Covid kills Mardi Gras, MLK Jr. celebrations in Lafayette
The gist: A different kind of war has canceled Mardi Gras parades and festivities this year.
The gist: A different kind of war has canceled Mardi Gras parades and festivities this year.
Parades may not be rolling in 2021, but arguing about king cake is a tradition that can survive any calamity.
The Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association has canceled all Lafayette parades due to Covid-19 concerns. Press release below:
City Councilman Pat Lewis will propose a resolution creating a committee to weigh the benefit of consolidation for the city of Lafayette. Called the “Protect the City Committee,” the group would evaluate the costs and limitations of Lafayette’s current form of government, which combines city and parish services and departments.
A 2018 parishwide vote created separate city and parish councils, Lafayette Consolidated Government’s current configuration, but kept administration functions consolidated under the mayor-president.
Mayor-President Josh Guillory supported deconsolidation as a candidate but has recently acknowledged flipping his position on the issue. Guillory and the City Council have been at frequent odds.
Lafayette City District 1 Councilman Pat Lewis is proposing a resolution that would form a committee from which to gather the input of a diverse range of citizens on the benefits of City-Parish consolidation to the City of Lafayette.
Customers flocked to pharmacies, some hopeful to see the end of the pandemic in sight, others frustrated and confused by another set of delays.
The elephant in the room is how much longer this damn pandemic will last and who will be left standing when it finally ends. But that’s not the only aspect of our local economy with an uncertain fate.
Melinda Deslatte reporting for the Associated Press:
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin wants to use the same expansion of absentee-by-mail voting that was in place for the summer and fall elections, including the November presidential competition.
Lawmakers on House and Senate oversight committees Tuesday will consider the package of COVID-19 emergency rules proposed by the Republican elections chief. If approved there, they advance to the full Legislature for a vote. In addition, the provisions would need the backing of Gov. John Bel Edwards to take effect.
The state started distributing the vaccines to commercial pharmacies for the first time this week — a process several pharmacists described on Monday as chaotic and overwhelming.
In all, only a fraction of the state’s pharmacies will receive any vaccine supply this week at all.
There’s still plenty of time for parlor games. What in your mind will be the big Lafayette stories and/or questions of 2021?
The number of people eligible to receive the Covid vaccine is expanding by hundreds of thousands this week.
The gist: After a holiday hiatus, the work of consolidated government resumes with a pair of relatively light agendas. On tap: electing officers, budgeting CARES Act funding and getting answers on a surveillance camera contract awarded to a private firm without council approval.
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