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There is a big hole on the east side of Olympus Health Club in Nunez, and it is not because the health club is remodeling. It is because Christopher Thibodeaux drove his truck through the wall.
At around 3:30 Thursday morning, Thibodeaux’s vehicle was heading west, towards Kaplan, on La. 14. For unknown reasons, his vehicle veered left off the road and into Hebert’s Restaurant parking lot. The vehicle came to a stop in the middle of the Olympus gym.
Thibodeaux, 30, was arrested and charged by the Louisiana State Police. He was charged with Operating While Intoxicated (first), Careless Operation and no safety belt.
According to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff website, Hebert was not in the parish jail on Thursday.
Owners Carl and David Hollier, friends and family were busy cleaning up the mess on Thursday.
“You never know, you just never know,” said Carl.
The Holliers received a phone call Thursday morning saying a vehicle ran into the building. Carl arrived thinking he would see a vehicle halfway inside the building. Instead, the entire vehicle was in the health club.
No one was in the gym at the time of the crash. No equipment was damaged. However, the entire business office was destroyed, including Olympus’ computer.
The Holliers are trying to repair the east side of the building as quickly as possible to let the members back into the gym area.
No timetable is given as to when the club would reopen.

There is no doubt, Vermilion Parish is a Roman Catholic Community based on the amount of people who took part in the Centennial Fete-Dieu du Vermilion Eucharistic Procession on Wednesday morning.
It began with a French Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville. The procession left the church and walked across the downtown bridge and then turned into the old Riverfront Restaurant where it stopped along the river.
The rosary was said in four different languages.
Catholics surrounded the grounds and many were standing on the shutdown downtown bridge. Also in attendance were students from Vermilion Catholic, Mt. Carmel and Maltrait Elementary.
“Participating in such a reverent celebration and reciting a decade of the Rosary in French was a blessing and opportunity to connect with our Catholic and Acadian roots of south Louisiana,” said Camille Harrington, a VC senior
Some Vermilion Catholic students took part in the procession
“I was very honored to be chosen to serve for such a special and unique Mass. it was humbling to serve for Bishop Provost,”said VC senior Anne-Catherine Gallet.
The event honors the arrival of the French-speaking Catholics, the Acadians, who came to the area 252 years ago after being exiled by the British from present-day Nova Scotia. They built homes and churches along the bayou and established the communities, the culture and the faith that would define the Cajuns.
The Feté-Dieu du Vermilion procession left downtown and headed north towards Lafayette, where it ended later in the day.
There were over 60 boats in the procession.
Since that first event in 2015, the procession-by-boat has been repeated each year on August 15, becoming an annual part of Acadiana’s observance of the Assumption of Mary.
“To be Cajun is to be Catholic,” says Father Michael Champagne in a pleasant baritone that gives evidence of his own Acadian roots.
Watching along the banks of the Vermilion River was Jerry Hiden from New Iberia. She was speechless when she saw the amount of Catholics walking across the bridge.
“That is lovely to see,” Hiden said.

State law says one of three things need to happen for a government body to declare an emergency declaration. The emergency has to be a “disaster,” “emergency” or “public health emergency.”
Where does building an open pavilion at North Vermilion Middle School fall under an “emergency,” “public health emergency” or a “disaster?” Somehow, the school board thinks it does.
The school board voted 8-0 to declare an emergency declaration during a committee meeting on Monday. New school board attorney Kathy Boudreaux advised against the emergency declaration.
The Meridional called the State Ethics Board and spoke to someone from the board, who did not want to give their name. The person on the ethics board said in their opinion the school board was legal by declaring a state emergency for the project.
By declaring the state of emergency, the school board gets to avoid not advertising for bid prices when it comes to building the pavilion, which will be used for the middle school students to eat “express lunches” at noon time.
By not advertising for the construction of the pavilion, it will save about four weeks on completing the project, estimates architect Gene Sellers Jr.
Sellers Jr. could not lock down an exact price for the building, but he did guesstimate closer to $200,000. Sellers said he will get three contractors to submit quotes for the project and then go with the lowest quote.
Boudreaux advised the board to go out for bids for the project because of the guesstimated cost of the project.
“I have some concerns if the pavilion falls under the emergency declaration act,” said Boudreaux. The emergency declaration calls for a dining hall. I realize we are talking about a place to eat. The pavilion is different. The projected cost could be $150,000 to $250,000. I think we are required to send that out for public bid, and I do not think that falls under an emergency declaration.”
School Board member Chris Gautreaux is the board member who recommended the board to vote for a state of emergency declaration. After hearing Boudreaux’s recommendation, he responded.
Gautreaux said, “I have done my homework on this. I know where I am going with this. Dining hall or dining pavilion, it is one in the same. I am not going to hash it out for the next two weeks.”

ABBEVILLE – A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. Lovelace Joseph Landry, Sr., 79, will be held at 2:00PM on Thursday, August 16, 2018 at St. Theresa Catholic Church with Fr. François Sainte-Marie officiating. Interment will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.
Visitation will be at David Funeral Home of Abbeville on Thursday, August 16, 2018 from 9:00AM until the time of the services with a recitation of the rosary at 11:00AM.
A native of Abbeville and a resident of Erath, Mr. Lovelace died at 8:25PM on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at Abbeville General Hospital. He enjoyed watching sports and fishing.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mary Clostio Landry of Erath; a daughter, Patricia Cessac of Crosby, TX; a sister, Velta Landry; five grandchildren, Justin Cessac, Phillip Cessac, Nathan Cessac, Jake Broussard, and Eric Broussard; and a great grandchild, Anna Lee Broussard.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Claudol and Edna Primeaux Landry; a son, Lovelace J. Landry, Jr.; a daughter, Gloria Broussard; a brother, Duris Landry; and two sisters, Olite Rogers, and Olive Landry.
Serving as pallbearers will be Justin Paul Cessac, Phillip James Cessac, Nathan Thomas Cessac, Jake Paul Broussard, and Eric John Broussard.
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Abbeville at 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangements.