10-14-15
LAST WEEK, THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED THE CREATION OF FOUR NEW SUPERVISORY POSITIONS, WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO HELP THE SCHOOLS RUN MORE EFFICIENTLY. THE BOARD IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION COORDINATOR AND A SUPERVISOR OF MAINENANCE, AND SOON THEY’LL BEGIN ADVERTISING FOR TWO CUSTODIAL SUPERVISORS. THE CUSTODIAL SUPERVISOR POSITIONS WILL REPLACE THE CURRENT NIGHTSHIFT SUPERVISOR POSITION, WHICH THE BOARD IS EXPECTED TO ELIMINATE. KYLE BORDELON, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM’S FACILITIES AND PLANNING DIRECTOR, SAYS THE NEW COORDINATORS USED TO BE POSITIONS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT WERE LOST OVER THE YEARS AS OTHER PEOPLE ABSORBED THOSE DUTIES.
THE BEAUREGARD PARISH POLICE JURY HOSTED A TOUR OF THE COURTHOUSE YESTERDAY TO SHOW THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN ITS RENOVATION. POLICE JUROR BISCUIT SMITH SAYS THE INTERIOR WILL BE MODERN AND BRAND NEW. THE RENOVATED COURTHOUSE WILL BE HOME TO THE CLERK OF COURT AND JUDICIAL SYSTEM, WITH AN ADDITIONAL COURTROOM, WHICH, SMITH SAYS, WILL ALLOW THE PARISH TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL JUDGE IF THERE IS POPULATION GROWTH. THE COURTHOUSE IS EXPECTED TO BE READY FOR USE BY THE END OF 2017, AT THE EARLIEST.
FORMER MAMOU POLICE CHIEF GREGORY DUPUIS WAS SENTENCED YESTERDAY TO ONE YEAR AND A DAY IN PRISON. DUPUIS PLEADED GUILTY LAST APRIL TO USING STUN GUNS TO DISCIPLINE PRISONERS WHO WERE NOT RESISTANT. HIS SUCCESSOR AS POLICE CHIEF, ROBERT MCGEE, ALSO PLED GUILTY FOR THE SAME OFFENSE, WHICH OCCURRED WHILE HE WAS WORKING FOR DUPUIS IN 2010. MCGEE, WHO RESIGNED AS MAMOU’S POLICE CHIEF LAST WEEK, FACES UP TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON, THREE YEAR’S SUPERVISED RELEASE AND A 250 THOUSAND DOLLAR FINE.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s presidential campaign is panning the debate criteria that will whittle down the candidate list for the next Republican debate. The Republican governor’s campaign says the criteria ignore the importance of early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire. Without a change, Jindal appears again headed for the undercard debate, rather than the main stage, for the CNBC event Oct. 28. While Jindal barely registers any support in recent national polls, he’s performing better in Iowa, where he’s focused nearly all his campaign effort.
U-L RAGIN’ CAJUN FOOTBALL COACH MARK HUDSPETH’S JOB DOESN’T APPEAR IN TROUBLE AFTER AN ASSISTANT COACH WAS FOUND TO HAVE HELPED SEVERAL RECRUITS BECOME ELIGIBLE BY ALTERING A-C-T TESTS. AN INVESTIGATION BY THE NCAA AND U-L FOUND THAT HUDSPETH WAS NOT AWARE OF THE ACTIONS BY ASSISTANT DAVID SAUNDERS. U-L PENALIZED THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM BY PUTTING IT ON TWO YEARS PROBATION, REDUCING FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIPS AND RECRUITING ACTIVITY, AND VACATING ALL OF ITS 2011 SEASON, INCLUDING A NEW ORLEANS BOWL VICTORY. THE UNIVERSITY CONSIDERED BANNING THE CURRENT TEAM FROM ANY POTENTIAL BOWL GAMES THIS YEAR, BUT FELT THAT WAS TOO SEVERE FOR THE ACTIONS OF ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT WERE NOT INDICATIVE OF A SYSTEMWIDE PROBLEM.
THE YOUNG SON OF FALLEN STATE TROOPER STEVEN VINCENT IS NOW A MEMBER OF THE PARAPOKES SKY DIVING TEAM AT MCNEESE STATE FOOTBALL GAMES. THE SKYDIVERS BRING AN AMERICAN FLAG ONTO THE FOOTBALL FIELD, AND ETHAN VINCENT’S JOB IS TO RETREIVE THE FLAG WHEN THEY LAND. A MEMBER OF THE PARAPOKES, STEVE THOMPSON, TELLS KPLC TV THAT ETHAN GIVES THE BEST HIGH FIVES OF ANY FLAG CATCHER THEY’VE HAD, AND HE HAS THE JOB AS LONG AS HE WANTS IT. THE SKYDIVERS PARACHUTE WITH A STUFFED BEAR, NAMED BEAR BEAR, THAT BELONGS TO ETHAN AND WHICH HAS A RECORDING OF STEVEN VINCENT’S LAST HEARTBEATS.
RESIDENTS IN MORE THAN FIFTY HOMES IN CANKTON HAD TO EVACUATE AFTER AN EXPLOSION THAT LED TO A NATURAL GAS LEAK. JULIE DARCE REPORTS.
VOICER G :23
Louisiana’s state school board has set the student grading scale for Common Core-aligned standardized tests. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted a scale that Education Superintendent John White says will allow for Louisiana students’ performance to be compared with students in 10 other states and in Washington, D.C. Common Core opponents sought a delay, seeking more study of the grading scale, raising objections about the testing used and wanting the test questions released. Despite the opposition, board members voted 7-4 to put the grading scale in place.
