Photograph: Confederate Monument on the St. Landry Parish Courthouse Square (Photograph by Bobby Ardoin, taken in December 2022.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
With the end of 2022 approaching, the St. Landry Now staff is looking back on the parish stories that attracted the most responses from readers and that perhaps impacted their lives in some way. After discussing an order of importance for the topics, these are the top issue-oriented stories that had parish readers talking this year..
TOP 10 STORIES — ST. LANDRY PARISH 2022
1. Parish Council votes to remove 102-year-old Confederate Monument at the Courthouse. https://www.stlandrynow.com/local-news/council-votes-to-send-monument-somewhere-else/
2. Parish voters overwhelmingly defeat School Board property tax referendum for the second time in four years. https://www.stlandrynow.com/local-news/school-election-story-looking-ahead/
3. Opelousas residents remain concerned as gun violence and homicides increase in 2022. https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/opelousas-community-again-addresses-gun-violence/
https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/opelousas-police-chief-details-responses-to-gun-violence-during-past-week/
4. Vice-president Kamala Harris visits Sunset. https://www.stlandrynow.com/local-news/vice-president-kamala-harris-in-sunset/
5. St. Landry Parish Football Jamboree is interrupted and curtailed due to concerns of violence. https://www.stlandrynow.com/sports/school-city-officials-end-jamboree-due-to-safety-concerns/
https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/st-landry-jamboree-was-unusual-in-many-ways/
https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/the-opelousas-football-jamboree-an-unfortunate-incident/
6. Melville mayor dies in vehicle crash on Election Day. https://www.stlandrynow.com/breaking-news/highway-190-wreck-near-port-barre/
7. Four new School Board members are chosen, as most municipal incumbents are re-elected. https://www.stlandrynow.com/breaking-news/four-new-board-members-will-occupy-school-board-positions/
8. Three parish churches destroyed in 2019 near the end of their rebuilding process. https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/louisiana-governor-visits-church-rebuilt-after-arson/
9. (tie) a. Parish economy shows promise with addition of solar farms and new investment south of Opelousas. https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/headline-st-landry-residents-ask-questions-about-solar-farm-project/
https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/where-will-the-new-st-landry-solar-project-locate/
b. Residents react as new garbage collection provider begins operation. https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/new-garbage-collection-provider-starts-oct-1/
https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/bayou-state-waste-collection-operation/
10. (tie) a. Opelousas alderman is disqualified from running for reelection. https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/da-investigation-challenges-election-qualifications-of-alderman/
b. School Board approves two industry-themed charter schools for Opelousas area. https://www.stlandrynow.com/community/school-committee-listens-to-charter-school-proposal/
