Abbeville Meridional from Abbeville, Louisiana • 2

RICHARD A. BROUSSARD Insurance Agency 893-5183 School Lunch Menu Interested in Sponsoring our weekly lunch menu, call Emeral 337-893-4223 VERMILION PARISH Catholic Schools VERMILION PARISH Public Schools Monday, February 4 Crunchy Tacos, Mexican Beans, Chopped Lettuce Tomato Cup, Chilled Fruit Cup, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Choice of Milk Tuesday, February 5 Baked Lasagna, Whole Kernal Corn, Spring Salad, Homemade Garlic Bread Stick, Chilled Pears, Choice of Milk Wednesday, February 6 Hot Dog On Bun, Potato Rounds, Baked Beans, Chilled Applesauce, Rice Krispies Bar, Choice of Milk Thursday, February 7 Chicken Sausage Gumbo, Steamed Rice, Buttered Parsleyed Carrots, Potato Salad Wheat Roll, Chilled Fruit Cup, Choice of Milk Friday, February 8 Chicken Strips, Macaroni Cheese, Garden Salad, Fresh Baby Carrots, Wheat Roll, Chilled Peaches, Choice of Milk Monday, February 4 Meat Cheese Nachos, Salsa, Shredded Lettuce, Sliced Peaches, Choice of Milk Tuesday, February 5 Teriyaki Beef with Lomein, Seasoned Broccoli, Diced Carrots, Garlic Bread, Sweet Treats Applesauce, Choice of Milk Wednesday, February 6 Meatball Stew with Rice, Baked Fresh Sweet Potato, Seasoned White Beans, Dinner Roll, Pineapple Tidbits, Choice of Milk Thursday, February 7 Vegetable Beef Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Side Salad, Ranch Dressing, Fruit Cocktail, Choice of Milk Friday, February 8 Hot Dog with Chili, Tator Tots, Buttered Corn, Fresh Orange Wedges, Choice of Milk PORK JAMBALAYA DINNERS SUNDAY, FEB. 3, 2019 INDIAN BAYOU FIRE STATION INDIAN BAYOU VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. $8.00 PER PLATE SERVING FROM 9:30 12:30 PM ENTERTAINMENT: 10:00 AM 2:00 PM LIVE AUCTION: 1:00 PM HOMEMADE CAKES AVAILABLE TICKETS DONATED BY: DUHON BROUSSARD, LLC. ATTORNEYS 337-893-3423 When Experience Counts Whitney Atchetee, P.T.

Physical Therapy-Aquatic Therapy Abbeville 893-3258 Kaplan 643-1483 www.whitneyatcheteept.com Sunday, February 10th, 2019 Doors open 11am Begins 12pm ENDS WHEN CAKES RUN OUT $1.00 Donation per Card Abbeville Meridional Sunday, February 3, 2019Page 2A Dynamite in the swamp When oil companies began to realize that muskrats the only pro table thing hiding in south Louisiana marshes, they also began to realize that exploration and drilling in the wetlands would be unlike anything done before. Chronicler Raymond Lankford noted in a history of the oil industry, were no roads in the marshes, no bridges over the bayous, no bases from which to move into the bays. The whole expanse from Calcasieu Lake to Breton Sound was a sort of land, neither land nor (History of Oil Well Drilling, Gulf Publishing, Houston, 1971.) When serious exploration began in the wetlands in the middle 1920s, seismic crews had to use pretty much the same pirogues as the men who hunted for muskrats, and often hired the trappers and their friends as guides. Companies to tap into local knowledge of the confusing and forbidding according to a history by the Minerals Management Service of offshore exploration (History of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in Southern Louisiana, Volume Papers on the Evolving Offshore Industry, OCS Study MMS 2008-042). crew would typically rent boats and hire laborers and guides in the small Cajun communities where people traditionally made their living variously by shing, shrimping, crabbing, frog hunting, muskrat trapping, salt mining, or harvesting sugar, rice tobacco, moss, or the MMS recorded.

