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Lafayette revelers put in a full day of work for beads and other bounty thrown from riders during the city’s Mardi Gras parades. The King’s Parade featuring King Gabriel LXXIII Thomas Reginald Hightower Jr. led the trio of parades followed by floats from the Lafayette Mardi Gras Festival Parade and the KADN/KLAF Independent Parade. The … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The first stretch of a biking and hiking trail that could eventually go from downtown Lafayette into St. Martin Parish is scheduled to open Saturday. The Atakapa-Ishak Trail, named after Native Americans who lived along the Vermilion River, has been in the planning stages for several years. The first phase is … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE -- The Performing Arts Society of Acadiana’s presentation of A Far Cry, the 17-piece string ensemble, March 8 will also feature special daytime performances for students and senior citizens. The ensemble of “rising string virtuosos” will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Heymann Performing Arts Center. The group will also … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — New Superintendent Pat Cooper said he’ll present the district’s goals, proposed by system employees and community members, to the School Board by April 1. Over the next few weeks, teams that Cooper described as “task forces” will analyze three areas of district operations: academics, health and wellness and facilities. … Continue reading →
3 arrested in fight over float's banner LAFAYETTE - Three people were cited for disturbing the peace Tuesday following a woman's attempt to remove a banner from a parade float prior to the KADN/KLAF Independent Parade, according to a police news release. Lafayette police spokesman Cpl. Paul Mouton, in the news release, reported that Erin M. Fitzgerald, 41, approached the float parked … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The National Association of Black Journalists at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will hold a lupus conference from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday in the Student Union. The one-day conference, “The Many Faces of Lupus: What We Know and Don’t Know About … Continue reading →
Authorities recovered $64,000 from the home of a suspected bank robber, who was arrested last week in connection with the Feb. 8 robbery of United Mississippi Bank in Melville, an official said Monday. The Amarillo Police Department arrested Tyrone D. Byers, 32, … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — District Attorney Mike Harson said his office will likely pursue a misdemeanor theft charge against Roxanne Andrus, who is accused of cashing a blank money order paid by a person who signed up for a rehabilitation class offered through the city. Andrus worked as a sentence coordinator for Lafayette Consolidated Government … Continue reading →
BAYOU BOYS: Randol’s, 2320 Kaliste Saloom Road, (337) 981-7080 MEGHAN BROWNE & FRIENDS: Prejean’s, 3480 Interstate 49 N., (337) 896-3247 THE PINE HILL HAINTS; THE PITS; JP HARRIS AND THE TOUGH CHOICES: Blue Moon Saloon, 215 E. … Continue reading →
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana will hold its annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser Saturday at Acadiana Lanes on Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette. Participants are asked to form five-member teams, and each team member is expected to raise donations of at least $40 ($25 for students). Proceeds benefit the local mentor programs of Bigs … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — Chambers of commerce and economic development groups in the Acadiana and Lake Charles areas have announced plans to form a “super region” for economic development. The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance in Lake Charles and others are scheduled to meet in … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE -- The University of Louisiana at Lafayette School of Architecture and Design presents Design Week from Saturday through March 5. Activities begin Saturday with a reception and exhibit featuring the work of students and alumni in the Dean’s Gallery at Fletcher Hall. Events are held in Fletcher Hall, Room 134, unless otherwise … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — About a month after the last bead is flung, the board members of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association will gather together to map out what went right, what went wrong and what everyone can do to make next year’s celebration even better. The debriefing session brings in the association’s 30 … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — Renovations for The David Thibodaux Career and Technical High School are on hold until the completion of a district-wide review of academics and facilities, Superintendent Pat Cooper said. Cooper joined the district as its new superintendent last month. He said any decisions on the renovations, estimated at $21 million, will come after planning … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — A 34-year-old Lafayette man was indicted in federal court this week for allegedly defacing two local churches in February 2011 because of the race, color and ethnicity of their congregations. Brian Toriano Crimiel, who is black, was arrested last year for allegedly spray-painting racial slurs and leaving hate-filled notes strewn about St. James … Continue reading →
