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Seventh Ward Elementary School custodian had car trouble since the summer, but it never stopped him.
Jerry Plowden started working as a custodian at Seventh Ward Elementary in June.
“One afternoon, Mr. Jerry’s car wouldn’t start when he was leaving, and a teacher brought him home,” said Marlene Primeaux, principal of Seventh Ward Elementary School.
“I’ve been having trouble with the vehicle, and it just quit on me!” said Plowden. “I thought it was the fuel pump.” He had previously changed two heads and the bell housing when the car started giving him trouble in the summer.
Ciji Romero, the teacher who gave him a ride home, wondered if faculty and staff would donate money to help him out. The teacher went to the principal with the idea, and it was approved.
The faculty and staff raised about $500 and put it on an O’Reilly Auto Parts gift card.
“It was a group effort. We collected for about a week,” said Romero.
“We are like a little family,” said Angie Detraz, a pre-k teacher at Seventh Ward Elementary School.
“We ended up raising more than the amount needed to pay for the part,” said Primeaux. Although they raised more than needed for that one part, Plowden later found out that it wasn’t the only major issue with the vehicle. The car is still waiting to be fixed since there was more than met the eye.
“It made me feel warm that somebody cared,” said Plowden. “It was overwhelming but very nice.”
“The thing that I admire the most is that he always finds a way to come to work, even though he doesn’t have a car,” said Primeaux.
“These teachers and this principle, they’re phenomenal,” said Plowden. “They went out of their way to support me.”
If people want to donate to help Plowden, please Venmo or PayPal @CijiRomero. Label the donation mentioning Jerry Plowden.

The Vermilion Parish Police Jury began making plans for its next meeting on Feb. 16 (5:30 p.m.) because it is expecting more than 100 people.
During a committee meeting on Wednesday, Police Juror Brent Landry alerted fellow jurors of talk on Facebook that people who are pushing for lights on U.S. Hwy. 167 will be at the next police jury meeting asking the jurors to look into getting lights.
“Light the Highway for Ramsie” is a Facebook post that Sherie Dubois started. Dubois is inviting people to attend the Feb. 16 Police Jury meeting. Ramsie Baumgardner was a North Vermilion senior who was traveling on U.S. Hwy. 167 and was hit head-on by a drunk driver traveling in the wrong lane. Baumgardner’s vehicle collided head-on with the vehicle traveling in the wrong lane. Both drivers were killed.
The push for street lights on Hwy. 167 is to light up the lanes and make it easier for drivers to see traffic.
“It is without question that Hwy. 167 is way too dark at night,” wrote Dubois. “The recent tragic loss of our Ramsie has sparked something in me. I thought to myself over and over, ‘She had to see him coming.’ I needed to see for myself. Once we left the funeral home Tuesday night, my husband and I drove the stretch of highway Ramsie traveled several times. Over and over again, I asked myself, ‘Can you see which lane those lights are coming from?’ and each time, after squinting my eyes and trying to focus on the lights, the answer every time was, “I can’t be sure.”
“But what I do know for sure is I saw the lights coming in the opposite direction, would never expect them to be in my lane and would continue on as I would any other time.... until it’s too late.”
Dubois wrote by having more lights on Hwy. 167, “would increase visibility and provide better recognition of upcoming obstacles, allowing more time for drivers to react.”
She asked everyone to attend the Feb. 16 Police Jury meeting to get things rolling toward the installation of lights on Hwy. 167.
Landry saw the post on Facebook and alerted the police jurors.
Landry also requested that the Department of Transportation and state representative members attend the meeting.
Police Juror Ed Domingues suggested the meeting be moved to the large courtroom down the hall in the courthouse.
“Maybe we should move the meeting because we can only put 32 people in here,” Domingues of the police jury meeting room. “If we know there are that many people are coming, we need to accommodate them. Let us see if the courtroom is available.”

I am happy to announce that I’ve qualified, and I am seeking another term as Councilwoman for District D. Though challenging at times I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of public service. I can without hesitation say that I've represented each of you with honor, decency, and integrity. I've fought for the things that I knew my District deserved. In the midst of difficulty and being misunderstood or judged harshly sometimes, I’ve managed to remain humble and do my job.
Since being elected I made it a priority to connect with constituents and listen to their concerns. I've worked tirelessly with organizations, held successful school drives for three years, and devoted my time to making sure that the children in my district were not forgotten.
I'm proud of my accomplishments as a 1st time Councilwoman. No one-elected official knew it all on day one of the job, however I went in on day one with a ready mind and have been busy ever since for the people whom I serve. Over the past 3 1/2 years I have successfully secured funding for an automatic transfer switch for generator for the storm water pump at the retention pond to alleviate flooding. I’ve extended beautification to Martin Luther King Drive with the installation of striping and new street signs. In the year 2020 I made a request for funds to be allocated to McKinnley Scott Park for upgrade and renovations. The Mayor and Council agreed and allocated $175,000 toward renovation of the structure. (McKinnley Scott had not received this type of renovation since the existence of the Pavillion 31 years ago). Other parks of interest in District D were found with dilapidated picnic tables and without a water source for the kids. I was able to secure funding for a picnic table and the installation of a drinking water fountain.
The future plans for District D will include a comprehensive plan that will address infrastructure, an economic plan that will encourage businesses to explore opportunities within our city, and create jobs for our citizens. It is my goal to work with the Mayor and Council to engage our youth into participating in sporting events within the City.
In closing, I would like to thank the many constituents that have reached out to extend their overwhelming support to me, to all the Constituents of District thank you for honoring me with the privilege of representing you. I look forward to meeting and talking with you all in the coming weeks.

Respectfully,

CW Terry Broussard

Wayne Landry Sr., councilman for District D, is seeking your vote on March 26, 2022.
He will be the leader and servant to his constituents of the city of Abbeville. Landry’s community involvement over the years will give him the knowledge and experience to properly serve the people of District D. More must be done to end the crime, violence and drugs that are killing our people, young and old.
As a former councilman, I secured millions of dollars for sewage, street improvements, street lighting, drainage and flood protection. When elected I will work aggressively to bring more improvements to our district. Much more needs to be done in District D.
I currently serve on the Abbeville Housing Authority Board, NAACP, Herod Village Board of Directors and retired from the Vermilion Parish Library Board after 10 years of service.
I graduated from Abbeville High School in 1971 and served in the US Army from 1975 to 1978. I was a social worker/youth counselor for the Gulf Coast Social Services for 30 years.
My parents were the late George and Virginia Landry. I have been married to Catherine Joseph Landry for 26 years, and we are the proud parents to Shyla Joseph, Joshua Joseph, Javion Joseph, Shawayne Landry, Wayne Landry Jr. and Tawanna Mouton. We have nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Please give me the opportunity to serve our district again as your councilman and allow me to work with our new mayor and council members. I humbly ask for your vote and support.