On Friday, the family of DeJuan Guillory spoke out for the first time publicly at a walk for justice held in Guillory’s name.
Guillory was shot and killed by an Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Deputy on in the early morning hours of July 6, 2017.
While many questions still linger about what happened on the gravel road near Mamou where the incident occurred, the family feels certain that justice will only be served if the deputy who shot Guillory is “convicted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law,” said Guillory’s mother Monica Fontenot during the gathering.
The walk, which was organized by the family along with help from Arthur Sampson, was held in Ville Platte.
Family and friends of Guillory marched from Harvey Lebas Drive to W. Cotton Street, and then to Calcasieu Street. The group then continued onto Magnolia Street before stopping on Court Street in front of the Evangeline Parish Courthouse.
While in front of the courthouse, gatherers heard from Guillory’s mother and step mother, who described the pain their family now endures since the lost of their son.
During the walk, Guillory’s mother said, “Our lives have been changed forever. Our son was shot and killed by the hands of Deputy LaFleur with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“His life was taken unjustly and violently, with no regard.”
For these actions, Fontenot, who is a former law enforcement officer herself, said, “We want justice for our son DeJuan. We will not stop until Deputy LaFleur is convicted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law.”
Guillory’s stepmother, Paedra Andrus also spoke during the gathering on July 28th.
An emotional Andrus said, “A lot has changed since July 6th.
“We are dealing with a lot of pain and questions, but what has not changed is our love for DeJuan and our faith in God.”
Like Fontenot, Andrus stressed their desire to see justice served.
Andrus said, “Sometimes we are in a place where everything seems to be going according to plan and then out of no where you are blind sided. Hit with a tragedy that literally rocks your world, and maybe even makes you question your faith.
“July 6th was that day for us. But, our faith in God is even stronger than before. Without the lord, our loss would be unbearable. DeJuan’s death will not be in vain. We want justice. Justice for DeJuan and justice for the lives that were wrongly taken before him.”
There were allegations made that Guillory was shot five times in the back during the gathering on Friday. However, that information has never been confirmed by Louisiana State Police.
What has been confirmed by State Police however, is that the shooting occurred after the deputy made a traffic stop on a four-wheeler that was being driven by Guillory.
According to State Police, during the deputy and Guillory’s initial interaction, “Guillory struck the deputy in the head, knocking him to the ground, dazing him with a possible loss of consciousness.”
State police say that the “deputy was able to rise to his feet, draw his firearm and gave verbal commands for Guillory to lie on the ground.”
According to police, “Guillory laid down on his stomach and the Deputy attempted to handcuff Guillory.”
While attempting to handcuff Guillory, “a struggle ensued .”
State police say, Dequince Brown, who was the passenger on the ATV, then “approached the deputy form behind and began to choke and bite him.”
During the struggle with both Dequince and Guillory, “the deputy shot Guillory with his duty weapon.”
State police say that “evidence from the crime scene indicates that a handcuff was only applied to Guillory’s right arm,” and “the handcuff was significantly damaged and had to be cut off post autopsy.”
They also say that “it should be noted that the patrol vehicle was equipped with an in-car camera system, which state police has in its possession and will be conducting analysis of the device.”
Brown was arrested following the incident and charged with attempted first degree murder of a police officer.
She was however released from jail five days after the incident on a $75,000.00 bond.

In court last Thursday, Rufus Searile’s cyberstalking charge was upgraded from the misdemeanor to two felony grade offenses, which are non-consensual disclosure of a private image and video voyeurism.
Searile, 46, was first arrested for cyberstalking back in June of 2016 after authorities with the Ville Platte Police Department received complaints concerning a threat to post inappropriate pictures of a female on Facebook.
According to a release from the VPPD last June, the victim claimed that it was Searile who “threatened her.”
Searile was originally arrested and charged with cyberstalking. However, the Ville Platte man is now being charged with non-consensual disclosure of a private image for this incident and video voyeurism.
Searile was re-arraigned on Thursday for the new felony charge, and his trial date was set for September 18.

The Ville Platte Boys and Girls’ Club has partnered with the Evangeline Parish District Attorney’s Office through the Families in Need of Services Program. Over the last two years, FINS has sponsored 15 children to attend the Boys and Girls’ Club, Inc., and has sponsored mentoring projects.
According to a release from Assistant District Attorney Julhelene E. Jackson, “The FINS Program is designed to assist families with children who are risk for court involvement due to certain factors such as truancy, repeated violations of school rules, runaway, and ungovernable.”
One of these mentoring projects at the Boys and Girls’ Club, Inc., is called the Flat Town Culinary Academy. “This project is a partnership between the 13th Judicial District Court FINS Program and the Ville Platte Boys and Girls’ Club, Inc.,” the release said. “FINS participants are registered with the Club’s Summer Program. For approximately five or six weeks out of the eight-week summer program the participants in the beginner’s class learned introductory culinary techniques, and participants in the advanced class learned culinary techniques.”
The program culminates with the Boys and Girls’ Club, Inc., Closing Ceremony and Banquet that is slated for Friday, August 4, at the Boys and Girls’ Club, Inc., location at the old Heritage Manor Nursing Home on Thompson Street. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for a silent auction, and the first course will be served at 6:30 p.m. There will also be live music and a cash bar, and tickets can be purchased for $20.00.

