Tag lafayette

Couillon

It sounds like the set-up to a bad B movie, but it really happened at Negreet High School in Many, where a portrait of Jesus once hung in the school lobby and Bible verses hung on the walls — until the ACLU of Louisiana filed suit on behalf of the...

C‘est Bon

“There’s an expiration date on clean drinking water in Louisiana, and this is because of the acts of men, greed and a failed democracy — a democracy that put the flags of oil and gas companies over our state Capitol,” Honoré says during a panel discussion at the Clifton Chenier Center in Lafayette.

Pas Bon

Williams had claimed he was owed the money as back pay, even though no rational person with a second-grade grasp of mathematics would reasonably conclude Williams could have possibly worked the hours he claimed..

Going Public

Dafford and Gould pull away from UL Lafayette in mid-November with boxes and boxes of The Public Art of Robert Dafford, photographed and written by Gould. They embark on 2,000 miles of road travel, attending book signings and interviews at venues between Louisiana and Ohio, meandering through West Virginia and Kentucky, and stopping in Vicksburg, Miss., before returning home to Lafayette.

PASSAGES

A founding member of the Grammy-nominated Basin Brothers and a regular on Acadiana stages both as a sideman and featured performer, Berard was a gifted guitarist and fiddler player.

TOP 10 Biz Deals of 2014

Just hours before this issue was going to press, Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate’s Steven Hebert delivered more upbeat news: “With some amazement, I can report that at some point last week, Lafayette Parish real estate sales surpassed last year’s annual record of $674 million."

VISION 2015

Can anything alter Lafayette’s rosy trajectory? Well yes, a sustained slump in oil prices certainly can, along with a lack of opportunity for all of our citizens.

It’s the Revenue, Stupid

Any day now the Future Needs/ Funding Sources Committee will make its recommendations to the City-Parish Council about how to pay for the many services Lafayette Consolidated Government provides for its roughly 190,000 residents (not counting about 35,000 who live in the smaller municipalities; see our story on consolidation for why this is even a thing).

Gussy Up

You’ve probably seen by now the public service announcements for Project Front Yard, the LCG initiative backed by local businesses and civic groups to address litter and blight issues in Lafayette.

Taking It for Granted

Lafayette Consolidated Government’s 2014-15 budget is a tick under $604 million. It’s a 469-page document including glossaries and appendices, yet combing through its arcane pie charts, lists, tables, graphs and diagrams it’s easy to see that we in Lafayette don’t invest much in arts and culture.

Making Downtown Livable — One Loft at a Time

About 17 years ago the city of Lafayette recommitted itself to its Downtown — to revitalizing a dusty central business district that had long been withering on the vine. The legal and government-administration aspect was intact, but commerce had abandoned Downtown for the greener pastures of the south side.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Among Tedesco’s specialties is the treatment of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He is board certified with the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Allam handles an array of cardiovascular treatments, including endovascular laser therapy treatment for varicose veins.

Treatment on Trial

Over the years, Lafayette General Medical Center has been working to establish itself as a world-class medical treatment center by placing an emphasis on improving medical education, and now it is taking the next step by participating in clinical...

It’s the Autonomy, Stupid

A recent City-Parish Council meeting once again put the lie to the idea that “consolidated” government serves the city of Lafayette’s interest. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

Big Shoes To Fill

When Mike Neustrom became sheriff of Lafayette Parish in 2000, he brought a scholarly approach to law enforcement, and when he retires next year, he’ll leave the office a much better place than he found it.

Ultrasound Evolved

Lafayette General acquires new endoscopy tool and recruits physician trained to use it, enabling more accurate diagnosis of ailments in the gastrointestinal tract.

Godfather II

Gene Todaro does it again, ordering up another culinary classic.

The Durel Factor

Voters who want to see JoDu’s important initiatives completed or broadened will favor his right-hand man in the race to replace him.

We Are Family

Don’t call it a ‘gay pride’ festival: The Acadiana PRIDE Fest celebrates diversity.

FARM TO RADIO

The farm to table movement has become quite popular these days, making touting the use of locally grown foods a relatively widespread restaurant and grocer marketing tool.

On Charge

A Lafayette company is bringing 21st century technology to a watering hole near you.

Tee Time

Hit the green May 29 to support the pro bono work of Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Dextria “Dex” Sapp has been promoted to director of fitness at City Club in River Ranch. She has been with City Club for more than eight years.

Cross-wise: One to Watch

Right now it’s Boudreaux vs. Thierry in District 24, but for real excitement don’t count incumbent Elbert Guillory out just yet.

