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THE EIGHT MEMBER 2018 CLASS FOR THE LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME WAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY AND FOUR OF THE MEMBERS HAVE TIES TO ACADIANA. NOTRE DAME COACH LEWIS COOK, WHO WON FOUR STATE TITLES AND HAD TEAMS IN THE FINALS ELEVEN TIMES, IS GOING INTO THE HALL. ALSO COMEAUX HIGH, U-L LAFAYETTE AND NFL WIDE RECEIVER BRANDON STOKLEY, RAYNE NATIVE AND ACCOMPLISHED BASS FISHERMAN JACK HAINS AND FORMER U-L AND L-S-U TENNIS COACH JERRY SIMMONS ARE PART OF THE 2018 CLASS. THEY WILL BE ENSHRINED INTO THE LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME NEXT JUNE.
LAKE CHARLES POLICE HAVE MADE AN ARREST IN CONNECTION WITH A SHOOTING MONDAY MORNING ON NORTH SIMMONS STREET. ONE MAN WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST AND LEFT WITHOUT AID FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE POLICE WERE CALLED. DEPUTY CHIEF MARK KRAUS SAYS THE VICTIM TOLD POLICE HE WAS SHOT BY A MAN CALLED “BEETLEJUICE”, WHO WAS LATER IDENTIFIED AS 39-YEAR-OLD DAMIEN ALLEN. POLICE ARRESTED ALLEN, WHO HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED SECOND DEGREE MURDER AND HIS BOND WAS SET AT 150 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
A HISTORIC BUILDING IN EUNICE WAS DESTROYED BY A FIRE EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. TWO BUSINESSES WERE HOUSED IN THE BUILDING, CREADEUR’S PAINT AND BODY SHOP AND WENNER FLOORING. MAYOR SCOTT FONTENOT TELLS KATC TV THAT THE BUILDING, LOCATED ON NORTH C-C DUSON STREET, WAS BUILT BY FORMER MAYOR WILSON MOOSA IN THE 1950’S. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been ramping up preparations for Hurricane Irma as it barreled toward the Florida coast. And that’s even as the agency continued the massive recovery effort in storm-battered Texas. It’s a one-two punch of powerful storms certain to strain the agency’s quickly dwindling coffers. The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed $7.9 billion in Harvey disaster relief as warring Republicans and Democrats united to help victims of the storm in Louisiana and Texas.
LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF MARK GARBER WAS EFFUSIVE IN HIS PRAISE AND THANKS FOR THOSE WHO SEARCHED FOR AND FOUND HIS SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER CORA AND HER BABYSITTER, 21-YEAR-OLD JULIANA BROOKS, TUESDAY MORNING. GARBER SAYS HE HAD RETURNED HOME MONDAY AFTERNOON FROM FLOOD RESCUE MISSIONS IN TEXAS WHEN HE DISCOVERED THE TWO WERE GONE. ALMOST 400 PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED IN THE SEARCH AND WHEN TWO MEN RADIOED THAT THEY FOUND CORA AND BROOKS, GARBER SAYS HE COLLAPSED IN HIS BOAT AND CRIED WITH COMPLETE JOY. HE DESCRIBED BROOKS AS VIGILANT FOR HAVING GOTTEN OUT OF THE CANOE THEY WERE IN SEVERAL TIMES TO PULL THE BOAT THROUGH WATER TOO THICK FOR PADDLING AND GETTING IT TO A DOCK SEVEN MILES FROM HOME TO WAIT FOR A RESCUE.
LAKE CHARLES MAYOR NIC HUNTER HONORED MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE FROM THE LAKE AREA FOR THEIR EFFORTS DURING LAST WEEK’S STORM. THEY INCLUDED A FIRE FIGHTER, A POLICE OFFICER, A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, AND THE PRESIDENT OF LAKE CHARLES PIT BULL RESCUE. BARBE HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE AUSTIN DELLAFOSSE, WHO SPENT TIME WITH FAMILIES AFFECTED BY HARVEY’S FLOODING, SAYS HE TRIED TO KEEP THEIR FAITH STRONG THROUGH THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE. KRIS FONTENOT, A CHAPLAIN WITH SOUTHERN BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF SAYS HE HELPED BECAUSE JESUS SAID TO GO DO IT.
JEFF HORCHAK HAS NEW INFORMATION ON A FARMING ACCIDENT IN CROWLEY.
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The nearly $300 million price tag for Louisiana’s much-beloved free college tuition program is sparking continued disagreement over whether the state can continue to afford paying for thousands to attend college each year. TOPS is credited with improving high school performance and college graduation rates in a poor state that has struggled to boost education attainment. But its costs have shot up to an estimated $291 million this school year, as more students reached the eligibility standards and as tuition on college campuses rose. Lawmakers created a study group to wade into the thorny discussion, which held its first meeting yesterday.
