RSS Feed

September 11, 1961 ~ August 26, 2019

A private memorial service will be held at a later date honoring the life of Roland Lee Duplantis, 57, who died Monday, August 26, 2019 at his residence.
A native and lifelong resident of Abbeville, Roland was the owner of Video Store Galore and also worked as an oilfield dispatcher.
Roland enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, traveling and watching movies. He was an avid Saints and LSU fan.
Roland is survived by his cousins, Vernelle Boullion, Gloria Fay Broussard, Kathy Gisclair, Donna Perry, Freddy Primeaux and Wayne Primeaux; aunt, Joyce D. Primeaux; and former wife, Cindy Guidry.
He was preceded in death by his father, Horace Duplantis; mother, Myrtie Hoffpauir Duplantis; maternal grandparents, Joseph O'Neal and Anna Lee Hoffpauir; and paternal grandparents, Luke and Faye Duplantis.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

A man wanted in connection to a murder in north Louisiana has been arrested in Abbeville.
​On Aug. 26, detectives with the Abbeville Police Department received information that a person wanted out of Shreveport was seen in Abbeville.
A N.C.I.C. check on that person confirmed that the subject, now identified as Terrance Felix, A.K.A. “Zap,” had a warrant for 2nd-Degree Murder out for his arrest stemming from a homicide which occurred in Shreveport. Detectives contacted the U.S. Marshal’s service, which confirmed that they were actively looking for Felix.
​Detectives contacted the patrol division of the Abbeville Police Department, as well as the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Metro Narcotics Task Force. The officers created an operational plan and set out to attempt to locate Terrance Felix.
Officers went to a residence where they came in contact with Tavian Felix, who is the brother of Terrance Felix. During the investigation, Tavian Felix was found to be in possession of a stolen firearm. Tavian Felix was subsequently arrested and charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm in a Firearm-Free Zone and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
​While still on the scene, officers located Terrance Felix approximately a half of a block away, riding an electric scooter. Officers were able to apprehend Terrance Felix. Detectives will obtain arrest warrants for various charges stemming from the arrest of Terrance Felix.
​Both Tavian Felix and Terrance Felix were subsequently booked and transported to the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center. Terrance Felix will face extradition to Shreveport for the warrant obtained for 2nd Degree Murder.​
Chief Spearman would like to commend his officers for a job well done. Chief Spearman would also like to thank the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office for their cooperation and assistance they provide the Abbeville Police Department. Chief Spearman would especially like to thank the citizens of Abbeville for their support and help they provide to the Abbeville Police Department. Without the tips from concerned citizens, these persons would still be on the streets.
​Anyone with any information regarding any crime is encouraged to contact the Abbeville Police Department. You may also contact our “Tips” line at 892-6777. All callers may remain anonymous. Citizens may also send anonymous tips through the department’s Facebook page @ www.facebook.com/AbbevillePolice Department/ or the official web page @ www.abbevillepd.com by clicking on the “Submit a Tip” link provided.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a Federal Register Notice for the $1.2 billion mitigation allocation made to Louisiana as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The guidance provides guidelines on eligible activities and investments that the state hopes to advance Louisiana’s pioneering long-term flood risk reduction and resilience initiative.
While the federal guidelines require the state to submit an action plan by Feb. 3, 2020, the state is working to submit its response as quickly as possible to begin the federal review and approval process.
“This news gets us one step closer to making the Louisiana Watershed Initiative’s mission a reality,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “It creates an opportunity to address the root causes of flooding in our state, beginning with those areas devasted by the 2016 floods. As flooding becomes a more frequent concern for so many of our communities, it is imperative that we leverage opportunities like this to develop a mutual understanding of risk, increased accountability for decision-making and a stronger sense of long-term responsibility for Louisiana’s future.”
Approved by Congress, the $1.2 billion allocation will fund construction of flood-protection projects, along with collecting qualitative data and developing computer modeling to assess, predict and prepare for water movement throughout the state. The data and modeling tools will help local governments select and prioritize long-term projects, as well as support regional planning efforts according to watersheds – areas connected by the natural flow of water as it travels to reach the lowest point in a landscape.
“This funding is critical to continuing flood mitigation work that began not long after the 2016 floods,” Pat Forbes, executive director of the Office of Community Development, said. “We are refining our action plan, which we began to draft months ago in anticipation of receiving this notice, to meet these parameters while continuing to gather information from stakeholders around the state on how these funds can best be used to reduce flood risk.”
Per the federal guidelines, the state is required to spend at least 50 percent of the funds to benefit the 10 parishes designated as most impacted and distressed by the 2016 floods: Acadia, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Livingston, Ouachita, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermilion and Washington.
State officials will provide local partners and stakeholders with additional guidance on the contents of this notice in the next two weeks. This guidance will be distributed as an official Louisiana Watershed Initiative communication. If you do not currently receive these updates, click here.
In 2018, Gov. Edwards formed the Council on Watershed Management to guide the state toward a statewide resilience strategy. The Louisiana Watershed Initiative serves as the Council’s programmatic arm, educating local governments about the new approach and establishing ways to coordinate their efforts within watershed regions. Through this program, the state is focused on flood mitigation well beyond the life of the $1.2 billion congressional allocation with plans to leverage the resulting tools, resources and activities in support of statewide resilience.
“We’ve made significant progress over the past two years in how state agencies collaborate on flood risk,” Bren Haase, executive director of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Council on Watershed Management member, said. “The framework in place through the Louisiana Watershed Initiative helps ensure these funds are used as effectively as possible, providing maximum value and long-term impact to Louisiana communities and residents.”
Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director James Waskom said the watershed strategy represents a shift in focus to a proactive, long-term effort to reduce the risks posed by future flooding.
“The watershed approach comes out of our experiences during the 2016 floods,” Waskom said. “It offers a way for leaders at every level to make policy and planning decisions based on science and engineering, in a coordinated manner that supports the natural functions of rivers and floodplains.”

