Small game hunters at Thistlethwaite Wildlife Management Area will be able to hunt squirrel and rabbit with dogs during the month of February.
Tony Vidrine, Mississippi Alluvial Valley South Region manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said, “We’ve never had this before. Thistlewaite is kind of unique. The Thistlewaite family owns it, and we have to coordinate with them. That’s their land.
“At last year’s public hearing, we had an inquiry as to why we don’t allow dog hunting in Thistlewaite. I contacted the Thisltewaites to see if they would have a problem with us allowing squirrel and rabbit hunting with dogs, and they said they did not.”
The regulation was approved during the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at its April meeting Thursday in Baton Rouge. At the meeting, the commission also approved the 2016-18 hunting season dates and 2016-17 general and Wildlife Management Areas hunting rules and regulations.
Vidrine said he expects that those hunting squirrels with dogs will do well, but the dense palmetto understory at the 11,100-acre WMA may hamper those looking to harvest rabbits.
“I don’t know how good they are going to do with the rabbit dogs, but those who want to go out and do it, it gives those people an opportunity to hunt,” he said. “Thats all we’re doing — providing an opportunity.”
He continued, “There is a good squirrel population in there, so we may see more squirrel dogs. I’m sure several people in that area were just looking for a place to run their dogs and go rabbit hunting, but I don’t think they will be too successful at the WMA.”
In recent years, there has been a push across the state for more public land access for those who hunt small game with dogs as the popularity of deer hunting at WMAs has grown and affected regulations.
Vidrine said he expects the dog squirrel and rabbit hunting season will not have an adverse effect on the WMA’s deer season.
“I just don’t think that many people will be participating in the new season, and deer archery season ends Feb. 15,” he said. “That’s just 15 days of overlap, but I don’t see it being a problem.
“We’ve been having a dog season in Sherburne WMA for many years, and we haven’t had any complaints about dog rabbit and squirrel hunters from the deer hunters.”
Louisiana has 53 WMAs across the state, and the state’s WMAs and refuges cover more than 1.6 million acres or roughly 4.4 percent of the state. There are also 23 national wildlife refuges in the state, and those facilities total 550,000 acres.
“There are plenty enough places to hunt in Louisiana,” Vidrine said. “Public lands are pretty spread out across the state, and even it there’s not state wildlife lands nearby, there’s a lot of national wildlife refuges.
“There’s a lot of opportunity if somebody’s looking for a place to hunt. Most of the time, you don’t even have to drive that far to get to a wildlife management area or a national wildlife refuge.”
During the commission meeting, season dates for the 2017 turkey season and associated rules and regulations along with the 2016-17 migratory bird hunting season and rules and regulations were also approved. This is the first year of the inclusion of waterfowl seasons, regulations and bag limits in the annual Notice of Intents process.
The East Zone season will be Nov. 19 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 29, and the zone’s youth hunts will be Nov. 12 and Feb. 4. In the West Zone, the season will be Nov. 12 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 22, and the zone’s youth hunts will be Nov. 5 and Jan. 28. The season in the Coastal Zone will be Nov. 12 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 22, and zone’s youth hunts will be Nov. 5 and 6.
Hunters will be allowed a daily bag limit of six ducks, which may include no more than four mallards (no more than two of which may be females), two canvasbacks, one mottled duck, one black duck, three wood ducks, three scaup, two redheads and two pintails. The daily bag limit on coots will be 15, and the daily bag limit on mergansers will be five, only two of which may be hooded mergansers. Merganser limits will be in addition to the daily bag limit for ducks.
The duck zone changes approved last fall will be in effect for the 2016-2017 hunting season. About half of Evangeline Parish is in the East Zone and the other is in the West Zone. The area north of U.S. 190 and west of La. 13 and U.S. 167 is in the West Zone. All of the parish east of La. 13 and U.S. 167 is in the East Zone.
The boundaries are as follows:
East Zone: The area of the state between the Mississippi State line and the line going south on La. 79 from the Arkansas border to Homer; then south on La. 9 to Arcadia; then south on La. 147 to Hodge; then south on La. 167 to Turkey Creek; then south on La. 13 to Eunice; then west U.S. 190 to Kinder; then south on La. 165 to Iowa; then west on I-10 to its junction with La. 14 at Lake Charles; then south and east on La. 14 to its junction with U.S. 90 in New Iberia; then east on U.S. 90 to the Mississippi State line.
West Zone: The area between the Texas State line and the line going east on I-10 from the Texas border to La. 165 at Iowa; then north on La. 165 to Kinder; then east on U.S. 190 to Eunice; then north on La. 13 to Turkey Creek; then north on La. 167 to Hodge; then north on La. 147 to Arcadia; then north on La. 9 to Homer; then north on La. 79 to the Arkansas border.
Coastal Zone: Remainder of state.
The commission also voted to approve four other amendments to the Notice of Intent, including:
•Amending the 2016-17 Light and White-fronted goose season to open Nov. 5 for the first split in both the north and south zones, which will extend the season length by seven days.
•Amending the 2016-17 Canada goose season to open Nov. 5 for the first split in both the north and south zones, which will extend the season length by seven days.
Changes from previous hunting seasons in the approved NOIs include but are not limited to:
•Implementation of mandatory hunter check-in for either-sex firearms deer hunts on several WMAs, including Sherburne.
Changes from previous hunting seasons in the approved NOIs include but are not limited to:
•Modification of allowable weapons to be carried for protection purposes on WMAs, which will expand allowances on such weapons to be more consistent with changes to Title 56 last year.
•Expansion on allowance for personal water craft on WMAs, to allow such on all WMAs during a specified time of year.
To view the full notices of intent and all proposed hunting season dates and regulations changes for the upcoming hunting seasons, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items.

Savoy Medical Center recently announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
Savoy Medical Center underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site survey in February 2016. During the review, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with hospital standards related to several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management. Surveyors also conducted on-site observations and interviews.
The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years. More than 4,000 general, children’s, long-term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals currently maintain accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a three-year period. In addition, approximately 360 critical access hospitals maintain accreditation through a separate program.
“Joint Commission accreditation provides hospitals with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the improvement of daily business operations,” said Mark G. Pelletier, RN, M.S., chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “In addition, our accreditation helps hospitals enhance their risk management and risk reduction strategies. We commend Savoy Medical Center for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization.”
“Savoy Medical Center is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” added Sherman Fookes, CEO, Savoy Medical Center. “Staff from across the organization continue to work together to develop and implement approaches that have the potential to improve care for the patients in our community.”
The Joint Commission’s hospital standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help hospitals measure, assess and improve performance.

At Tuesday night’s Ville Platte Fire District No. 2 meeting the board was presented with more information on the new training officer position that Fire Chief Chris Harrison requested to be created to help alleviate some of the in office duties that the chief has been burdened with.
Harrison first mentioned the idea of creating this new position at the district’s February meeting because office work was having to be pushed aside for the chief to respond to calls.
The discussion on this topic continued to be tabled by the board until they could receive more information regarding the necessary steps that would need to be taken to create a new position within the department.
Harrison said, “To create the training officer position we have to recognize funding, and then the appointing authority has to fill the position with an interim training officer. I will have to fill out a survey of what I want the training officer to do. The civil service board will come up with qualifications for who wants to apply, and then a test will have to be taken by the applicants.”
The fire chief also informed the board that 26 percent of the training officer’s salary, which would be paid by they district, will amount to $278.67 a month. The remaining 74 percent of the salary will be paid by the City of Ville Platte.
The board decided to begin moving forward with the creation of the training officer position.
At the district’s April meeting, the board also spent time reviewing the recent 911 contract that was presented to them last week.
The district and the City of Ville Platte had a contract drawn up that would determine how much each entity would pay for 911 dispatching services. It was decided that the city would pay half of the cost to 911, while the district would pay the other half using general funds.
The 911 services will cost the fire district a little over $500.00 a month.
A new position and 911 dispatching were not the only changes discussed at Tuesday’s meeting however.
New board member Shawn Devillier asked the board to consider adding LED lights to the front and rear bumpers of the four smaller trucks at the Chataignier fire station.
Devillier said, “Adding these lights to our small trucks would allow us to see better at night, especially in fields. This would be a good investment for us.”
Although all board members are in favor of this, the board asked Chief Harrison to begin looking into what it would cost to have LED lights installed on Chataignier’s trucks before any decision is made.
Other items approved at the meeting were:
•A 3 percent raise for Ville Platte firemen.
•Ted Demoruelle and Shawn Devillier elected to serve on the billing committee.

The Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office has made two recent drug busts within the last month in the parish.
The first bust, which resulted in the arrest of 31-year old Bernard Bryan Caldwell II, took place on March 18, 2016 after deputies were dispatched to Caldwell’s residence for an alarm activation.
A press release from the EPSO stated that Sheriff Eddie Soileau’s investigators seized a large amount of Marijuana, a small amount of Cocaine, and a firearm at the residence located on the 4000 block of Highway 167 N.
Caldwell was charged with possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance (Cocaine), cultivation/distribution of Marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Caldwell was released from jail on a $55,000.00 bond that was set by Judge Gary Ortego.
On April 8, 2016, 35-year old Jeremy Michael Savant was also arrested for drugs after deputies were dispatched to a residence located on Cheryl Street in Ville Platte for a noise complaint.
The EPSO press release stated that “Sheriff Eddie Soileau said his patrolman seized .656 ounces of Marijuana and .012 ounces of Methamphetamine, along with numerous items of drug paraphernalia.”
These items according to the release were “all located at a residence on the 200 block of Cheryl Street. “
Savant was arrested and booked into the parish jail for possession with intent to distribute schedule I (Marijuana), possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance (Methamphetamine), and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In a very close race, Brent Zackery was elected to serve as the Town of Mamou’s new police chief following a special election held Saturday, April 9. According to the unofficial results, Zackery defeated his opponent Katina Richard by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent. With a voter turnout of 43 percent for a combined total of 940 votes, Zackery received a total of 481 votes, while Richard received a total of 459 votes.
New Police Chief Zackery did not have a statement prepared by deadline. He did say that he will have a message for Mamou’s residents ready for next week’s paper.
In other Evangeline Parish election results: the Ward Five Fire Protection District tax renewal of 11.51 mills for 10 years passed by a margin of 95 percent to five percent.

The Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce needs your vote.
The Chamber released the nominees for Business Person of the Year and Business on the Year on Tuesday. Chamber of Commerce Director Camille Fontenot wants to urge all members to make sure to cast their votes at the chamber’s offices on Main Street by the deadline of noon on Monday, April 18.
“I ask that all chamber members please remember that the banquet is coming up and that we need all the votes for the nominations by Monday,” Fontenot said.
A total of five individuals from four city businesses have been nominated for Business Person of the Year. Those nominees include: Luke Deville for Teet’s Food Store, Amy and Scott Dupre for B&S Grocery, Toni Hamlin for Evangeline Parish School System and Alana McCaskey for the Flower Patch.
A total of four businesses meanwhile have been nominated for Business of the Year. Those local businesses are: B&S Grocery, H.L. Pitre and Sons, The Flower Patch and Uptown Cakes.
The winners of both categories, as well as Ville Platte’s Man and Woman of the Year, will be revealed at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet which is scheduled this year for Thursday, April 28 at the Ville Platte Civic Center.
Tickets cost $40 and the Chamber does have gold and silver tables available. For those interested in buying tickets or reserving those tables, please call the Chamber at (337) 363-1878.

On Monday, the Evangeline Parish Sheriff Eddie Soileau released a statement regarding the recent arrest of Mamou Police Officer Christopher Ryan Lemaire.
On Wednesday, April 6, 2016, Mamou Chief of Police Allen Noel contacted the EPSO Investigations Division requesting assistance with the misconduct of a police officer.
According to the press release, Noel informed the investigators that during a routine traffic stop, performed by Lemaire on April 1, 2016, “the officer received a verbal consent from the driver to search the vehicle.”
It was during that search that “Lemaire located an ounce of Marijuana and a bong (pipe).”
The press release went on to state that “Lemaire confiscated the drug and paraphernalia,” and “then discarded the evidence prematurely, without authorization before processing it as evidence.”
According to the release, “the driver admitted to the possession of both items found, but no arrest was made.”
The EPSO investigators began looking into the matter, and “after a thorough and complete investigation, a warrant of arrest and affidavit was authored by the EPSO.”
The Mamou Police Officer was arrested and booked into the parish jail on April 7, 2016 for malfeasance in office.
Lemaire was released from jail on a $25,000.00 bond that was set by Judge Chuck West.

Vowing that he “will make sure” that bars in Ville Platte are within the 300-foot zoning law, Frank Miller decried the revocation of an alcohol permit for the Empire Night Club set to open in his building.
Last month, the City Council approved the permit to sell alcohol in the Empire Night Club, a new business being opened by Davina Davis in Miller’s building on West Main Street. The building used to house the Midnight Blue Sports Bar. It is located right next to Chinese Kitchen Restaurant. In fact, Miller owns both of the buildings.
However, the permit application was inappropriately brought to the Council for its approval. For bars, one of the things the city’s building inspector must do pior to bringing the permit to the Council is to measure how far it is from the nearest residential property. According to an ordinance passed in 2006, bars cannot operate within 300 feet from the nearest residence.
When the ordinance was passed the building was being used as the Midnight Blue Sports Bar. Because the bar was already in operation, it was grandfathered in. As soon as Midnight Blue Sports Bar closed, any new business that would open in the building would be subject to the 2006 ordinace.
Although Miller and Davis’ permit application was presented to the Council by Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, the measurement actually had not been done. Without knowing that the measurement had not been done, the Council unanimously approved the permit.
The next day, it was discovered that a measurement had not been done; so, one was made. The measurement showed that the building is well within the 300-foot zone, being within 60 feet of a brick home and 100 feet of a trailer home.
Consequently, after talking to the City Attorney Eric Lafleur, Vidrine annulled the approval of the permit.
In the meantime, Davis was proceeding with plans to renovate the building to bring it up to code. Miller said that he spent about $30,000 refurbishing the property. He said that he did not know about the 2006 ordinance, that no one from the city had told him about it.
Vidrine told Miller that it was his responsibility to know pertinent city ordinances before making the application.
Miller then questioned the operation of the Bulldog Sports Lounge, recently opened across the street from City Hall. Vidrine said that the Bulldog met the requirements of the 2006 ordinance.
However, Miller told the Council that he personally measured the distance for himself, and that according to his measurements, the Bulldog is no more than 110 feet from a residence.
When Vidrine reiterated that the Bulldog met the requirement, Miller said that he would take up the issue with Lafleur to make sure that an accurate measurement was actually done; and that any bars that do not meet the code are not allowed to operate.
In other business, the Council unanimously approved Vidrine’s recommendation to give pay raises to city employees. Starting at the next pay period this month, employees will see a three percent increase in their salaries. Beginning in May, or maybe sooner, the City will increase its minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.00 an hour.
The cost will be about $66,000 per year. It was included in the last budget that the City adopted.
Also, the City will be absorbing an eight percent increase in the employees’ health insurance premiums. Last year, the City absorbed a six percent increase in health insurance premiums.
Vidrine also announced that the City spent nearly $91,000 more in March than in February. The increase in spending was caused by major breaks in the sewer system that had to be repaired. One repair cost more than $43,000 and another cost more than $37,000. Vidrine said that there is still a $40,000 repair bill on her desk that will have to be paid.
The Council hired six new fulltime police officers. According to Chief Neil Lartigue, the new cops will give him 30 fulltime officers on the Ville Platte police force, just three short of a full staff.
Beginning next month, the City will have to pay for 911 dispatching services. The total cost of $1,059.47 will be evenly split between the City and Ville Platte Fire Protection District 2.

