A generational shift that raises an important question: How can we replace the jobs we’ve already lost and those we stand to lose in the future?
Reflections on Race: Once it’s up there it’s stuck there
We can’t say Black lives matter and still support industries that are a part of the problem.
4 min read
Link: More chromebooks than students
Louisiana schools used federal coronavirus relief to buy up thousands of tablets for kids to use during the pandemic and beyond. Many school districts have more tablets than kids enrolled. Lafayette Parish, for instance, has 40,000 Chromebooks for its 31,000 students. Connectivity, however, remains a big problem. Not every family has home access to the internet. Mississippi used CARES Act allocation to address that problem directly and was pretty successful at it.
Acadiana ‘really responded’ during February freeze
Hotel rooms arranged by local housing advocates kept hundreds of people warm during last week’s crushing freeze. Donations poured in across the Acadiana region. But the makeup of people in need underscores rising housing insecurity in the area.
3 min read
Following Carencro’s Amazon announcement, major PPE manufacturing heads to Broussard
The gist: Personal protective equipment manufacturing is coming to Broussard, a project one economic development professional says may be “bigger than Amazon,” a reference to the fulfillment center the mega e-commerce retailer has under construction in Carencro.
5 min read
Reader Reactions: This is Lafayette
Overwhelmingly, respondents said recent press accurately reflected Lafayette and that our community is getting worse.
6 min read
Lafayette’s first Black woman school board president reflects on faith and community
Descended from pioneers in education, Morrison credits her success to the community she saw her family nurture.
4 min read
Reflections on Race: We are a resilient people
Every aspect of life in America is much better because of the talents, the work, the creativity and the culture of Black people.
3 min read
Link: Lafayette bars can re-open after two weeks of low positivity
For two straight weeks, fewer than 5% of coronavirus tests performed in Lafayette Parish have come back positive, meeting the threshold to opt back in to limited indoor service for the first time since November. On Wednesday, Mayor-President Josh Guillory did just that, notifying the governor that he will allow Lafayette bars to re-open at 25% occupancy. Permitting loopholes and lax enforcement have kept much of Lafayette’s night life humming throughout the pandemic, with crowds piling up Downtown on weekends. But some big clubs will remain closed because of the low cap on occupancy.
Link: What to do with $1 billion in school aid for Louisiana?
December’s coronavirus stimulus included $1 billion for schools in Louisiana. Districts across the state are working the windfall into their plans, with most using the money to address learning loss. Lafayette Parish schools will use its $37 million allocation for ” academic recovery, student services and personal protective equipment,” according to The Advocate.
Link: Protect the City Committee appointments finalized
All seven seats are now filled on a committee to study what city residents get out of Lafayette’s peculiar form of consolidated government. Five members were appointed for each district, directly by the relevant council member. And two more were appointed at-large by vote Tuesday night.
Here is the full list:
- District 1 — Joseph Catalon, landman
- District 2 — Mark Pope, former LCG environmental services manager
- District 3 — Roddy Bergeron, IT executive
- District 4 — Jan Swift, attorney and former director of Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation
- District 5 — Tina Shelvin Bingham, executive director of McComb Veazey Neighborhood
- At large — Stuart Breaux, former assistant city-parish attorney
- At large — Bill Leyendecker, retired LCG parks and recreation manager