12-17-21
A Lafayette judge will take an unpaid leave of absence after she repeatedly used a racial slur in a video recorded at her home and posted to social media. Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday called on Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet to resign. Odinet’s lawyer confirmed to The Acadiana Advocate that the judge used a racial slur. Dane Ciolino says the judge feels “humiliated, embarrassed, and sorry.”
THE FAMILY OF FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD QUAWAN CHARLES WANT STATE POLICE TO INVESTIGATE HIS DEATH THAT HAPPENED ONE YEAR AGO. THEY MADE THE REQUEST TO SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY BO DUHE, WHO STATED HE WILL DISCUSS WITH THE IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE ABOUT THE REQUEST. QUAWAN’S BODY WAS FOUND NEAR A SUGAR CANE FIELD THREE DAYS AFTER HE WAS REPORTED MISSING AND TWO AUTOPSIES CONCLUDE THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE OF DEATH WAS DROWNING. QUAWAN’S FAMILY SUSPECT PEOPLE WHO WERE LAST SEEN WITH HIM BEFORE HIS DEATH.
Attracting and retaining employees has become a priority amid the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, KPLC-TV reports the Lake Charles City Council debated for over an hour Wednesday before approving a 3% pay raise across the board to all city employees and included an adjustment to the pay plan which brings minimum wage from $10 an hour to $10.75 an hour. Mayor Nic Hunter’s administration said there is currently a 17% vacancy in the water department, 9% in the fire department and 15% in the police department with 32 positions to fill. The administration plans to meet with the police union, ahead of the February 2022 council meeting, to discuss police pay in more detail.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said he backs the creation of a second majority-minority U.S. House district among Louisiana’s six congressional districts. The Democratic governor noted Thursday that one-third of Louisiana’s more than 4.6 million residents are Black. He said it would be fair to ensure one-third of the U.S. House districts reflect that. Lawmakers are planning to call a February special session for the redistricting work.
LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICIALS ARRESTED THIRTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MARSHA CONNER, A LAFAYETTE EDUCATION ASSISTANT. CAROLINE MARCELLO EXPLAINS WHY.
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A CROWLEY LEGEND DIED YESTERDAY MORNING. EIGHTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD RICHARD PIZZOLATTO, ALSO KNOWN AS COACH PIZZ, DIED SUDDENLY WHILE DELIVERING CHRISTMAS POINESTTIAS, SOMETHING HE LOVED TO DO EACH YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE CROWLEY POST SIGNAL. COACH PIZZ COORDINATED A FUND RAISER OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO THAT RAISED AROUND A MILLION DOLLARS, WHICH WAS USED TO RENOVATE MILLER STADIUM. ACCORDING TO A SPIRIT OF ACADIANA SPECIAL ON KATC TV EARLIER THIS YEAR, HE WANTED TO BE BURIED BEHIND CENTER FIELD AT THE PARK.
Federal judges in Louisiana and Texas continue to chip away at Biden administration COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In a lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi, a Louisiana federal judge declined to block a requirement that all employees of federal contractors get vaccinated — noting that there is already a nationwide block on that mandate issued by a Georgia court. But the Louisiana judge did block the mandate in federal contracts or grant agreements between any of the three states and the federal government.
A MAN IN IBERIA PARISH WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD CHILD. EMETERIO RIVERA WAS SENTENCED WEDNESDAY TO TWO TERMS OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT AT HARD LABOR WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF PROBATION FOR TWO CHARGES OF FIRST DEGREE RAPE. AN ADDITIONAL THIRTY YEARS WAS ADDED ON TO THE SENTENCE FOR A CHARGE OF SEXUAL BATTERY OF A CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF THIRTEEN. THE IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE INVESTIGATED THE CASE AFTER THE TWELVE-YEAR-OLD CAME FORWARD WITH ALLEGATIONS ABOUT THE ABUSE AND D-N-A EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO CONFIRM IT.
