10-3-25
LAST NIGHT THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM VOTED YES TO REALLOCATE FUNDS. GEORGE FAUST HAS THE DETAILS.
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LOUISIANA ECONOMIST LOREN SCOTT HAS A POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR THE ACADIANA ECONOMY, PREDICTING THE REGION WILL ADD MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND JOBS ANNUALLY OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. SCOTT SAYS COMPANIES LIKE STULLER AND C-G-I WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AN EXPECTED CREATION OF FIFTY-THREE HUNDRED NEW JOBS. SCOTT SAYS THE GROWTH WILL PUSH THE TOTAL NUMBER OF JOBS FOR ACADIANA TO AROUND TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND, SETTING A NEW ALL-TIME HIGH. SCOTT WARNED OF CHALLENGES SUCH AS FLUCTUATING OIL PRICES AND TARRIFF PRESSURES.
LOUISIANA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INCREASED THEIR ADVANCED PLACEMENT SCORES BY NEARLY TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT SINCE TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE. A-P COURSES ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN COLLEGE CREDITS BEFORE GRADUATION. THE QUALIFYING SCORE PERCENTAGE INCREASED BY ELEVEN PERCENT OVER THE PAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE COLLEGE BOARD. THE DATA SHOWS MORE STUDENTS QUALIFIED FOR COLLEGE CREDIT THIS YEAR THAN IN TWENTY-TWENTY-FOUR OR TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE.
A TEXAS MAN WAS CITED IN CAMERON PARISH FOR ILLEGALLY HARVESTING FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS OF SHRIMP. AGENTS WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES WERE ON PATROL WHEN THEY FOUND SIXTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL LE OF PALACIOS (puh LAH shuhs), TEXAS SHRIMPING ON A VESSEL. THEY FOUND HE DID NOT HAVE A VESSEL LICENSE AND SEIZED THE SHRIMP, WHICH THEY SOLD ON THE DOCK TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. LE FACES UP TO NINETY DAYS IN JAIL AND A FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR FINE FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING WITHOUT A LICENSE.
A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF DRONES IS OPENING A MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN LAFAYETTE WHERE THEIR FLAGSHIP FIELD RANGER X-FIFTY WILL BE PRODUCED AND DEPLOYED. RENOVATIONS ARE BEING MADE TO A TEN THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT BUILDING AT ONE-OH-FIVE DORSET AVENUE WITH PRODUCTION SLATED TO BEGIN BY THE END OF THE YEAR. LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SAYS IN A NEWS RELEASE THAT THE COMPANY IS EXPECTED TO CREATE MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED DIRECT JOBS WITH AN AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY OF EIGHTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX INDIRECT JOBS ARE EXPECTED TO RESULT FROM THE PROJECT.
A DOG PARK IN NEW IBERIA SUFFERED SOME DAMAGE JUST DAYS BEFORE A GRAND REOPENING, WHICH TAKES PLACE TOMORROW. HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR KYNDALL AUCOIN MADE IT HER EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT TO REVITALIZE THE NEW IBERIA DOG PARK, GETTING NEIGHBORS, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND OTHER SPONSORS TO ADD NEW EQUIPMENT. AUCOIN SAYS SHE WAS DISCOURAGED WHEN SHE FOUND A NEW SEE SAW WAS BROKEN BUT SHE WAS SURPRISED BY THE COMMUNITY REACTION. AUCOIN TELLS KLFY TV THAT PEOPLE ARE WORKING HARD TO GET IT FIXED AND TO STOP THE VANDALISM IN NEW IBERIA.
THE BOARD OF REGENTS HAS LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION AFTER A SYSTEM OUTAGE INVOLVING THE LOUISIANA OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. OFFICIALS SAY THIS INSTANCE HAS BEEN CONTAINED. AN ANAYSIS WILL SEEK TO DETERMINE IF ANY INFORMATION WAS INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT. THE BOARD OF REGENTS SAY THERE IS A POTENTIAL DELAY IN STUDENT START ACCOUNTS OR STATE SCHOLARSHIP PAYMENTS AND THEY’VE ASKED INSTITUTIONS TO EXTEND PAYMENT DEADLINES TO MINIMIZE DISRUPTIONS TO EDUCATION.
THE SENTENCING OF TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD JADEN ARDOIN OF KROTZ SPRINGS AND TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD JAIMON (jay MAHN) MASON OF PORT BARRE HAS BEEN DELAYED. THEY WERE CONVICTED FOR THE FIRST-DEGREE MURDER OF TWENTY-YEAR-OLD WADE VAUGHN-SMITH OF MELVILLE, WHICH HAPPENED IN TWENTY-TWENTY-TWO. THE TWO WERE EXPECTED TO BE SENTENCED YESTERDAY BUT MASON’S ATTORNEY SUBMITTED NEW DOCUMENTS. SENTENCING WAS MOVED BACK TO OCTOBER TWENTIETH TO GIVE THE JUDGE ENOUGH TIME TO LOOK OVER THE DOCUMENTS.
