LEGAL ETHICS EXPERT: ANSEMAN NOT ELIGIBLE FOR JUDGESHIP BY MIKE STAGG top legal ethicist this week tells The Independent that Vanessa Anseman is not eligible to serve on the Third Circuit Cour...
Back Lunch is back for its kazillionth annual spring series. The free concerts are held at noon at Parc Sans Souci in Downtown Lafayette. Lunches sold for $6 apiece from local eateries — plus a...
CROSS WISE BY DR. PEARSON CROSS Trump’s assumption of power has been characterized by miscues and mistakes, it has succeeded admirably in one area: energizing and mobilizing those who oppose...
BY CHRISTIAAN MADER regional transportation plan for Acadiana, set for an adoption vote in March, could tie $303 million in funds to sprawlinducing roadway projects over the next several decades.
OF TIME AND PLACE Back in 2005, after realizing that the Acadiana region lacked significant recognition of the talented work of local architects, home designers and interior designers and deco...
DIVIDED WE FALL BY WALTER PIERCE STANDING UP TO DONALD TRUMP AND THE RIGHT-WING AGENDA HE ENABLES HAS UNITED AND EMBOLDENED LIBERALS, EVEN HERE IN DEEP-RED LAFAYETTE..
BY CHRISTIAAN MADER That eventual Millennial Mayor — as a 32-year-old at the time of this writing, I submit that “Millennial” is more demonization than demonym — will have grown up in a v...
2017 INDESIGN AWARD WINNERS Cheryl Scurlock, Decorating Den Interiors: Eve Quirk Kitchen Renovation.
ABIZ: IN PRINT AND ONLINE Throughout the pages of this issue you’ll read about how the changing habits of readers and advertisers have led IND Media to rethink its business model.
DECAMPING TO DIGITAL I have a quintessentially 21st century distinction: a newspaper’s last editor. By newspaper I mean the physical thing — ink on paper printed on folios by a press. We�...
IND LIVING Marks’ partner in the venture, Cherie Hebert, Tee Tiny Each structure is hand built to code and leaves ample deficit of George Marks, founder of the home models, each designed by ...
#PARTY GIRL The IND stopped by the Hilliard Museum to view works by Chinese- American painter Yun-Fei Ji, artists Sandra Eula Lee and Shawne Major, and a spectacular survey of vernacular South...
ON THE RECORD BY NICK PITTMAN Although pivotal in the new — or nu — school of zydeco, here Ardoin retains middle-of-the-road sounds that make him a draw. True, there are plenty of R&B infl...
HIGGINS PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR I-49 SOUTH BY CHRISTIAAN MADER his first trip home from the fight at the federal front, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins brought with him some red meat for an Acadiana busine...
THE CONNECTOR’S NEW URBAN RENEWAL BY CHRISTIAAN MADER Members of the Senior Pastoral Alliance, One Acadiana, at least two mayors, state transportation officials and representatives of three ...
Think about this: In a small town in the Deep South that is 63 percent black, the white police chief boasts that he is using a newly created hate crime law for police and first responders to upgr...
In mid-January, during a week punctuated by what many in Lafayette no doubt considered a yuge, badly event — SAD! — came some really great news for our fair city: Festival International de Lo...
BY DR. PEARSON CROSS public schools are the quintessential American institution. They are our promise of a free and fair chance extended to all comers to succeed, regardless of differences in ori...
ATTORNEY GENERAL BARNEY FIFE Landry has mounted an unprecedented — and uninvited — law enforcement campaign in New Orleans that is clearly designed to get him more headlines than arrests. ...
HOME AGAIN Stafford and Tricia Barnett and their two young children spent five months in a 500-square-foot, one-bedroom guest house in his parents’ backyard just a few miles away following t...
IND STYLE BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT Mardi Gras season arrives with a flourish of vivid beads and decadent feathers as dressing for the most wonderful time of the year goes quite neutral. The sta...
HIGHER CALLING BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT world has changed radically in the last few years. Mine. Yours. And I feel a sense of urgency that I cannot pretend it hasn’t. By the time this is publ...
A TOUCH OF ROMANCE The allure of Valentine’s Day diverges this year from red, hearts and pink. This year we lean to laced up necks, lacy rompers and off-the-shoulder tops..
