The Eunice News is presenting a month-by-month review of 2020’s news. The review is an attempt to note major and some minor issues through the year dominated by COVID-19. The report will continue in Sunday’s edition.
January
In January, Eunice principals Mitch Fontenot of Eunice High school and Dwanetta Scott of Eunice Junior High School were honored as parish principals of the year by the St. Landry Parish School Board.
Sales tax collections in St. Landry Parish reached a record in 2019 at about $69.9 million in local taxes.
Gov. John Bel Edwards opened his second term with a call for bipartisan cooperation. “The future is ours to seize,” Edwards said. “But we have to commit here and now to be great, to work together, and continue to reject the partisan rancor and dysfunction that plagues Washington, D.C.”
Coby Clavier, a Eunice representative on the St. Landry Parish Council, was elected as the Council’s chairman. Clavier was starting his second term on the Council in January.
The St. Landry Parish School Board’s computer system suffered a cyber-attack. The school system’s servers were shutdown and state National Guard and Department of Education experts were called in to assist.
The head of the U.S. Marshals Service, Donald Washington, spoke at the Martin Luther King celebration at New Zion Baptist Church.
U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, whose 4th District includes Eunice, was named to the defense team in President Trump’s impeachment process. Trump was accused of abusing his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine as he pressed for an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden and obstructing a congressional investigation.
A gas leak caused concern between 8th and 9th streets two blocks north of West Laurel Avenue on Jan. 23. There were no injuries or damage reported due to the leak.
St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz met with the St. Landry Parish School Board’s Executive Committee on Jan. 27 to discuss school resource officers, but quickly turned to warn of gang activity in the parish. “I’m concerned about what’s going on. I’m not trying to scare anybody. I’m just telling you that’s the facts,” he said.
Longtime Eunice educator Harry Summerlin died on Jan. 30. He had served as principal at St. Edmund High School and assistant principal at Eunice Junior High School. In addition, he served as a city alderman.
February
The Eunice News did a story about Coburn’s Supply plan to build a $2.9 million distribution facility.
The newspaper also reported that the Post Office planned to reopen its Eunice office in 90 days. The facility closed abruptly in September 2019. Health issues were cited for the closure.
Sales tax revenues in St. Landry Parish showed a 16% increase in January compared to January 2019. Eunice collections were up 15.7%.
The forecast was for a rainy Mardi Gras, but by the big day the weather was fine-tuned for what may have been one of the biggest turnouts ever for the downtown celebration. The day turned out to be a sunny one perfect for man and horse.
March
The news in the March 1 edition was the Maple Avenue paving was still planned, but would not happen in 2020. State Rep. Phillip DeVillier said sewer line issues under the road would not stop the paving project. In July 2019, the $1.8 million paving projected was approved. The estimate to repair the sewer line was about $2 million.
Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot expressed concern about Mardi Gras throws containing alcohol and cans of beer. The beer cans posed a physical threat and the alcohol landed in the hands of minors, he said.
A monument honoring three men killed in action during the Vietnam War was celebrated in front of Central Middle School. The men were graduates of Charles Drew High School, the predecessor of Central Middle. The monument honors Sgt. Charles Williams, Pfc. Jimmy Williams and Lance Cpl. Alvin Jimmy Monday. Jake Flukers, of Shreveport, a Charles Drew graduate, funded the monument.
St. Landry Parish sales tax collections through February were reported down 22.7% from the same period in 2019.
Attendance at the 35th annual Here’s the Beef Cook-off in Opelousas probably set a record.
The first COVID-19 news hit The Eunice News front page on March 15. Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered K-12 schools to close through April 13 and banned gatherings of more than 250 people LSUE announced its classes would be offered online. Elections scheduled for April and May were moved to June and July.
Former Eunice educator Irma Trosclair was named superintendent by the Lafayette Parish School Board. Trosclair had been serving as interim superintendent.
Eunice High’s annual Renaissance Pep Rally has held on Friday, March 13, just before the school shutdown due to the coronavirus.
The Thursday, March 19, edition’s front page was all about COVID-19. St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot declared a state of emergency in the parish. There were no confirmed cases in the parish at the time. Parish school sites had been closed. Eunice City Hall was closed. The Chamber of Commerce announced that the Crawfish Etoufee Cook-off was “postponed.” (The cook-off, like other public events, would not be held in 2020.) Rep. Phillip DeVillier called a meeting of mayors, police, fire and hospital officials at City Hall to discuss the virus situation.
The March 22 edition reported that the first person had tested positive for COVID-19 in the parish. There were seven deaths attributed to the virus in the state. The virus was blamed for the failure to meet a quorum at a St. Landry Parish Council meeting on March 18. Economist Lauren Scott warned the nation and Louisiana faced a steep recession due to collapsing oil prices and the lock downs intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
In the Thursday, March 26, edition of The Eunice News, it was reported that the governor had issued a statewide stay at home order. There were four virus cases in St. Landry Parish, 1,795 cases in the state and 65 deaths from the virus in the state. Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot assured the public that city services remained intact and citizens could call city offices. A 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew had been declared in St. Landry Parish
In the Sunday, March 29, edition, the parish COVID-19 count was 10 cases. An 89-year-old Acadia Parish man had died from the virus. The virus spread in Louisiana was said to be among the world’s fastest. The U.S. cases were past 85,000 and about 1,000 people had died.
