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Lafayette official named state fire marshal
‘Education from the very beginning’
Sonnier had headed parish Office of Homeland Security BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
Annie Ozenne, second from right, works with 1- and 2-year-olds on Thursday at the United Way of Acadiana Learning Center in Lafayette as the Early Head Start program celebrates 15 years.
Early Head Start program celebrates 15 years
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
United Way of Acadiana is marking 15 years of its Early Head Start program, which has served more than 1,500 families in Lafayette and Vermilion parishes through early childhood education and family support services. This week, the organization invited supporters to celebrate the milestone in their work to serve area children with learning centers in Lafayette and Abbeville that offer early childhood education, developmental activities and family support services for children up to age 3.
“At the time, we realized it was important for us to focus on education from the very beginning,” said Angela Morrison, who previously served as chief of community impact at United Way of Acadiana and is now senior director of engagement at Hospice of Acadiana. “We had a really high rate of high school dropouts, a high rate of middle school students who were two-plus years behind, and children entering school who were usually not ready to learn,” according to Morrison, who spoke at a ceremony on Thursday at the United Way Learning Center
Heather Blanchard performs a ribbon cutting as the Early Head Start program celebrates on Thursday at the United Way of ä See EDUCATION, page 5A Acadiana Learning Center in Lafayette.
also said that layObstacles remain ingHamas down its heavy weapons, which would come to settlement later in the process, was
Associated Press
CAIRO — Hamas said Friday that it will begin disarming as part of a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump that also requires Israel to end its strikes and withdraw from Gaza. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the war, but implementation faces major challenges.
WEATHER HIGH 94 LOW 79 PAGE 6A
contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government adamantly rejects. Israel has not officially commented on the deal, which is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October. That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw, and
ä See HAMAS, page 5A
ä See MARSHAL, page 5A
LSU becoming more selective
Hamas OKs deal if Israel halts strikes BY SAMY MAGDY, SAM MEDNICK, JONATHAN J. COOPER and MATTHEW LEE
Gov. Jeff Landry has named Chad Sonnier, the director of the Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security, as the new state fire marshal. He also promoted the current fire marshal, Bryan Adams, to an appointment in the Louisiana Department of Public Safety. A d a m s w i l l Sonnier serve as principal assistant to the deputy secretary of that department, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said Friday. In that role, Adams will oversee the daily operations of five state offices: the Office of State Fire Marshal, Office of Motor Vehicles, Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Louisiana Gaming Control Board and Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission. The appointments will take effect on Monday, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a news release Friday. Adams had served as state fire marshal since January 2024. Sonnier, who will become state fire marshal on Monday, has more than 37 years of fire service experience. He had served as fire chief of the Scott Fire Department for more than 20 years, before serving for the past two years as the director of the Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Mayor-President Monique Boulet appointed Sonnier as the director of OHSEP for Lafayette Parish in September 2024. Sonnier was responsible for leading Lafayette Parish’s emergency preparedness efforts, facilitating
University tightens admissions standards in push to improve academic reputation
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Concerns about campus capacity and a push to become a more selective institution have led LSU to back off in enrollment for the first time in nearly a decade.
Across her college career, LSU senior Rachel Kashimawo has spent hours circling campus in her RAV4, searching for a parking spot even though she always buys a permit. The parking space was only the first obstacle in navigating the campus of a jam-packed flagship university that has seen record-breaking freshman class sizes for the years Kashimawo has attended. In lecture halls, especially early in her time on
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ä See LSU, page 5A
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