Commissioners followed a recommendation from planning officials to turn down the request for a conditional use permit to allow the convenience store with gas sales at 1803 W. University Ave.
Source: The Advocate
Economy
Lafayette eked ahead of Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans on U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of best places to live. Cost of living buoyed Lafayette’s overall ranking, despite a relatively low “quality of life” score. Overall, Lafayette scored 84th in the national ranking, coming out on top of nearby metros Houston (97th) and Dallas (95th). U.S. News scored Louisiana dead last in its state rankings.
Louisiana issues only two medical marijuana grower licenses each year. They are currently held by LSU and Southern University. That’s been required by law since the state enacted its medical marijuana program in 2015.
Source: Louisiana Illuminator
Our Lady of Lourdes Health will invest $100 million across its campuses over the next three to five years, the system announced this week. The first phase targets upgrades to neonatal intensive care unit at Women & Children’s Hospital, which Lourdes acquired in 2019 from hospital giant HCA.
Source: The Advertiser
Lawmakers could still reach a compromise that more tightly regulates the products to keep them from consumers younger than 21 but prevent an industry shutdown through Democratic Lafayette Rep. Dustin Miller’s House Bill 952, which has cleared the House and awaits its first committee hearing in the Senate.
Source: The Advertiser
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.
Read More
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
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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
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.
Read More
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