St. John Baptist Church planning summer program:
St. John Baptist Church in Ville Platte will host its five-week summer enrichment program beginning June 27 and ending July 29. The program will consist of field trips, curriculum, recreational activities focusing on spiritual, academic and cultural subjects, as well as age-appropriate developmental subjects. The program is open to children ages 7-15, with children ages five and six allowed to attend with a parent or guardian. Registration will be held May 2 - May 12 from 5- 6 p.m. with a non-refundable cost of $100 (which will cover the cost of all fields trips). For more information, contact Carleen Bellard (337-831-9065).

Council on Aging provides meals:
The Evangeline Council on Aging provides hot meals to those 60 and over. Come join us for a warm meal, and visit with others your own age and maybe play some bingo. Call (337) 363-5161 for more information.

Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Investigators recently recovered a crossover utility vehicle/gator that was stolen off of Miller’s Lake Road.
According to an EPSO press release a 2011 Black and Olive John Deere XUV 825i (Crossover Utility Gator) was reported stolen on April 2, 2016.
On Monday, April 11, the EPSO Investigations Division received more information from the victim in this matter.
The press release stated, “Detectives gathered the information and leads passed on to them by the victim,” and after further investigations, detectives were able to recover the 2011 John Deer XUV 825i that had been reported stolen.”
According to the release, “two white male subjects were questioned and later arrested, booked, and charged with theft of a motor vehicle.”
EPSO requesting
assistance
The Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office is seeking assistance from the public in reference to the recent string of burglaries that have been committed in the Whiteville and Grand Prairie areas.
In a press release from the sheriff’s office, it states that “on Friday, April 8, 2016, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls of burglaries that occurred during the early afternoon hours in the areas listed above.”
If anyone has any information regarding this matter please contact the EPSO at (337) 363-2161.

PINE PRAIRIE — Like other municipalities in Evangeline Parish, Pine Prairie’s council spent their April meeting discussing whether or not the village would enter into an intergovernmental agreement with 911 for non-emergency dispatching services.
The village’s attorney Greg Vidrine said, “911 is offering these services for almost nothing.”
It will cost the Village of Pine Prairie $100.00 a month if they wish to have 911 provide them with dispatching services.
The three council members all agreed that this was needed, and unanimously approved the intergovernmental agreement.
At their Thursday night meeting, the council also discussed sending Josh Estes, who is a cop in Pine Prairie, to school to become certified in administering firearms training to officers.
Vidrine informed the council that after Estes becomes certified to perform this task, he will then be able to provide training to any officers in the parish. Because of this, other municipalities are willing to chip in on the cost of Estes’ schooling.
The village attorney went on to say that Estes “will only provide training to other officers on his days off.”
The council immediately jumped on board with this idea, and hope to receive their own firearms training from their local police officer.
During the meeting, the council also approved the amending of an ordnance, which will prohibit anyone living within the town limits from having pits bulls and rottweilers.
Before approving this new amendment, council member Quint West said, “If people already have these animals in town, then they will be grand-fathered in.”

Members of Evangeline Parish Communication District 9-1-1 have started to move into their new state-of-the-art facility located at Industrial Park.
During Wednesday night’s board meeting, held at the new facility, 911 Director Liz Hill informed the board that they paid four movers $10 per hour for three hours of work to move the majority of the administration offices on Saturday April 9, 2016.
“As you can see the administration finally moved in the new facility over the weekend,” Hill said. “This has been a long time coming.”
Prior to the meeting, Hill also gave a tour of the facility to members of the board, as well as Police Jury Secretary/Treasurer Donald Bergeron and former District Attorney Brent Coreil.
During her director’s report, Hill inspired a few chuckles with her announcement about the facility’s phone lines.
“Century Link has installed the phone lines,” Hill said. “The first day we thought we were putting people on hold but we were actually hanging up on them. We got it figured out now.”
Hill also informed the board of some updates concerning the facility.
The eight-radio console that they currently have will need to be upgraded to 12 with the additions of parish municipalities such as the Evangeline Parish Fire District No. 2 and Pine Prairie who agreed to the contract this past week. Turkey Creek and Chataignier are scheduled to vote on whether or not to accept the contract with 911 during their meetings next week.
The board has already received one bid from a local landscaping company concerning laying sod down around the facility, as well as connecting down spouts to the drainage pipes to prevent erosion. The board agreed to seek out another bid for comparison.
The board plans on purchasing new computers for all members of the administration, new computers from the same manufacturer to be exact, but as Hill stated that won’t be occurring for a while.
“Once everything is up and running for a few months then we will get the computers for the administration,” Hill stated.
The board will also start up the interview process for hiring new dispatchers. The board had previously received 25 applicants a few months ago, interviewed most of them and had targeted 10 to be hired. The delay with the move to the new facility though meant the hiring had to be put on hold. A good portion of those potential hires have now gone on to take other jobs.
Hill says she wants everything to be cleared so the new dispatchers can be quickly hired, trained and then start working.
“I don’t want to hire them and train them and have them sit for a month,” Hill said.