VILLE PLATTE — A federal judge has set a May 16 hearing on the Evangeline Parish School Board’s request to end federal oversight in the parish’s decades-old desegregation case. Attorneys for the School Board filed a motion this week seeking “unitary status,” a formal court ruling that the school system has worked to eliminate lingering … Continue reading →
OPELOUSAS — Before a crowd of more than 200 people packing a meeting room Thursday night as the St. Landry Parish School Board grappled with a $4 million budget deficit, the board declined to cut employee medical insurance supplements and to reduce the number of substitute teachers. And under the threat of court action … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a 34-year-old Lafayette man accused in the defacing of two local churches in February 2011, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The grand jury also charged Brian Toriano Crimiel of making a false statement to the FBI, a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release said. Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The Police Department will spend more than $27,000 in emergency funds to replace two retiring police dogs, Police Chief Jim Craft said Thursday. The City-Parish Council approved an emergency ordinance Tuesday that authorized the transfer of $37,325 from the State Seized/Forfeited Property account, the Justice Federal Forfeited Property Account and an account … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — Officials marked the opening of the Cecil J. Picard Center for Childhood Development and Lifelong Learning by paying tribute Thursday to the visions of both Picard and Baton Rouge philanthropist Loyd Rockhold. The work of the center fulfills the “dreams and aspirations” of both men, said Billy Stokes, the center’s director. The … Continue reading →
LEE BENOIT: Pont Breaux’s Cajun Restaurant on the Breaux Bridge Highway, (337) 332-4648 JAMBALAYA: Randol’s, 2320 Kaliste Saloom Road, (337) 981-7080 NOLAN CORMIER & CAJUN HEE HAW: Prejean’s, 3480 I-49 North, (337) 896-3247 SOUL TRACK MIND; VAGABOND SWING: Blue Moon Saloon, 215 E. Convent St. (337) 234-2422 … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — A group working to restore the historic Holy Rosary Institute launched a campaign Thursday to raise money to stabilize the deteriorating main schoolhouse — a project that could cost upwards of $1 million. The African-American parochial school off Carmel Drive opened in 1913 and accepted boarding students from across the country through … Continue reading →
YOUNGSVILLE — The City Council on Wednesday night unanimously approved a master plan for the Youngsville Sports Complex, a 70-acre multi-use recreational facility to be built near Sugar Mill Pond. Voters last year approved a 1-cent sales tax to pay for the facility, which will be located on donated land just south of Sugar … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — School Superintendent Pat Cooper on Wednesday defended his proposal for an assistant with a “doctorate from the university of work” to advise him on district facilities operations. During the School Board meeting, Cooper pitched the creation of a special assistant to the superintendent position to serve as an adviser on facilities, maintenance, grounds … Continue reading →
VILLE PLATTE — Evangeline Parish Superintendent Toni Hamlin told the School Board on Wednesday that she is “flabbergasted” by a new state policy on evaluating schools. Hamlin said she and members of her staff recently participated in a conference call with new State Superintendent of Education John White, during which they learned that each school … Continue reading →
NEW IBERIA — The Iberia Parish School Board unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday that takes $505,000 of tobacco settlement funds to pay for summer remedial courses. Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Carey Laviolette told the board that the state used to pay for summer remediation classes for students who failed the Louisiana Education Assessment Program, Graduation … Continue reading →
A 24-year-old Jeanerette woman died Wednesday morning after a vehicle struck her while she was sitting in the right lane of U.S. 90, State Police said in a news release. State Police said a truck driven by Michael Johnson, 52, of West Monroe, struck Moneshia Iyeumame … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — United Way of Acadiana and television station KATC will hold a “Day of Literacy” book drive Thursday to collect new and gently-used books for first- and second-grade students across Acadiana. The community-wide book drive is in partnership with local school systems to help foster early grade literacy. First- and second-grade books are … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — About $60 million in expansion projects are planned for Lafayette General Medical Center, according to the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority Board. At its Feb. 7 meeting, the board approved a bond program to fund up to $60 million for the hospital’s planned expansion, according to a news release. The project will … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — University Medical Center closed its labor and delivery department Wednesday and from now on the medical center’s prenatal patients will deliver at Women’s & Children’s Hospital, according to a public notice issued by the LSU Health System. Women’s & Children’s also will receive the medical center’s newborns from its nursery and its … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — City-Parish President Joey Durel used his annual “state of the parish” speech on Wednesday to highlight the need to find money for public safety efforts, including building and staffing two new fire stations. The need for the public safety improvements has been a central issue in recent weeks, following a … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — Fusion rockers Rusted Root will send Festival International de Louisiane attendees on their way as one of the closing bands for the four-day Francophone festival set for April 25-29. Festival organizers released their full schedule for Lafayette’s annual April “Love Fest” of world music on Valentine’s Day. Rusted Root makes its debut … Continue reading →
