The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened up a disaster loan outreach center to aid homeowners renters and business owners in Acadia Parish impacted by the severe storms and flooding that happened between March 29 and April 2 SBA provides low interest fixed rate loans to repair physical damages for homeowners renters and businesses as well as loans to assist businesses with any economic injury homeowners can qualify for up to $500,000 and businesses can qualify for up to $2 million dollars in disaster loan assistance The center is located at 318 Gossen Memorial Drive Rayne Here's a fact sheet with all the details: This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page — The city of Rayne experienced 13 inches of rain Saturday afternoon Mayor Chuch Robichaux said the city’s drainage system "works well," but noted that there was just too much water could handle all this kind of rain," Robichaux said "When you get that much rain in a short period of time it's just not possible for any system to withstand it." Robichaux explained that many homes and businesses flooded because they are built below the proper elevation level "The current code is a foot above the road," he said "Some of them are a foot below the road or 8 inches below the road So any water that you're going to get in that's below the road The city of Rayne is offering assistance to residents who experienced damage from the storm. Residents can find an assistance application here "As the grants are available and the services are available they are going to contact you to get you the help that you need," Robichaux said I spoke to the emergency people in the parish on Sunday and she expedited all the information that we need." Robichaux also mentioned that residents whose homes are below the elevation standard can receive aid to bring their homes up to code "We work together to get you the needs of what can help you to raise your home possibly do some repairs on your home," he said and we will sit down with you and try to get this expedited because we want to help you to help yourself." KATC - Heavy rains poured down on Rayne Saturday afternoon with parts of the town experiencing up to 7-8 inches of rainfall in just a few hours The intense downpours led to flash flooding causing a number of issues for residents and travelers alike "I ain’t seen this much water in Rayne in 40 years," said Dale Moore The storm created difficult driving conditions with stalled vehicles dotting the streets as the floodwaters surged traveling through the area became a challenge as visibility decreased and roads became impassable residents like Dale Moore took matters into their own hands who has lived through his fair share of storms made his own sandbags to protect his home and neighbors He also took the time to issue a crucial warning to those in the community: Local officials warning about power disconnections Due to flooding in Holt Addition behind Rayne High School electrical crews will intentionally disconnect power to areas served by Ground Transformers Additional areas with Ground Transformers and rising water may also experience power disconnections for safety but this is necessary for everyone’s safety Nearly 7” of rainfall has overwhelmed local canals and we must allow nature to take its course as sightseers are causing further damage by pushing water A Rayne man has been booked on child sex charges for the fourth time since 2021 was booked Tuesday on warrants accusing him of sexual battery felony indecent behavior with juveniles and three counts first-degree rape He's being held in the Acadia Parish jail with no bond set Aucoin already is out on bond for three different child sex abuse cases; he's posted $250,000 bond twice he'll have to wait until a hearing is held for bond to be set Records at the Louisiana Secretary of State indicate Aucoin is the officer of several Acadia Parish businesses including Aucoin's Trucking & Excavation Aucoin has been booked four times now since 2021 on child sex charges Records at the Acadia Parish Clerk of Court indicate multiple continuances almost all of them on motion of Aucoin's attorney In April 2021, he was booked with indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor He posted a $250,000 bond and was released the alleged victim was 15 years old at the time of the incident and court minutes indicate the child attends an Acadia Parish high school That case had a trial date set for next month but it was continued after his attorney said he would be in another trial A few months later, in July 2021, he was arrested again and booked on a sexual battery charge In that case he posted $500,000 bond and was released the alleged victim - a different child - was younger than 15 years of age The most recent event in that case was a trial set for May 2024 which was continued - again on the motion of Aucoin's attorney Court records show a bench warrant was issued for his arrest in July after he failed to appear for a pre-trial hearing Then, in December 2023, he was arrested again the alleged victim again was younger than 15 years of age The most recent event in that case was a pre-trial hearing in July which was re-set for December 2 - but that is the same date that was continued in the April 2021 case because his attorney will be in another trial We reached out to Aucoin's attorney in the pending cases and we will update this story when we receive a response ACADIA PARISH (RAYNE) — Residents at the Rayne Villas Apartments are still recovering from severe flooding that hit the complex Saturday with many describing the situation as the worst they have ever experienced a resident who has lived at the complex for over five years said she had never seen flooding like Saturday’s “The water just started gushing in,” she said “I walked to the back bedroom for something—I don’t remember what it was—and it was coming through the walls.” Water quickly flooded into the apartments and vehicles All residents at the Rayne Villas live on disability income and the costs of repairing flood damage are a significant concern for those left to deal with the aftermath “I gotta go through the closets and start cleaning out there,” Trahan said “Thank God I had a lot of stuff in totes.” and it was too late—it just started coming in,” Trahan added who is on oxygen and scheduled to receive a pacemaker this week watched as floodwaters rose to dangerous levels halfway through the car rims—almost up to the front door,” he said recalling the moment his car filled with water we have water in the parking lot—never came this high but water comes up to the back of the vehicles on a regular rain with this thunderstorm that we had yesterday and Friday—I mean KATC reached out to the landlord and Huff Management for comment but did not hear back Baton Rouge authorities arrested a man in connection to an Easter Sunday shooting in Rayne that left multiple people injured faces four counts of attempted first-degree murder according to a Rayne Police Department announcement The shooting left multiple people injured and threatened nearby children, officials say. Two people were shot in the head but managed to drive themselves to the police station Sunday to a shooting in the 900 block of Lyman Avenue an 18-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man drove in a private vehicle to the Rayne Police Department seeking help the victims were transported to a Lafayette hospital for further treatment Both had sustained