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Message of gratitude from Ms. Helen’s

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:58pm

To the public:
We would like to publicly acknowledge and thank all organizations, businesses and individuals who donated gift certificates and food items during this holiday season and throughout the year.
We would like to specifically thank:
Super 1 Foods, who collected numerous bags of groceries from their customers’ donations and also gave a very generous gift certificate;
The Knights of Columbus and other workers, Nelson Broussard, Pat Miller, Roland Leleux, Al Leonards, Pete Leblanc and Don Whitley, who donated their time in preparing and cooking turkeys. We would also like to thank Buddy Mayeux, Robby Guidry and Gwen Kibodeaux for their services.
Supreme Rice Mill, who supplies our rice needs year round as well as providing hams. Thanks to the many people that donated hams and other food items.
Last, but not least, all those who donated of their time and hard work that made Ms. Helen’s Kitchen a success in providing nutritional, delicious meals for all.
And special thanks to our great cook, Mrs. Lisa Hoffpauir.
Sincerely
Ms. Helen’s
Soup Kitchen

Meteor showers, eclipses, supermoons on tap for 2022

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:57pm

Eclipses, meteor showers, supermoons, oh my – skywatchers have a busy 2022 ahead.
Sure, 2021 had the Perseid meteor shower and the Strawberry supermoon, but they may pale in comparison to what is slated to shine in the new year’s skies.
Here are some of the astronomical events you won’t want to miss in 2022.
• Two eclipses we’ll see, two we won’t
There will be four eclipses this year, according to NASA – two of the moon and two of the sun.
A lunar eclipse is when the moon enters the Earth’s shadow, preventing parts or all of the sunlight to reflect off the moon.
Alternatively, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun, partially or entirely blocking its light from hitting the Earth.
Only the two total eclipses of the moon will be visible from the U.S. – one on May 15 and another on November 8.
The U.S. will be unable to see the two partial eclipses of the sun, which occur on April 30 and October 25.
• When 2020’s meteor showers will peak
There are 12 meteor showers, with dates that hardly change from year to year, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
The peak of each shower can vary by a day or two, though.
Below are the showers and their expected peak days:
- Quadrantid: Jan. 3–4
- Lyrid: Apr. 21–22
- Eta Aquarid: May 4–5
- Delta Aquarid: July 28–29
- Perseid: Aug. 11–12
- Draconid: Oct. 8–10
- Orionid: Oct. 20–21
- Northern Taurid: Nov. 11–12
- Leonid: Nov. 16–17
- Andromedid: Nov. 25–27
- Germinid: Dec. 13–14
- Ursid: Dec. 21–22
• When the full moons and two supermoons will rise
Names used for full moons stem from Native American, Colonial American, or other traditional North American, or other traditional North American sources passed down to each generation, the Farmer’s Almanac explains.
Below are when each of the full moons will occur this year, courtesy of NASA, as well as their names.
- Jan. 17: Wolf Moon
- Feb. 16: Snow Moon
- March 18: Worm Moon
- April 16: Pink Moon
- May 15: Flower Moon
- June 14: Strawberry Moon
- July 13: Buck Moon
- Aug. 11: Sturgeon Moon
- Sept. 10: Corn Moon
- Oct. 9: Hunter Moon
- Nov. 8: Beaver Moon
- Dec. 7: Cold Moon
The full moons in June and July will also be supermoons, according to Space.com.
A supermoon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee, or at one of the closest points to Earth we see. This makes for the biggest, brightest full moons seen all year.

