KAJN Jesus FM 102.9


3-27-19

YESTERDAY, THE LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE ISSUED AN OPINION THAT PROBLEMS WITH NEW LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT PRECINCTS COULD ONLY BE SOLVED THROUGH ANOTHER ELECTION.  DESPITE THE OPINION, LAST NIGHT THE LAFAYETTE CITY PARISH COUNCIL VOTED 6-TO-3 FOR AN ORDINANCE THAT FIXES THE PROBLEMS WITHOUT AN ELECTION.  LAST DECEMBER, LAFAYETTE PARISH VOTERS APPROVED AN AMENDED HOME RULE CHARTER THAT SPLITS THE CITY PARISH COUNCIL, BUT THE MAP HAD SIGNIFICANT MISTAKES THAT HAD SOME PRECINCTS OUT OF THEIR DISTRICT AND SOME OFF THE MAP AND UNREPRESENTED.  A FOUR PERSON LEGAL TEAM HEADED BY CITY PARISH ATTORNEY PAUL ESCOTT TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT A SIMPLE ORDINANCE WAS THE WAY TO GO TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

 

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office says a retirement home employee is accused of setting a fire that prompted evacuation of about 30 residents but didn’t hurt anyone.  A news release Tuesday said 41-year-old Nakisha Walker of Oberlin was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated arson and resisting an officer.  Fire marshal’s spokeswoman Ashley Rodrigue says the fire started early March 21 in the whirlpool room at Kinder Retirement and Rehab Center, which has about 70 occupants.  An employee extinguished it before firefighters arrived.

 

POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING KENDRICK LAWRENCE OF SUNSET.  JEFF HORCHAK REPORTS.

 

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Louisiana officials say the first youth lock-up facility built as part of the state’s therapeutic care model has opened, after years of delays from lagging government funding.  The Advocate reports officials including Gov. John Bel Edwards attended a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday for the Acadiana Center for Youth in Bunkie. It holds 14 children who were transferred last week from one of Louisiana’s three other “secure care” facilities.  Office of Juvenile Justice Deputy Secretary James Bueche says the facility was built in accordance with the latest recommendations and is focused on rehabilitation, therapy and community.

 

LAFAYETTE CITY MARSHAL BRIAN POPE HAS FILED MOTIONS TO GET PERJURY AND MALFEASANCE CONVICTIONS AGAINST HIM THROWN OUT.  POPE IS SCHEDULED TO BE SENTENCED ON APRIL THIRD.  HIS ATTORNEY’S SAY THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM CAME AS RETALIATION BECAUSE HE EXERCISED HIS FREE SPEECH RIGHTS AT AN OCTOBER 2015 NEWS CONFERENCE WHERE HE ENDORSED CHAD LEGER IN HIS RUN FOR LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF.  POPE HAS BEEN SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY WHILE HE APPEALS HIS CONVICTIONS.

 

LAKE CHARLES POLICE WERE INVOLVED IN A PURSUIT ALONG I-TEN EARLY THIS MORNING.  IT BEGAN NEAR NORTH LAKE CHARLES AT AROUND 3:30.  THE PURSUIT CONTINUED EAST ALONG I-TEN TO NEAR HIGHWAY 171.  POLICE MANAGED TO CAPTURE THE DRIVER.  THERE ARE NO OTHER DETAILS AT THIS TIME.

 

A CROWLEY POLICE OFFICER, WHO WAS THE FOCUS OF A CIVIL SERVICE BOARD REVIEW, HAS BEEN PROMOTED.  K-9 OFFICER AARON BERTRAND HAD CRITICIZED CROWLEY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST, PROMPTING THEM TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST HIM.  POLICE CHIEF JIMMY BROUSSARD ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT BERTRAND WAS BEING PROMOTED TO CORPORAL.  BROUSSARD SAID BERTRAND HAD PASSED A TEST SOME TIME AGO AND AN OPENING FOR HIS PROMOTION HAD JUST OCCURRED.

 

Louisiana has picked a pharmaceutical company for its unusual plan to broaden access to hepatitis C drugs for Medicaid patients and prisoners through a Netflix-style subscription model.  The state health department announced Tuesday it will contract with Gilead Sciences subsidiary Asegua Therapeutics. Louisiana will pay a fee to the drug manufacturer for unlimited access to its hepatitis C medication for five years. During that period, Louisiana will treat as many Medicaid patients and prisoners as it can, rather than pay a per-patient treatment price that is so costly it has severely limited access.