Boulet aims to finish costly flood project to recoup state money
The Boulet administration still can’t say the Guillory administration’s signature drainage project will protect a single home from flooding, but with millions in unreimbursed expenses on the line, it is moving ahead to complete it. The state is continuing to withhold nearly $28 million from Lafayette Consolidated Government for the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project, […]
Where mid-sized cities meet big ideas
April 23-24 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts
Most of the pending lawsuits are in state court in the 15th Judicial district. Several challenge land use disagreements over platting and zoning. City-Parish Attorney Pat Ottinger said he does not believe the number is excessive, though he is working to dismiss unnecessary suits filed by LCG.
Source: The Advocate
The change was spearheaded by board member Robert Judge who, at his second meeting in 2021, failed to convince the board to change the mission statement by removing recreation and cultural enrichment. Over three years later, he succeeded in making that change and more.
Source: The Advocate
Lafayette PD suspends mental health initiative
Police officials cited a lack of staff to man regular patrol while several officers are out on administrative leave following officer-involved shootings.
A program to keep Lafayette kids out of jail is in the works — here’s what it could look like
A Calcasieu Parish program connects young offenders to services that can help them and their families get back on track. State officials are developing something similar for Lafayette.
Lafayette label embraces cassette tape’s unexpected comeback
Citronel Sounds, a new Lafayette company, is empowering artists to embrace the DIY spirit through the humble cassette tape. Citronel operates not only as cassette producers, but also as an accessible record label working to record and promote new artists.
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Proposed legislation would bar the state Department of Children and Family Services from requesting waivers for work requirements attached to federal food aid.
Source: The Lens
The biggest outages in Acadiana are Acadia and St. Landry Parish, according to SLEMCO and Entergy outage maps. Over 57% of St. Landry Parish residents are without power as of noon with the major outages in Opelousas and the city’s surroundings, SLEMCO maps show. That number was nearly 70% earlier in the day.
Source: The Advocate
Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, filed legislation this week to allow lawmakers to withdraw up to $400 million from Louisiana’s Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund before July 1, 2025. Juvenile justice campuses would be prioritized if they tap into the money, said House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, and state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro.
Source: LA Illuminator
The district will be able to buy property, build facilities, issue revenue bonds, incur debt and levy taxes without a vote of the public, according to the legislation, to develop public improvement projects for the university directly or through private foundations or nonprofit organizations affiliated with the university.
Source: The Advocate
COLUMN: Lafayette isn’t Abbeville or Austin, it’s a Big Town
The next couple of decades are going to be defined by the rise of Big Towns, communities no longer striving to be the next Austin but instead the next Chattanooga, Greenville, Sioux Falls — or maybe even the next Lafayette.
UL students, faculty criticize handling of student’s suicide
Students and faculty members gathered on UL’s campus to protest the university’s handling of a student’s on-campus suicide.
Lafayette skaters are having a moment
For five years, Lafayette skaters had nowhere to go. Ooti Billeaud hopes to change that.
Council Preview: Heymann Center update and bond issue vote
Lafayette’s City and Parish councils will hear an update on improvements at the Heymann Center Tuesday while the City Council will vote on its first bond issue in years.
If it passes, the plan calls for 171 delegates, made up of 144 state lawmakers and 27 other people Landry would select, to run the constitution-writing process.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
The super park idea has been scaled back to include only four tournament-quality baseball and softball fields, new LED lighting, a new concession building, new bleachers, canopies and new batting cages.
Source: The Advocate
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
Under strain, Lafayette reboots criminal justice workgroup
The CJCC’s rebirth is coming at a crucial time, as Lafayette grapples with an all-time high murder rate, an overcrowded jail that has police officers and arrestees sitting for hours as they await booking in the parish jail, and new state laws likely to put more pressure on a financially strapped court system.
In South Dakota, a mental health triage center takes pressure off jails and ERs. Could it work in Lafayette?
In Sioux Falls, SD, a collaboration between the city, county and local providers has helped take pressure off of the local jail and emergency departments.
What’s next for Paul Breaux Middle?
Paul Breaux Middle School will no longer host LPSS’s gifted and immersion programs. But what happens to the zoned students the decision leaves behind?
50 years of Festivals Acadiens et Créoles: How a chance encounter ignited a cultural revolution
Barry Ancelet’s yearning for Louisiana culture abroad led to Festivals Acadiens et Créoles’ inception, now marking its 50th year. Inspired by a folk singer in France, Ancelet’s vision revitalized Louisiana’s traditional music scene, shaping Lafayette’s cultural landscape.
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