10-21-21
The owner of a Louisiana livestock business has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $76,000 in federal coronavirus farm aid. Federal court documents show that 37-year-old Burnell Gabriel Zachary of Arnaudville agreed Tuesday to repay the money as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors say he falsely claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant losses for his livestock business, Zachary’s Ranch, LLC. At sentencing, Zachary faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
BEGINNING MONDAY, EXPECT TRAFFIC SLOWDOWNS ON A SECTION OF AMBASSADOR CAFFERY IN LAFAYETTE BETWEEN WALMART AND ALBERTSONS. ON THE NORTHBOUND SIDE, THE OUTSIDE LANE BETWEEN CONGRESS AND CURRAN LANE WILL BE CLOSED ON THE WEEKDAYS BETWEEN NINE AND FIVE. THE SOUND WALL THERE IS BEING REPAIRED AND REPLACED. THE CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TAKE ABOUT FIVE MONTHS TO COMPLETE, OPENING SOMETIME IN MARCH.
Louisiana’s top higher education board is asking for a nearly $220 million state budget increase next year. The Board of Regents says the money would aid its work to boost the number of people obtaining degrees and professional certifications beyond high school. The panel unanimously agreed to the budget request Wednesday and sent it to Gov. John Bel Edwards and state lawmakers as they consider ways to craft spending plans for the financial year that starts in July 2022. The hefty ask would increase the more than $1 billion higher education budget by nearly 20%.
A WATER OUTAGE IS PLANNED FOR WELSH RESIDENTS THIS AFTERNOON. TOWN OFFICIALS SAY THE WATER WILL BE TURNED OFF AT FOUR P-M AND THE OUTAGE WILL LAST UNTIL SIX P-M. THE OUTAGE MAY EFFECT ALL OF WELSH. AFTER THE WATER IS TURNED BACK ON, RESIDENTS WILL BE UNDER A BOIL ADVISORY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
VERMILLION PARISH SCHOOLS HAVE PRESENTED THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH AND GIFT CARD DONATIONS TO HURRICANE VICTIMS IN LAFOURCHE PARISH. VERMILLION PARISH SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT TOMMY BYLER SAYS ALL TWENTY SCHOOLS CONTRIBUTED BY COLLECTING NEARLY TWENTY-EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH AND MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN GIFT CARD DONATIONS. HE SAYS IT’S ONLY NATURAL TO GIVE BACK AFTER LAFOURCHE PARISH HELPED THEM AFTER HURRICANE LAURA LAST YEAR. LAFOURCHE PARISH SUPERINTENDENT JAROD MARTIN SAYS EVERY CENT DONATED WILL GO TO FAMILIES AND TEACHERS.
LAFAYETTE COMMUNITY ACTIVIST MARJA BROUSSARD HAS ALLEGED THAT INTERIM POLICE CHIEF WAYNE GRIFFIN MAY SOON FACE A SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT. GRIFFIN WAS APPOINTED TO THE POST ON OCTOBER SEVENTH AFTER MAYOR PRESIDENT JOSH GUILLORY TERMINATED FORMER POLICE CHIEF THOMAS GLOVER WITH NO PUBLIC EXPLANATION. GRIFFIN TOLD THE ADVOCATE TUESDAY NIGHT THAT HE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO BROUSSARD’S ALLEGATION AND HE DOES NOT PLAN ON RESIGNING. GRIFFIN IS THE FOURTH POLICE CHIEF TO SERVE UNDER GUILLORY’S ADMINISTRATION SINCE IT BEGAN IN JANUARY OF TWENTY-NINETEEN.
HERE’S SYLVIA MASTERS WITH THE LATEST COVID-NINETEEN NUMBERS FOR LOUISIANA.
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A GO FUND ME ACCOUNT HAS BEEN SET UP TO HELP IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTY KEVIN NICK PREJEAN. HE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE FOUR COLON CANCER THAT HAS SPREAD TO THE LIVER AND LUNGS. NEARLY TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS HAS BEEN RAISED SO FAR FOR PREJEAN, WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT FOR THIRTEEN YEARS. IF YOU’D LIKE TO DONATE, SEARCH THE GO FUND ME-DOT-COM WEBSITE FOR KEVIN NICK PREJEAN AND CLICK ON HIS PAGE.
