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LB
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march 26th - 29th
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26
28
27
ONE POUND PACK FROZEN
Louisiana Crawfish Tails
29
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VALUE PACK BONE-IN
Pork Sirloin Chops
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Prices good at all Lafayette, New Iberia and Youngsville stores March 26th - March 29th, 2026.
TRUMP SAYS HE’LL SIGN ORDER TO PAY TSA AGENTS 5A NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT: LSU VS. DUKE l 9 P.M. l ESPN 1C THE
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Indicted ex-LDWF chief may change plea
Move could mean deal accepted in bribery case BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Montoucet entered a not guilty plea in June in federal court in Lafayette. He was indicted in May Former Louisiana Department of for his role in a kickback scheme Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary involving a statewide contract for Jack Montoucet may be changing online hunting and fishing courses. His trial was set to begin May 11. his plea to guilty on at least one But U.S. District Judge David count in a federal bribery case that prompted him to resign from Joseph on Wednesday scheduled a change of plea hearing for March his post in 2023.
Staff writer
Jack Montoucet, former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, leaves the federal courthouse in June.
31, suggesting Montoucet may have accepted a plea deal with federal prosecutors and will change his plea to guilty on at least one of the charges. Montoucet is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud, three
STAFF FILE PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK
ä See PLEA, page 4A
Broussard charter school gets OK
2026 LEGISLATURE HEALTH
Bill would create new nutrition office Focus would be on diet and exercise
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
Acadiana Advocate. Board member Kim Vavasseur abstained. The school, like the other two Lafayette charters overseen by the foundation, would be run in agreement with Charter Schools USA, a for-profit education management company based in Florida that runs charter schools in Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. A lease agreement is forthcoming and
State lawmakers have moved forward with a bill that would create a new Office of Health and Nutrition within the Louisiana Department of Health, part of a bigger push to focus on diet and exercise to move the needle on the state’s poor health metrics. The proposal, Senate Bill 219 by state Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, cleared the Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday without objection. The bill would create a new office under the direct supervision of the health secretary and led by an executive director, with authority to coordinate programs that already exist across the department.
ä See CHARTER, page 4A
ä See NUTRITION, page 4A
STAFF FILE PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK
Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy in Youngsville is one of two charter schools that the Lafayette Charter Foundation oversees. The group has voted to build a new school in Broussard.
900-seat facility would serve K-8th graders
school serving kindergarten through eighth grade students. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools. The Lafayette Charter FoundaBY ASHLEY WHITE tion oversees Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy and Acadiana RenaisStaff writer sance Charter Academy. Jared Labue, who is married to LafayThe Lafayette Charter Foundation voted at a special meeting last week to build ette Parish School Board member Kate a new school in Broussard. Labue, voted against the new project, citThe nonprofit governance board voted ing budget and staffing concerns, accord5-2-1 to move forward with a 900-seat ing to unofficial minutes viewed by The
LSU, Will Wade follow unprecedented path to get back together The prodigal son returns. Will Wade is once again the LSU men’s basketball coach after being fired four years ago. It’s unconventional, to say the least. It’s unprecedented, at least at LSU. You could even say it’s unseemly, espeScott cially since he’s leavRabalais ing NC State after one brief season on Tobacco Road. No matter, at least for this man and this school. The heart wants what
WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 56 PAGE 14C
ä More on Will Wade’s return
to LSU in Sports. PAGE 1C
it wants. LSU never fell out of love with Wade. He clearly never fell out of love with LSU and Louisiana, even after he was sent packing in 2022 following a very public recruiting scandal. “This was not an easy decision,” Wade posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “But the opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal. It’s a chance to go
home — to a place that means a great deal to me and my family.” Even in the transfer portal era, with coaches and players jumping ship annually, I frankly never thought this day would come. It certainly would not have come if William Tate was still LSU’s president and Scott Woodward was still LSU’s athletic director. Still, you never say never. Wade didn’t. He never bad-mouthed LSU. He admitted he made mistakes — when they’re caught on an FBI
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
ä See WADE, page 4A Will Wade coached LSU men’s hoops from 2017 to 2022.
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101st year, No. 270