This past June was a pretty good month for sales tax collections throughout the parish, with only two municipalities or taxing bodies collecting less sales taxes than they did in June of 2016.
Overall, the parish collected $229,290.09, or 16.38 percent more in sales taxes during June 2017 than it did in June 2016.
The taxing body that experienced the highest increase in sales tax comparisons by percentage for June was the Village of Chataignier, which saw a 372 pct. increase in sales tax collections this past June. Its collections for June 2016 were $753.24, while in June of 2017 the village brought in $3,555.28 in sales taxes.
According to Michael Vellion with the Tax Commission’s Office, explained the increase by stating, “If a large purchase like a car was made by someone in Chataignier, that would increase the amount of sales tax taken in, because they are a small municipality that doesn’t usually collect a lot of sales taxes.”
Two other taxing bodies that fared well when it came to sales tax collections for June 2017 are the Evangeline Parish Police Jury and the Evangeline Parish School Board.
The police jury collected $96,665.65 more in June 2017 than it did in June 2016, while the EPSB’s collections were $84,811.44 more than in June 2016.
The uptick in collections according to Veillon had to do with “audits on the oil industry,” and “Pine Prairie Energy adding caverns” to its facility in Eastin.
It is however unknown whether the trend of increased sales tax collections will continue.
Veillon said, “We will have to just watch it over the next two to three months to see if this is something that we will continue to see happening in the parish.”

During the Evangeline Parish School Board’s meeting last Wednesday, the board approved entering into an agreement with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office to provide a School Resource Officer for Evangeline Central School this school year.
Having the officer on campus at all times is a part of the new ECAP program being implemented at ECS.
After the board approved entering into this agreement with the EPSO, Superintendent of Schools Darwan Lazard introduced Tony Vidrine as the ECS’s new Resource Officer.
Vidrine, who has worked for the sheriff’s office for the last five year, also has 25 years of experience with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and has a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice.
The ECAP program for ECS has been modeled after the program used in at an Alexandria school, which Lazard intends to visit along with Vidrine and other representatives from the EPSO.
In reference to the new school program, Lazard said, “This is going to be a better program for Central than we had before.”
During the meeting Lazard also announced that former Vidrine Elementary Principal Cheryl Tezeno will be moving to the central office to fill the new position of Middle School Supervisor.
It was also announced at the meeting that former Pine Prairie High School Principal Anita West will fill the principal position that Tezeno left vacant at VE.
During the Superintendent’s closing comments, he reminded everyone that the first day back to school for personnel is August 8th, while the students return on August 10th.
Lazard also shared that there will be a new school year launch for all district employees on August 8th at Ville Platte High.
There will be buses sent to pick up employees and transport them to VPHS for the event.
Due to space issues, one group of employees will attend this event at 8:00 a.m. and then at 10:30 a.m. it will be the second group of employees’ turn to celebrate the launch of the 2017-18 school year.

Several burglary arrests have been made recently by the Ville Platte Police Department.
In a release from the VPPD it stated, “On July 25, 2017 Officers with the Ville Platte Police Department were dispatched to the area of Pine Street for a report of someone riding a four wheeler on the roadway.”
When they arrived on the scene, “officer observed a four wheeler that then fled from them on South Chataignier going through both lanes of traffic.”
In an attempt to reach Ash Street, the driver “crashed the four wheeler as he went through a ditch on South Chataignier,” and then fled on foot” from the scene.
According to the release, “after further investigation, it was determined that the four wheeler was stolen from the Opelousas area where the St. Landry Sheriff’s Office had begun an investigation” into this matter.
In the release, it then explained that on July 26, “a male subject,” who was later identified as Daniel Gallow, “came into the VPPD to speak with investigators.”
It went on to state that “although the subject at that point was not under arrest, he fled the police department once he was confronted with the evidence.”
After a “short foot pursuit,” the suspect was caught on East. Washington St.
The 22-year-old Ville Platte man was arrested on charges of illegal possession of stolen things (felony), off-road vehicle on roadway, criminal damage to property (felony), safety helmet required, careless operation and resisting an officer.
Gallow remains incarcerated on a $36,250.00 bond.
In a previous burglary case, Ville Platte Chief of Police Neal Lartigue reported that three individuals have been arrested for stealing a purse and wallet from a vehicle.
According to a release from the police department, “the theft took place on July 3, 2017 on North Thompson Street.”
In the release it stated that during the investigation of this matter, “suspects were identified and subsequently arrested.”
Those subjects include two juveniles and Marcus Arvie, who were arrested on charges of burglary and theft. All three arrests occurred on July 26, 2017.
The two juveniles were released to the custody of their parents pending their court appearance.
The arrest of Arvie resulted in charges for multiple recent burglaries.
According to the release, Arvie was also “charged in reference to burglaries form July 5, July 5, 2017 in the 1100 block of Parkview Street, on July 20, 2017 in the 900 block of Tate Cove Road, and on July 21, 2017 for multiple burglaries in the 2300 block of East Main Street.” He has also been “charged for an incident that happened on July 22, 2017.”
The items stolen, such as Xbox controllers, games, a Wii system, credit cards and a white Honda 450 ATV, in these burglaries “have not been recovered.”
Arvie has been charged with four counts of simple burglary, four counts of theft, four counts of criminal trespass and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile for the July 5, July 20, and July 21, 2017 incidents. He has also been charged with unauthorized use of a moveable, criminal trespass, simple burglary, theft, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for the July 22 burglary and theft.