In those early days, a typical exploration crew might include 10 seismologists and technicians and as many as 30 helpers hired from local communities. They worked 10 days, then took four off, using pirogues to navigate the trainasses (tiny canals) that sometimes wound through marshland, or sometimes just petered out in tall grass. The locals were important because they knew which canal went where. Sometimes, though, the crews had to push on past the dead-ends, carrying equipment for some of longest miles in the U.S.A.,” according to a feature in company publi- cation in March 1939. The laborers bound their pants legs at their ankles protect against snakes and then toted heavy loads through deep swamp dodging cypress roots and saw-toothed palmetto Usually their hands were too full to slap at the swarms of mosquitoes that found them easy prey.

explosives, pumps and pipe for drilling, cables, and all other paraphernalia of the art must be carried distances often of miles, and at a rate rarely exceeding one mile per according to the Shell feature. That sounds right. When Father William Teurlings wrote a little book about his days as pastor at Cameron, he titled it Mile an because, he said, that was the rate that his horse could move through the marshland. The equipment the seismic crews carried was often heavy and awkward, but the and cases of the carried posed the biggest risk. Typically, workers would screw a piece of heavy casing three to ve feet into the marsh mud, ll that with up to 50 pounds of dynamite, and then hunker down in the marsh grass while the detonation sent up tall geyser of water, mud, and plant The explosion would also leave a deep crater in the marsh for the next unexpecting crew to wade into.

you know about it, and you walked into it, you went right one old-timer recalled in an MMS interview. if you had a load on your back, it was pretty doggone hard to get up out of the The locals were important because of their skill as guides and the strength of their backs, but the oil companies soon found out that they offered something else that was perhaps more important. They spoke Cajun French. permits to survey from local landowners was much easier from a fellow French-speaking Cajun than it was from an English-speaking company man from according to the MMS history. That made things easier, the historians said, at least until the landowner fell into a dynamite hole.

A collection of Jim columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589. Vrai by Jim Bradshaw LSN columnist CROWLEY At the January Business and Executive meeting of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, Mike Francis, (R-Crowley) was unanimously elected Chairman by the ve Louisiana Commissioners for the 2019 term. Commissioner Francis stated, am honored to have been elected unanimously by my colleagues, Republican and Democrat appreciate the con dence they have entrusted in me.

I will strive daily to work for every Louisiana Francis was elected to the Commission in 2016 by the people of District IV, which comprises all or parts of 17 parishes from Sabine to Catahoula and Cameron to Iberia. best kept secret is that Louisiana households enjoy the lowest electric rates in the United said Francis. will be my priority to ensure that our rates remain the lowest in the In addition to electric rates, the Louisiana Public Service Commission regulates water natural gas, sewage, and telecommunications. The District IV of ce is located in Crowley, Louisiana and the toll free number is 1-800-256-2490. Chamber From Page 1A Change From Page 1A City From Page 1A the public by way of promoting both interest and support; something we seen in a very long time from any board member, and something that is also in the letter that I sent to Students in the parish are in agreement with Reese when he expressed his concern; even before penning the letter to the board.

statements are true. Students like myself and so many others that I have spoken to previously thinks that it makes our parish look stupid; as if we are just a he said leads us to my next statement in the It reads: states that a board member must act ethically in all matters at all times thereby representing the School District to the best of Reese said that in his opinion, none of the board members have done so. Here is his closing argument as stated in the letter: would like to remind every one of you that you are elected to represent, not to promote yourselves, or to attempt to demote others. I stated in the letter, I believe that the board can and will come together as one; together is more powerful, but things will have to Reese said. Vermilion Chamber of Commerce.

Audience members will not be allowed to ask questions as part of the moderated forum portion of the event. Citizens with questions will have an opportunity to ask the candidates during the meet and greet. This event is free and open to the public. Bourriaque and Rivera will be part of a special election on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Whoever wins the special election on Feb. 23 will serve the remainder of former Rep. Bob unexpired term, which will end later this year. Hensgens stepped down after being elected to the state senate The general election will be held on Oct. 12, 2019.

District 47 includes parts of Vermilion, Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes. for all city employees, including the Abbeville Police Department, the Abbeville Fire Department and municipal employees. Those raises would be funded by a proposed half-cent sales tax that would be placed on the May 4 ballot. The proposed tax would generate $1.4 million. Both measures would have to be approved by the full city council before being able to move forward.

The Abbeville City Council will meet for a regular meeting this Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Candidates for District 47 State Representative, Ryan Bourriaque and Ben Rivera spoke to members of the Kiwnais Club of Abbeville. L-R: Kiwanis President Mike Hardy, Bourriaque, Rivera, Kiwanis Member Scottie Gaspard and Vermilion Parish Police Juror Pervis Gaspard. Mia Judge (left) agrees with Gabbie Bessard (right) that Caleb idea to write to the School Board was but brave and Louisiana Public Service Commission elects Mike Francis as Chairman Mike Francis Be sure to visit Vermiliontoday.com to view more local and state stories.