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April 2, 1967 - September 19, 2020

William “Billy” Carlton East, 53, passed away on Saturday, September 19, 2020, at Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette.
Funeral services will be held at a later date.
William Carlton East, affectionately known as “Billy”, was born April 2, 1967, in Lafayette and was a lifetime resident of Acadiana. Billy had several hobbies and enjoyed his life. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family and grandson and will be deeply missed.
Billy is survived by his father, Juris Joseph East and his wife, Cindy Maturin, of Lafayette; his son, Jacob Broussard, of Lafayette; his grandson, Wyatt Broussard of Lafayette; five brothers, Joey East, of Lake Charles, Jerry East and his wife Nita, of Houston, Texas, Kobe East, of Hessmer, Louisiana, Carol Barza and Keith Barza as well as several dear nieces, nephews and friends.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Geneva “Jenny” East; one son, Devin Smith; and one brother, Tony East.
The family wishes to thank Lafayette General Medical Center and the physicians and nursing staff at University Hospital and Clinics in Lafayette for the compassionate care given to Billy and family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Billy’s name to the charity of your choice.
Online obituary and guest book may be viewed at www.fountainmemorialfuneralhome.com.
Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St., is in charge of arrangements.

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Brand Commission and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office are looking for information regarding 10 head of cattle reported missing on September 21, 2020. The calves were last seen on a Dewberry Road property in the Leleux community.
“Our investigators have reason to believe the calves were taken from the property without permission from the owner,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “We are seeking the public’s help in tracking them down.”
Anyone with information is urged to call the LDAF Crimestoppers number at 800-558-9741 or the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office at 337-893-0871.
Callers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the person or person responsible for the crime is eligible to receive a cash reward.

EVANGELINE PARISH – Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on September 22, 2020, Louisiana State Police Troop I was notified of a two-vehicle crash on LA Highway 13 near Heritage Road in Evangeline Parish. The crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Deonte Walker of Eunice.
The preliminary investigation revealed a 2009 Hyundai Sonata, driven by Walker, was traveling north on LA 13. At the same time, a 2014 Freightliner 18-wheeler was traveling south on LA 13. For reasons still under investigation, Walker crossed the center line and struck the Freightliner head-on in the southbound lane of travel.
Troopers determined Walker was unrestrained, along with a front seat passenger. Walker and the passenger were both transported to a local hospital where Walker ultimately succumbed to his injuries. His passenger was treated for moderate injuries. The driver of the Freightliner was properly restrained and was uninjured. He submitted a breath sample which indicated no alcohol in his system and he displayed no signs of impairment. A toxicology sample was taken from Walker and results are pending. This crash remains under investigation.
Louisiana State Troopers would like to take this opportunity to remind motorists to always make good decisions while operating motor vehicles. Never drive while impaired, fatigued, or distracted. Always ensure every occupant is properly restrained and follow all traffic laws. Taking simple precautions such as these can often mean the difference between life and death.
Troop I has investigated 40 fatal crashes resulting in 44 deaths in 2020.

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana families have one more week to apply for financial benefits from free and reduced-price school meals missed when schools closed in 2019-20 due to the pandemic. Eligible families who did not apply for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program in May and June can take advantage of the second application window that will remain open until September 29 at 5 p.m. This second application window for 2019-20 benefits opened September 8.
Families of children who normally receive free or reduced-price meals are eligible for the program. This includes all children who attend a Community Eligibility Provision school where all students receive free and reduced-price meals regardless of income. This second application period of the 2019-20 P-EBT is only for families of the estimated 264,111 students who did not apply to receive P-EBT benefits during the initial window in the spring. When the original application window closed June 15, the families of nearly 470,800 eligible children had signed up to receive benefits.
These one-time benefits, which total $285 per child, equate the cost of meals for the 50 days schools were closed in the spring because of the pandemic, from the onset of statewide school facility closures in March through the end of the 2019-20 academic year. Parents who applied for free meals in May, after the P-EBT program was announced, will receive $91.20 per eligible child, which covers the cost of meals for 16 school days in May.
Families must apply if they wish to receive the benefits. The application is available in a P-EBT portal on the Louisiana Department of Education website. The deadline to apply is September 29 at 5 p.m. The online application is simple, requiring only a name, address, date of birth, school district and school. Social security numbers, while helpful, are not required. The information submitted by the family, however, must exactly match the information on file with the school system in order for the application to successfully submit.
Once families complete an application in the portal, the computer system will notify them of their successful submission. Upon verification, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services will then request a P-EBT debit card for the household to be loaded with a one-time benefit. Applicants can expect their cards within 30 days of their application. Benefits will be available for 365 days.
P-EBT is different from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is issued on a Louisiana Purchase EBT card to approved low-income households. However, the P-EBT card can be used to purchase the same eligible food for the household as can be purchased with a SNAP card. All SNAP families with qualifying students are also eligible to receive P-EBT benefits if they apply, and P-EBT also is available to non-SNAP families if they meet the P-EBT guidelines.
P-EBT is not related to loss from Hurricane Laura. Eligibility is solely based on student participation in the free or reduced-price meal program.
Louisiana was approved by the federal government to offer the P-EBT program on May 15, and the original online application launched on May 18. At that time, 611,430 children were deemed eligible. After the program began and additional families applied for free and reduced-price meals, the number of eligible children increased to 729,507.
Various factors could have influenced the number of families who were eligible but who did not submit an application. Unlike other states offering the federal program, for example, Louisiana could not automatically provide benefits to eligible families because of the state's restrictive data privacy laws for students, so every eligible family was required to submit an application. In addition, Louisiana has a large number of Community Eligibility Provision schools at which every child, regardless of their family's income, receives free and reduced-price meals at school.
The P-EBT program was authorized by Congress in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020. In obtaining federal approval for P-EBT, Louisiana joined more than 22 other states participating in the program.
For more information, consult a list of Frequently Asked Questions or contact the LAHelpU Customer Service Center at LaHELPU.DCFS@la.gov or 1-888-524-3578. Families can also access a flyer that has been translated into Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese. Families who need food assistance can also call 211 to inquire about food pantries and other available resources in their communities.
LDOE and DCFS are partnering with numerous non-profit organizations to connect these benefits with eligible families who did not apply for the program during the original application period. Those organizations are Feeding Louisiana, Food Research & Action Center, Louisiana Association of United Ways, Louisiana Budget Project, Louisiana Partnership for Children & Families, Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry America and Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry Louisiana.