It All Goes Back to the Charter

We probably wouldn’t be having this discussion about redevelopment of the old federal courthouse if the city of Lafayette were autonomous like the five other municipalities in Lafayette Parish.

Main Street Blues

Public need and the public good are at loggerheads in Downtown Lafayette, and the impasse has stymied a progressive vision for what the area can be.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

team member through various bank mergers, and as Community Reinvestment Act liaison for the Lafayette area. Nain attended UL Lafayette and is a longtime resident of Lafayette Parish. She serves as an auxiliary board member of the Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic and is a member of the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Association.

Market Watch: Lafayette Parish real estate still rocking

Despite a prevailing concern about the oil and gas industry and its impact on the local economy, real estate in Lafayette Parish is still on a roll. New construction sold is up 5.3 percent from early 2014 to early 2015.

Back in Mack

So far, 2015 has been a good year for Lafayette native, blues vocalist and guitarist Lane McDonald, known musically as Lane Mack.

You Get What You Pave For

For Lafayette, it’s far-flung infrastructure — and the cost of maintaining it — that is taxing our precious resources.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

University Hospital and Clinics named Katie Hebert the hospital’s new chief operating officer.

ENLIGHTENED ENFORCEMENT

Mike Neustrom brought an academic, data-driven approach to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office that has paid dividends in rehabilitating offenders and reducing recidivism. Replacing him this fall with the right candidate is critically important.

It’s All In Your Head

There is new hope for traumatic brain injury sufferers, thanks in part to a local man who refused to give up.

The Reckoning

Contemporary Lafayette will either pay for its 20th century growth or pass the cost to our kids and grandkids.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Shanna Perkins was promoted to editor of Acadiana LifeStyle.

To Boldly Go

More than a decade ago, Joey Durel and Terry Huval set off on a risky trek — bringing fiber tele-com to Lafayette. The city embraced the journey and has been on a promising trajectory since.

LEAVING LAFAYETTE

Jeffery McCullough comes from a very small town in Georgia. Educated at Georgia Southern University as a designer, he has divided his time among Atlanta, New York City and Lafayette over the last decade. Though sadly he is relocating to NYC, the show isn’t over, as McCullough will continue to call Lafayette his part-time home.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

The Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies of Acadiana announced its 2015-2016 board of directors. President Alex Gray, joint interest supervisor with Stone Energy Corporation, is an LSU/UNO MBA graduate. Vice President Caroline D. Bonin, CFO advisory consultant with Caroline D. Bonin, is a UL Lafayette/Tulane MBA graduate with work experience in public accounting, banking and the oil and gas industry.

ABiz Scene: Tsunami No. 3

On Friday, July 31, Tsunami held a grand opening for its location in the Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel. The restaurant has all the same charm and sophistication of the other two locations in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, and the grand opening had a very relaxed and fun atmosphere. Sushi-filled happy customers mingled in the restaurant, as well as the bar and VIP-eating area.

When in Doubt — Roundabout

Nine questions for LCG traffic engineer Warren Abadie When Warren Abadie drives anywhere in Lafayette, he’s on the job. Lafayette Consolidated Government’s top traffic engineer, like his former boss Tony Tramel, is what you might call geeky about traffic: He observes it, studies it, deconstructs it, even when he’s “off the clock.” If Abadie is driving — or a passenger — he’s working.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Moss BMW client advisor Michelle Newland received the BMW New Vehicle Client Advisor 2014 Profiles in Achievement Bronze Award.

ABiz Scene: Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics Celebration

UL Lafayette fans turned out in big numbers on Aug. 29 for the fourth annual Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics Celebration at the Cajundome Convention Center, helping ensure the success of the university’s athletic programs. The fundraiser aids in the recruitment and retention of quality coaches.

Acadiana's Top 50 luncheon

Peter Ricchiuti of Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, this year’s Top 50 keynote speaker, addressed a crowd of about 740 and offered his take on a wide range of topics, predicting a more optimistic V-shaped recovery for energy prices than many other prognosticators.

People in Health Care

Dr. Robert Autin, a general surgeon, has joined the practice of Drs. Philip Gachassin, Dennis Eschete Jr., Daniel Carroll and Michael Horaist.

THIN BLUE LOGIC

Sheriff candidate Chad Leger’s campaign rhetoric about the department being understaffed is more scare tactic than sound reasoning.

The Council Carousel

The next City-Parish council and mayor will have a lot on their plate over the next four years as Lafayette faces a critical juncture where meeting the demands of growth — not to mention paying for decades of unchecked growth — and financing those demands collide.

