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Ken Harrington

Wed, 08/27/2025 - 8:50am

November 16, 1966 ~ August 23, 2025

ABBEVILLE — Memorial services will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Ken Allen Harrington, 58, who died Saturday, August 23rd, 2025 at Lafayette general Hospital with his family by his side.
He is survived by his two children, daughter, Lindsey Harrington, son, Alex Harrington and one granddaughter, Avery Suire all of Erath, La.; His friend, Katelyn Tupper and her two children, Laney and Teagan of Abbeville, La.; His Mother, Rita Joyce Harrington of Maurice, La.; His brother, Troy A Harrington and his wife Christie of Maurice, La.; Nephews, Andrew Harrington and his wife Shalon of Maurice, La., Trey Harrington and his wife Megan of Meaux, La. and Christian Harrington and his wife Katie of Denham Springs, La.; Great nieces, Brynn Harrington, Bethany Harrington and Great nephew Zander Harrington.
He was preceded in death by his father, Vernon Dale Harrington; Grandparents, Shelton "Black" Touchet Sr., Anastasie Touchet, Carrie Lege Cuvillier and Roy Harrington, Sr.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on August 28, 2025, from 1 p.m. until time of service.
Special thanks to the staff at Lafayette General Hospital for their professionalism and Compassion during the families time of need.

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U.S. Coast Guard recovers body of missing fisherman

Tue, 08/26/2025 - 2:36pm

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday afternoon that the body of Jimmy Jett had been recovered.
According to reports, Jimmy Jett fell overboard from a fishing boat off the coast of Iberia Parish on Sunday.
Multiple agencies took part in an effort to locate Jett, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the United Cajun Navy, the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

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Erath City Hall

Erath moves one step closer to building its own electrical substation

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:58am
Town will have to borrow $1.3 million to pay for it

ERATH — The town of Erath has taken two important steps to reduce the electricity bills that residents have been complaining about for years.
At this month’s August city council meeting, the council voted to introduce an ordinance that would allow the town to approve receiving an $800,000 grant that would be used to purchase LED lighting.
Erath residents pay an added monthly fee on their bill to help cover the town’s electrical bill for street lighting.
Mayor Taylor Mencacci said the LED lights will be paid for with $800,000 from the  Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Having LED lighting will save the town money because the lights will burn less electricity, which in turn will save the residents money, Mencacci explained.
Then, the council had to approve another introduction ordinance for the town to borrow around $1.3 million to help pay for an electrical substation it will be building over the next 10 months. The total price to build the new electrical substation will be around $3 million. The town is having to borrow $1.3 million and the rest of the $3 million be paid for by a grant.
The Entergy substation is located on Lastie Road (the old La. 14). The town was leasing the land where the Entergy electrical substation is located. When Erath’s new electrical substation arrives, Entergy will remove its equipment and the town will purchase the land from Entergy and will put its new electrical equipment.
By April of next year, Erath should be using its new electrical substation.
 According to Erath Mayor Taylor Mencacci, having its electrical substation would allow the town to buy electricity at a cheaper rate, which is good news for Erath residents. There would be no middleman, he said.
Abbeville residents also do not have a “fuel charge” on their electricity bill. They have a flat rate. When Erath builds its electrical substation, the words “fuel charge” would go away on people’s bills, Mencacci said.
In the past, municipalities like Erath, tried to negotiate the lowest rate possible with companies like Cleco, Slemco or Entergy.
That is where Erath is today. They are shopping around for the lowest electrical rate possible and running into a snag. Large electrical companies are not offering cheaper rates.
“We have to continue this route to lower the cost of electricity for Erath residents,” the Mayor explained to the audience at the end of the city council meeting.

