News

Ricky Fontenot, of Bayou Chicot, holds an 11.22-pound, 26-inch bass t he caught at Chicot Park on March 22. (Photo courtesy of Marianne Fontenot)

Fontenot catches 11-lb. bass at Chicot Park

(not verified)

Friday, June 9, 2023

What started out like a normal day on the water at Chicot Park turned into a day where a local fisherman hauled in the biggest fish he had ever caught. “I just had got there and started going into a little cove where I normally fish,” said Ricky Fontenot, of Bayou Chicot.

State Sen. Heather Cloud

Bill to limit minors’ access to sexually explicit materials passes

(not verified)

Friday, June 9, 2023

A bill that would limit minors’ access to sexually explicit materials in public libraries received final legislative passage Thursday. While lawmakers are rushing to pass their bills before the session ends at 6 p.m. Thursday, the final version of Republican Sen.

Forget the mint. How about a fresh pillowcase?

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

At the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Carlsbad, Calif., guests were piling trash and dirty towels in the hallway, and by the looks of things you’d think the staff had gone on strike.

Ready to fire up those Father’s Day memories?

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

It’s difficult to wrap my mind around it, but this will be my 20th Father’s Day as a father. All of those third Sundays in June have blurred together, but I certainly have warm memories of son Gideon’s everyday march toward adulthood. (He marched.

Persistence created ‘miracle’ waterway

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

Someone once called the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway a “thousand-mile miracle,” but there was nothing miraculous about getting it built. The miracle was that the idea for the canal came from west Texas, not south Louisiana.

Some Louisiana schools will receive posters with the motto “In God We Trust” written in Arabic to be placed in classrooms to comply with a new bill the Louisiana Legislature passed on Tuesday. (Image courtesy of Chaz Stevens)

Arabic ‘In God We Trust’ signs will test limits of Louisiana’s law

(not verified)

Friday, June 9, 2023

Some schools across Louisiana will soon receive free “In God We Trust” signs to hang in their classrooms, though the designs might not be what some state lawmakers had in mind when they passed the new mandate Tuesday. House Bill 8, co-sponsored by Republican Reps.

New report details UL Lafayette’s impact on state economy

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette had a statewide economic impact of $2.7 billion for fiscal year 2021-2022. That total supports more than 34,600 jobs – one out of every 78 jobs in the state. UL Lafayette’s $1.

Louisiana’s $50B coastal plan approved by Legislature

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

The Louisiana Legislature has unanimously approved a $50 billion plan to protect and restore the state’s diminishing coast over the next 50 years. “We’re not just throwing money at the problem,” Gov.

Teacher pay raise turns into $2K stipend

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

Under a compromise approved in the chaotic closing minutes of the spring session Thursday, state lawmakers limited a $2,000 pay increase for teachers to a one-year stipend and cut $100 million from what the Senate had sought for the Louisiana Department of Health.

Parish sales tax collections up 3.2% over last year

Rebecca Chaisson

Friday, June 9, 2023

St. Landry Parish sale tax collections through May were up 3.2% or $1,218,187 over revenues in the same period in 2022. Total collections through May were $38,880,690 compared to $37,662,503 in 2022. May collections in the parish were $7,565,192, up $164,208 or 2.2% over May 2022 collection.