Gulf Coast Bank is a proud sponsor of the Vermilion Catholic High School May Fest raffle! The raffle is online this year at: https://trst.in/edfiE9. Pictured are Pat Patout, Gulf Coast Bank Chairman of the Board; Paul Patout, President & CEO; and Jason Patout, Senior Vice President, presented the donation to Vermilion Catholic’s Jessica Cormier.
Kaylee Lopez
LAKE CHARLES – McNeese softball was scheduled to begin a four-game home stand beginning Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. game against No. 15 LSU. But it was canceled.
North Vermilion graduate Kaylee Lopez currently leads the Cowgirls with a .310 batting average with 26 hits, seven doubles and 11 RBI.
Lopez, a power hitter in high school, has yet to hit a home run in her three years playing for McNeese.
The home stand will continue with a three-game Southland Conference series against Abilene Christian beginning Friday.
McNeese (19-21) was coming off a 2-1 Southland Conference series loss at Southeastern La. over the weekend where the Cowgirls dropped Friday’s doubleheader 3-2 in both contests. The Cowgirls ended the weekend on a positive note by taking the series finale by a 3-1 score.
A Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot Respone Boat-Medium boatcrew heads toward a capsized 175-foot commerical lift boat April 13 searching for people in the water 8 miles south of Grand Isle. The Coast Guard and multiple good Samaritan vessels responded to the capsized vessel and searched for multiple missing people in the water. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris)
FROM THE ADVOCATE
There were at least four Acadiana men, including one from Lawtell, on board the boat that capsized in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, according to social media reports.
Among those reported to have been aboard the boat include: Jay Guevara, of Lafayette; Gregory Walcott, 62, of Abbeville; Dylan Daspit, of Breaux Bridge; and Quinon Pitre, 31, of the Lawtell area.
Pitre has been identified as the newphew of Kenneth Pitre of Eunice.
One crew member is confirmed dead and 12 more are missing from the commercial vessel that capsized Tuesday near Port Fourchon with 19 people on board. Six people were rescued, and the U.S. Coast Guard continued to search the Gulf for survivors Wednesday.
About a dozen relatives of missing crew members braved a mid-day squall and stiff winds to huddle pensively inside the open bays of the firehouse in Port Fourchon while the search continued Wednesday afternoon. They’d been told little, and that didn’t change after a representative of Seacor arrived to meet with them about 3 p.m., said one man there.
Authorities didn’t identify any off the ill-fated commercial vessel’s crewmembers, whether dead, rescued or unaccounted for.
Nicole Daspit Latiolais posted to Facebook Wednesday morning in search of prayers for her godchild and nephew, Dylan Daspit.
“We are devastated with this tragedy,” Latiolais wrote in a message to The Advocate. “We are hoping and praying for Dylan’s safety. We have no information other than what we have heard on media reports.”
Krista Vercher took to Facebook Wednesday afternoon in search of prayers and support for her fiancé, Jay Guevara, and his best friend, Daspit.
“Please continue to pray for these 2!!!” Vercher wrote in a post that included a photo of Guevara and Daspit smiling as they hugged. “Best friends hoping are holding on to one another!!!! Please god hear all of our prayers and bring my fiancé and Hannah’s husband home safe to us!!!! Thank you all for the prayers I cannot get back to everyone at this time. We don’t have any current news and just need to continue to pray!!!!!!!!!!”
Lauren Vaccaro posted to Facebook Wednesday morning about her uncle, Quinon Pitre.
“My uncle is still unaccounted for,” Vaccaro wrote in a 9 a.m. Wednesday post. “Please keep the prayers coming for my family and all the other crew members and their families. The waiting and not knowing is the hardest part and the bad weather and rough seas are expected to continue throughout the day today.”
Vaccaro also poked fun at Pitre in her Facebook post about his survival skills that should be up to par from when she “terrorized” him as child.
“I pray that you are clinging to that vessel with every ounce of strength you can find until they are able to get to you,” Vaccaro wrote. “You are tough and resilient and a fighter. We love you and are praying so hard for good news and you and the other crew members safe return. Pray y’all. Please.”
ACADIA PARISH — Members of our military serve to protect and defend the freedoms of America. Often at their final resting place, plaques are placed on their graves to show their military service.
