3-27-15
THE PRINCIPAL OF CARENCRO MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS FILED A GRIEVANCE COMPLAINT WITH THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM ABOUT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TEHMI CHAISSON. SPURGEON BANYARD ACCUSES CHAISSON OF VISITING HIS SCHOOL IN ORDER TO HARASS AND INTIMIDATE HIM. CHAISSON TELLS THE ADVOCATE HE WENT TO CARENCRO MIDDLE TO CHECK ON A COMPLAINT ABOUT FACILITIES AND DID NOT TALK TO BANYARD. PREVIOUSLY BANYARD HAD FILED A COMPLAINT ABOUT CHAISSON WITH THE LOUISIANA ETHICS COMMISSION BECAUSE HE BELIEVES CHAISSON IS USING HIS POSITION TO INTERVENE ON BEHALF OF A FORMER EMPLOYEE, ADA THOMAS, WHO FILED A CIVIL LAWSUIT AGAINST BANYARD FOR HARASSMENT.
THE CITY OF WESTLAKE WILL HOLD ITS FIRST EASTER PARADE TOMORROW. REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVERAL CHURCHES WILL PARTICIPATE AS WELL AS THE WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL BAND AND CHEERLEADERS, AND SHRINERS CLOWNS, WHO WILL MAKE BALLOON ANIMALS FOR CHILDREN. COUNCILWOMAN BETTY BATES SAYS SHE HOPES THE PARADE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL, WHICH WOULD MEAN THEY COULD ENLARGE IT FOR NEXT YEAR. THE PARADE WILL BEGIN AT TEN A-M AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL AND PROCEED DOWN SAMPSON STREET TO CITY HALL.
Lawmakers who want to scale back Louisiana’s business tax breaks don’t appear to have public support on their side. A poll released Thursday from LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab says 72 percent of respondents support cutting taxes on business to attract them to the state. And 55 percent favor using state tax dollars to pay companies to come to Louisiana. Even when told of the criticism about the incentive programs, public support for the tax breaks remains high.
VOTERS IN SOME LOUISIANA PARISHES WILL HEAD TO THE POLLS TOMORROW. IN ST. MARY PARISH, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF TEN DIFFERENT PROPERTY TAX MEASURES TO DECIDE. THE LARGEST ONE IS A TWENTY YEAR, 6-POINT-5 MILLION DOLLAR BOND ISSUE FOR ROAD DISTRICT ONE. VOTERS IN WARD ONE OF JEANERETTE WILL BE VOTING IN A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR ALDERMAN, BETWEEN ZAPHANY BANKS AND C-J CLARK.
LAFAYETTE PARISH VOTERS TOMORROW WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO COMBINE THE MOSQUITO CONTROL AND HEALTH UNIT PROPERTY TAXES. UNDER THE PROPOSAL, EXCESS MONIES COLLECTED FROM THE COMBINED TAX WOULD HELP TO FUND ANIMAL CONTROL, WHICH WOULD FREE UP MONEY IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR OTHER THINGS, SUCH AS PAYING FOR BETTER ROADS AND DRAINAGE. HOWEVER, PARISH ASSESSOR CONRAD COMEAUX TELLS THE DAILY ADVERTISER THAT HE OPPOSES THE BALLOT INITIATIVE. HE SAYS THE PARISH NEVER COLLECTED THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE HEALTH UNIT TAX, AND BEGAN COLLECTING THE FULL AMOUNT LAST YEAR SO THEY COULD CLAIM THERE WILL NOT BE AN INCREASE IN TAXES.
THE CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS STILL TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED TO 56-YEAR-OLD MARY FRANKLIN OF DEQUINCY, WHO WAS KILLED ON MARCH 18TH. DEPUTY STITCH GUILLORY SAYS THAT, AFTER EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE AND TAKING STATEMENTS FROM WITNESSES, IT WAS DETERMINED SHE WAS POSSIBLY RUN OVER BY A VEHICLE. HER 85-YEAR-OLD BOYFRIEND, JAMES ABDALLA JUNIOR, HAS BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH VEHICULAR HOMOCIDE. THE CORONER SAYS FRANKLIN DIED FROM MULTIPLE INTERNAL INJURIES, BUT IS AWAITING MORE INFORMATION BEFORE COMPLETING THE AUTOPSY REPORT.
SIX OF THE EIGHT ACADIANA PARISHES HAVE SEEN POPULATION GROWTH SINCE 2010, ACCORDING TO RECENTLY RELEASED U-S CENSUS FIGURES. LAFAYETTE PARISH HAS SEEN THE GREATEST GROWTH AT SIX-POINT-ONE PERCENT, THE FIFTH FASTEST IN THE STATE OVER THE PERIOD BETWEEN 2010 AND 2014. EVANGELINE AND ST. MARY WERE THE ONLY TWO PARISHES TO SEE A DECREASE IN POPULATION. IBERIA PARISH SAW AN OVERALL INCREASE OF POINT-9 PERCENT, BUT THE POPULATION DECREASED SLIGHTLY BETWEEN 2013 AND 2014. THE TOTAL POPULATION FOR THE EIGHT ACADIANA PARISHES, AS OF 2014, IS JUST OVER 655 THOUSAND.