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Abbeville General earns Cribs for Kids® Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Gold Certification

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:57am

Abbeville General Hospital is proud to announce that it has achieved certification as a Gold Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital. This certification recognizes our healthcare team members’ commitment to best practices in infant safe sleep, ensuring the highest standards of care for our youngest patients. By earning this certification, Abbeville General Hospital demonstrates adherence to rigorous guidelines established by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.
Cribs for Kids® is a national safe sleep initiative dedicated to reducing infant mortality. “Sleep related deaths are the number one reason we lose our babies each year—3,400 infants annually”, said Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director at Cribs for Kids, adding, “we know that parents do at home what they see done in the hospital so modeling safe sleep and providing education to families will have an impact on infant mortality. Cribs for Kids program recognizes hospitals making this commitment.”
"Our team has worked diligently to meet the requirements to earn this
certification and underscores our dedication to providing safe sleep care for our babies. We are committed to ensuring that every newborn and infant at Abbeville General Hospital receives the highest level of care, including promoting safe sleep practices that align with the guidelines of Cribs for Kids®," added Kaylee Broussard, RN, BSN, OB/Nursery Unit Manager.
Judy Bannon, CEO, and founder of Cribs for Kids explains, “The National Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program launched in 2015. It is rooted in the Safe Sleep Recommendations made by American Academy of Pediatrics and the research that demonstrates families do at home what they see done in the hospital. There are over 500 infant safe sleep certified hospitals across the country and beyond. We are proud to welcome Abbeville General Hospital to our program. It will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”
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For more information about Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit, www.cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification
About Abbeville General Hospital: Abbeville General has been proudly serving the community since February 1966. While we have evolved over the years, one thing has remained consistent – our commitment to ensuring patients receive personalized and high-quality care. From our 24/7 Emergency Department, a variety of outpatient clinics, Cancer Center, Sleep Center, and new Behavioral Medicine Center, Abbeville General is here to provide quality care close to home. For more information about Abbeville General and its services, visit abbevillegeneral.com.

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Steve Gardes

Time for Congress to defend Ten Commandments

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:53am
Steve Gardes

When our Founders drafted the Constitution, they intended that Congress would keep the judiciary as the “least powerful” branch of government and see to it that judges “should be bound down by strict rules and precedents, which serve to define and point out their duty.” (as Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 78).
Accordingly, the Constitution in Article I, Section 8, states: “The Congress shall have power . . . to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court.” Article III, Section 1, states: “The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” In summary, all federal courts except the Supreme Court were created by Congress, which defined their powers and prescribed what kind of cases they can hear.
Going a step further, Article III, Section 2, states: “the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.” In summary, Congress can make “exceptions” to the types of cases that the Supreme Court can decide.
Phyllis Schlafly’s book The Supremacists shows there is a long historical record where Congress has used this power repeatedly to regulate and limit both Supreme Court and inferior court’s jurisdiction starting in 1799 to 1999—and discusses how today activist judges are refusing to restrain themselves to their constitutional role and provides recommendations for correction.
Schlafly points out the judicial misconduct taking place all over the country where federal judges have declared that the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools or public buildings are unconstitutional “under the pretense that any mention of God violates the First Amendment, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Importantly, she states “the acknowledgement of God in the Ten Commandments is not an ‘establishment of religion’, and that Congress has never passed a law banning the acknowledgement of God.”
Schlafly recommends that “Congress should pass a law to clarify that the federal courts and Supreme Court do NOT have jurisdiction over whether an acknowledgement of God by public officials violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment—and that Congress forbids federal courts from censoring public acknowledgement of God.”
The time for Congress to act is now. In 2022 the Supreme Court ruled that the flawed Lemon v. Kurtzman test for the acknowledgement of God, which had falsely interpreted that the First Amendment prohibits the mention of God in any public place, will no longer be applied. Now Congress needs to finish the job using its Constitutional powers over the judiciary.
Steve Gardes is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) with over 40 years of public accounting experience.