A graduate of Abbeville High, Soprano Leanny Muñoz is currently a Ph.D. student in musicology at the University of California, Davis. On Friday evening, August 23, she performed with accompanist Sean Duggan, pianist at Brookshire Farm in Abbeville. Duggan is a monk of St. Joseph Abbey in Covington, Louisiana. He obtained his music degrees from Loyola University in New Orleans and Carnegie Mellon University, and received a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. From 1988 to 2001 he taught music, Latin and religion at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana and was director of music and organist at St. Joseph Abbey.
Muñoz received her Master of Music from Louisiana State University; there she completed her master’s thesis, “Homenajes: Finding Spanish Identity in Falla’s Orchestral Suite.” She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Fine and Performing Arts and a minor in Music Performance at the Louisiana Scholars’ College at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. There, she wrote an undergraduate thesis, “Female Characters in Opera of the Enlightenment through the Late-Romantic Era: Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, and Puccini.” Her primary research interests are in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Spanish nationalism, especially as related to the work of Felipe Pedrell and Manuel de Falla. Additionally, Leanny is interested in the relationship between music and literature, the interdisciplinary study of music, and remaining an active vocalist on campus and in the community.
Together with her Accompanist, Muñoz performed “O mio babbino caro”, “Si mes vers avaient des ailes”, “Automne”, “Arrietta: Ma rendi pur contento”, and “Dove sono” before Intermission began. Those in attendance gathered again after intermission for more performances from the pair which included “Porgi amor”, “A Strange Wild Song”, and “Der Tod und das Mädchen, Op. 7 No. 3”.
Muñoz closed the evening with a performance of “The Sun Is Love, Circling the Sun, A Waterbird (Flying into the Sun). The event brought in a large crowd, many applause, and whispers of ‘goose bumps’.
“I’m so happy for a good performance and to have seen all my loving and supportive family and friends,” Muñoz said.