4-10-18
THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES IS MOVING FORWARD WITH A PLAN TO CLOSE OFFICES IN OPELOUSAS AND NEW IBERIA AND CONSOLIDATE OPERATIONS AT A RECENTLY PURCHASED BUILDING ON DULLES DRIVE IN LAFAYETTE. SECRETARY JACK MONTOUCET SAYS THE NEW BUILDING, PURCHASED FOR 6-POINT-7 MILLION DOLLARS, WILL HAVE 15 TO 20 FULL TIME ADMINISTRATORS AND THE FIELD STAFFERS WILL CONTINUE TO WORK IN THE AREAS THEY ARE NOW IN, MAKING OCCASIONAL TRIPS TO LAFAYETTE. MONTOUCET SAYS THE BUILDINGS IN OPELOUSAS AND NEW IBERIA ARE IN TERRIBLE SHAPE AND IT WOULD HAVE COST AROUND TEN MILLION DOLLARS TO REPLACE THEM. IBERIA PARISH PRESIDENT LARRY RICHARD TELLS THE ADVOCATE HE’S TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED AND HE BELIEVES IT’S LIKELY SOME EMPLOYEES AT THE NEW IBERIA OFFICE WILL LEAVE THE PARISH.
A BILL THAT WOULD END THE PRACTICE OF PENALIZING OR PUBLICLY EMBARRASING STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT PAID THEIR LUNCH DEBT HAS PASSED IN THE STATE HOUSE. JACQUELINE RICHARD, THE SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR CALCASIEU PARISH SCHOOLS, SAYS THEY DON’T DENY MEALS OR PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE MEALS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE AN UNPAID DEBT, BUT THEY DO DENY THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME SCHOOL EVENTS. SHE SAYS THAT COULD CHANGE DEPENDING ON HOW FAR THE BILL GOES. SHE TELLS KPLC TV THE BILL, IF SIGNED INTO LAW, COULD PREVENT THEM FROM COLLECTING SCHOOL LUNCH DEBTS, WHICH RIGHT NOW TOTALS MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS.
MORE THAN 600 ST. LANDRY PARISH RESIDENTS HAVE SIGNED A PETITION OPPOSING THE SCHOOL BOARD’S PLAN FOR REZONING. LAST MONTH THE BOARD APPROVED A CAPITAL OUTLAY PLAN THAT INCLUDED ZONE CHANGES. THOSE INCLUDE CLOSING SOME ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOLS, WHILE CONSOLIDATING OTHERS AND BUILDING NEW CAMPUSES. THE ORGANIZERS OF THE PETITION SAID THERE WAS NO PUBLIC COMMENT ALLOWED ON THE ISSUE OF REZONING.
Louisiana’s health officials have ramped up their warnings to lawmakers about budget cuts. They say the proposed reductions could devastate services at Louisiana’s safety-net hospitals, cripple medical education programs and create damaging ripple effects for years. Lawmakers are debating how to close an estimated $700 million gap in the budget year that begins July 1. The managers of Louisiana’s charity hospital system described dire scenarios of clinic shutdowns and widespread service eliminations if plans to dramatically scale back their financing take hold.
TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED LAST NIGHT IN A CRASH. JEFF HORCHAK HAS MORE.
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ALL FOUR LANES ON THE BRIDGE IN LAKE CHARLES ARE OPEN AND THE EASTBOUND SIDE OF THE BRIDGE AS WELL. BUT NOW THE WESTBOUND SIDE IS AFFECTED. I-TEN WESTBOUND BETWEEN EXIT 33 TO EXIT 31 HAS BEEN REDUCED TO ONE LANE. THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT SAYS THE CLOSURES ARE NECESSARY FOR BRIDGE MAINTENANCE WORK AND ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO MAY.
A MAN, WHO REFUSED TO PULL OVER FOR EVANGELINE PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES SUNDAY AND LED AUTHORITIES ON A HIGH SPEED CHASE, HAS BEEN CAPTURED. THE CHASE WENT THROUGH FOUR PARISHES BEFORE THE DRIVER, SAMUEL DAMIEN LEE, DITCHED THE CAR, WHICH WAS ALLEGEDLY STOLEN, AND RAN INTO A WILDLIFE REFUGE IN RAPIDES PARISH. DEPUTIES FROM RAPIDES PARISH STAYED IN THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND EVENTUALLY FOUND AND ARRESTED LEE YESTERDAY MORNING. A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE, ASHLEY DENISE LAMB, IS STILL ON THE LOOSE.
DEMOCRAT STATE SENATOR REGINA BARROW OF BATON ROUGE BELIEVES THE NATION’S MOTTO, “IN GOD WE TRUST”, SHOULD BE TAUGHT AND DISPLAYED IN SCHOOLS. HER BILL THAT WOULD DO THAT PASSED IN A SENATE COMMITTEE YESTERDAY WITHOUT DEBATE. THE BILL DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY SPECIFIC SIGNAGE, MEANING IT COULD BE A PAPER SIGN. SHE TELLS THE USA TODAY NETWORK THAT THE MOTTO IS PART OF OUR NATION’S HISTORY AND THEY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE CHILDREN KNOW IT AND PASS IT ON.
