9-23-24
A BICYCLIST WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE IN LAFAYETTE JUST BEFORE EIGHT-THIRTY LAST NIGHT. THE BICYCLIST WAS TRYING TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION OF MUDD AVENUE AND NORTHWEST EVANGELINE THRUWAY BUT WAS HIT BY A SOUTHBOUND VEHICLE. THE BICYCLIST WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE WAS UNINJURED. A LAFAYETTE POLICE TRAFFIC UNIT WAS ON THE SCENE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION.
A FATAL CRASH INVOLVING A BICYCLIST IN JEFF DAVIS PARISH FRIDAY AFTERNOON JUST BEFORE FOUR IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD KALEB ISTRE OF JENNINGS WAS TRAVELING IN THE WESTBOUND LANE OF HIGHWAY NINETY NEAR L-A ELEVEN-TWENTY-SIX. THE DRIVER OF A WESTBOUND PICKUP TRUCK STRUCK HIM FROM THE REAR, CAUSING HIM TO BE EJECTED. ISTRE, WHO WASN’T WEARING A HELMET, DIED AT THE SCENE.
LOUISIANA IS ESTIMATED TO RECEIVE NEARLY SIX HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT EIGHTEEN YEARS FROM A TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE SETTLEMENT WITH PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES OVER OPIODS. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A STATE TASK FORCE OVERSEEING SETTLEMENT FUNDS, WHICH MET IN BATON ROUGE FRIDAY. THE SETTLEMENT REQUIRES THE MORE THAN FORTY STATES RECEIVING FUNDS TO USE IT TO STEM OVERDOSES AND OTHER REPERCUSSIONS FROM WIDESPREAD OPIOD USE. LOUISIANA’S PLAN IS TO DISTRIBUTE THE MONEY TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND SHERIFF’S OFFICES.
AN OFF-DUTY STATE TROOPER FROM LAKE CHARLES WAS INVOLVED IN A PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION AT SATURDAY’S L-S-U FOOTBALL GAME. THE CONFRONTATION WAS BETWEEN THIRTY-YEAR-OLD ARTELLUS BELLARD AND TWO OTHER MEN. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION, POLICE DETERMINED BELLARD STARTED THE FIGHT FOLLOWING AN ARGUMENT. BELLARD, WHO’S BEEN WITH STATE POLICE TROOP D SINCE TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE, WAS CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF SIMPLE BATTERY.
THE SCOTT FIRE DEPARTMENT AND A LAFAYETTE HAZMAT UNIT RESPONDED TO A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. IT HAPPENED AT A BUSINESS IN THE TWO HUNDRED BLOCK OF NORTH FIELDSPAN ROAD. A VALVE ON A TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE GALLON TOTE CONTAINING A FLAMMABLE SOLVENT WAS LEAKING. HAZMAT PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO SECURE THE VALVE AND STOP THE LEAK AND A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR WAS CALLED IN TO CLEAN UP THE SPILL.
FEMA IS OPENING A DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER IN MORGAN CITY TODAY TO PROVIDE ONE-ON-ONE HELP TO RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE FRANCINE. IT WILL OPERATE OUT OF THE MORGAN CITY MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY FROM EIGHT TO FIVE. RESIDENTS DON’T HAVE TO GO TO THE CENTER TO APPLY FOR HELP. THEY CAN DO SO ONLINE AT DISASTER ASSISTANCE-DOT-GOV OR CALL EIGHT HUNDRED-SIX-TWO-ONE-THIRTY-THREE-SIXTY-TWO.
THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS WEEKS AWAY. OCTOBER SEVENTH IS THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER IN PERSON OR BY MAIL, WHILE THOSE REGISTERING ONLINE HAVE UNTIL OCTOBER FIFTEENTH. TO REGISTER ONLINE, GO TO THE LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE’S WEBSITE. THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BEGINS ON OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH.
OPELOUSAS POLICE CHIEF GRAIG LEBLANC SAYS THERE’S BEEN A DECREASE IN WEAPON LAW VIOLATIONS AND WEAPON ARRESTS. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVENTY-FIVE WEAPON LAW VIOLATIONS SO FAR THIS YEAR, A THIRTY-THREE PERCENT DECREASE OVER LAST YEAR. THERE WERE EIGHTY-SIX REPORTED WEAPON ARRESTS LAST YEAR BUT THAT NUMBER HAS DROPPED TO FIFTY-NINE WEAPON ARREST SO FAR THIS YEAR. LEBLANC CREDITED A PLAN HE HAD TO CURB VIOLENCE WHEN HE TOOK OFFICE AND HE SAYS HIS OFFICERS ACCEPTED THE PLAN.
