After helping one another through the loss of their own family members, a group of friends has formed a nonprofit organization to help others get through their grief.
Founded in September, Anointed Hands does the cooking and cleaning for the repass meal so those mourning a loved one s death have one less thing to worry about or pay for.
A repass is a reception that takes place after a funeral service in which family and friends come together to eat and share memories of the person who has died.
Stacy Norman, of Houma, said Anointed Hands handled everything surrounding the repass after her mother Leona Norman s funeral. She said not having to focus on the repass gave her peace of mind.
Applying to college can already feel daunting for students at the best of times. Seeking admission to the school of their choice in the midst of COVID-19 brings new challenges.
From reduced opportunities for extra-curricular activities that colleges use when making decisions to severely curtailed in-person visits to college campuses, the pandemic has altered the decision-making for those on both ends of the college admissions process.
Sally LeBlanc, a senior at E.D White High School, is choosing between LSU, Nicholls State University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Spring Hill College in Alabama.
LeBlanc she wanted to tour those campuses to help her decide, but the tours were either limited to outdoors or virtual.
Construction has begun on seven piers in the Pointe-aux-Chenes area announced by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Construction began Jan. 11 and is expected to last until early to mid August, said Vaughan McDonald, biologist manager of the department s Coastal Lafayette Region. The cost of the project is $2.5 million, which came from the BP oil spill settlement, he said.
“It’s basically to reimburse the people of the state for the loss of their recreation because of the spill,” McDonald said.
Three of the piers are on La. 665, two are on Island Road and two are in the town of Montegut. Construction of the piers will be done in phases.
Dr. Theodore Kenneth Lawless led one of those lives for which Black History Month was created.
Born in Thibodaux on Dec. 6, 1892, Lawless was world-renowned for his research and treatment of syphilis; Hansen s disease, also known as leprosy; and cancer, despite facing the prejudices of his time.
In his later years, he used his substantial wealth to help others before he died May 1, 1971, at the age of 78.
Margie Scoby, president of the Finding Our Roots African American Museum in Houma, said Lawless story is one of many that need to be better-known.
“Many times, African Americans are not put in the forefront or not even talked about,” Scoby said. “Many times, you don’t even hear about them in the schools, so I think it’s very important that we bring it up and celebrate these people because they’ve done wonderful things. . It shows that so many great people have come from the Houma-Thibodaux area.”
Of all the local businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, bars are among those hit the hardest.
Some, such as The Brick House in Houma, have closed for good, and others are beginning to wonder how much longer they can hold on.
Donovan Fremin, operations manager of Delta Coin Machines, said three local bars decided not to renew their liquor licenses at the end of 2020.
Fremin services the video poker machines at bars, truck stops and other areas. His family also runs Fremin Investments, which leases property to roughly 40 bars in Terrebonne, Lafourche and surrounding parishes.
Eight of his locations in Lafourche, four in Terrebonne and three in Morgan City have shut down since the pandemic began. Fremin said those 15 bars, and others like them, could still reopen, but they would have to go through the process of reapplying for their state licenses.