KAJN Jesus FM 102.9


10-20-17

THE LATEST VERSION OF THE PROPOSED I-49 EXTENSION THROUGH LAFAYETTE WAS PRESENTED THIS WEEK IN A SERIES OF MEETINGS WITH LOCAL OFFICIALS AND RESIDENTS.  THE NEW DESIGN, WHICH WAS PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ONE SINGLE DESIGN INSTEAD OF SECTIONS, IS A REVISION OF A 2003 DESIGN THAT HAS TAKEN TWO YEARS TO PREPARE.  THERE ARE STILL QUESTIONS TO ANSWER SUCH AS WHAT TO DO WITH THE EVANGELINE THRUWAY AND WHAT SHOULD BE THE HEIGHT OF THE 5-POINT-5 MILE INTERSTATE CONNECTOR.   CONCERNING EVANGELINE THRUWAY, THE DESIGN TEAM IS DECIDING BETWEEN TURNING IT INTO A GRAND BOULEVARD  WITH GREEN SPACE AND PEDESTRIAN USES, AS FAVORED BY LAFAYETTE OFFICIALS, OR LEAVING THE BASIC STRUCTURE IN PLACE.

 

TWO TEXAS MEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR THE ARMED ROBBERY OF AN AT&T STORE WEDNESDAY MORNING IN LAKE CHARLES.  THE TWO MEN ENTERED THE STORE, LOCATED ON WEST PRIEN LAKE ROAD, AND FORCED THE CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES INTO THE BREAK ROOM.  THEY THEN FORCED THE EMPLOYEES TO GIVE THEM CASH AND CELL PHONES.  DEPUTY CHIEF MARK KRAUS SAYS AN ALERT WITNESS SAW THEIR VEHICLE DRIVING IN A SUSPICIOUS MANNER AND CALLED 9-1-1.  STATE POLICE STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND THEY FOUND THE STOLEN CELL PHONES AND CASH AS WELL AS THE GUNS USED IN THE ROBBERY.

 

PORT BARRE HIGH SCHOOL WAS PUT ON LOCKDOWN FOR A SHORT WHILE YESTERDAY AFTER A MAN THREATENED TO SHOOT UP THE SCHOOL.  AN ADMINISTRATOR AT THE SCHOOL CONTACTED POLICE AFTER LEARNING THAT AN EMPLOYEE AT THE SCHOOL SAID HER HUSBAND THREATENED TO COMMIT SUICIDE THAT MORNING BEFORE SHE LEFT FOR WORK AND SAID HE WOULD SHOOT UP THE SCHOOL.  ACCORDING TO POLICE, THE MAN, 53-YEAR-OLD ROBERT GAUDET, THEN WENT TO A LOCAL GAS STATION AND TOLD PEOPLE THERE, INCLUDING AN OFF DUTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY, THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A SHOOTING AT THE SCHOOL.  POLICE WENT TO HIS PLACE OF WORK AND TOOK HIM TO THE STATION FOR QUESTIONING, THEN ARRESTED HIM AND CHARGED HIM WITH TERRORIZING.

 

Louisiana’s health department wants to keep the five managed-care companies that coordinate health services for most state Medicaid patients in place for another two years.  The contract extensions are expected to cost $15 billion, financed with federal and state dollars.  Lawmakers on the joint House and Senate budget committee consider the request today.  The contracts have been in place since February 2015, and the Department of Health is proposing to extend them through December 2019.

 

THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE SCHOOLS OF CHOICE PROGRAMS, AND ONE OF THEM WAS ESTABLISHING STRONGER PATHWAYS IN CERTAIN SUBJECTS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL.  AMONG THE CHANGES APPROVED WEDNESDAY IS A NEW BUSINESS PATHWAY FROM JUDICE MIDDLE TO ACADIANA HIGH SCHOOL, AND A HEALTH ACADEMY PATHWAY FROM CARENCRO MIDDLE TO NORTHSIDE AND LAFAYETTE HIGH SCHOOLS.  VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS HAVE BEEN CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE ARTS PATHWAY BEGINNING AT J. WALLACE JAMES ELEMENTARY AND CONTINUING TO L-J ALLEMAN MIDDLE AND COMEAUX HIGH.  AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PATHWAY WILL BE AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YET TO BE DETERMINED FOLLOWED BY CARENCRO MIDDLE AND CARENCRO HIGH SCHOOL.

 

A NEW OVERPASS IN WESTLAKE, THAT TOOK TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE, OFFICIALLY OPENED THIS WEEK.  IT GOES OVER A RAILROAD CROSSING ON OLD SPANISH TRAIL AND WAS COMPLETELY FUNDED BY THE KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY.  CALCASIEU PARISH POLICE JUROR HAL MCMILLIN TELLS KPLC TV THE COMPANY REALIZED THERE WAS GOING TO BE A LOT OF TRAINS AND THEREFORE A LOT OF CONGESTION, SO THEY GOT IT DONE FOR THE CITY.  LAST NIGHT THE CALCASIEU PARISH POLICE JURY AGREED TO TAKE OVER THE OVERPASS AND MAINTAIN IT.

 

A EUNICE MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGELDY HAVING RELATIONS WITH AN UNDERAGE GIRL.  ST. LANDRY PARISH SHERIFF BOBBY GUIDROZ SAYS THE FATHER OF THE GIRL FILED A COMPLAINT SAYING THE MAN, GARY LAFLEUR THE THIRD, ALSO SUPPLIED HIS DAUGHTER WITH DRUGS.  GUIDROZ SAYS LAFLEUR, WHO WAS OUT ON BOND FOR GUN CHARGES, WAS ARRESTED AFTER CONFESSING.  HE WAS BOOKED INTO THE ST. LANDRY PARISH JAIL ON ONE COUNT OF FELONY CARNAL KNOWLEDGE OF A JUVENILE.

 

Louisiana has a bit more wiggle room to borrow money next year for state-financed construction projects.  Recent debt refinancing, along with better-than-expected terms for a recent bond sale, has lessened the constraints for borrowing in the upcoming budget year that begins July 1. The state is limited by a debt cap, and has been hovering close to it — with the risk that it wouldn’t be able to borrow money at all next year under the traditional structure the state uses.  State officials learned yesterday from financial analysts that they won’t have that problem and could borrow an estimated $225 million next year under the regular debt structure.