9-19-23
A FORMER SERGEANT FOR THE ESTHERWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BONDED OUT OF JAIL AND FACES FELONY COUNTS OF INDECENT BEHAVIOR WITH JUVENILES AND OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. GREGORY MIRE AND HIS WIFE, EMILY, WHO WAS AN ESTHERWOOD POLICE CAPTAIN, WERE ARRESTED EARLIER THIS YEAR ON MULTIPLE CHARGES. THEY BOTH WERE FIRED FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN LATE JUNE. EMILY MIRE IS AN ALDERWOMAN AND MAYOR PRO-TEM.
JOE DUPREE-ANDERSON HAS BEEN APPOINTED CHIEF OF MINORITY AFFAIRS FOR THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT. HE REPLACES CARLOS HARVIN, WHO RESIGNED LAST MONTH DURING AN ON-GOING INVESTIGATION INTO A YOUTH TRIP HE ORGANIZED. FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, ANDERSON HAS SERVED AS TRANSITIONAL COORDINATOR FOR THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE, HELPING RELEASED PRISONERS TRANSITION BACK TO SOCIETY. ANDERSON SAYS IN A PRESS RELEASE HE LOOKS FORWARD TO WORK TO MAKE LAFAYETTE A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND TO CALL THIS PLACE HOME.
ELEVANCE HEALTH IS LOOKING TO BUY BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD FOR TWO-POINT-FIVE BILLION DOLLARS. THERE’S CONCERN THAT POLICYHOLDERS COULD FACE HIGHER PREMIUMS IF THE SALE IS APPROVED. STATE SENATOR GERALD BOUDREAUX SAYS A COMMITTEE HAS BEEN PUT IN PLACE TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MATTER ON OCTOBER FOURTH AND FIFTH IN BATON ROUGE AND VIA ZOOM.
THE TIGER ISLAND FIRE FLARED UP AGAIN SUNDAY EVENING AFTER WEEKS OF CONTAINMENT. DANIELLE DUNCAN HAS MORE.
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A WOMAN SUFFERED NON-LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES AFTER A VEHICLE SHE WAS SITTING IN WAS STRUCK BY SEVERAL ROUNDS OF GUNFIRE. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER TEN LAST NIGHT NEAR ACADEMY AND LAURENT STREETS IN OPELOUSAS. IT’S BELIEVED THE SHOTS WERE FIRED FROM A PASSING VEHICLE. IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF THE WOMAN WAS STRUCK BY BULLETS OR BY FRAGMENTS RESULTING FROM SHOTS HITTING THE VEHICLE.
WITH LESS THAN A MONTH BEFORE THE PRIMARY ELECTION, LAFAYETTE MAYOR PRESIDENT JOSH GUILLORY HAS THE MOST CASH ON HAND IN HIS REELECTION CAMPAIGN AGAINST TWO CHALLENGERS. GUILLORY HAS MORE THAN FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, TWICE AS MUCH AS CHALLENGER MONIQUE BLANCO BOULET AND THREE TIMES AS MUCH AS JAN SWIFT. GUILLORY AND BOULET BOTH RAISED AROUND TWO HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS THIS YEAR, BUT GUILLORY HAD MORE THAN FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND TO START. SWIFT RAISED ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS, ACCORDING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS FILED EARLIER THIS MONTH.
LOUISIANA STATE POLICE ARE WARNING RESIDENTS ABOUT A SCAM IN WHICH THE SCAMMERS ARE CLAIMING TO BE WITH STATE POLICE. IMPERSONATORS ARE REPORTEDLY CONTACTING THE PHONES OF POTENTIAL VICTIMS BY USING A CALL THAT GIVES THE APPEARANCE OF THE LOUISIANA STATE POLICE. THEY HAVE RECEIVED COMPLAINTS THAT THE CALLER PRETENDS TO BE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN PERSONAL INFORMATION AND MONEY FROM THE VICTIMS. THE LOUISIANA STATE POLICE STRESS THAT CITIZENS SHOULD NEVER GIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION TO UNSOLICITED CALLERS BECAUSE AUTHORITIES WOULD NEVER ASK FOR PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OR PAYMENTS OVER THE PHONE.
PLANS ARE IN THE WORKS TO CONVERT A LONG-CLOSED COMMUNITY SWIMMING POOL IN NEW IBERIA INTO A SKATEPARK. ARCHITECT DAVID ALLAIN, WHO IS THE PROJECT MANAGER, SAYS NEW IBERIA SAW AN OPPORTUNITY WITH THE SWIMMING POOL THAT HAD BEEN RETIRED. THE FOUR HUNDRED FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLAR COST WILL BE PARTLY FUNDED BY AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT MONEY AND IT WILL REPLACE THE TWENTY-YEAR-OLD SKATEPARK IN NEW IBERIA CITY PARK. ALLAIN SAYS HE HOPES TO FIND A BIDDER AND BEGIN CONSTRUCTION IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND HAVE IT COMPLETED BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