East Side Water System, Inc., heard from its legal advisor at its board meeting Wednesday concerning its course of action following a recent Third Circuit Court of Appeal decision.
Jacob Fusilier explained to the board the appellate court’s decision that struck down the change in the quorum needed for a valid election. “The Court said it should never have been moved from a majority down to 10 percent,” he explained.
The basis for this, according to Fusilier, is that the Articles of Incorporation and the corporate bylaws should never conflict. “The charter always outranks the bylaws,” he said. “Years ago the board voted to change the bylaws to say it could be 10 percent, but they never voted to change the charter.”
Fusilier also explained to the board that the appellate court ordered a new round of elections with a quorum of 50 percent. “If you can’t get it the first time, you have to have another set of elections,” he explained, “and then whatever membership shows up will constitute a quorum there. Then that will be the new board.”
According to Fusilier, the problem now is whether or not the last two elections were valid. The last two elections in question were when the new board members were elected. As counsel stated, “No judge has actually said that the new board is invalid and that the old board should come back.”
Upon advice of counsel, the board voted to file a Declaratory Judgment in district court. This will trigger Judge Gary Ortego holding a hearing on the matter. As Fusilier stated, “the trial court will then send it up to the Third Circuit.”
The end result of the Declaratory Judgment will be a court saying whether or not the current board is valid or if the board should be comprised of the board members who sat on the board prior to the last two elections.
In other action, the board:
• voted not to seek a Writ of Certiorari with the State Supreme Court to appeal the Third Circuit’s decision.
• voted not to appeal to a the full Court of Appeal for a rehearing.
• voted to keep Jacob Fusilier as its board attorney.
• and voted to place the proposal to change the voting quorum from 50 percent to 10 percent on the April election.

By: ELIZABETH WEST
Managing Editor

Ever since the killing of DeJuan Guillory by an Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Deputy, many people have questioned why the 27-year-old was not in jail after being arrested in 2015 for stealing an ATM and shooting at law enforcement officers in Mamou.
The answer in short is that Guillory received a deferred sentence the day he stood before Judge Gary Ortego and pled guilty to the amended charge of simple criminal damage to property in December of 2016.
Due to the fact that he never bonded out, Guillory spent approximately 16 months in jail for the ATM incident before entering his plea.
A deferred sentence is when a defendant’s sentence is suspended to allow that person to complete a period of probation instead of going to jail.
However, what exactly led to the District Attorney’s Office’s decision to defer Guillory’s sentence has been unknown until now.
During an interview with the lead prosecutor on the case - Evangeline Parish Assistant District Attorney Kelly Tate - she explained Guillory’s deferred sentence had everything to do with a lack of evidence.
When Guillory was arrested in August of 2015 for stealing an ATM from Citizen’s Bank in Mamou and for firing shots at an officer, he was initially charged with attempted first degree murder of a police officer, three counts of criminal damage to property and one count of simple criminal damage to property.
As the lead prosecutor in the matter, Tate’s job required her to determine whether the available evidence was sufficient enough to meet the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Guillory was guilty of the charges against him.
According to Tate, the evidence file in the State’s case against Guillory consisted of “11 cartridges and one bullet,” which were collected by law enforcement officers.
After being tested by the Acadiana Crime Lab, it was determined that the cartridges and bullet collected at the scene of the crime were “fired from an unknown firearm.”
Also, according to the A.D.A., “no weapon was ever recovered by law enforcement officers.”
Other evidence that was processed for fingerprints and DNA from the crime scene were the ATM that was stolen, the backhoe that was used to steal the ATM, a glove, and two bottles that were found on the backhoe.
According to Tate, the ATM was processed for “latent fingerprints,” which are prints that are not visible to the naked eye. No fingerprints were retrieved though.
The glove that was recovered from the scene was swabbed for DNA, but the amount was “insufficient.”
When it came to the two bottles that were retrieved from the backhoe, the A.D.A. said, “The DNA profile was inconsistent with the DNA profile of DeJuan Guillory.”
There were also several eye witnesses, but they were unable to name Guillory as the individual they saw committing this crime.
Tate said, “One witness believed he recognized the defendant, however, other witnesses that were there were unable to identify who it was.”
The last piece of evidence in this case was video surveillance from the bank. According to Tate, this surveillance was reviewed by law enforcement. However, she said that the district attorney’s office “was never able to get a copy of the video,” and therefore they were unable to ever review the surveillance footage.
With very little evidence to link Guillory to the ATM theft, Tate said, “We would have had a difficult time proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty of the charges against him.” Therefore, the “plea was a result of negotiations on both sides.”

