10-15-24
AUTHORITIES ARE TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER WHO STRUCK A BICYCLIST JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT SATURDAY, KILLING HIM. THE BICYCLIST WAS IDENTIFIED AS CHRISTOPHER MELANCON, WHO HAS THREE DAUGHTERS, INCLUDING ONE WHO IS PREGNANT. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON A DARKENED STRETCH OF L-A-NINETY-THREE NEAR VATICAN ROAD IN NORTHERN LAFAYETTE PARISH. HIS AUNT, RHONDA MELANCON, WANTS JUSTICE FOR HIS THREE GIRLS AND SAYS HE MAY STILL BE HERE TODAY IF THE HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER HAD STOPPED AND HELPED HIM INSTEAD OF LEAVING HIM ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THE ACADIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS REVEALED THE IDENTITIES OF TWO PEOPLE KILLED IN AN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE ON SATURDAY. DEPUTIES, DISPATCHED TO NORTHEAST PART OF ACADIA PARISH ALONG WHITE OAK HIGHWAY, FOUND TWO PEOPLE DEAD FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS. THEY ARE DASHAYLA ARDOIN OF MAMOU AND GLENKEITHAN ROBERTSON OF OPELOUSAS. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AS THE TWO WERE TRAVELING TO THE MAMOU AREA.
LOUISIANA MISSED THE DAMAGING IMPACT OF HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON, BUT MAY BE IMPACTED BY RISING INSURANCE RATES. MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE ESTIMATES INSURED LOSSES FROM THE TWO STORMS COULD END UP BETWEEN THIRTY-FIVE AND FIFTY-FIVE BILLION DOLLARS. IN COMPARISON, LOSSES FROM HURRICANES LAURA, DELTA, ZETA AND IDA IN TWENTY-TWENTY AND TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE TOTALED AROUND TWENTY-TWO BILLION. INDUSTRY GROUPS SAY THE FULL IMPACT OF LOSSES ON INSURANCE PREMIUMS IN LOUISIANA AND OTHER SOUTHEAST STATES IS HARD TO GUAGE AND WON’T BE KNOWN FOR MONTHS.
THE INTERIM MAYOR OF ELTON SAYS HE’S INHERITED A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS SINCE TAKING OVER FOR KESIA LEMOINE, WHO WAS RECALLED. MIKE PIERROTTI SAYS THE LATEST ISSUE IS AN AUDIT HAS REVEALED THE TOWN HAS FAILED TO PAY PAYROLL TAXES SINCE JANUARY OF LAST YEAR. HE SAYS THE MISSED PAYMENTS STARTED WHEN KESIA LEMOINE TOOK OFFICE. PIEROTTI HAS NOT DISCLOSED HOW MUCH BACK TAXES THE TOWN OWES BUT HE HAS CONTACTED THE IRS AND IS SEEKING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE QUICKLY.
TWO PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED OVER THE WEEKEND IN CONNECTION TO THE SHOOTING DEATH OF A CHURCH POINT MAN. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AROUND TWO A-M OCTOBER FIFTH BETWEEN TWO VEHICLES SOUTHBOUND ON I-FORTY-NINE IN CARENCRO. THE MAN KILLED WAS ISAIAH SAM OF CHURCH POINT, WHO WAS TWENTY-TWO-YEARS-OLD. TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAMIEN DOUCETTE AND TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD JERIMIAH BROWN, BOTH OF LAFAYETTE, HAVE EACH BEEN CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER AND FOUR COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER.
IN VERMILLION PARISH, AUTHORITIES ARE INVESTIGATING AN EIGHTEEN-WHEELER CRASH THAT CLAIMED THE LIFE OF A KAPLAN MAN. GEORGE FAUST REPORTS.
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TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER ONLINE TO VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER FIFTH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. REGISTRATION CAN BE DONE AT GEAUX-VOTE-DOT-COM, WITH GEAUX SPELLED G-E-A-U-X. OR YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE GEAUXVOTE MOBILE SMARTPHONE APP, WHICH ALSO HAS VOTING DISTRICTS, SAMPLE BALLOTS, POLLING PLACE INFORMATION AND ELECTION RESULTS. EARLY VOTING FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BEGINS FRIDAY AND LASTS UNTIL OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH.
THE EUNICE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS FOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS. THEY REPLACE FOUR OTHERS WHO WERE REMOVED AFTER THE BOARD VIOLATED OPEN MEETING LAWS. MAYOR SCOTT FONTENOT SAYS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN A LETTER SAID THEY ARE GOING TO CLOSE THE MATTER BECAUSE THE VIOLATION WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. HOWEVER, FONTENOT SAYS, IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE FOR BREAKING THE LAW AND THAT’S WHY HE CHOSE TO REPLACE THE BOARD.
