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TOMORROW THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD WILL TALK ABOUT CREATING A NONTRADITIONAL SCHOOL FOR OVER AGE STUDENTS AND OTHERS AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT. SUPERINTENDENT DONALD AGUILLARD TOLD THE ADVOCATE THAT THE DISTRICT IS WORKING TO MOVE FROM OFFERING SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO AN ACTUAL SCHOOL AND DIPLOMA PATHWAY. HE SAYS THE COSTS WOULD BE MINIMAL, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY FUNDING THE COSTS OF THE SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS. THE PROPOSAL WILL BE INTRODUCED AT TOMORROW NIGHT’S BOARD MEETING WITH A FINAL VOTE ON THE SCHOOL AT THEIR SEPTEMBER MEETING.
JURY SELECTION WILL CONTINUE TODAY IN THE TRIAL OF FELIX VAIL, WHO IS ACCUSED OF MURDERING HIS WIFE, MARY HORTON VAIL, IN 1962. THE DEFENSE LAST WEEK HAD INDICATED THEY WOULD SEEK A CHANGE OF VENUE AWAY FROM CALCASIEU PARISH, BECAUSE OF PRETRIAL PUBLICITY. BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO SELECT ELEVEN JURY MEMBERS WHO WERE NOT AWARE OF THE CASE, AND TODAY THEY WILL SEEK ONE MORE MEMBER, PLUS TWO ALTERNATES. VAIL IS ALSO BEING INVESTIGATED FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A GIRLFRIEND, SHARON HENSLEY, AND ANOTHER WIFE, ANNETTE VAIL.
A POLICE OFFICER IN ACADIA PARISH WAS ARRESTED AFTER A DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE INVOLVING HIS WIFE. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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Gov. John Bel Edwards’ top financial adviser says it’s “inevitable” Louisiana will have a deficit to close from the last budget year, though it’s too soon to say how large the gap will be. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said Monday there’s one more week of tax collection data to receive before the books are formally closed on the year that ended June 30. But he told the Baton Rouge Press Club that economists and financial advisers expect a shortfall that will have to be closed over the current budget year. State agencies already were asked to lessen spending as a safeguard against likely cuts.
CONGRESS STREET IN LAFAYETTE, BETWEEN UNIVERSITY AVENUE AND THE SECOND AND THIRD STREET RAILROAD TRACKS, IS BEING REDUCED TO TWO TRAVEL LANES. ONCE THAT SECTION OF ROAD IS RESTRIPED, THE SPEED LIMIT OF 35 MILES AN HOUR IS EXPECTED TO BE REDUCED. THE CHANGES ARE PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN KNOWN AS PLANLAFAYETTE AND THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN. IT’S EXPECTED TO BE MORE PEDESTRIAN AND BIKER FRIENDLY AND LEAD TO MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA.
THE LAKE CHARLES POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS EXHUMED THE BODY OF A MAN MURDERED NEARLY THIRTY YEARS AGO IN AN EFFORT TO SOLVE A COLD CASE. DEPUTY CHIEF MARK KRAUS SAYS NOAH BREAUX WAS MURDERED ON MARCH 15TH, 1987, AND HIS RESIDENCE SET ON FIRE TO COVER UP THE CRIME. HE SAYS THEY NEVER FOUND A MURDER WEAPON, BUT THERE WERE MULTIPLE FRACTURES TO HIS SKULL. KRAUS SAYS DETECTIVES WILL USE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO BEGIN COLLECTING BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE.
GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS WAS IN JEANERETTE YESTERDAY TO VIEW PROGRESS ON THE L-A 318 INTERCHANGE PROJECT AT HIGHWAY 90. THE PROJECT, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER OF NEXT YEAR, WILL CONVERT THE INTERSECTION INTO A FULL ACCESS INTERCHANGE THAT WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO L-A 318 FROM HIGHWAY 90. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY SHAWN WILSON SAYS THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO BUILD AN OVERPASS THERE, BUT IT WAS CONSIDERED TOO COSTLY AND WOULD TAKE LONGER TO COMPLETE. GOVERNOR EDWARDS SAYS THE PROJECT IS A MAJOR STEP IN MAKING HIGHWAY 90 INTERSTATE READY.
The number of Louisiana high school students, who did well enough on Advanced Placement exams to qualify for college credit, increased by 11 percent this year. Louisiana’s education department said in a Monday news release that 8,548 students earned qualifying scores of 3, 4 or 5 on Advanced Placement tests in 2016. That’s up from 7,703 in 2015. The department said the increase was attributable to an increased number of students taking the tests and growth in the percentage of test-takers achieving qualifying scores.
