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ERATH – The town of Erath still has not chosen a new fire chief after two attempts.
The town’s ordinance says the Erath mayor must submit one of three candidates for fire chief.
Volunteer firefighters give the mayor two names, and honorary volunteer firefighters submit one name as well.
After the mayor submits a name, the aldermen vote on that nomination. If they do not approve the choice, the mayor is expected to submit another name, or so the aldermen believed.
At the Erath council meeting in December, Mayor Taylor Mencacci submitted the name of former Abbeville Fire Chief Jude Mire for the Erath fire chief job.
Mire recently retired from the Abbeville Fire Department after 36 years. He also volunteers with the Erath Fire Department.
Even with his experience, the council voted 3-2 against hiring Mire as the new chief.
At the January meeting on Monday, the selection of a new fire chief was again on the agenda.
Once again, Mayor Mencacci submitted a name. This time, it was Jude Mire—the same candidate the aldermen rejected last month.
After the mayor submitted Mire’s name, Alderman Jason Connor, who had voted against Mire last month, asked the mayor why he was submitting the same name the council had already rejected four weeks earlier.
“Last meeting, you submitted the name, Mr. Mire, and we voted it down,” said Connor. “In this meeting, you submitted the same name. Are you expecting a different vote?”
Connor then asked Mayor Mencacci what would happen if the aldermen voted down Mire’s name for a second time.
“Do we go to the next name, as the ordinance says?” Connor asked.
Marlene Menard, a retired attorney, stood up in the audience and read the ordinance to Mayor Mencacci. She read from her phone that if the council votes down the name or there is a tie, the mayor “shall” submit another nominee from the list.
“Am I correct?” asked Menard.
City attorney Bart Broussard was not at the meeting, so he could not clarify the next step based on Menard’s reading of the ordinance.
Mayor Mencacci looked for a printed copy of the ordinance. After about 15 minutes of reviewing it, he suggested the aldermen table the issue until Attorney Bart Broussard could give his opinion on the next step.
The motion passed 5-0, and the aldermen are expected to vote again on Feb. 10.

One of the reasons Chad Vallo wanted to become a police juror was his father, Harris Vallo, and his desire to help others.
His dad served as a police juror in Gueydan for 16 years, and during that time, Chad learned what it truly meant to be a police juror. Harris also held the position of jury president for two years.
Well, on Wednesday, Chad Vallo was voted in as the new police jury president. He had previously been the vice president for two years before stepping up to the presidency.
“Being named the president is special to me,” Vallo said. “My dad was once the president of the police juror. I remember him sharing stories about his experiences as a police juror. I’ve always wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
Vallo had to wait until he retired from the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office before he could run for political office.
He mentioned that it’s a great time to be president because of the unity within the police jury.
“We have great people on the police jury,” he stated. “Everyone is getting along and working together.”
Mark Poché is the outgoing president after serving for two years.
Chad Lege has been appointed as the new vice president of the police juror.

Thinking, planning, and changing New Year’s Resolutions consumes my Januarys. It just seems like a perfect opportunity to start over, backtrack, improve, and change my changes. I came across “75 Resolutions to Improve Your 2026.” Every suggestion was positive and doable. My favorites involved joyful leisure, reading, books, and book clubs, although using any of those as a resolution would be cheating. Starting a book club is on my tentative list. My favorite was “Call your parents and grandparents more!” I passing that one on to my grandchildren, and I’m sure they will be grateful.

Is your resolution to eat healthy? Or is your resolution to lose a few pounds?
Is thinking of winter weather making even your thoughts cold? Winter is not my favorite season, so a warm soup is often our meal.
Here are several soup recipes that are healthy, fat-burning, body warming, and heart warming to share with family and/or friends.

