YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER LAROSE, LA thelafourchegazette.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Presidential nominee, local seats to be decided Saturday
The Louisiana presidential preference primary for Republicans and Democrats is this Saturday, March 5. Only voters who are registered to one of the two political parties will be able to vote for their party’s nominee, because, unlike most elections in Louisiana, the presidential primary is a closed primary. The Democratic Party and the GOP will also have closed state central committee and parish executive committee elections.
SERVING: MATHEWS • GHEENS • LOCKPORT • VALENTINE • LAROSE CUT OFF • GALLIANO • GOLDEN MEADOW • LEEVILLE • GRAND ISLE
Watercraft tax deleted from legislation Bill would have jeopardized a huge revenue source for local governments
Gazette Staff Reports
Legislation that would have put in jeopardy a revenue source for local governments was pulled from consideration late last week as local officials presented a united front against the legislation. The bills, introduced by State Senator Bret Allain (R- Franklin), would have repealed a series of taxes and credits paid to local governments by offshore service vessel (OSV) operators and replaced the funding with a newly created state fund to take the place of the tax payments. However, members of the
Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs, after hearing from a chorus of local officials, decided that the legislation needed further consideration, at which point Senator Allain pulled the bills in return for a study committee to look deeper into the issue. The tax and subsequent rebate means as much as $85 million annually in ad valorem taxes to both Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, a figure that would decimate local governing bodies if it were lost. At a Sunday night hearing on the House version of the legislation last week, Lafourche Parish
Assessor Wendy Thibodeaux testified against the legislation as both Lafourche Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle and Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove worked legislators behind the scenes. The method apparently worked on the House side as the OSV language was subsequently amended out of the House bills, and, this time with Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre testifying against Allain’s Senate version late last week, the Senate versions were pulled from consideration. “Lafourche and Terrebonne presented a united front against
Senators move ahead with 1-cent state sales tax hike
Gazette Staff Reports
MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press
See Senators Page 10-A
MEETINGS THURSDAY, MAR. 3 HUMANE SOCIETY OF LAFOURCHE 5:30 p.m. Lockport Library Hwy. 1 (Crescent Ave.) Lockport
BAYOU FELLOWSHIP 7:00 p.m. E. 93rd St. - Galliano
Photo by Babs
The fifth-annual Shooting Da Crap clay-shooting event was held Saturday amid gorgeous weather and abundant sunshine. Proceeds from the event go toward the Give Kids the World organization and also the Center for Pediatric Therapy Scholarship Fund. One always-popular item is the pooper shooter where attendees pay a small fee to shoot a potato gun at targets. The catch is that you have to do so while sitting atop a toilet. Cyrus Guilbeau tries his hand at it.
BUSINESS Spotlight
After serving the south Lafourche area for more than 33 years, Dr. George Perry of the South Lafourche Veterinary Clinic, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his
Arrests............................9-A Calendar of Events.........2-A
Classifieds................8-A/9-A
Lottery.............................2-A News In Brief...................5-A
Sports..............................7-A
Surfin’ The Net................9-A
Get your pots and your bellies ready for the Cut Off Youth Center’s 14th annual Cracklin’ Cook Off and Craft Show. The cook-off will be open to the public on Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cut Off Youth Center (COYC) on 205 West 79th Street. Plate lunches consisting of your choice of cracklins and grillades, as well as pork routee and pork jambalaya, will be sold for $8 each. Live music will be ongoing through the event and beer will be available for purchase. Anyone who doesn’t want the entire plate lunch can buy a bowl of grillades for $6 or pork jambalaya for $5. For those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth, the owners of the craft booths typically sell brownies, cookies, tarts and various dessert items. The cook-off contestants arrive to begin preparations as early as 4 a.m., followed by the COYC staff who start See Cook-Off Page 6-A
Husband and wife team take ownership of South Lafourche Veterinary Clinic
INSIDE
Obituaries........................9-A
this legislation and with the great assistance from our assessor and our sheriff and their respective associations, the proposed bill was defeated,� Cantrelle said. Allain noted that he would keep the issue alive through the study committee until a resolution to the issue was found. The special session must end no later than March 9. Legislators are seeking ways to fill an approximate $950 million shortfall in this year’s budget and the regular legislative session set to begin in a couple of weeks must address a $2 billion shortfall in next year’s state budget.
COYC hosting 14th Annual Cracklin’ Cook Off
See Election Page 6-A
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana senators Sunday reworked the state sales tax increase that is the linchpin of rebalancing this year’s budget, deciding to keep the tax on the books for five years, rather than the 18 months sought by the House. The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee quickly changed the sales tax expiration date before voting 10-1 to advance the proposal to the full Senate for consideration.
VOLUME 50 NUMBER 25
Dr. George Perry and his wife Kay are shown with the new owners of the South Lafourche Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Alex and Dr. Chris Baudy.
grandchildren. He recently sold his practice to doctors Chris and Alex Baudy, a husband and wife couple from New Orleans who each have five years under their belt caring for animals. “The opportunity to become the new owners presented itself when Dr. Perry decided to retire. My husband Chris and I are very excited to get to know and serve the people and their pets in this wonderful community,� said Dr. Alex Baudy. All of the records and information from Dr. Perry have been passed along to the new owners, who are now treating former and new clients. Both doctors treat typical pets such as dogs and cats and Dr. Alex also treats exotic animals including small birds, small mammals, reptiles, wildlife and more. In the future, the doctor duo plans to update the practice and improve veterinary care by offering advanced diagnostics and imaging as well as boarding and grooming options. See Vet Clinic Page 6-A
Photo by Babs
A ribbon cutting was held at Rite Aid in Larose Friday celebrating the store’s grand opening which began Feb. 28th and will end March 19th with a wellness event and giveaways. Store managers say it’s a fun way of saying thank you to the community. Pictured doing the ribbon cutting is Pharmacy Manager, Elmo Gautreaux and Store Manager, Vivan Sevin, along with store employees, family and friends.
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