RSS Feed

September 8, 1955 ~ April 1, 2020

ABBEVILLE — Graveside services will be held honoring the life of Richard Wayne Upton, 64, who died Wednesday, April 1, 2020. He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Deacon Keith Duhon officiating the services. Serving as pallbearers will be Richard Heath Upton, Drake Upton, Tracy Clark, Brennan Clark, Paxton Gardiner, and Barney Prejean. Honorary pallbearers will be Asa Mark Upton and Matt Carloss.
Ricky was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. A proud man dedicating his life to a major oilfield company to provide for his family, Ricky retired from Shell Oil Company with 38 years of service.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Jalane G. Upton; his son, Richard Heath Upton and his wife, Adrea of Maurice; his daughter, Kourtnie U. Gardiner of Maurice; his brother, Gene Upton and his wife, Joanie of Baton Rouge; and six grandchildren, Aly Zumbek, Mallie Gardiner, Drake Upton, Annison Gardiner, Paxton Gardiner, and Asa Mark Upton.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie J. Upton and the former Helen Broussard; his twin sons, Richard Christopher Upton and Ryan Heath Upton; his sister, Gail Dore; his parents-in-law, John and Wanda Guilbeau; and his brother-in-law, Chris Guilbeau.
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.

Mayor Mark Piazza and the Abbeville City Council are monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
As of noon on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, there are now 10 confirmed cases and one death in Vermilion Parish. We ask members of our community to follow Governor’s John Bel Edwards stay at home order. This order is based on federal guidelines and recommendations from medical experts. Please stay home when possible, practice social distancing when you must go out and use proper sanitary practices such as hand washing. If you must visit a retailer for necessities, please adhere to the one person, 1 cart rule. Do not bring additional persons with you to the store. It is also important to avoid gatherings both public and private. This is a growing pandemic and the threat is far from over. We are the first line of defense in the fight against this virus. Please follow the orders and recommendations put in place in the interest of public and personal safety.
The City of Abbeville has a curfew in place for adults and minors. This curfew prohibits and/or controls non-essential pedestrian and vehicular traffic between the hours of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
If you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please call 337-892-6999 from 8:00 AM- 12:00 PM for mandatory pre-screening.
You may also call your primary care physician, local walk-in clinic or 534-TEST (8378) for screening.

Scams are popping up as people try to take advantage of other amid the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Public Information Officer for the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Drew David would like to inform the public of a scam which has criminals posing as the IRS.
“With the recent passage of the stimulus package pertaining to COVID-19,” David said, “several people will be receiving checks by mail or direct deposit in the near future. Sadly there is a criminal element already poised to hurt people at the most vulnerable time of their lives.”
The scammers are posing as IRS agents and contacting the public by phone or email informing them that their personal and bank information is needed so their Stimulus Check can be direct deposited.
David states that “the IRS has all of your pertinent information already so there is no need for them to contact you in this way.” If anyone receives such a call or email please contact the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and report it. David continues, “the communities’ safety is of the utmost importance to us and we remain dedicated to protecting and serving you 24/7.”

Coronavirus numbers were up again Wednesday in Louisiana by 1,187 additional cases over a 24-hour period. Louisiana Department of Health reports a moderation in the death rate, posting 34 more deaths when 54 Louisianans had died the day before. LDH reports 6,424 Louisianans have the Coronavirus of which nearly 1,500 have been admitted to hospitals. Nearly 500 are on ventilators and hospital officials say they are running out of the machines. Ventilators enable patients to cut recovery times by up to 75%.
Governor John Bel Edwards says 150 ventilators should arrive from the federal government in the coming days but even that will be woefully inadequate. He says the state has ordered 14,000, mostly from private vendors, but grimly estimates some patients will die if Coronavirus victims inundate hospitals. He admonishes citizens to stay at home at all costs.
“This is going to play out over several months,” the governor said in Wednesday’s press conference. “People should start coming to terms that this is going to take a long time getting back to normal. I know that’s not what everybody wants to hear but it’s consistent with the information we keep getting.”
Meanwhile, CEOs of the nation’s top oil producers have called a summit with President Trump for this Friday. Louisiana is one of the top four oil producers in the United States. Crude prices since January have plummeted from $60 per barrel down to $20 per barrel as a production war rages between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Now with 90 percent of the world staying home, Gifford Briggs, president of Louisiana Oil & Gas Association, says oil reserves are on the verge of maxing out, meaning producers are running out of storage facilities. “This is driving prices even lower,” says Briggs. “Louisiana crude on the open market in some cases has been selling as low as $6 per barrel. This could decimate Louisiana’s oil patch, perhaps worse than the 1980s.”
While the convergence of competing energy CEOs is unusual, especially at the White House, sources close to organizers of the summit insist the group is not asking for a bailout.
In Louisiana, each dollar drop in crude prices equals a $12-million drop in state severance revenues. Louisiana’s budget is based on $54 per barrel oil. Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate crude hovered at $20.94/barrel. “If this Russia-Saudi oil war keeps going,” says LSU Economist Emeritus Dr. Loren Scott, “and oil remains about $30/bbl below what we budgeted, that means Louisiana could suffer a $360 million loss in revenue. That could certainly mean a cutback in state services.”
Governor John Bel Edwards says he has been communicating with some Louisiana energy leaders and the outlook, he says, is not good. “This is a very distressing situation for them and for our state,” the governor acknowledged. “It’s good news for our drivers with cheap prices at the pump, but it’s bittersweet because we would much rather see the price of gas back up. We remain committed here in Louisiana to do what we can do to help our companies.”