News and Events

LED Opens COVID-19 Help Desk For Louisiana Businesses

Friday, March 27, 2020

Email, hotline support from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday; more resources at opportunitylouisiana.com/covid19 BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Secretary Don Pierson of Louisiana Economic Development announced the opening of an LED help desk that provides email and hotline support for Louisiana businesses impacted by COVID-19. For COVID-19 business questions, LED may be reached at LEDbiz@la.gov or via the toll-free hotline, (833) 457-0531. The COVID-19 hotline is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Be aware that high call volumes might result in delays. Callers are encouraged to keep trying, leave a voice mail or contact LED vi...

Louisiana Opens Child Care Assistance Program to Critical Personnel Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Program Allows Eligible Families to Access Subsidized Care for Children Age 12 and Under BATON ROUGE, La. -- In response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) today opened the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to support essential critical infrastructure personnel. By simply completing an application, these families can access subsidized care for children age 12 and under at licensed childcare centers participating in the program, or through registered and certified family childcare and in-home providers. The Governor's emergency proclamation to close all school facilities to students through at least April 13, 2020, did not include childcare an...

St. Landry school lunches will be distributed from three sites

Monday, March 16, 2020

NEWS RELEASE For immediate Release Contact: Van Reed, vreed@stlpg.org March 14, 2020 St. Landry school lunches will be distributed from three sites Three St. Landry Parish schools will prepare and distribute lunches for students while schools are closed because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to school officials. They are asking for volunteers to help with the distribution. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a proclamation Friday that closes all K-12 public schools statewide and immediately halts any gathering of more than 250 people until April 13. Opelousas Junior High School, Lawtell Elementary School, and Central Middle School in Eunice will serve lunches between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each weekday starting Monday, Marc...

Agencies join for clean, attractive I-49 in St. Landry

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

The I-49 median in the heart of St. Landry Parish will be cleaner and brighter, and kept that way, as a result of a combined effort begun this month by the Central St. Landry Economic Development District (CSLEDD), the St. Landry Solid Waste Commission, and other agencies. CSLEDD, which was created to promote economic growth in the I-49 corridor, took over maintenance of the median between Harry Guilbeau Road and U.S. 190 some months ago. Among its first actions were replacement of downed light poles and upgrading the lighting at key intersections, providing regular litter pickup, and doubling the number o...

St. Landry schools praised for job preparedness training

Friday, February 28, 2020

Praise for job preparedness programs in St. Landry Parish schools reflect a growing awareness in recent years of the value of a first-rate technical education, and also bodes well for the parish work force in the future, officials say. State officials have cited the achievements of the Jobs for America Graduates (JAG) programs at Opelousas High, North Central High, Northwest High, and Opelousas Junior High. About 200 students are currently enrolled in the programs, according to St. Landry curriculum director Angela Cassimere. She said they provide students with skills needed to get a good job, and also to continue their education towar...

St. Landry airport moving toward ‘endless possibilities’

Monday, February 17, 2020

More and more people who fly for business or pleasure are beginning to discover Ahart Field, the St. Landry Parish airport, and are liking what they find. That’s leading toward the possibility of fiscal independence for the once-struggling airfield, and fueling an ambitious vision for David Allen, who is closing in on one year as the facility’s manager. During that year the airport has cut in half operational funding needed from the parish general fund, moved to claim federal grants for capital improvements that were available but unclaimed, and begun to see the possibility of sustaining itself on its ow...

St. Landry tax collections reflect retail growth

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Sales tax collections in 2019 of more than a million dollars more than the year before mirror a growing and more diversified retail base in St. Landry Parish, officials say. Total collections in 2019 were $69,912,003, up $1,070,488 over 2018, according to figures compiled by the parish school board’s tax division. Those numbers do not include state sales taxes. They do include $12.9 million for the parish school system, up from $12.0 million; $9.4 million for St. Landry Parish solid waste, down slightly from $9.5 million the year before; $5.6 million for the parish government, up 5.4 percent; and $1....

Bed and breakfast accommodations welcome St. Landry visitors

Monday, February 10, 2020

In St. Landry Parish “hospitality” is more than a word coupled with “industry.” It’s part of who we are, and visitors will find that especially true in the bed and breakfast cottages and homes nestled near some of the parish’s favorite places to visit. A dozen little inns in communities such Arnaudville, Eunice, Grand Coteau, Opelousas, and Washington, are experiencing growth driven largely by retirees and millennials, who are price conscious and are seeking home-like comforts as they travel to St. Landry Parish, where the number of visitors has been steadily increasing in over the last decade. According to industr...

