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Caroline Simoneaux from Franklin is the winner of the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau’s Bayou Shopping Days Promotion. On hand for the prize presentation were, from left, Carrie Stansbury, Cajun Coast executive director; Simoneaux; and Vanessa Spinella, Cajun Coast sales manager. The prize package included gift certificates valued at $480 from: Myers Shoe Store, The French Door, Bargain Barn Too, T-Shirts & Treasures, Alumni Shop, The Frame Shop, Wildflower Boutique, Southern Bloom Boutique, Barousse Furniture, Fountain of Youth, Meme’s Franklin Flower Shop, Four Seasons Furniture, Classic Design and Atchafalaya Golf Course. The package also featured gift items valued at $150 from Chic & Shabby, Southern Chaos, The Market by Southern Grace, Tiger Island Hardware and Quilt of Many Colors.

Submitted Photo

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law a bill that will end federal pandemic unemployment in exchange for a long-term increase in state unemployment benefits.
The bill passed as the state’s regular legislative session came to a close.
House Bill 183 will increase state unemployment payments by $28 a week, starting Jan. 1, up to a maximum of $275 a week. The state’s current weekly payment of $247 a week is among the lowest in the nation.
Republican legislators said they would support the proposal if Edwards agreed to turn off federal pandemic unemployment payments of $300 a week, starting July 31. Those payments are scheduled to end nationwide in early September.
With his signature Wednesday, Edwards became one of the first Democratic governors to agree to end the federal payments early. At least 25 states, all led by Republican governors, have indicated they would do the same.
Business leaders across the country have been urging states to opt out of the federal payments early, saying the additional money is an incentive for people who are unemployed not to seek new jobs. Louisiana’s unemployment rate is 7.3%, ninth-highest in the country.
“The federal unemployment enhancement made sense when government mandated business shutdowns that left hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents without the opportunity to work,” a statement from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce said. “The weekly payment, combined with state unemployment assistance, is currently the equivalent of almost $14 per hour, which is nearly median individual income in the state. In other words, one can be in the middle of the pack in terms of earnings by not working.”
Democrats in Louisiana were split on the measure.
“I just can’t believe you’re doing this, turning down federal unemployment for people who have had the hardest year of their life,” Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, told her colleagues during debate on the floor.
Rep. Chad Brown, D-Plaquemine, who sponsored the bill, said he had “heartburn” over the tradeoff but that “a permanent increase going forward is desperately needed.”
The Senate approved the bill 32-5, while the House voted 74-27 in favor of it.
Edwards said he and other state officials had been discussing an August cutoff for the federal payments and July 31 was a reasonable compromise.
“When kids go back to school, parents have more of an opportunity to go back to work without having to worry about child care,” Edwards said at a news conference. “That was really always the reason for picking August as opposed to September.”
The collective wealth of Louisiana residents decreased $484.9 million in 2019 due to population migration trends, according to a new analysis of Internal Revenue Service data by the nonprofit Wirepoints website.
—The Center Square

Plan to revamp how schools are graded stirs debate
Discussion that was to begin this week on a plan to overhaul how Louisiana rates its schools has been put on hold after critics spoke out against it.
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley introduced the proposal, which would reduce the number of schools that receive grades of D or F.
Academic growth and how students compare with their peers account for 25% of a school’s annual performance score, which is translated to a letter grade. The new plan would bump that to 38%.
Brumley said 54% of schools with a grade of F and 80% of schools with a grade of D would get an A or a B for student growth under his plan.
Critics said this would inflate scores and make it appear as though students and schools are performing better than they are. They also said Louisiana differs from most states by awarding points for student growth compared with their peers rather than for improving their own test scores.
On the National Assessment for Educ-ational Progress, often called “the nation’s report card,” Louisiana consistently ranks near the bottom on the standardized testing that measures math, science and reading proficiency at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
“The growth piece needs more consensus,” Brumley said. “I am not disputing that.”
The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education removed the item from its June meeting agenda because of the dispute, saying only it would be taken up at a future date.
“After digging into accountability recommendations and having questions myself, hearing from a variety of stakeholders and advocates on all sides, and hearing from other board members, BESE leadership is prepared to pull this off the agenda,” BESE President Sandy Holloway said in a statement.
Brumley said his proposal came from a recommendation made by a BESE advisory panel called the Accountability Commission, which wanted to see academic growth account for 47% of school scores.
Controversy also arose over Brumley’s idea to give schools credit for students who score at least a 17 on the ACT. A 17, less than half of the total 36 points available, is in the 35th percentile, meaning that student performed better than 35% of test takers.
Schools currently get no points for students who score 17, 70 points for those scoring 18 and 80 points for those scoring 19. Brumley’s recommendation is to give schools 80 points for students who score 17, 18 or 19.
—The Center Square