The name Frank Savoy has become synonymous with medical practice in Mamou over the generations. This is particularly evident by the hospital that bears the name. However, another doctor has left his lasting footprint on the medical scene of the town.
Dr. Brent Ardoin, who was born and raised in Mamou, has been practicing internal medicine in Mamou for the last 30 years after receiving his residency from University Medical Center. “I’m not quite sure what made me decide that I wanted to be a doctor,” he stated recently, “but I know that ever since I was a kid that was something I wanted to be.”
Over the decades since he first started in Mamou, Ardoin has witnessed changes to the medical profession and the way it is practiced. One difference is nowadays the medical profession is more specialized.
“Back then when I started a lot of the older surgeons did mostly everything,” he explained. “They did the vascular work, the gall bladders, the hips, and a lot of everything. Patients seldom left here because we didn’t transfer patients like we do now.”
“When people had heart attacks, we took care of all of that at the same hospital,” he continued, “and now things have become so specialized that it’s tough to keep patients in a rural environment hospital for certain things that are primarily treated elsewhere.”
Another change to the medical profession is that doctors now are not owning their own businesses. As Ardoin put it, “A lot of the doctors when I came into the practice went into practice on their own.” He went on to compare that to today. “Most physicians now are employed by the hospital,” he said. “Very few come in and go into private practice, and that’s changing because of how difficult it is with computers and taking care of all the business aspects.”
“You’re going to see less and less of that type of thing as doctors get older,” he continued. “I think what’s coming in the future is doctors are going to be employed by the larger hospital groups, physician groups, or something of that nature.”
With the medical landscape changing, Ardoin is becoming the last of a dying breed of doctors who treat patients in their own office. Ardoin operates his office on Poinciana Street in Mamou which is across the street from Savoy Medical Center.
“Mostly what I do is take care of older people because they have mostly what I treat such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and gastrointestinal ailments,” he said. “It’s nice because these people are very interesting folks, and they’re fun to visit with and talk to.”
Aside from the usual high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Ardoin also treats such things as diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease. “We have in this area the same problems like everybody else,” he said. “Some of the special and maybe the more unique things that we have to deal with is poverty. So many people are poor around here, so it’s difficult for them to get their medicines. It’s also difficult for them to travel to get to where some of the specialists might be, and they have difficulty arranging transportation.”
Ardoin is also involved in other medical areas in Mamou. He stated, “I’m also board certified in critical care medicine, geriatrics, and Hospice and palliative care.”
While running his office for the last three decades, Ardoin has also been involved with working at Savoy Hospital since the beginning of his career. “When I first came here, everybody did everything,” he said. “We used to all take our turns working in the emergency room for example, but now there’s an emergency room group that does emergency room work. I was chief of staff for many years, and I was medical director of the ICU and the pharmacy before that. I had a lot of hats and jobs at the hospital before.”
Ardoin has taken off some of his many hats as he retired from the hospital on July 1 of this year. With that part of his job behind him, he hopes to devote more time to other areas. As he stated, “Going forward I do plan to just focus on my office practice and my geriatric practice that I have both at the nursing home and even with Hospice.”
Another advantage to retiring from the hospital is having more free time. “I haven’t had much in the way of free time probably for the last 30 years,” Ardoin said. “I’ve been on call anywhere from 10 to 14 days a month, so that doesn’t leave you with much free time which is really a hassle of the job.”
“Hopefully being retired from the hospital will give me a little more time off to maybe travel a bit,” he continued. “I’ve got one son who’s married to a neurologist, and they live in Iowa City, Iowa. I have two grandchildren that are there with them, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to visit them more frequently.”
Despite the hassles of having no time off, Ardoin feels rewarded by being a doctor in his small town, and he described it as being special. “It’s really great to come home and treat people that I’ve known all my life and people that my parents may have known,” he said. “It’s actually like a dream come true to be able to come back to where I was born and raised. Lucky for me my wife is from Opelousas, so her family is around here. For us it’s really special to be able to get older doing what we want to do in a place that’s home.”
He then went on to describe practicing in Mamou as being a privilege. “It’s been a privilege to serve the people of this area, and that’s what doctoring is really about,” he explained. “It’s about service to your community and the people who come looking for help. I’ve been very privileged to get to do that for 30 years, and hopefully I can continue to do that for sometime longer. I have no plans on retiring, and my wife and I are quite comfortable in the community. We have no plans on going anywhere.”

