5-26-22
Louisiana economic development officials say 20 jobs will be created in Acadia Parish when a rice milling company invests $16.2 million in facilities to make ready-to-eat products. The state economic development office said Wednesday that Supreme Rice is making the investment to develop parboil facilities in Crowley and Mermentau. Construction is expected to start later this year. The state says the company will retain 181 current jobs.
A MAN TRIED TO RUN FROM POLICE IN A CAR AND ON FOOT YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. FORTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD LEROY SAMPY OF LAFAYETTE WAS EVENTUALLY CAPTURED IN THE TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED BLOCK OF SOUTHEAST EVANGELINE THRUWAY. SAMPY HAD ACTIVE WARRANTS FOR SECOND DEGREE RAPE OF A JUVENILE AND AGGRAVATED BATTERY. HE WAS BOOKED INTO THE LAFAYETTE PARISH CORRECTIONAL CENTER ON THOSE CHARGES AND SEVERAL OTHERS INCLUDING RESISTING AN OFFICER.
THE JEFF DAVIS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IS PLANNING TO REVISIT SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOLLOWING THE TRAGIC SHOOTING IN UVALDE, TEXAS. WILBERT GILBEAUX, WHO HAS BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR TWENTY YEARS, TELLS KATC TV THAT SAFETY REMAINS THE TOP PRIORITY. HE SAYS THEY ARE EVALUATING EVERYTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY TO DETERMINE IF ANY ADJUSTMENTS NEED TO BE MADE. GILBEAUX SAYS THEY STUDY EACH SHOOTING INCIDENT TO BE BETTER PREPARED.
A bill approved by the Louisiana House would require schools to get a parent’s written consent before spanking or paddling a child. The bill by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Metairie Republican, had started out as a ban on corporal punishment in schools. As amended on the House floor, the bill would prohibit the spanking of a child in an elementary or secondary school unless the child’s parent or guardian has signed a consent form permitting corporal punishment. The bill passed 70-28 and goes next to the Senate, where it will need to get through a committee hearing and a floor vote before the current session’s adjournment deadline on June 6.
A state Senate committee has narrowly defeated a bill that would have kept state or local governments from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into public places or private businesses. Bill sponsor Thomas Pressly of Shreveport had pitched his bill as a compromise. He said it kept government from imposing vaccine mandates on private businesses, but still allowed private business owners to impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements if they wanted to. The defeated bill had drawn opposition from both sides of the vaccine debate.
AN ARMED SUSPECT IN NEW IBERIA IS IN CUSTODY AFTER POLICE SEARCHED FOR HIM YESTERDAY. CAROLINE MARCELLO REPORTS.
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A LAFAYETTE MAN, WHO STRUCK AND KILLED A MOTHER AND HER EIGHT-YEAR-OLD CHILD ON THE EVANGELINE THRUWAY, WAS SENTENCED EARLIER THIS MONTH TO FIFTEEN YEARS. HOWEVER ALL BUT FIVE YEARS WERE SUSPENDED AND SIXTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD PRESTON EDWARDS WILL SERVE IT IN HARD LABOR. AFTER HITTING THIRTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD JASMUN OZENNE AND EIGHT-YEAR-OLD DIEGO ESCOBEDO OZENNE, EDWARDS WAS FOUND TO HAVE A BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT THAT WAS MORE THAN TWICE THE LEGAL LIMIT. EDWARDS WAS FACING TWO COUNTS OF VEHICULAR HOMOCIDE AND FIRST OFFENSE O-W-I BUT REACHED A DEAL IN WHICH HE PLED GUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF VEHICULAR HOMOCIDE AND AGREED TO A SENTENCE OF BETWEEN FIVE AND THIRTY YEARS.
THE SAINT LANDRY PARISH GOVERNMENT IS PLANNING TO ADD TO THE PARISH JAIL. PARISH PRESIDENT JESSE BELLARD SAYS THEY RECENTLY PURCHASED THE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CURRENT JAIL AND WILL TURN IT INTO A TRUSTEE DORM FOR SIXTY INMATES. CURRENTLY THE PARISH HAS THREE HUNDRED FORTY INMATES AND THE PARISH JAIL HAS A LIMIT OF TWO HUNDRED FORTY-TWO INMATES, MEANING SOME ARE BEING HELD OUTSIDE THE PARISH, WHICH IS COSTING AROUND NINETY THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH. RENOVATIONS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE YEAR.