La. not among states whose tax funds have rebounded
Monthly tax receipts collected in Louisiana from March 2020 to February 2021 remain below the total tax revenues collected in the previous year, according to a new analysis by Pew Charitable Trusts and the Urban Institute.
The analysis showed that for the first time, tax revenue collected by the majority of the 50 states exceeded that of the prior 12 months, showing that revenue growth in most states has erased the losses that occurred during the pandemic. In the case of Louisiana, tax revenues decreased 2.5% over that time period.
Nationwide, total state tax receipts were up 0.01% in the March 2020-to-February 2021 period, compared to the previous year, the study found.
—The Center Square

Lonny Lee Deslatte peacefully passed away on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, with his wife and brother at his side. He was 53 years of age, a native of Franklin, Louisiana and a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Visitation will be observed from 9 AM until time of Funeral Services at 1PM on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at Family Life Church, 2223 Dulles Drive, Lafayette, LA. Lonny will be laid to rest at Louisiana National Cemetery, 303 W. Mount Pleasant Road, Zachary, LA on Monday, June 28, 2021, at 2 PM. Full Military Honors will be bestowed at the graveside by the United States Department of the Army for his service to our country.
Lonny was born on October 21, 1967. He attended St. John Elementary, Hanson Memorial High School, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he made many life-long friends. Lonny was the head clerk and IT specialist for the Lafayette and St. Mary Parishes Multiple Jurisdiction Narcotics Task Force. He was an E-5 Sergeant in the Active National Guard Reserve of the Louisiana Army National Guard and a veteran of Desert Storm. After 23 years of full-time service, Lonny retired from the military. He subsequently pursued a career in real estate and was a realtor for Keller Williams Realty Acadiana.
Lonny was a political enthusiast and active in the Republican Party. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1996 in San Diego, and an alternate delegate in 2008 in Minneapolis. Lonny served on the Republican Parish Executive Committee District 3 from 2000-2008 and was an associate member of Fleur de Lis Republican Women.
Lonny was a gentleman and a scholar who appreciated the finer things in life. He was an avid reader who had an uncanny knack for recalling the most obscure details of any subject he encountered. This fed into his love of trivia contests. He was a delight to spend time with and a pleasure to be around. He was a wonderful conversationalist who never met a stranger. Lonny was a welcome addition to any gathering and added insight, substance, and always color. As much as Lonny loved company, he would have been content alone in the middle of nowhere, as long as he had a book or magazine. Lonny loved a broad spectrum of music from big band, jazz, and swing to country and rock. He also loved traveling, cooking, shopping, holidays, and spending time with his wife, family, and friends.
Lonny was very strong in his Christian faith. His church life was especially important to him, and he had many friends through his brothers and sisters in Christ. Lonny was a member of Family Life Church in Lafayette. He treated the studies of his faith as any other subject, completely and with vigor.
Lonny is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Madeleine Marmande Deslatte; siblings Dana Deslatte Parker, Larry Deslatte Jr., and Daren Deslatte Reinhart (husband Danny); brothers-in-law William Jr. (Sherrell), Edward, Christopher (Susanne), Patrick (Lauren), and Mitchell Marmande; his mother-in-law Carol Ballay Marmande and her children Dr. Michelle Simon, Suzanne Simon (Esther), and Paul Simon; nieces and nephews, Tava Robichaux, Tandra Hebert (John), Larry Deslatte III (Celeste), Terilyn Harrington (Reed), Brad Reinhart (Amanda), Cady Wolf, Bret Reinhart (Madison), Cali Reinhart, Maria, Jacques, Nicole, Isabelle, Ian, Mary Helene, Emma, William, and Adele Marmande, and numerous step, great and great-great nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents Larry Deslatte Sr. and Loretta Sinitiere Deslatte; his father-in-law, Dr. William Marmande; and his nephew, Jean Paul Marmande.
The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the support of all the many people who kept Lonny in their prayers.
Share your condolences, words of comfort or send memorial gifts to the family of Lonny Lee Deslatte by visiting www.lafuneralservices .com
Lonny Lee Deslatte and his family were cared for and entrusted final arrangements to Louisiana Funeral Services & Crematory of Broussard (337) 330-8006.

