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An Abbeville High School teacher has been arrested after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The Advertiser reports Nicholas Willis has been charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Kaplan Police Chief Boyd Adams says Willis is in the Kaplan City Jail on a $200,000 bond. Vermilion Parish Superintendent Jerome Puyau (P-O) says Willis was placed on leave Tuesday.
A LAKE CHARLES WOMAN, WHO HAS BEEN SERVING TIME IN JAIL, NOW FACES A NEW CHARGE OF SECOND DEGREE CRUELTY TO A JUVENILE AFTER THE FACT. 30-YEAR-OLD ASHLEY GRAFFAGNINI (GRAFF uh NEE nee) LEFT HER CHILD IN THE CARE OF BRITON WOODS WHEN SHE WAS INCARCERATED, AND THE CHILD SUFFERED A BROKEN LEG WHILE UNDER WOOD’S CARE. WHEN GRAFFAGNINI HEARD THERE WAS A WARRANT OUT FOR WOOD’S ARREST FOR SECOND DEGREE CRUELTY TO A JUVENILE, SHE CALLED HIM TO LET HIM KNOW, AND WOOD’S ESCAPED TO ALABAMA. HE WAS LATER FOUND SHOPLIFTING IN MOBILE AND ARRESTED ON JANUARY THIRD.
THE FIRST SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF THE YEAR IN LAFAYETTE PARISH BEGAN WITH A SWEARING IN CEREMONY FOR ALL NEW BOARD MEMBERS. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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A $250,000 painting stolen from a French Quarter art gallery has been recovered.
The painting was by the late Louisiana artist George Rodrigue (rod-REEG’), who was famous for his paintings of a small blue dog. Police and a gallery spokesman say members of a local rock band spotted the stolen painting, along with another print of a Rodrigue work, leaning against a building, hours after the theft.
A BREAUX BRIDGE MAN, WHO RAN OVER AND KILLED TWO TEENAGE GIRLS WITH HIS PICKUP TRUCK IN OCTOBER, IS EXPECTED TO BE FORMALLY CHARGED SOON. ST. MARTIN PARISH ASSISTANT D-A CHESTER CEDARS SAYS HE IS WAITING FOR A THE RESULTS OF A STATE POLICE INVESTIGATION AND THE TOXICOLOGY REPORT BEFORE CHARGING 32-YEAR-OLD JEREMY ABRAHAM. HE WAS REPORTEDLY GOING TWICE THE SPEED LIMIT IN A BREAUX BRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN HE HIT AND KILLED 15-YEAR-OLD CORNASHA FLUGENCE AND 14-YEAR-OLD KYLEE HENRY, WHO WERE ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL. THERE WERE REPORTS THAT ABRAHAM, AN ARMY VETERAN, SUFFERED FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, BUT CEDARS SAYS THAT HAS NO RELEVANCE TO THE CASE, SINCE IT APPEARS HE WAS IMPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.
A SULPHUR MAN WAS KILLED YESTERDAY MORNING IN A THREE VEHICLE ACCIDENT. STATE POLICE TROOP D SERGEANT JAMES ANDERSON SAYS A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT 53-YEAR-OLD DALLAS R. MCDONALD SENIOR WAS TRAVELING WEST ON HIGHWAY 90 NEAR WALCOTT ROAD, WHEN HE CROSSED THE CENTER LINE STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD ON, AND THEN SPUN AROUND HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. MCDONALD WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE WHILE THE DRIVERS OF THE OTHER VEHICLE SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE INJURIES. A ROUTINE TOXICOLOGY TEST WAS TAKEN FROM THE DRIVERS AND WILL BE SUBMITTED TO A LAB FOR ANALYSIS.
THIS WEEK, THE LAFAYETTE CITY PARISH COUNCIL APPROVED SPENDING MORE THAN 130 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HIRE THREE NEW EMPLOYEES FOR THE ANIMAL SHELTER. THAT MORE THAN DOUBLES THE STAFF. COUNCILMAN KENNETH BOUDREAUX, WHO SPONSORED THE MEASURE, SAYS HE WAS RESPONDING TO A PLEA FROM ANIMAL CONTROL STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS FOR HELP AT THE BUDGET HEARINGS LAST YEAR. IN MARCH, VOTERS IN THE PARISH WILL DECIDE ON A MEASURE THAT WOULD ALLOW THE REDEDICATION OF PROPERTY TAXES FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL AND A PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT, WHERE SOME OF THE MONEY GENERATED FROM THOSE TAXES COULD GO TO ANIMAL CONTROL.
Public school students are taking more than 19,000 classes through Louisiana’s Course Choice program, which offers outside courses to high school and middle school students. Course Choice lets students take online course offerings, academic courses and skills training taught by colleges, private organizations or other public schools. These are classes that aren’t available at the students’ schools.
Lawmakers and the state education board budgeted $7.5 million for the program this year.