MEATBALL SOUP

Simplicity
Versatility
Novelty

INGREDIENTS

-2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes with onion and garlic, undrained
-2 (14 oz) cans beef broth
-3 cups water
-1 tsp Italian seasoning, a staple in my kitchen
-1 (16 oz) package small frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs*
-2 cups frozen vegetables, Mediterranean blend or any combination of your choice
-1 cup small dried pasta, such as orzo or star-shaped
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

MISE EN PLACE

-Combine tomatoes, beef broth, water, and Italian seasoning in a large pot. If you don’t have beef broth on hand, 4 cups of water will suffice.
-Bring to a boil.
-Add frozen meatballs, frozen vegetables, and pasta.
-Bring to a boil again.
-Then reduce heat to medium-low.
-Cook until meatballs are heated through and pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
-Garnish each serving with Parmesan.
*If you don’t find Italian-style meatballs, regular frozen meatballs can be used. You may want to add a little more Italian seasoning.

ASPARAGUS SOUP

INGREDIENTS

-1 1/2 lbs asparagus, cut in 1 inch lengths
-1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
-1 onion chopped
-2 potatoes, cut in small cubes
-2 vegetable bouillon cubes, or 2 cups vegetable broth
-1 pint half-and-half or milk*
-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-4 cups water plus water as needed for desired consistency

MISE EN PLACE

-Heat olive oil.
-Add onions.
-Stir until brown.
-Add potatoes, asparagus, vegetable broth, and half and half.
-Bring to a boil over high heat.
-Add seasoning as desired.
-Reduce heat.
-Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
For a thicker soup, allow to simmer until potatoes soften enough to thicken soup.
*Use half-and-half for richer, creamier, more stable soups, less likely to curdle.
Milk creates a lighter, lower-fat soup but risks curdling if boiled vigorously. My suggestion is to use 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of half-and-half.

Suggestion # 2: If you are counting carbs, use 1 potato and thicken your soup with a tablespoon of corn starch whisked with 1/2 cup of water. Stir this into your soup a few minutes before serving. Repeat if more thickening is desired.

For a side dish or a treat, try these mushrooms cooked easily in the air fryer.

AIR-FRYER MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS

-16 oz sliced mushrooms
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-3 tbsp grated Parmesan
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp minced fresh thyme*
-1/2 tsp salt, optional
-1/4 tsp black pepper

MISE EN PLACE

-Add all ingredients to a medium bowl.
-Toss well to coat evenly.
-Air fry at 280 degrees for 5 minutes.
-Shake basket well.
-Air fry for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until desired tenderness.
My suggestion: You can use a combination of the bottom six ingredients. Soy sauce is the star of the ingredients, but it is very salty. If you like less salt, or your diet requires less salt, you may want to cut back slightly by using 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Suggestion # 2: 3 tablespoons of Parmesan has quite a bit of salt and strong flavor, so you may want to cut back a little on the cheese also.
Suggestion # 3: The seasoning is absolutely to your taste. These mushrooms are delicious as the recipe is listed, but you can make this dish your own for your required diet or personal preferences.
Suggestion # 4: Keep your mushrooms from getting soggy by wiping them clean with a damp paper towel instead of rinsing. If they do get wet, just dry them thoroughly. You do not want them to absorb extra water.
Reheat the mushrooms in the air fryer at 365 degrees for 3 to 5 degrees until heated thoroughly and crispy again.

I have a list of resolutions on my night table and one on the arm of my desk (since my desk is my favorite armchair), so that I can change or add thoughts anytime.
I will keep sharing good ones. It’s never too late to resolve to resolve.

Jusqu’a la semaine prochaine!

billielandry@iosinces.com

LEROY - Three baseball players from North Vermilion have officially signed letters of intent to continue their careers at the junior college level.
The signings include:
• Kevin Marix, who will be playing at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, Louisiana. They compete against teams like LSU-E, Delgado, and Baton Rouge Community College. Marix is an infielder and a right-handed pitcher for the Patriots.
• Blaze Duhon has signed with South Arkansas, based in El Dorado, Arkansas. Duhon plays first base and is a left-handed pitcher for NVHS.
• Alex Landry has committed to Gulf Coast State Community College in Panama City, Florida. Landry plays center field and is also a left-handed pitcher.

These three Patriots are set to uphold the legacy of North Vermilion baseball. As of 2026, there are six former Patriots playing college baseball and one in the Minor Leagues, although at the Class 3A level.