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TONIGHT THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD WILL CONSIDER PURCHASING FOUR ACRES OF PROPERTY BEHIND THE DAVID THIBODEAUX STEM MAGNET ACADEMY. THE LAND, ALONG WITH CLOSING COSTS AND INSPECTIONS, COULD COST A TOTAL OF 65 THOUSAND DOLLARS. THAT’S SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE 2011 APPRAISED VALUE FOR THE PROPERTY. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM’S FACILITIES DIRECTOR KYLE BORDELON SAYS, IF THE SCHOOL BOARD PURCHASES THE PROPERTY, IT WILL ENABLE THE SCHOOL TO PLAN FOR ITS FUTURE, WHICH COULD INCLUDE ADDING ATHLETIC FIELDS.
LAKE CHARLES POLICE WENT TO PRAIRIEVILLE LAST WEEK TO QUESTION A SUSPECT IN THE 2001 DEATH OF A NINE-DAY-OLD BOY. 37-YEAR-OLD BENJAMIN TONGUIS, THE FATHER OF THE INFANT, WAS ARRESTED LAST WEEK IN ASCENSION PARISH ON 48 CHARGES RELATED TO THE RAPE OF A 13-YEAR-OLD. TONGUIS WAS SUSPECTED OF PLACING HIS SON, TRISTAN, IN A FREEZER DURING THE NIGHT, BUT THE CHARGES WERE DROPPED IN 2011 BECAUSE OF A LACK OF EVIDENCE. LAKE CHARLES DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF MARK KRAUS SAYS THE CASE WAS NEVER CLOSED AND HE IS STILL A SUSPECT. TONGUIS’ WIFE, AMY, PLED GUILTY IN 2002 TO ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT TO MURDER, AND AGREED TO TESTIFY AGAINST HIM AS PART OF A PLEA AGREEMENT.
A 73-YEAR-OLD ST. LANDRY PARISH WOMAN WAS KILLED IN AN EARLY MORNING HOUSE FIRE YESTERDAY. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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Louisiana’s business lobbying groups are calling a centerpiece of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s budget proposal for next year a multimillion-dollar tax hike on business.
Jindal wants to lessen spending on refundable tax credits, in which the state pays out more than the taxes owed. He proposes to use the savings for public colleges and health care services. Business organizations are objecting to the most expensive tax break targeted for scale-back: the inventory tax credit, which refunds businesses for paying local property taxes on their inventory.
PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARE GATHERING IN LAFAYETTE THIS WEEKEND FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL ZYDECO MARATHON. SO FAR, 21-HUNDRED PEOPLE HAVE REGISTERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RACE, INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM FORTY DIFFERENT STATES AND FOUR OTHER COUNTRIES. SOME STREETS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WILL BE CLOSED BETWEEN SEVEN SUNDAY MORNING AND TWO THAT AFTERNOON. THIS INCLUDES JEFFERSON STREET, THE SAINT STREETS, THE U-L LAFAYETTE CAMPUS AND GIRARD PARK.
ANOTHER ARREST HAS BEEN MADE IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH AND ROBBERY OF 73-YEAR-OLD CHARLES RAYMOND TALEN OF LAKE ARTHUR. JEFF DAVIS PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SPOKESMAN CHRIS IVEY SAYS THEY ARRESTED 41-YEAR-OLD RODERICK CAWTHORNE SENIOR OF YOUNGSVILLE, FOR ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT. CAWTHORNE IS THE FATHER OF ONE OF THE TWO PEOPLE SUSPECTED OF MURDERING TALEN. IVEY SAYS CAWTHORNE LED INVESTIGATORS TO A LOCATION IN SCOTT, WHERE 46 GOLD COINS, VALUED AT FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, WERE RECOVERED.
A JEANERETTE WOMAN HAS FILED A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT AGAINST IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF LOUIS ACKAL AND A DEPUTY WHO ARRESTED HER CHILD’S FATHER, VICTOR WHITE THE THIRD. WHITE DIED FROM, WHAT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND CORONER SAY, WAS A SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND, WHILE IN THE BACK OF A PATROL CAR. THE LAWSUIT BY SHANDELL BRADLEY CLAIMS SHERIFF ACKAL TOLERATES EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE BY HIS DEPUTIES AND DOES NOT ADEQUATELY TRAIN THEM. THE SUIT ALSO CLAIMS THAT THE DEPUTY, CORPORAL JUSTIN ORTIS, BEAT WHITE ON THE NIGHT OF THE ARREST AND FAILED TO ADEQUATELY PROTECT HIM WHILE IN CUSTODY.
The threat of closure for a 26-year-old business program that helps small businesses apply for government contracts appears to have been averted. Gov. Bobby Jindal included the $185,000 needed to save the Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center in his budget proposal for next year. Legislative support is expected. The program is housed at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and has four counseling centers around the state.