This week Crime Stoppers of Acadia Parish needs your help to identify persons who have been stealing military plaques off of graves at several cemeteries in Acadia Parish.
Since March, six plaques were stolen from Woodlawn Cemetery in Crowley and two were reported stolen from St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Rayne. Replacement value is $1,500 each.
Help us bring these people to justice and preserve the memory of our military heroes.
Anyone having any information regarding this crime is urged to call the tips line at 789-TIPS or download the P3 app on a mobile device to report a tip anonymously.
All callers will remain anonymous and can receive up to a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Abbeville residents in neighborhoods around the city have had enough of speeding drivers.
Some of those residents took the issue to members of the Abbeville City Council, with the topic leading to lengthy discussion during last Tuesday’s regular meeting.
Vermilion Parish Judge Laurie Hulin attended the meeting. She said drivers frequently speed down her neighborhood’s street.
“My neighborhood is a common walk and exercise path,” Hulin said. “We have a lot of young children on our street. I am here representing the neighborhood.
“I’m asking the council for a deterrent for speeding.”
Councilwoman Roslyn White’s district includes Hulin’s neighborhood.
“I was there talking to her,” White said, “when a driver came around and almost ran over her and her dogs. White said this issue is a growing concern.
“I put this item on the agenda,” White said. “It’s something that gets brought to my attention quite a bit. It’s one of the things I get questioned about the most in my district. I have gotten a lot of complaints about speeding on Graceland (Avenue). Mount Carmel Heights, Fairview, State Street and South St. Charles are all concerns. I’m sure everyone in here can echo the same thing with speeders in their neighborhoods.
“If there is anything we can do to deter speeders, I would like to have that discussion.”
Councilwoman Terry Broussard said it’s a discussion that needs to be taken up.
“I received a call today about East Street,” Broussard said. “There’s always a lot of speeding on Guegnon and MLK.”
White asked Chief of Police William Spearman what measures are being taken to slow down drivers.
“We are trying to do it,” Spearman said. “As you can see (from this conversation), it’s all over town. It’s not just one area.”
Spearman said, as his department is short-staffed, he does not have an officer dedicated solely to traffic duty. The chief said he has placed officers and vehicles in certain locations.
“If I can put a guy someplace for a few minutes,” Spearman said, “I do. If I hear a complaint, I will go run the radar. At this point, I don’t have a traffic officer or anyone who works specifically on traffic.”
That doesn’t mean that citations are not being issued when drivers are caught speeding or committing other traffic violations. In 2020, officers with the Abbeville Police Department handed out 1,919 traffic citations.
“We have issued almost 50 citations in the last two weeks,” Spearman said. “We’re not trying not to do this.”
White said she did not put the item on the agenda to try to point out what law enforcement is or is not doing.
“This was to allow people to voice their concerns,” White said, “and to have an open conversation with the chief, Mayor (Mark Piazza) and the council.”
Councilman Francis Touchet Jr., who has served on the council since ‘02, brought up speed bumps, something he said has been suggested multiple times over the years. City Attorney Ike Funderburk said speed bumps could cause damage to fire trucks and slow down vehicles of other first responders. Touchet pointed out that Lafayette has speed bumps. Piazza said Lafayette does not run medical calls at the rate that the Abbeville Fire Department does.
“Would someone want ambulances and fire trucks slowing down for every speed bump on the way to their house for an emergency?,” Piazza asked.
Piazza suggested placing signs for “no through traffic.” Hulin said that is a good idea, in theory.
“We had a lot of trees and power lines down in our neighborhood for one of the hurricanes,” Hulin said. “The city came out and put roadblocks up. People were getting out of their cars and moving the roadblocks to drive through our neighborhood. They would drive through our yards.
“If they will do that, I don’t see a sign deterring traffic.”
Hulin said she would like to see some plan of effectively using speed bumps.
“Maybe I didn’t consider some of the reasons why you would not use them,” Hulin said, “but we do see them in other communities and we know that they do work to re-route some of this traffic to our major roads.”
White said she will look further into what communities have speed bumps and how those communities utilize them.
Spearman said another possibility is signs that alert drivers of how fast they are going.
