July Birthday Gift Idea

Suppose you have an extra $5000 or so laying around and you need to buy your gal a birthday gift. Well, there's not a person around that wouldn't love this Ruby and Diamond cocktail ring from Lafayette's own Wm. S. Nacol Jewelry (since rubies are July's birthstone you know...), and best of all - you don't have to leave your house to buy it because Wm. S. Nacol has a website that offers online shopping. Wedding sets, bracelets, rings, watches...lots of choices and really, they have a lot of great ideas in all price ranges so check 'em out here.

Crazy Business Brief

Crazy Charlie's Shoe Store will be moving from their current Pinhook location to a bigger store at 3814 Ambassador Caffery (the shopping center that O'Halloran's / Orleans Furniture is in). Crazy Charlie's is advertising that the new store will feature over 20,000 square feet of floor space and they hope to open in August.

UL Week 4 Tuesday

Today just has been an all around, great day! I got an A on my math test. In fact, it was a 100. I aced it! Having to wake up super early wasn't all that great, but seeing that grade made it all worth it.

Before English, I hung out with one of my friends who just got a Macbook Pro. He was showing his drawing tablet that attaches to it. It's amazing. The tablet is a second screen. You can draw things and drag files to it and it shows up on the screen! I would get one if they didn't cost $1000...


Olivia Melancon is from Lafayette and a first time freshman at ULL. She is documenting her experiences here in a special series for The Daily Meaux.

Catahoula's In Grand Coteau Closes

Mary Tutwiler reports for The Independent that Chef Jude Tauzin has closed his restaurant, Catahoula's located in Grand Coteau. From the article:

The beautiful restaurant, located in a former general merchandise store, was one of the premier eating establishments in the area. Founded in 1996 by John and Hillary Slaughter, the restaurant featured innovative seafood dishes and huge photographs of Catahoula hounds, shot by photographer John Slaughter. Tauzin, first as chef, then as owner, took the cooking to new heights, garnering accolades from foodie journals like Southern Living and Gourmet magazine.

Tutwiler also explains the fiasco that occurred when the Catahoula's in Lafayette, ( not related to the Grand Coteau Catahoula's) closed. Read it all here.

Houser Released

Ted Lewis of the Times-Picayune reports that the New Orleans Saints have released long snapper Kevin Houser. Houser only did one thing for the Saints, but he did it well, for 9 seasons, only 4 games shy of breaking the consecutive games played record of 148 held by tackle Jim Dombrowski. From the article:

Houser added that he did not feel his performance level had lagged."I'm not saying I've never had a bad snap, because I've been lucky enough to have some very good athletes behind me," he said. "But I can say with confidence that in nine years, I never had a snap that cost us anything in a game, and there was no reason to believe that wouldn't continue."

Read more here.

Learn To Work Your Email Machine

The South Regional Library is offering free computer classes during the month of July, beginning July 13th. Electronic Resources Librarian Martin Cooperson will offer free afternoon and evening classes. Each class will meet twice a week with each meeting lasting for two hours. Patrons will meet in the new technology classroom, containing 14 workstations equipped with Microsoft Office Suite and a data projector and screen for easier viewing of instruction.
Classes offered include Basic Computing, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel. Registration begins July 7th. Patrons may register in person beginning at 9:00 AM or by phone after 11:00 AM. Space is limited and registration is required. For details, call the South Regional Library at 981-1028.

The South Regional Library is located at 6101 Johnston Street.

Photo by Vongaurd

He Didn't Even Dress For The Occasion

The Lafayette Police Department issued a press release this morning regarding an incident of an unknown male impersonating a police officer last night. A 23 year old female reported that the man attempted to conduct a traffic stop on her vehicle around 9:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of Ambassador Caffery. The suspect showed no identification, nor was he dressed in proper attire. He was driving a blue Ford F-150 pick up truck, with a white stripe down the side. Anyone with information about the suspect or the incident is encouraged to contact the Lafayette Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 232-TIPS.

Make It Rain

Somebody once said "you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows", and while that's true, I do like having Rob Perillo around telling me about all the other stuff weather does. He and colleagues, Dave Baker and Kari Hall maintain a great weather blog over on KATC.com. That's where I found out that yesterday's afternoon showers ended a streak of 25 days with no rain in Lafayette. Not only that but yesterday's temperature of 101 broke a record going all the way back to 1930, and was the 12 straight day of 97-102 degree heat. It appears June will go down as one of the 5 hottest months on record. Check it out here.

