Pense Donc!!

Photo by: The Teche News

LIGHT BALLOT . . .
Voters in some parts of St. Martin Parish have a few issues to decide this Saturday in the Oct. 4 election.
Heading the list is the selection of a judge for “Election Section 1, Division H” of the 16th Judicial District, a race that pits incumbent Lori A. Landry against challenger Lucretia P. Burton, both Democrats.
This “Section 1” was carved out of the three-parish district (St. Martin-Iberia-St. Mary) some years ago to assure the election of a second black judge in the district. The population of the section is heavily black; but while candidates may live anywhere in the three-parish area, only residents of that Section 1 are eligible to vote in the election.
I’m not a legal expert, but common sense leads me to suspect that the setup, no matter how noble the intent to assure a minority presence in the local judiciary, violates the U.S. Constitution. But then again, legal issues sometimes defy common sense.
There are also races for justice of the peace in Wards 2 and 6, and the issue of leasing St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge to Lafayette General Medical Center, which is to be decided by the residents of Hospital District No. 2.
We’re still a month away from the big election to choose a new U.S. president — and won’t you be glad to get past that?!

THIS & THAT . . .
Great Tribute – Sunday’s tribute to Robert “RAT” Thibodeaux was a heartwarming event that brought together many of the longtime St. Martinville High music teacher’s former students. Among those on hand to honor the man who touched so many lives were Sheriff Ronny Theriot, singer T-K Hulin and Raymond Goodrich, owner of Lafayette Music Co., and band leaders Bobby Bourque and Gene Romero, all for-mer students of RAT, along with Parish President Guy Cormier and Mayor Thomas Nelson.
I enjoyed visiting with Gloria Kern, who graduated from St. Bernard School with Mr. Thibodeaux, and — according to RAT — was his first girlfriend!
We had done a feature story on Mr. Thibodeaux (he taught me to play the piano and alto sax many years ago) two years ago and he’s still sharp as a tack, although at 87 he’s getting a bit frail. I think he was very touched by the heartfelt tribute and my hat’s off to all who had a hand in organizing the event.

New Evidence Building – After attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the courthouse annex, I enjoyed a tour of the new evidence building recently completed by the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Ivy Perioux, who is in charge of (and helped design) the facility (located at the corner of St. Martin and Jefferson Streets) showed me around the state-of-the-art building that, while very tastefully decorated, provides a super secure repository for critical evidence associated with criminal cases. Quite impressive.

Black Water – I’ve noticed how the water in Bayou Teche has turned very black following the two recent hurricanes. I’ve seen this phenomenon before, but I just don’t recall the Teche ever being quite so dark, a marked contrast with its usual light brown shade. I’m sure it will return to its normal color in a few more weeks and after a couple of good rains. My fishing buddies tell me that freshwater fishing, which was just getting real good following Katrina and Rita, took quite a blow from this year’s hurricanes and it will probably take another couple of years to rebound.
And yet I hear reports of big catches of saltwater fish in the Cypremort Point/Marsh Island areas. Go figure.

Enjoy The Weather – Haven’t we been blessed with some really pleasant weather over the past week or so? And the latest forecast is for it to last at least through the coming weekend. It’s really nice to get outdoors (despite the early evening mosquitoes) and to attend a high school football game without getting soaked with sweat.
I’m hoping to take some time off soon for a camping trip to either Lake Fausse Pointe or Chicot.