7-12-16
HOME SALES IN LAFAYETTE PARISH ARE DOWN MORE THAN SIX PERCENT FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR WHEN COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, IT COULD BE A LOT WORSE. BILL BACQUE OF VAN EATON AND ROMERO TELLS THE DAILY ADVERTISER THAT LOW INTEREST RATES HAVE PREVENTED A MARKET COLLAPSE WITH THE LOCAL ECONOMY SUSTAINING SO MANY JOB LOSSES IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY. ACROSS ACADIANA, HOME SALES ARE OFF BY TWO-POINT-82 PERCENT OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.
THE JURY FOR KEVIN DAIGLE’S FIRST DEGREE MURDER TRIAL IN LAKE CHARLES WILL BE SELECTED FROM BENTON, LOUISIANA BECAUSE OF PRETRIAL PUBLICITY. DAIGLE IS CHARGED FOR THE SHOOTING DEATH OF STATE TROOPER STEVEN VINCENT, AND HE WILL ALSO GO TO TRIAL LATER FOR THE MURDER OF HIS ROOMMATE, BLAKE BREWER. JUDGE GUY BRADBERRY ALSO DECIDED TO MOVE BACK THE TRIAL DATE FROM SEPTEMBER 19TH TO MARCH 13TH. THE PROSECUTION WILL SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY IF DAIGLE IS CONVICTED.
A New Iberia man says he has started a petition to remove Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal from office. Donald Broussard tells The Daily Iberian that he has filed the petition with the Louisiana’s Secretary of State’s office to force a recall election. Broussard recently helped organize a rally and voter registration drive against Ackal, who is currently facing conspiracy and civil rights charges as part of an ongoing federal investigation of the sheriff’s office. Broussard says he is confident he will gather the more than 15,000 signatures needed to force the recall election.
GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS SAYS HE’S RECEIVED CRITICISM FROM BOTH SIDES FOR HIS RESPONSE TO THE POLICE SHOOTING OF ALTON STERLING. EDWARDS CALLED VIDEO OF THE SHOOTING DISTURBING, AND HE SAYS SOME TOOK THAT AS A CONDEMNATION OF THE OFFICERS. HE SAYS WHEN HE DIDN’T CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE ARREST AND PROSECUTION OF THE OFFICERS, IT WAS TAKEN BY SOME AS NOT STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE. EDWARDS TELLS THE USA TODAY NETWORK OF LOUISIANA THAT PEOPLE ARE SCARED TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SHOOTING BECAUSE THEY’LL BE BLASTED AS EITHER RACIST OR BLINDLY PRO-LAW ENFORCEMENT.
HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ATTENDED A PEACE RALLY AND WALK IN DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE LAST NIGHT. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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WELSH POLICE DISARMED A MAN SUNDAY NIGHT WHO POINTED A SHOTGUN AT AN OFFICER. ACCORDING TO POLICE, 26-YEAR-OLD TAYLOR MYERS HAD BEEN IN A DRUNKEN, PHYSICAL ARGUMENT WITH A FAMILY MEMBER. OFFICERS RESPONDED TO A DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE CALL AND, WHEN THEY ENTERED THE HOME ON SOUTH SIMMONS STREET, MYERS AIMED A GUN AT AN OFFICER. OFFICERS DISARMED MYERS AND HE WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH SIMPLE BATTERY AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER WITH A FIREARM.
A MERRYVILLE MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR KILLING A PERSON NEAR MORSE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. A WITNESS TOLD AUTHORITIES THAT 32-YEAR-OLD RYAN TUCKER STRUCK THE VICTIM IN THE HEAD WITH AN OBJECT, THEN PUT THAT PERSON IN A VEHICLE AND FLED THE SCENE. DEPUTIES WITH THE BEAUREGARD AND ALLEN PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE LATER STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND, DURING THE STOP, IT WAS DETERMINED THE VICTIM WAS DEAD. ACADIA PARISH SHERIFF K-P GIBSON WOULD NOT RELEASE THE NAME OF THE VICTIM BUT TOLD THE ADVOCATE THAT THE PERSON WAS FROM BEAUREGARD PARISH AND KNEW TUCKER.
Federal biologists are predicting a brown shrimp season about 30 percent below average in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana and Texas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday the western Gulf produces an average of 56.4 million pounds of shrimp a year. But this year, its forecast is for 39.2 million pounds: about 21.9 million caught off Louisiana and 17.3 million caught off Texas.
NOAA says record spring rains led to large amounts of fresh water in the estuaries where young shrimp grow.
