The area of low to no oxygen, which kills fish and other marine life that fail or are unable to move out of the area, will be slightly smaller this year.
Thibodaux Regional CEO receives honorary doctorate from Nicholls The Courier and Daily Comet Thibodaux Regional Health System CEO Greg Stock received an honorary doctorate degree in commerce from Nicholls State University during its May 15 commencement. Nicholls President Jay Clune recognized Stock for his leadership and growth of the health system and Stock’s dedication to area residents health and well-being. Thibodaux Regional is the official sports medicine provider for Nicholls Athletics and a longtime partner and supporter of the university and its programs. “It is a great privilege to receive this award, and I am most grateful to Nicholls State University for the recognition,” said Stock.
The Rougarou Fest, one of Houma-Thibodaux s largest annual events, has unveiled this year s commemorative poster, created by a Los Angeles-based artist whose body painting has been celebrated around the world. Pashur House has been called the Picasso of body painting. His poster depicts the mythical, werewolf-like Rougarou strutting through cypress forest surrounded by other swamp dwellers like Beignet the nutria, a guitar-playing alligator and a costumed owl dubbed the Rougarou Queen. Scheduled Oct. 22-24, the Halloween-themed festival steeped in Cajun lore attracts thousands to downtown Houma for a parade, a costume contest, food, live music and arts and crafts demonstrations. It returns after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Edward P. Bubby Lyons, Terrebonne s first parish president, dies at 91 Lyons died surrounded by relatives after a brief illness at his home in Mandeville, his family said. Public visitation is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at Chauvin Funeral Home, 5899 La. 311 in Houma. A mass is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, followed by interment in Holy Rosary Cemetery in Houma. Lyons worked for the local government for more than a decade. He served on the Terrebonne Police Jury from 1968 to 1972 before spending a term as its president from 1972 to 1976. When elected mayor of Houma in 1978, he led the charge to consolidate the city and parish governments into their current arrangement. Lyons then served as the first Terrebonne Parish president from 1984 until 1988.
Zeta, which slammed ashore Oct. 28 in Cocodrie, has been upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane in a new post-storm analysis by the National Hurricane Center. These Category 3 sustained winds were likely experienced over only a very small area at and near the coast near the landfall location, and this change in the estimated landfall intensity is of little practical significance in terms of the impacts associated with the storm there, the report, released Monday, says. After landfall, the sustained highest wind speed recorded near ground level, 94 mph, came from a public source at Golden Meadow at 4:39 p.m. Oct. 28. Gusts were recorded at 110 mph.
A volunteer group planned to call of its search Sunday for the seven crewmen missing and presumed dead after an oilfield boat capsized in a storm April 13 about 8 miles south of Port Fourchon. The United Cajun Navy, which had led the search effort from a dock in Cocodrie, posted the update Sunday morning on its Facebook page. We are sad to say that we are suspending our UCN organized and coordinated search efforts in the search for the 7 missing Seacor crewmen, the organization said. Others may continue in the search efforts and we wish them luck. ATVs from the United Cajun Navy were searching the Holly Beach area south of Lake Charles on Sunday as well as the Texas coast near Louisiana s border, the group said. Several teams were continuing to provide search dogs.
Houma-Thibodaux area gains 400 jobs for month but down 4,100 for year, report shows Houma-Thibodaux gained 400 jobs in March but was down 4,100 compared to a year earlier, the latest state figures show. The metro area, comprised of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, has lost jobs year-to-year for 13 straight months, according to the latest report from the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The latest figures compare current job totals to those in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Louisiana and the state enacted restrictions on social gatherings and business aimed at curbing the virus s spread. Houma-Thibodaux posted a 5.7% unemployment rate in March, down from 6.2% in February but up from 5% percent a year earlier.
Family of Houma crewman presumed dead sues for $35 million in Seacor Power capsizing The family of a Houma crewman presumed dead after an oilfield boat capsized in a storm April 13 has joined others suing the Seacor Power s owner and other companies over the incident. Family members of 46-year-old Christopher Cooper Rozands filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans seeking $35 million in punitive and compensatory damages. A day earlier, the widow of the boat s captain, 63-year-old David Ledet of Thibodaux, filed a similar lawsuit seeking unspecified damages. In both cases, the families allege Seacor Marine, Seacor Liftboats or Talos Energy directed the boat to leave Port Fourchon and head into the Gulf of Mexico despite severe weather warnings. Talos owns the oil platform off Plaquemines Parish where the boat was headed when it capsized in a storm that at times packed hurricane-force winds.