RSS Feed

When North Vermilion High seniors get their diploma, they will be wearing a matching homemade surgical mask with the North Vermilion Patriot logo.
Monique LeMaire is the mother of junior Colin LeMaire. She operates a screen-printing shop and has provided NV T-shirts to North Vermilion over years.
She got wind that for North Vermilion High’s graduation, the seniors and everyone who will be handing out awards will have to have surgical masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
LeMaire wanted to do her part to help make graduation enjoyable for the seniors.
“It breaks my heart to see what the seniors are going through,” said LeMaire. “When I heard they had to wear masks, I wanted to do this.”
She contacted NV Principal Tommy Byler and presented him with her idea. He approved it and gave her the amount of masks she would need to make.
She ordered 140 blue masks and then began working on creating a Patriot logo to put on the masks. She had never created a screen print for a mask, so it was a challenge. It took her about 10 tries until she was successful.
“I thinks it looks great,” said LeMaire.
She delivered the blue masks to the high school on Tuesday.
LeMaire said after posting the masks on the Internet, she has received orders from parents.
She can also create masks with other logos such as the Saints, UL or LSU. There is a 10 mask minimum order for those, she said.
“I never thought I would be creating a logo for masks,” LeMaire said.

November 22, 1930 ~ May 11, 2020

John Lester Witt Sr., passed away peacefully on Monday, May 11, 2020 at his home in Meaux LA. He was born in Washington D.C. on November 22, 1930 and his loving parents were Charles and Martha (nee Trott) Witt.
Growing up just outside of Baltimore he enjoyed the outdoors including hunting and crabbing for blue crabs. In 1950, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he proudly served his country including the Korean Conflict. His last deployment was on the Cruiser, U.S.S. Bremerton receiving an honorable discharge in 1955. It was while in the Navy and stationed in Philadelphia PA. that he met his wife of nearly 55 years, Annette Dunham. It was this union that bore his two children, Diane White and John L. (Jack) Witt Jr. John was very gregarious and outgoing and developed a passion for golf extending over 50 years. He also enjoyed traveling the U.S. primarily by train even more so after his wife passed. He was a big fan of Roller Derby in later life sponsoring the Acadian Roller Girls derby team where he was given the honorary title of “Derby Duke”.
John is survived by his two children, Diane and her husband John, John Jr. and his wife Mary; and his five grandchildren, Robby Anderson and his wife Kerry, Benjamin Anderson and his wife Pamela, John L. Witt III his wife Mindy, Jacob Anderson and Nicholas Witt and his girlfriend Allison Desormeaux. He enjoyed spending time with his six great grandchildren, Collin and Conner Anderson (Robby), Wyatt and Avery Anderson (Ben) and John IV and Jordan Witt (John). He is also survived by one niece, Barbara Jean Hartge and her husband Preston; and one nephew, Eugene Wayson and his wife Kathy.
John was preceded in death by his wife, Annette; parents Charles and Martha; as well as his siblings, Irene Wayson, Marie Ridgely, and Charles Leo Witt.
A private memorial service will be held at a future date.
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.

Most people think of the Louisiana Fire Marshal's Office when it comes to fighting fires and rescuing burn victims from within an inferno, but Louisiana's Fire Marshal Butch Browning is today at the forefront of keeping COVID-19 from spreading like wildfire.  

Browning's office has always regulated how many people can cram into a space.  Why?  Because too many people have died over the years not from a burning building but from the stampede of panicked people trying to get out. Thus, the fire marshal measures the square footage of public businesses and determines "occupancy" rules for how many can safely visit that businesses.

"We do about 9,000 inspections a year that open up businesses across the state," Browning says, "so we know how to do it."

Now those same businesses need to know exactly how to do it in reopening without violating some statute or order.  That's why the governor's office and the fire marshal have instituted the website, http://opensafely.la.gov.

"We know how to apply the code in a very amicable and commonsense way," says Browning.  He has listed the code in layman's terms on opensafely.la.gov by answering the most frequently-asked questions, such as:
    • When can I partially or fully open?
    • What are the steps?
    • What are the changes for businesses that are already operating?
    • What new restrictions, if any?
    • Any new sanitation requirements?
    • Are masks, gloves, etc. required for my employees?

Browning says the guidelines are mostly just common sense.

"Remember this," he says, "we're talking about restaurants that people frequent, for instance.  Many of the people who frequent the restaurants that I'm aware of, they're like family to those restaurant owners.  They don't want to put their customers, their constituents, in harm's way.  They don't want people to get sick in their restaurant. What I find in a competitive world when everybody's open, is that they're working to outdo each other.  They're going to create stricter standards and develop a reputation for being clean."

Sunday in Colorado, that was not the case.  Owners of a Castle Rock café defied Colorado state orders and threw open their doors with no apparent regard for distancing, masks, or any CDC guidelines.  Authorities shut them down the next day.

At the Louisiana legislature, one lawmaker, Representative Blake Miguez, R-Erath, called "opensafely.la.org" a tattletale website because residents can post complaints of businesses who are not abiding by safety rules while others are.

"No, this is not a tattletale website," responded Browning.  "Look, on our main Fire Marshal's website, we accept complaints every day on building standards and other issues, things we should know about to keep people safe. There's no such thing as a tattletale website. This is about communicating with businesses so they can do the right thing."

Fire Marshal Browning has spent his whole life figuring out how to prevent fires, how to stop them quickly, and, in short, how to save lives.  

Nineteen years ago, while mobilizing firefighters to collect donations statewide, he spearheaded a small group of citizens who built and delivered "The Spirit of Louisiana" Fire Truck to New York in time for Christmas after 9-11.  Then Governor Mike Foster handed the keys to FDNY's first new firetruck to New York Governor George Pataki on The Today Show.  Since then, Browning has also elevated Louisiana another way by helping to unify safety codes statewide.

"I'm very proud," he says today, "that in the 50 states, we're close to Number one in the least amount of fire deaths in commercial buildings.  We just don't have the fire deaths that other states have and it's because we have a statewide fire code managed by the state."

Browning is confident Louisiana will survive.  He has fought fires, floods and hurricanes and, though the virus is an invisible menace, he thinks people have understood it.  To him, the last two months have proved again that Louisianans will always be resilient and cooperative to keep others safe.

ST. MARTIN PARISH – Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on May 14, 2020, Louisiana State Police Troop I began investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash on LA Hwy 680 near LA Hwy 347 in St. Martin Parish.
The crash claimed the life of 38-year-old Jamie Thibodeaux of St. Martinville.
The preliminary investigation revealed a 2009 GMC Sierra, driven by Thibodeaux, was traveling East on LA 680. At the same time, a 2008 Ford F150 with two occupants was traveling West on LA 680. For reasons still under investigation, Thibodeaux crossed the center line and struck the F150 head-on in the westbound lane of travel.
Troopers determined Thibodeaux was unrestrained and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the St. Martin Parish Coroner’s Office. The occupants of the F150 were both restrained and were transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries. Toxicology samples were taken from the drivers and results are pending. This crash remains under investigation.
Louisiana State Troopers would like to take this opportunity to remind motorists to always make good decisions while operating motor vehicles. Never drive while impaired, fatigued, or distracted. Always ensure every occupant is properly restrained, being mindful of recent changes in child passenger seat laws, and follow all traffic laws. Taking simple precautions such as these can often mean the difference between life and death.
Troop I has investigated 17 fatal crashes resulting in 20 deaths since the beginning of 2020.