Section Nathan Stubbs

Berthelot looks to hit the ground running

Ben Berthelot won't be wasting any time in preparing to take over as head of Lafayette Consolidated Government's Community Development department. The 33 year-old, who served the past six years as...

Landrieu pushes back on Louisiana Purchase critics

Sen. Mary Landrieu took to the Senate floor yesterday with an impassioned speech pushing back on critics of the so-called "Louisiana Purchase," a Landrieu-brokered amendment that inserted...

CST to broadcast Saints parade

Euphoria over the New Orleans Saints continues to boil over into the streets of New Orleans. Tonight, the celebration will be in full swing as the city hosts a parade in honor of the Super Bowl...

Landrieu pushes back on 'Louisiana Purchase' critics

Sen. Mary Landrieu took to the Senate floor yesterday with an impassioned speech pushing back on critics of the so-called "Louisiana Purchase," a Landrieu-brokered amendment that inserted...

Saints also competing in 'America's Bowl'

This just in: Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts have toppled President George H. W. Bush to put the Super Bowls up 21-20 over the presidents with just three contests remaining. What is this...

The Great Wall of Johnston Street

It's that time of year. You know it's Mardi Gras in Lafayette when the roads are lined with portable steel bridge foot barricades — 5,500 of them to be exact. Today, Lafayette Consolidated...

The Soul of New Orleans

Another tribute to the city of New Orleans and the Saints from ESPN.com senior writer Wright Thompson. This video is a companion piece to the feature article "Saints the Soul of America's...

Broussard bars get Super exemption

Bars in the town of Broussard are normally shuttered on Sunday, but with the New Orleans Saints making a historic run to the Super Bowl, the Broussard city council saw fit to make a super exemption of...

Givers featured on NPR

The music world is taking notice of Lafayette band Givers. The homegrown act consisting of Taylor Guarisco, Tiffany Lamson, Will Henderson, Josh LeBlanc and Kirby Campbell released their self-titled...

Officials break ground on new Rosa Parks center

There were plenty of gold-painted shovels to go around as city officials hailed the ground-breaking for a long-awaited two story complex to be built in the heart of downtown. The $8.1 million,...

City officials announce benefit concert for Haiti

At a press conference at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, City Parish President Joey Durel announced today that the city of Lafayette, in conjunction with Festival International and Le Centre...

LITE takes budget hit, lays off five

The Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise laid off five employees yesterday, drastic measures taken as a result of stringent budget cuts coming down from the state. LITE CEO Henry Florsheim says...

Dore clarifies position on LUS rate hike

District 6 councilman Sam Dore was one of the deciding votes last month when the Lafayette Public Utilities Authority shot down a proposed LUS rate increase before it could go to the full council for...

LUS rate increase coming back to council

One month after being shot down by the Lafayette Public Utilities Authority, Lafayette Utilities System is once again going back to the LPUA and city-parish council to ask for permission for a rate...

Leach looks to take helm of state Democratic party

With the deadline quickly approaching, former Congressman Buddy Leach is the only applicant thus far to succeed Chris Whittington as head of the state Democratic Party. Interim chairman Michael McHale...

Cajun Foods Matriarch dies at age 83

Eula M. Savoie, founder and President of Savoie’s Sausage and Food Products Inc. of Opelousas died today. Born Aug. 13, 1926, “Miss Eula,” as she was known to employees, friends and business...

Changes coming downtown in 2010

This could be another transformative year for downtown Lafayette. Just like 1996, when Streetscape set the table for the current entertainment district, downtown is poised to get another major shot in...

NY Times puts national spotlight on Jennings murders

The unsolved serial murders of eight women have been making headlines across the state, but gotten little in the way of national coverage. That may be starting to change. Campbell Robertson, the New...

Blue Moon on New Year's Eve

Cue the old Elvis record. For the first time in 20 years, New Year's Eve star gazers will bear witness to the fabled "blue moon." Don't expect the moon to actually be blue. While typically...

Tiger Truck Stop wins permit

After over a year-long struggle that raised the ire of national animal rights activists, Michael Sandlin, owner of the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tette, has officially been awarded a permit from the...

Bumpfest III tonight at Jefferson St. Pub

It's an event that seems destined to happen just once every four years, like the summer Olympics or the World Cup. Just when the last one has become a distant memory, native sons Danny Breaux, Drew...

Red Snapper on the rebound?

Overfished for years to the point of collapse, red snapper may be on the rebound in the Gulf of Mexico. The most recent scientific survey shows the iconic Gulf fish's numbers finally starting to...

Robideaux angling for Speaker Pro-Tem?

The No. 2 post in the state House may be up for grabs if all goes as expected for current Speaker Pro-Tem Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans. Peterson is expected to enter and then win the state...

Medicine Show 13 tonight at Grant Street

The 13th annual Medicine Show concert and fundraiser for the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Memorial Endowed Fund for Traditional Music takes place tonight at Grant Street. The show starts at 8 p.m. and advance...

Edwards bio sells out of first printing

In his Political Fax Weekly, political columnist John Maginnis is reporting that Edwin Edwards' new authorized biography is flying off the shelves. Author Leo Honeycutt says orders already have...

La. native, Bengals WR Chris Henry dead at 26

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, who grew up outside New Orleans in Belle Chase, died this morning. He was 26. Henry attended West Virginia University, where he played under former Tulane...

Jazz Fest announces 2010 lineup

The only 2010 North American date for grunge rock veterans Pearl Jam and the return of Aretha Franklin — who backed out of last year's 40th anniversary show — highlight a promising lineup for the 2010...

Edwards bio tells his side of story

A new authorized biography of Edwin Edwards, written by broadcast journalist Leo Honeycutt, is expected in stores across Louisiana this week. The bio, according to a story in the Sunday...

'Nue Moon Revue' spotlights local songwriters

Tonight, the Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse hosts another installment of "Nue Moon Revue," a part cabaret, part vaudeville, part singer-songwriter showcase that promises original,...

'Cool Brees' in Hollywood

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees made an appearance on NBC's The Jay Leno Show last night. In the "10 @ 10" segment, renamed "9 @ 9" for central time and Brees' jersey...

Man bets against Saints, TV pays the price

Here's the tragic story of one man who didn't have faith the Saints would be 12-0 after last weekend. Wayne Spring of Albany, La. was so confident that the Washington Redskins would defeat the New...

Vitter faces $300 million dilemma

Sen. David Vitter has been a strident opponent of national Democrats' health care reform efforts in Washington and, in advance of his 2010 re-election, is seen as one of the GOP's most reliable votes...

LWV hosts first Mayor's Forum

The League of Women Voters is hosting its first Mayor's Forum, an event that aims to bring together Lafayette Mayor-President Joey Durel with the mayors of the five other parish municipalities to...

Bodacious benefit for St. Joe's diner

Lafayette Catholic Service Centers and Bodacious Productions are kicking off the holidays with the first annual Bodacious Christmas Bash, a fundraiser and goods drive benefiting St. Joseph Diner and...

Look inside 'Picasso's Attic'

Tonight the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum hosts "Picasso's Attic," an art auction fundraiser for the museum with over 100 original paintings, drawings and prints. Featured...

LUS Fiber retail revenue up 32 percent in September

LUS Fiber's retail TV, phone and Internet sales revenue jumped 32 percent from August to September, according to the most recent monthly financial statement. The retail revenues total $117,614.53....

LUS eyes 'unprecedented' service cutbacks

In a presentation to the City-Parish Council Tuesday afternoon, LUS Director Terry Huval spelled out what the grim consequences would be if the council denies a proposed rate increase for the public...

LUS to make case for rate increase

Lafayette Utilities System Director Terry Huval will make the case this afternoon for a utilities rate increase. Huval is scheduled to give a presentation to the council on the issue at 3:30 p.m., two...

B.R., L.C. shoot down new tax proposals

South Louisiana voters pronounced several new tax proposals Dead On Arrival this weekend. Voters in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles voted down proposals aimed at funding new development. In Baton Rouge,...

All eyes on B.R. bond vote

Baton Rouge voters go to the polls tomorrow to decide the fate of a $901 million capital improvements tax package. The measure, being pushed by B.R. Mayor-President Kip Holden, includes a half-cent...

Brown pelican no longer endangered

The brown pelican is being taken off the endangered species list. The L.A. Times reports that U.S. Interior Department officials made the announcement yesterday from New Orleans, noting there are now...

Cao is now

It's hard to turn anywhere without seeing another story on Congressman Joseph Cao, the unlikely successor to Bill Jefferson in Louisiana's 2nd District. Cao, a Republican who won election in a...

LUS Fiber revenue, expenses up in August

A jump in monthly expenses outpaced a revenue increase of 21 percent for LUS Fiber's telecommunications business for the month of August. The numbers, part of the business' most recent monthly...

Cox to increase rates, service in Acadiana

Cox Communications announced this morning it is raising its rates on cable and Internet service in 17 south Louisiana parishes, including all of Acadiana. In the same press release, it announced the...

Tonight is final 'Healing Arts @ the Center'

Tonight is the last of a three part series of "Healing Arts @ the Center," a program offering free alternative health appointments and walk-ins to musicians and artists. Participating...

Black Bayou (avec Dege Legg) takes over downtown

Some call him the space cowboy. Some call him the gangster of love. Some people call him Maurice. But his name is Dege Legg: rocker, poet, skater, Independent Weekly staffer, Lafayette's own Arthur...

Contrary to reports, Orlando Thomas still alive

News reports that former UL-Lafayette star safety Orlando Thomas, who went on to play six seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, had died yesterday at the age of 37 are untrue. Thomas'...

KPLC to air one-hour special on Jeff Davis murders

It's a story that's consumed Jeff Davis Parish. Eight young women over the past four years have been found dead, bodies decomposed, in rural areas around Jennings. All of the women ran in the same...

Democrats' health forum airs today at 4 p.m.

The Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee health care forum, featuring U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, Dr. Nellie August-Prudhomme and Dr. Mike Robichaux, will air on KLFY today at 4 p.m. The hour...