The 13th Annual St. Jude Trail Ride, sponsored by the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse of Evangeline Parish, will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2016 near 3375 Faubourg Road in Washington. The ride starts at 8:30 a.m. and cost $10, which includes a lunch. Proceeds go to St. Jude Hospital. For more information, contact (337) 207-6293 or (337) 789-3651.

The 6th and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution and the Louisiana House Bill No. 436 Act No. 307 provides each citizen of Louisiana with the promise of “adequate council” in criminal and civil cases in a court of law. By the end of the recent Samuel Anderson murder trial though, Public Defender Alex “Sonny” Chapman realized the negative impact the State of Louisiana’s budget issues are having on this guaranteed right.
“At one time we had two investigators working with our public defenders in Evangeline Parish,” said Chapman. “However, in 2012 the funds were not there for us to continue paying for these investigators, and we still cannot afford to pay for them. We as public defenders now are having to do our own investigative work for the 600 felony cases that are divided between our four felony public defenders.”
The prosecutors for the State have a full time investigator on staff, receive services from all parish law enforcement agencies, and state police on occasion, while the public defense system in the parish have only public defenders on the payroll because it is all that can be afforded.
Chapman represented Anderson alongside defense attorney Greg Cook, who is not a public defender, and it was through Cook’s efforts that additional security camera footage was discovered that had not been presented by the State in the trial.
“I am not a technology person, and I am not an investigator, so had it not been for Greg Cook, the footage would have never been discovered,” said Chapman. “Although the footage did not end up helping our case, I realized without the assistance of an investigator I cannot provide adequate council to the people that I represent.”
In February, the State provided the public defenders in Evangeline Parish with $22,000.00, which Chapman is hoping he will be able to stretch until July.
Chapman said, “We should have enough money to make it through July, but in June we will receive money from the State for the next fiscal year, and I’m afraid we will only receive enough to last until December because of the financial state Louisiana is in.”
If the funds run out, Chapman believes this could lead to attorneys in the area having to provide pro bono (free) council.
“Come in January, if the funds aren’t there our four public defenders, which are: me, Jacob Fusilier, Alicia Kelly, and Bo West; will no longer take on more cases,” said Chapman. “We will continue working on the 600 felony cases that we currently have, but the State may have to step in and force all attorneys in the area to represent indigent defendants pro bono unless an attorney is exempt like our district attorneys would be.”
If this were to happen, Chapman feels as though the State would be getting even closer to infringing on the rights of citizens than they already are.
Chapman said, “The Louisiana Public Defender Act that was passed in 2007 promised adequate council for the accused, but I am not sure how adequate that council will be if a real estate attorney who has never tried a case before a jury has to now represent a defendant in a criminal case. If this has to happen, then the State will be very close to crossing that line of not providing defendants with a right that has been guaranteed to us all. Adequate council helps make sure that an innocent person is never wrongly convicted.”

MAMOU — Bronson Smith is doing his part to stop and ultimately prevent bullying in Evangeline Parish schools.
Smith has already created a poster, which is on display at the Piggly Wiggly in Mamou, and has given a presentation to the New Way Boys Home in Ville Platte about the negative impact that bullying can have, not only on the bully, but also on the individual he or she is bullying.
So who is this young man that is dispersing wisdom to people throughout the community? Is he a member of local law enforcement or possibly even a school counselor?
Neither. The anti-bullying advocate who is trying to stop bullying in local schools is actually a student himself. Smith is a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Mamou High School.
“I just tell people not to bully anymore,” said Smith, who was honored for his efforts by the Hotel Cazan with a root beer float party on Tuesday. “It hurts a person. Their feelings are hurt so much that they become a bully too. So if you switch it around then they become a good person again.”
Nearly a month ago, Smith was inspired to create a poster about how to stop bullying. The handmade poster (written in pencil, pen and crayons) proclaims, “Once you bully you start another bully!”
Smith goes on to write on the poster about the “bully chain,” which is how a nice person can talk to a bully and that bully transforms into a good person, and then the former bully talks to a bully and so on.
“I had just a bunch of feelings inside of me that I needed to let out,” Smith said.
“He just drew it and asked me to put it up for him,” mother Sherryl Fontenot said. “I never thought it would come to this. I never thought he would stand in front of a group of people like he has.”
The poster would lead to a speaking engagement as Smith’s own counselor, Evelyn Fontenot, was so impressed by the young man’s passion for the topic that she helped him speak to New Way.
“The reason he chose that topic is because he has had an issue with bullying,” Evelyn said. “He felt that he needed to do something about it. He is a firm believer that if he changes the bully then the bully will stop it.”
During his presentation, the normally shy and reserved Smith spoke to the kids about all types of bullies from those who hurt others with physical acts to those who us verbal abuse. Smith made an impact during his speech by stating that those that do not step in when someone is being bullied is a bully themselves.
“He told them that the person who does nothing is a bully too,” Evelyn said. “There were faces in the crowd that changed when he said that.”
Smith’s mother for one couldn’t be more proud of what her son is trying to do in his community.
“I am extremely proud of him,” Sherryl said. “He is just amazing.”
As for the soft-spoken Smith, he feels that he is making a difference.
“I felt like it is important,” Smith said. “I feel like I am going to change things.”

