10-10-19
A CROSS FROM ONE OF THE ST. LANDRY PARISH CHURCHES THAT WERE DESTROYED BY ARSON FIRES IS MISSING AND BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN. THE PASTOR REVEREND GERALD TOUSSAINT OF MOUNT PLEASANT BAPTIST CHURCH IN OPELOUSAS SAYS THAT A DEACON HAD GONE TO MEASURE IT AFTER A MEETING WITH THEIR ARCHITECT AND THAT’S WHEN IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE MISSING. THE PLAN WAS TO PUT THE CROSS FROM THE BURNED CHURCH IN THE NEW SANCTUARY. TOUSSAINT SAYS THAT WITH ALL THE CONGREGATION HAS BEEN THROUGH, THIS FEELS LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE.
A MAN WANTED FOR A DOUBLE HOMOCIDE IN HOUSTON WAS ARRESTED IN LAKE CHARLES. THE STATE POLICE’ CRIMINAL DIVISION WAS ASKED TO HELP FIND 46-YEAR-OLD REYMUNDO LUIS VALDEZ. HE WAS FOUND IN A CASINO. VALDEZ WAS ARRESTED AND BOOKED INTO THE CALCASIEU CORRECTIONAL CENTER WHERE HE IS AWAITING EXTRADITION TO TEXAS.
LAFAYETTE PARISH VOTERS WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO MOVE TEN MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE LIBRARIES FUND BALANCE TO HELP WITH ROADS, DRAINAGE AND BRIDGES. MEGAN KELLY HAS MORE.
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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ two major Republican opponents took swipes at him and each other in their final debate before Saturday’s elections. The Democratic governor defended his record and hammered GOP businessman Eddie Rispone as one of former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s chief supporters. Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham accused Rispone of lying about Abraham’s congressional record and panned Edwards as a tax-raising leader out of step with his state.
Rispone hit Edwards for supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and criticized Abraham as reneging on a promise to voters to donate all his congressional salary to charity.
PARISH PROUD, A NEW INITIATIVE TO TRANSFORM LAFAYETTE INTO A BEAUTIFUL AND VIBRANT CITY, WAS LAUNCHED YESTERDAY WITH AN EVENT AT THE LOUISIANA IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES ENTERPRISE. MATT STULLER OF STULLER INCORPORATED HELPED START PARISH PROUD BECAUSE OF HIS FRUSTRATION WITH THE BLIGHT AND LITTER IN LAFAYETTE. HE WAS EXCITED BY THE TURNOUT AT LAST NIGHT’S EVENT AND ESPECIALLY HOW MANY WERE INFLUENCERS IN THE COMMUNITY. PARISH PROUD, WHICH HAS ALREADY RAISED OVER A MILLION DOLLARS, WILL ACT AS AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION CONNECTING PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS TO DO GOOD WORK.
THE CALCASIEU PARISH DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HAS BEEN ALLOWING CERTAIN DEFENDANTS TO BUY THEIR WAY OUT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, ACCORDING TO AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT BY KATC TV. A FLYER OBTAINED BY THEM SHOWS DEFENDANTS CAN DONATE EIGHT DOLLARS TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR EACH HOUR OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, WHICH IS THEN DISTRIBUTED TO LOCAL CHARITIES THROUGH GIFT CARDS. HOWEVER SOME FORMER EMPLOYEES WITH THE D-A’S OFFICE QUESTIONED WHETHER ALL THE MONEY WAS MAKING IT TO CHARITIES. THE D-A’S OFFICE WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION TO KATC FOR ALL THE DISBURSEMENTS IN THE PROGRAM.
THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GUMBO COOKOFF IS TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND IN DOWNTOWN NEW IBERIA. SEVENTY-SIX TEAMS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION. THE EVENT WILL KICK OFF WITH A RUN ON SATURDAY MORNING FOLLOWED BY A CAJUN AND CREOLE FOOD FEST. OVER NINETY DIFFERENT GUMBOS WILL BE SERVED TO THE PUBLIC BEGINNING AT ELEVEN SUNDAY MORNING.
THE RATE OF S-T-D’S IN LOUISIANA REMAINS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. A REPORT BY THE U-S CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION SAYS THE NUMBER OF CASES INVOLVING THREE TYPES OF S-T-D’S IS ON THE RISE FOR THE FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW. LOUISIANA RANKS SECOND FOR NEW CASES OF CHLAMYDIA, FIFTH FOR GONORRHEA AND SEVENTH FOR EARLY STAGE SYPHILIS. HOWEVER, THAT’S AN IMPROVEMENT FROM 2017 WHEN LOUISIANA WAS FIRST IN OVERALL SYPHILIS CASES AND THIRD FOR GONORRHEA.