“Those signs will flash your speed and then turn on blue lights,” Spearman said. “At night, they can slow you down when those lights come on. That could be a deterrent. Maybe we can get a couple of those.”
City Engineer Richard Primeaux said there are funds available for such traffic-calming devices.
“The state has a program for traffic-calming devices,” Primeaux said. “They have different methods for different communities. I will look into what is available.
“What the chief mentioned does work.”
White reiterated that she did not bring up this issue to suggest that officers are not working hard.
“You guys are doing a wonderful job,” White said. “This is not to say that you are not doing your job. This was to get us all in a room and discuss solutions.”
Jim Bradshaw
I was looking for something else when I ran across a romantic “tale of the Mermentau” in an old edition of the New Orleans Crescent. It is the story of young, aristocratic Leon de Solis, one of a group of young men who after an attack on a passenger ship, sailed from New Orleans in the early 1800s “with the avowed determination of extirpating the horde of villains who had made the Calcasieu and Mermentau the scene of their exploits.”
The villains, a band of pirates, are never found, but Leon does find and is smitten with the lovely peasant girl, Nina l’Estrange. The story is one of the romantic pieces of serialized fiction that newspapers once used to fill their columns, and is reminiscent of the tale of Evangeline. They marry, he goes to sea again and is reportedly killed, she refuses to believe it and waits for his return, sitting each day at the base of an oak gazing out to sea, until “one bright spring morning” she is found, “one hand grasping a bunch of wild flowers which grew near, and her head turned toward the Gulf.”
There is just enough fact to give the tale a ring of authenticity, or at least believability, and make it hard to figure what parts are romance and what parts are real, or nearly real. Especially the part about the pirates.
The story is set at just about the time that the notorious Lafitte gang was scattered from its stronghold at Barataria, and some of them may have come to l’Isle des Pecaniers where the story is set. This was not the Pecan Island we know today. It was somewhere in the marsh near the Mermentau, but, according to the story, its exact location was no longer known.
“Through this marsh … the numerous pirates who infested the Mermentau and Calcasieu constructed a canal by opening a communication with the various little bayous which intersect the low marsh land,” according to the tale. “They so skillfully concealed the outlet which opened on the Gulf, by thick clumps of muskeet bushes, as to render it impossible for even those most familiar with every brake and briar on that unfrequented coast to detect their lurking places.”
The anonymous writer admits that “the legendary lore which ascribes to the pirates a rendezvous at every marked spot on the Gulf shore has probably been exaggerated far beyond the bounds of truth,” but claims that “the ghastly relics of their crimes are sufficiently numerous to prove that tradition has added little to the actual horrors which have been enacted on the peaceful and lovely coast of the Mermentau.”
It is fact that the Mermentau area was once known as a refuge for smugglers. John Landreth, a government surveyor, visited the area in 1818 and wrote in his journal that “these places, particularly the Mermentau and Calcasieu are the harbours and Dens of the most abandoned wretches of the human race ... smugglers and Pirates who go about the coast of the Gulph (sic) in vessels of a small draught of water and rob and plunder without distinction every vessel of every nation they meet and are able to conquer and put to death every soul they find on board without respect of persons age or sex and then their unlawful plunder they carry all through the country and sell at a very low rate and find plenty of purchasers.”
There is also a persistent tale that Captain James Campbell, purportedly one of Lafitte’s most trusted lieutenants, is supposed to have stashed a horde of gold coins somewhere near the Mermentau. That legend has been kept alive by discovery from time to time of old gold coins in the area.
But I can find nothing other than this account about the hero and heroine, Leon and Nina. Did such a pair of lovers really exist? Is the story based at least partly on a real and tragic romance?
It could have been, but to paraphrase the story told in the old newspaper, it is a mystery that will likely remain forever unraveled.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.
Stephen Lotief
It did not take Stephen Lotief long to find another head football coaching job.
On Tuesday, Breaux Bridge High School announced that Lotief would be the new head football coach.
He replaces Chad Pourchiau, who stepped down as the football coach after seven years at the school.
Breaux Bridge has had success for two of the last three years. In 2018, the Tigers finished the regular season with a 7-3 record. In 2019, the Tigers went 10-2.