Softball and baseball teams from Evangeline Parish filled the pews of the Evangeline Parish Police Meeting Room Monday night at the jury’s monthly meeting.
Teams recognized were from Mamou and Ville Platte and included softball teams from Ville Platte who made it to the World Series.
“The Ville Platte 10 and Under Rec All Stars competed in the USSSA World Series this past year in Gulf Shores, Ala.,” said their coach Nick LeBas. “The girls from Ville Platte took home the title coming back in the losers’ bracket to beat the undefeated team twice. They played really well, and we’re proud of their accomplishments.”
Todd Ardoin also addressed the jury on the accomplishments of his Ville Platte Girls All Stars. “We finished our summer going 29-6 with two ties,” he said. “This year we took a different route. We typically play in Pony League, but this year we decided to play USSSA.”
“It was a pretty difficult challenge because we were mostly playing travel ball teams,” he continued, “and with that being said they had a great summer placing fifth in the Gulf South National Tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala.”
The Police Jury presented lapel pins to the coaches for their teams. “It’s a blessing we can have our parish come together like this,” said Police Jury President Ryan Ardoin. “Keep up the good work, and we hope you have much success in the future.”
The jury then heard from Secretary-Treasurer Donald Bergeron about the Vermilion Watershed Summit that is designed for flood relief. “It’s a study that has been done by the Acadiana Planning Commission which is made up of the seven parishes south of us,” he said. “After the floods of last year, we started taking a regional approach to flood control. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and FEMA heard about it and were very excited about it because we were doing something that is not easily done getting a regional approach to the flooding issue.”
He added, “Even though it’s called the Vermilion Watershed, they’re studying 22 watersheds across the state including the Mermentau. Every parish president has a vote on the council as to what projects go forward and what funding is used.”
In other business, the police jury:
• approved a beer license for Annunciation Catholic Church Bazarre in Duralde September 9-10, 2017.
• approved a liquor license for the Piney Woods Riders.
• reappointed Jimmie Patton and Dianne Harrington to the Ward 4 Water District.
• approved the abandonment of a portion of Howard Lane.
• and approved a candlelight vigil to be held on the courthouse grounds every Thursday in August from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

An emotional Arthur Sampson addressed the Ville Platte Housing Authority Board at its meeting on Tuesday concerning the lack of a police presence at the multiple public housing complexes in the City of Ville Platte.
According to Sampson, he decided to address the board concerning this matter after a Ville Platte female was accidently shot by individuals who were first congregating at the housing authority complex on Chataignier Street. The shooting however, did not occur at the housing authority complex.
“I never see the presence of any police officers at the housing authority,” said Sampson before reading from the February 16, 2017 edition of the Ville Platte Gazette, where it stated that the board approved hiring off duty Ville Platte police officers to patrol the housing authority complexes.
Sampson then said, “This is my community and I am very concerned about what is going on. Not one time have I seen the presence of security and we need it because we are trying to stop the violence in our community.”
The Housing Authority’s Executive Director Grant Soileau shared that they only have a police officer patrolling “when they can get someone to work.”
According to Soileau, they “don’t always have someone to work.”
Soileau said, “A list goes out and whoever wants to sign up to work that coming weekend will sign up.”
Board Vice Chairman David Ortego then said, “We have spent a total of $9,000 on security in the last 10 months so I would hope that there was actually some security that was done.”
Sampson and the board both then requested that Soileau furnish them with the log showing when officers have worked at the housing authority before its next meeting.
Following this discussion board member Grace Sibley requested that Soileau get prices on a “better and more advanced security system to protect housing authority residents.”
In other business the housing authority board:
• approved the Executive Directors Contract for two years.

Well it is official.
The world wide phenomenon of futbol, known to us Americans as soccer, has found its way to Cajun Country.
As of August 26, soccer will be a recognized sport in Evangeline Parish. On that day, the first annual Evangeline Soccer Association opening ceremonies will be held at the Evangeline Parish Recreational District Complex.
Bringing this international game to this rural Louisiana parish was not something that happened overnight. The concept has actually been in the planning stages for about two years.
“About two years ago we (the rec district) were looking to add another sport for the area,” stated ESA President and Recreational Complex Director Thomas Scully. “That is when the sport of soccer came up. I found out that Stephanie Ware at KVPI had been involved in the sport as a coach in Lafayette. So, we got together and talked about what it would take to make it a reality here. She was very helpful and in fact did a lot of the ground work to make sure we did it the right way.”
When approached about having soccer here in the parish, Ware, who will serve as Vice-President of the league, was tickled to death to help get the ball rolling.
“I had coached soccer in Lafayette when my daughter was young,” said Ware. “I really love it. I love the community feeling it brings and I truly believe the people around here are going to going to enjoy it.”
Even with the enthusiasm that both Scully and Ware brought to the table, there was some trepidation as to how it would be received.
“I was very surprised at the number of kids that signed up,” commented Scully. “I think it is because a number of the kids, especially the younger kids do not have anything to do in the fall. So, this gave them a sport to enjoy.”
“Last year I decided to make a Facebook page to see what type of interest there would be,” stated Ware. “And it has just been overwhelming. I think we have over 650 on our Facebook page now.”
That response has netted some amazing participation numbers. After four separate registrations, the league has right at 175 kids ready to begin play on the last Saturday of August.
The league will be divided into four age groups and will participate in a modified version of the game. During each contest only four players from each team will be on the field at one time, a field that is smaller than a regulation field, and there will be no goalie. So why the scaled down version? It’s all about learning the game.
“We wanted to focus on the fundamentals of the game to begin,” said Scully. “Just kicking the ball is a skill that needs to be learned. So, by scaling the field down the field and having no goalie, the kids can focus on the important fundamentals of the game.
The league will play on every Saturday beginning August 26, with a mid-season break on September 30. They will then resume play the following weekend and continue play until October 28.

