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October 10, 1979 - March 10, 2020

ABBEVILLE – Funeral services for Shantell Stewart were held on Friday, March 13, 2020 at Kinchen Funeral Home.
Burial was held in Mt. Triumph Baptist Church Cemetery in Gross Isle.
Shantell Stewart (40), a life-long resident of Abbeville passed away Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at her residence. She will be missed by all who knew her.
Active Pallbearers were Nazareth Stewart, Alex Matthews, Philiph Moore III, Jose Brown, Lil Hilton Braxton Brown and Timmy Keith Moore.
Honorary Pallbearers were Clarence Stewart, Clarence Guidry, Robert Stagg, Leo Stagg, Floyd Harris, Lawrence Mathews, Kerry Moore, Kenneth Moore, Jr. and Kendrick Harris.
Interment: Mount Triumph Cemetery, Grosse Isle, Louisiana
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Kinchen Funeral Home, 218 N. St. Valerie Street, Abbeville, La, 70510. Repass to be held at St. Mary Congregational Church at 213 S. Louisiana Street, Abbeville, LA, 70510
Special Acknowledgments: We would like to express our deepest appreciation for each one who has called, texted, sent your condolences at this time of our bereavement. We would like to thank you all for your many acts of kindness at this time. Your thoughtfulness has given us strength. We would also like to Fresenius Kidney Care for the wonderful care that they have given to Shantell over the years…We thank you all.
Kinchen Funeral Home, Inc. – 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.

Consistent with guidance provided today by the University of Louisiana System, UL Lafayette will begin remote course delivery to mitigate public health concerns related to COVID-19, or coronavirus. Alternative delivery methods begin on Wednesday, March 18.
There will be no classes Monday and Tuesday, March 16-17, but campus will remain open, and all University operations and business functions will continue, including:
residence halls;
dining;
Student Health Services; and
Edith Garland Dupré Library.
All employees, including teaching assistants and student workers, should report to work as usual.
UL Lafayette students, faculty and staff will receive updated information throughout the day that addresses remote delivery of courses, residence hall functionality, dining, health services, and other essentials.
Members of the campus community should monitor University email, official social media accounts and this page dedicated to COVID-19 updates for the latest.

December 30, 1931 ~ March 11, 2020

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, March 13, 2020 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Benjamin Joseph Bourque, 88, who died Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at The Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice. He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Deacon William "Billy" Vincent officiating the services.
Ben is survived by his wife, Cheath Chea Nguyen; four sons, Richard Bourque and his wife Kathy of Forked Island, Calvin Bourque and his wife Jamie of Morgan City, Jerry Bourque and his wife Lori of Youngsville, and Norris Bourque of Abbeville; one daughter, Elizabeth "Liz" Dore of Erath; nine grandchildren; sisters, Gladys Henry of Kaplan, Mary Ann Trahan of Kaplan, and Kathy Meaux of Abbeville; and brothers, Preston Bourque of Abbeville, and Ray Allen Bourque of Colorado.
He was preceded in death by his father, Ophe Bourque; mother, Elodie Bertrand Lege; two brothers, Leroy Lege, and Lovelace "Bee" Bourque; and sisters, Ethel Deshotel, and Delta Latiolais.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Thursday, March 12, 2020 from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Friday, March 13, 2020 from 8:00 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.

By David Jacobs | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Louisiana will impose restrictions on visiting nursing homes, prisons and jails over the next 30 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday.
The details will be announced soon, Edwards said during a joint news conference with U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Adams was in Baton Rouge on a visit scheduled before the recent coronavirus outbreak.
“I hope that the people who are out there who are inconvenienced and unable to visit a loved one will understand we’re doing this for the protection of their loved one,” Edwards said.
Edwards and Adams noted that most people are not at high risk of serious complications from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, but urged everyone to take proper precautions to help protect people who are in high-risk groups, such as older people and those with chronic health conditions.
Adams stressed that people should understand their own risks and those of their organizations, which are explained at coronavirus.gov, and how those factors should affect their plans.
“Preparing doesn’t mean panicking,” he said.
To the extent that they can while remaining consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, people should go about their lives as normal, Edwards said. His advice comes amid the cancellation of numerous events as Louisiana enters the spring festival season, which is important to the state’s tourism industry and related businesses.
“If you’re sick, stay home from work,” he said. “If you’re not, go to work.”
Adams praised President Donald Trump’s “bold and aggressive action” combating the spread of the coronavirus, including a 30-day restriction on travel from much of Europe Trump announced Wednesday night. Adams clarified that the restrictions do not apply to U.S. citizens, a distinction Trump did not make clear in his national address.
“Now is not the time to politicize situations,” Adams said, in response to a question about Trump’s statements in recent weeks about the virus and the federal government’s response to it.
Originally, China was the source of most new infections, he said. Now Europe, specifically Italy, is “the new China.”
“We are shifting from a containment posture to a mitigation posture,” Adams said. “We’ve got the coronavirus in our communities. What can we do to lower the impact of it, [and] to slow the spread of it?”
For most people, that includes washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand sanitizer is a useful backup but is less effective and harder to acquire right now, Adams noted.
Adams said public officials should be “really careful when we’re talking about closures.” For example, if you close a school, you need a plan for where the children will go and who will take care of them.
“I felt very reassured by what I heard from the state department of health here in Louisiana about the availability of testing,” Adams said.
At the same time, resources are limited and people who are not sick don’t need to be tested, he added, urging people to contact a health care professional to discuss if testing is appropriate for them.
As of Thursday morning, Louisiana had 14 “presumed positive” cases that had not been confirmed by the CDC, state officials said. “Community spread,” meaning spread of the virus that is not related to travel, is believed to be happening in the New Orleans area.
COVID-19 is the official name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, coughing and trouble breathing.
Most people who have COVID-19 develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually the elderly and those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.