RSS Feed

The Iota Lady Bulldogs overcame a sluggish start and exploded for 26 points in the second half to rally for an impressive 43-36 victory over Carencro Tuesday evening.
Carencro, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, fell to 8-5 with the loss.
The Lady Bears made it all the way to the Class 4A quarterfinals last spring despite starting one senior and four freshmen.
The Lady Dogs, who travel to Rayne on Dec. 29 for a 6 p.m. contest against the Lady Wolves, improved to 9-3.
The Lady Dogs struggled from the floor in the first half and managed just 17 points over the first two frames.
Avery Young did most of the damage for the Lady Dogs by scoring 11 of Iota’s 17 points in the first two frames.
In the first period, the Lady Bears doubled up Iota thanks to three 3-pointers from Je’Nae Johnson, Shelcie Leblanc and Cereniti Charles that helped the guests build a 16-8 lead.
Young scored four of her game-high 21 points in the frame.
The Lady Dogs chipped away at the lead in the second quarter with Young scoring seven points to get the hosts within five at 22-17.
The Lady Bears went cold from there and managed just three baskets and a free throw in the third quarter.
Iota, on the other hand, got into a rhythm and forged ahead with a 15-point outburst.
Young added seven more points during the run and forward Sage Wimberly had five. Leah Hebert also knocked down a big 3-pointer in the frame to help the Lady Dogs take a 32-29 lead into the final stanza.
The Lady Dogs were able to maintain their lead over the final eight minutes despite not hitting a single shot from the floor.
The hosts scored all their points from the free throw line in the quarter by knocking down 11 of 22 attempts. Overall, the Lady Dogs connected on 18 of 34 from the charity stripe.
LeBlanc and Johnson each knocked down another long ball each in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Bears were outscored 11-7.
In addition to Young’s 21-point outburst, she also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out three assists and logged four steals.
Wimberly followed with nine points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Leah Hebert had seven points and three assists.
Brinna Hebert scored four points and had a team-high 11 boards and Emily Hebertt added two points and six rebounds.
Johnson was the leader for the Lady Bears with 10 points and Leblanc finished with six.
The Lady Dogs are currently on a 3-game winning streak and are ranked No. 8 in Class 3A. They own victories over Class 4A’s No. 5 Carencro and No. 9 North Vermilion, Class 2A’s No. 5 Lake Arthur and Class B’s No. 6 Midland.
Two of their three losses were also to quality teams - Class 3A’s No. 5 Jennings and Class 4A’s No. 5 Benton.
Their other loss was to Class 5A Sulphur.

40 years ago
...The afternoon matinee at the Rice Theatre was The Great Muppet Caper.
...Installed as officers of the Acadia Association of Educational Office Personnel were Edna C. Dilly, president; Dolores DeVille, president-elect; Rose Marie Trahan, vice president; Sherrie Handy, secretary; Marry Ann Leonards, treasurer and Ella Duhon, reporter.
...Greta Thibodeaux dropped in a 25-footer with five seconds remaining to lift the Midland Lady Rebels to a 46-44 victory over Rayne. Thibodeaux scored 26 points in the victory. Michelle Henry was Rayne’s leading scorer with 16 points.
...Eighth grade students at Evangeline Elementary that placed in the French class poster contest were Shelly Daigle, Kristi LeJeune, Joanie Clement, Shellie Fontenot, Stacy Hebert and Lisa Clement.
...The Crowley High School FFA Chapter Senior Soil Judging Team placed third during competition at Midland. Members of the team include Lee Richard, Byron Leger and Rene Robinson.
...Egan 4-H Club officers who attended the Officers Training meeting in Crowley include Edith LeJeune, Melody Perry, Kristy Leckelt and Karl Miller.
25 years ago
... Rita Nicholson was sworn in as a member of the Crowley Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service board during ceremonies at City Hall. Nicholson replaces longtime member Billie Fulkerson.
...Elliot Dore was the highest bidder at the silent auction of the Tickle Me Elmo doll at Wal-Mart. Dore bid $140, which was matched by Wal-Mart and the money was given to Crowley Christian Care.
...A retirement party was held for four retiring judges - Judge Allen Babineaux, Judge Denald Beslin, Judge Bradford Ware and Judge Hugh Brunson - at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kim R. Hayes.
...Don Shetler Olds-Buick-Chevrolet and Shetler-Corley Ford-Mercury-Nissan-Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge Inc. donated money to the Crowley Christian Care Center. On hand for the presentations were CCCC Director Mona Istre, Don Shetler, Donna Corley and Chris Corley.
...Winners of the Frosto Drive In Christmas Coloring Contest were Emily Stutes, first place, and Todd Guidry, second place.
10 years ago
...Crowley High art student Shantel Navarre won the 12th Annual Carnival d’Acadie poster contest. Second place went to Laurie Bellard and Mallory Lewis was third.
...U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Nicholas C. Cavell completed eight weeks of basic training. For achieving the highest average in seamanship during his training with X-ray Company 185, he received the Seamanship Award.
...Don Earles, a fixture in the Crowley business community for four decades, retired and sold his office to the accounting firm of Dugas, Soileaux and Breaux.
5 years ago
... Zack Hebert was named the St. Michael Fifth Grade Student of the Year and Grant Suire was honored as the Eighth Grade Student of the Year.
...Iota’s Kaleb Guillory and Juwan Felix were named to the 4-3A All-District football team.
...St. Michael School’s Distinguished Graduate Award went to J. Michael Stefanski, alumni class of 1965.

With the number of Omicron variant cases on the rise, President Joe Biden announced 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increasing support for hospitals under strain from the variant and an emphasis on vaccination and boosting efforts.
In a speech Tuesday afternoon, Biden announced major changes to his COVID-19 winter plan, his hand forced by the arrival and rapid spread of the Omicron variant, whose properties are yet not fully understood by scientists.
A cornerstone of the plan is Biden’s decision for the government to purchase 500 million coronavirus rapid tests and ship them free to Americans starting in January.
People will use a new website to order their tests, which will then be sent to them by U.S. mail.
That marks a major shift for Biden, whose earlier plan had called for many Americans to purchase the hard-to-find tests on their own and then seek reimbursement from their health insurance. Public health experts had criticized Biden’s initial approach as unwieldy and warned that the U.S. would face another round of problems with testing at a critical time.
To assist hospitals buckling under the expected new COVID-19 wave, Biden is prepared to deploy an additional 1,000 troops with medical skills as well as direct federal medical personnel to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire and Vermont. There are also plans to send out additional ventilators and equipment from the national stockpile, expanding hospital capacity to handle infected patients.
The government will also stand up multiple vaccination sites and provide hundreds of personnel to administer shots. New rules will make it easier for pharmacists to work across state lines to aid the public health efforts.
The prospect of a winter chilled by a wave of coronavirus infections is a severe reversal from the optimism projected by Biden some 10 months ago, when he suggested at a CNN town hall that the country would essentially be back to normal by this Christmas.
This comes just two days after the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the Omicron variant was “just raging around the world.”
Scientists say Omicron spreads even easier than other coronavirus strains, including Delta. It has already become the dominant strain in the U.S., accounting for nearly three-quarters of new infections last week.
Early studies suggest that the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing an Omicron infection but that even without the extra dose, vaccination should still largely protect people from serious sickness or death.