1-6-20
LAST NIGHT THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS THAT ARE SET TO BE INSTALLED IN LAFAYETTE TO HELP POLICE IN SOLVING CRIMES. MAYOR PRESIDENT JOSH GUILLORY SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH CRIME FIGHTERS OF LOUISIANA IN NOVEMBER WITHOUT THE COUNCIL’S CONSENT. COUNCIL MEMBERS ASKED THAT THE CONTRACT BE AMENDED TO ENSURE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO REVIEW VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE CAMERAS AND ANY OTHER USES WOULD BE LIMITED. THE CAMERAS WILL NOT GO UP IN THE CITY UNTIL THE COUNCIL FINALIZES THE AMENDED CONTRACT.
THE LAKE CHARLES POLICE DEPARTMENT IS INSTALLING TEMPORARY OFFICES ON PUJO STREET. THE NEW OFFICES WILL BE USED UNTIL THE ANNEX ON ENTERPRISE BOULEVARD IS REPAIRED. IT SUFFERED DAMAGE FROM HURRICANES LAURA AND DELTA. A PORTION OF PUJO STREET WILL BE CLOSED TO VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
CROWLEY MAYOR TIM MONCEAUX HAS CANCELED ALL CITY SPONSORED MARDI GRAS ACTIVITIES. HE ISSUED A STATEMENT IN WHICH HE CITED A LARGE UPTICK IN CORONAVIRUS CASES, WHICH HE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FALL AND WINTER HOLIDAYS. MONCEAUX SAYS THAT, ACCORDING TO HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, IT WILL BE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL POPULATION, WHICH WOULD BE AFTER MARDI GRAS. HE SAYS HE MADE THE DECISION FOR THE SAFETY AND WELL BEING OF CROWLEY CITIZENS AND VISITORS.
Louisiana’s health department is encouraging hospitals to use their extra coronavirus vaccine doses to immunize people aged 70 and older. Hospitals across Louisiana have received thousands of Pfizer vaccine doses for their own workers and continue to receive new doses weekly. The health department said Tuesday that any excess should be steered to those newly eligible. That’s an effort to boost the limited supply available to the estimated 640,000 elderly and outpatient health care workers on that newly eligible list.
THERE WERE MORE THAN FOUR THOUSAND NEW CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-NINTEEN IN LOUISIANA. THAT PUSHES THE OVERALL TOTAL TO NEARLY THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND. LOUISIANA’S DEATH COUNT INCREASED BY THIRTY-TWO. THERE WERE NINETEEN MORE COVID-NINETEEN PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED, MOVING THE TOTAL NEAR TWO THOUSAND. THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS INCREASED BY TWO.
ACADIANA HAD FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR NEW CONFIRMED COVID NINETEEN CASES. THE TOTAL FOR THE REGION EXCEEDS FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND FOR THE FIRST TIME. LAFAYETTE PARISH HAD THE MOST WITH ONE HUNDRED NINETY-TWO PUSHING THE TOTAL OVER SIXTEEN THOUSAND. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAD TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX NEW CASES INCLUDING TWO HUNDRED TWELVE IN CALCASIEU PARISH. THERE WAS ONE MORE DEATH IN ACADIANA. LAFAYETTE AND IBERIA PARISHES HAD ONE EACH BUT ACADIA PARISH’S TOTAL WAS ADJUSTED DOWN BY ONE. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAD TWO MORE DEATHS, WHICH WERE IN BEAUREGARD AND JEFF DAVIS PARISHES.
FREE COVID-NINETEEN TESTING IS COMING TO ABBEVILLE NEXT WEEK. THE CLINIC WILL BE ON TUESDAY FROM NINE A-M TO ONE P-M. THE DRIVE THRU CLINIC WILL BE LOCATED AT THE ABBEVILLE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ON CHARITY STREET. IT IS SPONSORED BY THE IBERIA COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER.
THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD WILL HOLD ITS FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW YEAR THIS EVENING BEGINNING AT FIVE-THIRTY. THE BOARD WILL ELECT A NEW PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. THEY ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO CONSIDER A PROPOSED BUDGET SCHEDULE. IF APPROVED, THEY WOULD HAVE A FIRST DISCUSSION NEXT MONTH WITH THE BUDGET ADOPTED ON MAY NINETEENTH.