Edwards: ‘COVID transmission has never been higher’ in state

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:56pm
BATON ROUGE

Gov. John Bel Edwards spoke Thursday at a news conference on the COVID-19 spike following the New Year’s weekend.
Louisiana reported more than 30,000 new cases and over 1,000 hospitalizations statewide after the four-day holiday period.
On Thursday, the state set another single-day high record with more than 14,000 new cases reported.
The Louisiana Department of Health says Omicron is now the dominant strain in the state.
Edwards emphasized that Louisiana is seeing a huge spike in reinfections with the Omicron variant.
Edwards said there were less than 300 reinfections in November, whereas December saw 11,278 reinfections.
As of Dec. 29, Louisiana has a 27.1% positivity rate. Just a week prior, it was a little over 10%.
Dr. Joseph Kanter says Louisiana has yet to see the peak of the Omicron surge.
Kanter added that while many people will have milder symptoms with the Omicron variant than seen with the Delta variant, he pointed out that that is only the average.
Kanter says the best way to prevent extreme symptoms is to receive a booster shot.
In reference to the shortage of at-home tests, Kanter said the demand is simply higher for antigen tests, but there is not a shortage of PCR tests that are reportedly more sensitive to the Omicron variant than the antigen tests.
Kanter also reiterated that while cloth masks are effective, they don’t provide as much protection as N-95 masks.

Parish youth gearing up for 2022 Livestock Show, Auction

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:52pm
CROWLEY

As the cold air finally moves in, youth from Acadia Parish are working hard in preparing their animals for the upcoming 2022 Acadia Parish Junior Livestock Show and Sale to be held at the Rice Arena in Crowley January 20-22.
This means it’s time for an exciting week that combines the thrills of championships with the enthusiasm and anticipation of Acadia Parish youth.
This year’s livestock show will feature over 133 4-H and FFA exhibitors and more than 250 animals from throughout the parish. This event allows 4-H and FFA members to exhibit their animal projects and show off all the hard work they have put forth.
A livestock show is an event where livestock are exhibited and judged on certain phenotypical breed traits as specified by their respective breed standard.
Species of livestock that may be shown are dairy cattle, beef breeding cattle, market steers, commercial heifers, breeding goats, commercial goats, market lambs, commercial lambs, breeding lambs, breeding hogs, market hogs, poultry, and rabbits.
Livestock shows are great events for today’s youth to learn responsibility and be able to socialize with other young people from all over the parish, state or the country.
The livestock show will begin Thursday, Jan. 20, with the animals arriving and the scales opening for weigh in of sheep, goats, dairy, and beef, in addition to mouthing of commercial heifers.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 21, cattle, goat, poultry, and broiler shows will kick off. Immediately following the goat show the sheep, swine, shows will take place.
At 12:30 p.m. the rabbit show will begin.
Once the swine show concludes, a parish-wide livestock judging contest open to all 4-H and FFA members will be conducted.
The event will conclude with the livestock auction on Saturday morning in the Rice Arena.
Youth and adults are invited to come out to the Arena where they can learn more about the 4-H and FFA programs, what it takes to exhibit an animal, and what products come from the different animals — and a chance to get up close and personal with the livestock.
This event is open to the public to witness what all the anticipation and enthusiasm is about and support the youth of Acadia Parish, whether it be as a spectator or as a sponsor.
If you would like further information, please contact the Acadia Parish Extension office at 337-788-8821.

Rotarians host Ms. Helen’s volunteers

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:51pm
Staff tells of lessons learned at Soup Kitchen
Saja Hoffpauir, Assistant Editor
CROWLEY