Visionary master plan project initiated for Opelousas Downtown Development District

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

Opelousas, LA (February 2020) –The Opelousas Downtown Development District (ODDD), an economic development district in St. Landry Parish, announces a new project. The ODDD is preparing a Downtown Master Plan to guide the future development and design of Opelousas’s downtown. Creation of the plan will be based on the shared vision of Opelousas’s residents and stakeholders. The ODDD would like to encourage all residents and business owners to participate in this important process to shape the community’s future. The nine-month planning process will offer a variety of opportunities to become involved and give input in this important project. Following an extensiv...

Opelousas to Turn Traffic Boxes into Works of Art

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

(Opelousas, LA) - Ordinary metal traffic bozes in Opelousas will be transformed into canvases for art that will showcase the community's charter and culture. The project, titled Boxed Art, is one of the activities planned for the City's 300-year celebration which takes place this year. Led by Opelousas Tourism, with support from Mayor Alsandor and organizational support from the Celebrate Opelousas 300 Commission and Opelousas Main Street, Inc., the goal of the Boxed Art project is to enliven community space while showcasing the talent of artists in our area. A total of twelve (12) boxes are targeted for the project. Boxed Art will feature artwor...

St. Landry académie focuses on language, heritage

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

The loss of the French language in south Louisiana would be the loss of an essential part of the culture that has formed who we are, that continues to set us apart, and that must be a part of our future. But it will disappear unless students are taught to speak it, and to understand its value. That is the premise of the Académie Franco-Louisianaise, a French immersion elementary school that will begin classes in the old Sunset High School in August, according to Lindsay Smythe Doucet, its principal. As a French immersion elementary school, all of the académie's courses will b...

Innovative Partnership with SLCC, St. Landry Parish Schools Making Students Job-Ready

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

South Louisiana Community College and the St. Landry Parish School Board are bringing a program to high school students that will make them job-ready in just two weeks. The college and school board have partnered to offer a Basic Industrial Scaffolding course to high schools students. This course is offered through the Corporate College division at SLCC. The Basic Industrial Scaffolding course will include one week of classroom training in St. Landry Parish and one week of hands-on training at SLCC’s New Iberia campus. Students will learn how to erect and dismantle scaffolding, safety, tool use, working in a team, and persona...

Opelousas-Opoly game on sale for city's tricentennial celebration

Wednesday, December 04, 2019

To ring in 300 years since the founding of Opelousas, Opelousas-Opoly will bring the history and culture of the city in a board game. Opelousas-Opoly is a limited edition, Monopoly-style board game in which properties are local landmarks or businesses that sponsored the city's year-long tricentennial celebration in 2020. So instead of Boardwalk, Park Place and Mediterranean Avenue, players can land on Morrow & Morrow Law Firm, Going, Sebastien, Fisher & LeBouef CPAs; St. Landry Chamber of Commerce, and Tony Chachere's. For game pieces, instead of a car, a shoe or a top hat, they feature a book, a train, a jukebox, a...

Savoie’s Foods Announces $12.7 Million Expansion In St. Landry Parish

Wednesday, December 04, 2019

Expansion will result in 16 new jobs, retention of 100 jobs; company to expand distribution area ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards and President Frederick Lafleur of Savoie’s Sausage and Food Products Inc. announced a $12.7 million expansion of the company’s food production facility in St. Landry Parish near Opelousas. With the expansion, the company will broaden its distribution area, bringing Cajun-style sausage and other food products to a wider region. The project includes construction of a 41,000-square-foot facility and installation of new production equipment. The larger facility will enable Savoie’s to nearly double its production. Through th...

Opelousas moving forward with street repairs

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Street repairs for the city of Opelousas are beginning to move forward, said Mayor Julius Alsandor, as funding becomes available for what he describes a series of long overdue projects. Alsandor and members of his administration have compiled a list of 17 paved streets that need repair or resurfacing as his administration completes an initial year. One of the complaints voters voiced during the 2018 mayoral election, which Alsandor won in a runoff, was the condition of city’s streets, which have received little attention since the first John Joseph administration began in 1987. Before he became mayor, Alsandor was a two-term member o...

City of Opelousas asking residents to take part in 300th anniversary celebration

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The City of Opelousas will celebrate its tricentennial in 2020 and the community is being asked to take part in the celebration. Residents will be able to contribute to the creation of a new mural designed to celebrate the city's 300 year anniversary. Once complete, the collaborative mural, which is part of the Celebrate Opelousas 300 activities, will be digitally printed and used for the official 300 anniversary poster. A grant was recently awarded in the amount of $2,695 to Opelousas Tourism by the Acadiana Center for the Arts through the Louisiana Division of the Arts. The grant will help fund th...

