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March 28, 1940 ~ November 23, 2017

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Maxie Lee Schexnider, 77, who died Thursday, November 23, 2017 at Basile Care Center.
He will be laid to rest at Holy Rosary Cemetery with Deacon Tim Marcantel officiating the services.
Maxie is survived by his daughter, Tanya Schexnider and her husband Christopher Bouillion; brothers, Kenneth Schexnider, Patrick Schexnider, Anthony Schexnider, and Terry Schexnider; sisters, Fayette Foreman and Linda Schexnider; grandchildren, Bryce Bouillion and Justyn Bouillion and his wife Elzina; and a great grandchild, Katherine Bouillion.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Nora Brown Schexnider; parents, Clivanes Schexnider and the former Velma LeBlanc; daughter, Stevlana Schexnider; brothers, Keith Schexnider and Gerald Schexnider; sisters, Loretta Cormier and Verna Schexnider.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 from 9:00 AM until time of services.
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.

September 26, 1916 ~ November 25, 2017

KAPLAN — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church honoring the life of Della Faulk Bourque, 101, who died Saturday, November 25, 2017 at Eastridge Nursing Center. She will be laid to rest at Kaplan Cemetery with Reverend Kendal Faulk officiating the services and serving as coconcelebrant will be Reverend Mark Miley. Serving as pallbearers will be Seth Stansbury, Blyde Frederick, Wesley Walker, Dennis Faulk, Neil Faulk, and Jody Faulk.
Della was an avid reader and gardener. She loved working in her yard, dancing, and cooking for everyone. Ms. Bourque was a world class traveler with voyages taking her to Majorca, Spain, Chicago, New York City, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico City. She attributed her longevity to eating healthy homegrown foods and great genes.
She is survived by her three children, Raywood J. Faulk and his wife, Nolia T. Faulk of Kaplan, Kathleen Ladewig and her husband, Howard of Emory, TX, and Linda Faulk of Kaplan; 9 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren and two on the way; and 4 great-great grandchildren and one on the way.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Romero and the former Rosa Breaux; 12 siblings; her first husband, Dennis “Bulldo” Faulk; and her second husband, Maurice Bourque.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Ave., on Monday, November 27, 2017 from 2:00 PM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Tuesday, November 28, 2017 from 8:00 AM until the procession departs for the church.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan, (337) 643-7276 [Service Information 225-5276]. Condolences may be sent to the Bourque family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.

It looked like it would be known as “wide right on the bayou” that got the Vermilion Catholic Eagles back into the Louisiana Superdome. Instead, it will be known as the “heartbreaking kick” that prevented the Eagles from going to the finals of the Division IV playoffs.
Ninety four seconds before the game ended, LCA kicker Collin Woodson missed right the extra point that would have tied the game 28-28 and possibly send the game into overtime.
Instead, VC held on to a one-point, 28-27 lead with just over 90 seconds to play. All VC had to do was get a first down or two and run the clock out. Instead, they ran four plays and took less than 30 seconds off the clocks thanks to LCA calling three timeouts in a row.
LCA got the ball back with 1:05 to play in the game and were 65 yards away from paydirt.
The Knights drove the ball to the VC 20-yard-line with only 10 seconds left in the game.Woodson did not miss this time. He nailed a 37-yard field goal through the uprights and gave the Knights a 30-28 victory and a trip to the Louisiana Superdome.
VC head coach Brady Thomas saw the long kick sail through the uprights.
“My heart sunk for these kids,” said Thomas. “I know the amount of work they put in and having to go against the odds week and week out.”
LCA did not do anything fancy on offense, They just pounded big running back Logan Gabriel, who carried it 34 times and rushed for 222 yards, down the middle. He averaged 4 yards a carry.
The Knights opened the second half by marching 57 yards in nine plays to tie the game, 21-21.
The Eagles’ offense stalled twice in the third period and they had two punt twice.
They finally put together a drive in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. They drove 55 yards on the arm of senior JT Lege. JT threw a 28-yard pass to Ethan Lege and then two plays later, JT found Kris Constantine a 29-yard reception.
Two big pass plays moved the football down to the LCA 11-yard-line. It took three plays to score, when JT found Garrett Wiggins by himself in the end zone.
That put the Eagles ahead 28-21 with 10 minutes to play in the game.
LCA outscored VC 9-0 in the final 90 seconds of the game.
On the night, LCA had more yards, 404 yards to VC’s 326 yards.
JT threw for 257 yards. He completed 19 out of 36 passes and three touchdowns.
Ethan had eight catches for 130 yards. Constantine had six receptions for 85 yards. Two of catches were for TDs.
LCA, the No. 4 seed, will battle No. 6 seed Ascension Catholic in the finals.
“We did not lose the game, LCA just won the game,” said Thomas. “They played a great game.”

