4-1-19
TWO MEN WERE KILLED IN A SHOOTING AT A CARENCRO APARTMENT COMPLEX. JEFF HORCHAK REPORTS.
VOICER I :24
A SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVER MAN WEAVED IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC TRYING TO ELUDE STATE TROOPERS SATURDAY AFTERNOON ALONG I-TEN AND U-S HIGHWAY 171. STATE POLICE RECEIVED CALLS ABOUT A MOTORIST TRAVELING ERATICALLY AND A TROOPER SPOTTED HIM AND TRIED TO PULL HIM OVER ON I-TEN WEST NEAR I-210. THE CHASE ENDED WHEN THE DRIVER CRASHED HIS VEHICLE, BUT HE THEN FLED ON FOOT AND WAS CAPTURED BY TROOPERS WITH THE HELP OF A LOCAL CITIZEN. THE DRIVER, 28-YEAR-OLD OSCAR A. CANALES VILLATORO OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, GAVE A BREATH SAMPLE THAT SHOWED HIS BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL TO BE TWO TIMES THE LEGAL LIMIT.
THE OWNER OF PJ’S GRILL IN CROWLEY TELLS THE ADVOCATE NEWSPAPER THAT THEY PLAN AN OFFICIAL OPENING AT THEIR NEW LOCATION ON APRIL 29TH. THE CURRENT LOCATION WILL CLOSE ON GOOD FRIDAY AND A SOFT OPENING IS PLANNED THE FOLLOWING WEEK. OWNER PETER BOULET SAYS HE THINKS IT WILL BE THE NICEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN WITH SEATING FOR SIXTY PEOPLE WITH AN OUTDOOR AREA AVAILABLE AS WELL. HE SAYS CUSTOMERS WILL STILL BE ABLE TO COME IN AND ORDER THEIR MEALS AT THE COUNTER, BUT SERVERS WILL ALSO BRING CUSTOMERS THEIR FOOD WHEN THINGS GET BUSY.
GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS’ PLAN TO GIVE TEACHERS A ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR BOOST IN THEIR YEARLY INCOME IS NOT SEEING MUCH OPPOSITION. REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE NANCY LANDRY OF LAFAYETTE, WHO HEADS THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE, SAYS THERE IS A BROAD CONSENSUS IN THE LEGISLATURE TO GIVE TEACHERS A RAISE. HOWEVER, EDWARD’S REQUEST TO INCREASE STATE AID TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY 39 MILLION DOLLARS WILL FACE A TOUGHER BATTLE. HOUSE REPUBLICANS AND OTHERS SAY THAT’S TOO MUCH ALONG WITH TEACHER PAY RAISES AND THE MONEY WOULD BE BETTER SPENT ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has designated two Louisiana parishes as “primary natural disaster areas” due to excessive rain and flooding that occurred from Sept. 1 through Dec. 12. A Department of Agriculture news release says that means agriculture producers who suffered heavy disaster-related losses in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes may be eligible for Farm Service Agency emergency loans . Producers in parishes contiguous to those two parishes also are covered. The eligible neighboring parishes include Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Mary and Vermilion.
Louisiana veterans can learn about songwriting at two workshops scheduled in April that are aimed at helping veterans tell their stories and find healing through music. The free Songs of Survivors workshops are scheduled for this Saturday in Baton Rouge and April 27 in Lake Charles. Veterans will be taught about songwriting by professional educators, songwriters and touring musicians. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees the cultural development office, says lyrics and music can help provide a safe environment for veterans to talk about their experiences and reintegrate into civilian life.
Residents in six southeastern Louisiana parishes will get some relief from backwater flooding thanks to a new floodgate. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced this week that the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is pledging $80 million to build a permanent floodgate across Bayou Chene (Shen). The floodgate will help Morgan City and other communities in the area that are prone to backwater flooding. That happens when the Atchafalaya River is running high and water backs up Bayou Chene.
Louisiana’s higher education policy leaders are setting an ambitious goal for the state. They are striving for six in 10 working-age adults to hold a college degree or other employment credential beyond a high school diploma by 2030. That’s a high bar in Louisiana, which consistently lags the nation in educational attainment. Fewer than half of adults aged 25 to 64 have achieved such a standard.
