A founding editor of both The Independent and ABiz and senior editor at The Times of Acadiana in the 1990s, Leslie Turk has worked in the newspaper business in Lafayette for almost three decades. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times and The Acadiana Advocate. Email her at leslie@thecurrentla.com.
Author: Leslie Turk
Suspended marshal gets one year in jail, home confinement eligibility unknown
Brian Pope, the first-term Lafayette city marshal who was suspended from office in October after being convicted by a Lafayette Parish jury on four felonies, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in the parish jail for each of three malfeasance convictions with all but one year suspended. It’s unclear whether Pope will serve that one year in Sheriff Mark Garber’s jail or under home confinement.
Continue
4 min read
SOS won’t release voter lists despite district judge’s rulings
The gist: Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin may be in conflict with a recent court decision by refusing to release voter lists on new City Council districts until Aug. 1.
Continue
3 min read
FBI joins probe of T.M. Landry school
The gist: After its blockbuster November exposé on T.M. Landry College Prep, The New York Times is keeping at it, making T.M. Landry the premiere story on its new TV series, The Weekly, and reporting Sunday that the FBI has turned its attention to the school. In The Weekly, which debuted Sunday night, the Times reporters acknowledged for the first time that they were tipped off to the story by a former federal prosecutor.
Continue
5 min read
Former state Rep. Simone Champagne tells political newsletter she’s running for M-P
UPDATE: Paul Eason announced June 12 that he will not run for mayor-president. Read his letter here.
City of Youngsville Chief Administrative Officer Simone Champagne told state politics newsletter LaPolitics she is running for mayor-president of Lafayette. Champagne served as the District 49 representative in the Louisiana House from 2008 to 2014; she was the first and only woman to serve that district (Iberia and Vermilion parishes) in the House.
Continue
3 min read
Shaq, U.S. Rep. Higgins no longer Lafayette reserve deputy marshals
The gist: Lafayette City Marshal Mike Hill has winnowed down the number of his office’s reserve deputies — which had swelled to about 60 under his predecessor — to but a handful. Hill has called in the commissions of nearly 50 reserves who appear to have been deputized for no other reason than political patronage.
Continue
6 min read
Ad exec Paul Eason likely to be fourth candidate in M-P race
Eason says he has long had a passion for service and feels like the timing is right for him and his family now. The 60-year-old Republican businessman owns and operates Eason Advertising in the Oil Center.
Continue
2 min read
Nancy Marcotte running for mayor-president
Ad exec-turned-Realtor Nancy Marcotte is joining the race for mayor-president of Lafayette.
Continue
2 min read
Russo asks for new trial, claims Superior turned blind eye to activities
In a motion for a new trial filed late last week, attorneys for Chris Russo say there is ample evidence his former employer’s parent company, oilfield services giant Superior Energy, knew about Russo’s side business interests and therefore has no right to recover damages and profits.
Continue
8 min read
Stabil Drill parent company to UL: ‘Drop Russo name from baseball stadium’
The gist: Armed with a $72 million judgment against two former executives at one of its Lafayette-based subsidiaries, oilfield services giant Superior Energy is making it clear it wants the name of one of those execs stripped from the UL baseball complex.
Continue
6 min read
KADN, KLAF part of $165 million sale to L.A. media group
Allen Media Broadcasting, headed by Weather Channel owner Byron Allen, is buying Lafayette television stations KADN and KLAF, along with two stations in Evansville, Ind.
Continue
3 min read
Advocate snags Times-Picayune, New Orleans newspaper competition is no more
The gist: New Orleans businessman John Georges and his wife Dathel, owners of The Advocate, announced today they have purchased the assets of The Times-Picayune and nola.com from Advance Local Media.
Continue
3 min read
LCG lawyer, councilman at odds over Bruno loan
The gist: Despite the conclusions of an internal monitoring review that found numerous deficiencies in a taxpayer-funded federal loan to mayoral aide Marcus Bruno — findings that prompted Bruno to repay the loan seven years early — an assistant city-parish attorney is trying to make the case that the verdict is still out on any wrongdoing.