United We Can Achieve More

There's a word that often characterizes our community, our people — who we are and what we do. That word is UNITY. Not only do we unite to celebrate victories, but we also come together as a community in times of sorrow. After experiencing a devastating event, as we did this summer, economic hard times are put into perspective.

A DAY at the MUSEUM

University Art Museum director aims to introduce one of our community’s greatest assets to children long before they enter elementary school, creating a lifelong template of education.

RE: Déjà Vu All Over Again

The results of the Oct. 24 election and the deepening oil woes of Lafayette have me feeling youthful, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Celebrating Entrepreneurship

Independent, ABiz, INNOV8 Acadiana and Downtown Lafayette collaborate in first-ever Celebration of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Nov. 12-14

A STAND-UP KIND OF GUY

Honing material for a new album, comedian Brooks Wheelan makes Lafayette a test kitchen on Nov. 13 at Nite Town.

PEOPLE & FLASHES - Nov. 11, 2015

Izzo-Voss joins Faith House, Zikmund rises at KATC, Acadiana Hospice and Palliative Care, Devarapalli to Women's & Children's, Begnaud leads The Blake, Hendry awarded

ABiz Scene - Nov. 11, 2015

Lourdes Foundation's fourth annual Soiree, Lafayette General Health System's annual gala, ABiz’s Entrée to Business Breakfast, Global Data Systems' new international headquarters

Borne joins Preis PLC

She earned bachelor of science and juris doctorate degrees from Louisiana State University in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

2015 POOYIE!

It's good, it's bad and it's just crazy.

NICK’S PICKS

THE INDEPENDENT'S GUIDE TO ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FOR DECEMBER

The Future of I-49

Lafayette has been given the planning capacity to design a great Connector. The question is whether the resources will be there to finish the job.

Dollar for Dollar

A little-known tax credit program could mean big bucks for early childcare, but the Lafayette and Calcasieu biz communities need to act before Dec. 31.

NICK’S PICKS

The Independent's Guide to Arts & Entertainment.

The Great Divide

Few will talk on the record. Even fewer will commit to definitive answers as to what the outcome of the project, dubbed the Lafayette Connector, will or can be.

A Will and A Way

Lafayette’s economy will get worse in 2016, even as we hope to fund critical needs in public education and infrastructure.

Pope on the Ropes

The Lafayette city marshal’s Feb. 29 contempt hearing — for failing to turn over court-ordered documents responsive to a public records request — could be just the beginning of his legal troubles.

MOUTONS COME IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND COLORS

Recent plans to renovate the small triangular green space Downtown in front of the former Lafayette City Hall and to name it Place Mouton — and The New Orleans City Council’s December decision to remove four Confederate monuments from places of prominence in the Crescent City — have offered our community an incredible opportunity: to ask important questions, seek meaningful answers and benefit from a larger dialogue about our shared histories and the things we hold dear.

WORKING ON A VISION

After the first major public workshop, Lafayette residents are still wondering if the Connector team sees what they see.

Pooyie!

(It’s Good, It’s Bad and It’s Just Crazy)

A MONUMENTAL QUESTION

AMID A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON CONFEDERATE ICONOGRAPHY, WHAT, IF ANYTHING, SHOULD LAFAYETTE DO ABOUT OUR OWN MEMORIAL TO JIM CROW?

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Roy Holleman’s Holleman Companies, dba FranOwner, has signed a master franchise agreement with Clubstore Outlet, based in Charleston, S.C., to sell/ open Clubstore Outlet franchises in the state.

LIMPING FORWARD

Amid a funding crisis, criminal justice in Lafayette and across Louisiana has slowed to a crawl.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Allison McElligott has joined BBR Creative’s account service team as account manager, and Brittanny Walker has been promoted to project manager.

Pooyie!

The good, the bad from the recent news cycle

30 Years of Fabulous

Lafayette took a leap of faith three decades ago with our inaugural Festival International de Louisiane. The rest is history.

Exports = Imports

Selling the Cajun and Creole brands across the globe pays dividends at home.

In Love and Respect, for My Mother

When we are children, we love our mothers as a child loves, openly and reflexively. We love oblivious to the complicated paths of their lives before we arrived.

# PARTY GIRL

It was back to the future only the way Lafayette Education Foundation can do it at the annual ReProm at Double Tree.

PAS BON

When Mark Garber is sworn in as sheriff of Lafayette Parish in July it will be with some baggage.

Day at the Derby

Acadiana’s well-dressed ladies and gents celebrated the horse racing world’s big day with a Derby-themed party at Le Pavilion in Parc Lafayette.

Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

For the past 30 years, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelers has served Lafayette with excellent customer service and superior knowledge of jewelry and timepieces helping find the right gifts for special occasions.

