12-21-23
A SHOOTING IN NEW IBERIA ON TUESDAY NIGHT CLAIMED THE LIFE OF A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD. GERALD GRUENING REPORTS.
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LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT ELECT MONIQUE BLANCO BOULET HELD HER THIRD COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS PUBLIC DISCUSSION YESTERDAY WITH A FOCUS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ACCORDING TO THE ADVOCATE, SHE HEARD FROM PARISH LEADERS ON WHAT LAFAYETTE PARISH HAS GOING FOR IT CONCERNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ITS CHALLENGES. THE SPEAKERS TALKED ABOUT WHAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN DO TO HELP WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING PROVIDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTING IN QUALITY-OF-LIFE AMENITIES, SUCH AS PARKS AND PATHS FOR BIKES AND WALKING. BOULET TOLD LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERS THEY SHOULD BE THINKING FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE WHEN MAKING DECISIONS ON PROJECTS.
Gov.-elect Jeff Landry has chosen Ralph Abraham to lead the Louisiana Department of Health. Abraham is a former Republican congressman who ran for governor in 2019. Additionally, Landry named two other major cabinet appointments on Wednesday. He named Madison Sheahan to head the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and David Matlock will head the Department of Children and Family Services.
A NORWEGIAN COMPANY THAT HOPED TO BUILD THE FIRST WIND FARM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO HAS CANCELED ITS PLANS TO BID FOR A WIND LEASE AREA OFF THE COAST OF CAMERON PARISH. OSLO-BASED ENERGY COMPANY HAVFRAM MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AFTER IT SHUT DOWN A SUBSIDIARY COMPANY THAT FOCUSES ON WIND FARM DEVELOPMENT. THE DANISH FIRM VESTAS PLANS TO CONTINUE WITH ITS PLANS TO BUILD ONE OR MORE WIND FARMS OFF THE COAST OF CAMERON PARISH. LAST WEEK THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES GRANTED A SIXTY THOUSAND ACRE LEASE TO VESTAS.
A EUNICE MAN WANTED FOR SECOND-DEGREE MURDER AND TWO COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED SECOND-DEGREE MURDER COMMITTED SUICIDE WEDNESDAY MORNING. EUNICE POLICE SAY A SHOOTING HAPPENED DURING AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN THIRTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD AARON JONES AND TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD KAMERON WILSON. THEY SAY JONES PULLED OUT A GUN AND SHOT WILSON, WHO DIED, AS WELL AS WILSON’S FIANCEE AND THEIR TWO-YEAR-OLD SON. THE FAMILY HAS STARTED A GOFUNDME ACCOUNT SO THEY CAN GIVE WILSON A PROPER FUNERAL.
A FEDERAL LAWSUIT HAS GONE TO TRIAL THIS WEEK ALLEGING EXCESSIVE FORCE BY LAFAYETTE POLICE OFFICERS IN THE TWENTY-EIGHTEEN ARREST OF RAYNALDO MARKEITH SAMPY JUNIOR. ONE OF THE OFFICERS, WHO WAS NAMED AS A DEFENDANT, AND WHO IS ACCUSED OF FORCEFULLY KNEELING ON SAMPY’S BACK FOR TWO MINUTES, DENIED INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO HARM HIM. IT WAS REVEALED IN THE TRIAL THAT SAMPY HAD BEEN INJURED IN FOUR VEHICLE CRASHES BETWEEN TWENTY-EIGHTEEN AND TWENTY-TWENTY-TWO. HE SAID HE WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION THAT HIS ALLEGED INJURIES WERE RELATED TO HIS ARREST.
Oil companies have offered $382 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico after courts rejected the Biden administration’s plans to scale back the sale to protect an endangered whale species. Wednesday’s auction was the last of several offshore oil and gas lease sales mandated under the 2022 climate law. It comes as President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration tries to navigate between energy companies seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want to stop new drilling to help combat climate change. Companies including Chevron, Hess and BP offered bids on parcels covering 2,700 square miles.
THE VERMILLION PARISH POLICE JURY HAS BUDGETED SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE FIRST-EVER FIRE TRAINING FACILITY FOR THE PARISH. FIRE COORDINATOR DORIS LANGLINAIS SAYS CAREER AND VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENTS IN THE PARISH WILL GET HANDS-ON TRAINING. LANGLINAIS TELLS KLFY TV HAVING THIS FACILITY IN THE PARISH IS GOING TO IMPROVE PARTICIPATION BY FIRE DEPARTMENTS, MAKING IT MORE REALISTIC TO PUT IN SOME TIME WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT TRAVEL. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY FIREFIGHTERS IN THE PARISH.
