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THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD HAS ASKED DISTRICT STAFF TO LOOK INTO WHAT EMPLOYEES ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A SUPPLEMENTAL CHECK FROM FUNDS GENERATED BY A DEDICATED SALES TAX APPROVED BY VOTERS IN 2001. BOARD MEMBER JUSTIN CENTANNI SAYS SOME SUPPORT STAFF HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE LIST OF ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES WITHOUT BOARD APPROVAL, INCLUDING AUDIOLOGISTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS AND ROTC INSTRUCTORS. BOARD MEMBER ERICK KNEZEK TELLS THE ADVOCATE THAT THE ISSUE IS CAUSING CONFLICT AMONG EMPLOYEES AND HURTING MORALE. THE BOARD MAY DISCUSS THE MATTER AT WEDNESDAY’S MEETING.
Calcasieu Parish sheriff’s deputies say a 26-year-old woman has been accused of burning an 8-year-old’s hands and tying her to a bed while the woman went to work and slept. On Friday Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies say they arrested Kerrian Javana Clofer and charged her with 2nd-degree cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment. After being called to a hospital Thursday, deputies say they found the 8-year-old girl with severe burns on her hands and marks all over her body. The victim also told detectives Clofer handcuffed and tied her to the legs of a bed while Clofer slept and went to work.
The AirEvac Lifeteam helicopter has arrived in Opelousas. The Advertiser reports Opelousas mayor Reggie Tatum and others say the arrival of the AirEvac Lifeteam signals the creation of 16 new jobs, a needed service and expanded uses, and fuel sales for the city’s general aviation airport. Tatum says he has worked toward this landing since before he won the December runoff election. Airport manager Lloyd Ardoin says AirEvac’s hub in Opelousas will allow it to better serve rural areas between there and Alexandria.
Louisiana’s public colleges and public health care services started the legislative session in shaky financial shape, facing the risk of deep slashing in the coming months. As lawmakers passed the midpoint of their work, those programs face no greater financial certainty. Budget-balancing remains the focal point for state lawmakers, who have yet to reach agreement on how to close a $1.6 billion shortfall. Of the 845 bills filed in the House and 283 proposed in the Senate, only one measure has made it to Gov. Bobby Jindal: a bill enacting a sales tax exclusion in Calcasieu Parish.
A TEENAGER IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER, POLICE SAY, HE WAS SHOT IN A PARKING LOT ON JOHNSTON STREET IN LAFAYETTE. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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AN ORANGE, TEXAS MAN DROWNED NEAR THE I-TEN BRIDGE IN LAKE CHARLES SATURDAY EVENING. 22-YEAR-OLD JOSHUA MOREAUX WAS KAYAKING IN THE LAKE WHEN HE AND SOME FRIENDS DECIDED TO TAKE A BREAK UNDER THE BRIDGE. MOREAUX GOT OUT OF THE KAYAK TO SWIM AND BEGAN TO STRUGGLE. THE EFFORTS OF HIS FRIENDS TO SAVE HIM WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND HIS BODY WAS LATER RECOVERED BY DIVERS FROM THE CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 51-year-old Patterson man has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a 56-year-old Bayou Vista woman.
The Daily Review reports that authorities say the woman died because of the injuries she sustained when Troy Benoit threw her on the ground and repeatedly kicked her. Authorities say Benoit was charged Friday with manslaughter in the Feb. 27 death of Melba Royer. Benoit is being held at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center with no bail set.
Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to sell Louisiana’s remaining share of a massive tobacco settlement to help generate a few years of short-term cash has stalled.
Treasurer John Kennedy refused to put it on the State Bond Commission agenda, though commission approval is needed for a sale. Legislative leaders also are showing resistance, looking for other ways to solve state budget problems.
Jindal’s top budget architect, Kristy Nichols, said Friday the sale isn’t dead and she continues to work with lawmakers on the idea.