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Jeff Crouere

New Orleans, a carnival of corruption

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:52am
Jeff Crouere

New Orleans is the most unique city in the United States, a 307-year-old gem of beauty, history, and culture. With so many wonderful attractions, New Orleans should have a thriving economy, a wealthy population, and excellent public services. Instead, New Orleans is in a perpetual state of crisis, with decaying infrastructure, dilapidated streets, rampant violent crime, substandard public schools, a poor economy, and public officials who are either inept or corrupt.
Today, New Orleans is in serious trouble. Sadly, between 2020 and 2024 the New Orleans area lost 39,000 people, a decline of 3.9%, the highest in the nation for “the second year in a row.” During this period, New Orleans was the “Murder Capital” of the nation in 2022, a contributing factor to the population loss.
Another reason people are fleeing from New Orleans is the devastating result of leftwing political leadership. The last Republican Mayor of New Orleans, Benjamin Flanders, left office in 1872. Democrats have enjoyed total control of the city’s most powerful position for 153 years.
There is not one Republican among all the elected officials in New Orleans. Democrats have been elected to all positions on the school board, council, judgeships, and New Orleans based state legislative seats.
With progressive policies dominating New Orleans, the results are catastrophic. New Orleans public schools have a reading proficiency rating of 32% and a math proficiency rating of 24%.
While the rate of violent crime is falling in 2025, the New Orleans Police Department is still several hundred officers below adequate staffing levels.
In January, city officials hosted a remarkably successful Super Bowl. Congratulations are in order; however, the homeless population that was moved for the “big game” has returned. Unfortunately, other events in 2025 have been devastating for the reputation of New Orleans.
The year started with a terrorist attack in the French Quarter as a jihadist drove a truck down Bourbon Street during Sugar Bowl celebrations that killed 14 innocent people. The attack succeeded only because of stunning incompetence. If the sidewalk had been blocked, the truck would not have been able to access Bourbon Street, and those innocent people would be alive today.
Several months later, ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Prison in a brazen breakout aided by inside help, lax oversight, and inoperable door locks and cameras. The escape was not noticed for hours, so neither the police nor the public were informed of the danger.
The latest public relations debacle for New Orleans occurred on Friday as Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted on 18 federal counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and false statements to a grand jury. Along with her bodyguard boyfriend, Jeffrey Vappie, Cantrell is accused of “bilking New Orleans taxpayers out of $70,000 for trips.” While the travel was promoted as “official business,” it was mostly opportunities for Cantrell and Vappie to spend time together.
In the indictment, federal prosecutors state that Cantrell and Vappie “violated rules, policies, and criminal laws” and “attempted to distract and impede inquiries and investigations, including a federal grand jury investigation, about the true nature and circumstances of their relationship and their scheme to defraud.”
This is not the only controversy involving Cantrell. Last year, a New Orleans businessman, Randy Farrell, was indicted for “conspiracy to commit fraud with a public official.” It is widely believed the “public official” was Mayor Cantrell.
Allegedly, Farrell gave Cantrell gifts, including tickets to an NFC Championship game, in exchange for the mayor firing a city investigator who was examining his building inspection company.
Throughout her two terms, Cantrell has maintained an excessive schedule of international travel to “climate change” conferences and other events not pertinent to citizens living in a broken city.
There have also been investigations into payments made by the mayor to her “image consultant” and personal promotional flyers mailed using taxpayer funds. Not surprisingly, grassroots activists launched a recall effort in 2022 that garnered thousands of signatures, but not enough to remove Cantrell.
At this point, Cantrell has an adversarial relationship with city council members due to disagreements on a variety of issues, including a lucrative sanitation contract in the French Quarter and Central Business District.
Hopefully, she will complete her last few months in office without bringing any more embarrassment or shame to New Orleans.
Cantrell joins a lengthy list of New Orleans politicians who have been indicted on federal charges such as former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who was convicted of bribery, money laundering and other charges. In addition, former New Orleans Congressman William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson was convicted of bribery after FBI agents discovered $90,000 “in cash in his freezer.”
Within the last few years, several council members, an assessor, a district attorney, and a school board member have also been indicted on various charges.
As New Orleans citizens go to the polls on October 11, it would be advisable to vote for change. Let’s end the corruption that has plagued this city.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and is 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

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Jim Bradshaw

Tariff brought Bull Moose to sugar belt

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:49am
Jim Bradshaw, LSN columnist