At Chataignier’s council meeting last Monday, the village’s council members discussed the proposed intergovernmental agreement with 9-1-1 that needed to be approved if the village wished to have 9-1-1 provide services for dispatching non-emergency calls for the Village of Chataignier.
Chataignier Mayor Jackie Thomas, during the meeting, informed the council that the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office would no longer be dispatching for the villages of Chataignier, Pine Prairie, and Turkey Creek.
Although the village will have to pay $100 a month to 9-1-1 if they wish to have 9-1-1 begin dispatching, Chataignier’s council, like Pine Prairie’s, approved entering into the intergovernmental agreement.
With this change in dispatching services, the village also had to discuss purchasing new radios for the Chataignier Police Department that will be compatible with 9-1-1’s dispatching equipment.
Chataignier Police Officer Arthur Phillips informed the council of bids that were received for two portable Motorola radios and one base radio for Chataignier’s police car.
The council chose to purchase the police department’s new radios from K Radio, whose bid was $6,097.60.
The village however is not expecting to have to pay the full $6,097.60 that was quoted, because according to Phillips, “the sheriff’s office is working on getting us a grant for $1,200 to put toward the purchase of the new radios,” and “K Radio has promised to knock off $300 from the cost of each radio.”
The council was on board with purchasing the two portable radios and one base radio from K Radio.
Other items approved were:
• Adoption of the Fair Housing Proclamation.
•Enforcement of Rubbish Ordinance.

The Turkey Creek Council decided that it didn’t want to expand the borders of the village.
Rhonda Butler was in attendance at Tuesday night’s monthly meeting, hoping that the council would allow a few tracts of her property to be annexed into the village. Butler’s business, Gobble Gully Paintball, is already within in the village’s limits.
Mayor Heather Cloud asked attorney Greg Vidrine what the process would be to have Butler’s property officially annexed. Vidrine explained what paperwork with the Evangeline Parish Tax Assessor and Registrar of Voters would need to be signed and filled out. Vidrine indicated that the process is simple enough and that having a few additional acres would also likely bring in more tax revenue for the village.
Yet, the council overwhelming shot down the annexation. Councilman Kurry Stewart said “Turkey Creek doesn’t need to get any bigger,” while Joey Ducote added “since you had that land for sale I am not voting for it.”
That wasn’t the only thing the council voted down on Tuesday.
Village Engineer Adam Janet recommended to amend ordinance #19-2011 which would make reconnect fees for water-sewer be placed on a tier system. The first reconnect for a defaulted account would be $50 and then $100 and so forth.
Led by Ducote, the council quickly voted that down.
The council also declined to pay $180 towards the cost of the recently completed training by Pine Prairie Police Officer John Estes, who is now certified to provide firearm training to other officers at no additional cost.
Turkey Creek Police Chief Robert G. Leggett though said that his department already has an agreement to receive free training from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The council then voted no on the item.
The council did without hesitation approve accepting the proposed intergovernmental agreement with 9-1-1, that was needed to be approved if the village wished to have 9-1-1 provide services for dispatching non-emergency calls for the village.
Other items approved were:
• The purchase of a John Deere excavator costing $43,021.42.
• Adoption of Fair Housing Proclamation.