The Ville Platte Rotary Club began its August meetings hearing from State Senator Eric LaFleur. He yielded the Rotary floor to representatives of the Louisiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Senator LaFleur is the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and explained ways to combat the budget deficits created during the Bobby Jindal administration. “We were using one time money to pay recurring expenses,” he said. “We undid the Stelly Plan, and we had to substitute it with something else. We never substituted it with any other source of recurring revenue.”
“For all those years we paid for those recurring expenditures with one time money,” he continued. “At that time Jindal was very much vested in the national scene and the national party apparatus, and he didn’t want to change his mind. No matter how foolish we thought it was, any effort to do something in the alternative of using one time money we knew would be met with a veto. A lot of the members who disagreed with the policy thought it was futile to do anything different because we would have never have been able to overcome that veto. By the end of the Jindal administration, we had run out of money to sustain what we were providing.”
According to LaFleur, the new governor John Bel Edwards “is faced with having to increase the revenue, eliminate some programs, or do a combination.” He went on to say that as a compromise the legislature did a combination of raising revenue and cutting some programs during this latest session.” As he said, “I’m hoping that in this upcoming year that we would formulate a real reform plan.”
LaFleur was then asked to explain ways to improve Hwy 167 N in Evangeline Parish. “Four laning it is the ultimate dream of the highway system, but if you go through Plaisance and those other little communities you have to knock out and do some right-of-way work,” he said. “It would be very expensive. What they then considered doing is three lanes in certain areas or four lanes in certain areas and maybe straightening it out.”
He continued, “Then the gas tax failed which we were hoping if it passed then a road like that would have been part of the big infrastructure improvement plan.”
The Rotary Club a week later heard from Luewana Hannon and Adrienne Mullens from the Alzheimer’s Association. “In the United States it’s known as the sixth leading cause of death,” said Hannon. “It destroys the brain cells, and it affects your body functions. You forget to walk, and you forget spacial recognitions. Your brain is slowly degenerating to where you can’t even function, and it ultimately results in death.”
Mullens is the Community Outreach Specialist for the Louisiana Chapter and told the Rotary Club about an upcoming community event set for September 16 in Lafayette. “Our Walk to End Alzheimer’s is a celebration where the community comes together,” she said. “We celebrate those that are still with us, and we also remember those who have left.”
“At our walk we have an opening ceremony which includes a promise garden ceremony,” she explained. “This year we are introducing one white flower that will represent our first survivor. I want to see a sea of white flowers one day. We’re fighting for that first survivor and to find a cure for the disease.”

On Saturday, August 5, 2017, deputies with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to an attempted burglary at KVPI New Director Stephanie Ware’s home on U.S. Highway 167.
When they arrived on the scene, deputies arrested the suspect, who was later identified as Timothy G. Kordish.
A hearing for this matter was held on Monday in Judge Chuck West’s courtroom, where Kordish’s bond was set at $50,000.00.
Kordish was also set to appear before Judge West on Monday for a felony trial and a misdemeanor trial for two other incidents that Kordish was previously arrested for.
Instead of going to trial, Kordish opted to take a plea deal and pled guilty to possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance and unauthorized use of a movable.
Kordish, who is a repeat offender, originally faced charges of illegal use of a CDS in the presence of a person under 17, possession of drug paraphernalia (first offense), monetary instrument abuse, indecent behavior with juveniles, resisting an officer, and battery of a police officer along with the charges he pled guilty to.
For his guilty plea, Kordish received four years at hard labor for unauthorized use of a moveable and five years for possession of a schedule II CDS.
The two sentences were set to run concurrently, therefore Kordish will serve a total of five years behind bars.
He also received credit for time served.

On Sunday, an ICE detainee escaped from GEO Group’s Pine Prairie prison facility.
In a release from GEO Group, it stated that “two ICE detainees attempted to escape,” however only one was successful.
According to the release, “one detainee was apprehended within the property, while the other managed to breach the Center’s perimeter.”
The release went on to state that “the detainee who breached the perimeter was apprehended by facility staff shortly thereafter approximately 300 yards from the Center without incident.”
Once back at the facility, the “detainee was brought back to the Center where he was treated by medical staff for minor injuries.”
Those who assisted GEO employees in the capture were the Pine Prairie Police Department, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, Turkey Creek PD, Pine Prairie Fire Department, and first responders.

