3-20-15
ONE OF THE TWO TEENS, WHO SURVIVED A SHOOTING BY SETH FONTENOT OF LAFAYETTE, TESTIFIED IN FONTENOT’S MURDER TRIAL YESTERDAY. COLE KELLY, A 17-YEAR-OLD WHO ATTENDS TUERLINGS CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, SAYS FONTENOT WAS STANDING BETWEEN FIVE AND TEN FEET AWAY FROM THE TRUCK HE WAS DRIVING WHEN THE FIRST OF THREE GUN SHOTS WAS FIRED. LEAD INVESTIGATOR LIEUTENANT LARRY THERIOT SAYS THE FIRST SHOT HIT THE DRIVER’S SIDE DOOR AT NEARLY A NINETY DEGREE ANGLE. FONTENOT HAD SAID THAT HE FIRED AT THE TAILGATE OF THE TRUCK AS IT DROVE AWAY.
A NATIONAL NON-PROFIT GROUP THAT HELPS HOMELESS FAMILIES IS LOOKING AT STARTING A CHAPTER IN CALCASIEU PARISH. A REPRESENTATIVE FOR FAMILY PROMISE WILL BE AT A MEETING SCHEDULED FOR 6-30 TUESDAY NIGHT AT ST. LUKE SIMPSON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN LAKE CHARLES. HE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW AREA CHURCHES CAN WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE HOMELESS FAMILIES WITH MEALS AND ACCOMODATIONS ON A ROTATING BASIS. THE PASTOR OF ST. LUKE SIMPSON, JACK O’DELL, WHO IS SPEARHEADING THIS EFFORT, SAYS THE GOAL IS TO GIVE HOMELESS FAMILIES THEIR INDEPENDENCE, SO THEY DON’T BECOME DEPENDENT.
PARKER DRILLING IN NEW IBERIA LAID OFF 35 WORKERS YESTERDAY. THE COMPANY HAD SENT NOTICE TO THE LOUISIANA WORKFORCE COMMISSION THAT THEY INTENDED TO LAY OFF BETWEEN FIFTY AND 297 EMPLOYEES SOMETIME BETWEEN MARCH FOURTH AND 18TH, BUT NO LAYOFFS OCCURRED DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. THE COMPANY IS ANTICIPATING A SEVERE DOWNTURN IN U-S MARKETS BECAUSE OF PLUNGING OIL PRICES. COMPANY PRESIDENT GARY G. RICH HAS SAID THAT THEY ARE TAKING ACTIONS ACROSS THE COMPANY TO LOWER COSTS WHILE SUSTAING THEIR ABILITY TO RESPOND TO OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY DEVELOP.
Louisiana’s financial adviser is warning that the state is edging closer to its debt ceiling and will need to tightly manage construction spending to stay under the cap. Lamont Financial Services Corp. provided an update Thursday to the State Bond Commission about the state’s debt load. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has committed to a billion dollars more in projects than the state has cash to spend. And Louisiana has a limited amount of space to borrow.
THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM IS CONSIDERING AN EARLIER DISMISSAL TIME FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR DAMON EVANS SAYS HAVING MIDDLE SCHOOLS LET OUT AT 3:20 INSTEAD OF 3:50, AS IT IS NOW, WOULD MEAN BUSES WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO BE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, SAVING TIME AND MONEY. EVANS ALSO SAYS THEY ARE LOOKING INTO WAYS TO IMPROVE BUS SAFETY. THAT’S BECAUSE THIS YEAR THERE HAVE BEEN MORE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING BUSES THAN IN ANY OF THE PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS.
HISTORIC LAKE CHARLES CITY HALL IS HOSTING AN AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTO EXHIBIT. AN OPENING CEREMONY WILL BE HELD TONIGHT FROM 5-30 TO EIGHT AND REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED. THE EXHIBIT WILL REMAIN ON DISPLAY UNTIL MAY 23RD AND THE GALLERY IS OPEN FROM TEN TO FIVE ON THE WEEKDAYS AND FROM TEN TO TWO ON SATURDAYS. MIKE AND DOUG CHERNAK SAY THEY CREATED THE AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTO DISPLAY TO BRING FAMLIES CLOSER WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THOSE TIMES WHEN THEY WISHED THEY WERE FARTHER APART.
A EUNICE MAN HAS BEEN JAILED AFTER HIS FOUR MONTH OLD SON WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH SYMPTOMS OF HEAD TRAUMA. 22-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW MARCANTEL HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH SECOND DEGREE CRUELTY TO A JUVENILE. ST. LANDRY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SPOKESMAN LIEUTENANT CLAY HIGGINS SAYS A NEUROLOGIST WHO EXAMINED THE BABY FOUND SYMPTOMS THAT WERE CONSISTENT WITH SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME OR ABUSIVE HEAD TRAUMA. MARCANTEL IS BEING HELD IN THE ST. LANDRY PARISH JAIL, AND HIS BOND WAS SET AT 40 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
A federal judge is considering a request from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration to throw out part of a legal challenge against a state law that adds new restrictions to abortion doctors. The law requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. Kyle Duncan, representing the Jindal administration, says the court should reject two claims in the lawsuit: that the law imposes a “medically unreasonable” requirement and that it was designed by lawmakers to lessen abortion access. The judge didn’t immediately rule Thursday.
