This year has been a busy one for the news; we've picked the top ten news stories for Acadiana this year.
The stories we enjoyed covering most this year were yours: the celebrations, personalities and accomplishments of our Acadiana neighbors. We'll have another story later about those.
But when we looked back at the news stories we covered this year, here's our list, with links, in no particular order:
School Closures in Lafayette: The Lafayette Parish School Board hired a New Orleans consulting firm headed by former State Superintendent Paul Pastorek to make recommendations for changes to the system. Initial recommendations called for the closure of several schools; those recommendations later were revised and the final decision of the board was to accept only some of the firm's recommendations - but several neighborhoods lost their schools.
Disappearance of KeKe Doucet: The 27-year-old mother vanished in June, last seen in her Ville Platte neighborhood on a Saturday. Authorities and her family continued to search for her all summer and fall; a man known to her family was arrested and accusedof her slaying in December.
Buc-ees Coming to Lafayette: To the delight of the travel stop's devotees of famously clean restrooms and rich variety of jerky, Lafayette economic development officials announced a deal to bring Buc-ees to Lafayette. Local government approved a special taxing district for the Louisiana Avenue/Interstate 10 location, and what had just been a longed-for rumor for several years became reality in December.
Acadiana Losses: Over the past year, Acadiana lost many people, including three political icons, a well loved judge and one of our most prolific young musicians. Lafayette City Court Judge Jules Edwards, Acadian Ambulance co-founder Richard Zuschlag, former Sheriff Don Breaux, former Mayor Dud Lastrapes and musician Chris Stafford all passed away in 2024.
Weather Events: Several weeks of storms hit St. Martin, St. Landry and Lafayette parishes in the spring, leaving destruction and loss in their wake. One person died and numerous buildings - businesses, schools and homes - were heavily damaged. More tornadoes this fall in St. Landry Parish, and St. Mary Parish was hit by a hurricane.
ADA Indictment: After more than a year of speculation, indictments and guilty pleas, a federal grand jury handed up the indictment of a Lafayette Parish Assistant District Attorney on bribery charges. Gary Haynes is the fourth person indicted in a federal investigation into the DA's Pretrial Diversion Program.
Bizarre Triple Murder: Family and friends reportedthree friends missing in April, and within days their bodies were found in quiet South College neighborhood. Afourth man has been indicted, accused of the slayings.
Lafayette Police Officer Slain: It started as a hostage situation in an Iberia Parish trailer park, and ended with the shooting death of Sr. Cpl. Segus Jolivette. Because he was a Lafayette Police Officer and an Opelousas native, Jolivette's death was felt across Acadiana. His July funeral was attended by thousands in person, and many more thousands more virtually.
Lafayette Plane Crash: In September, a small plane crashed in Oakborne just minutes after taking off from the Lafayette airport. It wasn't long before the news broke of the victim's identity: well-known and loved developer Greg Manuel, known for his philanthropy and kind spirit.
Elected Chief, Two Officers Indicted: Opelousas Police Chief Graig "Twin" LeBlanc, along with a former officer and a current officer, wereall indicted in October - roughly ten months after the former officer shot the chiefand his wife in what investigating deputies described as a "domestic" incident. They're all accused of trying to cover up what happened.
