Funds for new Heymann, new jail added in state budget scramble
In all, Lafayette is in line for $688 million across dozens of projects in this year’s proposed state budget, including big money for UL and parish government.
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‘End of the line’ tent camp for homeless people broken up
Safety concerns forced the move, but aid workers say they aren’t sure where those pushed out of the encampment will go.
Workers are leaving big cities. Can Lafayette attract them?
Tech and other knowledge workers are leaving megastar metros like New York and Seattle. Does Lafayette have what it takes to attract them?
Column: Lafayette isn’t paying competitive wages
New data shows wages in Lafayette aren’t competitive with other parts of the state or the country. That means many people are having to take a hometown discount to stay or move here.
Flood insurance premiums have surged across the state under FEMA’s new system for calculating risks. State officials involved in the suit say the federal agency has not been transparent about how the calculation works.
Source: The Daily Advertiser
Mills, chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, started receiving immediate backlash on social media after casting the deciding vote on proposed ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors, killing the bill for the year.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
The ordinance was introduced Tuesday during a special meeting announced Monday. The ordinance will be considered for final approval by the council in two weeks.
Source: The Advocate
The businessman, Randy Gomez, owns a string of clinics known as Woodlake Addiction Recovery Centers, with locations scattered across much of south Louisiana. He is described as “Vendor #4” in the recent guilty plea of Dusty Guidry, who worked for Moore’s office as well as the Lafayette-based 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Source: The Advocate
New data shows Louisiana is losing college grads to Texas and other states
From 2005 to 2020, Louisiana’s largest population centers lost a net 317,000 residents, many of whom were young and college-educated.
‘Greaux native’ movement sprouts in Lafayette
Native plant gardens are restoring health to local ecosystems — and neighborhoods, too.
Council Preview: Can the councils hire an attorney? Who pays for consolidation?
The councils will take up budget corrections, funding to buy land for a new jail and revisit the question of hiring special counsel.
Lafayette closes up a big era in Baton Rouge
When the legislative session ends next week, it’ll sunset a period of big influence for Lafayette in Baton Rouge.
Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, would require libraries to create a card system so parents could prevent their children from checking out books deemed inappropriate. Libraries would also have to adopt policy language to limit minors’ access to material that describes “sexual conduct,” which the bill defines in five ensuing paragraphs.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
As a result of the lack of new inventory, home prices have remained high, even as demand has dropped. Still, the region has seen its supply rebound a little over the last year.
Source: The Advertiser
Of the 425 who participated in the poll, nearly half would recommend people move to Lafayette. More than 40% felt Lafayette is both a good place to start a career and were satisfied with the job opportunities.
Source: The Advocate
Ardoin noted that Louisiana is ranked No. 6 for election integrity by the conservative Heritage Foundation, No. 1 in the South by the Election Integrity Project for the 2020 presidential election and that the Legislative Auditor praised the agency for its vote-counting practices, voter ID requirement and a ban on ballot harvesting.
Source: The Advertiser
Powerful legislative leaders from Lafayette steer sizable state dollars to home parish
Lafayette Parish has an advantage over nearly every other community. It has a larger number of representatives and senators in the legislative leadership positions.
Lafayette has unlocked hundreds of adjudicated properties. But hundreds more remain.
Lafayette’s efforts to deal with adjudicated properties have seen slow but steady progress since adjudications peaked at 1,560 properties in July 2019. In the years since, LCG has brought hundreds of properties back into commerce.
LCG sues appraiser for overpayment of spoil banks land
City-parish officials claim “erroneous” report led to major overpayment.
Maybe Lafayette isn’t so cheap?
Lafayette’s median-cost ratio — how much of their income renters spend on housing — is roughly the same as Houston’s and higher than Austin’s.
The cuts will not affect doctors, nurses and other patient-facing staff, according to Ochsner CEO Pete November. Employees in management, administrative jobs and clerical positions will see the bulk of the cuts, which will be spread evenly across the institution’s facilities in both states.
Source: The Advocate
The bill is much broader than a similar measure passed in Florida and would apply to all K-12 grades, whereas Florida’s law applies only through the third grade. The proposal applies to any school employee or volunteer, and it covers discussions in the classroom and during any extracurricular activity.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator