Landon Girard, David Thibodaux; Jack Schrader, David Thibodaux; Reed Harvison, David Thibodaux; Matthew Babineaux, David Thibodaux

(Chris Landry / The Abbeville Meridional)
District Attorney Bo Duhe of the 16th Judicial District prepares to show a video to the Delcambre Board of Aldermen Monday about a capital outlay project in the state legislature for a new Acadiana Crime Lab building at the Acadiana Regional Airport.

Delcambre passes resolution in support of project; Capital outlay being sought in legislature for new Acadiana Crime Lab facility

Tue, 05/17/2022 - 3:37pm

DELCAMBRE — The Delcambre Board of Aldermen passed a resolution Monday night in support of a $20 million capital outlay project for construction of a new Acadiana Crime Lab, which covers an eight-parish region and four federal judicial districts.
Bo Duhe, District Attorney for the 16th Judicial District that covers Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes, played a three-minute video showing the need for a new crime lab at Monday’s regular monthly board meeting and asked the Delcambre board to support the capital outlay project currently working its way through the state legislature, which would need 25 percent matching funds from the communities that use the crime lab.
The crime lab handled seven cases from Delcambre in 2019, the last full year before the COVID pandemic, Duhe said. Delcambre’s share of matching funds, based on tax records and the number of cases the lab handled, would be $5,639, Duhe said.
“What I’m here to ask you for is a resolution in support of that capital outlay project … and that y’all would use your best efforts to contribute up to $5,629 to this match, which is what the legislature is looking for right now,” Duhe said.
The crime lab provides evidence analysis and expert trial testimony for Vermilion, Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, Evangeline and St. Landry parishes. But the lab, which opened in 1972 before moving in the 1980s to its current location in a former oilfield business building at the Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia, a central location for the eight parishes, is outdated and crowded. The facility covers 10,000 square feet, but needs much more space to fit the standard 1,000 square feet per employee used in crime labs around the country. ACL has 23 employees, according to the video Duhe played.
The facility has a roof that continues to leak despite numerous repairs and has flooded in heavy rains, and the lab could lose expensive equipment and much or all of the evidence it must store to maintain proper chain of custody for criminal cases if a hurricane such as Laura or Ida made a direct hit on the area.
The proposed new lab would be able to withstand such a storm, according to the video. The state would put up $15 million of the cost of the outlay project, with matching funds from the communities the lab serves supplying the rest, based on the figures from 2019.
State Rep. Beau Beaullieu (R.-New Iberia) and state Sen. Bret Allain (R.-Franklin) are supporting the funding of the project in their respective legislative branches, Duhe said, but are asking that Acadiana communities, parishes and law enforcement organizations show support as well.
“They’re looking for some kind of letter or resolution that shows the approval and the commitment to the project, and I feel very confident that if we get that we can go ahead and get this capital outlay project, which is extremely, extremely important,” Duhe said. “Particularly it’s a dire situation, because like you saw in the video, if we get hurricane up the gut, we could lose a lot of valuable evidence which is stored in the lab.”
Duhe said the town could spread the cost of the matching funds over a two-year period. The board approved the resolution unanimously.
In other business, the board:
• approved the Louisiana compliance questionnaire for audit;
• discussed abandoned houses and other properties that need to be cleaned up, putting off a discussion of the town ordinance for enforcing property cleanup until June’s meeting;
• discussed submitting a drawing of plans for work at the park property on the corner of Main and Pelloat streets;
• heard from Larry Cramer of Sellers & Associates engineering firm about what needs to be done to submit a second round of applications to receive funds for a grant to improve the town’s sewer works;
• heard about plans for a fundraiser for the Delcambre Volunteer Fire Department on June 25 from Fire Chief Brock Benoit.

Abbeville Mayor-elect Roslyn White (seated left) and Mayor Mark Piazza take part in a
proclamation signing “Community Action Month.” Representatives of the ASSIST
Agency joined the signing, including (in no order) Sharon Clement, Executive Director; Kercia
Huntly, ESC II; Kellie Rankin, ESC I: Mardessa Poydras, Personnel Officer; Dwight
Alexander, Housing Director; and Anita Levy, ASSIST Board Member.

‘Community Action Month’ proclaimed in Abbeville

Tue, 05/17/2022 - 10:32am

Mark Piazza, Mayor of Abbeville, and Roslyn White, Mayor-elect of Abbeville, proclaimed May as "Community Action Month" in Vermilion Parish, “in recognition of the hard work and dedication of the leaders and staff of the ASSIST Agency.”
Piazza accepted the parish-wide proclamation recently with representatives of the ASSIST Agency on hand, including Sharon Clement, Executive Director; Kercia Huntly, ESC II; Kellie Rankin, ESC I: Mardessa Poydras, Personnel Officer; Dwight Alexander, Housing Director; and Anita Levy, ASSIST Board Member.
In the proclamation, ASSIST points out that Community Action connects individuals and families to approaches that help them succeed and promote community-wide solutions to challenges throughout cities, suburbs, and rural areas. "The ASSIST Agency has a 50-plus year history of promoting self-sufficiency by advocating for those who don't have a voice so that they may enter the middle class and reach for the American dream, replacing their despair with opportunity; the proclamation states. Statistics have proven that Community Action agencies such as the ASSIST Agency serve 99% of American counties in rural, suburban, and rural communities. They offer life-changing services that create pathways to prosperity—connecting families to job training, affordable housing, and utility assistance for seniors promoting community-wide solutions, and sharing expertise. "Community Action will continue to implement innovative programs that create a greater chance at success for everyone. We will continue to focus on a broader range of community challenges to ignite economic growth and ensure that all families can benefit. We will continue to be a voice for the disenfranchised," ASSIST’s proclamation states.

Students taking part in the annual re-vegetation project unload plugs of Bullwhip to be planted in the marsh.

Students plant in the marshes of Lake Fearman.

Members of Erath FFA, Kaplan FFA and Eunice FFA took part in the re-vegetation project.

Volunteers plant 5,771 plugs of Bullwhip in Intracoastal marsh

Tue, 05/17/2022 - 10:03am

The Vermilion Soil and Water Conservation District (VSWCD) in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, LDAF Office of Soil and Water Conservation, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries held its annual re-vegetation project on May 4.
This year the planting took place just south of Intracoastal City in the marshes of Lake Fearman. The main objective of this project was to vegetate an existing open marsh area that had lost vegetation, lessen shoreline erosion, create habitat for wildlife and provide a seed source for natural regeneration.
The district could not do these projects without the help of volunteers, such as Erath FFA, Kaplan FFA, Eunice FFA and long term volunteers William Husband and Alana Burroughs. The group was able to successfully plant 5,771 plugs of Bullwhip for a project total of 17,313 linear feet.
With successful re-vegetation projects since 1994, the Vermilion Soil and Water Conservation District is already in the planning stages for next year’s project with Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries.
Anyone interested in participating in these revegetation projects can contact Mitzi Dohrman at the VSWCD office at 337-893-5664 ext 3.
VSWCD is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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New restaurant planned at Bayou Carlin Cove

Vermilion Parish tourism figures are on the rise

Vermilion Parish natives among 1,753 to receive degrees during UL Lafayette’s 2022 Spring Commencement

Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund awards scholarships to 10 North Vermilion seniors

Try electro-anthropology for your ails

Woman’s Club of Abbeville announces Scholarship Winner

Erath dominates 6-3A All-District, including player & coach of year

Delcambre passes resolution in support of project; Capital outlay being sought in legislature for new Acadiana Crime Lab facility

‘Community Action Month’ proclaimed in Abbeville

Volunteers plant 5,771 plugs of Bullwhip in Intracoastal marsh

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