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March 10, 1929 ~ May 20, 2020

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, May 25, 2020 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic for Maryann Bodin Scalisi, 91, who passed away peacefully in her home Wednesday, May 20, 2020 with her family by her side. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Father Donald Bernard officiating the services.
Pallbearers will be Mrs. Scalisi’s seven grandsons, Rollins and Randy Dent of Jackson, Mississippi, Johnny Scalisi of Alexandria, LA, Paul Scalisi of New Iberia, James Sandoz of Midland, TX, Tom Sandoz of Maurice and Matthew Dore’ of San Diego, CA. Readings will be given by Mrs. Scalisi’s two granddaughters, Marsha Thibodeaux of Lafayette and Michele Dore’ of Baton Rouge. Gift bearers will be her great grandchildren and her newborn great-great granddaughter.
Mrs. Scalisi was born in New Iberia, La where she lived until marrying the love of her life, Bernard Scalisi. They were married almost 60 years. Mrs. Scalisi was a devoted Christian, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was a military wife, traveling the world as she raised her family. Mrs. Scalisi was also an accomplished seamstress, sewing for her children and grandchildren. Her greatest joy in life was being with her family.
Mrs. Scalisi is survived by her five children, Sheila Dent (Bobby), of Jackson, Mississippi, Bernard Scalisi, Jr, (Bai), of Nunez, Louisiana, Ronald Scalisi, (Joyce) of Jacksonville, Florida, Germaine Lattier (Earl), of Lafayette and Valerie Dore’, (Joseph) of Abbeville; nine grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren; a great great granddaughter; and her brothers, Daniel Bodin, Larry Bodin and Merlin Bodin.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard Scalisi; parents, Wesley and Germaine Bodin; and a brother, Wesley Bodin, Jr.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic, 300 Pere Megret St., Abbeville on Monday, May 25, 2020 from 1:00 PM until time of services.
The family would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Community Hospice Care for the loving care provided. Gratitude is also extended to Mrs. Scalisi’s sitters, Lea Abshire, Regina Clark and Doriene Sherrer.
In lieu of flowers, donations, if desired, may be made to Community Hospice Care, 5750 Johnston Street, Suite 204, Lafayette, LA. 70503.
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.

ERATH — Funeral Services for Mr. Reno Joseph Duplantis, 83, were held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Monday, May 18, 2020 at 1:00PM with Father Metrejean officiating.
Visitation was held at David Funeral Home in Erath on May 18, 2020 from 9:00AM until time of services with a recitation of the rosary at 11:00 AM.
A native of Erath, Mr. Reno passed away on May 16, 2020. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. In his younger days he was a quarter horse owner and enjoyed horse racing throughout his life.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margie Romero Duplantis; his sons, Glen Duplantis and his wife Anne of Erath, Jody Duplantis of Erath, and Cory Duplantis and his wife Britlyn of Broussard; his sisters, Margie Romero and Shirley Choate; his grandchildren, Ashley Duplantis, Scott Duplantis, Christopher Duplantis, Natasha Menard, Cory Duplantis Jr., Mollie Grace Duplantis, Mary-Catherine Duplantis, and Manon-Cate Duplantis; and his five great-grandchildren.
Honorary pallbearers are Tommy LeBlanc, Bradley Baudoin, Russell Suire, Gerald Libersat, Alvin Benoit and Wayne Choate.
He is preceded in death by his parents Odeus Duplantis and Etta Landry; his son Reno Joseph Duplantis Jr.; his sister, Joyce Duplantis; his brother, Leo Duplantis; and his granddaughter, Amanda Claire Duplantis.
David Funeral Home of Erath 209 East Putnam St. (337) 937-0405 was in charge of the arrangements.

MAMOU – Shortly after 6 a.m. on May 20, Louisiana State Police Troop I was notified of a two-vehicle fatal crash on LA Hwy 13 near Gilbert Road in Evangeline Parish.
The crash claimed the life of 31-year-old Joseph Lee Willis of Ville Platte.
The preliminary investigation revealed a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic, driven by Willis, was traveling South on LA 13. At the same time, a 2000 Peterbilt 18-wheeler was traveling North on LA 13. For reasons still under investigation, Willis crossed the center lines into the path of the Peterbilt. The driver of the Peterbilt then took evasive action by steering left. Willis, then, swerved back into the southbound lane and struck the 18-wheeler head-on.
Troopers determined Willis was unrestrained and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Evangeline Parish Coroner’s Office. The driver of the Peterbilt was restrained and was not injured. Toxicology samples were taken from the drivers and results are pending. This crash remains under investigation.
The majority of motorists who die in crashes are not wearing a seat belt. Despite this fact, some people still choose not to take the 3 seconds needed to buckle a seat belt. Louisiana law requires motorists to wear a seat belt in every seating position, front seat and back seat, day and night. Wearing a seat belt is the most effective thing vehicle occupants can do to minimize the risk of injury in the event of a crash. Motorists are encouraged to make the smart choice and to always wear their seat belt.
Troop I has investigated 18 fatal crashes resulting in 21 deaths since the beginning of 2020.

