5-17-24
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PASSED THROUGH THE AREA LAST NIGHT PACKING WINDS UP TO EIGHTY MILES AN HOUR AT THE LAFAYETTE REGIONAL AIRPORT AND AT THE ACADIANA REGIONAL AIRPORT IN NEW IBERIA. THERE WERE SEVERAL REPORTS OF DAMAGE INCLUDING A HOME IN SAINT MARTINVILLE THAT HAD ITS ROOF BLOWN OFF. SEVERAL HOMES WERE DAMAGED IN KROTZ SPRINGS AND A BIG TREE FELL ON A HOME IN BREAUX BRIDGE. NUMEROUS TREES WERE REPORTED DOWNED IN THE MELVILLE AREA, GRAND COTEAU, CARENCRO, SCOTT AND DUSON.
THE STORMS CAUSED POWER OUTAGES THROUGHOUT SOUTH LOUISIANA. BECAUSE OF THOSE OUTAGES, ALLEN PARISH SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY AS WELL AS EAST BEAUREGARD ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL. ALSO BECAUSE OF THE STORMS, GRADUATION CEREMONIES IN DEQUINCY ARE MOVED FROM TODAY TO TOMORROW MORNING AT ELEVEN. MERRYVILLE HAS MOVED THEIR GRADUATION TO TONIGHT AT SEVEN DUE TO POWER OUTAGES AT THE SCHOOL.
JUDITH ESTORGE IS STEPPING DOWN AS LAFAYETTE POLICE CHIEF DUE TO PERSONAL REASONS EFFECTIVE MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH. SHE PLANS TO STAY IN THE DEPARTMENT WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN. ESTORGE HAS BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT SINCE NINETEEN-NINETY-THREE AND WAS APPOINTED POLICE CHIEF IN TWENTY-TWENTY-TWO. CAPTAIN PAUL TROUARD WILL TAKE OVER AS THE INTERIM POLICE CHIEF, ACCORDING TO SOURCES IN THE DEPARTMENT.
LOUISIANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS COULD SOON BE MANDATED TO DISPLAY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN EVERY CLASSROOM. THE BILL, REQUIRING A POSTER-SIZED DISPLAY OF THE COMMANDMENTS, HEADS TO THE STATE HOUSE FOR APPROVAL OF AMENDMENTS AND WOULD THEN GO TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE FOR HIS SIGNATURE. THE POSTERS WOULD BE PAID FOR THROUGH DONATIONS, AND NO STATE FUNDS WOULD BE USED TO IMPLEMENT THE MANDATE. NO OTHER STATE HAS BEEN ABLE TO PASS SUCH A LAW OVER QUESTIONS OF ITS CONSTITUTIONALITY.
AN OPELOUSAS NATIVE, WHO IS NOW A WELL KNOWN PLASTIC SURGEON OUT OF BATON ROUGE, DIED WEDNESDAY IN A PLANE CRASH. A FAMILY SOURCE SAYS DOCTOR LUCIUS DOUCET WAS THE PILOT OF A SINGLE-ENGINE PLANE THAT WENT DOWN IN TENNESSEE. HE HAD TAKEN OFF FROM THE LOUISIANA REGIONAL AIRPORT IN GONZALEZ WEDNESDAY MORNING HEADED TO LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. THE SIXTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD DOUCET AND TWO UNIDENTIFIED PASSENGERS WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH, WHICH IS BEING INVESTIGATED.
MORE POSITIVE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER IN LAFAYETTE. WITH THE HELP OF DONATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY, THE BASKETBALL COURTS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED AND OTHER PROJECTS, SUCH AS A GARDEN ARE IN THE WORKS. LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER JOSH EDMOND SAYS HE HOPES THE PROJECTS WILL LET THE JUVENILES AT THE CENTER KNOW THEY ARE LOVED AND CARED FOR. HE SAYS THEY WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR THEM TO HELP THEM REHABILITATE THEIR MIND AND ADJUST THEIR THOUGHT PROCESSES.
A THIRD ROTATION OF FIFTY LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS WAS SENT TO THE U-S MEXICO BORDER IN TEXAS. THEY REPLACED THE SECOND ROTATION THAT HELPED PATROL THE BORDER FOR THIRTY DAYS. GOVERNOR LANDRY SIGNED A BILL IN MARCH AUTHORIZING FUNDING TO SEND TROOPS TO AID TEXAS DURING THE BORDER CRISIS. CAPTAIN ZACH NEELY, COMMANDER OF THE TASK FORCE, SAYS THE MISSION IS GOING SMOOTHLY AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LOUISIANA AND TEXAS IS STILL OPEN AND PRODUCTIVE.
MORSE POLICE CHIEF BARTON KIBODEAUX WAS HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING A CAR CRASH IN HIS POLICE UNIT. SYLVIA MASTERS REPORTS.
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