LUS Fiber to be citywide by July 2010

LUS Fiber will be available to all residents and busineses within the city limits by July 2010. LUS initially said it would be two years from the time it began serving its first customers till the...

Democrats get their own KLFY health forum

After taking heat for airing a health care forum last month with an all-Republican panel, KLFY has announced it is teaming up with the local Democratic Party for another hour-long health care forum...

Lafayette horror to premiere on SyFy

Lafayette-based production company Bullet Films has two locally filmed productions premiering this weekend on the SyFy Network.  The Dunwich Horror and Wolvesbayne, both filmed entirely in the...

Students needed for 'Driving the future of education'

Louisiana middle and high school students are being solicited to enlist in a new project called "Driving the Future of Education" aimed at improving technology in the classroom. Funded by a...

Rasmussen: Vitter has 10 point lead on Melancon

National public opinion firm Rasmussen has published the results of its first 2010 election tracking poll in the state. The poll shows incumbent Republican Sen. David Vitter with a 10 point edge over...

Jindal: Health care debate is over

In an op-ed in yesterday's Washington Post, Gov. Bobby Jindal declares national Democrats proposals for health care reform that have been circulating in Washington D.O.A. "Memo to...

Chris Paul's impossible shot

The New Orleans Hornets held training camp in Lafayette last week. Check out this AP video of star point guard Chris Paul making an impossible shot at the UL Lafayette Leon Moncla Indoor Practice...

White tie, top hat and tails for Durel

Public officials cannot use campaign funds to purchase new clothes for themselves or pay travel expenses for their spouses. That's the opinion Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel received last...

City-wide garage sale in Breaux Bridge tomorrow

Already a haven for antique-seekers and bargain shoppers, Breaux Bridge is upping the ante this weekend with its fifth annual Outdoor Flea Market and City Wide Garage Sale. The day long event will be...

Boustany calls on Obama to visit Cameron

Congressman Charles Boustany is calling on President Barack Obama to include Cameron Parish in his recently announced Gulf Coast visit, slated for mid-October. Boustany, who has frequently complained...

The blowback from Vitter's ACORN attack

Sen. David Vitter could be re-thinking his recent crusade against ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Ever since undercover videos exposed ACORN employees giving advice...

A 'Ragin' Cajun' mayor of N.O.?

Famed political consultant and Louisiana native James Carville, who's blunt style earned him the nickname "The Ragin' Cajun," has penned an editorial for New Orleans' Gambit Weekly in which...

Has Jindal lost touch with his roots?

Gov. Bobby Jindal has gotten all the national exposure an enterprising young governor could hope for. Problem is, it only seems to have taken the wind out of his sail. With state treasurer John...

Lawmakers to meet privately about redistricting

State lawmakers are planning a two-day retreat in which members of the House and Senate Governmental Affairs committees will meet privately to discuss the redrawing of state legislative, congressional...

Can Boustany find the 20 percent solution?

Both President Obama and Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany, who recently gave the Republican response to Obama's health care address to Congress, have said that Democrats and Republicans agree on...

Fiber revenue up 31 percent in July

LUS Fiber continues to steadily climb toward its stated revenue goals for year one. According to its latest monthly financial report, LUS Fiber generated $65,218.15 in retail sales for the month of...

Grand Isle fishing bridge burns

The venerable fishing bridge at Grand Isle is now a shell of its old self, following a fire that lasted more than six hours and lit up the old road crossing the Caminada Pass. The fire began around...

'Dandy' new Web site for LSU fans

LSU's No. 1 fan, Don Long, isn't one to rest on his laurels. The 73 year-old Lafayette resident, known as "Dandy Don," has long endeared himself to fellow Tiger fans with his comprehensive...

Rivalry week: Cox, LUS jockey over LSU-UL coverage

If you needed proof that Cox and LUS are embrawled in a good ol fashioned, fiercely competitive, poke your opponent in the eye rivalry, look no further than the full page ads Cox has been running this...

Malbreaux elected chair of local Democratic Party

At its Tuesday meeting, the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee elected Susannah Malbreaux to the position of chairman. Malbreaux will fill out the remaining 2 1/2 years of a term begun in...

ACORN under fire from Boustany, Vitter

Congressman Charles Boustany is calling for the House Ways and Means Committee to investigate the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for tax fraud and Sen. David Vitter has proposed...

Landrieu open to public option ‘fallback'

Sen. Mary Landrieu appeared on "This week with George Stephanopoulos" Sunday for a round table on President Obama’s proposed health care overhaul. Landrieu re-iterated that she would not be...

LCG's 'irreplaceable' CFO planning to retire

Lafayette Consolidated Government has some big shoes to fill. Chief Financial Officer Becky Fontenot Lalumia, the budgetista who has kept a keen watch over taxpayers' finances at City Hall over the...

Landrieu willing to pull the trigger?

Sen. Mary Landrieu is one of the key centrist Democrats in the Senate President Obama may need to pass any major health care overhaul. Previously, Landrieu has said that the inclusion of a...

UL-Southern tickets still available

UL is anticipating a packed house at Cajun Field for its home football opener against the Southern University Jaguars. The new inter-state rivalry, which offers a chance to catch Southern's famed...

Alternative medicine for musicians at ACA

Been singing the chronic back pain blues? Thrown your shoulder out doing too many Pete Townshend windmills on the guitar? In need of opening up the chakras after playing some mind-bending Ian...

New DWI laws take effect

Stricter laws aiming to crack down on drunk driving go into effect at midnight tonight. Act 288, passed earlier this year by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jindal, increases the...

Honore disses media, dismisses Senate rumors

Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore — the "Category 5 General" hailed for his role coordinating military relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina — is moving back to his home state of...

LUS Fiber now serving all of Phase 1

LUS Director Terry Huval says LUS Fiber is now hooking up customers throughout its entire Phase 1 service area. In the past few weeks, LUS Fiber has opened up service to two additional segments of...

Victoria Reggie touted as possible Kennedy successor

Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts left a giant’s shoes to fill in the U.S. Congress. Having been diagnosed and undergone surgery for brain cancer last year, speculation has already been well under way...

Gannett/AP refuse to play ball with SEC

With the kickoff to the 2009 college football season a little more than a week away, The Associated Press and Gannett Company, the nation’s largest newspaper chain and owner of The Daily Advertiser,...

Catholic church weighs in on health care reform

As the debate over national health care reform heats up, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched a new Web site explaining its position on the issues. The Catholic Church has long...

Task Force seeking leads on latest Jennings murder

A task force investigating a string of unsolved murders in Jeff Davis Parish now has one more case on its hands. Both The Advocate and The Advertiser report today that a woman's body found yesterday...

Another serial killer strike in Jeff Davis?

The body of an unidentified woman was found Wednesday along Interstate 10 in Acadia Parish. The Advertiser reports work crews out cutting grass made the discovery between mileposts 72 and 73, which...

La. well positioned for ‘Race to the Top' funds

Louisiana is one of two states in prime position to capitalize on the U.S. Department of Education’s $4.3 billion ‘Race to the Top’ grant sweepstakes, according to a new report from a national...

Black-shirt affair at LITE

Blackshirt Media, a budding, home-grown film production company, is hosting a coming out party of sorts tonight at Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise. Invitations read: “Forget Hollywood” and...

Melancon's global warming trip draws scrutiny

Sunday's Wall Street Journal scrutinized a 10-member congressional delegation’s trip to the South Pole over New Year’s 2008. Louisiana Congressman Charlie Melancon was on the 11-day, six-stop trip...

USGS updating wetlands maps

The U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette is preparing topical maps of coastal Louisiana wetlands, a project expected to provide a clear picture of the state’s recent...

LPSS looks to delay ‘career diploma'

With school starting next week, the Lafayette Parish School System is one of 39 school districts attempting to opt out of a new "career diploma" program. The state Legislature this year...

State officials weigh in on Jefferson conviction

You'd have to be living under a rock to have not heard that former Congressman William Jefferson was convicted yesterday on 11 counts of public corruption. Here's some of the reaction that's come in...

Death of cockfighting zines?

From the AP: The U.S. Postal Service has proposed banning cockfighting advertising from being sent through the mail. Legal cockfighting ended in the United States last year when Louisiana outlawed it....

NYT back in N.O.

Just when you thought the national media had all but abandoned New Orleans' post-Katrina story, The New York Times has announced it is sending a full-time correspondent back to the Crescent City,...

The Advocate: Jindal can count on Lafayette reps

In an article published yesterday on upcoming legislative report cards due out in the next month, The Advocate mentions its own analysis of which state legislators were Gov. Jindal’s most consistent...

Rocky McKeon's 'l'oeil du tigre'

Who is the mad genius on the Louisiana French blog who thought to make a Pac Man game featuring Cajun folklorist Barry Ancelet’s and his iconic mustache, set to the theme song from Rocky? Je ne sais...

LCG budget sees 8 percent cut

Lafayette Consolidated Government’s budget will face a $49 million cut from the current year, approximately 8 percent. The Advertiser reports today on a budget preview given to the council yesterday,...

Barry Ancelet: the video game

He’s been knighted by the French government with the title of Chevalier in l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, given the Américo Paredes Prize by the American Folklore Society and named Louisiana...

Commission looks to shrink government

The Commission on Streamlining Government held its first meeting Monday. The committee was established  by Gov. Bobby Jindal and the state legislature to explore ways  of decreasing government’s size...

Fleming rallies conservatives on health care

What to do when your political adversaries push a health care plan you feel they wouldn’t accept themselves? Offer up a resolution stating that anyone who votes for public option health care reform...

Public officials get poor reviews

Louisiana voters aren’t too pleased with any of their elected officials, according to recent surveys released by Public Policy Polling. Leading the pack in negative reviews is President Barack Obama: ...

Bernhardt resigns as parish Democratic chair

John Bernhardt tells The Indsider he is resigning his position as chairman of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee. Bernhardt, an attorney and president of Empire Energy Corporation,...

Paging Dr. Jindal

There’s a new voice in the national debate over health care reform: the fast-talking, wonky Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Following his disastrous response to President Obama earlier this year, Jindal...

Sean Payton's Monday Morning QB

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has taken over Peter King’s Monday Morning QB column in Sports Illustrated, if just for a day. Payton ruminates on Jon Gruden joining ESPN, Steve McNair, the...

La. Senate race moving up the charts

Even before its officially under way, Louisiana’s 2010 Senate race, featuring incumbent Sen. David Vitter, is fast becoming a national focal point of the midterm election cycle. With recent insider...

Officials fear New Orleans skewing 2010 Census

Lafayette has a lot to gain from the 2010 Census, as one of the top growth areas of the state over the past 10 years. (Estimates show the parish could pick up an extra seat in both houses of the state...

Sales tax collections down fifth straight month

A clear sign that the national recession is having its effect, Lafayette Parish sales tax collections are down for the fifth straight month, according to the most recent report from the parish Sales...

LCG enlists D.C. tech blogger Geoff Daily

City-Parish President Joey Durel is expected to sign a contract this week with a new consultant and marketing specialist tasked with helping the city raise its profile in the tech community. Last...

LPSS works through mold issues

The Lafayette Parish School System says its mold issues will be old news by the start of the school year. Mold was recently discovered by work crews at Ernest Gallet Elementary. LPSS spokesperson...

Stormy wants pow-wow with Palin

Porn star Stormy Daniels, the “pro-condom” potential U.S. Senate candidate currently on a listening tour across Louisiana, says she’d love to sit down and pick the brain of former Alaska Gov. and...

CFA open to taking over nonprofit funding

The Community Foundation of Acadiana is open to the idea of taking over nonprofit or “external agency” funding from city-parish government. CFA Director Raymond Hebert says the organization has been...

Dueling Basin features

It almost seemed coordinated. The Sunday editions of The Daily Advertiser and The Advocate looked like sister publications yesterday, with both papers going front and center with 1A features on the...

KLFY to see new ownership

KLFY TV-10's parent company, Young Broadcasting Inc., is going up for auction on July 14 in New York, according to an article in The Tennessean. Young operates 10 television stations nationwide,...

Stormy Daniels: The Naked Gun

Porn Star and Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels has been flirting with the possibility of a run for the U.S. Senate since early in the year against David “serious sin” Vitter. Will she pull the...

Residents want road block for STM

St. Thomas More Catholic High School is looking to expand onto adjacent property to the south toward Verot School Road. To accommodate the growth, the school wants to extend Frem Boustany Road from...

Hurricane Chris in da House

Look out Darrell Bourque, there’s a new poet taking the Louisiana Legislature by storm. The spring legislative session "rapped" up Thursday with 20-year-old Shreveport wordsmith Hurricane...

Last call for Honor Air

Louisiana Honor Air is seeking World War II veterans for its final three flights to Washington, DC this fall on September 26th, October 10th and the 24th out of New Orleans. Honor Air is a nonprofit...

Get ready Omaha, here comes 'Mainieri's Tiger's'

Following up on his underground hits “Tailgatin' at Tigue More Field” and “LSU Football Champion Song (Les Takes the Tigers all the Way)," Lafayette resident and Louisiana Hot Stuff owner David...

Bizjournals predicts population shifts

Online business pub Bizjournals has looked into its crystal ball to prognosticate what populations will be in 250 U.S. metro areas in the year 2025. Bizjournals is the online division of American City...

LITE is keeping us in the dark on CEO search

Officials with Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise have not responded to repeated requests for information regarding the interview process for its next CEO. The Independent has sent three...

LCVC becomes first LUS Fiber business customer

The Lafayette Convention and Visitors Center, located in the Evangeline Thruway median at the city’s northern gateway, is the first commercial customer of LUS Fiber. LUS Fiber spokesperson Amy...

Truman Posse at DTA!

Lafayette’s homegrown reggae troupe, True Man Posse, lights up Downtown Alive tonight, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Parc Sans Souci. It’s the free spring concert series’ last scheduled show, but DTA will...

LSU could cut 1900 jobs

WAFB is reporting that LSU could cut as many as 1900 jobs, including 500 at its main campus in Baton Rouge, unless the state makes drastic changes to its proposed funding for higher ed this year. In...

FEMA trailer for sale: $1

The federal government is now offering Katrina and Rita hurricane victims still living in FEMA trailers the opportunity to buy those homes for $1. (Begging the question why they don’t just give them...

Sixty-four apply for LITE CEO

Sixty-four candidates have applied for the Chief Executive Officer position at Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise. LITE began advertising nationwide for the position in January. A review of...

Tale of two deltas

As hurricane season gets under way today, Sen. Mary Landrieu is getting a first-hand look at how the Netherlands continues to lead the world in coastal protection. Landrieu is heading up a delegation...

Ethics rules may not yet apply to local boards

New rules requiring financial disclosure for certain boards and commissions may not apply in Lafayette Parish after all. At least, not yet. In a memo sent out May 14, the day before the May 15...

Vitter, Landrieu seek earmarks

Louisiana Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter have requested a combined $4.9 billion in federal earmarks for Louisiana projects for the fiscal year 2010. Landrieu’s list totals $3.8 billion;...

Easton: I got F bombed

Former Superintendent James Easton has fired off a letter to Lafayette Parish school board members relaying that, while visiting the state Capitol last week, Deputy Superintendent Lawrence Lilly...

Cajuns riding high in Sun Belt tourney

The Ragin Cajuns are in the catbird seat in the Sun Belt tournament following yesterday's 5-4 upset over No.1 seed  Middle Tennesse State. The 5th seeded Cajuns are now on a five-game win streak. They...

Ice Gators return

It’s time to dust off those old Ice Gator jerseys and start practicing "the chomp." Just when you thought the Louisiana Ice Gators had been forever dismissed to the penalty box of failed...

Borel to make history riding Rachel Alexandra

It’s official. Super filly Rachel Alexandra will run in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. And she will be paired with racing’s new superstar jockey, Calvin Borel of...

NYT: 'Doin' a heck of a job, Vitter'

The New York Times is calling on Sen. David Vitter to “get out of the way” when it comes to President Barack Obama’s nomination of Craig Fugate as the next director of the Federal Emergency Management...

Borel's horse dilemma

UPDATE: Bloodhorse.com is reporting that Borel has committed to ride Rachel Alexandra for the current racing season. Read the story here. A once-in-a-lifetime horse versus a shot at racing...

Le plaque est paree

The plate is ready. New specialized French license plates, benefitting French immersion programs, are now available through the state Office of Motor Vehicles. The plates proclaim: Louisiane, "la...

Fiber service coming to Saint Streets

LUS Fiber work crews have recently been out digging up ground and running cable along the side of the road in the Saint Streets and Oaklawn neighborhoods. And for residents (like me) wondering whether...

Cajundome looks for lifeline from council

City-Parish government typically pays an annual $500,000 subsidy to the Cajundome. Tonight, the council will consider allocating an additional $250,000 to help the cash-strapped dome make it through...

St. Landry Parish gains senator, loses rep

Opelousas attorney and District 40 State Rep. Elbert Guillory is moving up to the state senate. Guillory defeated Patricia Cravins in Saturday’s runoff for the District 24 state senate seat, which...

Turnout key in tomorrow's election

Tomorrow’s election is likely to turn on which campaigns have the best get-out-the-vote drive. The special election will decide two local runoff races. Pat Cravins and Elbert Guillory are vying for...

KADN cuts local news

Sources confirm KADN is no longer producing local news segments and has let go of its local news staff of two reporters. The move appears to be part of statewide cutbacks from parent company...

State reaches new agreement with Saints

The Jindal administration has come to terms with New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson in an agreement that would keep the team playing in an improved Louisiana Superdome through 2025. Jindal held a 10...

A look back at Festival International '09

Clear skies and breezy warm spring weather paved the way for another successful year for Festival International de Louisiane. Lafayette Police estimate 10,000 people attended the festival’s opening...

Blogging the budget

Add Louisiana state government’s Division of Administration to the ever-growing blogosphere. Last week DOA launched a new blog, The Ledger, on its Web site. The Ledger describes itself as “an online...

Economy claims Festival headliner

The latest casualty of the national economic recession: Festival International de Louisiane headliner Seun Kuti & Egypt 80. One of the more anticipated acts of this year’s festival, Seun Kuti...

Educators plan 'Black Monday'

The state’s two teacher unions and the Louisiana School Boards Association are asking teachers and students across the state to wear black to school or work on Monday, the opening day of the Louisiana...

Faircloth having it both ways?

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive counsel, Jimmy Faircloth, confirmed to The (Alexandria) Town Talk this weekend that he will be a candidate for state supreme court. The Independent broke the news last...

Tabasco gets royal seal of approval

Queen Elizabeth’s English breakfast apparently gets a little Cajun spice. And in returning the favor, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has awarded a Royal Warrant to New Iberia-based The McIlhenny Co.,...

Durel convenes I-49 South Task Force

City-Parish President Joey Durel will convene the first meeting of the I-49 South Task Force at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. The task force — chaired by Durel —...

Grand Isle coming back to life

The fish and crabs are biting and Grand Isle is alive and kicking. That’s the message Jefferson Parish officials hope to project in an effort to bring back tourists to the barrier island that has been...

I-49 South's long road

It’s the $5 billion question. Given today’s economic climate, and the state’s revenue shortfalls, how and when is the government ever going to be able to tackle completing the I-49 connector from New...

The case for Chris Paul

Last year many basketball fans felt New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul got robbed of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (the honor was instead given to Lakers star Kobe Bryant for the first time...

Senate District 24 forum on A.O.C.

Acadiana Open Channel will be airing last week’s District 24 state Senate candidate debate up through this Saturday’s election. The two-hour forum, put on by the Lafayette and St. Landry Parish...

Jindal upset in 'political March madness'

Maybe it was Jindal’s disastrous Republican response to President Obama’s Congressional address. Maybe it’s just interloping liberal National Public Radio listeners. Either way, Jindal was knocked out...

