RSS Feed

Governor Landry stated in 2024 that Universal School Choice programs would be a top priority, as Louisiana’s public school system ranked 46th in the nation and demographic experts were saying “better public schools” are the major reason young families leave Louisiana for Texas, Florida and Georgia. The Legislature quickly passed the LA GATOR program that allows parents to use public funds to pay for private school tuition, tutoring, or other approved education expenses. Louisiana parents (like parents in every other state who adopted school choice programs) know that every child learns differently and were elated that they would finally be in-charge of their child’s education spending rather than the government. Over 39,000 families have applied for the LA GATOR program.
However, Senate President Cameron Henry has stated for the second consecutive year he is not going to increase the amount allowed for the LA GATOR program (presently $44 million for 5,600 students) because of budgetary and “does it really work” concerns. Governor Landry wants $88 million for 12,000 students. TIME OUT!!—let’s talk about state priorities based on what “We The People Want” when it comes to education spending and what works!
It is common knowledge that declining student enrollment in public schools is squeezing school district’s finances. The Senate should tell us if spending on the public schools is declining in line with declining student enrollment (state per-pupil spending 2019 - 2025): if not, why not?
It is now common knowledge that 97% of 2,700 Parents participating in LA GATOR are satisfied with their children’s academic progress and recommend the program (La. Dept. of Education survey). Sounds like it really works!
It is also common knowledge that waste, fraud and abuse on Medicaid spending is huge. In 2021 our State Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera, CPA, CFE, retired and gave us these parting words of concern: “Medicaid was my greatest challenge as it was growing so fast; a huge issue was the level of Medicaid error and fraud which the GAO had estimated to run about 10%--Medicaid is now $16 billion of the state budget--meaning fraud could be running $1.6 billion every year. I made major changes that had resulted in savings, but these positive changes were later reversed—this was not good government.”
The Senate needs to prioritize LA GATOR, and Medicaid Fraud savings can pay for it. Assume Louisiana’s share of the $1.6 billion fraud savings would have been 20%, or $320 million—more than enough for the $88 million that Governor Landry wants for LA GATOR. The Trump Administration just announced that all 50 states will need to “own” their Medicaid fraud problems and increase their antifraud efforts in 2026. Sounds like good government!
Steve Gardes is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) with over 40 years of public accounting experience.

It happened again, a deranged leftist, Cole Allen, fueled by hate, came too close to assassinating President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night.
Allen, who lives in Torrance, California, is a 31-year-old teacher and video game developer. He charged at the security checkpoint, right outside the ballroom. Before being tackled, Allen fired at least five shots, hitting one Secret Service agent, who will make a full recovery because he was wearing a bulletproof vest. When he was apprehended, Allen was carrying a pistol, a shotgun, and multiple knives.
Ten minutes before the shooting, Allen sent a manifesto to his family members. He said he was “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” According to the New York Post, Allen was affiliated with the progressive group “The Wide Awakes” and attended a leftist “No Kings” protest in California.
In his manifesto, Allen bragged about how easy it was to plan the attack. He asked, “what the hell is the Secret Service doing?” He blasted the agency for a “level of incompetence” that was “insane.” Allen said that he “expected security cameras at every bend, bugged hotel rooms, armed agents every 10 feet, metal detectors out the wazoo. What I got…is nothing. No damn security…Not in the hotel. Not in the event.”
Not only did a deranged lunatic and attempted assassin understand that the security for the dinner was inadequate, but also many of the people who attended. Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake posted, “I can’t believe how lax the security was…Upon entering nobody asked to visibly INSPECT my ticket nor asked for my photo identification. All one had to do was flash what appeared to be a ticket, and they were fine with that.”
Conservative influencer Mads Campbell posted that to enter the event, there was “no bag check. no real screening. no line. just thousands of people packed together, being pushed through the doors as fast as possible, it felt wrong immediately. like, viscerally wrong.”
She attended with her best friend, who felt “something is going to happen.” Campbell said that “there needs to be accountability because this should never happen again.”
Yet, sadly, it keeps happening to President Trump. How did Allen, who called himself a “Friendly Federal Assassin,” get so close?
How did Thomas Matthew Crooks get access to a roof closest to the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024? He used a drone to scout the location, while the Secret Service did not utilize drones and claimed the roof was too steep to position their agents prior to the event. Before a Secret Service sniper killed him, Crooks took eight shots at President Trump, wounding him in the ear, killing courageous firefighter Corey Comperatore, and injuring two others.
Several months later, how did Ryan Routh know that President Trump was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida and be allowed to wait for 12 hours in a sniper’s nest in the bushes next to the course? Routh had backpacks, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, a Go-Pro camera and ceramic tiles that may have been body armor.
Fortunately, a Secret Service agent noticed Routh’s gun protruding from the bushes and fired several shots at him. Although Routh escaped, he was apprehended by law enforcement officials after being noticed by a local resident.
On February 22, 2026, Austin Tucker Martin illegally entered the north gate of Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Florida. He was carrying a shotgun and a can of gasoline. How did he breach the residence’s security perimeter?
After law enforcement officials ordered Martin to drop the items, Martin “raised the shotgun to a shooting position.” Thereupon, he was shot dead by law enforcement officials. Luckily, the President and First Lady were in Washington D.C. at the time of the incident, and no law enforcement officials were injured.
Along with the assassination attempts, there have been other major security lapses around President Trump. Last August 31, a member of the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia brought a loaded semi-automatic handgun into the facility while the President was on the premises. The weapon, a Glock, was not detected by Secret Service personnel during security screening using handheld magnetometers.
On September 20, 2025, a man was arrested for pointing a red laser beam at Marine One, while the President was on board. Jacob Samuel Winkler was arrested and charged with a felony. His actions “posed a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation,” and “placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision.” How was he allowed to get so close to President Trump?
While the investigation continues into the latest incident, the American people are becoming all too familiar with security lapses involving President Trump. Since he faces countless threats, his protection needs to be top-notch. Regrettably, the incidents over the past two years have exposed shocking security breakdowns that are continually placing President Trump in serious jeopardy.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and is the President and General Manager of WGSO Radio, a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance, and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and at Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.