The Sheriff’s Mounted Posse of Evangeline Parish announces the 13th annual Saddle Up For St. Jude Trail Ride to be held April 23, near 3375 Faubourg Road, Washington. This event, which will be held in the wooded area of Faubourg, gives horse riders the opportunity to mount up and raise funds to help support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
This is the 13th year the Posse has held this event. Last year’s contribution was $12,000 and with your help and support the Posse looks forward to making a contribution that exceeds the 2015 contribution.
Since opening in 1962 St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and around the world. No child is ever denied treatment because of a family’s inability to pay. With a daily operating cost of $1.7 million, St. Jude depends mostly on public contributions and fund raising events.
Make plans to join the ride or to participate in the fundraising auction which will be held during the lunch break. This year, we will auction off an adult saddle donated by Bordelon’s Home Furniture and Champagne’s Quality Foods and a youth saddle donated by Johnny Francois and Family. Come out and enjoy the fun.
For more information, call (337) 207-6293, (337) 789-3651 or (337) 831-5474.
The posse wants to especially thank all of the supporters of the 2015 event and expresses its sincere appreciation to the Russell Roberie family, Gurvis Roberie family, Earl Fontenot Jr. family and the Deville family for allowing the use of their beautiful property. We also want to thank our auctioneer Ricky Duhon for helping with the auction. We hope that we have included everyone who made a donation to our cause and apologize if someone has been omitted. The supporters of our 2015 event include: Pick-A-Petal (Mamou), Papa Gators, Piggly Wiggly (Mamou), Rick’s RV, Ardoin’s Funeral Home (Ville Platte), Let’s Party/Skotti Sneed (Eunice), B&L Seafood (Mamou), Teet’s Food Store, T-Boy’s Slaughter House (Mamou and Eunice), Camp Dog Cajun Seasoning, Cajun Xpress, Joe and Jessica Fontenot, Coushatta Casino Resort, Wilda’s Floral (Mamou), Bonnes Nouvelles/Bobby Dardeau, Buggy Tracks, The Gazette, SuddenLink, Progressive Tractor & Implement (Bunkie), Susan’s On Court/Sharmaine Eastin, Thrifty Nickel, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Budweiser, Kent Saucier, Gloria Buller, Slap Ya Mama/Walker and Sons, ACE/Vidrine’s Hardware, Tiger Loans of Acadiana, Ville Platte Concrete Service, Sylvester Brothers, Industrial Supply & Sports, Auto Stop, Dudley and Cindy Roy, Richard LeBlanc, Quality Equipment, Sooner’s Auto Salvage, Evangeline Farmer’s Co-op (Vidrine), Mel’s Grocery (Reddell), Gary Ortego, The Quick Stop, Buddy’s Home Gas, Johnny and Sue Francois, Chris’ Auto Repair/Chris Meche, TJ’s Tire and Family, Sooner’s Towing, CPS/Crop Production Service (Whiteville), Teche Electric, Fred’s Lounge/Steve Guillory, Deshotel’s Tire & Service Center, Leroy’s Cajun Meats, Morein Motors, Chuck West, Kathy Myers, Tony Dupre, Southern Cypress/Ryan Vidrine and Family, Louisiana Home Builders, Young’s Tire Distributing/Kirk Young, Tate’s Livestock Supplies, Champagne’s Quality Foods (Ville Platte), Ole Cowboy Hay Equipment, Crawfish Barn, Ole Cowboy Ranch Dozer Service/Alvin and Melanie Rachal, Ralph Daigle, Joseph Daigle, The Hatchery, David and Karen Montgomery, Brooke Jaggers, Shelly Myers, Savannah Myers, Tony Chachere’s, Deville’s Meat & Grocery (Pine Prairie), Pine Prairie Energy, Guillory’s Grocery (Pine Prairie), Landreneau’s Grocery (Pine Prairie), Andrus Mire, Rusty and Kaitlin Meche, Dominique’s Livestock Market, Southwest Feed, Mitch and Brenda Stagg, David and Ann Lafleur, Crooked Creek Creations/Heather LeDoux, Alvin Rachal Jr., and Family, Cameron Hutchenson, Guillory Wholesale Company, Dr. Eduardo Alvarez, Mae’s Flower Shop, J Bank (Ville Platte), Citizens Bank, City Refrigeration and Ice, Big Bob’s Storage & Lock, Centurion Monuments/Scott Dupre, Neal Lartigue, Seth Fontenot, PING Enterprise Inc., Evangeline Feed & Seed, Vicky Whittaker, Joe Whittaker, Evangeline Primary Care, Antoinette Ortego, Tim and Lisa, Universal Communication, Soileau Industries, Capital Planning, Mire’s Grocery/Justin Mire (Carencro), Sayes Office Supply and Sheriff Eddie Soileau and the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office.

On Saturday, April 16, the Ville Platte Fire Department responded to a call for a house fire on Robert F. Kennedy St., and while firemen were able to successfully put out the flames, they were unable to rescue 106-year-old Edward “Knot-Toe” Thomas Jr. from the burning home he lived in with his daughter and son-in-law Laura and Larry Jackson.
Knot-Toe, who had a street in Ville Platte named in his honor in 2012, according to a Louisiana State Fire Marshal press release had moved to the “Kennedy Drive location approximately 18-months ago.”
The release also stated that Knot-Toe was “one of Louisiana’s longest-living citizens,” and according to Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, Knot-Toe was the “oldest resident in Ville Platte” until his passing Saturday morning.
During his 106 years of life, Knot-Toe spent 25 years serving his community as a Ville Platte Police Officer and also fixed vehicle radiators for locals.
The fire marshal’s release stated that in the process of suppressing the fire that began in the attic of the Jackson’s home, “firefighters located the lifeless body” of Knot-Toe “alone in the wood-framed residence.”
The official cause of the deadly fire is still unknown.
Funeral services for the beloved Ville Platte native are set for Sunday, April 24, at Ninth Baptist Church in Ville Platte.
Visiting hours will be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m., and the funeral will follow.
To honor the man that Ville Platte’s mayor called “a jewel of a man,” a procession will be led by Ville Platte City Marshals, Ville Platte City Police and Sheriff’s Deputies at 12:30 p.m., and will pass down the Edward “Knot-Toe” Thomas Jr. St., and then will turn onto Main St. near Citizen’s Bank. From Main St., the procession of Mr. Knotoe’s body will turn on N. Latour St. and continue until they arrive at Ninth Baptist Church.
These streets will be closed at that time, and Mayor Vidrine has invited the public to stand on the side of these streets as the procession rolls by.
Vidrine said, “This has been a tremendous and tragic loss for our community, and I urge all of our citizens to stand on the street as Mr. Knot-Toe’s body is brought to Ninth Baptist Church by an official motorcade. Let us show our love for the man who meant so much to us, and bid him farewell.”

