3-10-15
The body of a 30-year-old man has been pulled from Black Bayou near Lake Charles. State police said the body was recovered Monday. And, they identified the man as 30-year-old Michael Chase Fontenot (FAHN’-teh-noh) of the Grand Lake community. The body was located Monday morning about 300 yards from where his vehicle was found.
AFTER TWO WEEKS OF ADVERTISING THE SUPERINTENDENT POSITION FOR LAFAYETTE PARISH, THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS RECEIVED NO APPLICATIONS. INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT BURNELL LEJEUNE SAYS THAT, IN HIS EXPERIENCE, APPLICATIONS DON’T START COMING IN UNTIL ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE ADVERTISEMENT PERIOD. THE BOARD HAS SET A DEADLINE OF MARCH 27TH. THE BOARD EXPECTS TO INTERVIEW APPLICANTS IN MID-APRIL AND HOPE TO HAVE A NEW SUPERINTENDENT CHOSEN BY LATE MAY.
A CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN ST. MARTINVILLE MAY STAY OPEN NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE THEY ARE CLOSE TO REACHING THEIR ENROLLMENT GOAL. OFFICIALS WITH THE DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE HAVE WARNED THAT ST. MARTINVILLE CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL MAY CLOSE BECAUSE OF LOW ENROLLMENT, AND THEY ARE PROJECTING A 250 THOUSAND DOLLAR BUDGET SHORTFALL FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. AN ONLINE PETITION WAS STARTED TO SAVE THE SCHOOL THAT HAS NEARLY 600 SIGNATURES AS OF YESTERDAY. MONSIGNOR RICHARD GREENE, THE DIOCESE’S VICAR GENERAL, SAYS THAT, AS OF FRIDAY, THEY ARE FIVE STUDENTS AWAY FROM REACHING THEIR ENROLLMENT GOAL OF 170 FOR NEXT YEAR.
An audit finds the state should change the way annual school aid requests are formulated to avoid mid-year budget shortfalls. Under current methods, Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera said in an audit issued Monday the Legislature has had to come up with up to $56 million in extra aid after the appropriation because initial student enrollment estimates were off target. Rather than using historically low estimates from Feb. 1 of the previous school year, he said, forecasters should rely on more accurate projections on student count crafted by the state Department of Education to better gauge how much will be needed.
The Advocate reports state school aid helps finance the education for about 720,000 students statewide.
A LAKE CHARLES MAN, WHO WAS SET TO GO TO TRIAL YESTERDAY FOR KILLING HIS AUNT IN 2011, ENTERED A PLEA DEAL. 20-YEAR-OLD JEFFREY STEPHEN DOISE PLED GUILTY TO SECOND DEGREE MURDER FOR SHOOTING SUSAN DOISE IN HER JEFFERSON DRIVE HOME ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2011. IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS PLEA, HE WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE AFTER 35 YEARS IN PRISON. DOISE’S ATTORNEY, ANDREW CASANAVE, TELLS KPLC TV THAT HE PLANS TO APPEAL SOME OF THE JUDGE’S RULING AND THINKS HIS CLIENT WILL GET A LIGHTER SENTENCE.
A YOUNGSVILLE MAN IS IN JAIL FACING BURGLARY CHARGES IN A RASH OF CAR AND RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES OVER RECENT WEEKS. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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THE CITY OF OPELOUSAS IS HOLDING THEIR ANNUAL TRASH BASH THIS SATURDAY. CODE ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR MARGARET DOUCET SAYS MORE THAN 750 STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE AND ADULTS ARE INVITED TO JOIN IN AS WELL. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART IN THE EVENT SHOULD COME BY DONALD GARDNER STADIUM AT EIGHT A-M SATURDAY MORNING. DOUCET SAYS EVEN IF YOU DON’T PARTICIPATE, YOU CAN HELP BY SPRUCING UP YOUR PROPERTY.
Louisiana state Rep. Franklin Foil is proposing a constitutional amendment to give colleges and universities more control over raising fees. In a statement Monday, Foil said that the goal is to give colleges more stability and control over their budgets. The Advocate reports autonomy is among the top priorities for higher education leaders heading into this year’s legislative session, which begins April 13. Louisiana is the only state where two-thirds of the Legislature must sign off on increases in college tuition or fees.
