11-11-22
AN OPELOUSAS MAN DIED IN A CRASH IN AVOYELLES PARISH. SYLVIA MASTERS HAS MORE.
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NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED YOUNGSVILLE RESIDENTS HAVE SIGNED A PETITION URGING THE CITY COUNCIL TO STOP A PROJECT FROM MOVING FORWARD. THEY ARE CONCERNED THAT A TOWN HOMES DEVELOPMENT WILL CAUSE BIG FLOODING PROBLEMS. RESIDENTS ALSO ATTENDED LAST NIGHT’S COUNCIL MEETING ASKING THE COUNCIL TO REJECT THE PROJECT, THOUGH THEY’VE ALREADY APPROVED PRELIMINARY PLANS. MAYOR KEN RITTER TOLD THE RESIDENTS THEY ARE NOT GOING TO ALLOW ANY PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT DRAINAGE.
The head of Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services resigned Thursday, nearly two weeks after a second child died in Baton Rouge due to a fentanyl overdose — despite a warning to check on the baby, 10 days before their death. Following the death of the 20-month-old, outraged lawmakers called for the resignation of the department’s Secretary, Marketa Garner Walters. Walters had acknowledged in news conferences and legislative testimony that the agency is in crisis, with an understaffing problem while reports of abuse and neglect across Louisiana increase. In total, the department has more than 400 vacancies, with 174 of them in the agency’s child welfare department alone.
A MERMENTAU WOMAN WAS KILLED IN A THREE CAR CRASH ON HIGHWAY NINETY IN JEFF DAVIS PARISH. FIFTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MILDRED ELENA HYDLE WAS A PASSENGER IN AN S-U-V THAT WAS STRUCK BY THE DRIVER OF A PICKUP TRUCK, FIFTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL PRATHER OF RAYNE. STATE POLICE SAY PRATHER DROVE THROUGH A STOP SIGN AND STRUCK THE S-U-V ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, WHICH WAS THEN HIT BY ANOTHER PICKUP TRUCK. HYDLE DIED LATER AT A JENNINGS AREA HOSPITAL, WHILE THE THREE DRIVERS SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE INJURIES.
An energy company is laying off 135 employees at its Lafayette office and various offshore locations. Texas-based QuarterNorth Energy made public its layoff plans in a notice to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. QuarterNorth had been involved in oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The company said it expects to complete the layoffs by Dec. 13.
A MOTORCYCLIST WAS KILLED AFTER BEING REARENDED ON HIGHWAY ONE SIXTY-SEVEN AT AROUND FIVE THIRTY YESTERDAY MORNING. FORTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL ZUVICH JUNIOR OF MAURICE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE WHERE HE WAS EJECTED FROM HIS MOTORCYCLE AND THEN HIT BY A JEEP CHEROKEE. GAGE PREJEAN OF ERATH WAS THE DRIVER OF A CHEVY SILVERADO THAT REARENDED THE MOTORCYCLE. HE WAS CITED FOR CARELESS OPERATION.
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION CADE BRUMLEY’S PROPOSAL TO TOUGHEN HIGH SCHOOL RATINGS WAS SOUNDLY REJECTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION BY A VOTE OF EIGHT-TO-THREE. THE PLAN WAS THE RESULT OF RATINGS THAT HAD SEVENTY PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOLS AT AN A OR B GRADE, WHICH CRITICS SAID WERE GROSSLY INFLATED, ESPECIALLY SINCE ONLY FORTY-ONE PERCENT OF KINDERGARTEN AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS HAD THE SAME GRADES. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OPPOSED THE NEW STANDARDS THAT WOULD LIKELY HAVE CAUSE HIGH SCHOOL LETTER GRADES TO DROP. BESE MEMBER HOLLY BOFFY CALLED THE PLAN ARBITRARY AND AN ESPECIALLY DELICATE TOPIC WITH THE STATE DEALING WITH A TEACHER SHORTAGE.
THE OWNERS OF AN ANTIQUE STORE IN DOWNTOWN LAKE CHARLES ANNOUNCED THEY ARE CLOSING THE DOORS AT THE END OF THE YEAR. CEDAR’S CHEST ANTIQUES HAS BEEN OPEN FOR TWELVE YEARS. RICKY WILSON AND HIS WIFE WERE TOLD THAT THE BUILDING THEY ARE IN ON DIVISION STREET WAS SOLD TO THE COMPANY THAT ALSO PURCHASED THE ZEPHYR’S BUILDING. WILSON SAYS HE WILL PUT EVERYTHING ON SALE IN THE STORE AND ATTEMPT TO SELL IT ALL BEFORE RETIRING.