In another virus story, a ransomware cyber-attack in October 2019 at LSUE, had caused about $2 million in recovery costs.
Eunice native Van Reed was appointed director of the parish’s Emergency Preparedness Office on March 9. It was a job that landed him in the middle of the COVID-19 response.
The Louisiana Workforce Commission reported that the state’s unemployment rate in February dropped had dropped to 4.3%.
April
The first positive case of COVID-19 in Eunice was reported in the April 2 edition. The parish had its first death and the case count was at 45.
St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz urged clergy and business owners to abide by a 10-person attendance limit.
In the April 5 edition, School Board and Parish Council meetings had moved to online and phones. A second virus death was reported and there were 68 cases in the parish.
Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot canceled the April 14 Board of Aldermen meeting.
Food assistance began in Eunice with distribution outside the New Zion Baptist Church.
In the April 16 edition, 16 deaths were attributed to COVID-19. St. Landry Parish School Superintendent Patrick Jenkins announced that schools would remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Education would continue online and lessons were picked up at schools.
The COVID-19 pandemic had its first reported impact on jobs. The March unemployment rate was 6.9%, up from 4.5% in March 2019.
Dr. Tina Stefanski, state Department of Health Region 4 director, said the coronavirus spread had leveled off, but was expected to surge during the summer.
The April 19 edition reported 18 deaths from the virus in St. Landry Parish and 119 positive cases. In the state, there were 1,213 deaths and 23,118 cases confirmed.
In the Thursday, April 23, edition, the parish COVID-19 death count was at 29 and 140 cases had been confirmed.
Hundreds of people showed up for a food giveaway at the Word Ministries parking lot.
Banker and attorney Veil David “Sonny” DeVillier reportedly died from COVID-19 on April 17 in Baton Rouge. He was 85.
The April 26 edition reported LSUE had received $2 million in CARES Act funding. The city reopened the walking park, lake and golf course. The parish death toll from the virus was at 34 and 157 cases had been confirmed.
Unemployment rates were showing the impact of the virus. St. Landry Parish’s unemployment rate was 7.9%, up from 5.4% in March 2019 and 5.8% in February.
State Rep. Devillier held another district meeting with leaders at LSUE to discuss the virus situation after five weeks of a partial shutdown. “We would like to see us begin the process of reopening,” DeVillier said.
In the April 30 Eunice News, smaller businesses were allowed to reopen. Police Chief Randy Fontneot said the coronavirus had slowed the crime rate. The death toll was at 39. The governor extended a stay-at-home order to May 15.
May
The Eunice News May 3rd edition reported that a flyover on May 1 at Acadian Medical Center honored health care workers.
Cajun culture champion Harry LaFleur died on April 30 at the age of 86.
LSUE Chancellor Nancee Sorenson said the university would have a summer session and it would be mostly online. Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot said there signs the economy would be reopening.
The Eunice Food Bank was finding its assistance more in demand as the economy slowed.
The May 14 edition reported one of the anomalies of the coronavirus slowdown was that sales tax collections were up. The parish collections in April up 20-plus percent. The Eunice Board of Aldermen met again in person. Eunice High Principal Mitch Fontenot was a semi-finalist for state principal of the year. Dr. John Hamlin was named academic vice chancellor at LSUE.
The May 17 edition reported the parish curfew had been lifted and the courthouse reopened. The COVID-19 death toll was at 51 in the parish and there were 244 cases.
The Eunice High and St. Edmund seniors held a parade on Park Avenue on Friday, May 15.
The Thursday, May 21, edition included a story that the J. Michael Morrow Memorial Nursing Home in Arnaudville had suffered 34 deaths from COVID-19 among its 147 patients. A tornado struck Church Point on May 17 killing one person. The parish death toll from the virus reached 52 including those at the Arnaudville nursing home.
The New York Times noted the death of Sonny DeVillier among the 100,000 people who had died from the virus in the U.S.
The Sunday, May 31, edition reported the parish jobless rate reached 13.2% in April. A story noted the start of hurricane season on June 1.
June
The Sunday June 7, edition reported on the city preparing for Tropical Storm Cristobal, which was the earliest-ever third named tropical storm to form in recorded history of Atlantic storms.
The June 11 edition reported sales tax collections dropped from April to May, but remained up from a year ago. Free COVID-19 testing was coming to the parish.
Evangeline Downs was planning to layoff 246 workers due to the coronavirus shutdown. The casino-racetrack had employed up to 450 people prior to the virus.
The June 25 edition reported the retirement of Eunice High coach Paul Trosclair. Eunice High held its first outdoor graduation ceremony on June 19.
A summer storm on June 24 caused damage in Eunice.