Lafayette’s new STR rules are coming online. What are they?
Operators will need to apply for permits by April 1. A ban in single family neighborhoods takes effect in October.
Where mid-sized cities meet big ideas
April 23-24 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts
Lack of jail space was by far identified as having the biggest influence on crime rates in the last five years, with 98%, 230 of those surveyed, saying it had a large influence and only 11 saying it had moderate to no influence.
Source: The Advocate
Should he keep his job, State Public Defender Rémy Starns suggested he might cut the pay of some of the lawyers who oversee Louisiana’s 37 local public defender districts. Those offices handle cases for approximately 145,000 people, or 88% of all criminal defendants in the state.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
Lafayette’s deal for a new jail is dead, but its needs are still growing
A long-shot bid to use private funds for a new jail is effectively dead, as a new M-P finds fault with her predecessor’s plan to pay for the deal.
Column: Lafayette’s population donut is growing. Let’s savor the opportunity.
Lafayette Parish is growing faster than the national average, becoming more diverse and producing more jobs. We should tap into that strength, whatever its sources.
Aurora’s Wake: On Dege Legg’s death and final act
It’s nearly impossible to hear Brother Dege’s final record, Aurora, as anything but a farewell and benediction.
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The university and [Lafayette Parish School System] are partnering in a “first-of-its kind” initiative that would allow UL students to receive a $1,000 monthly stipend while completing their 10-month residency program, UL announced Monday. The program starts at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
Source: The Advocate
The bill would replace the private school vouchers that Louisiana offers low-income families with “education scholarship accounts,” or ESAs, available to all parents regardless of financial need.
Source: The Advocate
The precipitous loss of residents that Louisiana has seen over the last three years has been spread across nearly every parish, with urban and rural areas alike seeing large decreases.
Source: The Advocate
The board voted 5 to 4 to move the gifted program from Paul Breaux at 1400 S. Orange St. to Edgar Martin Middle School at 410 Broadmoor Blvd. and 5 to 4 to move the French and Spanish immersion programs to Scott Middle School at 116 Marie St. in Scott.
Source: The Advocate
Council Preview: New councils to weigh spoil banks lawsuits
Lafayette’s City and Parish councils have three executive sessions planned for Tuesday to discuss a trio of lawsuits related to LCG’s controversial 2022 removal of spoil banks in St. Martin Parish.
Lafayette’s Celtic Bayou Festival pipes in the wider Celtic world
Since 2016, the annual Irish gathering has grown to import the rest of the Celtic Diaspora: Bretons, Scots, Welsh and more.
How AcA teaches the nation’s teaching artists
Acadiana Center for the Arts staff traveled to Washington, D.C. to present a workshop on how AcA trains teaching artists.
Want to improve Louisianan’s health? Raise the minimum wage, group argues
Louisiana’s perennially poor health rankings can be blamed on poverty, childhood trauma and a lack of investment in women’s health, according to a report for the LA40by30 initiative.
Legg, 56, reportedly died Friday. He has been described as a Southern-swamp-psych-rock musician turned neo-blues man. He caught the break of a lifetime in 2011 when Quentin Tarantino heard his song, “Too Old to Die Young,” and used it on the soundtrack of his film “Django Unchained.”
Source: The Advocate
The governor wants to pare down the state’s foundational governing document, which was adopted through a public vote in 1974 but has been amended more than 200 times in the past 50 years.
Source: LA Illuminator
A pair of bills filed for the Legislature’s regular session would apply the state’s obscenity laws to public libraries, which are currently exempt. Rep. Josh Carlson, a freshman representative from Lafayette, is carrying the legislation in the house. Carlson, a former Lafayette Parish councilman, has also filed a bill removing the requirement that library directors carry a master of library science.
Source: The Advocate
The drought in 2023 was one of the most severe droughts in the history of Louisiana and caused significant damage to the sustainability of the crawfish industry. Lack of water and, in some cases, saltwater intrusion decimated the seed stock and has limited the ability to catch crawfish.
Source: The Advertiser
Closing Paul Breaux is off the agenda, but not off the table
Wednesday’s school board meeting won’t include plans to close Paul Breaux Middle, but the school’s defenders say it could be the first step toward shutting it down.
Sold as major savings, LCG retirement swap may be a disaster
A shift in retirement plans, billed as a way to save millions on personnel costs, has ensnared LCG in a lawsuit that may instead cost it tens of millions.
Budget, lack of attendance cited in Paul Breaux’s possible closure
Moving gifted instruction and the French immersion program to other schools in the district are among the options expected to come before the Lafayette Parish School Board.
COLUMN: Lafayette’s economic performance went from best to worst. Why?
Lafayette used to be a high flier on the Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities report. Now we’re the fourth worst performing city in America.
Plans will be presented to demolish, remove and replace the Louis “Doc” Bonin Generating Station with a more modern, energy-efficient plant and operations center.
Source: KATC
Source: Festival International
Firefighters entered the NICU and discovered the smoke coming from the ceiling space. It was quickly determined a small section on the roof was burning. Emergency crews extinguished the fire within minutes. First responders set up ventilation fans to exhaust the light smoke and smell.
Source: The Advertiser
On Tuesday, the Parish Council introduced an ordinance authorizing Mayor-President Monique Boulet to buy 6 acres of land for construction of the library. The ordinance is up for final adoption at the council’s March 5 meeting.
Source: The Advocate