KAJN Jesus FM 102.9


3-28-19

A GRAND JURY YESTERDAY INDICTED LAFAYETTE CITY MARSHAL BRIAN POPE ON TWO ADDITIONAL MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE CHARGES.  ONE COUNT IS BECAUSE POPE AUTHORIZED PAYMENT FROM THE MARSHAL’S OFFICE ACCOUNT FOR THE 2018 NATIONAL MARSHALS AND CONSTABLE ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE.  HE THEN ALLEGEDLY REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT AND THEN DEPOSITED IT INTO HIS PERSONAL ACCOUNT.  THE SECOND COUNT ALLEGES HE DID THE SAME THING WHEN IT CAME TO THE LOUISIANA CITY COURT CLERKS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE AND NUTS AND BOLTS CONFERENCE.  POPE NOW FACES A TOTAL OF 19 MALFEASANCE CHARGES.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT HAS INTRODUCED 24 NEW COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS VEHICLES INTO THEIR LAKE CHARLES FLEET, REPLACING OLD DIESEL MODELS.  BEVERLY GILCHRIST OF WASTE MANAGEMENT OF LAKE CHARLES TELLS KPLC TV THAT THE C-N-G VEHICLES BURN FUEL AT ABOUT A THIRD OF THE RATE OF DIESEL ENGINES.  SHE SAYS AS THEY MOVE FORWARD WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS IN THE AREA, THEY HOPE TO GET EVEN MORE TRUCKS CONVERTED.  WASTE MANAGEMENT IS ALSO HOSTING A JOB FAIR THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT 71-70 JOHN BRANNON ROAD IN SULPHUR.

 

POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A SHOOTING SUSPECT IN CROWLEY.  JEFF HORCHAK REPORTS.

 

VOICER G :20

 

Louisiana’s governor and legislative leaders will choose from three university economists to fill a vacancy on the state income forecasting panel.  The Board of Regents recommended the list Wednesday to the governor, Senate president and House speaker, who will select one economist to join them on the Revenue Estimating Conference.    On the list are Stephen Barnes and Gregory Upton from LSU and Gary Wagner from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.  The independent economist position on the conference is a critical role in state government.

 

ON MONDAY, THE LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S TACTICAL NARCOTICS TEAM ARRESTED 17 PEOPLE AFTER EXECUTING SIXTEEN WARRANTS ON DRUG RELATED CRIMES.  THEY ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR FIVE MORE PEOPLE.  THE ARRESTS WERE THE RESULTS OF A SERIES OF UNDERCOVER DRUG PURCHASES OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS.  ALSO ON MONDAY, THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE EXECUTED A SEARCH WARRANT AT A HOME ON VEROT SCHOOL ROAD, AND NARCOTICS AGENTS SEIZED MORE THAN 340 THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF CRYSTAL METH AND OTHER DRUGS.

OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THE SULPHUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS PUT THEIR OFFICERS THROUGH AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE OPERATIONS COURSE.  SERGEANT MARK GASPARD SAYS THEY HAVE A CLASSROOM PORTION TO DISCUSS LEGAL UPDATES AND THE OBSTACLE COURSE FOR DRILLS IN PROPER BRAKING AND ACCELERATING TO AVOID COLLISIONS.  THE CAPTAIN OVER TRAINING, CAMERON FAIRCHILD, TELLS KPLC TV THEY DO THIS FOR THE PUBLIC’S SAKE SO THAT OFFICERS RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY CALLS WILL BE MOST SAFE.  IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE THE SULPHUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HELD THE TRAINING BUT THEY’RE HOPING TO DO IT MORE FREQUENTLY FROM NOW ON.

 

THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE HAS BEEN CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE A CHURCH FIRE IN PORT BARRE.  EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, ST. MARY BAPTIST CHURCH WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE.  STATE FIRE MARSHAL’S DEPUTIES ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE.  THE BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES ALSO HAS JOINED THE INVESTIGATION BECAUSE A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION IS INVOLVED.

 

A lawsuit over a 2015 law that retroactively denied solar panel tax credits to some Louisiana homeowners has been declared moot by the state’s Supreme court.

Justices said Tuesday the damage was fixed by the 2017 Legislature — although one justice pointedly disagreed.  Some homeowners said the 2015 law retroactively reduced or eliminated credits of up to $12,500 for home solar installation — leaving them without money to pay off loans they had taken in anticipation of the credits.  A judge declared the law unconstitutional but the high court reversed the judge, noting lawmakers in 2017 allocated money to restore unpaid credits over three years.