
Lafayette has unlocked hundreds of adjudicated properties. But hundreds more remain.
Lafayette’s efforts to deal with adjudicated properties have seen slow but steady progress since adjudications peaked at 1,560 properties in July 2019. In the years since, LCG has brought hundreds of properties back into commerce.
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LCG sues appraiser for overpayment of spoil banks land
City-parish officials claim “erroneous” report led to major overpayment.

Maybe Lafayette isn’t so cheap?
Lafayette’s median-cost ratio — how much of their income renters spend on housing — is roughly the same as Houston’s and higher than Austin’s.

Heated meeting on audit leaves much unsettled at LCG
The Guillory administration mounted a vigorous but flawed defense this week in a special meeting held to review the extraordinary findings in an annual audit of Lafayette Consolidated Government.
Flood insurance premiums have surged across the state under FEMA’s new system for calculating risks. State officials involved in the suit say the federal agency has not been transparent about how the calculation works.
Source: The Daily Advertiser
Mills, chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, started receiving immediate backlash on social media after casting the deciding vote on proposed ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors, killing the bill for the year.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
The ordinance was introduced Tuesday during a special meeting announced Monday. The ordinance will be considered for final approval by the council in two weeks.
Source: The Advocate
The businessman, Randy Gomez, owns a string of clinics known as Woodlake Addiction Recovery Centers, with locations scattered across much of south Louisiana. He is described as “Vendor #4” in the recent guilty plea of Dusty Guidry, who worked for Moore’s office as well as the Lafayette-based 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Source: The Advocate

LCG lawyer concluded bid law violation on spoil banks project
That conclusion was reached months ago and not shared with council members until this week.

Is the job you want in Lafayette?
Finding a job that’s right for them is a key reason young people leave Lafayette. What’s your experience?

Brief: Lafayette councils demand answers on audit
The Guillory administration has so far refused to answer questions the chairs of both councils posed a week ago.

Want young voters to stay? Try listening to them
Are Lafayette’s leaders listening? Young voters say their concerns are falling on deaf ears.
Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, would require libraries to create a card system so parents could prevent their children from checking out books deemed inappropriate. Libraries would also have to adopt policy language to limit minors’ access to material that describes “sexual conduct,” which the bill defines in five ensuing paragraphs.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
As a result of the lack of new inventory, home prices have remained high, even as demand has dropped. Still, the region has seen its supply rebound a little over the last year.
Source: The Advertiser
Of the 425 who participated in the poll, nearly half would recommend people move to Lafayette. More than 40% felt Lafayette is both a good place to start a career and were satisfied with the job opportunities.
Source: The Advocate
Ardoin noted that Louisiana is ranked No. 6 for election integrity by the conservative Heritage Foundation, No. 1 in the South by the Election Integrity Project for the 2020 presidential election and that the Legislative Auditor praised the agency for its vote-counting practices, voter ID requirement and a ban on ballot harvesting.
Source: The Advertiser

Column: Dear councils, hold Guillory accountable
It’s time to stop pretending the actions of this administration documented in this audit are normal or acceptable.

Louisiana House leaders steer millions of dollars in pet projects to their home parishes
Lafayette Parish is set to take home the second largest share of earmark dollars claimed for local projects.

Get Caught Up: Home prices are up in Lafayette, but the market is down
Sticky prices and declining sales have Lafayette Parish in its coldest housing market since the pandemic began, but surrounding parishes aren’t feeling the freeze.

Downtown is serving up vibrancy as a dining destination
Buoyed by previous success, Lafayette restaurateurs are adding to the city’s “thriving Downtown food district” with spots that aim to capture the ideal experience. Among them are Sunday’s Soda Fountain and The Flats burger joint, which opened in the former Tula Tacos spot in April.
The cuts will not affect doctors, nurses and other patient-facing staff, according to Ochsner CEO Pete November. Employees in management, administrative jobs and clerical positions will see the bulk of the cuts, which will be spread evenly across the institution’s facilities in both states.
Source: The Advocate
The bill is much broader than a similar measure passed in Florida and would apply to all K-12 grades, whereas Florida’s law applies only through the third grade. The proposal applies to any school employee or volunteer, and it covers discussions in the classroom and during any extracurricular activity.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
Violating the zone of protection would be a misdemeanor, and violators could be fined $500, be sentenced to 60 days in jail or both.
Source: Verite
Under the proposal, school employees or volunteers would not be allowed to use a student’s preferred pronoun that differs from the gender listed on their birth certificate unless a student’s parent provides written permission. Even if a parent does provide permission, the bill would allow a teacher to ignore it based on religious or moral reasons.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator