10-13-23
BROUSSARD POLICE SAY A MAN, SUSPECTED OF VANDALIZING A STATUE AT SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH AND AT A NEARBY BUSINESS, HAS BEEN ARRESTED. SYLVIA MASTERS REPORTS.
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A SMALL PLANE CRASHED IN A CANE FIELD NEAR THE PATTERSON AIRPORT YESTEDAY. IT WAS ABOUT THREE HUNDRED FEET FROM A RUNWAY, THOUGH IT’S NOT KNOWN YET WHETHER THE PLANE WAS TAKING OFF OR LANDING. INFORMATION ON THE NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS IN THE PLANE HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED OR THEIR CONDITION. THE RADIO STATION KQKI REPORTED HEAVY BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE PLANE, WHICH WAS EXTINGUISHED.
A LAKE CHARLES MAN WAS ARRESTED AFTER CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES FOUND DRUGS AND A WEAPON ON HIM AND IN HIS VEHICLE. A DEPUTY ATTEMPTED TO PULL OVER THIRTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD JOHNTREL JOEL LEWIS FOR A TRAFFIC VIOLATION, BUT HE CONTINUED TO DRIVE AND THEN FLED THE VEHICLE ON FOOT. HE WAS ARRESTED AND FOUND HIM IN POSSESSION OF THREE BAGS WITH, WHAT WAS BELIEVED TO BE, CRACK COCAINE, AND NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS. A SEARCH OF HIS VEHICLE LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF A NINE MILLIMETER HANDGUN, WHICH LEWIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE BECAUSE, SIX YEARS AGO, HE WAS CONVICTED FOR ILLEGLLY CARRYING A WEAPON BY A CONVICTED FELON IN THE PRESENCE OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.
A MURDER TRIAL IN THE DEATH OF U-L LAFAYETTE STUDENT JONTEREZ BROUSSARD IS UNDERWAY. TWENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAMIEN BERNARD OF ARNAUDVILLE FACES A CHARGE OF SECOND-DEGREE MURDER FOR SUPPLYING FENTANYL-LACED DRUGS THAT LED TO BROUSSARD’S DEATH. LOUISIANA LAW ALLOWS A PERSON TO FACE MURDER CHARGES IF THE DISTRIBUTION OR DISPENSING OF THE DRUG IS THE DIRECT CAUSE OF DEATH. POLICE SAY BROUSSARD THOUGHT SHE WAS BUYING COCAINE AND DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE FENTANYL.
LAST WEEK, THE SAINT MARTIN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED ALLOWING STUDENTS TO WEAR UNIFORM SHORTS. CANDACE MIRE, WHO IS THE MOTHER OF TWO, HELPED LEAD THE FIGHT TO GIVE STUDENTS THE RIGHT TO WEAR SHORTS. SHE SAYS SHE’S BEEN FIGHTING FOR THIS SINCE AUGUST BUT KNOWS OF OTHERS WHO TRIED TO BRING THE ISSUE UP TO THE SCHOOL BOARD BUT WERE SHUT DOWN. MIRE TELLS KLFY TV THAT SHE WANTED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO LISTEN TO PARENTS ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR STUDENTS.
THE LAKE CHARLES TOYOTA GULF COAST MARCHING BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AT MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY’S COWBOY STADIUM. NINETEEN BANDS FROM LOUISIANA, TEXAS AND MISSISSIPI WILL COMPETE IN THE COMPETITION INCLUDING SEVEN BANDS FROM SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. THE GATES OPEN TOMORROW AFTERNOON AT TWELVE-THIRTY AND THE COMPETITION BEGINS AT ONE. THE MCNEESE STATE MARCHING BAND WILL PERFORM BEFORE THE AWARDS CEREMONY AT SIX-FORTY-FIVE.
VOTERS IN NEW IBERIA AND DELCAMBRE WILL DECIDE THE FATE OF TAX ISSUES IN TOMORROW’S ELECTION. NEW IBERIA RESIDENTS WILL CONSIDER A SPECIAL PROPERTY TAX OF NEARLY SEVEN MILLS THAT WOULD RAISE ONE-POINT-THREE MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY TO PAY FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIRS. A REALLOCATED ROAD TAX THAT WAS ON THE BALLOT LAST YEAR IN NEW IBERIA FAILED BY A SMALL MARGIN. IN DELCAMBRE, RESIDENTS WILL VOTE ON A PROPOSED SALES TAX THAT WOULD LAST TEN YEARS AND RAISE AN ESTIMATED THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS YEARLY FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
A HISTORIC BUILDING IN WASHINGTON IS BEING RESTORED BY LOCAL ARCHITECT STEPHEN ORTEGO, WHO PLANS TO CONVERT IT INTO A NINE ROOM BOUTIQUE HOTEL. HE SAYS IT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO COME EXPERIENCE A MAJOR PART OF LOUISIANA HISTORY. IT WAS BUILT IN EIGHTEEN-SEVENTY AT THE CORNER OF MAIN AND CARRIERE STREETS WHEN WASHINGTON WAS A BOOM TOWN AND SERVED AS A HOME AND GENERAL STORE FOR JEWISH MERCHANTS. THE BUILDING IS CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH THE RESTORATION PROCESS.