Alumni of schools at every level hold a similar mission statement of giving back to the schools of their time and financial contributions. One group of alumni in Ville Platte has taken this mission one step further by giving back to the community.
Members of James Stephens alumni gathered together Saturday at St. John’s Baptist Church to go out and paint more than 50 front doors at homes around town. “It’s a beautiful day, and hopefully it’s a successful one without any rain coming through so that they can get something accomplished trying to give back to the community,” said the church’s pastor Freddie Jack.
Organizer Gussey Brown explained why just the doors would be painted. “If you have a bright front door, it just kind of perks your whole demeanor up,” she said. “It’s almost like a woman when she’s having a sad day. If she just puts on a good red lipstick, it just makes her feel better.”
“Just to have your door painted a bright color kind of makes you feel good,” she continued. “It brightens up your spirit because if you look around here you don’t see any color. Everything is just bland. That’s why we’re painting the doors just to add some color to the city.”
Brown then explained the importance of the project. “It’s important because of your emotional well being,” she said. “There’s so many funerals, and people are depressed over losing loved ones. It would help if they just had something else to give them some kind of joy.”
“It also helps just with the fellowship with people coming from out of town because most of us came from Houston and Baton Rouge,” she continued. “We came just to let the people know we are still a part of Ville Platte and that we do care about what goes on here.”
Ville Platte’s Mayor Jennifer Vidrine shared her thoughts on the importance on painting the doors. “It’s very important because it’s all in the James Stephens’ nature,” she said. “When we were all at James Stephens, we were taught not only academics but also giving back and taking care of the community. What this project does is going to help keep Ville Platte clean. I applaud the James Stephens alumni for keeping our city clean because all of these people are from Ville Platte, so they are coming back to give back to the city.”
Other members of the alumni echoed the communal importance. As Bobby Bowens said, “I think it’s a beautification program that will benefit the entire city.”
“This is a very special occasion,” said Larry “Chicken” Jackson. “It’s very special to keep the community clean and beautiful.”
For Audrey Thomas, the project is a way of giving back. “I just think that it’s something beautiful to give back to the community and let them know we as a James Stephens alumni are coming back to do something for the community because most of us live out of town,” she said. “I just think painting the doors is a wonderful project.”
“We want to bring back to our community of Ville Platte,” said Frances Washington. “We were once at James Stephens, and we just want to build the neighborhood back. We figured the painting of the doors will be very beautiful, and it would probably make our community better and bring light into Ville Platte.”
Phyllis Frank expanded not only on the community aspect but also on the fellowship. “It’s very important to the community because doing this accomplishes a fellowship,” she said. “I went to where they feed the elderly. They did their applications, and I had a chance to have fellowship with them. I got a chance to learn what they really needed in life, and then we got a chance to be a friend at the same time. It gives you a chance to give back and to love at the same time.”
Carleen Bellard, who is the director of Teen Outreach Program, stated that the young people also got involved to lend a hand. “The James Stephens alumni are sowing a seed to our program,” she said. “To get the kids involved is showing them how the community works together to improve our community, to build it up, to make it more beautiful, and to make it something they can be proud of. Getting them involved shows them stamina, responsibility, civic pride, leadership, and character.”
After receiving a blessing from Pastor Jack, the volunteers divided into groups to start painting the doors. According to one resident on Edward “Knotoe” Thomas Street LouElla Griffin, “It was well done, and I appreciate it very much. They did a very good job.”
Another resident Agnes Anderson called it a blessing. “It’s a blessing from God that they helped because I always wanted to paint my door, but I never got to it yet. It’s really nice.”

