St. Martinville Mayor Melinda Mitchell's battles with much of the city council led to a court case, still to be heard, over whether the mayor has the right to veto council actions.

It’s hard to write accurately and concisely about the last 12 months without using expletives.

Let’s be honest. Between the pandemic, the pre-election hype, the post-election squabbling, the continuing and exacerbated economic doldrums, the business closings, the losses of members of our community — 2020 has been a handful.

The challenge in looking back over the last year to find the most important stories is to find the stories that not only documented the first draft of history at the time, but that also captured the spirit of the Teche Area and the community as a whole.

The first thought in compiling this list was to go by web traffic, since it’s a simple and quantifiable running of what is read online. Unfortunately, that would mean the entire list would be made of the crime stories from the year, so that method was rejected.

Hitting the obvious low points would be easy, but the goal in putting together a top 10 or top 20 or whatever sort of list is to bring context.

That requires more thought and insight. And it gives everyone a better idea of where we’ve been, which is one of the best ways to figure out where you’re going.

So here is our attempt at capturing the essence of 2020 in 10 stories that graced The Daily Iberian’s pages over the last year.

10. A New Sheriff

The last four years of Sheriff Louis Ackal’s term was the longest lame-duck session in history. After being acquitted of federal charges in 2016, Ackal laid low, riding out the rest of his term in hopes of dodging another investigation, even as civil lawsuits piled up at the gates.

Though he was elected in the fall of 2019, incoming Iberia Parish Sheriff Tommy Romero was sworn in during the summer of 2020. Although he has some of the same background as Ackal, having served in the Louisiana State Police before taking on the mantle of sheriff, Romero is more reserved than his predecessor.

It’s early yet, but during his campaign Romero spoke at length about helping to rebuild some of the community relationships that had been broken during Ackal’s tenure. Time will tell if that effort will succeed.

9. Health Care Heroes

The coronavirus pandemic had a marked effect on all of our lives this year. But the one group that came through is the cadre of medical professionals who have been tasked with fighting the disease.

From the nurses and doctors to the clerks and custodians who have kept our hospitals operating under incredible strain, the individuals who form the front line of our defense against COVID-19 earned the title of heroes in the last nine months.

In the community the efforts were not ignored. Masks and gowns were donated to help make sure that our medical professionals did not go without. Community groups organized to provide meals for workers who were dedicated to long shifts caring for those who were infected with the disease.

Others held public prayer events and posted signs thanking the doctors, nurses and staff who helped keep the wheels on the train, even during the darkest moments in the late spring. And those efforts have not flagged, even if the immediate adulation has lessened.

8. Canceled Culture

One of the biggest things that will be remembered about 2020 is not what happened, but what didn’t.

The social distancing requirements that were put in place to help contain the COVID-19 spread work counter to everything Louisiana culture embraces. Festivals were canceled. The Gumbo Cook-Off was postponed. Family gatherings and get-togethers were moved outside, if not put off entirely.

Even as 2021 begins, Mardi Gras is on the block, with many towns and cities — including New Orleans — calling off one of the world’s biggest block parties.

Hopefully the efforts to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, coupled with a successful vaccination program, allows some return to normalcy as the year progresses.

7. Mine Collapse

The loss of two miners at the Cargill Salt Mine on Avery Island earlier this month brought national attention to the region, but unfortunately the prayers of the nation were not enough to save the lives of two miners trapped when a roof collapsed in the mine on Dec. 14.

There were 18 employees on shift at the time of the collapse. The other 16 employees were evacuated without any reported injuries.

Forty-eight hours after the collapse, the Iberia Parish Coroners Office confirmed that Lance Begnaud II, 27, of Brousssard, and Rene Romero Jr., 41, of New Iberia, were killed in the incident.

The collapse focused attention on the mine, which had a long list of citations for safety violations, although a company spokesman said the infractions had nothing to do with the tragic collapse that Monday morning.

An investigation into the incident is still underway.

6. Virtual education

One of the things that came with the COVID-19 pandemic was a discussion over how to handle education.

