September 1, 1988
• Enrollment figures released this week by Evangeline Parish Schools show that the public school system has expected a decline in students.
Specific figures for each community in the parish, as of Monday, were as follows:
Ville Platte; Ville Platte High School, 895; Ville Platte Lower Elementary, 720; and James Stephens Elementary, 933.
Basile: Basile High School, 474; and W.W. Stewart Elementary, 247.
Bayou Chicot: Bayou Chicot High School, 567; and Hester Heath Elementary, 264.
Chataignier: Chataignier High School, 319; and Carver Elementary, 114.
Mamou: Mamou High School, 319; Mamou Upper, 432; and mamou Lower, 560.
Pine Prairie: Pine Prairie High School, 665.
Vidrine: Vidrine High School, 520.
Career School: 130 students attending part-time from other parish schools.
Supt. Larry Broussard, however, said he “guesstimates” that about 100 students are not in the classroom yet. “They’re in the potato fields, but they belong in school,” he emphasized.
Last year, the public schools contained about 7,062 students. Early enrollment totals put student figures now at 6,861.
• At the Parkview Supermarket, ribs from a small hog were $1.19, and a 2-liter Coke was .99.
September 8, 1988
• Sacred Heart High School has been awarded a U.S. Department of Energy grant amounting to $43,972, according to U.S. Rep. Clyde Holloway’s office Tuesday afternoon.
The energy grant will be used to achieve energy efficiency and help the school conserve energy, according to Rep. Holloway’s spokesman.
September 11, 1988
• Evangeline Parish’s 4-H Club dairy judging team will represent the state in the upcoming National Dairy Judging finals in Madison, Wis.
Richard Tate and Scotty Soileau are the Evangeline team members making the trip, along with Lora Brian of East Feliciana Parish and Jeannie McCullin of St. Landry Parish, who were high scoring individuals in the dairy judging contest held at State 4-H Short Course at LSU this summer.
• At Winn-Dixie, a boneless Rump Roast $1.69, and a picnic roast was .99 cents a pound.
September 3, 1998
• Members of the Evangeline Parish Fire District No. 2, Ward 1, discussed how to finance a fire truck for the district.
Board president Phil Miller announced the board had opened bids for the truck, and only one company had chosen to bid. Ferrara bid $162,000. He said board members had to finance the truck.
• At Champagne’s, Barbecue Strips were $1.39 a pound, and red potatoes were .99 for a five pound bag.
September 6, 1998
• Shelby Lee Wilridge is not eligible to be a candidate in the October 3rd election for Ville Platte City Council in District E.
The decision was handed down by 13th Judicial District Judge Gaynor Soileau following a hearing held Thursday. Wilridge’s candidacy for the position was challenged in a civil suit by Ville Platte Police Chief Robert Landreneau who said Wilridge pleaded guilty in 1979 to a charge of felony arson and was sentenced to five years in a Texas prison.
• At Winn Dixie, whole boneless pork loin was $1.98 a pound, and seedless grapes were .98 a pound.
September 11, 2008
• Crops in Evangeline Parish and options for local farmers were discussed at the Ville Platte Rice Drier Wednesday morning, September 10, with Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain DVM.
Strain said every crop in the state has been affected at a time when many farmers are harvesting or beginning to harvest. He estimates the direct losses to the agriculture industry to total $450 billion.
September 14, 2008
• Following Hurricane Gustave, the Evangeline Parish Police Jury Debris Committee held a meeting Thursday, September 11, to discuss what portion of debris cleanup the parish will be reimbursed for by FEMA.
Jurors learned cleanup on private property had not been allowed at that point, but it could change in the near future, as it had during Hurricane Lili. Engineer Ronnie Landreneau said in the past FEMA made exceptions for cleanup on private properties if it endangered the home or posed a threat to the public well-being. However, as for now, FEMA would not reimburse the jury for cleanup on private property. Landreneau compared the cleanup to fighting a fire. He said firefighters use public equipment to fight fires on private property due to the danger to the public. If a tree is leaning dangerously close to a power line, that would be considered a danger to the public and action would need to be taken.