OPELOUSAS — About 50 tourism leaders were queried Tuesday about their ideas on how to improve rural tourism in a meeting attended by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center.
“We want to know those ideas and those thoughts whether it is additional off road trips, attractions or things we can put together,” Nungesser said.
“We are excited to learn more and see how we can better coordinate moving people around the state,” he said.
Kelly Pitre, of Eunice and St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission member, said she would like to see a way to reach the younger generation.
“We need to reach young people to grab their interest otherwise we are a dying culture,” she said.
Mavis Fruge, of Arnaudville, said, “I would love to see more signage in French. I would like to see a little less litter and more trees, more flowers .. those things that are pleasing to the eye.”
Yvonne Normand, a St. Landry Parish Tourism Commission member, echoed the need for French language promotion and appealing to youth.
Charlene Beckett, Abbeville Main Street manager, said more connectivity is needed and a Main Street trail needs to flow tourists from north to south.
Alison Miller, Vermilion Parish tourism director, said more kiosks with tourism information are needed because tourism center opening hours are limited.
Danielle Fontenette, St. Martinville Main Street manager, and Patrice Melnick, an Opelousas tourism staffer, said more multi-culture marketing needs to be done.
Another common theme was the need for the use of social media in communicating with tourists.
Nungesser said he moved three jobs from New Orleans to Baton Rouge where one person will seek to fit conventions to rural areas, a second person is to work on organizing tours from major cities to rural Louisiana and a third person will promote tourism opportunities on social media.
A Louisiana Bass Trail was established recently in response to a suggestion, Nungesser said.
“Any idea or thought you have please share it with us so we can make sure we are covering every base to improve tourism in your area,” he said.
“The rural areas of our state are an asset to all of Louisiana,” Nungesser aaid in a news release. “We are highlighting all of the fun things to do by listening to the people who live in these rural areas. They know how to best promote and market their assets in order to draw people to their areas.”
St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot said, “This is really all about people coming to be with us. We are the attraction.”
Celeste Gomez, St. Landry Parish Tourism Commission executive director, said the meeting, which was one of four held in the state, was important to hear ideas “...or maybe just to know who to turn to.”
The “roundtable” discussions were also held in Tallulah and Oil City on Monday; Houma on Wednesday; and Hammond on today.
Doug Bourgeois, director of the Louisiana Byways program, led the meetings and Cheryl Hargrove, president of Heritage, Tourism and Culture Partners, conducted them.
A state Office of Tourism news release, stated, “A major draw to our more rural areas of the state is the Louisiana Trails and Byways. This program was set up through the National Scenic Byways Program as a way to draw people to Rural America. The Louisiana program currently has 19 trails and byways that highlight different areas of the state from Historic Route 80 to the Southern Swamps to the Zydeco Cajun Prairie. Information about the byways program can be found at www.LouisianaByways.com.”
In the same news release, Nungesser said, “The Byways are an integral part of bringing people into the heart of Louisiana. You can find great food and drink at a local craft brewery or family restaurant, have a great time fishing or hunting in rural Louisiana or you can dance the night away to Zydeco music at a local joint in rural Acadiana.”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is accepting applications for youth lottery deer hunts on five LDWF Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) during the 2017-18 hunting season.
Youth lottery deer hunts will be held on Buckhorn, Dewey W. Wills, Floy Ward McElroy, Richard K. Yancey and Sherburne WMAs.
These hunts are restricted to youth hunters between the ages of 10-17 and will be selected through the lottery application process. These hunts offer the opportunity for selected hunters to experience an enjoyable, unique experience on these WMAs.
Details on the qualifications, application requirements, application deadlines, and dates of the hunts are listed on the application forms.
Successful applicants will be selected by a random computer drawing. Applications for the lottery hunts must be submitted to LDWF by close of business (4:30 pm) on Sept. 1. A $5 administrative fee must be submitted with each application.
Applications and more information may be obtained by contacting your local LDWF field office or by visiting the LDWF web site at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/lottery-hunts.
Applications may be delivered in person to Room 442 of the LDWF headquarters building located at 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge or by mail. The mailing address is: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000.
For more information, contact Steve Smith at 225-765-2359.

Aug. 10, 2017 – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is reminding dove hunters that a new regulation governing the type of shot dove hunters may use on LDWF Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and LDWF leased dove fields will be in effect for the 2017-18 hunting season.
Hunters on those areas will be limited to the use of non-toxic shot, size 6 and smaller for dove hunting.
The change is intended to reduce the deposition of lead shot and potential effects of lead on wildlife. Current research has demonstrated that in dove fields and areas surrounding dove fields, deposition of lead is high and concentration of lead is elevated in the soil.
The regulation was proposed and adopted in order to mitigate the potential exposure of lead to wildlife in areas impacted by this activity. Go to the LDWF web site at wlf.louisiana.gov to see the 2017-18 hunting rules and regulations.
For more information, contact Steve Smith at ssmith@wlf.la.gov or 225-765-2359.

Patterson – Breaking with the Tour du Teche tradition of mostly looong kayak and canoe races, the Lower Atchafalaya River Sprint on Saturday, Sept. 9, will be a set of six-mile races with starts and finishes within view of spectators at Morey Park in Patterson.
The race course will loop around buoys in the Lower Atchafalaya River, the section that links historic Bayou Teche to the Atchafalaya at Berwick and Morgan City. Morey Park is at 1114-1116 Main St. in Patterson.
First place price in each of three categories is $500, second $250 and third $100. Plus there will be a prize of $250, $150 and $75 for the first, second and third all-female crew to finish in each category.
The race categories are tandem single- or double-blade, solo K-1 (kayak) and Big Boat, three or more paddlers using either double or single blades.
The race for tandems starts at 9 a.m., K-1s at 11 a.m. and Big Boat 1 p.m.
Registration costs $20 per paddler and is good for all three races.
Day-of registration will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Go to www.tourduteche.com to see how to register online.
Tour du Teche is a non-profit organization responsible for the annual running of Tour du Teche, 135 miles down the entire Bayou Teche; Tour de la Rivière Rouge, the 275-mile non-stop adventure race from Bossier City to Port Barre; and the epic 410 de Louisiane, which combines Tour de la Rivière Rouge and Tour du Teche for a 410 paddle down the entire length of Louisiana. Even most of the “short” races put on by Tour du Teche qualify as marathons. The exceptions are the Petit Tour du Teche for youths and the eight-mile Top of the Teche each spring. See www.tourduteche.com for more information.