largest selection & lowest prices on wine, spirits & beer
Louisiana Local
Very best selection
of wine and o spirits
LB
— ONLY —
25
$
750 ML SELECTED
LB
750 ML
Hardhide Strawberry Whiskey
— ONLY —
— ONLY —
99 XXL Moscato
9
$ 99
1.75 LITER
Apothic Wine
1C
THE
— ONLY —
99
LB
Taaka Vodka 80
OR 750 ML SELECTED
visit rouses.com for more weekly ad specials!
RORY McILROY WINS MASTERS TO COMPLETE CAREER GRAND SLAM
13
$
17
$ 1.75 LITER
LIMIT 3
Benchmark Bourbon
— ONLY —
— ONLY —
99 4 PACK 355 ML
High Noon Sun Sips
8
$ 99
17 99
$ 18 PACK 12 OZ
Miller Lite or Coors Light
Prices good at all Lafayette, New Iberia and Youngsville stores April 9th - 16th, 2025.
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
M o n d ay, a p r i l 14, 2025
Could tariffs help La. manufacturing growth?
Diversifying an economy overly reliant on oil and gas offers opportunity
$2.00X
2025 LEGISLATURE
DOTD ‘reform’ among legislative priorities
Rethinking of defeated amendments also on table BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Machinists Jesse Breaux, right, and Louis Gardemal manufacture parts using a CNC machine at Westfield Fluid Controls in Lafayette on April 1. BY ADAM DAIGLE
Acadiana business editor The stated goal of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs is to bring companies and their manufacturing jobs back to the United States. But in Acadiana, where there has been a concentrated focus on diversifying an economy overly reliant on oil and gas, manufacturing jobs have already been returning, and at a rate higher than the rest of the state. Take Stephanie Clotiaux, for example. Clotiaux was not even 30 years old when she began running the shop at her parents’ metal fabrication com-
pany in Youngsville in 2016. Five years later, she was named CEO. Go ahead and make your assumptions about a young woman running a manufacturing company in an industry dominated by middle-aged men, but you’d be incorrect. The industry, she said, has become friendlier to women in the past five years even while her company, Leading Edge Manufacturing, has all men working in the shop. Clotiaux admits she has to be on top of her game when dealing with men, and she is. Her company, she says, is busier than it’s ever been
ä See GROWTH, page 5A
Manufacturing jobs in Acadiana The manufacturing industry in Acadiana has regained jobs lost during the pandemic but remains well below highs in 2014. ACADIANA
25,000
Includes Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermilion parishes
chase with police, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He was 24. Lacy was involved in a verbal argument with a family member BY WILSON ALEXANDER and discharged a gun Staff writer into the ground, the Lacy Former LSU wide receiver Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. Kyren Lacy was found dead When the Constable’s Office Saturday night in Houston responded to the scene at apfrom an apparent self-inflict- proximately 11:15 p.m., they ed gunshot wound after a car said Lacy had driven away in
WEATHER HIGH 81 LOW 61 PAGE 10C
ä See PRIORITIES, page 4A
20,000
15,000
LAFAYETTE LAFAYETTE 10,000
5,000
0
’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 ’21 ’22 ’23 ’24
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Staff graphic
Ex-LSU football player dead after police chase Texas sheriff: Lacy had self-inflicted gunshot wound
When the Louisiana Legislature gathers Monday in the State Capitol, it will begin debate on contentious issues ranging from improving roads and bridges to embracing the “Make America Healthy Again” movement to reducing the cost of car insurance. State lawmakers are also trying to find a way to revive key pieces of a recently failed constitutional amendment that was aimed at rewriting an entire section of the state constitution governing state finances. And they will have to craft a state budget amid unpredictable federal spending cuts and the specter of poten- Landry tial slashes to Medicaid. Here are what state leaders say are among their top priorities. Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders in both the House and Senate are throwing their support behind an effort to restructure the Department of Transportation and Development. “We’re hoping to see projects done faster — still the same quality work, still all the safety
his car. Law enforcement tried to stop him 20 minutes later, and Lacy fled. He was involved in a car chase for several miles before crashing, the Sheriff’s Office said. Upon trying to remove Lacy from the car and place him in custody, deputies said they discovered Lacy had suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot
Bills push building of fortified roofs Tax credit, grant program among proposed legislation
BY SAM KARLIN | Staff writer
wound and found a handgun in the vehicle. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. According to a preliminary investigation by the Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives and crime scene units, Lacy shot himself during the pursuit and before the car crashed. Police said a review of body camera and car dash-mounted video
Louisiana lawmakers are proposing a host of measures to help incentivize — and possibly require — the building of fortified roofs, which are widely seen as one solution to the spiraling insurance premiums saddling homeowners. The Legislature will consider at least six bills directly addressing fortified roofs during the session that begins Monday. If successful, proponents of the changes hope Louisiana can rapidly accelerate the pace at which new, stronger roofs are built in the state. As a result, they hope insurance companies will offer discounted premiums to homeowners in south Louisiana who have
ä See LACY, page 5A
ä See ROOFS, page 4A
Classified .....................4B Living............................5C Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Lottery..........................4B Opinion ........................2B Commentary ................3B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
100TH yEAR, NO. 288