
Did LFT’s drainage bonanza pass its first test?
A minor storm offered the first test — or maybe a quiz — of many new drainage improvements in Lafayette last week to mixed results.
This week, the City Council learned the Lemoine building needs at least $9.6 million in renovations.
Source: News15

Lafayette sheriff creates mental health response team
Consisting of two mental health professionals, the team has already assisted on 29 emergency calls. Sheriff Mark Garber hopes the program will save lives and improve public safety.

Facing deadline, City Court move stalled by costly renovation
LCG has until Friday to decide on buying the Lemoine Building for $6.2 million, but City Council members are hesitant to commit to an estimated $9.6 million renovation.

Rent is due
A local production of the Broadway classic showcases resurgence in Lafayette’s theater community.
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Monique Blanco Boulet tapped a former city-parish attorney, Pat Ottinger, to run her legal department, pending council approval. Ottinger was city-parish attorney in the Durel administration from 2004 to 2011. Lafayette Police Chief Judith Estorge and Fire Chief Robert Benoit will stay on when Boulet takes office early next year.
Source: KATC
Customers claimed that neither the company nor the Public Service Commission notified them in advance of a meeting in which the rate increase for wastewater service was approved.
Source: The Advocate
One of four vendors implicated in a sprawling justice-for-sale scandal centered on the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has been hit with a federal charge, the first visible development in
Source: The Advocate
The board, after hearing pleas from the public, including at least two librarians, voted to defer the matter until its December meeting.
Source: The Advocate

Asset Structures: Why they’re important when hiring an attorney
The first thing you should ask any attorney is how many cases like yours they’ve tried and won.

Council Preview: Nurse raises proposed, City Court move revisited
A handful of nurses at the parish’s Public Health Unit are in line for raises of around $13,750 on average, depending on the Parish Council’s support.

StoryCorps rolls in and rolls tape on Lafayette
Sixteen years after its first visit in 2007, the national nonprofit’s mobile recording unit has returned to capture more conversations for eternity’s sake. A little legacy goes a long way.

COLUMN: Boulet needs a game plan to fix Guillory’s mess
Boulet’s next few months are going to be all about prioritizing which mess to clean first.
Blanco said Sunday she and her team expect to ramp up again Monday, getting a website in place Monday or Tuesday and announcing co-chairs of the transition team by Thanksgiving.The mayor-president and new city and parish councils take office in January.
Source: The Advocate
Rep. Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, is expected to become the next Louisiana House speaker after the four other major candidates vying for the position dropped out of the race Monday.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
Lafayette Parish reported 17,285 early votes cast for the Nov. 18 ballot. During the October primary, 18,389 people voted early. Turnout is expected to drop with the governor’s race already decided.
Source: KLFY
Lafayette Parish schools improved 2.5 points from 2022, according to data released by the Louisiana Department of Education.
Source: The Advocate

Ochsner receives $1M to help combat opioid crisis in rural Louisiana
An Ochsner Lafayette General initiative to combat opioid addiction and abuse in rural communities has been funded with $1 million in federal dollars to be spent on preventative and educational programming, expenses related to treatment, and recovery support.

Funding parish fire protection to be next council’s problem
Exiting council members say it’s time to revisit a tax to pay for fire protection in Lafayette’s unincorporated areas, an idea rejected by voters in 2018.

Inside the transition to a new mayor-president
Incoming M-P Monique Blanco Boulet is on a tight timeline to build a new administration before taking office in January.

Shut down by Hurricane Laura and mired in controversy, Cameron Parish’s only hospital remains closed
Hurricane Laura damaged the only hospital serving south Cameron Parish. A slow recovery process and political controversy mean there’s still no emergency care.
A former Lafayette state representative has filed a formal police complaint against Mayor-President Josh Guillory for allegedly committing perjury during testimony in an October civil trial.
Source: The Advocate
Begnaud, who took over the position five years ago, is leaving to take a position vice president of marketing and communications at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia’s economic development authority. That agency is led by Jason El Koubi, a former president and CEO of One Acadiana.
Source: The Advocate
During the first two days of early voting for the upcoming election, 3,960 people voted early, 1,958 on Nov. 3 and 2,002 on Nov. 4, according to data provided by Lafayette Parish Registrar of Voters Charlene Meaux.
Source: The Advocate
For the first time ever, Louisiana will also have a Republican governor, a Republican supermajority in the Senate, and a likely Republican supermajority in the House.
Source: LA Illuminator