He's Not That Good of a Wrapper

A St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Deputy has been arrested for smuggling drugs and tobacco into the Parish jail according to a report by Jason Newton at KLFY. The Deputy's wife also works in the jail.

Now, that story would probably be something we'd skip right over, but the wife has such a great quote we couldn't resist. She told TV10: "it was wrapped so neatly, [he] just isn't capable of doing that so good." Nice. It couldn't have been him...he's just not that good.

On an equally bizarre note: The Badge Photo used here is from a website called collectors-badges.com and for $110 you too can own your very own St. Landry Parish Sheriff badge.

Chevron Accused of Killing Endangered Birds

The Advocate is reporting today that Chevron USA has been charged with unlawful taking of migratory birds (a misdemeanor). According to Jason Brown's article, the company is accused of possessing, wounding, and killing 35 Brown Pelicans, the state's official bird which is listed on state and federal endangered species lists. The charge faces a maximum fine of $15,000 and up to 6 months in jail.

Photo by: kevincole

Sports Wrap Up By Stanton

Ed Stanton, has a nice story on the Bayoubuzz.com that covers the recent NBA draft picks by the New Orleans Hornets, and items on Pete Maravich, LSU Football, and Eli Manning. Check it out here. From the article:

From Jay Marotti in FanHouse.com: "Not much makes me cringe these days, but describing Ricky Rubio as the next Pistol Pete Maravich certainly is hard on the frown lines. So the Mane from Spain has flowing locks and a flair for the flashy, sexy pass. Does that make him remotely equipped to wage battle in a league loaded with elite point guards, from Chris Paul to Deron Williams to Jason Kidd to Derrick Rose to Rajon Rondo? Pistol Pete was a one-and-only, never to be replicated in any year, a prolific scorer and exquisite passer whose showmanship would have thrived in a time when entertainment and SportsCenter hits seem to trump winning championships. Rubio? He's 18. I have no idea how much he'll improve his shaky jumper and adapt to the raw physicality of NBA ball. He very easy could be a Eurobust who has brainwashed us with YouTube reels that conveniently ignore his turnovers and no-look flips with no-chance recipients."...

Photo by PetroleumJelliffe

Ponzi

Here are two stories regarding R. Allen Stanford and his alleged Ponzi scheme. Stanford plead innocent to charges of bilking investors of $7 billion. Leslie Turk and Don Allen share the byline on this story from The Independent. From the article:

Werner believes that hundreds of investors in Baton Rouge and Lafayette have been adversely affected, but not everyone has come forward. “I think they started in Baton Rouge first, got plant workers and retirees to invest, then moved on to Lafayette and perhaps a wealthier clientele. You know, you have $10 million and you lose a million, that’s not good. But you lose a life savings of a few hundred thousand, that’s devastating.”

Jen Degregorio from the Times Picayune wrote this story about the Stanford case that ran yesterday. From the article:

It appears that the Pelican State provided more clients for Stanford than any other state in the nation. Louisiana residents dominate the roster of the Stanford Victims Coalition, said Angela Shaw, director of the group that counts members in 35 states.

Roughly 1,700 Louisianians -- many of them from the New Orleans area -- may have lost a combined $500 million in investments with Stanford, according to estimates from the state attorney general's office. That office has launched its own investigation and may seek to press separate criminal charges against Stanford in state court, said David Caldwell, head of the public corruption and special prosecutions unit.

Read more here.

Photo by Lokesh_Dhakar

Take A Breath

A story on AANMA.org (Allergies and Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics) announced today that Connecticut and Louisiana are the latest states to pass legislation allowing students to carry and self-administer asthma medications in school. The Louisiana bill now awaits Gov. Bobby Jindal's signature. From the article:

Prem Menon, MD, an allergist in Baton Rouge, La., and a member of AANMA’s Board of Directors, led the effort in Louisiana along with AANMA members. The bill passed unanimously due to their hard work and the support from advocates they rallied throughout the state.

“This bill was necessary,” Dr. Menon said. “Students were having a hard time with some of the teachers and school nurses. Because there was no state law, some nurses worried that the State Board of Nursing would discipline them if children carried auto-injectable epinephrine and albuterol.”

More here.

UL Week 4 Monday

Today was the best day ever. My friend told me that my English class was canceled! I almost didn't believe him, but it turns out, he's telling the truth. No English class today! YAY! I need to start my essay today though. It's due on Thursday. It's going to be a good essay this time so that I can get an A.