Champagne wants more term limits

State Rep. Simone Champagne of Jeanerette has filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session to impose stricter term limits on public officials. Champagne’s bill, HB 84, would expand the three-term...

Chamber to take up LCG planning & zoning

The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce plans to take a close look at Lafayette Consolidated Government’s planning and zoning process, including a possible restructuring of its Planning, Zoning and...

School board looks to lobby against Pastorek plan

The Lafayette Parish School Board is looking to schedule a meeting with local lawmakers in advance of the upcoming legislative session to discuss some of the more controversial proposals that have...

District 24 candidates square off

Candidates for the state Senate District 24 seat face off Wednesday evening in a forum hosted by the Lafayette and St. Landry Parish Democratic Executive Committees. The event, which is free and open...

Crimeview 2.0

Police departments from across the parish have integrated their Crimeview maps onto one central Web site. A program that started last year, Crimeview gives residents the ability to pull up maps...

More earmark issues for Landrieu

Sen. Mary Landrieu is in danger of becoming the poster child for earmark reform. Yesterday, the senator once again found herself under scrutiny for a questionable earmark she obtained, this time for...

Barack-etology goes against LSU

Call it payback for Louisiana going so heavily for John McCain. President Barack Obama has proclaimed that 9th-seeded Butler will pull the upset over 8th-seeded LSU in the first round of the NCAA...

Funeral set for Dr. Charles Boustany Sr.

Dr. Charles Boustany Sr. died at his home yesterday. He was 79 years old. The son of the late Alfred Frem Boustany, a Lebanese immigrant who opened one of Lafayette’s first general stores, Charles...

CBS Evening News to feature IberiaBank

IberiaBank will be prominently featured in a news story scheduled to run tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. IberiaBank spokeswoman Beth Ardoin says CBS News and reporter Sharyl...

Berthelot moving on from Chase

After 22 years, Barry Berthelot is leaving the banking industry. The 59-year-old Chase president announced his retirement this week; his last day will come sometime in early May. Berthelot has been at...

Council candidates struggle with fund raising

The candidates running in the District 6 city-parish council race are going to bank on waging efficient campaigns. The first campaign finance reports filed by the candidates show little in the way of...

Local lawmakers disagree on rejected stimulus

State Rep. Eric LaFleur of Ville Platte (who’s said to be jockeying for a U.S. attorney appointment with the Obama administration) fired off a letter to his legislative colleagues yesterday asking for...

Guillory and Cravins lead fund raising

State Rep. Elbert Guillory and Pat Cravins have a significant financial edge over their opponents in the District 24 state Senate race. In the first campaign finance reports filed by the candidates...

LSU Coach featured in NY Times

Today’s New York Times includes a short feature on LSU basketball coach Trent Johnson. The first African American to hold the job, in his first season, Johnson has taken LSU from the bottom to the top...

Poll shows Vitter vulnerable

A recent poll conducted by Research 2000 and the left-leaning blog Daily Kos shows Sen. David Vitter in a vulnerable spot as he prepares for his re-election campaign in 2010. The incumbent senator,...

Tony the tiger fight rages on

When the Iberville Parish Council voted last month to exempt Tiger Truck Stop owner Michael Sandlin from a parish ordinance prohibiting individual ownership of exotic animals, Sandlin appeared to be...

MidSouth Bank president testifies on TARP

MidSouth Bank President Rusty Cloutier appeared on Capitol Hill yesterday to testify at a congressional subcomittee hearing titled “TARP Oversight: Is TARP working for Main Street?” In typical...

LITE to feature new Lourdes campus

LITE will present a virtual rendering of Our Lady of Lourdes' new hospital campus, which is currently under construction, at its open house this afternoon. The event will include virtual fly-throughs...

Evangeline documentary premieres tonight on LPB

Evangeline: A True Love Story, a documentary by Lafayette producer and marketing consultant Hilary Joseph Castille about the impact of the Evangeline love story on the history and image of the Cajuns...

Lafayette heavyweights supporting Guillory

This week's "Peep Goat" column, out on newsstands tomorrow, reports on the level of support state Rep. Elbert Guillory is picking up from high profile Lafayette business and politicial...

Guard leaves N.O.

Three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard has pulled out of New Orleans. The Advocate reports that the last 100 soldiers of a force set up post-Katrina to assist with...

IberiaBank returns TARP funds

Lafayette-based IberiaBank Corp. is now saying thanks but no thanks to the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program, which was designed for healthy banks. Last year, IberiaBank was one of three...

Jindal speech fallout continues

Republicans who had Bobby Jindal pegged as the savior of their party hoped the nation would still be talking about the Louisiana governor’s first national address two days after the fact, but not like...

Jindal gets panned

“Epic fail” , a "distaster for the Republican Party” and “downright strange” ; these are a few of the harsher reviews of Jindal’s prime time address to the nation last night. Tapped to give the...

State Rep. Fred Mills: 'No involvement' with Stanford

State Rep. Fred Mills, president of Farmers-Merchants Bank & Trust, says he has no business relationship with Stanford Group Co. A few years ago, Fred’s brother Henry J. “Hank” Mills helped launch...

Failed sales tax dominates Durel speech

In yesterday’s State of the City-Parish address, Joey Durel highlighted his accomplishments, but also dwelled substantially on what his administration was not able to accomplish, namely a 1-cent sales...

Truck stop's tiger mascot to stay

Last night the Iberville Parish council cleared the way to allow Tiger Truck Stop owner Michael Sandlin to legally keep his 8-year-old, 550-pound Siberian-Bengal Tiger, Tony, on display at his Grosse...

Truck stop tiger's fate on the line

What to do with Tony, the eight-year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger born and raised at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, will be the main subject of tonight’s Iberville Parish Council meeting. Tiger...

Lomax is back

J. Lomax “Max” Jordan, Lafayette’s District 23 state Sen. from 1992-2000, is back in the political arena. On Friday, Jordan qualified to run in the special election being held April 4 for the District...

Consolidating higher ed?

Facing imminent budget cuts of up to 30 percent, state higher education officials are having some serious discussions about the future of the state’s university system. Talks about the current budget...

Mardi Gras lockdown begins

The first real sign that Mardi Gras is upon us is the barricades. Lafayette will soon resemble a city under seige as it prepares this weekend’s sole parade, for the Krewe of Rio. If you tried driving...

Sam Dore may be unopposed for council

Qualifying begins today for the special election, to be held April 4, for the District 6 city-parish council seat. So far, only one candidate, Sam Dore, has announced intentions to run. Dore, who...

Intelligent Design on trial

Tonight on PBS, the science program Nova takes on a subject that has been making headlines in Louisiana since the state Legislature passed the controversial Louisiana Science Education Act last year....

Abita Thinks Big

You can now savor your bottle of Abita beer a little longer, and quite possibly, not have to make that long journey back to the fridge altogether. The Abita Springs brewery has just released its two...

Stay tuned for LUS Fiber

Five years after it initially announced its intentions to build a state-of-the-art, fiber-to-the-home network to serve Lafayette residents with premium phone, cable and Internet service at bargain...

LITE launches CEO Search

The Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise has launched a nationwide search for its Chief Executive Officer position. LITE is searching for its first full-fledged CEO to lead the 3-D...

Extreme Exterminators

“The zaniest pet removal company on the planet.” That’s the basis for the latest A&E reality show, The Exterminators. Billed as a “family docusoap", The Exterminators follows Billy...

IberiaBank expands into Alabama

IberiaBank announced it is expanding into Alabama, the fourth state the Lafayette-headquarted bank will now operate in. Currently, IberiaBank has 88 locations in Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee....

No More 'Disneyland' French Quarter?

Mardi Gras might be a little dirtier this year in New Orleans. Enhanced cleaning services in the French Quarter are being scaled back after a meeting yesterday between Mayor Ray Nagin and the New...

Vitter to face Storm?

There’s been much speculation about who will challenge sex scandal plagued David Vitter in his 2010 re-election bid for U.S. Senate. The latest name to emerge: Stormy Daniels. That’s Baton Rouge...

Early Doucet: From the Bayou to the Bowl

The town of St. Martinville will be painted red this Sunday in support of the Arizona Cardinal’s first ever franchise Super Bowl appearance. More importantly for most locals, it also marks rookie wide...

Boustany opposing economic stimulus bill

President Barack Obama spent some two hours yesterday meeting with Congressional Republicans about their concerns over his proposed $825 billion economic stimulus bill that is scheduled for a vote by...

Advertiser claims another public meeting

Bring the tally to four. That’s how many meetings this month have been cancelled by The Daily Advertiser’s failure to publish public notices. Following yesterday’s news that both the Lafayette Public...

Bourque to be poet laureate - again

It looks like Lafayette poet Darrell Bourque is in line to become Louisiana's poet laureate, again, after being dumped from the post this past summer. Bourque was appointed to the position in...

The Advertiser's weak LINC

How can we possibly plan for the next century? The Lafayette In a Century Planning Commission meeting, scheduled for tonight to discuss a parishwide comprehensive plan, has been canceled due to The...

The Advertiser's funny business

What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here? Apparently, The Advertiser sports department got its hands on a video...

Inaug Blog

It took us 16.5 hours, but we finally rolled into D.C. Saturday night after having left New Orleans right at 4 a.m. I’m traveling with a New Orleans group consisting of my younger brother, cousin and...

Ann Coulter hangs up on Jim Engster

Conservative pundit and author Ann Coulter - known for her incessant self-righteous bloviating and controversial assaults on 9-11 widows, The New York Times and most recently, single mothers - has a...

The U.S. Senate's Lone Wolf

Call him obstructionist-in-chief. Headstrong U.S. Sen. David Vitter is off to a blazing start in the new congressional session. After filing a slew of bills from the social conservative playbook that...

Grand opening for Tip's Music Co-op

Tipitina’s Music Office Co-op, which opened its doors last month, is holding its official grand opening today. A statewide initiative launched by the Tip’s Foundation, the co-op offers office space,...

Acadiana missing out on stimulus?

The $800 billion economic stimulus package being developed by President-elect Barack Obama, expected to fund a raft of major infrastructure projects throughout the country, won’t be solving any of...