A number of volunteers and some staff members from Ms. Helen’s Soup Kitchen warmed the hearts of Crowley’s Rotarians on Tuesday as they shared the joy and fellowship they experience as they serve the community.
Following a history of Ms. Helen’s provided by Rotarian Peggy Sandidge, volunteer Torrie Majors told the club of the re-opening of the Kitchen in the midst of the pandemic shutdown. Sandidge, with whom Majors attends First Baptist Church in Crowley, called Majors and asked whether she and her three children could help out. They could and they did, “doing whatever they needed to do.”
Since then, Majors’ three children have entered the workforce and are no longer able to volunteer, but Majors is hooked. She said that through her work at the Kitchen, she has learned a lot about herself and her community, and she characterized Ms. Helen’s “a great blessing for everybody.”
Although the other volunteers present didn’t address the group directly, it was evident they felt the same way as Majors, chiming in with information and agreement.
When Majors’ first began volunteering, Ms. Helen’s was being rebuilt, and the meals were being served out of the kitchen of the former Redemptorist Catholic School.
They were served take-out only in to-go boxes due to pandemic restrictions. Following the completion of the renovations, the Kitchen moved back to its Seventh Street location, continuing to serve to-go meals.
When the COVID restrictions were lifted enough for them to open Ms. Helen’s, it was, Majors said, “a real treat for them to open that beautiful building.”
Majors refers to those who eat at Ms. Helen’s as “guests.” She told the group that prior to the pandemic the Kitchen was serving about 200 guests every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Now they are serving approximately 75 to 100 guests. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, however, they saw those numbers double, and the volunteers were especially happy to be able to give Christmas gifts to all of them. “Kids got gifts, adults got gifts,” said Majors.
Ms. Helen’s, which is open to everyone, provides both food and fellowship to its guests. The facility, which is back to serving in-person meals, can seat up to 86 people at a time.
For information on how to volunteer or make donations, call St. Michael Catholic Church at 337-783-7394.

Committee approves street Contract B bid

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:48pm
Full council will consider $9.96M project Wednesday
Steve Bandy, Managing Editor
CROWLEY

Contingent upon review by the city attorney and approval by the full council, the bid for Contract B of the citywide street improvements project will be awarded to Glenn Legé Construction, the same company that is currently working in the city on Contract A.
Legé’s low bid on the project came in at $9.96 million, about $1.6 million over the engineer’s initial estimate.
Tim Mader, city engineer, explained during recent committee meetings that difference “is due primarily to the sharp increase in the price of asphalt since the bid letting process for Contract A — roughly six months ago.”
He pointed out a pair of “asphalt-based pay” line items on the contract to emphasize that point:
• “Asphalt Concrete Surface” accounted for roughly $485,000 of the $1.6 million; and
• “Asphalt Concrete Patching” accounted for roughly $143,000 of the 1.6 million.
In addition to the effect of the increased cost in asphaltic concrete material, Mader explained:
• “Mobilization” accounted for about $200,000;
• “Traffic Control, Temporary Signs, etc.” accounted for about $380,000; and
• “Million Asphalt pavement” accounted for about $86,000.
Council members asked about the “mobilization” cost since the construction company is already in Crowley.
Mader explained that mobilization is an item included in all contracts and “if we don’t include it, the cost will just get spread out among the other line items.”
He reminded the aldermen that bids for Contract A came in at nearly $700,000 under estimate. “So, the sum of the low bids received for Contract A plus Contract B is approximately $900,000 more than our original engineer’s opinion of probably construction cost, which is not only within the range of acceptability with respect to cost estimation, but is also consistent with the current rate of inflation,” Mader said.
“We believe that the previous award of Contract A and this award of Contract B, as recommended, would result in a total construction cost of Contract A plus Contract B that is apparently within budget, as funded by the already issued Series 2020 bond, the pending Series 2022 bond, and the current and projected balance of the city’s Infrastructure Fund.”
The street improvement program was divided into two sections — Contract A and Contract B.
Contract A includes that area of the city north of the railroad tracks and east of North Parkerson Avenue to Northern Avenue and all of South Crowley.
Contract B is the remainder of the city.
At its April meeting, the council adopted a resolution approving the “Contract A” construction plans and specifications for the project.
Bids were received on May 28 and, at the June meeting, the council awarded the construction contract to Glenn Legé Construction, LLC, in the amount of $6.8 million.
The full council will consider approval of the contract bid when it meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Festival International names official 2022 Visual Artist