#PARTY GIRL The day in question, Sunday, Jan. 22, began ordinarily enough for the woman who would celebrate her 75th birthday. Under the guise of picking up a bottle of wine on the way to a fr...
3 p.m. - midnight CajunTravel.com Mardi Gras isn’t just for adults. Kids can get in on the fun, too. Parade through the park at 3 p.m. followed by a chicken chase and costume contest. Must be i...
KARMA’S A BITCH BY WALTER PIERCE It is all but settled: Downtown Lafayette will have another “mega club” at 314 Jefferson St., site of the former Karma Nightclub & Lounge that was the so...
RE: BY WALTER PIERCE six municipalities with separate budgets, separate public works and, oftentimes, separate priorities. But in between the city limits of Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Lafayet...
SCOUTS BUY MCGEE’S LANDING BY MIKE STAGG Louisiana Swamp Base, incorporated in late 2014, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Evangeline Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
ROCK ’N’ BOWL HAS AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR DOWNTOWN BY WALTER PIERCE is abuzz with news that Rock ’n’ Bowl, the popular New Orleans bowling alley and live music venue, has purchased the Dow...
BY DR. PEARSON CROSS Americans often point to the Constitution as the reason for our successful and lengthy experiment in self-government, our democracy is supported by more than just a set of ru...
CAREER CONNECTIONS SEEKS PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES BY WYNCE NOLLEY Now in its 18th year, Career Connections invites approximately 4,000 students–including public, private and homeschooled stu...
VISION 2017 We had to Google “Internet of Things,” one of those terms we occasionally hear in coffee shops in proximity to Apple products. Turns out it was coined in 1985, long before the ...
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT For many people the future is looking less and less clear. It’s called presbyopia, and it’s likely going to happen to anyone who reaches the a...
IND STYLE BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT Cool temps and fresh calendars bring together the newest must-have easy pieces for day, office and afterwork drinks. We gathered at Rêve Coffee for some stea...
BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT He opened shop in July after working in film via acting and costuming. His love of style and love of hats led him down a long path to discovering exactly how one makes a h...
FORTY AND FORWARD BOUND When Brother Abdalla opened his clothing shop on Arnould Boulevard more than four decades ago, he was a 24-year-old newlywed following in what seemed like the natural f...
ONE TO GROW ON In April 2017 HerringStone’s Two Sisters Boutique is gaining another little sister of sorts. The women’s boutique on Main Street in River Ranch, which opened more than six y...
EMERALD CITY Each year Pantone releases a color of the year that represents a coming onslaught of one hue. Sometimes they nail it. Other years they fall flat. Based on pieces found in stores l...
FOOD SECURITY BY MIKE STAGG The region’s major produce distributor in Baton Rouge was flooded by the more than 7 billion gallons of rain that fell the weekend of Aug. 14. Franzten says that ...
HEALTHY DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN HO-HUM BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT “Eating healthy used to be defined by restriction and exclusions,” says Walter Jamison of Mortar & Pestle, a gluten-free local...
ROCK AND A SOFT PLACE BY NICK PITTMAN Bernard Sarver is the administrator for Lafayette Parish ROCKS!, a Facebook page devoted to spreading positive messages with painted rocks. She brought th...
#PARTY GIRL with an Encore brought out theater lovers of all ages to the Atchafalaya Ballroom at UL with cocktails, a four-course meal by the team at Dark Roux and entertainment by CYT to rais...
FARMER RESIGNS AS UL ATHLETICS DIRECTOR After five successful years on the job, Scott Farmer has moved from the post of athletics director to take a teaching position in UL Lafayette’s Kines...
POOYIE! Is there a precedent in Lafayette politics for Brian Pope, the elected city marshal who spent a week in November modeling an electronic ankle bracelet during house arrest for criminal ...
BY DR. PEARSON CROSS recent contest for the 3rd District Supreme Court seat vacated by Judge Jeannette Knoll is over, won 51-49 by Republican Appeals Court Judge Jimmy Genovese over fellow Republ...
LEADING THE ‘A’ TEAM Among his first order of business when Dr. Don Aguillard stepped into the role of superintendent of the Lafayette Parish School System about 18 months ago was a sit-do...
IN MEMORIAM A prominent voice in public education and the campaign to bring city-owned fiber to local homes, businesses and schools, John St. Julien died in January following a sudden, monthlo...
# PARTY GIRL 1. Lindsay Mallia and Mikey Saab 2. Lauren Earley 3. Angela Cole and Cindy Gunawan 4. James Mallia and his daughter Lindsay 5. Amanda Gary and Megan Conner with Don Bertrand’s p...
CONNECTING THE DOTS Time was that the I-49 Connector’s 2003 Record of Decision was untouchable. To consider changing essential project features documented in the ROD, the contract that legal...
LIFE IN THE BIKE LANE was the catalyst for Acadiana native Mark De- Clouet’s vision for Lafayette. He and his wife lived in the Arizona capital while she attended graduate school, quickly gr...
THE ROCK OF RENEWABLE ENERGY Simon Mahan killed the LUS “solar tax” on All Saints Day. His weapon of choice was a blog post (one this news organization picked up and ran online). In it, Ma...
BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT “In 2008 and 2009 there was a big turning point for fundraising all over the country,” says Scott Brazda, who as executive director of the Stuller Family Foundation se...
A MONUMENTAL TASK At this writing, a jury is being selected to preside over the federal capital murder trial of the South Carolina white supremacist who gunned down nine black parishioners in ...
HOLIDAYS FOR ALL BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT When the boho girl needs to get dressed up, her go-to is easily a flowy top or dress with some killer boots and sheer fabrications. We love this all-bl...
GREEN WITH ENVY There’s really only one thing that’s one size fits all: jewelry. This holiday season gift the gals on your list (and yourself) with these must-have statement pieces that wi...
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS PAT COOPER FIRING BY WALTER PIERCE Cooper was fired on Nov. 5, 2014, during a hearing at which the Lafayette Parish School Board found merit in four of five charges level...
TALK OF THE TOWN For two years running, the people behind TEDxVermilionStreet have needled at Lafayette’s bubble. Through local iterations of the nationally recognized speaker series, the te...
FOR SCOTT ANGELLE, IT’S COMPLICATED BY MIKE STAGG Pipeline and propane giant Energy Transfer Partners announced Nov. 21 that one of its subsidiaries, Sunoco Logistics Partners, is going to b...
50 YEARS THE SAVOY WAY BY DOMINICK CROSS It was what I expected from the Eunice Cajun musician and accordion maker. I’d met him a few times over the years, and he’s always been cordial and...
GLITZ AND GLAM All that glitters this holiday season is not just your Christmas tree. Holiday dressing from the super flirty LBD to svelte metallic pants is a combo of vivid red and sleek gold...
CONTRACT NON-RENEWAL CUTS 243 JOBS AT LGH The “sudden and unexpected non-renewal” of its custodial contract with Lafayette General Health will leave 243 local workers without jobs on Dec. ...
CROSS WISE: BY DR. PEARSON CROSS of the more unfortunate aspects of American politics is that as soon as a candidate wins office, speculation begins about his or her prospects for re-election....
THE FIRST TIME IT’S A MISTAKE. THE SECOND TIME IT’S ON PURPOSE. Of the many troubling facts to come out of Dan Collins’ successful whistleblower lawsuit against the state Department of N...
DAVID BOULET: MAN IN THE MAELSTROM BY MIKE STAGG Boulet is the assistant secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, where he leads the Office of Mineral Resources. OMR is an office few ...
NATHAN NORRIS OUT AT DDA BY LESLIE TURK Through the end of the year, Norris will focus on the organizations’ ongoing initiatives and assist in the transition, according to the release. The u...
#PARTY GIRL The future was looking bright at the Boys and Girls Club annual soiree at The Madison. Supporters of the organization that teaches character and leadership to local youth throughou...
THE DAY ‘CHEF MICKEY’ DIDN’T BURN THE ROUX BY CHEF PATRICK MOULD The more and more social media bombards our day-to-day lives the more I have been finding it comforting to take a break f...
HAIL TO THE CHIEF If you’re reading this after Nov. 8, America has a president-elect. Whether it’s Gary Johnson or Jill Stein — or by chance one of those other two main candidates — yo...
ON THE RECORD BY NICK PITTMAN oxymoronic pairing for the band is pretty perfect. There is a looseness here as the band just seems to enjoy breathing new life into these old tracks. The tightne...
