Two teachers in St. Landry Parish have been arrested for allegedly bullying an 11-year-old student. Emelie Gunn has more…
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The American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2017 Report Card for Louisiana Infrastructure gives the Bayou State a D+ for its roads, bridges and drinking water. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Two bills are heading to the House floor that would extend domestic violence protections to more couples in the Bayou State. Halen Doughty has more…
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The Festival International de Louisiane is underway in Lafayette, and festivalgoers are lining up to enjoy the festivities from all over the world. Kelly Strenge with the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau says there will be entertainers from as far away as Europe and Africa.
Strenge says attendees can even expect to see some big local names like Marc Broussard. She says this is a family friendly event, and during the weekend, there’s a section of the festival that’s just for kids. She says attendance is free, and they even have free parking at the Cajun Dome.
Strenge says this year the Heritage Stage was removed because of budget constraints. She says in its place, they’ll have space for even more vendors. She says artists from all over the Bayou State come to the festival to show off their work.
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The festival in downtown Lafayette lasts until Sunday.
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Authorities in St. Landry Parish have arrested two Washington Elementary School teachers for allegedly bullying a student. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says the received reports from a parent that 44-year-old Ann Shelvin would tell her 11-year-old student to fight her classmates or Shelvin would fail her.
Guidroz says this isn’t the first time Shelvin has bullied students and those incidents are now under investigation. He says Shelvin’s teacher’s aid, 50-year-old Tracy Gallow, also encouraged students to fight the young girl and video footage shows Gallow physically bullying her.
Shelvin faces multiple charges including, contributing to child delinquency, as does Gallow, who received charges of simple battery and intimidation. Guidroz says it seems the teachers bullied the girl because they had a problem with one of her parents.
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Louisiana’s roads, bridges and drinking water receives a D+ rating on the 2017 Report Card for Louisiana Infrastructure produced by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Executive Director of the Report Card project, Dr. Kam Movassaghi (Mo-vuh-sah-gee) says the state’s infrastructure needs immediate attention.
Louisiana’s lowest scores are in drinking water and inland waterways, with D- ratings, while roads, bridges, and coastal waters earned D and D+ scores. Of the 9 categories graded in the last report in 2012, 8 of them got worse or stayed the same. Movassaghi believes the public is willing to pay a little more to live in a better environment.
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Movassaghi says we’re already paying more in hidden costs like wasted gas sitting in traffic, higher insurance, and lower property values. He says there are several bills filed for the session that could help address these problems, but that means getting the legislature to shell out more money.
Louisiana’s best scores were C- to C+ ratings for levees, ports, waste, and aviation.
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Two bills approved by the House Criminal Justice Committee seek to extend domestic violence protections to more Louisiana couples. One proposal by Harvey Representative Patrick Connick would include same sex couples in domestic abuse laws. Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle supports the measure.
Louisiana is one of two states that has the opposite sex language on the books for domestic violence laws. Jody Fortunato with the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office says they are running into problems handling felony domestic abuse charges against same sex couples.
Another proposal by New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno would include couples who are dating in the law. She says currently the laws only apply to couples who are living together or married. She says 41 other states cover dating partners in criminal laws.
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Tonight it’s round one of the NFL draft. The Saints have seven picks, five in the first three rounds. General Manager Mickey Loomis says they are looking to select players who can impact the team now and in the future…
The Saints need pass rushers and cornerbacks to help a defense that’s ranked near the bottom in the NFL over the last three seasons. New Orleans will also look to boost the offensive line and possibly draft a quarterback as Quarterback Drew Brees is 38 and entering the final year of his contract. Loomis on the possibility of drafting a Q-B…
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Draft Analyst Mike Detillier says 10 former LSU players could be drafted over the next three days, which would break the previous school record, which is nine set in 2014. Jamal Adams will become the highest ever picked safety, if he’s a top four pick. Detillier believes it could happen…
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There’s a good chance that Carolina, with the eighth overall pick, will take running back Leonard Fournette. But Detillier says he could see a team like Philadelphia trade up and pick Fournette before the Panthers get to pick…
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Junior right-hander Alex Lange takes the ball tonight as LSU begins a three-game series at Alabama. The Tigers are 10-8 in the SEC and tied for fourth place in the West Division. Lange says LSU has yet to play its best baseball…