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is proposing a bevy of new programs ranging from degrees in music and accounting to graduate certificates in historical preservation. The UL System Board of Supervisors signed off on four such UL-Lafayette programs Tuesday that must still be approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversees higher education statewide. Continue reading →
BROUSSARD — Acadiana Bottling Co. plans to relocate from its longtime location on Kaliste Saloom Road to a new commercial development in Broussard, a company official announced Tuesday night. Bobbie Smith, sister of company President Dennis Smith, told members of the Broussard City Council that the company plans to construct a new building on … Continue reading →
Investigators with the St. Martin and Iberville Parish sheriff’s offices arrested two men in 13 camp burglaries in the Atchafalaya Basin, according to a news release. Authorities arrested Tracey Lee Burgess, 45, Gross Tete, and Steven Paul Thibodeaux, 23, Plaquemine, on 13 counts of criminal … Continue reading →
OPELOUSAS — The Opelousas Board of Aldermen Tuesday rejected a proposed amended liquor ordinance that would have prevented some businesses which also sell alcohol to remain open later than the 2 a.m. closing time. Alderman Blair Briggs, who introduced the proposed ordinance at last month’s meeting, said he did so because … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — Plans are on schedule to open a new charter school in Opelousas on Aug. 2, said Tiffanie Lewis, the school’s executive director. J.S. Clark Leadership Academy will be housed at 1592 E. Prudhomme St., the former site of Acadiana Prep and the Belmont Academy. Initially, it will enroll students in grades 5-7, … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The effort to develop a plan for Lafayette’s growth over the next 20 years will draw heavily on input from residents in public forums and outreach sessions scheduled through the fall, planning consultants told the City-Parish Council on Tuesday. “It’s about understanding the values and shared aspirations of this community,” said John … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The Ernest J. Gaines Center will host its inaugural Spoken Word Night at 6 p.m. Thursday at The University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and the public is invited to attend and perform favorite works from African American authors. The event is a part of the center’s Black History Month festivities. Participants are encouraged to select … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The Pride of Acadiana Marching Band unveiled its new uniform Tuesday. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s marching band asked the public to select in an online poll their favorite pick to replace the band’s 12-year-old red and black uniforms. More than 5,200 people logged their choice online. The new uniforms … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — University Medical Center officials are working to “re-engineer” operations to offset the forthcoming cuts at LSU hospitals and their clinics and the loss of about 80 local employees, hospital administrators said. The changes will take effect March 4 and are part of $4.2 million in budget cuts for UMC approved by the … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — Developers in rural areas of the parish might soon be required to pave streets in new subdivisions of 15 lots or more. The regulation, which is still in the draft stage and would need approval of the City-Parish Council, is meant to raise the bar on quality for subdivisions in unincorporated areas … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board will decide at its 5:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday whether the new superintendent needs an assistant to help keep up with the district’s construction projects. Superintendent Pat Cooper has proposed an “assistant to the superintendent” position for someone experienced in construction management who could provide … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — The University of Louisiana at Lafayette received 14 awards at the Southeast Journalism Conference annual convention held recently at the University of Tennessee at Martin, according to a news release. Eight of the awards were in the 2011 Best of the South competition and six were from the convention’s on-site competition. Continue reading →
The Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism’s “In Your Own Backyard” cultural lecture series focuses on the country or rural Mardi Gras costume tradition at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Vermilionville Performance Center, 300 Fisher Road. Speakers Robin Miller and Alyce LaBry will explain the traditions behind the costumes and guide the audience through the process … Continue reading →