BY ERIN Z. BASS campaign that includes a new covered arena for the equestrian program and a new science building with a robotics lab. A festive time to visit these boys and girls schools is durin...
Assistance will be offered in the computer lab for new parents Jan. 9-10 from 6-8 p.m. and for returning parents Jan. 11 from 6-8 p.m. at the middle campus. Online application at www.stgen.net/.
BELL’S SPORTING GOODS CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF BUSINESS IN ACADIANA BY WYNCE NOLLEY Bell’s Sporting Goods has been a fixture in Lafayette’s local athletic community for the better part of ...
LONG SHOT JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS Nearly a year has passed since the 2015 runoff for governor, and we all certainly know how that story ended. It was an unforgettable race — the most expe...
SALONS STUDIO ONE2ONE ROBERT M’S.
The petition was begun by Devin Guidry of Denham Springs, who says he’s also contacted Baton Rouge news stations and LSU about the petition, which currently has about 9,000 “signatures” tow...
FORWARD BOUND BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT INDStyle Awards bring the latest in beauty, fashion and local shopping.
MARSHAL POPE PRETRIAL HEARING SET FOR JAN. 19 City Marshal Brian Pope, who in mid-October pleaded not guilty to five felony charges related to his meddling in the sheriff’s race last year, w...
THROWING THE GAUNTLET BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT “This culture is very encouraging to artists and encourages creativity,” Dafford says. Yet it’s not so commonplace for locals to buy local a...
BY WALTER PIERCE fever is finally breaking. Our collective state temperature is trickling back down to 98.6. It even appears that a sizeable number in our Legislature are getting it: Louisiana ne...
FOUR ACADIANA SOLONS JOIN AG LANDRY’S ANTI- LGBT CRUSADE Seventeen state lawmakers, all of them House Republicans, sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Landry applauding the state attorney...
4 cups flour 1 2.5-pound chicken 14 cups water 2 tablespoons “no salt” Cajun seasoning 2 bay leaves 12 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced 1 cup chopped onions ½ ...
SCOTT FREE BY MIKE STAGG When Scott Angelle took the stage at the Rally for Economic Survival in the Cajundome on July 21, 2010, he was a fullthroated advocate of the industry he once regulate...
La Femme has long been the place women go to feel sexy. And thanks to the efforts of owner Claudia Campbell, the shop is going the extra mile to ensure that feeling for many local cancer survivor...
IN THE MUSIC GARDEN BY RHONDA BREAUX cannot sustain the very unique culture for which we are known throughout Louisiana, across our nation and among nations abroad without stewards of creativi...
INDSTYLE 2016: FASHION WITH A PURPOSE. SHOPPING FOR A CAUSE. Produced by The Independent’s events division, the INDStyle Awards is a highfashion runway show held annually at the Acadiana Cen...
2016 INDSTYLE AWARDS BY AMANDA JEAN ELLIOTT Style and substance are not mutually exclusive, and we have the proof walking the runway at the 2016 INDStyle Awards Oct. 26 at the Acadiana Center...
PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW CREAM BY CHRISTIAAN MADER Eating ice cream for breakfast has long been emblematic of the independence achieved with adulthood, at least from the perspective of a child....
#PARTY GIRL was a stylish night at Moss Motors when the 2016 INDstyle honorees met for a cocktail shindig. Past style mavens of the The Independent’s fashion-forward event joined the fray al...
SECRETS DON’T MAKE FRIENDS; THEY MAKE KOREAN FOOD BY CHRISTIAAN MADER Osaka is not an obvious restaurant. Tucked like a dull-covered book in a strip mall of randomized titles, it conceals it...
KNOW THY TECHE After roughly two millennia of Native American occupation, Bayou Teche enticed Europeans to explore its murky waters around the mid-eighteenth century. Behind early French pione...
FAMILY AFFAIR BY NICK PITTMAN I wrote my master’s thesis on the print media coverage of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, which led me to interview various musicians about their experiences wi...
UL LAFAYETTE PRESS: SOMETHING FOR EVERY READER planter family in Cuba who chose a career in the military, rose to the rank of general and served briefly as an interim governor of Louisiana (17...
GEEKS, UNITE! Louisiana Comicon takes over the Cajundome Convention Center Oct. 8 and 9. The two-day event brings together the best of comics, graphic novels and sci-fi, with a diverse list of...