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ERATH - Erath Fire Chief Wayne Mouton said that he is fairly certain how the fire started at Shoot’s Lounge in Erath Wednesday.
“Judging from burn patterns, the fire stemmed from a gas line to a stove that was not connected,” Mouton said. He added that the line was not hooked up to the stove, but still may have been connected to the gas line. Mouton said the bar owner’s family reported that he is recovering from minor burns and smoke inhalation, and he is expected to recover.

Tuesday night the Abbeville City Council met, following a Finance Committee meeting to discuss the 2009 budget.
In Councilman Francis Touchet’s absence, Lonnie Broussard presented the 2009 budget to the council, which is based upon the estimated sales tax to be collected in the Parish.
Broussard explained that following any hurricane, sales tax collection funds increase. As a result, he said he estimates a 1.9 percent increase in sales tax collections for 2009, bringing the total estimated sales tax funds to reach $3.4 million.

A special workshop was held to take the first steps to figure out where to draw the new zone lines for Dozier Elementary and LeBlanc Elementary.
By the start of next school year, the School Board plans to have the old Dozier Elementary open with just over 500 students, and convert the the Matte property Dozier campus into the new LeBlanc Elementary with close to 600 children attending.
The two schools would be pre-k through fifth grade.

Acorns of Hope, a group coordinated by Bob Thibodeaux, president of Bob's Tree Preservation, traveled to Abbeville Friday as part of their Tour de Trees campaign.

This was the second annual Tour de Trees event, whose goal is to plant 2,000 trees along the coast of Louisiana. Starting at Lake Charles, some 40 cycling arborists and tree-thusiasts from around the country and Toronto, Canada, made their way through Abbeville en route to Houma, La.

by Rachel Worthy

Wednesday morning, firefighters from around Vermilion Parish were called to the scene at 123 W. Edwards St. in Erath, with a fire in progress at Shoot’s Lounge. More than 50 residents gathered in the parking lot to witness one of their local establishments meet an unfortunate fate.

Erath Fire Chief Wayne Mouton said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but he heard from first responders that the fire started in the back part of the bar.

The Abbeville Police Department is warning the residents not to get too excited if out of the wild blue someone sends you a $5,000 check and wants you to cash it it in order to get $100,000.
Members of the department’s detective unit were at the Abbeville Kiwanis Club to warn everyone that check cashing scams are on the increase, especially around the holidays.
Detective Chris Hardy showed Kiwanis Club members company checks that were sent to unsuspecting residents with a letter attached to the check.