1-16-20
TENSE MOMENTS IN DOWTOWN LAFAYETTE YESTERDAY TURNED OUT TO BE A FALSE ALARM. MEGAN KELLY HAS THE DETAILS.
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The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office says a trailer home fire has killed a 12-year-old girl and hospitalized her 11-year-old brother, their mother and another adult. A news release says official identification and cause of death are pending an autopsy by the Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office. The statement says the fire was reported about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Fire officials say the boy and his mother are both in critical condition, and the man who owned the trailer home is under sedation for treatment.
THE ST. LANDRY PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM WENT OFFLINE SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING WHEN THE STAFF DETERMINED THEY WERE THE VICTIM OF A CYBERATTACK. THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE LOUISIANA CYBER ASSESMENT TEAM ARE INVESTIGATING NOW TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH DAMAGE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SUFFERED. ALL SCHOOLS WILL REMAIN OPEN EXCEPT FOR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS IN EUNICE AND OPELOUSAS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY COMPUTER-BASED. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM’S STUDENT INFORMATION, TEACHER PAYROLL, AND THE DISTRICT’S WEBPAGE ARE ALL OUTSOURCED AND THEREFORE NOT AFFECTED BY THE CYBERATTACK.
Louisiana personal income taxpayers can start filing their 2019 state tax returns on Jan. 27. That’s the same day the IRS begins accepting federal income tax filings. The state revenue department announced the filing plans Wednesday. The deadline to file Louisiana individual income tax returns and pay taxes is May 15, and extension requests are due by that date.
ELEVEN BUSINESSLEADERS AND STAKEHOLDERS FROM ACADIANA AND BEYOND EXPRESSED OPTIMISIM IN THE LAFAYETTE ECONOMY DURING THE ACADIANA ADVOCATE’S 2020 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK SUMMIT, HELD YESTERDAY AT THE ACADIANA CENTER FOR THE ARTS. ECONOMIST GARY A. WAGNER SAYS THE GROWTH IN THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY IS THE REASON THERE’S MORE OPTIMISM. HE SAYS HEALTH CARE SHOULD DRIVE LOCAL GROWTH EVEN AS THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO LAG. ART PRICE OF BADGER OIL IN LAFAYETTE BLAMED THE LITIGIOUS ENVIRONMENT IN LOUISIANA FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY’S STRUGGLES, AS THERE ARE AROUND FIVE HUNDRED LAWSUITS AGAINST OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN THE STATE.
THE U-S-S ORLECK COULD BE MOVING FROM LAKE CHARLES. THE JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED OF THE IDEA OF THE U-S-S- ORLECK BECOMING A FLOATING MUSEUM. THE NEXT STEP IS FOR THE JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE IT, WHICH IS EXPECTED. THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORIC NAVAL SHIP ASSOCIATION BELIEVES THE ORLECK WOULD ATTRACT ABOUT ONE-HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND VISITORS A YEAR, POTENTIALLY BRINGING IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
A NEW ONE-POINT-SIX MILLION DOLLAR BUILDING FOR THE IBERIA PARISH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS NEAR COMPLETION AND THE DEPARTMENT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN NEXT MONTH. PARISH PRESIDENT LARRY RICHARD TELLS KATC TV THAT THERE WILL BE AN INTERACTIVE MAP ON ONE WALL THAT WILL LET ALL EMPLOYEES KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PARISH ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. HE SAYS THAT EVENTUALLY THEY WILL ALSO MOVE THE SEWAGE DEPARTMENT AND, POSSIBLY, PLANNING AND ZONING INTO THE THIRTY-SIX HUNDRED SQUARE FOOT BUILDING. RICHARD SAYS THE CURRENT PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING IS IN A FLOOD ZONE WHILE THE NEW ONE ISN’T.
A GRADUATION CEREMONY WILL BE HELD NEXT FRIDAY, JANUARY 24TH, FOR THE FIRST POWER LINEMAN CLASS AT SOUTH LOUISIANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE. IT WILL TAKE PLACE BEGINNING AT FIVE P-M AT S-L-C-C’S ACADIAN CAMPUS IN CROWLEY. POWER LINEMAN COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN CROWLEY AND LAST FOR TWENTY-FIVE WEEKS. THE SHORT TERM POWER LINEMAN PROGRAM WAS STARTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CLECO, SLEMCO, L-U-S AND ENTERGY AS A WAY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