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:46pm
LAFAYETTE

Festival International de Louisiane has named local artist Dirk Guidry as the Official 2022 Visual Artist.
Each year, the organization commissions an artist to create a piece to encompass the city-wide cultural celebration.
Guidry was raised in the small bayou town of Galliano. He relocated to Lafayette in 2005 to attend the Fine Arts Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he would earn a bachelor’s degree.
His studies helped further his skills and develop a unique style that has led to his success. Aside from his well-known large scale abstract works, he utilizes his talents by also painting portraits, landscapes, live events, and murals.
Guidry has recently completed the artwork for the 36th annual Festival International de Louisiane, presented by LUS Fiber.
“Our team is so happy with the vibrant piece of artwork created for 2022.” said Marketing Director, Carly Viator. “It’s obvious Dirk understands the magic of Festival International and our community is very lucky to have him in Lafayette.”
“Being Festival’s Official Visual Artist is one of my greatest achievements as an artist thus far.” explained Guidry. “This has been a goal of mine for many years now, and I am honored to join the long list of talented artists that have been selected before me.
“The Official Artwork plays such an important role with the pin and poster each year, so I look forward to leaving my mark on Festival 2022.”
Dirk Guidry’s studio is located in downtown Lafayette at Basin Arts, where he is the co-creator and manager of the BARE Walls program, and currently serves on the Louisiana State Arts Council.
His diverse works are on display in various locations throughout Louisiana and are held in private collections nationwide. Visitors can also find his murals around Lafayette.
Festival International’s official release party will be held on Feb 20. There will be a fish fry, live music and the 2022 music lineup will also be revealed.
More info about the release party is available at www.festivalinternational.org and via Facebook.

Connor Neighbors named Director of Football Strength and Conditioning for Ragin Cajuns

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:43pm
LAFAYETTE

Louisiana Football head coach Michael Desormeaux has named Connor Neighbors as the program's Director of Football Strength and Conditioning.
Neighbors has been on the Ragin' Cajuns' football staff as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach since the beginning of the 2021 season and assumes the lead role after gaining valuable experience at LSU and Alabama.
"Connor has been the ultimate professional since joining our staff in 2021," Desormeaux said. "He has brought a new energy to our program and has cutting-edge ideas to continue to develop our student-athletes, help them limit injuries and perform at their highest possible levels. Connor has trained and worked under legends in the strength and conditioning world. We are so excited to see the trajectory of this program continue to climb under the direction of Connor and his strength and conditioning staff. We are thrilled to keep him and his wife, Megan, home with the #cULture."
Neighbors served as the Interim Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Ragin' Cajuns during the team's appearance in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl, helping prepare the team for the contest through a variety of industry-leading strength and condition programming.
Throughout the 2021 season, he was in charge of warming up and conditioning the team's quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs. He also implemented Undulating Periodization, Velocity Based Training for CNS Autoregulation and Proper Progressions for new stimulus involving Plyometrics, Olympic and power-based lifts.
Neighbors played a critical role in the team's application of the Catapult GPS Tracking system and was a key advisor to the head coach and assistant coaches on load management for student-athletes based on the data that was collected from the program.
Prior to arriving at Louisiana, he spent three seasons at LSU under legendary strength and conditioning coach, Tommy Moffitt. In that position, he serviced the Tigers' tight ends, running backs and defensive backs, leading warm-ups and functional range conditioning for each group.
Neighbors also used a variety of scientific methods, including Polar GPS tracking, PERCH Velocity Based Training and Vald ForceDecks monitoring to create detailed workout plans and monitor the health and well-being of the student-athletes that he coached.
Before returning to his alma mater, Neighbors coached at Florida Atlantic University (2017-18). His experience with the Owls includes a stint as the Interim Head Strength Coach, coaching multiple student-athletes simultaneously during Olympic and power
based lifts and served as the director of in-season rehabilitation of injured players.
A native of Huntsville, Ala., he spent two seasons as a Football and Baseball Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Alabama, where he learned to prescribe strength and conditioning programs for elite athletes.
He began his career in strength and conditioning at LSU in 2016, where he learned how to properly coach and connect with athletes while experiencing the behind the scenes of how a strength program is operated.
Neighbors was a two-year starter at fullback in 2013 and 2014 for LSU and played in 43 total games during his career, starting 17 times. During his playing career, he rushed for six yards on three carries and caught 11 passes for 119 yards in five years.
Neighbors is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and owns a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Certification and a Functional Range Conditioning Certification (FRC). He graduated from LSU with a B.A. in Science Management and is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts degree from LSU.

