KAJN Jesus FM 102.9


6-15-16

DISTRICT ATTORNEY KEITH STUTES VOLUNTARY DROPPED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT.  STUTES HAD FILED THE LAWSUIT IN A DISPUTE OVER THE FUNDING OF HIS AGENCY.  ON JUNE SEVENTH, THE COUNCIL VOTED TO CUT 600 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S BUDGET.  FOLLOWING A COURT HEARING YESTERDAY WHERE THE LAWSUIT WAS DISMISSED, STUTES TOLD THE DAILY ADVERTISER THAT IT’S TIME FOR HIM TO BE PROSECUTING AND NOT LITIGATING.

 

LOTTE CHEMICAL AND AXIALL CORPORATION BROKE GROUND YESTERDAY FOR TWO MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WILL BE BUILT IN CALCASIEU PARISH.  A ONE-POINT-9 BILLION DOLLAR ETHYLENE CRACKER WILL BE BUILT NEXT TO AXIALL’S EXISTING MANUFACTURING PLANTS IN CALCASIEU PARISH, WHILE NEXT TO IT A ONE-POINT-ONE BILLION DOLLAR MONOETHYLENE GLYCOL PRODUCTION FACILITY WILL BE CONSTRUCTED.  IT’S EXPECTED TO RESULT IN 215 WELL-PAYING DIRECT JOBS AND ABOUT TWO THOUSAND CONSTRUCTION JOBS.  THE SOUTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR, HO-YOUNG AHN, ATTENDED THE CEREMONY BECAUSE LOTTE CHEMICAL IS A SOUTH KOREAN COMPANY.

 

THE OCCUPANTS OF TWO VEHICLES WERE ALLEGEDLY ENGAGED IN A SHOOTOUT YESTERDAY AROUND NOON IN NEW IBERIA.  IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF LOUIS ACKAL SAYS THE PEOPLE IN THE VEHICLES WERE SHOOTING AT EACH OTHER DURING A CHASE ON PERSHING STREET.  AN ELDERLY WOMAN’S HOME WAS HIT BY A BULLET AS WELL AS SOME BUSINESSES, BUT NO ONE WAS INJURED.  SHERIFF ACKAL SAYS THEY DON’T HAVE A MOTIVE FOR THE SHOOTING YET, BUT BELIEVE IT WAS GANG RELATED.

 

New figures show Louisiana’s economy slowed in 2015, but expanding refineries and chemical plants kept growth alive despite low oil prices, a shrinking private service sector and lower government activity.  Gross domestic product numbers released Tuesday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis try to measure all the economic output of each state.  Louisiana’s economy grew 1.7 percent in 2015, down from 1.9 percent in 2014.  Nationwide, economic output rose 2.4 percent during 2015.

 

NEW HOMES SALES ARE WAY DOWN IN LAFAYETTE PARISH FOR THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.  THE SALES OF NEW HOMES ARE DOWN 18-POINT-6 PERCENT FROM 447 SOLD BETWEEN JANUARY THROUGH MAY OF 2015 TO 364 THIS YEAR.  BILL BACQUE OF VAN EATON AND ROMERO TOLD THE MEMBERS OF THE ACADIAN HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION THAT EXISTING HOME SALES ARE DOWN EIGHT PERCENT OVER THAT SAME PERIOD.  HOWEVER, HE SAYS,  THE MEDIAN PRICE FOR NEW HOMES IS DOWN ONLY HALF A PERCENT WHILE EXISTING HOME PRICES ARE OFF BY TWO PERCENT.

 

THE CALCASIEU PARISH SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED A NEW FOUR YEAR CONTRACT FOR SUPERINTENDENT KARL BRUCHAUS.  HIS SALARY WAS RAISED TO 170 THOUSAND DOLLARS.  SOME BOARD MEMBERS WERE UPSET ABOUT A CLAUSE IN THE CONTRACT THAT SAID, IF A SCHOOL OR THE DISTRICT FAILS TO MEET PERFORMANCE TARGETS, IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FAILURE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.  AFTER AN HOUR’S DEBATE, THE CLAUSE REMAINED IN THE CONTRACT THAT WAS APPROVED.

 

THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHURCH POINT HOUSING AUTHORITY IS BEHIND BARS ON SUSPICION OF DRUNK DRIVING.  JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.

 

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Louisiana’s debate about the federal REAL ID security law appears to be over.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a new law Tuesday that will let Louisiana’s drivers decide whether they want a license that complies with the federal law or one that does not.  That ends years of state haggling over the issue, doing away with a state ban on compliance enacted in 2008.  Karen St. Germain, commissioner of the Office of Motor Vehicles, hopes to have REAL ID licenses ready to go by Sept. 1.