I had a math test this morning. It wasn't too bad. I just didn't want to get up early and take it! I had even studied the night before with a friend in my class. I'm wanting an A in that class so I'll have to keep studying for all of the rest of the tests.

My cell phone died. I hate when my phone dies. I feel disconnected from the world.

Olivia Melancon is from Lafayette and a first time freshman at ULL. She is documenting her experiences here in a special series for The Daily Meaux.

Whac-a-Nutria

In our neverending dedication to bring to light all things nutria, today's story comes out of Zachary, Louisiana. Earlier this year, a group of students attended a conference in Lafayette presented by 3-D Squared and were challenged to create a video game that addresses 3 key issues: coastal erosion, obesity, and education. The Zachary and Lafayette students came up with "Whac-a-Nutria" and teacher Margaret Atkinson said the experience was "life-changing" for the kids as they had to learn how to "problem solve and work as a team". The Advocate has the full story.

Latin Dance At The Moon Tomorrow Night

Here's an early shout out for some shows at the Blue Moon Saloon this week. Tomorrow night and every Tuesday night, there is a Latin Dance workshop from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday night there is a Cajun Jam hosted by Mitch Reed. Mitch is an incredible fiddler, and this is a cool opportunity to hear him play up close and personal. Finally, Thursday night has Black Bayou Construktion, one of Dege Legg's stellar rock groups, performing with The Markings. Check it out.

2,100 Still Living In FEMA Trailers

Rick Jervis, of USA Today, reports that 4 years after Hurricane Katrina, 2,100 Louisiana residents still live in trailers provided by FEMA . From the article:

The federal government has made it a priority to vacate the temporary trailers, particularly after formaldehyde and toxics were found in the trailers. This month, FEMA and HUD announced programs to help extradite residents from the trailers, including $50 million in housing vouchers.

Slow-moving federal housing funds, elderly and disabled residents unable to navigate the system, and a lack of affordable rental units have kept them from completely emptying, said Crystal Utley of the Mississippi Center for Justice, which provides legal advice to disaster victims. Escalating insurance rates in the affected areas have also made it difficult, she said.

More here.

Photo by Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire

Study Predicts 10% Of State To Be Under Water By 2100

Following up on our last post concerning the erosion of the marshes on the Louisiana coast, we found this story with Dr. Harry Roberts' suggestion that computer models indicate that 10% of Louisiana will be submerged by the year 2100.
Sid Perkins, writing for Sciencenews.org, reports:

Not only is the land sinking, but the sea is also rising. Scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that since 1993, sea level has risen about 3 mm/yr. That rate is expected to accelerate as the planet’s climate warms, heating Earth’s surface waters and causing them to expand, says Roberts. The melting of land-based ice such as glaciers will also contribute. So, the researchers presume — conservatively, Roberts says — that in the year 2100 sea level will be rising 4 mm/yr.

More here.

Image by M. Blum and H. Roberts

Tough Choices Ahead

Cornelia Dean, writing for the New York Times, reports that a new study by LSU scientists finds that inland dams trap so much sediment from the Mississippi River that it can no longer halt the coastal erosion occurring in Louisiana's wetlands. As we reported last week, there is discussion about breaking levees south of New Orleans to allow the river sediment to replenish the marshes and wetlands. This study indicates that may not be enough. From the article:

The finding does not suggest it would be pointless to divert the muddy water into the marshes, one of the researchers, Harry H. Roberts, a coastal scientist, said in an interview. “Any meaningful restoration of our coast has to involve river sediment,” he said.

But he said that officials would have to choose which parts of the landscape can be saved and which must be abandoned and acknowledge that lives and businesses will be disrupted. Instead of breaking levees far south of New Orleans, where relatively few people live, Dr. Roberts said, officials should consider diversions much closer to New Orleans, where there are more people and infrastructure, possibly into the LaFourche, Terrebonne or St. Bernard basins closer to the city.

Read more here.

Photo by Editor B

We've Been Dealing With These For A While

Nostalgiaah.com has this story marking the 52 anniversary of the June 27, 1957 landfall of Hurricane Audrey. The deadly hurricane killed 419 people, and caused $1billion (adjusted for 2005) in damage. More here.