2021 LSWA CLASS 2A ALL-STATE TEAM

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:43pm

Offense
Pos Player School Ht. Wt. Cl
WR Omarion Miller North Caddo 6-2 196 Jr.
WR Antron Williams Red River 6-5 190 Sr.
TE Will Randle Newman 6-4 235 Jr.
OL Terry Augustine Avoyelles 6-8 400 Sr.
OL Jakorey Jones Many 6-3 260 Sr.
OL Fitzgerald West Lafayette Christian 6-2 325 Sr.
OL Ashanti Cole Red River 6-4 320 Sr.
OL Bo Bordelon Newman 6-6 280 Sr.
QB Zintayvious Smith Red River 5-11 175 Sr.
RB London Williams Many 5-10 173 Sr.
RB Grant Ducote Rosepine 5-10 205 Jr.
RB Kelvin Black North Caddo 5-10 205 Jr.
PK Carter Chauvin St. Charles 5-9 155 Sr.
ATH Ethan Frey Rosepine 6-5 225 Sr.

Defense
Pos Player School Ht. Wt. Cl
DL Jalen Smith Avoyelles 6-5 220 Sr.
DL Maxie Baudoin Ascension Episcopal 6-3 290 Sr.
DL Russell Davis Catholic-NI 6-2 205 Sr.
DL Moses Clark St. Charles 5-8 305 Sr.
LB Kaiden Jones St. Charles 6-0 215 Sr.
LB Xavier Atkins Jonesboro-Hodge 6-1 185 So.
LB David Cresson Episcopal 6-0 185 Sr.
LB Javae Gilmore Amite 6-5 190 Sr.
DB Tackett Curtis Many 6-2 215 Jr.
DB DeVontae Mozee Jonesboro-Hodge 6-1 175 Sr.
DB Jordan Allen Lafayette Christian 5-11 182 Sr.
DB Brylan Green Lafayette Christian 5-9 160 Sr.
P Liam Adamson Amite 5-5 165 Sr.
RS Earl Jackson Amite 5-11 185 Sr.

OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE PLAYER
LONDON WILLIAMS, MANY

OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER
TACKETT CURTIS, MANY

COACH OF THE YEAR
WAYNE STEIN, ST. CHARLES CATHOLIC

Honorable mention: Zylan Perry, Franklin; Zamian Waller, Amite; TJ Johnson, Mangham; Ashton Wilson, Amite; Gavin Rawls, D’Arbonne Woods; Ja’Marion Dunomes, Amite; Javeon Andrews, Jonesboro-Hodge; Javien Williams, General Trass; Travon Prator, Avoyelles; Kameron Williams, General Trass; Dacareyn Sampson, Avoyelles; Jayvion Smart, Many; Aden Cline, Rosepine; Jalen Robinson, Amite; Adrainuen Johnson, Pine; Cedric Allison, Oakdale; Dallas Daniels, Oakdale; Taije Ceasar, DeQuincy; Hudson Snyder, DeQuincy; Cohen Fontenot, Welsh; Brady Hall, Welsh; Rhett Davis, Welsh; Isiah Stinson, Rosepine; Cole Donahue, Rosepine; Val Rangelov, Episcopal; Alex Stephens, Notre Dame; Britten Dean, St. Charles; Wydett Williams, General Trass; Jake Rizzo, Dunham; Tydre Malone, Jonesboro-Hodge; Ju’Juan Johnson, Lafayette Christian; Calep Jacob, Loreauville; Arch Manning, Newman; Jalen Williams, Mangham; Luke Bertrand, Notre Dame; Kalante Wilson, Dunham; Zach Vicknair, St. Charles; Brayden Byers, Menard; Stanley Maxie, Red River; John Michael Eves, Bunkie; Cameron Kinder, Menard; Michael Woods, Rosepine; Hayden Sauseda, Bunkie; Stephen Everfield, General Trass; Matthew Weiner, The Dunham; Jyrel Jones, Red River; Tylen Singleton, Many; Thomas D’Armond, Episcopal; Collin Jacob, Loureauville; Zach Lamm, Notre Dame.