Former St. Luke Hospital in Arnaudville to Become French Immersion Center After St. Landry and St. Martin Parish Sell It

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Original article posted on KADN The former St. Luke Hospital in Arnaudville is about to get a face lift and a new purpose. The goal is transform the hospital into the St. Luc French Immersion and Cultural Center. Not only would be it the first french immersion program for adults in Louisiana, but also the first one of its kind in the United States. “Ça veut dire que mon cœur chant.” said Mavis Fruge which translates to “this makes my heart sing. Fruge has envisioned turning the hospital into an french immersion center back in 2006. The problem was the facility was owned by St. Landr...

Festivals reminders of St. Landry’s bountiful harvest

Monday, November 11, 2019

Harvest festivals blossoming across south Louisiana at this time of year are annual reminders that this is a place where we can grow practically anything, and do. Agribusiness is big business across the region and is an important segment of the St. Landry Parish economy. Crops and animals produced in St. Landry had a value of nearly $150 million at the farm gate in 2018, and will likely have at least that value when 2019 totals are calculated. Dr. Kurt Guidry, director of the LSU AgCenter’s southwest region, says that value would likely double when agriculture’s effects throughout the loca...

Zydeco Capital Jam

Saturday, November 09, 2019

Zydeco Capital Jam is a monthly jam session for zydeco musicians and fans taking place on the second Saturday of every month at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center at I-49 exit 23, just north of Opelousas. The Zydeco Capital Jam is the first of its kind in nearly a decade recalling the tradition from when zydeco legend Roy Carrier would jam with other great musicians at the Offshore Lounge in Lawtell. Where better to revive the tradition of zydeco music jams than in the Zydeco Music Capital of the World – Opelousas, Louisiana. Bring your favorite instrument and jam with fellow zydeco music enthusiasts o...

Grants give boost to downtown Opelousas revival

Sunday, November 03, 2019

Two grants have given a boost to efforts to revitalize the heart of Opelousas, one of the primary goals of St. Landry civic, government, and economic leaders. Bodemuller the Printer, one of the oldest family businesses in the parish, has been selected as a recipient of a $10,000 Louisiana Main Street Grant to help revamp its façade, and the City of Opelousas has received an AARP Community Challenge Grant to help enhance public spaces. The grants come as a reorganized Opelousas Downtown Development Authority is beginning projects to improve the infrastructure of the center of one of Louisiana’s oldest communities. ...

Events bring new focus to St. Landry airport

Friday, November 01, 2019

St. Landry Parish has an airport that can handle just about any corporate or private airplane flying. But until recently it has been one of the parish’s better kept secrets. David Allen, who was appointed St. Landry Parish airport manager this spring, is working to do something about that. He has scheduled events in October and November to reintroduce the airport to local consumers and to aviators as a regional stopover for small planes. October 12 has been designated Young Eagles Day, and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. youngsters can get free rides in small planes, some of whic...

Crews prepare for work at Judson Walsh Bridge site

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Work on the Judson Walsh Bridge in Opelousas could be getting started soon. Officials say that crews were out at the bridge site on Thursday October 17, to remove utility lines in preparation for work to begin. The bridge was closed in April after an inspection in 2018 revealed that the structure was severely eroded. Traffic including school buses had to be detoured after the closure. The bridge is not expected to be reopened until mid to late 2020. Full article here.

St. Landry schools launches 'Be Loyal, Shop Local' campaign to increase tax revenue

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Original article posted on Daily World The St. Landry Parish school district has launched a campaign aimed at increasing local sales tax revenue and promoting retail shopping in the parish. District officials started the campaign last week that has received the endorsement of the parish economic district officials and members of the chamber of commerce. Advertised as the “Be Loyal, Shop Local” program, the goals are to help to create more local jobs and to educate the public in shopping with locally owned businesses that school officials said specialize in personal service. Tricia Fontenot, the district’s instructional and technology facilitator is in charge of the effort. Individuals can help the campaign by visitin...

Central St. Landry Economic Development District

Monday, May 27, 2019

The Central St. Landry Economic Development District is creating more opportunities for growth in the Opelousas and St. Landry Parish area by expanding the Economic Development District (EDD). Recent expansion of this district will lead to the development of commercial space for things like shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. This will increase the workforce and provide more jobs for local and commuting residents. There will also be room for growth in entertainment and leisure for the surrounding communities within the St. Landry Parish region, including room for new entertainment facilities, RV parks, and more! The Central St. Landry Economi...

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