The silver lining of population decline

Sure, having a declining population means less jobs, tax dollars, and Louisiana could even lose a Congressional seat, but having people flee your state in droves isn’t all bad. New Orleans City...

Vitter gets busy

Two days into their new session, many members of Congress are yet to file any bills. Not David Vitter. He filed 34 on the first day. That’s how David Vitter rolls. The Times-Picayune reports today...

Another Cravins going to Baton Rouge?

The day after Don Cravins Jr. announced that he is accepting a new job in Washington and will be leaving the state legislature, his mother, Pat Cravins, has announced that she aims to keep her son’s...

Clear lanes for SafeSpeed?

Lafayette’s SafeSpeed and SafeLight programs got the next best thing to a green light from the courts yesterday. United States Magistrate Judge C. Michael Hill issued a Report and Recommendation to...

8 dead in PHI helicopter crash

A helicopter en route to an offshore oil platform crashed Sunday afternoon, leaving eight dead and one critically injured. The crash occurred roughly 100 miles southwest of New Orleans, in the marshes...

LSU loses out on Coach O

It’s official. New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron will not be joining the LSU football staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Coach O is instead heading to LSU’s SEC...

State looks for federal Medicaid waiver

Now that the joint legislative committee on the budget has approved Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Louisiana Health First initiative, the state is hoping to get swift approval for the plan from the Bush...

Councilman opposes bond issue

There was little discussion when the city-parish council voted this week to schedule a parishwide election in April for a new $26 million bond propoal - to be paid back with existing tax revenue - for...

LITE looks to fill CEO position

The Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) is looking to hire its first official Chief Executive Officer. Carolina Cruz, the center’s Chief Scientist, had previously acted in the CEO’s...

Ragin' Cajun legislators

“A slap in the face to our university and to Louisiana taxpayers.” That’s what state Sen. Mike Michot called the Independence Bowl’s recent decision to pass on UL and instead invite the Northern...

Acadiana well represented in JazzFest lineup

Jazz Fest has just released its 2009 lineup . The  festival, which takes place over two weekends at the New Orleans Fair Grounds from April 24 through May 3, will be celebrating its 40th anniversary...

La. and Ill. battle for 'most corrupt' title

At a press conference earlier this week detailing allegations that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly try to auction off his appointment of President-Elect Barack Obama’s successor in the U.S....

Report finds ICF contract raise justified

Alarm bells went off early this year when it was reported that just before she left office, former Gov. Kathleen Blanco left a parting gift for the much reviled administrator of the Road Home program,...

The GOP's other La. star

It's been a roller coaster week for Anh "Joseph" Cao (pronounced gow, rhymes with cow). But since the little known New Orleans immigration attorney's improbable upset over corruption-plagued...

Who's to blame for UL's bowl snub?

After its best season in years, and finishing a close second behind Sun Belt Conference champion Troy, this was supposed to be the year UL football snapped its 38-year bowl game spell. But on...

GOP celebrates big congressional wins

Nationally, the Republican Party may be in dissaray after a dissappointing election year in which Democrats won the White House and picked up seats in both houses of Congress. In Louisiana, however,...

How Jefferson lost

Contrary to common sense, New Orleans Congressman William Jefferson’s indictment last year on federal racketeering charges may not have been his ultimate downfall politically. He was heavily favored...

Joseph Cao's improbable bid to unseat Dollar Bill

He’s just been endorsed by Gov. Bobby Jindal. And his primary opponent was recently indicted on 16 counts of corruption by a federal grand jury. Despite these obvious advantages, Republican Anh...

IberiaBank receiving bailout funds

IberiaBank Corp. announced this week that it will receive $90 million from the Treasury Department as part of the federal government’s bailout of the financial industry. The Federal Treasury set up a...

Dems pass Armentor resolution

At its meeting last night, the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee passed what could be known as the Armentor resolution. It states that committee members shall not engage in public...

Edwards to receive presidential pardon?

Louisiana’s only four-term governor, Edwin Edwards, is feeling fairly confident about his chances of receiving a pardon this month from outgoing President George W. Bush. That’s according to Grendel...

Jindal to meet with Obama

Gov. Bobby Jindal is traveling to Philadelphia today for a meeting tomorrow with President-Elect Barack Obama and several other governors from across the country to discuss national economic...

Durel's wishlist to Obama

Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel was one of more than 200 U.S. mayors to participate in a recent msnbc.com survey about what city leaders want from President-elect Barack Obama. Msnbc.com...

Tip's Music Office Co-Op opens in Lafayette

Tipitina’s Foundation has just opened its latest Music Office Co-Op in Lafayette. The Lafayette office is the fifth Music Office Co-op to open in the state. Designed as a communal office space for...

CABL lauds Jindal's health care initiative

The reviews are far from all in, but the Jindal administration’s newly-proposed public health care restructuring, titled Louisiana Health First, got some positive feedback today from the nonprofit...

La. delegation lining up against Big 3 bailout

Louisiana’s Congressional delegation is largely opposed to a multi-billion dollar no-strings attached bailout for Detroit automakers. Congress is considering a proposed $25 billion in loans for the...

Armentor draws heat for Durel Party

Local attorney Glenn Armentor, an elected member of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee, is drawing heat from his fellow committee members for hosting a ‘No Party Party’ fundraiser for...

James Carville joins Tulane faculty

Outspoken political consultant and pundit James Carville, nicknamed “the ragin’ Cajun” is now Professor Carville. Tulane University has announced that Carville is joining its Department of Political...

Jindal: 'something's wrong' with GOP

Gov. Bobby Jindal appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation yesterday along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The topic of discussion was the state of the Republican Party following major losses in the...

Advertiser raises its price

It was often hard to justify paying 50 cents for The Daily Advertiser. That decision just got a little easier, as the local daily has raised its price above that of other state papers, including The...

Moon Griffon gets roasted

photo by Mary Tutwiler He’s been dishing it out for years and last night, outspoken conservative talk show host Moon Griffon got a taste of what it’s like being on the other side of the radio....

Hell freezes over: Moon Griffon no longer Republican

Conservative radio talk show host Moon Griffon, who’s built a statewide radio empire as Louisiana’s redneck answer to Rush Limbaugh, has left the Republican Party. The Advocate reports that Griffon...

'Saban Bowl' a hot ticket

If you plan on trying to be in attendance for tomorrow’s Alabama-LSU game in Baton Rouge, you’d better already have tickets, or else be prepared to pay handsomely for them. Dubbed “Saban Bowl”, the...

Fall Frenzy features Schools of Choice

The fourth annual Fall Frenzy, a recruiting event for all the parish’s Schools of Choice, takes place tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Cajundome Convention Center. Each School of Choice will...

Lafayette sees near-record turnout

Lafayette Parish saw 70.18 percent of its registered voters turn out for Tuesday’s election, besting the overall state turnout of 66.5 percent. The turnout is not quite a record for the parish, but...

GOP looking to Jindal

There’s no shortage of stories this week about the national Republican Party’s soul searching in the wake of Tuesday’s election losses. The inevitable question is, who will head the party’s ticket in...

Obama breaks La.'s 40-year streak

It’s been 40 years since Louisiana voters opted for a presidential candidate who did not win the overall national election. In last night’s election, Louisiana was one of 22 states whose voters opted...

A year's worth of Chick-fil-A

Driving down Louisiana Ave. this evening, you may see a group of people camped out in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, possibly playing games with a man dressed up as a chicken. You’re eyes...

3rd time the charm for Ville Platte High?

There’ll be plenty to watch for in today’s election returns. One of the most dramatic local stories will involve the fate of Ville Platte High School. For the third time this year, voters are being...

Cartoon hooligans raised on rice and gravy

Where can you find hooligans, cartoons, rice and gravy and desolation wilderness, all under one roof? Tonight they’ll all be featured at the Acadiana Center for Film and Media, located downtown on the...

Cravins and Boustany fight to the finish

While the 7th Congressional Distict race remained quiet through most of the election cycle, the contest is now heating up in the final days before the election. State Sen. Don Cravins Jr. has been...

Council backs severance tax amendment

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Lafayette city-parish council adopted a resolution in support state Constitutional Amendment No. 4 on the Nov. 4 ballot. The amendment raises the amount of severance...

Democrats question voter purge

Democrats are crying foul over the recent cancellation of some 25,000 voters by parish registrars of voters that extended beyond a federal deadline. The state Democratic Party says the list of...

LCG's new high-tech Gadget

It’s not quite The Jetsons, but Lafayette Consolidated Government is utlizing new Web technology to bring citizens live traffic video and accident updates. Today, LCG introduced its first Google...

Boustany won't attend final debate

Last week, KPLCTV in Lake Charles got word that its in-studio 7th Congressional District debate will be short one candidate. The station, which is partnering with Lake Charles’ American Press for the...

Officials renew I-49 commitment

Local officials aren’t taking lightly recent comments by the state Department of Transportation Secretary William Anker that Lafayette remains “divided” on I-49 and its other major road priorities....

Two Councilmen take pay raise

Councilmen Kenneth Boudreaux and Brandon Shelvin will be making $2,317 more than their peers on the council in the coming year. This week, Boudreaux and Shelvin were the only two council members to...

Bailout dominates debate

Congressman Charles Boustany must have expected his recent vote for a $700 billion financial sector bailout would be one of the issues brought up in last night’s debate. However, he probably didn’t...

Congressional candidates face off tonight

Tonight will be the first opportunity many voters in southwest Louisiana will have to see the 7th District Congressional candidates square off face to face. KATC TV3 will be airing the debate live at...

Jindal answers call for Kennedy

In recent weeks, while Gov. Bobby Jindal was out working to help elect Republican congressional candidates in Mississippi and Florida, many in Louisiana were beginging to wonder why he wasn’t playing...

Nancy Landry picking up big endorsements

District 31 state representative hopeful Nancy Landry is cementing her frontrunner status with the type of establishment backing typically reserved for incumbent lawmakers. Landry is capitalizing on a...

