2-2-21
THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL OFFICE HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND CALLS CONCERNING A PROPOSED MASK MANDATE. CLERK OF THE COUNCIL VERONICA WILLIAMS SAYS COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE CALLS AND WHAT IS BEING SAID. SHE SAYS YESTERDAY MORNING THEY HAD SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY MESSAGES ON THE RECEPTIONIST’S VOICE MAIL THAT HAD NOT BEEN PROCESSED YET. COUNCIL MEMBERS NANETTE COOK AND GLENN LAZARD ARE PUSHING A MASK MANDATE ORDINANCE BUT AN EMERGENCY MEETING HAD NOT BEEN SCHEDULED AS OF YESTERDAY.
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN VERMILLION PARISH WILL BE RETURNING TO IN PERSON LEARNING THIS WEEK. SYLVIA MASTERS HAS MORE.
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A MARDI GRAS PARADE PLANNED FOR THIS SATURDAY IS BEING MOVED OUT OF LAKE ARTHUR. THAT’S BECAUSE POLICE CHIEF KOBI TURNER FELT IT WAS NOT SAFE TO PARADE IN TOWN AND BECAUSE IT WOULD BE HARD FOR HIS OFFICE TO POLICE SUCH A LARGE EVENT ALONE, ACCORDING TO COUNCILMAN AULDON ROBINSON. AS A RESULT, THE PARADE WILL BE MOVED TO THORNWELL, A TOWN ON HIGHWAY THREE EIGHTY. ORGANIZER KAREN HAYES TELLS KLFY TV THAT IT’S A LOW TRAFFIC AREA AND PEOPLE WILL HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH ROOM TO SPREAD OUT.
A new legislative audit says most Louisiana state agencies didn’t have work-from-home policies before the coronavirus pandemic and struggled with technology challenges when told to allow their employees to work virtually. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera’s office surveyed administrators and workers across 32 state agencies about telework policies and found 56% of the agencies didn’t have a policy allowing people to work from home ahead of the virus outbreak. Auditors found many had inadequate equipment, connectivity problems and insufficient automation of their processes. The report released Monday recommended that Louisiana’s civil service department develop minimum statewide regulations for remote work and assist agencies in developing policies.
COVID-NINETEEN HOSPITALIZATIONS WENT UP TODAY BY THIRTY-SEVEN. THAT FOLLOWS SIX STRAIGHT DAYS OF DECLINES TOTALLING NEARLY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY. LOUISIANA HAD THIRTY-FIVE MORE DEATHS DUE TO COVID-NINETEEN, ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. THE STATE HAD ONE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR NEW CASES PUSHING THE TOTAL OVER THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO THOUSAND.
THERE WERE NO NEW DEATHS REPORTED IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA TODAY. ACADIANA HAD SIX MORE COVID-NINETEEN DEATHS. THAT INCLUDES TWO EACH IN LAFAYETTE AND ST. MARTIN PARISHES, WITH THE REMAINING TWO IN ST. MARY AND VERMILLION PARISHES. ACADIANA RECORDED NINETY-SEVEN NEW CONFIRMED CASES. ST. MARTIN PARISH HAD THE MOST IN THE REGION WITH FORTY-ONE. THERE WERE NINETY NEW CASES IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA, INCLUDING SIXTY-THREE IN CALCASIEU PARISH.
FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE SIMONE CHAMPAGNE HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO FILL A VACANT SEAT ON THE YOUNGSVILLE CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN JAMEY ABSHIRE RESIGNED FROM THE POSITION AFTER HE AGREED TO TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT’S PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. CHAMPAGNE, A FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE, HAD RECENTLY RETIRED AS THE YOUNGSVILLE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. A SPECIAL ELECTION HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER NINTH TO FIND A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT.
AN ALEXANDRIA MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED AFTER HE WAS ACCUSED OF TRAFFICKING A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD RUNAWAY GIRL FROM ACADIA PARISH. TWENTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BLAKE K. JENKINS HAS CONFESSED TO HAVING HAD RELATIONS WITH THE GIRL. DETECTIVES WITH THE CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAY JENKINS PICKED UP THE VICTIM AT HER HOME AND DROVE HER TO LAKE CHARLES. HE ALSO TRAFFICKED THE GIRL TO SEVERAL MEN IN ORDER TO RAISE MONEY FOR GAS AND AT A CASINO WHILE HE WENT TO WORK.