Golf Is Kinda Like Life... Like 10 To Life

Newsvine.com has this story by Associated Press writer Stacey Plaisance, about a golf course located on the grounds of The Angola State Penitentiary which is to be featured on The Golf Chanel in a series called Golf In America. The program airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. cst. From the article:

The prison's nine-hole course, with two tee boxes at each hole for an option to play 18 holes, is cared for by the inmates and is open to the public. The inmates are not allowed to play, but they are granted the opportunity to work the grounds as a reward for good behavior, said longtime Angola Warden Burl Cain.

More here.

A.P. Photo by Judi Bottoni

UL Week 3 Wrap Up

Yesterday was a long day. After school, I had a chiropractor appointment until 4 pm. After that, I had a lot of errands to run. And after that, I helped my boyfriend with his design project. So it ended up being a very late night.

This morning, I went to my little cousin's birthday party. He's so funny. But it was a swimming party and it was HOT outside. I'm currently still working on on the design project. It's of a mandala that has to be all "artsy." It's pretty hard to explain. Maybe I'll be able to put a picture on here sometime soon.


Olivia Melancon is from Lafayette and a first time freshman at ULL. She is documenting her experiences here in a special series for The Daily Meaux.

Roaf Inducted Into Louisiana Hall Of Fame

Sheldon Mickles, in a special report for the Advertiser, wrote a profile of former Saint standout lineman, William Roaf's induction to the Louisiana Hall of Fame. Former Saints coach Jim Mora was interviewed for the report. From the article:

Mora couldn't help but chuckle at his first in-person look at Roaf, whom he had only seen on tape before he was drafted. When the pigeon-toed Roaf walked out of the locker room and passed Mora on his way to his first minicamp practice, the coach did a double-take.

"He walks kind of funny, and when I saw him I was concerned we had drafted a guy with some kind of a problem," Mora said with a laugh.

Of course, he didn't know then what he knows now - that Roaf was the best offensive lineman he'd ever been around in all his years as an NFL assistant and highly-successful USFL and NFL head coach.

"Watching him in that first minicamp, I saw the moves and the quickness he had," Mora said. "A lot of offensive lineman are fat. Willie wasn't fat ... he was just a physically imposing guy. He had big shoulders and long arms, he was just a big man.

"The way he moved, that quickness and athletic ability and skill - that's what impressed me the most," he said. "That's what made him such a great player. If I were starting a team right now, I'd take Willie."

More here.

Judge Won't Throw Out Bribery Charges

The Associated Press, in a story run on Newsvine.com, reports that a federal judge has refused to throw out bribery charges against Mose Jefferson, brother of former representative William Jefferson, who is also standing trial on separate corruption charges. From the article:

Friday's ruling says a newspaper report forecasting Mose Jefferson's indictment didn't taint the grand jury proceedings.The Times-Picayune of New Orleans posted the story about an hour before the grand jury convened on April 2, 2008, to vote on Jefferson's indictment. The ruling says the article didn't contain any information that wasn't already in the public domain.

More here.

New Iberia Considering Police Department Again

New Iberia is commissioning a third party study to see what the costs would be to bring back their City Police department, which was disbanded in 2004. This comes after the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Department requested more funding than was originally contracted for according to an article by Jason Brown in today's Advocate. 5 years ago an agreement was made with the Sheriff's Department to handle both City and Parish policing duties for an annual payment of $3.4 million. You can see that document here. But now, Sheriff Ackal says that's not enough to cover his payroll. From the article:

The back-and-forth has now left the city in such a position that "we have to look at our future," (Mayor Hilda) Curry said.

Public safety is the city’s No. 1 priority, Curry said, but any decision has to be one that is fiscally responsible.

"Obviously a contract does not mean anything, because we had a contract and our sheriff is threatening to have it terminated," Curry said.

Their request was renegotiated to just under $5 million dollars but has prompted the study.

Photo by: FirstAssemblyofGod-Mattoon

Like a Good Episode of Cops

City Police arrested a Lafayette man Thursday after a car chase through town. The suspect was routinely stopped for a traffic violation when police discovered he had illegal narcotics in his possession. The suspect then hopped back in his car and sped off down Moss Street. After crashing into a police car, he took off on foot, but was captured a short distance away. The suspect is charged with a whole host of offenses, including hit and run and OWI. The Advocate has all the details here.

Legislative Round-Up

The Opelousas Daily World ran a great summary of all the bills that passed and failed in this session of the State Legislature. From cigarette taxes to equal pay for women, school dental clinics and surplus spending, they have all the scoop in this handy, concise piece.

