11-21-19
LAFAYETTE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A DRIVE BY SHOOTING THAT LEFT ONE MAN INJURED. MEGAN KELLY REPORTS.
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THE CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS RELEASED SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE OF A WOMAN SUSPECTED OF TWO INCIDENTS OF JUGGING WITHIN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. JUGGING IS WHERE A SUSPECT FOLLOWS SOMEONE WHO WITHDREW MONEY FROM A BANK AND, WHEN THE VICTIM LEAVES THEIR VEHICLE, THE SUSPECT BREAKS INTO THEIR VEHICLE LOOKING FOR THE MONEY. THE WOMAN WHO IS SUSPECTED OF THE TWO JUGGING CASES ALLEGEDLY SMASHED THE WINDOW OF A TRUCK IN SULPHUR BUT THE OWNER OF THE TRUCK HAD THE MONEY WITH HIM AND SHE GOT NOTHING. THEY LATER LEARNED OF A SIMILAR INCIDENT FROM THE MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND BELIEVE IT’S THE SAME SUSPECT.
Employees of the City of Abbeville are getting a raise. Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Francis Touchet says the city council approved the increases at its regular meeting Tuesday. KATC-TV reports Touchet says the first round of raises will go into effect for police and fire on Jan. 2. The raise equates to $500 per month for all police and firefighters. A $2 per hour raise for all municipal employees is set to take effect Jan. 9.
Louisiana drivers trying to get license renewals, car registrations and other services through the Office of Motor Vehicles will have to keep waiting. OMV offices around the state are shuttered and no reopening date has been immediately set.
An attempted cyberattack that disrupted state servers on Monday has caused larger problems at the Office of Motor Vehicles than at most other state agencies.
Plans to reopen OMV locations keep getting pushed back, as the state’s technology services office continues its work to restore network and online services.
ON TUESDAY, THE LAFAYETTE CITY PARISH COUNCIL GAVE PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO SIX NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS THAT COMES WITH INCREASED SALES AND HOTEL TAXES. A VOTE TO GIVE FINAL APPROVAL OF THE DISTRICTS IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER THIRD. OUTGOING MAYOR PRESIDENT JOEL ROBIDEAUX RECOMMENDED CREATION OF THE DISTRICTS FOR DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE, THE NORTHGATE AND ACADIANA MALL AREAS, THE FORMER TRAPPEY’S PROPERTY, THE FORMER HOLY ROSARY INSTITUTE AND THE UNIVERSITY AVENUE GATEWAY AREA. THERE WOULD BE A ONE PERCENT SALES TAX INCREASE IN FIVE OF THE SIX PROPOSED DISTRICTS WITH A TWO PERCENT HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, AND THE SIXTH DISTRICT, THE TRAPPEY’S AREA, WOULD HAVE A TWO PERCENT SALES TAX INCREASE.
THE CITY OF LAKE CHARLES WILL BE PUTTING UP FORTY SHELTERS WITH BENCHES AT BUS STOPS THROUGHOUT THE CITY NEXT YEAR. MAYOR NIC HUNTER SAYS THEY TYPICALLY DO TEN A YEAR BUT A SUPPLEMENTAL PACKAGE ENABLED THEM TO INCREASE IT TO FORTY FOR NEXT YEAR. HE SAYS IT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER WHILE WAITING FOR THE BUS, WHICH IS A GREAT THING FOR THE CITY. CURRENTLY THERE ARE 53 BUS STOP SHELTERS BUT THERE ARE STILL NEARLY TWO HUNDRED OTHER STOPS THAT DO NOT HAVE SHELTERS.
THE CITY OF RAYNE WILL BE CONDUCTING TESTS OF WATER HYDRANTS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. RESIDENTS ARE WARNED TO EXPECT CLOUDY OR DISCOLORED WATER FROM THEIR TAPS. THAT’S BECAUSE THERE IS A LIME RESIDUE THAT IS DORMANT IN THE PIPES UNTIL THERE IS A SURGE OR HEAVY FLOW IN THE SYSTEM. THE CITY HAS TO FLUSH THE PIPES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THEIR FIRE RATING.
TODAY IS THE ANNUAL GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT, SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. SMOKERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO TRY TO QUIT SMOKING FOR THE DAY, TAKING A STEP TOWARD A TOBACCO-FREE LIFE. ACCORDING TO TOBACCO-FREE KIDS, 72-HUNDRED LOUISIANANS DIE FROM SMOKING EACH YEAR. TWENTY-THREE PERCENT OF ADULTS IN LOUISIANA SMOKE COMPARED TO THE SEVENTEEN PERCENT NATIONAL AVERAGE, AND THE RATE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO SMOKE IS NEARLY TWICE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