This past football season, Breaux Bridge went 3-5.
Lotief was let go of his head football coaching duties at Kaplan. Since leaving KHS, he was transferred to Abbeville High.
In his 11 years at Kaplan, Lotief posted a 92-42 record. His overall coaching record in Vermilion Parish is 141-77. His 141 wins may make him the winningest football coach in Vermilion Parish.
Before Kaplan, he was the head football coach at North Vermilion High School.
Abbeville Digital Media Specialist Allie Horton, LDWF’s Brac Saylers and
Councilman Francis Plaisance (L-R) discuss the May 8 fishing event.
There will be a fishing event on May 8 at Lafitte Drive-in Park in Abbeville.
It’s been a long time in the making, but the wait to fish at Abbeville’s Lafitte Drive-in Park is almost over.
And it will begin in a big way.
The City of Abbeville is teaming up with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for a fishing event on Saturday, May 8. It will begin at 7 a.m.
“This will be the first official fishing event at the park,” said Councilman Francis Plaisance, who helped spearhead the creation of the park. That’s going to signal the opening of the park for public fishing.
“This is exciting.”
Located off South John Hardy Drive, Lafitte Drive-in Park, which has been in development for years, and officially opened in 2019, features a large pond. When the city completed that detention pond in ‘11, Plaisance said at the time that he saw the area’s potential for recreation.
“I have been waiting for this for a long time,” Plaisance said Monday morning.
The pond is now primed for fishing.
“It’s ready,” Plaisance said. “It’s fully stocked.”
Agents with LDWF have been heavily involved with preparing the pond for fishing.
“This is something that we have been working on for years now,” LDWF’s Brac Salyers said.
Things were ready to go last year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped those plans.
“We had everything lined up to go last year,” Salyers said. “Then COVID shut everything down. We are back on track.
“This pond is stocked and ready to go.”
Among the fish ready to be caught are largemouth bass, bluegill, Redear sunfish, channel catfish and blue catfish.
“I think people are going to have a great time,” Salyers said.
Prior to the event, Salyers said a hatchery group will come out to the pond to release 1,000 pounds of adult channel catfish.
“That’s going to help the kids and parents have a better chance of catching a fish,” Salyers said. “That’s especially for the kids. You want them to have that rewarding feeling of trying and doing it.”
Salyers said this will be a put-and-take event.
“We put them and you take them,” Salyers said. “We want the people to keep the fish. If you catch five catfish, take them home and have a good meal.”
Everyone 16 and older who takes part in the event must have a fishing license.
“It’s just a basic fishing license,” Salyers said. “We do ask that people have their own fishing poles.”
As it will be in early May, Plaisance had another suggestion on what to bring.
“Bring some sunscreen,” he said.
For Plaisance, this event marks the sunrise of the park becoming whole.
“This is the pinnacle of an exciting idea of having this pond for public fishing,” he said.
After the May 8 event, the park will be open to the public for fishing from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays.
“People are going to be able to fish,” Plaisance said, “and that makes me happy.”
March 22, 1932 ~ April 10, 2021
“At the hour of death when we come face to face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.”
Mother Teresa
Ruby Dubois LeBlanc, affectionately known as Grandma Ruby, was a giving and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She lived a full and beautiful life, pouring love into many acts of kindness, especially for her family. Whether it was cooking a fantastic meal for a family gathering, making homemade Chinese Chews and Millionaires for Christmas, or attending after school activities for her children and later her grandchildren, Grandma Ruby did so with love. Beach vacations with her family were some of her favorite moments. She loved the beach, spending time with those she loved and enjoying meals with the “Lunch Bunch”.
With the help of a midwife at her parent’s home in Erath, Louisiana, Ruby Dubois LeBlanc was born on March 22, 1932. She was the middle child of three girls. Later, she married Marvin Francis LeBlanc. They made their home in Abbeville, Louisiana and had four children. Tragically she became a widow and single parent on October 18, 1982. Her courage, resilience, and strong Catholic faith carried her through these difficult times. She was committed to her family’s happiness and made many loving sacrifices over the years placing their needs always before hers.
