RSS Feed

ABBEVILLE – Funeral Services for Tracy Harris, Sr. is scheduled for 11:00 A.M. Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Faith Hope Baptist Church –407 Duroq Street – Abbeville, LA with burial in Pleasant Green Church Cemetery. Bishop B. K. Stevens will officiate the service.
Tracy Harris, Sr. (53) a resident of Abbeville, passed away Monday, September 11, 2017 at University Medical Center in New Orleans, LA.
He leaves to mourn his passing, his mother and father, Roy Jay Harris and Ethel Rankin Harris of Abbeville, LA; three children, Tracy Roy Harris, Jr, Rashanda Boudoin and LaToya Boudoin of Abbeville, LA; his siblings, Dyna Cole, Sherwin Fruge, Stephanie Rogers, Elaine Turner, Vera Fruge, Sherylyn Fruge, and Cecil Fruge all of Abbeville, LA; his grandchildren, Darius Campbell, Lonnie Faunteleroy, Jaylee Faunteleroy, and Jaylon Baudoin all of Abbeville, LA; an uncle, Herman Rankin of Gulfport, MS; three nephews, Trent Guidry (Darlene), Christopher Cole, Sr, LaShawn Fruge, and Brent Fruge; two nieces, Trista Decuir (Ricky) and Devin Stewart of San Antonio, TX; and a host of great nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Elaine Turner, Vera Stewart, and Sherlyn Fruge, a nephew, LaShawn Fruge; grandparents, Jankin Rankin, Ann Rankin, James Harris, Sr, and Mariah Harris; aunts, Grace Lassin, Willie Mae Senegal, Lorraine Dyson, Ella Mae Lee, Mary Mitchell, Alberta Harris, Merline LeBlanc, Earline Harris, and Adel Nolan; Uncles, Leroy Rankin, Elton Rankin, Sr. Lloyd Harris, Floyd Harris, and James Harris, Jr.; brother-in-laws, Wilbert Cole, Jr., Nathaniel Stewart, Columbus Rogers, and Edward Chadwick.
Pallbearers are: Tracy Roy Harris, Jr., Milton Hardy, Jr., Craig Joiner, Willie Jones, Jr., Terry Plowden, Sr., and Christopher A. Cole, Sr.
Honorary Pallbearers are: Roy Jay Harris, Sherwin Fruge, Trent Guidry, Cecil Fruge, and Kenneth R. Lee.
Visitation will be at the church (Mt. Triumph) Saturday, September 23, 2017 from 8:00 A.M. until time of service.
Kinchen Funeral Home – 218 N. St. Valerie Street (337) 898-9595 is in charge of final arrangements. Additionally, condolences to the family may be expressed on our website at: www.kinchenfuneralhome.com.

A special ceremony was held a year later to the date of the death of Erath Chief Police Gerald Hebert.
Hebert died on Sept. 20, 2016 after a battle with cancer. He was 59 years old. Hebert was chief for nine years.
Erath Police Chief Anna LaPointe arranged the ceremony at the newly renovated Erath Police Station, that Hebert helped design.
In attendance were Hebert’s three children, along with grand children, six out of his 15 brother and sisters, plus, friends, aldermen and Mayor John Earl LeBlanc.
Before LaPointe unveiled a plaque that is now hanging in the police station, family members and friends remembered Hebert. The plaque was donated by VFW Post 3798
Mary Hebert, his former wife, thanked everyone for showing up and she thanked the community of Erath for all of the prayers they said while Hebert became ill the final two months of his life.
“I do believe Chief Hebert was an extraordinary man,” said Hebert. She explained that he was born in the mid 1950s and did not grow up surrounded by money. His father was a sharecropper and Gerald’s parents had the task of raising 15 children. Gerald was the last child.
“His up bringing was in poverty and lack of opportunity,” Mary Hebert said. “People who have known him, have asked that if him growing up in poverty has marked him in anyway? I told them yes. It marked him with ambition and the determination to succeed.”
His drive to do well pushed him at a young age because when he entered the oil field, he did well, she said. He rose through the ranks and by his mid 30s, Gerald was in management in the oil field industry. He worked for one company for 25 years.
“His true passion in life always was law and the people he serves,” said Mary. “When he decided to run for chief the first time, I had no doubt in my mind that if the citizens of Erath would hear him and listen to his message, he would take an ordinary job and make it extraordinary. I do believe he did that.”
She told the crowd that Gerald loved being the chief of Erath and really loved influencing the children in a positive way.
“He never once saw his position as chief as one of great power. Instead, it was one of great privilege,” said Mary.
Mary Hebert Cordwell, a sister, explained that her brother spent the last nine years of his life loving his job in Erath.
“It was not job to him,” said Cordwell. “This position was so much. Gerald told me how lucky he was to find something he loved so much, and loved being the chief of Erath. At the end of his life, he was able to look back and he knew he helped so many people.”
Cordwell ended by thanking the people of Erath for accepting her brother into their lives and making the final nine years of his life outstanding.
“I thank y’all,” she said.

