4-24-24
OPELOUSAS POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDED TO THE SCENE OF A SHOOTING LATE LAST NIGHT THAT LEFT ONE PERSON DEAD AND ANOTHER FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIFE. SYLVIA MASTERS REPORTS.
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A ROAD TAX IS ON THE BALLOT IN WELSH THIS SATURDAY. THE ONE PERCENT TAX WAS FIRST APPROVED IN NINETEEN NINETY-SIX AND HAS TO BE RENEWED EVERY FIFTEEN YEARS. MAYOR KARL ARCENEAUX SAYS THE TAX GENERATES ABOUT FIVE TO SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS YEARLY. HE TELLS KPLC TV THAT IT ALLOWS THEM TO RESURFACE ROADS AND DO MAJOR REPAIRS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
A BILL BY STATE SENATOR GERALD BOUDREAUX OF LAFAYETTE HAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN THE LOUISIANA SENATE AND NOW HEADS TO THE HOUSE. UNDER THE BILL, THE NORTH LAFAYETTE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WOULD BE DISBANDED AND THE LAFAYETTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WOULD TAKE OVER ITS RESPONSIBILITIES. BOUDREAUX SAYS THE NORTH LAFAYETTE AUTHORITY HAS BEEN INACTIVE FOR YEARS WHILE LEDA HAS BEEN SECURING DEVELOPMENTS ALL OVER LAFAYETTE. THE LAFAYETTE N-DOUBLE-A-C-P IS OPPOSED TO THE MEASURE AND SEVERAL NORTH LAFAYETTE COMMUNITY LEADERS HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST IT.
A BILL BANNING THE USE OF A CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING HAS PASSED IN THE LOUSIANA SENATE. IF APPROVED, THE ONLY EXCEPTIONS TO THE PROPOSED LAW IS TO CALL POLICE TO REPORT AN ACCIDENT OR CRIME OR IF THE DRIVER IS USING A HANDS FREE DEVICE. VIOLATIONS IN A SCHOOL ZONE WOULD CARRY FINES OF FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A FIRST OFFENSE AND SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES WOULD SEE THE FINE GO UP TO ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS WITH A SUSPENSION OF THE DRIVER’S LICENSE. VIOLATIONS OUTSIDE SCHOOL ZONES WOULD ONLY BE TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS FOR A FIRST OFFENSE AND FIFTY DOLLARS FOR SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES.
THE STATE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE HAS ADVANCED A SPENDING PACKAGE THAT WOULD FUND RAISES FOR SOME TEACHERS WHILE CUTTING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. THE PAY INCREASES WOULD BE FOR HIGH-NEED TEACHER POSITIONS. IT WOULD FUND A ONETIME STIPEND FOR TEACHERS OF THIRTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS, SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS LESS THAN LAST YEAR’S BONUS. THE COMMITTEE’S SPENDING PLAN CUTS TWENTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLAS IN DAY CARE SUBSIDIES FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FOUR. THE PACKAGE NOW MOVES TO THE FULL HOUSE.
A VIDEO OF A ROAD RAGE INCIDENT IN ABBEVILLE HAS GONE VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA. A MOTORCYCLIST TAKING PART IN A CHARITY POKER RUN WAS SEEN ON THE VIDEO BLOCKING TRAFFIC FOR OTHER RIDERS AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS FOURTEEN AND ONE-SIXTY-SEVEN. THE DRIVER OF ONE OF THE CARS WAITING GOT IMPATIENT AND GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AND STARTED SMASHING THE MOTORCYCLE HEADLIGHT. ABBEVILLE POLICE SAY THE MOTRCYCLIST DECIDED TO NOT PRESS CHARGES AGAINST THE DRIVER OF THE CAR.
A SUMMIT CALLED BIG TOWNS KICKED OFF YESTERDAY AT THE ACADIANA CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE. THE SUMMIT, WHICH WAS ORGANIZED BY THE CURRENT AND THE UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA, IS FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE OF LAFAYETTE. THE CONCEPT IS TO EXPLORE IDEAS AND SUCCESSES FROM OTHER MID-SIZED CITIES. THE MAYOR OF SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA WAS THERE TO TAKE PART IN A KEYNOTE CONVERSATION YESTERDAY.
TWO MEN HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF THE MURDER OF THIRTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD KELLY GUIDRY OF OPELOUSAS. ON JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD OF TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE, GUIDRY WAS AMBUSHED BY TWENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MARCUS CHENIER OF OPELOUSAS AND TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD JEVON FIGARO OF LAFAYETTE ON NORTH MARKET STREET NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS. THE SAINT LANDRY PARISH DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS FLIGHT RECORDS, CELL PHONE RECORDS AND TESTIMONY FROM A COOPERATING PARTY LED TO THE SECOND-DEGREE MURDER VERDICTS. THIS WAS THE FIRST JOINT MURDER TRIAL IN SAINT LANDRY PARISH IN MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS.