Boustany posts huge financial edge

Incumbent Congressman Charles Boustany has a campaign warchest more than twenty times the size of his opponent, state Sen. Don Cravins Jr. The candidates recently filed their October quarterly reports...

Democrats rally for Obama

Emblazoned with a big blue cutout image of the bayou state and the slogans “Louisiana for Change” and “Turn the Bayou Blue,” the bus that is the Change for Louisiana Tour rolled into Lafyaette...

Jindal to hold weekly meetings on economy

Yesterday, Gov. Bobby Jindal held the first of what he says will be weekly briefings on the economy with key cabinet members Louisiana has been an anomoly in the nation’s recent economic downturn....

GOP's censure threat not helping Kennedy

The state Republican Party doesn’t appear to have done itself any favors last weeekend by announcing that it may move to censure Republicans who have crossed over to publicly support incumbent...

Kennedy and Landrieu trade barbs at debate

Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Council for A Better Louisiana hosted the first televised U.S. Senate debate last night. Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Council for A Better Louisiana...

New Cravins ad targets Boustany's wealth

Don Cravins Jr. has opened up a new front in the 7th District Congressional race, hitting incumbent Charles Boustany for making almost $800,000 over the past two years while being out of touch with...

Forest Whitaker announces Louis Armstrong film

Oscar winning actor Forest Whitaker has announced plans to direct and star in a film based on the life of New Orleans jazz legend Louis Armstrong. The biopic, titled “What a Wonderful World” is...

Nancy Landry launches TV ads

Nancy Landry has wasted no time in re-launching a campaign for the District 31 state rep. seat, which Don Trahan resigned from last week. A special election has been called for Nov. 4 - less than 30...

Where's Boustany?

Last night, the local public interest group Concerned Citizens for Good Government hosted a forum for the district’s Congressional candidates. Unfortunately, only two of the candidates - Democrat Don...

Field of candidates dwindling in District 31

Last week, there were no fewer than six potential candidates - including two former runner ups for the seat and three former city-parish councilmen -  looking at the District 31 state rep race. As of...

Nancy Landry becomes a Republican

Attorney Nancy Landry switched her party affiliation to Republican yesterday, just two days after state Rep. Don Trahan’s resignation from the legislature opened up a new campaign for his District 31...

District 31 could see crowded field of candidates

It’s been less than 48 hours since state Rep. Don Trahan announced he was resigning from the legislature to take a new job with the state department of education, but there's already a crowded field...

Governor may decide newest council member

Gov. Bobby Jindal may have the final say over who is appointed the newest member of the Lafayette City-Parish Council. The council is scheduled to appoint an interim replacement for outgoing District...

Home Bank raises $90 million in IPO

Lafayette based Home Bank's holding company raised $90 million in its initial public offering of 8.93 million shares of common stock at $10 per share. The bank's stock offering expired Sept. 17, and...

Trahan resigns from Legislature for new state post

State Rep. Don Trahan is resigning from the Legislature, effective tomorrow, to immediately begin working in a newly created position with the Louisiana Department of Education. Trahan will be...

School board candidates debate tonight

District 3 School board candidates will have their sole debate tonight, just four days before voters head to the polls. A runoff will be held Nov. 4 if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of...

Council set to approve 09 budget

The Lafayette city-parish council will meet today at 5:30 p.m. to approve the 09 budget for Lafayette Consolidated Government. The council has been in budget hearings for the past two months and has...

Trahan leaving state Legislature?

Last week speculation heated up that District 31 state Rep. Don Trahan would resign from his legislative seat in order to take a full-time position with the state department of education. A position...

Support building for Doré, Kennedy

With the council scheduled to appoint its newest member next Wedensday, support is building for two applicants, and the council may be heading for a split decision. The council interviewed all five of...

William Gee suing over new attorney ad regulations

You’ve seen the commercials. Oil company fat cats plan to withhold payment in a personal injury case until suddenly discovering that the plaintiff has hired maritime defense attorney William Gee....

LABI issues low legislative grades

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has given the legislature low marks for its three sessions in 2008. Last week, LABI issued its 2008 state legislative report cards . Grades were down...

Bernhardt withdraws council application

Local attorney John Bernhardt has withdrawn his application to be appointed District 6 city-parish councilman. The council is scheduled to appoint an interim representative for District 6 at a special...

Boustany signs Pickens Pledge

Congressman Charles Boustany has signed the T. Boone Pickens’ Energy Independence Pledge, according to a press release put out by Pickens’ organization this morning. A millionaire Texas oilman,...

Cravins gets advice from 'Ragin' Cajun' James Carville

On Friday, Sept. 12, state Sen. Don Cravins Jr. went to New Orleans for a special lunch meeting with one of the Democratic Party’s most famed political advisors. Known as the “Ragin’ Cajun” for his...

District 6 council appointment moved up to Oct. 1

Yesterday, City Parish Council Chairman Don Bertrand sent a letter to council clerk Norma Dugas calling for a special meeting to be held Oct. 1 for the sole purpose of appointing the council’s newest...

Republicans tout survey results

Earlier this week, state Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere sent out an email blast to supporters proclaiming “it’s an exciting time to be a Republican in Louisiana." Villere cites recent...

Congress takes up offshore drilling measures

Offshore oil drilling is the issue on Capitol Hill this week. Where to allow drilling, and how, has become a political hot potato in the current election season, and this week, Congress is taking up a...

Blood drive targets football fans

Following Hurricane Gustav and Ike, United Blood Services says it is going to take weeks of steady donations to recover its area blood supply. More than 500 pints of blood are needed each month to...

Seven vie for District 6 council seat

Seven hopefuls have submitted their names to be considered when the council meets to appoint a replacement for District 6 councilman Bruce Conque. Conque announced last month he would be leaving the...

Final day for District 6 council applicants

Due to Hurricane Ike, the Lafayette city-parish council has extended the deadline for applicants who wish to be considered for the council’s upcoming appointment to fill its District 6 vacancy....

Landrieu's dubious distinction

The nonprofit government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has just released its fourth annual list of “The 20 most corrupt members of Congress” and Louisiana is...

Cox temporarily ceases sales calls

Cox Communications has temporarily stopped taking new sales calls as it focuses on restoring service to all of its existing customers following Hurricane Gustav. Customers who have called Cox about...

Lafayette among Best Performing Cities

Lafayette has moved up 10 spots to rank 14th in the Milkin Institute’s newly-released report, “Best Performing Cities 2008: Where America’s jobs are created and sustained.” Lafayette again topped all...

Cravins ad highlights conservative credentials

State Sen. Don Cravins Jr. has launched his first TV ad in his campaign for Congress. Based on the message, you'd have a hard time knowing that Cravins was the Democratic candidate in the race. Titled...

CNN/KLFY mistake Katrina for Gustav

Last Monday evening, in the midst of the uncertainty brought on by Hurricane Gustav’s landfall, KLFY TV-10 was in the middle of its continuous news coverage of the storm when anchor Darla Montgomery...

Advocate temporarily prints in Lafayette

Hurricane Gustav’s heavy winds knocked out power for most homes and businesses in Baton Rouge, and the Capitol City’s daily paper was no exception. Because of downed power, The Advocate was unable to...

Congressional primaries on hold

Congressional primary elections, scheduled for this Saturday, have been cancelled. A new date has not yet been set. Gov. Bobby Jindal called off the elections, at the advice of Secretary of State Jay...

Anti-discrimination order to expire

Gov. Bobby Jindal plans to let expire an executive order prohibiting harassment and discrimination at state offices based on race, sexual orientation and political affiliation. The order was signed by...

Vitter can't use campaign funds for legal fees

U.S. Sen. David Vitter cannot tap campaign funds to pay more than $160,000 in legal fees incurred from his involvement in the D.C. madam criminal investigation, according to the Federal Elections...

Mr. Bill protests in style

He arrived late, in a stretch limo that eased up to a stop at One Shell Square, in front of the towering office headquarters of Shell Oil. Flanked by bodyguards and supermodels, he made his way up the...

Jindal: "I don't want to be VP"

Gov. Bobby Jindal appeared on Sunday’s Meet the Press as a surrogate for Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. Jindal squared off in debate against Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who represented...

Landrieu clerical error making headlines

A senior Democratic Senator co-hosting a fundraiser for her party’s presidential nominee typically isn’t big news. But when it comes to Sen. Mary Landrieu, up for re-election in red state Louisiana...

BRBR publisher blasts former Independent editor

Baton Rouge Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister is using his latest column to take a quick potshot at former Independent Weekly Editor Scott Jordan, who just three weeks ago left the paper for...

Cravins predicts Boustany attack on offshore drilling

Democratic Congressional candidate Don Cravins Jr. isn’t going to wait for his opponent to hit him on offshore drilling. Given the spotlight the Republican Party, and Congressman Boustany, have put on...

Zydeco's Grand Ole Opry re-opens tonight

For 59 years, Richard’s Club on Highway 190 near Lawtell was ground zero for the Creole/zydeco music scene. The legendary dance hall, built by Eddie Richard in the 1940s, originally booked touring...

Obamaniacs unite at Keith's Ballroom

The newly-formed group Lafayette Citizens for Barack Obama is planning a meet-up this Sunday at Keith’s Ballroom from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Robert Guercio, a local downtown bar owner, and Mike Stagg, an IT...

LPSS announces early college academy

Lafayette Parish School System is teaming up with South Louisiana Community College for a new early college credit high school academy launching in the fall 2008 semester. The program is the first of...

Kennedy: I'm cheap

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate John Kennedy has launched his first TV ad in his bid to unseat two-term incumbent Mary Landrieu. Kennedy’s message: I’m cheap – like bologna sandwich brown bag lunch...

La. bucks national voter registration trend

Today’s New York Times takes a look at voter registration numbers from across the country as compared to the 2004 national election. The numbers look very good for Democrats, who have posted gains in...

Edouard tracking West

Tropical Storm Edouard has continued tracking west and appears to be headed for landfall near the Texas Louisiana border sometime tomorrow morning. The storm’s track is expected to turn northward at...

