LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL) — The funeral for the Lafayette Police officer who was killed while riding his motorcycle over the weekend started at 10 a.m. this morning.

Funeral services for Richard “Ricky” Rees were held at the Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers on Bertrand Drive.

Rees had two children, 18-year-old Anna Rees and 17-year-old Jacob Rees.

“Anna and Jacob had a relationship with their dad that was more than that of a parent and his children,” the obituary stated. “He was their best friend.”

According to his obituary, Rees was the youngest of twelve children. He was nicknamed “Slick Rick” because of his ability to charm everyone he met.

Here is the video of today’s procession

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Teurlings Catholic High School, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, or the charity of your choice.

Rees was driving his Harley Davidson motorcycle Saturday on Highway 3000 when he went off a sharp curve and into a ditch. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Iberville Parish coroner.

The crash remains under investigation.

Source: Lafayette Police Officer Richard “Ricky” Rees Laid To Rest Today

Share your photos at the Patty in the Parc Facebook page! And, please take a minute to fill out a short survey so we can provide an even bigger and better show in 2014.

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Very soon, you will begin to see some new things happening at what was, until this morning, called the Mall of Acadiana.  The mall was selected by it’s parent company, CBL & Associates Properties, Inc, for a remodel and name change.

With the changing of the name, General Manager Bryan LeBlanc said they were trying to honor the heritage of the mall.  LeBlanc said,

We wanted to keep some of the history and the name Acadiana Mall was such a part of it from ’79 to 2004.  We felt that bringing it back was just something to keep those ties.  A lot of people still call it Acadiana Mall.

But the name is not the only thing that is changing.  LeBlanc mentioned that some big changes are coming that customers will definitely notice.  One of the big ones is happening in the center court area where LeBlanc says they are taking out the raised platform.  LeBlanc said,

It’s going to be more of a place where you can congregate and walk through it.  It’s going to be a lot easier to access, one for the two tenants there and two for the customers.  It will still have a seating area but it’s going to be a very dramatic change.  That’s going to be one of the bigger changes.

One of the other big changes that is coming is going to be a complete remodeling of the bathrooms.  LeBlanc mentioned that the restrooms will include some new family restrooms among other things.  Jason Perry, of Henry Douglas Thompson Architects, who is managing the project for the mall said that he felt the restrooms are going to be the biggest

If you are a current shopper now, the restrooms are huge.  It’s an area that customers have wanted to see improved for a while now.  So that’s going to be, functionally, the biggest thing.

Perry also mentioned that they will be building some new entrance towers that will provide a “wow factor.”  Perry said,

That’s going to really look like a new, polished addition to the mall that’s going to say a lot about what you’re going to find inside.

Other things that will see changes include removing some of the decorative columns and freshening up supporting columns in the mall.  A new seating area will be put into the food court that is more of a cafe style.  Also, you will find new seating areas throughout the mall.  Gone will be the hard benches and in will be soft, comfortable furniture that LeBlanc said would be more inviting.  In addition, there will be new signage coming all around the mall to reflect the new name and logo.

As to when the work will start, look for renovations to take place starting in March.  But will this be an inconvenience to customers?  Perry says they want to keep it to a minimum.  Perry said,

Construction will take place primarily overnight.  So, if you come shop during the day you will probably notice signs and some areas will be protected, but there won’t be work going on during the daytime.

The remodel is scheduled to be completed in November and when that happens, LeBlanc says there will be a “Grand Celebration” which will include prizes and fun activities for shoppers.  LeBlanc says that the timing is ideal for them,

Our goal is to wrap up the project just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Among other changes that are taking place effective immediately are a new website, a change to their Facebook page and a new change on Twitter.

In all of the changes, Perry and LeBlanc said they want to keep that link to the area so the mall will retain that local flavor as they freshen it up to make it more convenient for area shoppers.  LeBlanc also said that they hoped to see some more tenants see the changes and want to come be a part of it.

Source: Big Changes Coming For Acadiana Mall

This will mark the third Patty in the Parc event and features local favorites such as the Molly Ringwalds, Grammy winner Wayne Toups along with Leroy Stank and the Blues Review.  Gates will open at 5:00pm.

Advance tickets will be made available for purchase for $10.00 at Schlotzsky’s on Johnston or Pinhook in Lafayette and Lucky Deuces Casino in Duson. Tickets at the Gate are $15.00.  Children 12 years old and younger are free.  Tickets will be on sale Monday, February 25th.

Keep up with all things Irish facebook.com/PattyInTheParc.

Patty in the Parc is produced by the Theatre League of Louisiana.