It has been an honor to serve as your Chief of Police for the past four years. I have worked diligently with the city administration to hire qualified personnel to build the Abbeville Police Department. I have prioritized training, equipment and manpower so that our patrol division can be proactive against the crime in our city. We have added two K-9 teams (Thanks to the Abbeville Rotary Club) to assist in both patrol and drug enforcement. I will continue to be a working chief and I will work the streets with my officers to combat the criminal element. It remains my goal to create a professional and courteous public safety agency that we can all be proud of.
Education and Training
• Graduate of Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belview, Texas
• Bachelor of Science Degree in Law Enforcement/Police Science from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas
• Graduate of Acadiana Law Enforcement 18th Basic Training Academy and also Graduated from a refresher course in the 135th Basic Academy.
• Attended Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Basic Training
• Jan 2023: Attended the New Chief’s Training Course
• Currently Certified with Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
• Served over 20 years as a Manadnock Defensive Tactics Instructor
• Certified Instructor on Tacticle Police Driving
• Qualified Expert with Glock 9mm semi auto pistol
• Received thousands of hours of numerous Law Enforcement Trainings:
• Cultural Diversity
• Narcotics Enforcement
• Homicide Investigations
• Domestic Violence
• Firearms Training
• Police Management

Experience
• 4 Years Patrolman for City of Abbeville
• 6 Years Lieutenant/Shift Supervisor for the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office
• 1 ½ Years Patrolman for the Maurice Police Department
• 10 Years Reserve Officer with the Abbeville Police Department
• 16 Years Chief of Police for the City of Abbeville

Professional and Civic Organizations
• Member- International Association of Chiefs of Police
• Member/Past President Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police
• Member/Past President Southwest LA Association of Chiefs of Police
• Member- Evangeline Law Enforcement Council
• Member/Past President Vermilion Parish Triad (senior citizens and law enforcement working together)
• Past President Vermilion Municipal Drug Task Force
• Past President Vermilion Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
• Served- Louisiana State Dare Advisory Board
• Served-Louisiana State Violent Crime and Policy Board
• Served- Attorney General’s Advisory Council on Law Enforcement
• Served- Designated Agent with U.S. Customs Operation Blue Lightening Strike Force
• Guest Instructor Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy for 20 Years
• Attend Project Safe Neighborhood through the U.S. Attorney’s Office
• Board Member/Past President Abbeville Kiwanis Club
• Board of Directors Vermilion Chapter Acadiana Boys & Girls Club
• Member- Abbeville Master Plan Committee
• Member- Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, Graduate of Leadership Vermilion Class 6
• Member- South Louisiana Community College Advisory Board