Unintended Consequences

The district attorney’s suit against LCG underscores the unforeseen problems created for the city of Lafayette when consolidation was approved in 1992.

Oh, Canada?

Often cited as a model for Lafayette, Toronto’s urban freeways offer a mixed message for our Connector plans.

RENEGE OR REBOOT?

It remains to be seen whether Bell Helicopter’s decision to change operations at Lafayette Regional Airport constitutes a breach of contract.

More Than a Lemonade Stand

A bad taste in his mouth leads a retired Lafayette pharmacist to perfect a recipe that has become a successful family business.

Not a Shadow of a Doubt

Despite our current economic struggles, diversification and technology ensure that Lafayette and Acadiana will bounce back stronger than ever.

RE: Our New Normal

Lafayette spent 20 years drunk on high oil prices and emerging industries. Is it time for the hangover?

The Real Housewives OF LAFAYETTE

School’s back and all the mommas say, “Amen!” Celebrate the sweet freedom in style with cold shoulder dresses, vivid print shorts and striped palazzo pants. Cheers to keeping it hot in the.

Of Chief Importance

Lafayette is poised to appoint a police chief to lead us into a post-Ferguson future. It’s critically important we get this right.

MEET THE NEW HOME TEAM

Lafayette began seeding a high-tech playing field more than a century ago, and it’s now paying off with a growing roster of major-league companies.

Shattered Glass

While the members of this diverse group of Acadiana women can’t all say they were firsts, each of them has contributed to our community in ways too countless to capture in 500-word profiles.

Schools. Choice.

With expansion plans underway at both public and private schools in the Lafayette area, the choices for parents and students have never been greater.

Here Comes the Sun

As LUS backs off its controversial “solar tax,” stakeholders call for more transparency, and for a renewed engagement with the community-owned utility provider.

Leap of Faith

Elliot Green took a chance when he transplanted his tech startup from NYC to Lafayette, and he’s not looking back.

People & Flashes

New hires, promotions and more from Acadiana's business community

POOYIE!

The good, the bad and the plain crazy of 2016

RE: Under Water

Drainage issues in Lafayette Parish underscore why “our parish government” is failing everyone.

Vision 2017

Lafayette laid the groundwork for our tech future a decade ago with fiber. Leaders in technology, manufacturing and other fields say it’s time to fully embrace it.

MOST READ IN 2016

ABuzz: The Stories That Set the Internet on Fire (at least locally) in 2016

Karma’s a Bitch

Lafayette has relied on a bar moratorium to control nightlife Downtown; our failure to address the issue with best-practices ordinances has come back to bite us.

MARDI GRAS 2017 PARADE SCHEDULE

Mardi Gras isn’t just for adults. Kids can get in on the fun, too. Here are the local activities happening this Mardi Gras season.

Living Large

It may not be a good market for super pricey pads in Lafayette Parish, but that did not stop these 10 from changing hands in 2016.

Introducing The Current

Coming this April, IND Media is launching a new magazine, investigating the cultural changes that will carry Lafayette into the future.

It’s a New Era at IND Media

Announcing a new Downtown Lafayette address, the launch of a glossy magazine and timely iterations of our core brands.

INDesign Awards: In Perfect Form

Two projects representing the all-important and fast-growing tech sector in Lafayette — one for architecture the other for interior design — a renovated city hall in Jennings, and last, but certainly not least, a gateway sign at the intersection of Jefferson and Cypress streets that will welcome scores of people to Downtown Lafayette for decades to come: This year’s Gold INDesign winners are as diverse a group as we have ever presented since launching the awards in 2005.

LPSO to Privatize Recovery Center

Sheriff Mark Garber says the Acadiana Recovery Center has been hemorrhaging money; plans are underway to turn it over to a private operator.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

Eunice attorney and retired 27th Judicial District Court Judge Ellis Daigle.

PEOPLE IN BANKING

Regions Bank names Amy Canik senior vice president of commercial banking.

A Parish Divided

The April 29 tax votes demonstrated a disconnect between the city of Lafayette and the rest of the parish.

Ready. Set. Grow!

Lafayette set to launch its energy and health care accelerator this fall.

PEOPLE & FLASHES

New hires, promotions and other news from Acadiana's business community

MAIS OUI: Turning a Page

As we close this chapter on Lafayette-focused publishing, we look to a new generation of emerging leaders to help chart a future we can all embrace.

Mozilla Fund on to Next Step

Through the Gigabit Community Fund, company will award grants of up to $30,000 to worthy projects through the end of 2018.


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