YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER LAROSE, LA thelafourchegazette.com
Sunday, July 8, 2018
SERVING: MATHEWS • GHEENS • LOCKPORT • VALENTINE • LAROSE CUT OFF • GALLIANO • GOLDEN MEADOW • LEEVILLE • GRAND ISLE
Grand Isle man accused of raping 6-yr.-old girl
Louie Dassau, of Grand Isle, was arrested and booked with firstd e gW r e e Louie Dassau rape and indecent behavior with a 6-year-old girl, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. JPSO investigators arrested Dassau, 39, Monday, according to arrest reports. Dassau is accused of forcing the girl to perform oral sex, according to Lt. Jason Rivarde, a sheriff’s office spokesman. According to nola.com, the girl told investigators Dassau performed oral sex on her, as well. The Sheriff’s Office also accused him of showing the girl pornography, Rivarde said. See Dassau Page 3-A
MEETINGS MONDAY, JULY 9
S.L. LEVEE DISTRICT 3:00 p.m. 17904 Hwy. 3235-Galliano PORT COMMISSION Committee Meeting 6:00 p.m. 16829 E. Main - Galliano AM. LEGION POST 259 6:30 p.m. 2406 S. Bayou Dr. Golden Meadow SO. LAF. QUILTERS 6:00 p.m. Larose Civic Center
TUESDAY, JULY 10 LAF. PARISH COUNCIL 5:00 p.m. 4876 Hwy. 1 - Mathews LAFOURCHE LODGE 7:30 p.m. 6542 W. Main - Cut Off WED., JULY 11
LAF. SCHOOL BOARD Regular Meeting 7:00 p.m. 805 E. 7th St. - Thibodaux
AMERICAN LEGION #315 7:00 p.m. Hwy. 308 - Galliano PORT COMMISSION Board Meeting 10:30 a.m. 16829 E. Main - Galliano
INSIDE
Arrests........................5-A Calendar of Events....2-A
Classifieds.................4-A Horoscopes................5-A Lottery........................2-A News In Brief..............5-A
Obituaries.............4-A/5-A
Worship Directory.......6-A
Local sales tax rates tick down, but still high
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By Julia Arenstam Daily Comet Staff Writer
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VOLUME 29 NUMBER 45
V MATHEWS • GHEENS • LOCKPORT • VALENTINE Shoppers • LAROSE across Louisiana • GALLIANO • GOLDEN MEADOW • LEEVILLE • should GRAND have ISLE seen a slight drop in
Staff Photo
Between backyard barbecues and pool parties, kids enjoyed the Fourth of July holiday fun in the sun Wednesday. Pictured are Kailyn McCall, Jude Bouziga, Rylie Ougel, Brooklyn LeBlanc and Addison Ledet enjoying the pool at their Aunt Jenny’s house.
Bridge to Independence graduates enter the workforce By DAN COPP, The Courier of Houma
HOUMA, La. (AP) — Sean Adams loves being organized. So when the Bridge to Independence graduate recently joined the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court’s Office, he said, his new job fit like a glove. “My favorite thing to do is organizing,” the 26-year-old Larose resident said. “This is my favorite job because it helped me educate myself even more about organization.” The Bridge to Independence program at Nicholls State gives students with intellectual disabilities new opportunities to receive higher education while participating in the college experience. The program, started in August 2016, is open to students with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. “The Bridge to Independence Program ... provides opportunities for students in the certificate program to work in various offices/departments on campus in internships to prepare them in various skills for gainful employment opportunities once the program has been completed,” said Mary Breaud, the program’s advisor. “We are very excited and proud of our students who have applied for Larose resident Sean Adams at work at the and secured employment after completing the Bridge Program.” Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court’s office. See Bridge Page 3-A Clerk of Court
Toddler dies after being found in swimming pool
THIBODAUX, La. (AP) — Authorities say a toddler died earlier this week after being pulled from a swimming pool. A news release from Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre says Riley Bourgeois of Matthews died Monday — days before his second birthday. Webre’s statement said the child had been playing with a friend as his family visited a neighbor’s residence Saturday, June 30. He was later found, unresponsive, in a swimming pool at the residence. Surveillance video showed the boy was able to open a gate to gain access to the fenced-in swimming pool area. A bystander was already administering
CPR when sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and state police arrived. The child was then airlifted to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans for treatment where he remained in critical condition until he Riley Bourgeois passed away Monday night, July 2. Drowning is the suspected cause of death but Webre’s office said the official cause would be determined later.
sales taxes beginning this week, but Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes still have some of the highest local rates in the state. The Legislature voted during a special budget session that ended June 24 to reduce the state sales tax from 5 percent to 4.45 percent. That brings the total state and local sales tax to 9.95 percent across Terrebonne. In Lafourche, the combined sales taxes range from 9.1 percent to 9.85 percent, depending on the city of taxing district. Local sales tax rates are capped at 5 percent. However, they can exceed that limit with legislative approval. For example, Lafourche Parish government has put a measure on the November ballot to increase the sales tax for garbage collection from 0.7 percent to 1 percent. The parish needed legislative approval to do so because raising the rate will push the local rate in many areas of the parish above the 5 percent cap. Businesses within the city limits of Thibodaux are not included in the tax because the city operates a separate system for solid waste collection. Lafourche has about six groupings of different sales tax districts: Thibodaux, Lockport and Golden Meadow, Road District A north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Road District 2 south of the waterway. The highest rates are found in Golden Meadow and Road District 2, which includes Cut Off, Galliano and See Taxes Page 3-A
Cut Off man arrested after deputies save his life
A Cut Off man was arrested Wednesday due to an outstanding warrant after deputies saved his life through the use of nalox- Gus Schexnayder one. Gus Schexnayder, 36, is the sixth person saved by Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies through the use of naloxone in as many months. Just before 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4, deputies responded to a call of a man slumped over on the side of a building along LA Highway 1 in Golden Meadow. Upon arrival, deputies located the man, identified as Schexnayder, and observed him to be unresponsive with a slow pulse and labored breathing. Due to circumstances and investigation at the scene, deputies suspected the man was suffering from an opioid overdose. Deputies administered naloxone using an auto-injector. See Arrest Page 3-A
Prices Good Through Tuesday, July 10 14.5 Oz. Selected
5For$5
Hunt’s Tomatoes 7114 Hwy. 1 - Lockport 13086 Hwy. 3235 - Larose 2113 S. Alex Plaisance Blvd. - G.M.
www.FranksSupermarket.com
Chuck Roast
USDA Boneless
3
$ 99
Lb.
Lean & Meaty Assorted Bone-In
Pork Loin Chop
1
$ 39
Lb.
USDA Select Whole
Sweet Golden Ripe
1
12 Pk. Cans or 8 Pk. Bottles
Beef Strip Pineapples Coca Cola
5
Boneless
$ 99
Lb.
$ 77
6 Pk. Selected
Gatorade
Sports Drink $
3For$11 2For 6
12 Oz. Manda
Center Cut Sliced
2For 4 Bacon $
4 lb. bag
Valu Time Sugar $ 79
1