gunshot wounds to the head but are in stable condition Police are also searching for Courtney Kendell Rogers Jr. who is alleged to be involved in the shooting and is wanted on the same charges Tenner is currently being transported to the Acadia Parish Jail Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting is urged to contact the Rayne Police Department or Crime Stoppers of Acadia Parish at 337-789-TIPS Stephen Marcantel writes for The Acadiana Advocate as a Report for America corps member. Email him at stephen.marcantel@theadvocate.com Email notifications are only sent once a day News Tips:newstips@theadvocate.com Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application formerly of Wadesboro passed away at her home in Greensboro There will be a graveside service at 4:00 PM The family will greet friends following the service and was a daughter of the late Samuel Howard McLendon and the late Shelly Rayne Phillips McLendon Those who are left to cherish her memory are her daughters Summer Parker (Billy)  and Skylar Grooms both of Lilesville; her grandson Braxton Parker of Lilesville and her brother David McLendon of Wadesboro and her nieces and nephews The arrangements are in care of Leavitt Funeral Home and online condolences may be made at www.leavittfh.com Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors A Rayne man died Wednesday evening in a motorcycle crash Police were called to the intersection of W They found that Hollier was traveling west on W approaching the Fourth Street intersection and slowed down while signaling a turn onto Fourth The car turned into the path of the motorcycle which crashed into the passenger side of the car Neither the driver nor the passengers in the car were injured Standard toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis Construction is underway for new air-conditioned restrooms and a concession stand at Gossen Park Rayne's Mayor Chuck Robichaux believes this is something neighbors will like "It's something in addition to what we have there now and it's something people were asking for and we are finally being able to deliver it," Robichaux said Mayor Robichaux told KATC something was missing "We had that void of a nice facility for restrooms and we had build a new concession stand a few years ago this one is much larger one," Robichaux expalined Another project that could potentially start this year is construction on a 14 acre lot Mayor Robichaux says a family donated the land to the city back in 2019 and he wanted to figure out how the lot could benefit the community a walking track around the fishing pond so we can get fuel purpose," Robichaux said At some point Robichaux plans to add barbecue pits the fishing pond and walking track will give residents something to do in their free time "I think it's a positive move forward for positive things for our kids to do Robichaux also told KATC other projects such as restoring one of the oldest downtown buildings and additions to Mauboules Park can be expected to take place this year « Back Both had sustained gunshot wounds to the head Two people were shot in the head in Rayne on Sunday evening but managed to drive themselves to a police station Rayne Police said they responded about 7:30 p.m The incident is currently under investigation by the Rayne Police Department Roberts will report to co-head of production and development DanTram Nguyen Searchlight Pictures has tapped former 12-year Lucasfilm executive Rayne Roberts to serve as Senior Vice President the global specialty studio announced on Tuesday She will report to Co-Head of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen “We are beyond excited to have Rayne join the Searchlight team,” Nguyen said in a statement to TheWrap along with her exceptional storytelling instincts We’re eager to continue to push boundaries together and bring fresh With over a decade of experience at Lucasfilm Roberts most recently served as Vice President of Development where she was instrumental in the development and production of films in the “Star Wars” franchise including “The Force Awakens,” “Rogue One,” “The Last Jedi,” and “Solo,” as well as the Disney+ series “The Acolyte.” Her film background also includes several years as a development executive at Gold Circle Films an Associate Producer on the award-winning documentary “The Fair Trade,” and a contributing Story Analyst for Alcon Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company portrait and documentary photography as a photo editor at Vibe Magazine and also Teen People Magazine Roberts received her BFA in Photography & Imaging from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and holds a graduate-level certificate in Producing from the UCLA School of Theater Searchlight Pictures recently released James Mangold’s ”A Complete Unknown” starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan which has been nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture; and Jesse Eisenberg’s critically-acclaimed and award-winning “A Real Pain,” starring Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin which was nominated for two Academy Awards Variety first reported the news Patrons dig in to the first boiled crawfish of the 2024 season from Hawks Crawfish Restaurant on Wednesday Patrons in line drink beer and visit while waiting for Hawks Crawfish Restaurant to open for the season on Wednesday A line forms outside of Hawks Crawfish Restaurant on Wednesday Boiled crawfish are on the menu at Hawks Crawfish Restaurant on Wednesday Anthony Arceneaux weighs an order of boiled crawfish at Hawks Crawfish Restaurant on Wednesday Hawk's Crawfish Restaurant in Rayne traditionally waits to start serving customers their famously clean tasty and big crawfish until the season has reached its peak Owners Anthony and Jennifer Arceneaux have now announced an opening date for the 2025 season — Wednesday is only open for about the last three months of crawfish season each year Hawk's serves around 2,000 pounds of crawfish each night to customers who start planning their trips as soon as the season's opening date is announced and I have to have access to a lot," said Anthony Arceneaux "A lot of people try to start too early," he says and I've learned that sometimes when you wait a little longer Hawk's dedicated following is thanks to their commitment to quality based on a 48-hour freshwater purging process developed by Texas A&M food scientists less gritty crawfish tails that customers love This year's mid-March opening date only beats the troubled 2024 season by one week crawfish yields were lower — and prices were higher — thanks to the extreme drought and high temperatures that impacted Louisiana in the summer of 2023 Hawk's 2024 opening date of March 20 was the latest it's ever been READ MORE: Crawfish lovers line up at Louisiana restaurant on opening day for 'experience of a lifetime' the Arceneauxs hope to open the doors at Hawk's in mid-February That was the plan for this crawfish season until January's blizzard and historically low temperatures pushed the crustaceans further into their burrows and slowed down their growth South Louisiana's unprecedented snow event may have slowed the season down by a few weeks, but all signs continue to be good that this year's crawfish yields are strong Hawk's Crawfish Restaurant opens for dinner at 5 p.m. Their first day open for the 2025 crawfish season will be March 12 Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@theadvocate.com