By: TONY MARKS
Editor
ALI MORAS
Editorial Intern
The second quarter of 2019 may not be over quite yet with a month still to go, but a number of newsworthy events have already occurred from a groundbreaking ceremony at James Stephens Montessori to the City of Ville Platte tabling an issue of raising the utility rates. Here is a rundown of some those events as they occurred chronologically.
April 4
A groundbreaking ceremony for the James Stephens Reflecting Garden was hosted at James Stephens Montessori last Thursday, which was funded by a grant from Anne’s Garden and donations.
To break the ground, each homeroom class sent one student as its representative. The garden is named in honor of James Stephens, who was an uneducated pastor from the Ville Platte area who saw the future needs of Ville Platte schooling.
He recognized that better education, equals a better work force, which in turned equals better lives.
During the special ceremony, JSM’s Librarian Jan Veillon shared, ““We thought about calling it a memorial garden, but we soon realized so many of us are still alive. We are still teaching or involved in helping children in many different ways. So the word ‘reflecting’ seemed a better fit.”
April 7
A bomb threat Thursday morning forced all individuals inside the Evangeline Parish Courthouse to evacuate the building located on Court Street in Ville Platte.
According to Major Jeremy Mitchell with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, the threat was made by phone. After the threat, law enforcement officers with the EPSO, Ville Platte Police Department, Basile Police Department and the Mamou Police Department, as well as firefighters with the Ville Platte Fire Department performed a sweep of the courthouse.
Mitchell said nothing was found to be out of the ordinary. He said, “After a complete assessment, everyone was allowed back into the courthouse to resume normal business.”
Mitchell also shared this matter is still being investigated, and the EPSO is reaching out to other resources to assist in tracing the call back number.
April 11
The Ville Platte Police Department has arrested Davonte M. Ardoin in connection with a shooting on East Wilson Street that resulted in the death of 21-year-old Rene Williams.
According to a release from Ville Platte Chief of Police Neal Lartigue, “on April 7, 2019 at approximately 5:10 p.m. officers with the VPPD responded to a report of shots fired in the 700 block of East Wilson Street.”
“Upon arrival,” the release continued, “shots were fired in the direction of the police offers with one bullet striking a police unit.”
Assistance was then called for and “officers began blocking off the area to protect citizens.”
April 14,
The Diocese of Lafayette released a list of 33 priests and four deacons who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults.
The list is a result of an investigation by the diocese’s Lay Person Review Board that began last October. The board sifted through records dating back to the beginning of the diocese in 1918 and sifted through more than 300,000 pages.
Bishop Douglas Deshotel, in a statement, said the process in identifying other credible accusations will be ongoing and said he hopes “the disclosure list will be a catalyst for continued reporting of past or future instances of abuse.”
April 18
The recent St. Landry Church burnings led Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards to Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church where he shared a message from the Gospel of Matthew from the pulpit of the Opelousas based church.
Before the governor addressed those in attendance at the service set for the purpose of raising money for the three churches burned, the crowd heard from Reverend Edward Alexander, President of the Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention; Reverend Freddie Jack, President of the Seventh District Missionary Baptist Association; Reverend Calvin Moore; and Reverend Arthur Johnson. Those in attendance were also treated to the delightful sounds of the Voices of Victory. Closing prayer was by Rev. Joel Green, Jr.
While addressing visitors from the three churches that were burned, which were St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Edwards said, “While our hearts may be heavy today because of the burden we have in this community to rebuild and everybody’s kind of been shook up, I hope this tragedy can be turned into a triumph of faith, hope and love.”
April 21
News broke Monday that monies will be appropriated to fund major improvements for the southern part of U.S. Hwy 167 in Evangeline Parish through Ville Platte. However, the announcement was not well received in all areas of the parish as it left residents of Turkey Creek wondering why they were left out of receiving funds to improve their section of the highway.
As a result, the Turkey Creek Village Council passed a resolution Tuesday documenting the condition of the highway north of the village to I-49 just past Clearwater and expressing “a sense of urgency that immediate action be taken to remedy this deplorable situation.”
“DOTD awarded money for Hwy 167 toward Ville Platte to do the shoulders,” Mayor Phillip Cavins said, “but I feel our evacuation route is a little more urgent than adding shoulders to a road.”
April 25
Evangeline Parish Sheriff Eddie Soileau announced his agency has been granted $314,000 from the Louisiana Supreme Court to upgrade and interface the sheriff department’s computer technology with that of the District Attorney, Clerk of Court and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety.
In addition to networking with the court system, the grant will provide for new computers throughout the Sheriff’s Department as well as new laptops for all patrol and detective units.
The Sheriff’s Department will be operating on a new, stronger and advanced computer server.
May 9
During an Evangeline Parish Police Jury meeting Monday, Juror Sidney Fontenot gave a detailed explanation as to how the parish’s two percent sales tax has been utilized for roads and drainage throughout the parish.
This information was shared a week after a letter to the editor ran in the Ville Platte Gazette questioning where the money is being spent.
“There have been some questions about the building of new roads,” said Fontenot. “And, I think a lot of the public doesn’t realize how this project was set up.”
May 12
Sheriff Eddie Soileau, of the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, has released the following:
“On April 4, 2019, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office dispatchers received multiple calls from unknown callers stating that there was a bomb located in the courthouse. The threat came on a day that criminal court was being held, which caused the entire courthouse to be evacuated immediately.”
“Upon resuming normal courthouse routine, Detective Tommy Gallow with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office immediately began investigating the incident. He was able to receive assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations to trace the call.”
Arrested were Christopher James Strother Johnson and Justin Derek Clark.
May 16
After receiving two separate complaints in 2018 of Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine allegedly misusing her city vehicle, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor set out on investigating and released its findings Monday, May 13.
The main finding is the mayor and several city council members appeared to have received compensation in excess of city ordinance.
May 19
Pine Prairie officials lowered the flag flying over the community’s town hall to half-mast on Friday to honor former Pine Prairie High Principal and Mayor Ralph Soileau, who passed away in his home after a short illness on Thursday, May 16, 2019.
The long-time educator spent 81 years living a life dedicated to serving others not only as a teacher, principal and mayor, but also as a husband to the late Roberta Deshotel Soileau of Pine Prairie, father to Julie Soileau Landreneau and Ralph A. “Tony” Soileau, II, grandfather, veteran and the first fire chief for the Pine Prairie Fire Department.
May 30
After two-and-a-half hours of comments from the members of the public who filled the council meeting room, the Ville Platte City Council voted to table the issue of raising the city’s utility rates.
A public hearing preceded the meeting and began with Mayor Jennifer Vidrine expressing changes have been made to the original plans since the last meeting.
“We have since amended that ordinance and will phase in the increases over a two-year period,” she said.