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Abbeville defenders Deylon Joseph (5) and Jazavian Briggs (19) zero in on a Eunice runner for a loss of yards in Thursday’s jamboree.

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Abbeville’s Andrew Payton III hangs on to a Eunice receiver for a tackle.

Eunice too much for Abbeville

Fri, 08/29/2025 - 10:51am

CROWLEY — The Abbeville Wildcats dropped a 24-6 decision to the Eunice Bobcats Thursday night in the Acadia-Vermilion Parish Jamboree at Donald Gardner Memorial Stadium.
 Abbeville head coach Jonathan Zenon was not pleased with his team’s effort, especially compared to last week’s scrimmage against Comeaux, when the Wildcats produced more than 600 yards of offense.
“It was a horrible performance,” Zenon said.  “We came in on our high-horses and came out flat.  We have to do some more soul-searching to find the guys who truly want to play.  We have to find guys who aren’t afraid of the moment. We’ll go back to the drawing board.”
 Eunice took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field.  The touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion put the Bobcats ahead 8-0.  The Wildcats took over, and on their second play from scrimmage, turned the ball over.
The Eunice offense went right back to work, eating clock and methodically marching down the field.  The Wildcats forced two fourth downs on the drive, but the Bobcats managed to convert both en route to a 16-0 lead.  
 “On fourth and less than five, that’s an automatic hard count,” Zenon said.  “We jumped offside.  It was a significant moment that we didn’t fully understand.  We have to work on it.”
On the first play of its next drive, Abbeville turned the ball over again.  The Wildcats ended the first half with three plays, zero yards, and two turnovers.
Abbeville opened the second half with a 62-yard touchdown drive to pull within 16-6.  Quarterback Dazavien Maze connected with Braylon Himel from 34 yards out for a TD. The two point conversion play failed.
 Eunice answered with its third touchdown drive of the game.  On the drive, Justin Montgomery had two carries for 15 yards. The play that set up the touchdown was a 12-yard reception by Jacolby Campbell.
The two-point conversion made it 24-6.  The Wildcats were unable to get any closer.
  Maze completed seven passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.  Himel finished with four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.  Jacolby Campbell had three catches for 19 yards.  Running back Justin Montgomery had 27 yards rushing on five carries.
 Abbeville will be on the road at Washington Marion in week one.  To come away with his first career win, Zenon said it will take everyone buying in.
 “We need our guys to 100 percent trust the process,” Zenon said.  “We can’t have guys going through the motions.  The best players at each position will play, whether they play both ways or not.  It may be only 15 guys instead of 22, but the best players are going to play.”
AHS defensive lineman Zalen Hopkins had two sacks.

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NV's Avery Stutes catches the ball and runs 38 yards for a touchdown.

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Gage Wise fights for rushing yards for North Vermilion.

North Vermilion scores 21 points for jamboree win

Fri, 08/29/2025 - 10:48am

CROWLEY — The North Vermilion Patriots had an impressive first half, leading the Crowley Gents 21-0 at halftime. However, the second half saw some sloppiness in their play.
Despite this, the Patriots secured a 21-0 victory over the Gents on Thursday night in the second game of the Acadiana-Vermilion Parish Jamboree.
This Thursday, the Patriots will kick off the season with an away game against the Church Point Bears, who finished last year’s regular season with a 7-2 record.
NV head coach Roderick Moy stated that the coaching staff will focus on correcting the mistakes made in the second half during practice this week.
“We got sloppy in the second half,” said Moy. “We made too many mistakes. We are not good enough to shoot ourselves in the foot.  If we do not make mistakes, and be us, like we did in the first half, we are good. 
  “I thought we came out and played well in the first half. We were hungry and wanted to play better than we did last week against Mamou.
“We answered the bell this week because this is our last dress rehearsal.”
Things went the Patriots’ way in the first half. On an attempted punt,  the snap was bad, and Justin Romero alertly recovered a fumble.
On the Patriots’ first play after the fumble recovery, Kole Seibold had a 25-yard run that set up the Patriots’ first touchdown. Avery Stutes had two runs for 15 yards and then Gage Wise darted  17 yards for a touchdown with 8 minutes left in the first half.
Kicker Logan Blanchard nailed all three of his extra points in the first half.
The Patriots cashed in Crowley’s three special teams miscues for three touchdowns.
The Patriots regained possession after holding the Gents on four downs, and it would be another mishandling of the ball on a punt attempt by Crowley.  Jaiden Payne tackled the punter to prevent the kick.
Four plays later, then, Stutes trotted up the middle from 10 yards out to score NV’s second touchdown of the night that made it 14-0.
Crowley had another misfortune with special team’s play, and NV’s Tucker Faulk recovered a fumble, giving the Patriots the ball 38 yards from the end zone.
Stutes hauled in a 38-yard pass for a touchdown with 3:02 left before half time.
“We got better from last week to this week. Now we have to take the next step,” said Moy.
NV had 139 total yards. The Patriots rushed for 101 yards.
Leading the Patriots’ rushing was Avery Stutes, who had seven carries for 32 yards. He also scored a running touchdown and a 38-yard reception touchdown.
Gage Wise had four carries for 30 and quarterback Eli Dubois rushed for 16 yards on four carries.

