7-26-23
THE CHARGES AGAINST A FORMER SAINT THOMAS MORE HIGH SCHOOL COACH AND TEACHER HAVE BEEN REVEALED. ANGEL CARDONA IS FACING CHARGES OF ENTICEMENT OF A MINOR TO SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND ATTEMPTED PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. CARDONA, WHO WAS HIRED AFTER THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, WAS FIRED AFTER HIS ARREST. A PRELIMINARY HEARING HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY AT TEN A-M AND CARDONA, WHO WAIVED HIS RIGHT TO A DETENTION HEARING, WILL REMAIN IN CUSTODY.
NEW IBERIA POLICE HAVE MADE AN ARREST IN CONNECTION WITH A SHOOTING DEATH AT THE SOUTHERN COMFOR INN AND SUITES TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE BODY OF THIRTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD ERNEST BERNARD OF LAFAYETTE, WAS FOUND BY POLICE UPSTAIRS AT A ROOM HE WAS RENTING AT THE HOTEL. JASIAH LEWIS HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH SECOND-DEGREE MURDER AND BOOKED INTO THE IBERIA PARISH JAIL. ACCORDING TO POLICE, LEWIS’ MOTHER TURNED HIM INTO THE AUTHORITIES AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
STATE SENATOR GERALD BOUDREAUX AND THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ARE HOLDING TOWN HALL MEETINGS ACROSS THE STATE TARGETING WOMEN’S NEEDS. DANIELLE DUNCAN HAS MORE.
VOICER R :24
Louisiana’s wildlife and fisheries department says about 10,000 red drum fingerlings will be stocked in the Calcasieu Lake estuary. The effort is part of a pilot project to investigate the biological and ecological efficacy of stocking waterways with hatchery-raised fish. The fish are expected to be stocked later this year or in 2024. Assistant Secretary for Fisheries Patrick Banks says the state has a 1.5 million fish deficit in the red drum population and stocking efforts won’t be the only tool to solve the state’s issue.
LAFAYETTE UTILITIES SYSTEM IS BUILDING AN UPDATED ELECTRIC PLANT THAT WILL BE CLEANER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND MORE COST-EFFICIENT. THE LOUIS DOC BONIN ELECTRIC PLANT ON WALKER ROAD, WHICH WAS SHUT DOWN IN TWENTY-THIRTEEN, WILL BE DEMOLISHED AND THE NEW PLANT WILL BE BUILT IN ITS PLACE. DIRECTOR JEFF STEWART SAYS CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEW PLANT IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN TWENTY-TWENTY-SIX AND BE COMPLETED TWO YEARS LATER. STEWART SAYS THE COST OF THE NEW PLANT IS ESTIMATED AT THREE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS AND MODERATE RATE HIKES ARE EXPECTED BUT THE AMOUNT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED.
A NEW COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM IN SAINT LANDRY PARISH GIVES LOW INCOME RESIDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUY THEIR FIRST HOME. COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR SHAWNEE MILBURN SAYS A FIVE-OH-TWO LOAN PROGRAM MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR RESIDENTS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR LOANS AND GOVERNMENT-BACKED GRANTS TO PAY FOR A DECENT, SAFE HOME IN ELIGIBLE RURAL AREAS. PARISH PRESIDENT JESSIE BELLARD SAYS THE PROGRAM COULD IMPACT CRIME BY GETTING MORE CHILDREN OUT OF PUBLIC HOUSING. THOSE INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR THE PROGRAM CAN CALL SHAWNEE MILBURN AT NINE-FOUR-EIGHT-THIRTY-SIX-EIGHTY-EIGHT, EXTENSION EIGHTEEN-FIFTEEN.
A NEW REPORT BY THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION RANKED LOUISIANA SECOND-TO-LAST AMONG THE FIFTY STATES FOR OVERALL CHILD WELLBEING. THE REPORT BREAKS DOWN ITS OVERALL WELLBEING FINDINGS BY LOOKING AT THE STATE’S ECONOMIC WELLBEING, EDUCATION AND HEALTH, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY FACTORS FOR CHILDREN. LOUISIANA RANKED LAST IN ECONOMIC WELLBEING. THE STATE WAS SECOND TO LAST IN THE HEALTH, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY FACTORS CATEGORY AND FORTY-THIRD IN EDUCATION.
THE EVANGELINE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS LOOKING FOR A TEENAGE RUNAWAY. FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD AMYA LIRISA MOTHERSPAU WALKED AWAY FROM HER HOME IN REDDELL, A COMMUNITY NORTH OF MAMOU, ON MONDAY NIGHT. A NOTE WAS LEFT IN HER ROOM SAYING SHE WAS RUNNING AWAY AND HER PHONE WAS FOUND IN A DITCH ABOUT A BLOCK FROM HER HOME. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF AMYA SHOULD CALL THE EVANGELINE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