When Gov. John Bel Edwards issued his initial stay-at-home order in March, that forced schools to evaluate how to continue education even if students could not be in the classroom. The solution was to hold virtual classes online.

That experiment was not as successful as it could have been. In Louisiana, the lack of a robust broadband network made attendance difficult for some students, impossible for others. It also made educators realize that online teaching is a completely different skill set from classroom instruction, forcing changes in assignments, curriculum and techniques.

Over time, schools returned to in-class instruction. But the virtual education experiment is one that may have repercussions for years to come as students struggle to make up for lost time.

5. New Iberia Planning

For years, New Iberia has been seen as a bit of an underachiever. Although it has a beautiful downtown area, a multitude of parks, and historic depth that other towns lack, it has never been successful at capitalizing on those strengths.

Mayor Freddie DeCourt is working to change that. Over the last year, efforts to develop a master plan for the city that included projects for every district in its playlist has been in development and is finally seeing the light of day.

From pocket parks to a new natatorium, the efforts vary in scope and expense. But what they all have in common is that they are achievable, using a combination of local monies, federal and state grants and private funding. Over the past month, highlights of the projects included n the plan have been showcased in The Daily Iberian, allowing the public to voice their opinion on how the ideas should be implemented.

Hopefully 2021 will see some of those renderings start to take form on the streets of a more vibrant city.

4. St. Martinville Veto Fight

St. Martinville Mayor Melinda Mitchell has not had an easy time during her first term.

If you ask her, she will say that the biggest problem facing the city is that she does not have enough power, instead being forced to negotiate with a city council that she sees as hostile to her leadership. But in the new year, that may change.

Mitchell has forced the issue of whether or not the mayor is allowed to use the veto as a legislative tool. City Legal Counsel Allan Durand said he does not think the city’s charter allows for that, but a request for interpretation of the charter is now pending before the 16th Judicial District Court to resolve the issue.

If the court rules in Mitchell’s favor, it could set a precedent that would allow other chief executives to use the state’s Lawrason Act to expand their power, eating away at the authority held in city councils across the state.

3. Bar Fights

The statewide shutdown that hit restaurants, bars and other public places as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a strong pushback, especially in the Teche Area.

Several bar owners in Iberia Parish led a charge to fight Gov. Edwards’ restrictions in court. With the support of local legislators, as well as state Attorney General Jeff Landry, two separate lawsuits made their way through the courts, eventually ending with Edwards’ restrictions being upheld.

But the fight had its effect for some of the businesses. When the state was put under a modified Phase 2 set of restrictions in November, the bars and restaurants were granted additional leeway to serve patrons outdoors, allowing some income to continue. It still has proved to be a hardship, but it was a gain that may not have been achieved without the earlier legal wrangling.

2. Storms

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the state of Louisiana has been relatively lucky with regard to named storms.

Not in 2020.

A record-setting season saw three major storms roll over the Teche Artea. Although the damage here was not as catastrophic as it could have been, neighboring Calcasieu Parish has borne the brunt of the fury. Teche Area residents have raised funds and traveled to towns across the western part of the state to bring food, aid and supplies even as they worked to recover from their own damage.

1. Pandemic

The common theme of 2020 has been one of uncertainty. Unlike the storms, economic downturns and other adversity that the citizens of our state take in stride, the fight against an unseen enemy that has taken the lives of 7,000 Louisianans over the last 10 months has taken a toll.

As noted in several items above, the coronavirus has undermined the way of life in the Teche Area in ways that no other catastrophe ever has. Where residents have drawn together to fight floods and storms, fires and poverty, the pandemic had an insidious way of pulling people apart.

It was, in simple terms, a kryptonite to the super power that is our cultural fabric.

Even with that, the new year brings promise. It brings hoe for a vaccine, a lessening of the effects of the disease on our lives and culture. It also brings hope for the economy as, God willing, the restrictions that have been in place are removed in coming months.

At the end of the day, the will of the Teche Area is strong. And the pandemic, though challenging, hasn’t quenched it.