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Delcambre quarterback Lynkon Delcambre

Delcambre airs it out in jamboree win

Fri, 08/29/2025 - 10:43am

DELCAMBRE — The Delcambre Panthers cruised to a 23-0 win over Highland Baptist in the Iberia Parish Jamboree on Thursday.
Backup quarterback Lynkon Delcambre had a big night throwing the football.
He completed five out of six passes for 169 yards and he threw two touchdowns.
Tre Leleux had three of the five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Tucker Zagar had two receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers did run the football. Hugo Morales had three carries for 15 yards and Nave Nguyen had four carries for 22 yards and a TD.

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Ken Harrington

Wed, 08/27/2025 - 8:50am

November 16, 1966 ~ August 23, 2025

ABBEVILLE — Memorial services will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Ken Allen Harrington, 58, who died Saturday, August 23rd, 2025 at Lafayette general Hospital with his family by his side.
He is survived by his two children, daughter, Lindsey Harrington, son, Alex Harrington and one granddaughter, Avery Suire all of Erath, La.; His friend, Katelyn Tupper and her two children, Laney and Teagan of Abbeville, La.; His Mother, Rita Joyce Harrington of Maurice, La.; His brother, Troy A Harrington and his wife Christie of Maurice, La.; Nephews, Andrew Harrington and his wife Shalon of Maurice, La., Trey Harrington and his wife Megan of Meaux, La. and Christian Harrington and his wife Katie of Denham Springs, La.; Great nieces, Brynn Harrington, Bethany Harrington and Great nephew Zander Harrington.
He was preceded in death by his father, Vernon Dale Harrington; Grandparents, Shelton "Black" Touchet Sr., Anastasie Touchet, Carrie Lege Cuvillier and Roy Harrington, Sr.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on August 28, 2025, from 1 p.m. until time of service.
Special thanks to the staff at Lafayette General Hospital for their professionalism and Compassion during the families time of need.

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U.S. Coast Guard recovers body of missing fisherman

Tue, 08/26/2025 - 2:36pm

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday afternoon that the body of Jimmy Jett had been recovered.
According to reports, Jimmy Jett fell overboard from a fishing boat off the coast of Iberia Parish on Sunday.
Multiple agencies took part in an effort to locate Jett, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the United Cajun Navy, the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

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Erath City Hall

Erath moves one step closer to building its own electrical substation

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:58am
Town will have to borrow $1.3 million to pay for it

ERATH — The town of Erath has taken two important steps to reduce the electricity bills that residents have been complaining about for years.
At this month’s August city council meeting, the council voted to introduce an ordinance that would allow the town to approve receiving an $800,000 grant that would be used to purchase LED lighting.
Erath residents pay an added monthly fee on their bill to help cover the town’s electrical bill for street lighting.
Mayor Taylor Mencacci said the LED lights will be paid for with $800,000 from the  Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Having LED lighting will save the town money because the lights will burn less electricity, which in turn will save the residents money, Mencacci explained.
Then, the council had to approve another introduction ordinance for the town to borrow around $1.3 million to help pay for an electrical substation it will be building over the next 10 months. The total price to build the new electrical substation will be around $3 million. The town is having to borrow $1.3 million and the rest of the $3 million be paid for by a grant.
The Entergy substation is located on Lastie Road (the old La. 14). The town was leasing the land where the Entergy electrical substation is located. When Erath’s new electrical substation arrives, Entergy will remove its equipment and the town will purchase the land from Entergy and will put its new electrical equipment.
By April of next year, Erath should be using its new electrical substation.
 According to Erath Mayor Taylor Mencacci, having its electrical substation would allow the town to buy electricity at a cheaper rate, which is good news for Erath residents. There would be no middleman, he said.
Abbeville residents also do not have a “fuel charge” on their electricity bill. They have a flat rate. When Erath builds its electrical substation, the words “fuel charge” would go away on people’s bills, Mencacci said.
In the past, municipalities like Erath, tried to negotiate the lowest rate possible with companies like Cleco, Slemco or Entergy.
That is where Erath is today. They are shopping around for the lowest electrical rate possible and running into a snag. Large electrical companies are not offering cheaper rates.
“We have to continue this route to lower the cost of electricity for Erath residents,” the Mayor explained to the audience at the end of the city council meeting.