I have been married to Janise “Neisy” Babineaux Hardy for 44 years. We have 3 Daughters: Tessa, Allison and Kaysie. Tessa has Down Syndrome, Autism and is nonverbal. She survived a stroke in 2017 and is the most determined individual that you will ever meet. She lives at home with Neisy and I; we have sitters who are very important to us and help us care for her. Allison is married to Loni and is a Flight Registered Nurse with Acadian Air Med Services and in the Emergency Department of Ochsner Lafayette General. Kaysie is a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Departments of Ochsner Lafayette General and Abbeville General Hospitals. We have been Blessed with 3 Grandchildren: Demi (7), Mya (4) and Dax (3 months)
I Humbly ask for your Vote in the May 16, 2026 City Election.
You can contact me at any time:
• Cell Phone: 337-316-2855
• Work Phone: 337-893-2511
• Email: mhardy1958@yahoo.com

PLEASE VOTE MIKE HARDY #30 FOR CHIEF OF POLICE

IMPORTANT DATES
• EARLY VOTING: May 2 thru May 9
• ELECTION DAY: May 16, 2026

Paid for by
Mike Hardy

A group of 13 Abbeville High School Civics and US History students spent their Easter break touring Philadelphia and learning about our nation’s history.
Tiffany Fontenot, who teaches the two subjects at AHS, organized the trip. This is the second time her classes have traveled to the city, following the 2024 trip. The idea for the excursion started with a T-shirt in 2023.
“I wear a lot of t-shirts that coincide with the subjects I’m teaching,” Fontenot said. “One day in 2023, Mr. Phillip Freeman asked me where I would get them and if any were from museums. I said some were, and he said, ‘Plan a trip.’ So, I did.”
Fontenot chose Philadelphia over places like New York, Washington DC, and Chicago because of its relevance to her classes. On their first stop in 2024, Fontenot realized she had made the right decision and that they had to come back.
“Philadelphia is important to the foundation of our country,” Fontenot explained. “It’s where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.
“The first place we went in ’24 was Independence Hall. The kids were asking and answering questions. Seeing them engaged like that made me realize how important this is for them to see. As soon as we got back, we decided to do it every other year, and started planning ’26.”
First-year principal Jenni Frick immediately threw her support behind the project. In fact, she added a couple of stops and even went on the trip.
“It was my first trip to Philadelphia, so I was delighted to be asked to be a part of it,” Frick said. “One of our favorite lines from Hamilton is the room where it happens. We were actually in the very room where it happened, and it was amazing.
“For our students, it’s always a great opportunity for them to travel and experience the world outside of Abbeville. I think it’s important that they are exposed to that so they can see what is possible.”
Sophomore Madison Frazier was one of the students on the trip. The thing that stuck out to her the most was just how amazing it was that we defeated the British in the Revolutionary War.
“We totally kicked their butts, and we didn’t even have a country or even an army,” Frazier said. “That was so awesome!”
Frazier and fellow sophomore Madison Peltier both said they enjoyed touring the Battleship New Jersey more than anything else they did.
“I liked the battleship the most,” Peltier said. “We got to go explore on our own without a tour guide.”
“The museums are really fun, but they don’t leave you alone,” Frazier added. “We got to go on a real battleship by ourselves.”
Although she didn’t expect it, junior Alexis Hernandez really liked The Museum of the American Revolution.
“I was surprised it was so interesting,” Hernandez said. “But wars are what I do best in class, so that’s what I know the most about.”
While the three girls laughed as they reminisced about the bland food, airport vending machines, and the tour guide that got away, Frick was most impressed with their behavior.
“Frequently, we were told how well-mannered and respectful our students were,” Frick said. “They really unlocked that next level of excellence, and I cannot say how proud we are.”
Frick, Fontenot, and the 13 students are eternally thankful for those who made the trip possible by supporting their fundraising efforts.
“It’s really nice to see the community support these kids so they can have this experience,” Fontenot said. “A lot of these kids will never fly or visit another state again. They are so grateful that people around them said I’m going to help you do this.”
Now that the trip is behind them and life is back to normal, the students wanted to share with the community a word they learned at the Philadelphia museums that perfectly describes their feelings.
“Huzzah!”