VIDRINE — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain wrapped up an agriculture and forestry listening tour at Richard and Neal Fontenot’s R&N Farms in the Evangeline Parish community of Vidrine on Nov. 17.
Farmers expressed their concerns about infrastructure needs, red tape involved with obtaining foreign labor, sales taxes on farm supplies and equipment, high electricity rates and funding for LSU AgCenter research facilities.
At the gathering, Strain said Iraq will be buying a large amount of American rice. The purchase is for 90,000 tons, most of which will come from south Louisiana, said Jackie Loewer, an Acadia Parish rice farmer and chairman of the Louisiana Rice Producers’ Group.
“It’s a big deal for the rice industry,” Loewer said.
Edwards said the state must invest in infrastructure, especially ports, to help farmers sell their crops.
Farmer John Owen, of Rayville, said facilities at the Port of Lake Charles are only able to load bulk rough, or unmilled, rice onto ships. Standards for shipping milled rice are higher to prevent contamination from any other material, he said, adding that a facility for handling bulk milled rice would increase opportunities for producers.
Owen also said farmers would benefit if Louisiana ports stayed open continuously, even in periods of low water.
Edwards said he is aware of the Lake Charles port situation.
“We’re looking at that right now and talking to various people in the rice industry,” he said.
Alan Lawson, a farmer in Crowley, said the current guest labor program is cumbersome and inflexible.
Strain said the program is crucial for Louisiana farmers because they often cannot find local workers. He said Louisiana uses more H2A and H2B workers than any other state per capita.
But dealing with the program’s rules and regulations is a “pain in the neck,” the commissioner said.
Edwards said the labor issue has been a frequent source of complaints.
“This is something we’ve heard about at every stop — about labor,” he said.
Farmer Donald Berken, of Iowa, asked about tax exemptions on farm equipment. The governor said sales tax exemptions for agricultural inputs such as seed, fertilizer, chemicals and farm equipment are a priority.
“We’re going to maintain those exemptions for agriculture,” Edwards said.
Loewer also raised the issue of funding for AgCenter research.
Strain described the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley as the pre-eminent rice research facility in the world.
Edwards said the AgCenter cannot draw from tuition funds because it has no students. He said funding has to be secured for the AgCenter “if our research centers are going to be what we want them to be.”
Strain said talks are underway to resume a beef check-off program to fund beef cattle research.
Indian Bayou farmer Christian Richard said the agriculture industry is hit with high electricity bills because of demand charges based on the highest daily electricity usage. He said neighboring states have laws that curb the amount of demand charges.
Richard Fontenot said farmers in Arkansas, unlike those in Louisiana, don’t pay taxes on utilities used in agricultural production.
Edwards said his office will explore legislative options to address that problem. Fontenot said a group of farmers is talking with the state Public Service Commission about demand charges, and AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto is preparing information for the talks.
Strain also told the gathering that $150,000 has been allocated for rice promotion. The funds will come from proceeds of slot machines at racetracks.
Edwards and Strain held the series of listening sessions with farmers across the state starting Nov. 14. After the visit to R&N Farms, Edwards met other agricultural producers for lunch at the Joey Olivier farm near Arnaudville. Earlier tour stops included Mooringsport, Bastrop, Ferriday and Slaughter.