Council seeks District 6 applicants

With Bruce Conque stepping down from his District 6 city-parish council seat effective Oct. 1, the search is already on to name his successor. The council will have 15 days from Conque’s last day to...

First Lady to attend Lafayette fundraiser

First Lady Laura Bush will be in Lafayette on Thursday, Aug. 14, for a fundraiser on behalf of Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy. Local businessman Will Mills and his wife Sandra will be...

Bruce Conque announces resignation

As reported by The INDsider yesterday, Bruce Conque is stepping down from the city-parish council in order to devote himself fully to a new job with the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. Conque...

City-parish budget grows 15 percent

Lafayette Consolidated Government’s proposed budget for the 2009 fiscal year has grown 15 percent from last year, to $635 million. Sales and property taxes are projected to be up 39 percent next year....

Councilman to resign for Chamber job

Lafayette City-Parish Councilman Bruce Conque, a former broadcaster who now works as a public relations consultant, is taking a new job with the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and resigning his...

Details profiles Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal recently said he will not be John McCain’s vice presidential running mate on the Republican ticket, but that’s not quelling national interest in Louisiana’s young policy-wonk governor who...

PBS' Tale of Two Cities

PBS Newshour education correspondent John Merrow spent the 2007-2008 school year reporting on two cities attempting to dramatically reform their chronically failing public school systems. Both New...

I-10 closed between Lafayette and B.R.

Interstate 10, eastbound, between Lafayette and Baton Rouge is shut down following an early morning wreck involving an 18-wheeler carrying hazardous materials. The wreck resulted in minor injuries but...

FEMA wants immunity from toxic trailer suits

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it is not liable for the tens of thousands of trailers, some of which were found to have dangerously high levels of formaldehyde, provided to Gulf coast...

McCain visit re-kindling Jindal VP speculation

Why is John McCain suddenly flying into New Orleans tomorrow to meet with Bobby Jindal? Is the 37-year-old Louisiana Governor getting a second interview for the job of vice president? Several media...

Citizens seeks rate increase

Citizens’ Property Insurance, the state’s nonprofit insurer of last resort, wants to raise property insurance rates an average of 18 percent statewide. Citizens bases its rates on other insurers’...

Catahoula's Jude Tauzin named 'chef to watch'

Opelousas native Jude Tauzin had the classic cook’s upbringing. He learned at the knees of his mother and grandmother, preparing the kind of southern homestyle meals that pique every hungry boy's...

Shreveport police implicated in Hollywood bust

The drama surrounding Oliver Stone’s latest film project in Shreveport is starting to resemble, well, an Oliver Stone movie. Having set up shop in North Louisiana for the past three months to film...

Top 28 tournament staying in Lafayette

Last month, it seemed the boys Top 28 state high school basketball tournament was bound for Shreveport. That was following the LHSAA executive committee’s decision to reject the lone bid for the...

Jindal slashes $780,000 for Acadiana projects

Yesterday, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced 258 line item vetoes from the state’s annual budget. In his press release, Jindal touted the move represented more than $16 million in savings to state...

Cormier again challenging Picard for city marshal

Joseph “J.B.” Cormier is the only challenger Earl “Nickey” Picard has ever faced in his 24 years as City Marshal. The two first squared off in 1996, a race that the incumbent Picard won with 74...

Candidate qualifying opens today

Candidate qualifying begins today for the upcoming fall elections for federal, state and local offices. On the federal level, all seven of Louisiana’s Congressional seats are on the ballot, as well as...

Kennedy bus tour rolling through Lafayette

This week, state treasurer John Kennedy is kicking off his campaign for U.S. Senate against Mary Landrieu with a “Stand Up Louisiana” bus tour across the state. The tour gets underway this morning in...

Lafayette one of 2 bids for Top 28

Today is the deadline set by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association for a new round of bids from municipal arenas vying to host the boys Top 28 basketball tournament. Barring any 11th hour...

Keaty Fundraiser nets nearly $100,000

Judge Phyllis Keaty’s re-election campaign kicked off last night with a major fundraiser netting just under $100,000, according to a campaign press release put out this morning. The event, held at...

Officials seek clarity on ethics disclosure

Lafayette city-parish officials are still looking for answers a week after the state legislature extended new financial disclosure requirements to cover volunteer municipal boards and commissioners....

42 resign from local boards/commissions

City-Parish Council Clerk Norma Dugas’ phone did not stop ringing yesterday, as new ethics disclosure requirements forced mass resignations from local boards and commissions. Board members had until...

Local boards notified of ethics requirements

On Friday, Lafayette Consolidated Government City-Parish Attorney Pat Ottinger sent out a memorandum outlining the new state ethics laws requirements for local board and commission members. Today is...

Sazerac, the official drink of New Orleans

With all the furor over pay raises, news of one of the recent legislative session’s historic accomplishments has been largely overshadowed. On the last day of the session, state legislators canonized...

Sizing up Cravins v. Boustany

Let the prognosticating begin. National political analysts are beginning to key in on Louisiana's 7th Congressional District as one to watch in the upcoming fall elections. The district will be a key...

Lafayette native promoted to state CRT secretary

Lafayette native Pam Breaux is the state’s new secretary of the Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism. Breaux is filling the post following the resignation of Dawn Romero Watson. Today, The...

Judge denies speed van restraining order

District Judge Glenn Everett has denied a restraining order request filed by Redflex speed van operator Christina Silvetti against local private eye Stephanie Ware. Everett made the ruling at a...

LCG launches in-house phone network

Lafayette Consolidated Government has gone live with its own internal phone network, expected to generate approximately $1 million in savings over the next decade. The new Internet-Protocol-Telephony...

Cajun Palooza to benefit Emma Grace Breaux

The AGAPE Foundation, a new local oil and gas industry charity, is hosting the first annual Cajun Palooza in downtown Lafayette tomorrow. The concert, featuring Roddie Romero and the Hub City All...

LSU looking to extend CWS stay

LSU’s once again takes on 2nd seeded North Carolina tonight in the College World Series. The loser of tonight’s game, which starts at 6 p.m., will be eliminated from the tournament. UNC is the highest...

City moves to block Greyhound station

Greyhound Bus Lines must stop renovations to its building at the corner of Moss and Mathieu streets in preparation of opening a new bus station. That’s the order expected from City Hall following an...

Council to vote on Greyhound station

The Lafayette city-parish council is once again scheduled to take up an ordinance blocking Greyhound Bus Lines planned move out of downtown to the corner of Moss and Matheiu Street in North Lafayette....

Dems to open Jefferson Street office

The Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee is planning to open a Lafayette campaign headquarters, to coordinate efforts on behalf of presidential candidate Barack Obama, US. Sen. Mary Landreiu’s...

Vote for A.O.C.'s Viddy Awards

Acadiana Open Channel wants to hear from you about your favorite public access programs. The station is hosting its annual red carpet Viddy Awards June 21 at the Heymann Performing Arts & Frem F....

Errors rife in local VIP voter drive

Lafayette Parish Registrar of Voters Charlene Meaux says Lafayette has not been entirely immune from a recent voter drive financed by the national Democratic Party that has been inundating registrars...

Pay raises speeding through state legislature

Less than 9 minutes. That’s how long it’s taken the state legislature over the past two days to consider and then quickly approve a controversial bill that would triple their base salary, upping it...

Desormeaux reflects on Belmont loss

Three days after the Belmont Stakes, the world of horse racing is still stunned over Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown’s last place finish. Big Brown was vying to become the first horse in 30 years to...

LSU plays for trip to college world series

LSU is hoping to make its final game in Alex Box stadium a memorable one, as the team vies to make its first trip back to the college world series in four years. Tonight’s game against UC-Irvine will...

Top 28 Tournament leaving Cajundome?

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association executive committee yesterday rejected a bid from the Cajundome to host the state’s Top 28 high school boys basketball tournament. The dome, which has...

Louisiana's other rising political star

Campaigns & Elections Politics magazine has identified a new political star in Louisiana and for once it’s not Gov. Bobby Jindal. The magazine has just released its annual list of Rising Stars and...

LSU hosting super regional

LSU is the hottest team in baseball with a school and conference record 23 straight wins. Yesterday, LSU topped Southern Miss 11-4 in the championship game of its NCAA regional tournament. LSU will...

Hardy confident on noose ban bill

Lafayette state Rep. Rickey Hardy says he feels confident a bill he has introduced to outlaw public displays of nooses used for intimidation will become law. Yesterday, the House Criminal Justice...

LITE targets film industry

Local officials recently returned from a marketing mission to the Cannes Film Festival in South France bullish on the potential partnerships between film studios and the Louisiana Immersive...

Councilman wants noise ordinance review

Lafayette’s noise ordinance, which restricts excessive sounds in public areas, has been on the books almost eight years, but has seen little enforcement, according to councilman Bruce Conque. Conque...

30 bands to play Geronimo Fest

Tennessee experimental folk duo Mr. And Mrs. Hazelwood, New Orleans cabaret act the New Orleans Bingo Show and local zydeco favorites Lil’ Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers are just three acts in a...

Perrilloux Speaks

In an interview with Yahoo Sports , Ryan Perrilloux talks for the first time about the events leading to his recent dismissal from the LSU football team. Following a string of team suspensions in a...

Farm bill heads to veto showdown

An omnibus $307 billion Farm Bill – with significant subsidies for Louisiana’s sugar, rice and sweet potato farmers, among others – has sailed through Congress and now heads to President Bush, who has...

North Louisiana's Movie Mecca

The Noble Savage Tavern, an old honky tonk in downtown Shreveport, isn’t typically known for its celebrity clientele. But last week, it was the choice hangout of Oliver Stone, Sharon Stone, Val Klimer...

Redflex challenges private investigators ruling

Attorneys for Redflex Traffic Systems, the vendor for camera traffic enforcement programs in Lafayette and Baker, have filed a slew of legal challenges to a ruling last week from the Louisiana State...

Host families needed for immersion program

North Vermilion High School French teacher Michelle Fontenot is seeking host families for a first year immersion program for French students in Acadiana. The United States with Meetings and...

