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Richard Zuschlag, Acadian Companies founder, dead at 76
Richard Zuschlag, local civic leader and longtime president and CEO Acadian Companies, has died at 76, the company announced in statement Wednesday. Zuschlag was battling cancer. Zuschlag grew the upstart Acadian Ambulance, which he co-founded in 1971, into a powerful emergency services enterprise with six divisions. Still headquartered in Lafayette,...
BRIEF: Land bought for Northside library
More than five years since money was set aside for a new Northside library branch, parish government has officially purchased land for its construction. Lafayette Parish bought 10 acres of undeveloped land just south of I-10 along Louisiana Avenue, according to The Acadiana Advocate. Progress on the new library has...
BRIEF: Walter Guillory resigns Lafayette parks post
Walter Guillory, athletic programs supervisor for Lafayette Consolidated Government, resigned last week, the Boulet administration confirmed to the Acadiana Advocate. Guillory’s appointment to that role in 2019 raised eyebrows, given his then recent release from federal prison on corruption charges connected to his time as director of the Lafayette Housing Authority.
BRIEF: Boulet taps new spokesperson
The Boulet administration will appoint marketing strategist Jamie Boudreaux to the role of Chief Communications Officer, per a Monday press release. Boudreaux will leave her current post at BBR Creative to join Lafayette Consolidated Government later this month. From the press release:. Prior to her time at BBR, Boudreaux served...
Drake LeBlanc’s fight for French
Lafayette filmmaker and multimedia artist Drake LeBlanc is a product and advocate of Louisiana French education. The French multi-media organization he co-founded, Télé-Louisiane, is facing drastic cuts in state funding. A graduate of Paul Breaux Middle School’s now defunct French Immersion program, LeBlanc went on to host a...
Lafayette will vote in two congressional districts this fall
The map is set for this fall’s congressional elections, splitting Lafayette between two districts. But the fight over Louisiana’s second Black district may not be over. Louisiana will have two majority-Black congressional districts this fall after the U.S. Supreme Court halted a challenge to the congressional map passed by the state Legislature in a special session at the start of this year. The Supreme Court decided it was too close to the Nov. 5 election to change voters’ congressional districts.
Column: Lafayette is the best of the worst — so what?
So Lafayette is the best city in the worst state, according to the U.S. News and World Report annual rankings. What does that really tell us? Any of these online lists need to be taken with some degree of salt. No matter what methodology they use for their scoring, there’s some amount of nuance left out. For example, their quality of life index doesn’t factor in how much more delicious gumbo is in Lafayette than in Shreveport.
Summer heat is here. Is Lafayette prepared?
After recording breaking heat last summer, Louisiana residents are buckling up for another hot few months. Earlier this month, temperatures cracked the 90 degree mark for the first time this year and according to the Climate Prediction Center the region is in for another unusually hot summer. Last year, local...
BRIEF: Boulet taps Paul Trouard as interim chief
Paul Trouard, a 27-year veteran of the Lafayette Police Department, will serve as interim chief, the Boulet administration announced at press conference Tuesday. Trouard will hold the post as Lafayette Consolidated Government embarks on a national search to replace Judith Estorge, a holdover from the Guillory era who announced her resignation last week.
Youth mental health response team coming to Acadiana
A new mobile response team tasked with assisting youth and their families in moments of crisis will be hitting the streets this summer. After a lengthy selection and training process, Lafayette based nonprofit The Extra Mile will be running the program, which is part of an effort by the Louisiana Department of Health to expand resources for youth experiencing mental health challenges.
Council Preview: Spoil banks settlement and new money for debris drop off
Here is a selection of items on the agendas for this week’s meetings of the City and Parish councils. To see the full agendas, check out the links below:. Property taxes in Louisiana are calculated from millage rates set by local government bodies. Those rates have to be set during public meetings each year, and various rules exist to limit how they can be adjusted without going to a vote of city or parish residents. Millages in Lafayette are available on the Parish Assessor’s website.
‘Ms. Warbucks’ imagines another tomorrow for Annie
What if Little Orphan Annie shook off a lifetime of being little and went big? Writers Caroline Helm Huval and Bonny McDonald answer this question with the musical Ms. Warbucks, playing in June at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Directed by Christy Leichty with songs written by Johanna Divine,...
Unveiling Acadiana’s Performing Arts Scene: AcA’s NXT Series
What’s next at Acadiana Center for the Arts? Embark into the heart of local creativity with the NXT Series, presented by Rader, where AcA teams up with the brightest stars on Acadiana’s horizon. At the core of AcA’s NXT Series is a commitment to supporting the growth of...
A safe place for all: Hearts of Hope’s inclusive approach to survivor support
Editor’s Note: This story includes discussion of suicide and sexual assault. If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To report sexual assault and access resources, call the 24/7 crisis support line at 337-233-RAPE (337-233-7273). To report suspected child abuse, call 855-4LA-KIDS (855-452-5437).
Amid loss of confidence by rank and file, Chief Estorge steps down
Facing a potential vote of no confidence by the Lafayette Police union, Chief Judith Estorge has stepped down from her post and will return to the department as captain. KLFY was first to report the change in leadership at the department, noting sources who told the station Capt. Paul Trouard, a veteran officer, would serve as interim chief. The Current’s sources also say Trouard will take over.
In competing I-49 Connector designs, opposing ideas of safety in a deadly pedestrian corridor
Two competing plans for the Evangeline Thruway corridor have new Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet at odds with the city’s Evangeline Thruway Redevelopment Team over how to protect pedestrians on the parish’s most deadly roadway. The central difference in the plans — displayed by DOTD at public showcases in...
Ochsner, Lourdes seek community input on Acadiana’s health challenges
Serving a nine-parish area spanning from St. Mary to Evangeline Parish, Acadiana’s two main hospital groups, Ochsner and Lourdes, have a lot of ground to cover. A current survey seeks input from the community on the kinds of services that are missing and is open to public participation until May 20.
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