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EVANGELINE PARISH – At approximately 8:15 p.m. on June 17, 2020, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop I were notified of a single-vehicle crash on LA Hwy 10 near Spring Prairie Road in Evangeline Parish. The crash took the life of 32-year-old Kathleen Drew of Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The initial investigation by State Police revealed that the crash occurred as Drew was driving a 2018 Hyundai Elantra East on LA 10 when, for reasons still under investigation, her vehicle ran off the roadway to the left. Upon doing so, the Hyundai struck several trees then overturned, coming to rest on its roof.
Drew was restrained at the time of the crash. She was transported to a local hospital where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. Her passenger was transported to a local hospital with only minor injuries despite having not been restrained. Impairment is unknown but standard toxicology samples were obtained for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
Troopers witness, firsthand, the effects crash forces have on motor vehicles and the devastating effects of those forces on the human body. While not all crashes are survivable, proper seat belt usage can greatly increase the chances of surviving a crash by spreading out those forces across the strong bones of the body. Properly worn seat belts also help to keep the occupants of vehicles in their seat and protect the head and spine. Please be a responsible driver, obey speed limits, drive sober, buckle up, and avoid all distractions.
Troop I has investigated 22 fatal crashes resulting in 25 deaths in 2020.

Vermilion Parish will offer no-cost, drive-thru COVID-19 testing to parish residents during June and July. The testing is in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health, Vermilion Parish Police Jury and Louisiana National Guard.

Testing will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the following dates:

Friday, June 19
Maurice City Park
East Lafayette Street
Maurice

Monday, June 22
Old Abbeville Health Unit
401 S. St Charles Street
Abbeville

Friday, June 26
AA Comeaux Park
301 AA Comeaux Road
Abbeville

Monday, June 29
Old E Broussard School
17126 Paul Road
Abbeville

Thursday, July 2
LSU Ag Center Parking Lot
1105 West Port Street
Abbeville

Monday, July 6
East Marie Clement Park
900 East 5th Street
Kaplan

Thursday, July 9
Gueydan Civic Center
901 Wilkerson Street
Gueydan

ABBEVILLE – Mary Mouton Thompson entered into eternal rest on Friday, June 12, 2020 as a resident of Vermilion Health Care Center. Her transition was peaceful in that she was blessed to have her nieces Brenda M. Jordan and Jacquelyn Tyler at her side.
Mary “Tut-Say” Thompson (93), as she was affectionately called, was a long-time resident of Lafayette. However, because of health reasons Vermilion Health Care Center has been her home for the last seven years.
She is survived by a multitude of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
The family would like to thank Vermilion Health Care Center for the many years of dedicated service and love that has been shown toward their loved one.
The family would also like to express their gratitude to Hospice Compassus for their love and support as well.
An appropriate memorial for Mary “Tut-Say” Thompson and Interment will be held in Houston, Texas at a later date.
Kinchen Funeral Home – 218 N. St. Valerie Street (337) 898-9595 is in charge of final arrangements. Additionally, condolences to the family may be expressed on our website at: www.kinchenfuneralhome.com.

The United States of America will never be the same, it will be a much worse place to live and work. Amid a three-month pandemic there has been a three-week cultural revolution, ignited by the brutal death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, that has changed our country forever.
Our country is a great experiment, a diverse nation of 50 states united by a founding document that enshrines God given rights that people in other countries can only dream of realizing. The United States has become not only the world’s only superpower, but also a country that has been a beacon of hope and freedom to the world.
Unfortunately, evil forces are succeeding in permanently changing our great country. It was difficult enough for the nation to withstand its first national economic shutdown, but the troubles were multiplied when the nation witnessed the gruesome killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Floyd’s death was captured on video and it sparked nationwide protests. The peaceful marchers were soon overwhelmed by looters and rioters who wanted to burn and steal. Mayhem was encouraged across the nation as liberal media outlets celebrated the demonstrations as a justifiable outpouring of anger after Floyd’s death.
The results were catastrophic as thousands of businesses were burned, looted, and destroyed. In Minneapolis, the carnage was breathtaking as 360 businesses were damaged or destroyed by an uncontrollable throng of criminals.
Sadly, in many cities, the police were resistant to engage outlaws, stung by accusations of brutality and racism. The National Guard had to be deployed in 23 states to quell the violence.
According to the U.S. Attorney General, the demonstrators were supported by the radical extremist group, Antifa, along with other leftist organizations. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how the demonstrations could multiply so quickly across the country. There is plenty to investigate, such as mysterious busloads of demonstrators being driven to protest sites. Also, there are conflicting reports about pallets of bricks oddly appearing in downtown areas.
Tragically, the victims of the madness were often African Americans. Dozens of people were seriously injured or killed by the rioters. For example, an African American St. Louis security guard and retired police captain, David Dorn, was killed outside of the pawn shop he was trying to protect.
While Floyd was remembered with multiple funerals and worldwide expressions of grief, Dorn and other victims of the rioters have been practically ignored.
The political left is following the maxim “never let a good crisis go to waste.” The attacks on businesses and innocent people have also developed into regular attacks on police officers. The battle cry of many of these protesters is to “defund the police.”
Such a policy would be total lunacy. While some police officers are racist or unstable and need to be removed from their departments, the vast majority do a tremendous job of protecting and serving the public. We need to properly pay and honor our police officers instead of attacking them.
A country without “law and order” is a country that will soon disintegrate. This is exactly the goal of some of the radical left protesters. In Seattle, a seven-block area of the city has been seized by anti-government demonstrators. The area has been renamed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, nicknamed CHAZ.
Before relinquishing their hold on the area, the protesters have stated that their list of 30 demands must be met. The list includes “the abolishment of imprisonment,” and the “abolition” of the Seattle Police Department. Instead of removing these anarchists from her city, the Mayor of Seattle views the protesters as patriots who are having a “block party,” and a “summer of love.”
The radical left not only wants the police to be disbanded and defunded, but they also want all monuments to “white supremacy” destroyed. Thus, mobs across the country have spent the past three weeks pulling down monuments to Christopher Columbus, confederate generals and any individuals deemed to be offensive in any way. No police were stopping these hooligans, who should all be arrested for the destruction of property.
This cultural jihad is extending to the universities where professors who do not parrot the correct talking points on these protests and the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement are being targeted, suspended, and fired.
Almost 300 companies, including Amazon, have expressed their support for Black Lives Matter. Any Americans objecting or even saying “All Lives Matter” face the wrath of the mob. The victims include a Sacramento Kings broadcaster who was fired for such a tweet and a New Orleans Mardi Gras captain who is facing the total desertion of her krewe membership for daring to show support for “All Lives Matter.”
The mob has also succeeded in forcing the cancellation of two popular television shows, Cops and Live PD. Supposedly, the programs glorified police officers too much. Even more ominously, the Academy Award winning classic, Gone With the Wind, voted the most favorite American movie of all-time, has been removed from the film catalog at HBO Max. The censors at the network are busy crafting suitable language condemning the racism of the movie. Once that is finished, the movie will be returned to the airwaves, but this time with a disclaimer that will air before the movie begins so that audiences can be properly educated.
What is next America? It could be book burning or other draconian attempts to squelch free speech or free expression. In America today, only groupthink is allowed and anyone daring to have an opposing point of view will be ostracized, fired and it is not unimaginable to think, one day, imprisoned.
This is not America, the country we have today is becoming hell.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs locally at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 10:00 p.m. Sundays on PBS affiliate WLAE-TV, Channel 32, and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & www.Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com