CLASS 5A
Rec Pts PV
1, West Monroe (6) 3-0 114 1
2, John Curtis (3) 2-1 103 2
3, Evangel (1) 1-1 99 3
4, Rummel 2-0 90 4
5, Acadiana 3-0 80 5
6, Scotlandville 3-0 74 6
7, Barbe 3-0 60 8
8, Zachary 2-1 50 9
9, Covington 3-0 42 NR
10, Destrehan 2-1 26 NR
Others receiving votes: Ruston 15, Catholic-BR 12, John Ehret 6, Sulphur 4..

CLASS 4A
1, St. Thomas More (6) 3-0 114 1
2, Warren Easton (3) 3-0 108 2
3, McDonogh 35 2-1 92 4
4, Benton (1) 3-0 81 8
5, Plaquemine 2-1 60 3
6, Vandebilt Catholic 3-0 59 10
7, Carencro 1-1 54 5
8, Karr 2-1 51 7
9, Lakeshore 3-0 47 NR
10, Teurlings Catholic 2-1 32 6
Others receiving votes: Neville 23, Parkview 20, Rayne 11, Carver 8, Lutcher 7, Ouachita 3, North DeSoto 3, Woodlawn2.

CLASS 3A
1, De La Salle (8) 3-0 116 1
2, West Feliciana (2) 3-0 105 2
3, University 3-0 103 4
4, St. Charles Catholic 3-0 89 3
5, Sterlington 3-0 83 5
6, Iowa 3-0 67 6
7, St. James 3-0 59 7
8, Jena 3-0 48 8
9, Jennings 2-0 39 9
10, Berwick 3-0 37 10
Others receiving votes: Richwood 20, Northwest 6, Union Parish 4, Donaldsonville 3, Eunice 1.

CLASS 2A
1, Notre Dame (9) 3-0 119 1
2, Amite (1) 3-0 106 T3
3, Catholic-New Iberia 3-0 91 5
4, Riverside 1-2 89 T3
5, Many 2-1 76 2
6, Welsh 2-0 74 6
7, Ferriday 3-0 68 7
8, Mangham 3-0 48 10
9, Kinder 2-1 45 9
10, Ascension Epis. 3-0 27 NR
Others receiving votes: St Helena 17, Northeast 12, Dunham 8.

CLASS 1A
1, Logansport (8) 3-0 118 1
2, Kentwood (2) 2-1 99 4
3, Opelousas Catholic 2-1 80 6
4, Haynesville 1-2 75 3
5, Lafayette Christian 3-0 72 8
6, Oak Grove 2-1 68 2
7, Ouachita Christian 2-1 51 7
8, Oberlin 2-1 47 5
9, Elton 2-0 43 10
10, Covenant Christian 3-0 35 NR
Others receiving votes: Cedar Creek 34, St. Mary’s 24, Ascension 17, Varnado 13, Central Catholic 3, Catholic-PC 1.

In addition to assisting local businesses with their needs, the Vermilion Economic Development Alliance is tasked with helping potential businesses find a place to be successful in the parish.
Since its inception, VEDA has worked with real estate agents and property owners to catalog land and buildings to be shared with interested parties. Now, through a partnership with One Acadiana and allies throughout the region, VEDA has a sophisticated new tool to help them in this process.
The online mapping tool uses a locally-built geographic information system (GIS) to visualize available properties and infrastructure. Fenstermaker & Associates developed the MayAnalyst platform that powers the system specifically for economic development applications.
“After working with site selection professionals and corporate decision makers, it was clear that a system like this was not only necessary to get the attention of relocating companies, but also valuable to assess the needs and assets in our community,” said Anne Falgout, VEDA
Executive Director. “I had the pleasure of working with Fenstermaker’s team to build the first iteration of this system several years ago, and this new-and-improved version has been thoughtfully adapted to benefit local developers, too.”
The online system is fully-accessible to the public and features submitted green fields, commercial lots, office space, industrial buildings and retail square footage. Users can check off a series of boxes to add data layers like flood zones, traffic counts and even wetlands areas. Downloadable flyers featuring property details make it easy to market available spaces, while the built-in tools make displaying, measuring, and printing customized maps quick and easy.
“We’re so excited to be able to offer this resource to people inside and outside the parish. Hopefully, we’ll be able to use it to help develop Vermilion in a way that can make us even more successful,” Falgout added.
To access the map, visit navigate directly to http://map.developvermilion.org/ or link to the portal via the VEDA website. Property owners and agents can submit properties for consideration on the VEDA website by navigating to the “About Vermilion” tab and filling out the form on the “Sites and Buildings” page.