7-30-15
AN ESTIMATED THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE ATTENDED A CITYWIDE PRAYER SERVICE HELD AT CROSSROADS CHURCH IN LAFAYETTE LAST NIGHT. ONE OF THE SPEAKERS WAS A SURVIVOR IN LAST THURSDAY’S THEATRE SHOOTING, JENA MEAUX, A TEACHER AT JEANERETTE SENIOR HIGH. SHE WAS SHOT IN THE LEG AND MANAGED TO PULL THE FIRE ALARM THAT ALERTED AUTHORITIES. SHE SAYS, THOUGH THERE WAS EVIL IN THAT THEATRE, SHE SAW SO MANY INSTANCES OF GOD’S PRESENCE, AND CREDITED HIM WITH SPARING HER LIFE.
A SINGLE VEHICLE CRASH NEAR OAKDALE YESTERDAY MORNING RESULTED IN ONE DEATH. ACCORDING TO STATE POLICE TROOP D, 38-YEAR-OLD JEREMY DRAKE OF OAKDALE WAS DRIVING AN S-U-V WEST ON RIVER DAM ROAD NEAR THE L-A 11-52 INTERSECTION, WHEN HE LEFT THE ROADWAY AND TRAVELED 140 FEET BEFORE STRIKING A TREE. DRAKE WASN’T WEARING A SEATBELT AND WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE, WHILE HIS PASSENGER, 36-YEAR-OLD TABITHA JOHNSON OF OAKDALE, WHO ALSO WASN’T WEARING A SEATBELT, WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS INJURIES. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE DRAKE MAY HAVE BEEN IMPAIRED, WHICH WOULD BE A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT.
TWO LOUISIANA SUGAR COOPERATIVE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING BRASS FITTINGS FROM THE FACTORY IN ST. MARTINVILLE. THE ST. MARTIN PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION TUESDAY WHICH LED TO THE ARREST OF 41-YEAR-OLD JAMES ALEXANDER OF BREAUX BRIDGE AND 57-YEAR-OLD JIMMY BATISTE OF ST. MARTINVILLE. THEY HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF STOLEN THINGS OVER 15-HUNDRED DOLLARS. THEY WERE BOOKED INTO THE ST. MARTIN PARISH JAIL AND ARE WAITING FOR THEIR BOND TO BE SET.
With deep budget cuts dodged by Louisiana’s public colleges, national credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s has removed five higher education institutions from a negative credit watch. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration announced the credit decision Wednesday. The move by S&P indicates the institutions aren’t facing the short-term possibility of a rating downgrade. S&P’s decision affects the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Nicholls State University, the University of New Orleans Research Foundation, LSU’s Bogalusa Community Medical Center Project and the Delgado Community College Foundation.
The Lafayette Parish School Board will consider changes to its high school grading practices at its Aug. 5 meeting as part of recommendations to update the pupil progression plan. The Advocate reports the pupil progression plan is updated annually. The proposed high school grading changes are based on ecommendations from teachers and administrators to ensure the same grading weight is applied to certain assessments when calculating a student’s overall grade in a course. Earlier this month, Chief Academic Officer Annette Samec said the principals were concerned about how grading policies vary from school to school and teacher to teacher.
IT’S BEEN MORE THAN TWO YEARS SINCE A DEVELOPER PURCHASED THE OLD SEARS BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN LAKE CHARLES, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO VISIBLE SIGNS THAT F-P-L IS MOVING FORWARD WITH DEVELOPING THE SITE. MAYOR RANDY ROACH SAYS THE COMPANY HAS UNTIL DECEMBER OF NEXT YEAR TO COMPLETE PLANS TO TURN IT INTO A TWENTY MILLION DOLLAR MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT. HE TELLS KPLC TV THAT ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT F-L-P IS MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF PUTTING THE PROJECT TOGETHER. ROACH SAYS IF THEY MISS THE DEADLINE, THE CITY HAS THE OPTION OF TAKING THE PROPERTY BACK AND RETURNING THEIR MONEY.
TWO WEEKS AGO, THE LOUISIANA ETHICS BOARD VOTED TO CHARGE VERMILLION PARISH SHERIFF MIKE COUVILLON WITH VIOLATING AN ETHICS LAW, WHICH PROHIBITS PUBLIC SERVANTS FROM ENTERING INTO CONTRACTS OR TRANSACTIONS WITH THE AGENCIES THEY SERVE. COUVILLON PURCHASED A 106 THOUSAND DOLLAR HOME FOR 58 THOUSAND DOLLARS AT A SHERIFF’S AUCTION LAST YEAR. THE HOME HAD BEEN SEIZED BY VERMILLION PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES IN NOVEMBER OF 2013. COUVILLON QUESTIONED THE TIMING OF THE CHARGES COMING DURING ELECTION SEASON, BUT TELLS KATC TV THAT HE IS CONFIDENT HE DID EVERYTHING PROPERLY AND ACCORDING TO THE LAW.
THE SECOND SUSPECT IN THE SUNNYSIDE LANE SHOOTING IN LAFAYETTE, 37-YEAR-OLD LAWRENCE BLACKBURN, WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY POLICE WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN BATON ROUGE. JEFF HORCHEK HAS MORE.
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