Check out some photos from last year

Super Bowl Sunday is not an American holiday. Well, not an official one, anyway. But if it was, it’d be the best one, by far.

Even if you don’t like sports, the Super Bowl is something you know about and make plans for in advance. It’s a great day for humanity.

This year, we’ll be treated to Super Bowl 47. In honor of this most American of festivities, we give you 47 reasons why this most American of events is so darned amazing:

Source: 47 Reasons Why the Super Bowl Is Awesome

In general, the words lingerie and football have about as much in common as the words meth addict and day care. Maybe that’s why the all-female Lingerie Football League just changed their brand name to the Legends Football League.  You will be relieved to know that they didn’t change their uniforms very much, and they’re still awesome. The league, which expanded to include Canada in 2012, will swell to 16 teams in 2013 with the addition of the Atlanta Steam and the Omaha Heart. No word on whether the league will continue naming their teams after female soft rock outfits and soap operas when it expands to Europe in 2015.

The uniforms used by the players of the LFL also will change slightly, but, as evidenced by the following picture gallery, the ladies won’t be running around in sweatpants and jorts. The guys who attend these games on the other hand (ahem, us) will remain slobs.

The league has decided to use the term ‘performance wear,’ rather than lingerie, for the new garb, noting that lingerie hurt its credibility (just like J. Edgar Hoover!). If a the woman in our lives told us that she was wearing ‘performance panties,’ we’d ask for a full list of showtimes, and book early and often.

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Source: Women’s Football League Drops Lingerie For Legends

If you’d like to purchase any of the pictures from the gallery, click on the button at the bottom of the page.

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Were you there? If so, you may be in the photo gallery below. If not, check out what you missed!

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The Cajun football team accompanied, by a few thousand rowdy Ragin’ Cajun fans, boarded the buses today en route to New Orleans. Here are some pictures from the scene!

To get your tickets before they sell out visit Ticketfly.com or get your General Admission tickets by stopping out to Schlotzsky’s at 2968 Johnston or 3570 Pinhook and also Lucky Deuces Casino in Duson (Cash Only).  VIP tickets are available exclusively through Ticketfly.com and General Admission VIP tables are available by calling Jen at 337-233-6000.

Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the event!

Lafayette Fire trucks were on the scene for a fire that took place at an empty house Saturday evening at around 10:45pm.  It was located on Ambassador Caffrey between Dulles and Erica Drive, nearly opposite from the Winn-Dixie Grocery Store.

Witnesses at the scene say that the house went up within minutes.  Firefighters said that they did battle with the blaze for around an hour before getting it under control.

The home had been vacant for the last 10 years and was reported to have been in an estate going through succession.  Fire investigators found out that 2 homeless people had been seen entering and leaving the house over the course of the last several weeks.  They were not at the house when the fire took place, but a neighbor had seen them leave around an hour before the fire was reported.

Fire officials are not yet able to say what caused the fire. Anyone with information on the fire are being asked to call the Lafayette Fire Department at 291-8716 or Crimestoppers at 232-TIPS.

Source: House Fire On Ambassador in Lafayette

If you changed the channel and didn’t watch the last 15 seconds of the game, be sure to catch the replay. In what can be called one of the most amazing finishes in Cajuns football history (including the win over Texas A&M in the 90′s), Brett Baer’s first 50 yard field goal gave the Cajuns it’s first Bowl victory in the history of the university’s program.
Soon, we’ll have posted the call from Jay Walker to one of the most phenomenal comebacks since their final home game performance this season. From ragincajuns.com:

Brett Baer’s 50-yard field goal as time expired lifted Louisiana to a 32-30 victory over San Diego State Saturday evening in the 2011 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in front of a record crowd of 42,841.

Trailing 30-29 with 35 seconds remaining, Blaine Gautier capped off a record-setting performance of 470 yards passing by directing Louisiana (9-4) into SDSU territory for Baer’s game clincher.

Starting at the UL 18, Gautier completed back-to-back passes to Javone Lawson that covered 39 yards and moved the Cajuns to the SDSU 43.

Gautier found Harry Peoples on the sideline for five yards to the SDSU 38 to move into the 50-yard field goal range, then a five-yard penalty against the Aztecs (8-5) moved Baer and the Cajuns a little closer to victory.

Baer successfully converted the 50-yard field goal as time expired – his first career 50-yard field goal make – to give UL its first nine-win season since 1976.

You can read the rest of the recap at ragincajuns.com, and check out some great photos from the Cajun’s victory against San Diego State at the R+L Carriers Bowl in the Mercedez Benz Superdome.

Former Ragin’ Cajun men’s basketball coach Bobby Paschal was a guest on “Footenotes”, on Friday.