When Republicans failed to deliver for the American people and lost their majority in the United States House of Representatives in 2018, a true poison was unleashed on the nation. For a second time, Nancy Pelosi became U.S. Speaker of the House and in her latest stint in this position she has been incredibly damaging to this country.
For months, she pursued a divisive and unnecessary impeachment of President Donald Trump. Instead of working to fight the coronavirus in January and February, congressional Democrats were only focused on impeaching and convicting President Trump. The Ukraine hoax which led to the flimsy impeachment charges was as ridiculous as the Russia hoax, but it did not matter to Democrats inflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome.
As the impossible dream was nearing an end, Pelosi, in an act of partisan rage, tore up the President’s State of the Union speech, the most disrespectful behavior ever displayed by a U.S. Speaker of the House on national television.
Since that time, Pelosi and the Democrats have been working non-stop to blame the President for an “almost sinful” response to the coronavirus, while pushing dangerous legislation to financially ruin the country.
Instead of joining the President in affixing blame on Communist China for the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, Pelosi calls it “an interesting diversion.” She blames the President of the United States for acting too slowly in protecting Americans, even though he instituted the travel ban from China that saved the lives of countless Americans. Democrats did not support the travel ban but called it “racist” and “xenophobic.”
When President Trump inherited his position, he was left with an empty cupboard by former President Barack Obama. The military had been decimated, the economy was in the doldrums and the supplies to respond to health emergencies were woefully inadequate.
Under Trump’s leadership, the country has built thousands of ventilators, produced an amazing amount of personal protective equipment, ramped up coronavirus testing to record levels and started a new project aimed at creating a vaccine for the virus. Instead of praising the administration for its hard work, Pelosi can only find fault with President Trump. She is not interested in pursuing a positive solution to the pandemic, only pushing a partisan agenda.
While President Trump was working every day since the beginning of the lock down, Pelosi was on vacation in her California mansion doing television interviews in front of her expensive freezer full of gourmet chocolate. Now that she is finally back on Capitol Hill, Pelosi has been promoting her latest gimmick, a $3 trillion relief package, known as the HEROES (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions) Act. On Friday night, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a 208-199 vote, with the support of only one Republican.
The supporters of this legislation are obviously unconcerned that the nation has spent almost $3 trillion in three coronavirus relief packages and has a national debt that now exceeds $25.2 trillion. This legislation is horrific, for it is purely a partisan shopping list of goodies for leftist causes. One of them is the marijuana industry, so the word “cannabis” is used more often than the word “jobs” in the 1,815-page legislation.
The bill also includes $10.5 billion for American colleges and universities, despite the $14 billion in spending already allocated for higher education in the last relief package. There is also $25 billion allotted for the U.S. Postal Service, the latest bailout to keep the agency operating. It just delays the inevitable day of reckoning that must eventually arrive for an entity that is both inefficient and outdated.
Other pet liberal causes are handsomely funded in Pelosi’s legislation. It includes $3.6 billion for states to enact mail-in balloting and early voting, causes advocated by Democrats to help their electoral chances. The bill also includes about $1 trillion in funding for state and local governments dealing with coronavirus related budget shortfalls. This will force American taxpayers to fund the out of control spending of liberal governors who refuse to trim their spending or enact even modest budget reforms.
The most egregious aspect of the bill is that there are has no restrictions on illegal aliens receiving financial assistance. This once again shows that Democrats are totally uninterested in border security, fighting illegal immigration or in any way penalizing those who have broken our laws to enter the country.
The disastrous HEROES Act should surprise no one, for Pelosi and her cohorts drafted the legislation without collaborating with House or Senate Republicans or the White House. Even South Carolina Democrat Congressman Joe Cunningham called the bill “Washington at its worst.”
Fortunately, the legislation will be DOA when it reaches the U.S. Senate and President Trump will surely not sign the bill in its current form. Nonetheless, it showcases the importance of the GOP winning back the U.S. House in the fall and retiring the most left-wing House Speaker in American history. Voters must also award Republicans with a U.S. Senate majority and re-elect President Trump for another term.
This legislation should remind Americans of the dangerous policies advocated by Democrats. It would be truly disastrous for our nation if this bill and the rest of the radical Pelosi agenda would ever become enacted into law. It should motivate millions of voters to flock to the polls in November to save our country from such a perilous future.
Once again, we are reminded that elections have consequences; however, this November, the survival of our nation is genuinely at stake.

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