2-26-15
Lafayette Parish criminal justice officials are touting a court-alert system that has increased the number of defendants who appear in court when they’re supposed to. As a result, the number of judge-issued warrants for court no-shows has been cut.
In September, The Advocate reports deputies with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office started a service where they call defendants one week before their arraignments or for other pretrial court dates. The court appearance rate has increased by14 percent.
JEFF DAVIS PARISH SHERIFF’S DETECTIVES ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO KILLED A LAKE ARTHUR MAN AND SET HIS CAR ON FIRE. THE VEHICLE OF 73-YEAR-OLD CHARLES RAYMOND TALEN WAS FOUND ABLAZE NEAR GUEYDAN AT AROUND 5:30 SATURDAY EVENING AND, WHEN DEPUTIES WENT TO HIS HOME ON POM ROY ROAD IN LAKE ARTHUR TO INFORM HIM ABOUT HIS VEHICLE, HIS BODY WAS FOUND LYING ON THE FLOOR. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS COMMANDER CHRIS IVEY SAYS AN AUTOPSY WAS STILL PENDING AND THE CAUSE OF DEATH HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. IVEY SAYS THEY ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE TALEN’S ACTIVITIES BETWEEN THE TIME OF THE VEHICLE FIRE AND EIGHT A-M THAT MORNING WHEN, ACCORDING TO INFORMATION THEY RECEIVED, HE MAY HAVE TALKED TO SOMEONE.
FOUR ACADIANA AREA EDUCATORS HAVE BEEN NAMED SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE LOUISIANA TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR AWARDS. BRANDI MARCANTEL, WHO TEACHES FOURTH GRADERS AT VIDRINE ELEMENTARY IN EVANGELINE PARISH, IS ONE OF 18 SEMIFINALISTS FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR. THE PRINIPAL OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES INCLUDE CHERI FONTENOT OF JAMES STEPHENS MONTESSORI IN EVANGELINE PARISH, RACHAEL CREDEUR OF PATTERSON HIGH SCHOOL, AND PATRICIA GASPARD OF FORKED ISLAND E. BROUSSARD ELEMENTARY IN VERMILLION PARISH. THE FINALISTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED JULY ELEVENTH AT THE CECIL J. PICARD EDUCATOR EXCELLENCE SYMPOSIUM AND CELEBRATION IN BATON ROUGE.
LSU says its review of U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s medical teaching work determined the newly-elected senator didn’t do anything improper. During last year’s Senate race, then-Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu accused Cassidy of bilking taxpayers, suggesting the Republican collected a $20,000, taxpayer-funded annual salary for little work. But LSU said Wednesday its internal audit found Cassidy “provided services equal to at least that of his compensation for his part-time educational work.” Cassidy is on unpaid leave from LSU, and it isn’t clear if he’ll return now that he’s a senator.
ARTMOSPHERE BISTRO IN DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE WAS CLEARED OF VIOLATIONS BY THE LOUISIANA OFFICE OF ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO CONTROL, WHICH HELD A SPECIAL MEETING IN LAFAYETTE YESTERDAY. ARTMOSPHERE WAS CITED LAST MARCH FOR SELLING MORE ALCOHOL THAN FOOD, WHICH WOULD CLASSIFY IT AS A BAR. ARTMOSPHERE WAS IN DANGER OF CLOSING BECAUSE THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT PROHIBITS BARS AT THEIR LOCATION, BECAUSE IT IS CLOSE TO A SCHOOL. ARTMOSPHERE’S OWNERS WILL HAVE TO RENEW THE RESTAURANT PERMIT AGAIN IN OCTOBER, AND SHOW THAT FOOD SALES ARE STILL HIGHER THAN ALCOHOL SALES.
The former Calcasieu Parish first assistant district attorney has pleaded guilty to one count each of felony malfeasance in office and misdemeanor simple battery.
Attorney General Buddy Caldwell says Ronald Rossitto entered the pleas Wednesday. The charges stem from a January 2013 incident in which Rossitto inappropriately groped a man in his office after offering to help him get his driver’s license reinstated. Caldwell’s office said District Judge H. Ward Fontenot sentenced Rossitto to a two-year suspended sentence with two years of supervised probation.
AN ESCAPED FUGITIVE FROM ST. LANDRY PARISH IS BACK IN CUSTODY AFTER AN 18 DAY SEARCH. JULIE DARCE REPORTS.
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Erasing differences between rich and poor students, schools throughout Louisiana are offering free meals to all children. The Advocate reports more than 300 schools have adopted a federal program for high-poverty school districts since it became available this school year. The largest school district to sign up for the free-meals-for-all students program is the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, the second-biggest district in Louisiana and home to 80 of the participating schools. Participating food service directors are reporting a variety of benefits: more children eating more meals, less time and money spent processing paperwork and hungry children no longer denied meals because they can’t pay.
