November 3, 1988
•Jim Soileau, KVPI Radio general manager, has been named parade marshal and featured speaker for the annual Veterans Day celebration in Mamou, according to a spokesman for the American Legion Post 123.
“I’ve been covering Mamou’s Veterans Day observance as a news event live for the past 30 years,” commented the well-known radio personality and former editor of The Ville Platte Gazette. “Never once did it enter my mind that one day I’d be riding in the parade as parade marshal.”
Soileau said, “I’m proud to be part of a festival that promotes patriotism, because in this day and time I really feel we need to be reminded of our patriotic duties and responsibilities.”
•A former Ville Platte native, Dwight Landreneau has been appointed as area aquaculture agent serving the parishes of Evangeline, Acadia, Jeff Davis and St. Landry.
He replaces Steve Gabel, who has accepted a position as aquaculture agent with North Carolina State University.
Landreneau started his career as a 4-H agent and then served as county agent responsible for rice, crawfish and livestock in St. Landry Parish.
A graduate of Washington High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from USL and a master’s degree in extension education from LSU.
• Mayor Warren Pierotti and members of the Mamou town council last night made no comment as to what action may be taken following a report by B.J. Manuel, police commissioner, on the issuance of an identification card to a juvenile here.
When questioned by juvenile’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Fontenot, Manuel confirmed that handwriting samples showed that Roy Howell, who has since resigned, had improperly issued the identification card to their daughter.
Police Chief Jasper Manuel confirmed the commissioner’s statement. The card was issued with the forged signatures of the mayor and police chief.
November 6, 1988
•An early member of the Ville Platte National Guard who died in the Korean War, First Lieutenant Oris Wilbur Amy, will be honored when the new National Guard Armory here is dedicated in his memory during special ceremonies on Saturday, December 3, according to an announcement issued by Adjutant General A.M. Stroud, Jr.
Lt. Amy was honorably discharged in 1945 after serving as a navigator in the Army Corps. He was among the first men to join a newly organized National Guard unit established here as Company C, 773rd Tank Battalion, the predecessor of today’s National Guard unit, Company E, 2nd Battalion 156th Infantry.
That unit, along with other companies, were re-activated on Sept. 5, 1950 and sent to Camp Polk. On Oct. 5, 1950, Amy was made a company commander and dispatched to the war in Korea as a replacement. He was wounded and listed as missing in action on Oct. 16, 1951, while serving as a platoon leader with his company which took park in a task force operation during a major offensive in the vicinity of Kojak-Kol, North Korea.
November 1, 1998
•Next weekend, Cardinal Pio Laghi, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education and Formerly the Pope’s emissary to the United States, will visit Ville Platte to dedicate Sacred Heart’s pro-life monument - A Memorial to the Gospel of Life.
His excellency will be in Ville Platte at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 7.
Cardinal Laghi will be visiting the Acadiana area to convey a four part message to the Catholic Community and to the world. The first message is to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Diocese of Lafayette, which was established in 1918 under the direction of Bishop Jules Jeanmard.
The second part is to give a view of the Catholic Church as we approach the new millennium. The third part of his message is a message of bonding of the universal church with the local church so that a greater relationship may be obtained between the two, and the fourth message is the continued appreciation and commitment to the strong Catholic heritage that is predominant in Acadiana.
November 5, 1998
• School board members agreed to give two custodians pay raises through promotions, but it did not occur without a heated discussion about the standards the board was setting.
Board member Earl John Soileau requested that two custodians at the ACE and Carver schools be re-classified as “head janitors.” He said all of the other parish schools had someone designated as “head janitors,” but there was no position designated at ACE and Carver Elementary. He said these two men had both been working as head janitor for some time now. He said one of the custodians had 13 years with the school board. He said the raises would amount to approximately $600 a year for each man.
November 2, 2008
• The Ville Platte Fire and Police Civil Service Board heard a citizen’s complaint from Arthur James Sampson Jr. regarding an incident which occurred October 15.
At the end of the meeting, the board asked its secretary Hilda Edwards to check with Baton Rouge regarding the proper process of hearing a citizen’s complaint and what its jurisdiction was in regards to citizens’ complaints. The board also asked if the chief and officer could attend its next meeting.
Sampson said he filed his complaint with the board, the mayor, council, and the police chief. He claimed a detective with the Ville Platte Police Department treated him improperly as a citizen after he reported his vehicle was stolen. He also acknowledged to the board he did not have a great relationship with the department, but as a citizen and victim, he did not believe he should be treated so rudely.
November 6, 2008
•Ward One voters said no to a millage to build a new high school in Ville Platte for the third time in approximately 13 months.
Unofficial results indicate the millage failed by 260 votes Tuesday, November 4. The count was 4,015 (51.67 percent) against the millage and 3,755 (48.33 percent) for the millage.
Voters will learn Ville Platte High’s fate soon; a hearing has been set for Monday, November 17, and the likely anticipated result by many will be the closure of the high school. A hearing has been set in U.S. magistrate Tucker Melancon’s courtroom.
•Ronald Doucet led most of the night Tuesday as the election returns began flowing into the Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Office and was declared the winner at the end of night in the Ward One Marshal’s race.
The race had 31 precincts to report, and Doucet had a big lead with 631 votes after early voting results were released.
Blaine Matte took the lead after 27 precincts reported with 23 votes. By the report of the 29th precinct, Matte had a lead of 232 votes, and after the last two precincts were calculated, Doucet won by 137 votes. Doucet claimed the seat in this runoff with 4,030 votes (50.86 percent), Matte had 3,893 votes (49.14 percent).
Although Evangeline Parish and Louisiana voted for John McCain for U.S. president, Barack Obama made history and became the first African American candidate to win the presidency.
November 9, 2008
•Farmers, producers, and landowners throughout Ward One of Evangeline Parish now have a chance to vote and make a difference in how the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs are administered. December 1, is the deadline for eligible voters to return ballots to the Evangeline Parish Service Agency (FSA) Office.
“FSA County Committees give local producers a voice in how the agency’s programs are administered in their communities,” said Robert Helmer, county executive director for the Evangeline Parish Farm Service Agency. “I urge all eligible farmers and ranchers, especially minorities and women, to get involved and make a real difference in their communities by voting in this year’s elections.” County Committees play an important role by making decisions on commodity price support loans and payments; conservation and disaster programs; and other important agricultural issues.
November 13, 2008
•The Evangeline Parish Police Jury, during its meeting Monday, November 10, agreed to appeal a district court judge’s decision, which will allow an employee, Phyllis Green, to proceed with a discrimination lawsuit filed against the parish.
Green, a long-time employee of the Registrar of Voters office, filed the lawsuit against the parish when she was not appointed to the position of Registrar of Voters.
President Bob Manuel said the state law was not followed when the lawsuit was filed. State law requires an official grievance be filed with the Police Jury office in writing before filing a lawsuit. Manuel said that was not done, and the Jury’s attorney, Tony Walker, recommended appealing the district court judge’s decision to proceed with hearing the case.
The motion to accept the attorney’s recommendation and appeal the decision was made by Davis Manuel and seconded by Bryan Vidrine.
The motion carried unanimously.
The jury also agreed to review the possibility of moving the Beaver Fire Station after an alleged incident occurred. The move was requested by the Ward Four Fire District.