Seventy-five sugar mills operating in Louisiana in 1800 produced five million pounds of sugar that sold for eight cents a pound, netting about $400,000 to the planters. That was a lot of money in those days, and the sugar industry was just getting started. The crop became so important that the government decided to protect it with a tariff that has remained in effect in one form or another ever since, although not without some challenges.
It became a big issue during the 1914 congressional election because President Woodrow Wilson wanted to change it. Former President Theodore Roosevelt wanted it left alone and came to Louisiana to defend it.
Roosevelt was out of office at the time, but not without influence. He became the youngest U.S. president in history when he assumed office in 1901 at the age of 42 after the assassination of William McKinley. (John Kennedy, who took office at 43, was the youngest to be elected directly to the office.) Roosevelt was reelected in 1904 and picked William Howard Taft as his successor in 1908. Taft won that election and appeared to have easy sailing for a second term in 1912 — until Roosevelt caused a national uproar by challenging him for the Republican nomination. Trying for a third term went against the then-unwritten rule that Presidents could serve only two terms. (It did not become law until the 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951.)
When he didn’t get the Republican nomination, Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party, which became popularly known as the Bull Moose Party after Roosevelt was shot on October 14, 1912, while he was campaigning in Milwaukee. Not only did he survive but he went on to deliver a speech with the bullet still lodged in his chest. After showing his bloodied shirt to his followers, he said it took “more than that to kill a bull moose.” Thus, a nickname was born for him and his party.
The Bull Moose finished second in the 1912 election, taking important votes from Taft, who got only 23 percent of the vote. Wilson won with 42 percent.
Roosevelt was not on the ballot in 1914, when only congressional seats were decided, but he campaigned across the U.S. to promote his party’s candidates. He came to Louisiana to woo sugar planters who were upset that Wilson would even think about removing a tariff that they needed to complete with sugar from Cuba and Hawaii.
Roosevelt arrived in New Orleans on September 7 and boarded a train for Franklin that evening. Cathi B. Gibbens wrote about that trip in the quarterly Attakapas Gazette: “September 8 dawned hot and dry. Roosevelt had traveled overnight from New Orleans. Arriving in Franklin at 7:45 a.m., he went immediately to the courthouse and . . . addressed a crowd estimated at 3,000. Promptly at 8:30 the Roosevelt entourage entered automobiles for the trip to Jeanerette and New Iberia. The dignitaries were escorted out of Franklin by 75 automobiles and a delegation of 800 people.”
According to newspaper accounts, Roosevelt was met outside New Iberia by several hundred people on horseback who invited him to ride into town with them. Roosevelt, who had gained fame as colonel of the so-called Rough Riders — the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry — during the Spanish American War, promptly accepted.
According to the New Iberia Enterprise, he rode into town on an “iron gray pacer” and was greeted by a brass band and several young ladies on saddle horses. The town was decked with flags and banners, and a speaker’s stand was put up in front of the courthouse. “Main Street was a mass of humanity. In fact, it was one of the largest crowds that has visited this city for a number of years,” the Enterprise said. The New Orleans Picayune correspondent estimated the crowd at between nine thousand and ten thousand people.
Roosevelt’s visit paid off in the November election. Progressive Whitmell Martin, a lawyer from Napoleonville, beat Democrat Henry L. Gueydan in the Third Congressional District. He was one of only three Progressives elected to Congress that year.
That wasn’t enough to completely block the tariff reforms, but protectionists in the Senate added more than 600 amendments to Wilson’s version of a “big, beautiful bill” that reduced or removed most of them. The sugar tariff remained mostly untouched.
Ironically, Roosevelt may have had more impact on Louisiana sugar as a cavalry leader than as a politician. At the end of the Spanish American War, which he helped win, the United States ended up with Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and some other places where a lot of sugar was grown. Reducing the sugar tariff for these places had a direct, detrimental impact on Louisiana growers.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

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John T. Landry became aware of the program after seeing banners in Mississippi. He is looking to help bring the program to Vermilion Parish

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John T. Landry speaks about the Hometown Heroes Banner program during a recent Rotary Club of Abbeville meeting.

