12-5-19
LAFAYETTE HIGH DISMISSED CLASSES EARLY YESTERDAY AFTERNOON BECAUSE OF A BOMB THREAT THAT TURNED OUT TO BE FALSE. CORPORAL BRIDGETTE DUGAS WITH LAFAYETTE POLICE SAYS A STUDENT AT THE SCHOOL REPORTED A BOMB THREAT TEXT TO SCHOOL STAFF. AS OF LAST NIGHT, NO ARRESTS HAD BEEN MADE. THIS IS THE THIRD BOMB THREAT THIS SEMESTER AT LAFAYETTE HIGH.
THE LAKE CHARLES CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A RESOLUTION ASKING CITY STAFF TO LOOK INTO THE FEASIBILITY OF BROADCASTING ITS MEETINGS. LAKE CHARLES RESIDENT CHARLOTTE WAYMIRE BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE AT LAST NIGHT’S MEETING SAYING IT’S A WAY TO BE TRANSPARENT. SHE TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THE CALCASIEU PARISH POLICE JURY AND THE SULPHUR AND IOWA COUNCILS BROADCAST THEIR MEETINGS. CITY SPOKESPERSON KATIE HARRINGTON TELLS KPLC TV THAT THE STAFF WILL IMMEDIATELY BEGIN LOOKING INTO THE COSTS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO BROADCAST THE MEETINGS AND BRING THEIR FINDINGS TO THE COUNCIL AT AN UPCOMING MEETING.
GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS AND PRESIDENT FREDERICK LAFLEUR OF SAVOIE’S ANNOUNCED A TWLEVE-POINT SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR EXPANSION OF THE COMPANY’S FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY NEAR OPELOUSAS. MEGAN KELLY HAS MORE.
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GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS IS CANCELLING PLANS FOR A GOVERNOR’S BALL TRADITIONALLY HELD ON INAUGURATION DAY. THAT’S BECAUSE THIS YEAR’S INAUGURATION DAY, JANUARY 13TH, IS ALSO THE DAY OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, WHICH WILL BE HELD IN NEW ORLEANS. A SPOKESWOMAN SAYS EDWARDS IS EXPECTING LSU TO PLAY IN THE GAME AND HE WILL ATTEND THE GAME AT A SUPERDOME SUITE. TENTATIVE PLANS ARE FOR A GOVERNOR’S BALL TO BE HELD IN NEW ORLEANS LATE NEXT YEAR.
THE LAFAYETTE CITY PARISH COUNCIL VOTED DOWN A PROPOSED REZONING OF A PORTION OF GIRARD PARK DRIVE, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH DENSITY APARTMENT BUILDINGS. RESIDENTS IN THE AREA HAD OPPOSED IT. THE REQUEST FOR REZONING WAS FOR TWO TO THREE STORY APARTMENT BUILDINGS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN USED BY MEDICAL RESIDENTS AT LAFAYETTE GENERAL. THE COUNCIL DID AGREE TO REZONE A PORTION OF COOLIDGE STREET TO COMMERCIAL MIXED, WHICH IS PART OF A REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE OIL CENTER.
THIS WEEK, JENNINGS CITY WORKERS ARE BUSY TEARING DOWN FIFTEEN DILAPIDATED PROPERTIES AND, NEXT WEEK, ANOTHER DOZEN DEMOLITIONS ARE PLANNED. MAYOR HENRY GUINN SAYS THEY ULTIMATELY PLAN TO TEAR DOWN CLOSE TO ONE HUNDRED ABANDONED PROPERTIES WHICH DRAW ILLICIT ACTIVITY, SUCH AS DRUGS AND PROSTITUTION. HE TELLS KPLC TV THAT THE GOAL IS TO INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR JENNINGS BY CLEANING UP NEIGHBORHOODS, BY ENHANCING PARKS AND KEEPING TAX RATES AT AFFORDABLE LEVELS. ONCE THE STRUCTURES AND THE LOTS ARE CLEARED, THEY WILL BE SOLD FOR REDEVELOPMENT.
THE CITY OF NEW IBERIA IS STILL RECOVERING FROM A STATEWIDE HACK TWO-AND-A-HALF WEEKS AGO THAT AFFECTED THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEMS. MAYOR PRO TEMP DAN DOERLE TELLS KATC THAT THE COMPUTER HACK DIDN’T STOP THEM BUT EVERYTHING HAS SLOWED DOWN. FOR INSTANCE, BUILDING PERMITS AND OTHER REQUESTS ARE BEING HANDLED ON PAPER, LIKE IT WAS YEARS AGO. NO TIMETABLE HAS BEEN SET FOR WHEN THE COMPUTERS WILL BE FULLY RESTORED.
THE FEDERAL SNAP PROGRAM, WHICH HELPS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE GET ENOUGH TO EAT, IS ABOUT TO UNDERGO SOME CHANGES. A NEW RULE WOULD TIGHTEN WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ONLY ALLOW STATES TO WAIVE THE REQUIREMENTS IF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE STATE IS AT SIX-POINT-FIVE PERCENT OR HIGHER, RATHER THAN TWO-POINT-FIVE PERCENT, AS IT IS NOW. THE NEW RULE TAKES AFFECT IN APRIL. IT’S ESTIMATED THAT FIFTY-SIX THOUSAND SNAP RECIPIENTS IN LOUISIANA COULD LOSE THEIR BENEFITS.