I recently visited a few trial gardens across the South to see what’s new in the ornamental plant world. I saw some wonderful plants and got excited about some of the up-and-coming cultivars being tested for use in the landscape.
Trial gardens provide us important information about growth habits of new plants varieties and how they perform in different USDA hardiness zones. They feature new and improved cultivars, usually achieved through plant breeding. In some cases, entirely new plants are evaluated. The gardens provide useful data for plant breeders, growers and consumers alike.
There are many types of trial gardens. There are those run by plant breeders, large companies, public gardens and, of course, land-grant universities such as the LSU AgCenter. Testing organizations such as All-America Selections coordinate trial gardens in more than 40 locations across the United States and Canada. No doubt, trial gardens can be found in just about every country.
The All-America Selections highlight flowers and vegetables that have been “Tested Nationally and Proven Locally” through participating trial gardens spread across North America.
Louisiana has its own trial garden programs and plant promotions specifically for our unique growing conditions. Plants that are considered superior in gardens across the state are named Louisiana Super Plants.
The program carries its own unique slogan of “University Tested and Industry Approved.” Louisiana Super Plants have been tested at research stations across the state.
LSU AgCenter plant trials and ornamental research are mainly carried out at the Hammond Research Station and the Botanic Gardens at Burden. These two gardens are the largest trial gardens affiliated with LSU.
However, plant trials are carried out at AgCenter research stations all over the state in some capacity. Though some are dedicated to certain commodity crops, ornamental plants also make an appearance at most stations. Other public gardens and independent growers have their own trials often open to the public.
Trial gardens measure how well a specific cultivar or variety will perform in a specific area or growing condition. The trials evaluate new varieties compared to an industry standard plant from germination to maturity or from seed to harvest. Plants are trialed in several different environments to evaluate their performance in that area under specific conditions.
Plants are evaluated for different lengths of time depending on the life of the plant. For example, an annual may be evaluated on an annual basis for two growing seasons, or a two-year period. Perennials would be evaluated over a few years, and shrubs and trees would be evaluated for many years.
During the evaluation, observations are made on the growth vigor, visual quality, and light and water requirements in addition to disease and pest resistance, drought or excessive water tolerance. Growth habit in-formation such as trailing versus upright, dwarf versus large specimens, evergreen versus deciduous, flower color and size in addition to any other useful information is recorded.
Photos and videos are powerful tools for highlighting plant qualities. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But if you are a true scientist, you will appreciate all of the data provided by the research as well. This information is shared with growers, breeders and consumers. Plants that perform well in trials typically can be found in independent garden centers the following season or in the near future.
By visiting local trial gardens in your area, you can see what has potential to be a good performer in your landscape or gardens. Visit the Hammond Research Station website, https://bit.ly/3xpSTVE, for virtual tours of the gardens and results of garden trials. Large garden industry companies also share listings of plant trial gardens and annual results by geographic region on their websites.
Find the next great plant for your landscape from the comfort of your living room chair, or get outside and enjoy the beauty of trial gardens and talking with other avid gardeners and admirers.