Hometown Heroes: Program will use banners to honor local veterans

Thu, 08/21/2025 - 9:48am

A trip to visit a location known for its service turned into an idea to honor local veterans.
John T. Landry and his wife, Sandra, traveled to Bay St. Louis, Miss., to check out the Pearl Hotel. Along the way, Landry noticed banners hanging that honored area veterans. The banners included a photo and information about the veteran.
“We get into Bay St. Louis,” Landry said, “and I see these banners, these veteran banners. I pulled off to the side of the road and started taking pictures.”
Landry served in the U.S. Marines, as did his late father-in-law, Young A. Broussard, the former mayor of Abbeville. The banners, and what they represented, remained on Landry’s mind, even as he returned home to Abbeville.
“This veteran thing was just eating at me,” Landry said. 
He called the city hall and the chamber of commerce in Bay St. Louis to find out more information. Landry discovered that the banners originated from the American Legion in Waveland, Miss.
“I called the guy in charge,” Landry said. “He gave me the whole scoop about everything.
Now, Landry is ready to help use the information to bring the Hometown Heroes Banner program to Abbeville and other towns in Vermilion Parish. Landry recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Abbeville about the program. After speaking with local elected officials, Landry is looking to partner with the Rotary Club to sponsor and implement the program.
“I think Rotary can take this bull by the horns,” Landry said. “The city of Abbeville has agreed to put them up and take them down periodically, but you can be the entity and the conduit for this thing to work. Someone has to man the website.”
Rotary Club President David Ashley said there is definitely a willingness to participate.
“The city would do it,” Ashley said, “but the city can’t take money for something that is not utilities or other services for the city. We have a Venmo account and Todd Chauvin, who can do the website. There’s a way that we can do this. 
“I think this is a really great program.”
Details of how the program would be implemented in Vermilion Parish are still in the works. Website infrastructure is in place through the Hometown Heroes Banner program, but would be adapted to fit the local program. In Mississippi, family and friends paid an initial cost to put up the banner, with an additional cost for the two years that followed. After three years, the banner is given to the veteran or their family.
“If this is something Rotary wants to do,” Ashley said, “we can proceed further and figure it all out. “I think there are many who will jump all over this.”
Landry is eager to be one of the first.
“I can’t wait to buy a banner for my father-in-law,” Landry said. “I just think it’s a wonderful program.”

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Mary Helen LeBlanc

Tue, 08/19/2025 - 9:51am

May 9, 1940 — August 16, 2025

ABBEVILLE — Funeral Services for Mrs. Mary Helen LeBlanc, 85, will be held at Frioux-David Funeral Home on Wednesday August 20, 2025 at 10 a.m. with Rev. François Sainte-Marie officiating. Interment will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Frioux-David Funeral Home of Abbeville on Tuesday August 19, 2025 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. with a recitation of the rosary at 6 p.m. Visitation will resume on Wednesday August 20, 2025 from 8 a.m. until time of services.
Mrs. Mary Helen passed away on the evening of Saturday, August 16, 2025 surrounded by her loved ones.
Born on May 9th, 1940, in Kaplan, Louisiana, Mary Helen lived a life centered on family and teaching. As a young girl, playing and singing music was her first love, first in the church choir and then later for weddings. She met her husband of 62 years Terry LeBlanc while attending LSU. After transferring to USL (now ULL), she completed her undergraduate degree and then finished an MS degree from LSU.
Helen, as family and close friends called her, taught advanced math and science classes at Erath High School for 32 years followed by an additional 7 years teaching for Vermilion Catholic High School. Mary Helen also taught summer school at Abbeville High for many years. She genuinely loved her students and they loved her as well. No student requesting extra help ever left her classroom without individual assistance.
Even now, more than 20 years after her retirement, her former students continue to talk about her enthusiasm and passion in the classroom which ensured their success in college classes. Mary Helen rarely traveled in Abbeville or Lafayette without meeting a former student or colleague ready to greet her warmly. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
Active for many years in the Vermilion Parish retired teacher’s organization, Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG), Mary Helen earned awards for her valuable contribution to education and teaching excellence. 
Family and friends recall Mary Helen’s competitive scrabble games and her expertise in the kitchen. Eagerly she prepared etouffee, spaghetti and meatballs, rice and gravy, gumbo, and more delicious Cajun dishes. Her home was the hub of many family holiday gatherings and feasts.
Mary Helen was the most loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved attending school performances, bringing her grandchildren ice skating, and taking her family out for pizza and beignets.
Family members want to extend a special thanks to Louise Broussard for her companionship and loving friendship during the final years of Mary Helen’s life. Also, the compassionate care givers at The Vermilion at Eastridge are commended for their outstanding work.
She is survived by her husband, Terry LeBlanc; her daughters, April LeBlanc and Heidi Van Brocklin and her husband William; her grandchildren, Bryanna LeBlanc, Emily Lormand, Wren Van Brocklin, and Lucy Van Brocklin; her sisters, Marie Inez Broussard and Nettie Guillory; and her daughter-in-law, Dawn Jaime.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Gladu Boudoin and Felicia Simon Boudoin; her children, Scott LeBlanc and Robin LeBlanc; and her sisters, Juanita Lemaire and Jeanette Griffin Labiche.
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at friouxfunerals.com.
Frioux-David Funeral Home of Abbeville 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangements.

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