Notre Dame trio earns LSWA Class 2A All-State honorable mention status

Tue, 01/11/2022 - 4:33pm
CROWLEY

Postseason honors have begun to pour in for the Notre Dame Pios 2021 football team recently, beginning with 18 total selections on the 6-2A All-District team.
The accolades continued this week when the Pios earned three honorable mention spots on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 2A All-State team released Thursday morning.
Notre Dame’s Alex Stevens, Zach Lamm and Luke Bertrand, all seniors, earned honors on the All-State team after helping lead the Pios to a 9-3 overall record and an appearance in the Division III semifinal game.
Stevens was the Pios’ leader on defense with a team-high 72 total tackles, including 17 for a loss of 66 yards. The defensive end was the team’s sack leader with nine and he logged one interception, forced two fumbles and had 11 quarterback hurries.
Lamm was the Pios’ leading receiver after hauling in 44 passes for 724 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 16.5 yards per catch.
Bertrand was also a force in Notre Dame’s passing game at tight end. He had 24 receptions for 339 yards and four touchdowns.
The headliners on this year’s All-State team hail from St. Charles Catholic and Many, who each reached their respective championship games for the third year in a row in 2021.
The third time was the charm for St. Charles as first-year coach Wayne Stein led the Comets to a 32-27 win over Lafayette Christian for the Division III championship – overcoming defeats in 2019 and 2020 to win the school’s first title since 2011.
As a result, Stein, a longtime defensive coordinator for legendary coach Frank Monica, won Coach of the Year for guiding St. Charles to a 11-0 record – beating out finalists Terrance Blankenship of Jonesboro-Hodge and Andy Boone of Avoyelles. Joining him on the All-State team from St. Charles were kicker Carter Chauvin, defensive lineman Moses Clark and linebacker Kaiden Jones.
Many had a sweep in the player awards as senior running back London Williams earned Outstanding Offensive Player and junior defensive back Tackett Curtis won Outstanding Defensive Player for the second straight year.
Williams was among the state’s leading rushers with 2,646 yards and 47 touchdowns, while Curtis made 128 tackles and had four interceptions to help the Tigers go 13-2 and return to the Class 2A championship game for the third straight year. Senior offensive lineman Jakorey Jones also made the team for Many.
Class 2A champion Amite was represented on the team with a trio of seniors in linebacker Javae Gilmore, punter Liam Adamson and return specialist Earl Jackson.
Gilmore, a Mississippi State commitment, had 114 tackles and three sacks, while Adamson is regarded as one of the top kicker/punters in Louisiana.
Division III state runnerup Lafayette Christian landed three players on the team - offensive lineman Fitzgerald West and defensive back Jordan Green, both LSU signees, along with Liberty University signee and District 6-2A Defensive MVP Brylan Green.
Other Acadiana area players that made the team are Catholic High of New Iberia’s Russell Davis and Ascension Episcopal’s Maxie Baudoin,.
Red River, the No. 9 seed which lost out in the second round of the playoffs, had two selections on the team in quarterback Zintayvious Smith and wide receiver Antron Williams.
Smith, a Naval Academy commitment, beat out Newman standout and 5-Star recruit Arch Manning for the spot at quarterback. Manning, considered as the No. 1 high school football recruit in the Class of 2023, made the team as an honorable mention.

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