Coach Payton's Home made from over 80% Toxic Drywall

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is one of the many Louisiana residents whose homes have been ruined by defective Chinese drywall. According to a report by Brett Martel in The Advocate, prior to discovering the toxic material, Payton said that they smelled a rotten egg smell in their home and all his wife's sterling silver was turning black. He had 14 air conditioning service calls, 5 computers fail, 3 microwave ovens replaced and an entire set of new telephone lines installed before they discovered the drywall. Payton and his family have since moved and are renting a home nearby. They have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Photo by: neworleanssaints.com

No Swimming

Health officials have issued many "no swim" advisories for area beaches including Cypremort Point, Holly Beach and Long Beach, where water quality samples have found that there is an unhealthy level of intestinal bacteria in those waters. Claire Taylor from The Advertiser has the full story. Officials say visitors can still boat and fish, but no swimming....although really, if intestinal bacteria is keeping me from swimming, why is it ok to eat the fish that are swimming in it? I'd probably just catch and release....but that's just me....

Photo by: Joshuadavisphotography.com

Mayors Request Veto

As a follow up to our story on Wednesday about the speeding ticket revenue debate, here's an article by Jason Brown of The Advocate detailing the request from area mayors to Governor Jindal to veto the bill. The Town of Washington Mayor Joseph Pitre says that approximately 45% of his whole town's budget is from the $700,000-$800,000 worth of annual speeding tickets they write, but despite their pleas, the Governor is expected to sign it. At a conservative guess of $150 fine per ticket that's about 5000 speeding tickets per year or 400 or so per month they are writing...so, wow, you better slow down in Washington!

So Define Integrity Exactly

Bill Barrow has a report in the Times-Picayune about Louisiana being ranked number 1 in a national study of ethics disclosure requirements for state lawmakers in a conducted by The Center for Public Integrity. However, the story points out that the ability to enforce the new requirements may have been weakened because of the additional workload this creates for the state Ethics board.
From the article:

The group's release cited concerns voiced by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana that the new laws weakened the enforcement standards in the state and increased the responsibilities of the state Ethics Board beyond its capacity. The Center for Public Integrity does not take those factors into consideration on the 43-question survey used to compile its rankings.

Read more here.

[[UPDATE: Now the state of Washington is weighing in on the issue since we knocked them out of the #1 spot. Here's an article in The Olympian from their point of view.]]

Ambassador Extension Getting Ready to Open

Good news commuters - the first phase of the Ambassador Caffery extension project is expected to open in August. This portion of the new 5 lane roadway will connect Ambassador Caffery to Highway 89 and will bring a much needed alternate driving route to residents of Broussard and that area of Lafayette. The rest of the extension from Hwy 89 to Hwy 90 is planned to open in November. Robert Burns from KLFY reports on this and how the new road will have a positive impact on the economy with a great number of new business opportunities opening up along the new corridor. According to KATC, Stine Lumber has already started construction of a new store there.

Click photo for large size map of the area.

Troy Richard and Brian Marshall Tonight!

There's a handful of songwriters and musicians around here that are among my favorites, and these two guys are right at the top of the list. Go check out Troy Richard and Brian Marshall tonight at the Blue Moon Saloon. Troy is one of the areas best and most original songwriters. He's a cool, genuine, dude who would just as soon be fishing as be in front of a rowdy crowd at The Blue Moon. And Brian? He's one of the best guitarists in town....and this is a town that has produced a lot of really good, really famous guitar players. Don't miss this show.

MC Bank Moving Locations

MC Bank has been spotted getting ready to move into the old Starbuck's Coffee on the corner of Verot School Road and Pinhook. According to the MC Bank Website, they will be closing their current location at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 24th and reopening at the new location on Monday, July 27th with normal business hours at 8:30 a.m. This is their 5th branch with others located in Morgan City, Bayou Vista, and Amelia.

Unemployment Rate Rises But There is a Silver Lining...

Even though Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 6.6% (up from 6.2 in April) and we lost 3700 jobs in May, we still have one of the lowest rates in the country. According to Workforce Commission Executive Director, Tim Barfield in an interview with Katherine Schmit of the Dailycomet.com: “Our unemployment rate continues to be the envy of most other states in the South and the country, but too many of our people are out of work because of what’s happening with the economy across the country, and we’re using all of our resources as well as additional stimulus dollars to help employ and train them.”