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Abbeville General earns Cribs for Kids® Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Gold Certification

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:57am

Abbeville General Hospital is proud to announce that it has achieved certification as a Gold Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital. This certification recognizes our healthcare team members’ commitment to best practices in infant safe sleep, ensuring the highest standards of care for our youngest patients. By earning this certification, Abbeville General Hospital demonstrates adherence to rigorous guidelines established by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.
Cribs for Kids® is a national safe sleep initiative dedicated to reducing infant mortality. “Sleep related deaths are the number one reason we lose our babies each year—3,400 infants annually”, said Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director at Cribs for Kids, adding, “we know that parents do at home what they see done in the hospital so modeling safe sleep and providing education to families will have an impact on infant mortality. Cribs for Kids program recognizes hospitals making this commitment.”
"Our team has worked diligently to meet the requirements to earn this
certification and underscores our dedication to providing safe sleep care for our babies. We are committed to ensuring that every newborn and infant at Abbeville General Hospital receives the highest level of care, including promoting safe sleep practices that align with the guidelines of Cribs for Kids®," added Kaylee Broussard, RN, BSN, OB/Nursery Unit Manager.
Judy Bannon, CEO, and founder of Cribs for Kids explains, “The National Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program launched in 2015. It is rooted in the Safe Sleep Recommendations made by American Academy of Pediatrics and the research that demonstrates families do at home what they see done in the hospital. There are over 500 infant safe sleep certified hospitals across the country and beyond. We are proud to welcome Abbeville General Hospital to our program. It will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”
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For more information about Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit, www.cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification
About Abbeville General Hospital: Abbeville General has been proudly serving the community since February 1966. While we have evolved over the years, one thing has remained consistent – our commitment to ensuring patients receive personalized and high-quality care. From our 24/7 Emergency Department, a variety of outpatient clinics, Cancer Center, Sleep Center, and new Behavioral Medicine Center, Abbeville General is here to provide quality care close to home. For more information about Abbeville General and its services, visit abbevillegeneral.com.

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Steve Gardes

Time for Congress to defend Ten Commandments

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:53am
Steve Gardes

When our Founders drafted the Constitution, they intended that Congress would keep the judiciary as the “least powerful” branch of government and see to it that judges “should be bound down by strict rules and precedents, which serve to define and point out their duty.” (as Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 78).
Accordingly, the Constitution in Article I, Section 8, states: “The Congress shall have power . . . to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court.” Article III, Section 1, states: “The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” In summary, all federal courts except the Supreme Court were created by Congress, which defined their powers and prescribed what kind of cases they can hear.
Going a step further, Article III, Section 2, states: “the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.” In summary, Congress can make “exceptions” to the types of cases that the Supreme Court can decide.
Phyllis Schlafly’s book The Supremacists shows there is a long historical record where Congress has used this power repeatedly to regulate and limit both Supreme Court and inferior court’s jurisdiction starting in 1799 to 1999—and discusses how today activist judges are refusing to restrain themselves to their constitutional role and provides recommendations for correction.
Schlafly points out the judicial misconduct taking place all over the country where federal judges have declared that the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools or public buildings are unconstitutional “under the pretense that any mention of God violates the First Amendment, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Importantly, she states “the acknowledgement of God in the Ten Commandments is not an ‘establishment of religion’, and that Congress has never passed a law banning the acknowledgement of God.”
Schlafly recommends that “Congress should pass a law to clarify that the federal courts and Supreme Court do NOT have jurisdiction over whether an acknowledgement of God by public officials violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment—and that Congress forbids federal courts from censoring public acknowledgement of God.”
The time for Congress to act is now. In 2022 the Supreme Court ruled that the flawed Lemon v. Kurtzman test for the acknowledgement of God, which had falsely interpreted that the First Amendment prohibits the mention of God in any public place, will no longer be applied. Now Congress needs to finish the job using its Constitutional powers over the judiciary.
Steve Gardes is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) with over 40 years of public accounting experience.

