10-21-20
THE CROWLEY CITY COUNCIL PASSED A BUDGET FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR AT A SPECIAL MEETING LAST NIGHT. IT WAS THE FOURTH ATTEMPT AND THERE WERE SOME HEATED EXCHANGES. POLICE CHIEF JIMMY BROUSSARD HAD TO GET BETWEEN TWO ALDERMEN WHO WERE EXCHANGING WORDS AND THREATS, ACCORDING TO KLFY TV. THE CITY HAD BEEN OPERATING ON FIFTY PERCENT OF LAST YEAR’S BUDGET SINCE THE NEW FISCAL YEAR BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER FIRST.
Republican Louisiana lawmakers have voted to give themselves more authority to curb Gov. John Bel Edwards’ coronavirus restrictions and emergency powers. The deal, brokered between House and Senate GOP leaders and passed Tuesday, ended a stalemate on the major issue of the special session. It followed days of negotiations behind closed doors. The measure heads to the governor’s desk, where Edwards could choose to veto it.
Louisiana says more than 6,500 people are still in temporary shelters after back-to-back hurricanes hit the state, but some are being told to leave. The Department of Children and Family Services says about 6,430 people are in shelters because of Hurricane Laura’s strike on southwestern Louisiana. More than 120 are still out of their homes because of Hurricane Delta. Many evacuees from the Lake Charles area showed up at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Monday after receiving messages to leave hotels.
AT LAST NIGHT’S LAFAYETTE JOINT COUNCIL MEETING, CHANGES WERE ANNOUNCED TO TRY TO PREVENT INCIDENTS LIKE WHAT HAPPENED AT MOORE PARK LAST WEEK, WHEN FOUR PEOPLE WERE SHOT AND TWO PEOPLE KILLED. CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER CYDRA WINGERTER SAYS THE PEOPLE WHO HELD A PARTY WENT DEEP INTO THE PARK IN ORDER TO NOT BE SPOTTED BY POLICE OFFICERS. SHE SAYS THEY’VE IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF MEASURES THEY CAN TAKE TO TRY TO PREVENT A REPEAT OF THIS TRAGEDY SUCH AS ADDITIONAL PARK SURVEILLANCE AND LIGHTING, AND A SPECIAL PARK DETAIL WHO WOULD MONITOR PARKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE POP-UP EVENTS ARE ADVERTISED. THE LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT NOW HAS AN AGREEMENT WITH PARKS AND RECREATION TO ACT AS AN AGENT TO BREAK UP PARK GATHERINGS IF IT IS NECESSARY.
THE LAFAYETTE CITY AND PARISH COUNCILS BOTH APPROVED ORDINANCES LIMITING MEETING TIMES. THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS WILL NOT GO MORE THAN NINETY MINUTES AND CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE RESTRICTED TO NO MORE THAN FOUR HOURS. THE DECISION COMES AFTER SEVERAL MARATHON MEETINGS LASTED UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE PARISH COUNCIL ALSO APPROVED AGREEMENTS WITH THE CITIES OF CARENCRO AND DUSON TO ALLOW THEM TO OPERATE PARKS WITHIN THEIR BORDERS WHILE ANOTHER PROPOSED AGREEMENT WITH SCOTT WILL BE DECIDED ON AT THE NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH MEETING.
MARY PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES ARE EQUIPPED WITH BODY CAMERAS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. SYLVIA MASTERS HAS MORE.
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THE AMOUNT OF NEW COVID-NINETEEN CASES IN LOUISIANA INCREASED BY SIX HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE, ACCORDING TO YESTERDAY’S REPORT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, MOVING THE TOTAL TO ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE. LOUISIANA HAS SIX MORE DEATHS. HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE UP BY THIRTY-THREE AND THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS DECREASED BY TWO TO A TOTAL OF SIXTY-TWO.
ACADIANA REPORTS ONE MORE DEATH, AND THAT’S IN ST. MARTIN PARISH. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAS NO NEW DEATHS FROM COVID-NINETEEN, KEEPING THE REGION TOTAL TO THREE HUNDRED SIXTY. ACADIANA NOW HAS SEVEN-HUNDRED EIGHTEEN OVERALL DEATHS. THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED TWELVE NEW CASES OF COVID-NINETEEN IN ACADIANA, INCLUDING TWENTY-TWO IN ST. LANDRY PARISH, TWENTY-ONE IN ST. MARTIN PARISH AND TWENTY IN ACADIA PARISH. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAD FORTY NEW CASES, INCLUDING SIXTEEN IN JEFF DAVIS PARISH, ELEVEN IN CALCASIEU PARISH, EIGHT IN ALLEN PARISH AND FIVE IN CAMERON PARISH. BEAUREGARD PARISH HAS NO NEW CASES.
