5-13-19
A LAFAYETTE BUSINESSMAN, WHOSE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED COUNCIL WAS THROWN OUT LAST WEEK, IS LIKELY TO APPEAL. KEITH KISHBAUGH FILED THE LAWSUIT WHEN THE COUNCIL CORRECTED ERRORS ON NEW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES FOR CITY AND PARISH DISTRICTS WITH AN ORDINANCE. KISHBAUGH BELIEVED THAT THE ERRORS MUST BE CORRECTED BY A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE, BUT JUDGE JOHN TRAHAN RULED LAST WEEK THAT THE ORDINANCE WAS GOOD ENOUGH. KISHBAUGH’S ATTORNEY, LANE ROY, TELLS THE ADVOCATE THAT THERE’S A 90 PERCENT CHANCE THAT HIS CLIENT WILL APPEAL, WHICH COULD CAUSE A PROBLEM WITH THIS FALL’S ELECTIONS IF THE APPEALS COURT DOESN’T RULE BY QUALIFYING IN AUGUST.
A DONUT SHOP IN LAKE CHARLES CAUGHT FIRE LAST NIGHT. FLAMES WERE SEEN SHOOTING FROM THE ROOF OF NELSON’S DONUTS, LOCATED ON EAST MCNEESE STREET. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. AN INVESTIGATOR IS ON THE SCENE.
A 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL WAS KILLED IN A HIT-AND-RUN CRASH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT IN OPELOUSAS AND POLICE HAVE A SUSPECT IN CUSTODY. JEFF HORCHAK REPORTS.
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Louisiana saw record tourism numbers last year. According to Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, the state welcomed 51.3 million visitors in 2018. He says that’s an increase of 9% over the 47.1 million visitors reported by DK Shifflet, a tourism and travel research company, in April 2017. In a news release Friday, Nungesser said visitors spent $18.8 billion, a 7% increase over 2017.
THIS FALL, LAFAYETTE VOTERS WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO REDEDICATE TEN MILLION DOLLARS IN SURPLUS FUNDS FROM THE LIBRARY SYSTEM. EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS WOULD GO TOWARD ROADS AND DRAINAGE AND TWO MILLION FOR PARKS AND RECREATION. TWO YEARS AGO, SEVENTY-SEVEN DRAINAGE PROJECTS WERE PICKED OUT FOR COMPLETION AND SO FAR 28 PROJECTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. FRED TRAHAN OF THE L-C-G PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TELLS KLFY TV THAT IF VOTERS APPROVE THE REDEDICATION, IT WILL BE UP TO THE ADMINISTRATION AS TO HOW IT’S SPENT BUT MORE MONEY MEANS MORE PROJECTS COULD BE COMPLETED.
SOME RESIDENTS IN SULPHUR WERE CONCERNED WHEN THEY SAW BLACK SMOKE COME FROM INDORANA VENTURES SATURDAY EVENING. SENIOR SITE DIRECTOR TONY BARRE RELEASED A STATEMENT EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED. HE SAYS A LIGHTNING STRIKE CAUSE THE AIR SYSTEM TO TRIP OFFLINE, CAUSING THE BOILERS TO GO DOWN WHICH IN TURN CAUSED A LOSS OF STEAM, PRODUCING SMOKE FROM THEIR FLARE. HE SAYS THE SMOKE STOPPED WHEN THEY GOT THE BOILERS RUNNING AGAIN AND THERE WAS NO OFFSITE IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY.
The Army Corps of Engineers has meetings Tuesday and Wednesday to hear what south-central Louisiana residents want from and can offer to a feasibility study for hurricane protection and storm damage reduction. Tuesday’s scoping meeting is at the Cade Community Center in St. Martinville and Wednesday’s in the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Each starts at 6 p.m. Officials say approaches being considered range from realigning levees to floodproofing and even buying out homes.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is suggesting he’d jettison any pricey tax exemptions that might reach his desk this legislative session. The Democratic governor says lawmakers shouldn’t be creating new tax break programs less than a year after reaching a tax compromise that ended nearly a decade of budget instability. Lawmakers are proposing to restore suspended sales tax holidays. Republicans and Democrats have suggested creating new tax exemptions for low-producing oil wells, rural job investments, certain health providers and feminine hygiene products.