Democrats recruiting Cravins to run against Boustany

The national Democratic Party is putting the full court press on state Sen. Don Cravins Jr. to challenge incumbent Republican Charles Boustany in the 7th Congressional District. Cravins, who recently...

All but three schools to remain open

All but three public schools in Lafayette Parish will remain open today. The Lafayette Parish School System is closing three schools in Scott – L. Leo Judice Elementary, Westside Elementary and Scott...

Event focuses on 'Moving Technology Forward'

The Louisiana Technology Council, formed in New Orleans in 1994, will be holding its first Lafayette event tomorrow at the LITE Center. The organization has recently been seeking greater expansion and...

Nagin endorses Obama

New Orleans mayor and Democratic Party Superdelegate Ray Nagin endorsed Barack Obama for President this morning. In his statement, Nagin cited Obama’s commitment to Gulf Coast recovery and Washington...

Hardy wants Third Circuit Appeal court in Lafayette

State Rep. Rickey Hardy is pushing a bill to move the Third Circuit Court of Appeal from Lake Charles to Lafayette. The state already has $13 million budgeted to build a new Third Circuit Courthouse...

Jindal preaches fiscal responsibility

Gov. Bobby Jindal held a press conference yesterday to address excess revenues the state is expected to see, largely tied to sky-high oil prices. Like a parent withholding dessert, Jindal preached...

Council defers action on Greyhound

At last night’s meeting, the city-parish council delayed a hard decision on whether to block Greyhound Bus Lines’ controversial move into a neighborhood on Moss Street. The council tabled the issue in...

Perrilloux kicked off LSU football team

Ryan Perrilloux, LSU football's heir apparent quarterback, has been kicked off the team. LSU head coach Les Miles made the announcement this morning in a brief prepared statement . “Ryan was given...

Cravins Jr. weighs party switch, Congressional run

State Sen. Don Cravins Jr. is considering a run for Congress in the 7th District, possibly as an independent. “Right now, my wife and I are talking about it,” he says. “I’m being contacted by the DCCC...

PAR criticizes Jindal's ethics reform

The state’s highly touted ethics reforms, recently passed by the state legislature, may actually make ethics violations harder to prove, according to the Public Affairs Research Council. The...

NRCC launches anti-Obama ads in La.

Louisiana and Mississippi may be getting a preview of what the national Republican Party has in store for the November presidential election. According to a story today on Politico.com , The National...

Cajuns and Tigers renew baseball rivalry

UL and LSU renew their interstate baseball rivalry tonight with a 6:30 game at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. It will be the first time the two teams have met since the 2002 regionals, a heated...

Cox taps Advocate reporter to track LUS

Cox Communications has its own watchdog to track the progress of Lafayette Utilities System’s entry into the telecommunications business. The company has hired Kevin Blanchard, a reporter with The...

State, ICF agree to new performance measures

ICF International, the company charged with managing the state’s Road Home program, must close 116,000 total cases, complete more than 2,300 second disbursement and 500 elevation second disbursements...

FEMA backs down from preliminary flood maps

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is tempering enforcement of new preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps that could dramatically alter designated floodways in Lafayette, which affect...

Neighborhood threatens lawsuit over Greyhound

North side residents are up in arms and threatening suit over a controversial 2007 re-zoning that allows Greyhound to move its bus station into a residential area on the corner of Moss and Mattheiu...

Bars asked to pick up tab for police detail

Lafayette bar owners are being asked to pick up the tab for costly patrol details that help to manage and protect their large weekend crowds. City Police Chief Jim Craft met with bar owners last...

Digital In-Development Expo underway

Whether you’re eagerly anticipating the new Jessica Simpson movie Blonde Ambition, seeking info on music licensing and publishing, or in the mood for a documentary examining life in a small town on...

Black bears on the rebound

While the Black Bear Conservation Committee and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are still in the middle of an ongoing five-year population estimate, all signs indicate that Louisiana’s black...

Pinac opts out of Congressional run

Local Democratic Party officials had been looking to former state Rep. Gil Pinac as their go-to candidate in challenging incumbent Republican Congressman Charles Boustany this fall. Pinac, who lost a...

Vitter won't testify in D.C. madam trial

Sen. David Vitter won’t be taking the stand to answer any long-avoided questions about the “serious sin” he confessed to last year. Vitter was on a list of potential defense witnesses in the trial of...

Brass Bed CD release tonight at Blue Moon

Brass beds are known for being solid, well polished and modish. Taking its name from a Bob Dylan lyric, the Lafayette indie rock outfit Brass Bed is no exception. The group has built a loyal local...

Will Jeremy Shockey become a Saint?

Rumors continue to circulate that New York Giants all-pro tight end Jeremy Shockey may be on his way to the Big Easy to join the New Orleans Saints. Reports of a possible trade that would send Shockey...

WGSO: LSU to hire Trent Johnson as basketball coach

This morning, radio station WGSO of New Orleans is reporting that LSU is poised to introduce Stanford’s Trent Johnson as its next men’s basketball coach. Johnson compiled a 81-48 record in four...

Foreclosure concerns hitting Gulf Coast

While hurricane recovery aid has largely helped bolster the Gulf Coast economy, there are now signs that the country’s ongoing mortgage crisis is hitting home. Focusing in on Hurricane Katrina...

State launches culinary trails Web site

The Louisiana Office of Tourism has launched a new Web sited devoted to navigating the state’s many rich culinary landmarks. The Web site, www.louisianatravel.com/culinary was launched on Friday along...

Arts Council zeroes in on Wuestemann

German classical guitar virtuoso and former UL guitar professor Gerd Wuestemann appears poised to become the next executive director of the Acadiana Arts Council. At a special meeting last night, the...

Bill sparks debate over intelligent design

The chairman of the state Senate Education committee has filed a bill in the state legislature to encourage public schools to teach "the strengths and weaknesses" to scientific theories...

DNR says Lake Peigneur residents not at risk

The state Department of Natural Resources says Lake Peigneur area residents were not at risk during a January power failure that caused a loud disruption at a nearby natural gas storage facility. DNR...

Bush to attend Kennedy fundraiser

If there was any doubt about the national Republican Party’s commitment to his U.S. Senate campaign, state treasurer John Kennedy put those to rest yesterday when he announced that the National...

Term-limited Michot gets major fundraiser

Lafayette state Sen. Mike Michot will be the guest of honor tonight at the “Michot Spring Gala 2008.” According to the invitation, the fundraiser is being held at the Historic Houmas House Plantation...

LWV documents deteriorating schools

Broken air conditioners, molded ceiling tiles, overcrowded rooms, failed equipment; these are just a few of the issues facing Lafayette Parish School System’s aging facilities, most of which are more...

Jindal to visit LITE

Gov. Bobby Jindal will be in Lafayette on Thursday to speak to business leaders with the Chamber of Commerce about the upcoming legislative session. The event, which is not open to the public, will be...

Bills seek to raise college tuition

A trio of bills in the state legislature would allow UL Lafayette to raise its student tuition for the ’08- ’09 school year. The primary measure will come from the Board of Regents’ tuition proposal....

Cox Responds to EATEL Ad

Cox Communications Vice President of Public Affairs Sharon Kleinpeter says Lafayette customers are eligible for a new special promotional offer that allows customers to get digital cable with HBO,...

Cox Communications' secret bargain prices?

Does Cox Communications have special promotional offers they’re not telling you about? You may have noticed a series of ads being run by EATEL promoting a new Cox offer – digital cable with HBO,...

Former President Bush visits Cameron

Former President George Herbert Walker Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush will be in Cameron Parish today to commemorate the re-opening of South Cameron Memorial Hospital. The hospital, which was...

Arnaudville/Grand Coteau host Seven Mile Yard Sale

A seven-mile yard sale will stretch from Arnaudville to Grand Coteau tomorrow. The sale, which takes place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., will run along Highway 93 East and take place throughout both towns....

State tightens restrictions on red snapper fishing

The state department of Wildlife and Fisheries has set tighter restrictions for fishing of red snapper, whose Gulf population is still struggling to rebound. The red snapper catch limit for...

GameCamp founder speaking at ACFM

Spencer Zuzolo, Director of the Game Development Institute at Austin Community College and founder of the local GameCamp! summer program, will be speaking tonight at the Acadidana Center for Film and...

Women's football league eyes Lafayette expansion

Lafayette is among cities being targeted for 2009 expansion teams by the National Women’s Football Association. In a recent press release sent out to local media, league founder and CEO Catherine...

Lafayette ranked 10th worst walking city

Lafayette was ranked the 10th worst walking city in America in a recent list compiled by Prevention Magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association. The rankings were based on dozens of...

Cravins running for state party chairmanship

Former state senator and current Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins Sr. has thrown his hat in the ring for the state Democratic party’s top leadership position. Cravins is among six candidates seeking the...

Jindal joins Republican governors for McCain

Bobby Jindal was among six Republican governors who officially threw their support yesterday behind the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain. At a Washington press conference,...

No. 1 recruit Greg Monroe makes Top 28 debut

The biggest draw to tonight’s Top 28 high school basketball tournament games in the Cajundome is a lanky 6-foot-10-inch forward from Helen Cox High School in Jefferson Parish. Greg Monroe has been...

Boustany to inherit McCrery's leadership PAC

Second-term Congressman Charles Boustany’s stock is on the rise with the pending departure of the state’s two more senior Republican Congressmen. Both Richard Baker of Baton Rouge and Jim McCrery of...

NY Times notes Jindal's early success

Leading the U.S. section of today’s New York Times is the headline: “Louisiana Governor Pierces Business as Usual.” The Times devotes a sizeable article to covering Gov. Bobby Jindal’s early success...

Top 28 tournament brackets released

March madness kicks off early in Lafayette, which will once again host the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Top 28 boys’ high school basketball tournament. LHSAA has just released the...

Traffic camera lawsuits expanding to B.R.?

The red light camera program in Baton Rouge is yet to begin issuing tickets, but lawyers are already suggesting that once it does, a lawsuit will be filed. WAFB in Baton Rouge is reporting that...

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