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Jeff Crouere

New Orleans, a carnival of corruption

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:52am
Jeff Crouere

New Orleans is the most unique city in the United States, a 307-year-old gem of beauty, history, and culture. With so many wonderful attractions, New Orleans should have a thriving economy, a wealthy population, and excellent public services. Instead, New Orleans is in a perpetual state of crisis, with decaying infrastructure, dilapidated streets, rampant violent crime, substandard public schools, a poor economy, and public officials who are either inept or corrupt.
Today, New Orleans is in serious trouble. Sadly, between 2020 and 2024 the New Orleans area lost 39,000 people, a decline of 3.9%, the highest in the nation for “the second year in a row.” During this period, New Orleans was the “Murder Capital” of the nation in 2022, a contributing factor to the population loss.
Another reason people are fleeing from New Orleans is the devastating result of leftwing political leadership. The last Republican Mayor of New Orleans, Benjamin Flanders, left office in 1872. Democrats have enjoyed total control of the city’s most powerful position for 153 years.
There is not one Republican among all the elected officials in New Orleans. Democrats have been elected to all positions on the school board, council, judgeships, and New Orleans based state legislative seats.
With progressive policies dominating New Orleans, the results are catastrophic. New Orleans public schools have a reading proficiency rating of 32% and a math proficiency rating of 24%.
While the rate of violent crime is falling in 2025, the New Orleans Police Department is still several hundred officers below adequate staffing levels.
In January, city officials hosted a remarkably successful Super Bowl. Congratulations are in order; however, the homeless population that was moved for the “big game” has returned. Unfortunately, other events in 2025 have been devastating for the reputation of New Orleans.
The year started with a terrorist attack in the French Quarter as a jihadist drove a truck down Bourbon Street during Sugar Bowl celebrations that killed 14 innocent people. The attack succeeded only because of stunning incompetence. If the sidewalk had been blocked, the truck would not have been able to access Bourbon Street, and those innocent people would be alive today.
Several months later, ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Prison in a brazen breakout aided by inside help, lax oversight, and inoperable door locks and cameras. The escape was not noticed for hours, so neither the police nor the public were informed of the danger.
The latest public relations debacle for New Orleans occurred on Friday as Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted on 18 federal counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and false statements to a grand jury. Along with her bodyguard boyfriend, Jeffrey Vappie, Cantrell is accused of “bilking New Orleans taxpayers out of $70,000 for trips.” While the travel was promoted as “official business,” it was mostly opportunities for Cantrell and Vappie to spend time together.
In the indictment, federal prosecutors state that Cantrell and Vappie “violated rules, policies, and criminal laws” and “attempted to distract and impede inquiries and investigations, including a federal grand jury investigation, about the true nature and circumstances of their relationship and their scheme to defraud.”
This is not the only controversy involving Cantrell. Last year, a New Orleans businessman, Randy Farrell, was indicted for “conspiracy to commit fraud with a public official.” It is widely believed the “public official” was Mayor Cantrell.
Allegedly, Farrell gave Cantrell gifts, including tickets to an NFC Championship game, in exchange for the mayor firing a city investigator who was examining his building inspection company.
Throughout her two terms, Cantrell has maintained an excessive schedule of international travel to “climate change” conferences and other events not pertinent to citizens living in a broken city.
There have also been investigations into payments made by the mayor to her “image consultant” and personal promotional flyers mailed using taxpayer funds. Not surprisingly, grassroots activists launched a recall effort in 2022 that garnered thousands of signatures, but not enough to remove Cantrell.
At this point, Cantrell has an adversarial relationship with city council members due to disagreements on a variety of issues, including a lucrative sanitation contract in the French Quarter and Central Business District.
Hopefully, she will complete her last few months in office without bringing any more embarrassment or shame to New Orleans.
Cantrell joins a lengthy list of New Orleans politicians who have been indicted on federal charges such as former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who was convicted of bribery, money laundering and other charges. In addition, former New Orleans Congressman William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson was convicted of bribery after FBI agents discovered $90,000 “in cash in his freezer.”
Within the last few years, several council members, an assessor, a district attorney, and a school board member have also been indicted on various charges.
As New Orleans citizens go to the polls on October 11, it would be advisable to vote for change. Let’s end the corruption that has plagued this city.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance, and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and at Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com

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