10-25-24
IBERIA PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER RAYMOND “SHOE-DO” LEWIS HAS FILED A DEFFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST NEW IBERIA CITY COUNCILWOMAN ROSALIND BOBB. HIS ATTORNEY J. QUENTIN SIMON TELLS KLFY TV BOBB HAS MADE FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT LEWIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA CONCERNING DRUG USE AND THIEVERY. SIMON SAYS THERE ARE LIMITS TO FREE SPEECH BECAUSE ONE CANNOT MAKE MALICIOUSLY FALSE STATEMENTS THAT IMPUGNS ANOTHER’S CHARACTER AND THEIR REPUTATION. HE SAYS THEY DECIDED TO FILE THE LAWSUIT QUICKLY BECAUSE LEWIS IS RUNNING FOR IBERIA PARISH ASSESSOR, AND THE CLAIMS MADE BY BOBB ARE HINDERING LEWIS.
A TRIAL DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR FORMER LAFAYETTE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY GARY HAYNES. HE’S ACCUSED OF BEING PART OF A SCHEME TO DIRECT PRETRIAL DIVERSION DEFENDANTS TO A COMPANY OWNED BY A FELLOW DEFENDANT IN EXCHANGE FOR MONEY. THREE OTHERS INVOLVED IN THE ALLEGED SCHEME HAVE PLED GUILTY BUT HAYNES PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO FIVE CHARGES EARLIER THIS MONTH. HIS TRIAL DATE IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL SEVENTH.
GOVERNOR JEFF LANDRY IS EXPECTED SOON TO CALL LEGISLATORS INTO A SPECIAL SESSION NEXT MONTH TO ADOPT HIS TAX PLAN. IT INCLUDES LOWERING TOP INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE INCOME TAX RATES WHILE ESTABLISHING A FLAT RATE, RAISING THE STANDARD DEDUCTION FOR INDIVIDUALS AND ELIMINATING THE CORPORATE FRANCHISE TAX. SOME LAWMAKERS HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT HOW IT WOULD AFFECT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. SECRETARY OF REVENUE RICHARD NELSON SAYS AN ANALYSIS THAT WAS JUST RELEASED SHOWS ONLY A HANDFUL OF PARISHES WOULD COLLECT LESS TAXES IF LAWMAKERS APPROVED THE ENTIRE PACKAGE.
THREE STUDENTS AT MOSS BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS OVER SEPARATE THREATS. TWO OF THE STUDENTS TALKED ABOUT BRINGING A GUN TO SCHOOL AND THE THIRD CLAIMED THEY WOULD BE THE NEXT SCHOOL SHOOTER. ALL THREE WERE BOOKED INTO THE CALCASIEU PARISH JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER ON CHARGES OF TERRORIZING. CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF STITCH GUILLORY SAYS THEY HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL THREATS.
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN SAINT MARTINVILLE ARE UNDER A BOIL ADVISORY AFTER WATER WAS SHUT OFF OVERNIGHT FOR EMERGENCY REPAIRS. ZANE HOGUE HAS MORE.
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THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A RESOLUTION ALLOWING FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS WHO LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS TO SERVE ON THE LAFAYETTE FIRE AND POLICE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD. PREVIOUSLY, THEY HAD TO LIVE IN THE CITY LIMITS TO SERVE. COUNCILMAN KENNETH BOUDREAUX PRESENTED THE RESOLUTION, SAYING MANY FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS LIVE IN LAFAYETTE PARISH BUT OUTSIDE THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE. MAYOR PRESIDENT MONIQUE BOULET DID NOT OPPOSE THE MEASURE. SHE SAYS MANY OF THE OFFICERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE COST OF HOUSING AND THE COST OF LIVING.
AN OFFICIAL WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE SAYS EARLY VOTING SO FAR THIS YEAR IN LOUISIANA IS UP BY ABOUT TEN PERCENT COMPARED TO THE TWENTY-TWENTY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. DEPUTY SECRETARY JOEL WATSON SAYS IT’S UP BY FOURTEEN PERCENT IN LAFAYETTE. WATSON SAYS IN TWENTY-TWENTY, THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF THE VOTE CAME FROM EARLY VOTING, BUT THEY ARE EXPECTING THAT NUMBER TO BE BETWEEN FORTY AND FORTY FIVE PERCENT THIS YEAR. HE SAYS IN THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ABOUT FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF EARLY VOTERS WERE DEMOCRATS BUT THAT NUMBER HAS FLIPPED TO ABOUT FORTY-FIVE PERCENT REPUBLICAN.
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY FOR A NEW EVANGELINE PARISH JAIL. SHERIFF CHARLES GUILLORY SAYS IT GOT UNDERWAY FOUR MONTHS AGO AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY NEXT SUMMER OR FALL. HE SAYS THE WHOLE PROCESS HAS BEEN ABOUT TWO YEARS WITH SECURING THE FUNDING, INCLUDING A NEW SALES TAX, FINDING THE ARCHITECT AND FINALIZING BUILDING PLANS. GUILLORY TELLS KLFY TV HE’S GRATEFUL FOR THE EFFORT THAT HAS GONE INTO MOVING THE JAIL FROM THE COURTHOUSE TO ITS OWN FACILITY.