LAFAYETTE -- Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel greeted his new flock with both humor and humility on Friday, April 15, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette during the Celebration of the Eucharist and his Rite of Installation as the seventh Bishop of Lafayette. He succeeds the Most Reverend Michael Jarrell, DD, who was among those who participated in Friday’s proceedings.
The new bishop began his Homily by sharing a conversation he had with a colleague on the subject of his first address to the people as bishop.
He was told not to focus on his “unworthiness” for the position because that would be obvious within two weeks. “And so there you have it,” he concluded with a smile.
This brought much laughter and the shaking of heads, especially from the other clergy in attendance.
Bishop Deshotel went on to focus on the meaning of the Eucharist and the message of Jesus Christ in the offering of His body and blood.
The third of eight children born to Welfoot Paul Deshotel and Luna Marie Manual, Bishop Deshotel is a native of Basile, Louisiana. In his formative years he attended Immaculata Minor Seminary High School in Lafayette and later attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Texas, where he earned a B.A. in Philosophy, and a Masters of Divinity from the University of Dallas. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dallas on May 13, 1978 in his hometown church of St. Augustine.
On April 27, 2010, he was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas by Bishop Kevin J. Farrell in the Cathedral Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. On February 17, 2016, it was announced that he had been appointed by Pope Francis to serve as the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette.
As Bishop Deshotel processed into the Cathedral for the start of the Rite of Installation, he was greeted by Rev. Chester Arceneaux, Pastor of the Cathedral, who in symbolic welcome offered a crucifix for the new bishop to kiss. Bishop Deshotel offered a blessing to all those gathered in the Cathedral, which included more than 100 diocesan priests, deacons, and seminarians from the Diocese of Lafayette, as well as more than 150 of Bishop Deshotel’s extended family and friends. Others in attendance included several clergy members from the Diocese of Dallas; Catholic bishops from throughout Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida; interfaith guests; civil officials; and representatives of the Diocese of Lafayette’s central office staff.
Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond, Metropolitan of the Province of New Orleans, offered his greeting which was then followed by a welcome address from Bishop Jarrell. After that address, the Very Rev. Msgr. Walter Erbí, First Counsellor of the Apostolic Nunciature, read out loud the Apostolic Letter which appointed Bishop Deshotel as the seventh Bishop of Lafayette. Msgr. Erbí then presented the letter to Msgr. Russell J. Harrington (Chancellor, Diocese of Lafayette) and Msgr. Robie Robichaux (Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Lafayette) so that they could in turn present it to the Diocesan Consultors.
Archbishop Aymond and Bishop Jarrell escorted Bishop Deshotel to the bishop’s chair, also known as the cathedra. A symbol of Episcopal ministry since ancient times, the chair symbolizes the unity of the people in the diocese with their bishop. Archbishop Aymond then presented Bishop Deshotel with the shepherd’s staff, or crosier, which once belonged to Bishop Maurice Schexnayder. Bishop Schexnayder served as second Bishop of Lafayette (1956-1972) and was also the bishop who ordained Bishop Deshotel to the priesthood in 1978.
The First and Second Readings of the Mass were respectively read by Bishop Deshotel’s niece, Jacqueline Deshotel Ravey, and his great nephew, Hedrick Paul Deshotel III. Other participating members of the bishop’s family included his great nieces Lauren and Emily Hannon and Miranda Silvas, as well as his great nephews Jack and Colin Ardoin and Dustin Silvas, all of whom served as gift bearers later in the Mass.
Following the Gospel reading from the Book of John 6:52-59, Bishop Deshotel gave his first homily as Ordinary of the Diocese of Lafayette. This was followed by the intercessional prayers, which were offered in different languages representative of the various cultures of the diocese. In addition to English, these languages included Latin, Italian, Creole French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, and German.
Holy Communion was distributed not only in the Cathedral but also in the gymnasium of Cathedral-Carmel School, where many gathered to watch the Rite of Installation on provided television screens. Once the ceremony had concluded, a public reception was held at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Lafayette.
On behalf of the Diocese of Lafayette, a note of gratitude is extended to all those who assisted in this beautiful celebration for the installation of the seventh Bishop of Lafayette.