In the 1980s, Grandma Ruby purchased the legal news portion of the newspaper. She would gather all the legal filing from the courthouse and publish it weekly. It was truly one of her passions.
In addition to her family, Grandma Ruby had many friends and she enjoyed hosting social gatherings at her home. She was friendly by nature and enjoyed a good conversation with others.
At the center of Grandma Ruby’s life was her devout Catholic faith. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of St. Mary Magdalene Parish and a Eucharistic minster. She never missed Mass and would gather weekly with neighborhood friends to recite the rosary.
Grandma Ruby was a strong, independent, lovingly opinionated woman. She had a fiery spirit but a loving heart. Her peaceful passing on April 10, 2021 left a hole in the hearts of many. She will be deeply missed for many things too numerous to list. Undoubtedly, God greeted her with “well done, good and faithful servant” and welcomed her into His loving arms.
Grandma Ruby is survived by her children Janet Sonnier, Maria Meaux and her husband Joey Meaux, Marvin Jude LeBlanc and his wife Melissa Husband LeBlanc, Andre’ Weston LeBlanc and his wife Suzanne Lacinak LeBlanc; her grandchildren Jeremy Sonnier, Adrienne Gatlin and her husband Matt, Brandi Harrington and her husband Travis, Ryan Meaux, Blake Meaux and his wife Brittany, Caroline Husband Broussard and her husband Colby, Hannah Baudoin and her husband Drew, Hailey LeBlanc, and Brendan LeBlanc; her great-grandchildren Carter, Jena, and Brooks Harrington, Marley Meaux, and Chloe and Rory Broussard.
She is preceded in death by her parents Ules and Elise Dubois and her husband Marvin Francis LeBlanc.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul’s Mausoleum with her nephew, Father Steven LeBlanc, officiating. Pallbearers will be Marvin Jude LeBlanc, Andre’ LeBlanc, Jeremy Sonnier, Ryan Meaux, Blake Meaux, Colby Broussard, and Brendan LeBlanc.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 from 9:30 AM until 9:00 PM with a rosary prayed at 7:00 PM; Thursday, April 15, from 8:00 AM until the time of the service.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.
BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Health is placing a temporary pause on all administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while federal health agencies investigate whether six reported cases of blood clotting were caused by the vaccine. Providers in the state of Louisiana will continue to use the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and all Louisianans are encouraged to take advantage of the available vaccines, so the state can continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and put the pandemic in its rearview.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have recommended that the United States pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine out of an abundance of caution over six reported U.S. cases of a "rare and severe" type of blood clot.
“Today’s pause in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is out of an abundance of caution. This morning, I had a call with White House officials and other governors to discuss this issue as we work to safely get as many Louisianans 16 and older vaccinated as quickly and safely as possible. While I understand that this news may be concerning, I remain committed to working alongside public health experts to make sure people can get the answers they need to make an informed decision,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said.
“Right now, there are two safe and effective vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — available and being administered in Louisiana and I encourage everyone in Louisiana to keep their appointments and to take advantage of the vaccines we have available. Nearly 1 million Louisianans have already completed their vaccinations against COVID-19. There have been around 85,000 Johnson and Johnson doses administered in Louisiana and no reported cases of this rare blood clot that we are aware of," Gov. Edwards said. "In the short term, this means some community vaccination events may have to be rescheduled or shifted to use Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for now and working with the team from the Louisiana Department of Health and health care officials, we will continue the important work of administering vaccines.”
“While this news is frustrating and concerning, we appreciate the FDA acting with abundant caution and transparency,” said Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer. “We do not yet know whether these reported cases of blood clotting were caused by the vaccine. The State of Louisiana takes vaccine safety very seriously, and this temporary pause should give the public and providers confidence the system of monitoring and safety checks are working as intended.”
As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine. All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, LDH is temporarily pausing in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.
Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, chest pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.
Minor side effects are a normal sign the body is building protection. Side effects may include pain and swelling in the arm, fever, chills, tiredness or a headache. Most side effects will go away in a few days or less.
Vaccine availability of Pfizer and Moderna will continue uninterrupted.
318 N. Main St.
Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: 337-893-4223
Fax: 337-898-9022
219 North Cushing Avenue
Kaplan, LA 70548