UL Week 3 Thursday

Today was different from all the rest. I did not have much to do, but I still felt pretty tired. I only have one thing for homework today. One math problem. Should be pretty easy! So, I've been going to the chiropractor recently, and I've been working out. I bet I've gained 10 pounds in muscle in the last 2 months! You can actually see the definition of my muscles instead of just skin and bones. Tomorrow, I get to workout again! I just love the feeling of being sore *slight sarcasm*

Olivia Melancon is from Lafayette and a first time freshman at ULL. She is documenting her experiences here in a special series for The Daily Meaux.

Drink Drank Crunk

At the risk of losing my free case of Drank before it's even been offered, it seems there's been a bit of controversy regarding the new beverage. Shane Griffis, writing for the Ponte Vedra Recorder points out that Drank gets its name from a known drug reference. From the article: "Drank" is a play on "Purple Drank" a recreational drug popular within the hip-hop community. The main ingredient in "Purple Drank" is prescription strength cough syrup containing the drugs codeine and promethazine. This cough syrup is then mixed with Sprite. Although the commercial "Drank" beverage does not contain these ingredients, it has not been without controversy. Critics have referred to the beverage as "Weed in a Can" and claim the herbal combination is dangerous. Read the rest here. Here is a link to Purple Drank's Wikipedia page. And here is a link to to Drank's website featuring the slogan "Slow Your Roll", itself a drug reference for calming the effects of the drug Ecstasy. And the fact that Drank comes in a purple can? That's probably just a coincidence.

Business Brief: Welcome Home

Home Furniture Company is now settled into their new 35,000 square foot location in the old Linens & Things (on Johnston Street by Toys R Us) and open for business reports KATC. It wasn't really a very far move...just a couple of doors down, but the new location almost doubles the amount of floor space they had. A Home Furniture spokesperson told KATC that the rapid expansion of the Lafayette based furniture company is due in large part to the distribution center they opened in 2006.

Also in that same Acadian Square Shopping Center, Kirkland's (the home decorating store formerly located in the Macy's wing of the Mall of Acadiana) is now open in the old Fashion Warehouse building.

Photo from homefurn.com

Drank, The Anti-Red Bull

Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets: IBGH) has announced a partnership with Houma, LA-based Buquet Distributing Company, to distribute the company's signature beverage, drank(TM), a 16 oz. lightly-carbonated beverage formulated with melatonin, Valerian root and rose hips to help one relax. Under the agreement, Buquet Distributing Company will bring drank(TM) to stressed-out consumers in Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, part of Assumption, & Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish. They've even trade marked the term "extreme relaxation". I'll be expecting my case of Drank for the free plug. More here.

First Case Of Equine Encephalitis This Year In BR

Erin Ryder, News Editor for www.thehorse.com, writes that the first fatal case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis this year has been confirmed in a horse from Baton Rouge. Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, DVM, is reminding horse owners to vaccinate their horses. From the article:

This is a public health concern and we are asking all horse owners to make sure their animals have up-to-date vaccinations and to consult a veterinarian if their horses are displaying any symptoms."It's crucial because that information is passed quickly on to other health officials," he said. "With the public health concern over Eastern equine encephalitis and other mosquito-borne illnesses, our animal health officials are an important link to the state and nationwide reporting systems

. Read more here.

Photo by pmarkham

Louisiana Tops In Solar Subsidies

Susan Kraemer has a story in www.cleantechnica.com stating that Louisiana offers a 50% state tax credit for solar roof installations. That along with the 30% federal tax credit can get you up to 80% of off your solar roof. Read more here.

State Blog Under Microscope

Republican Senator Robert Adley, from Benton, is taking issue with The Ledger, a state run blog on the state funded louisiana.gov website. Earlier this month Adley delivered a Senate floor speech saying that the blog is a violation of law that prohibits the use of taxpayer money to express political views. WXVT in Greenville has that original story here. Now, State officials have concluded that after further review, they believe it is not in violation of the law as it doesn't ask anyone to vote any particular way. Adley disagrees and says that the choice of which stories and issues get posted clearly shows prejudice and is requesting an outside investigation. The Daily Advertiser has the full story.

Tigers Win! Tigers Win! Tigers Win!

The LSU Tigers won the 2009 College World Series beating the Texas Longhorns by a score of 11-4. Lafayette's Mikie Mahtook broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning with a run scoring double bringing in New Iberia's Jared Mitchell, and the Tigers never looked back. Mitchell had started the scoring in the first inning with a 3 run homer. The win marks the first national championship for Tiger's manager Paul Mainieri.

Not So Fast...

A report filed by David Spunt, of WAFB Channel 9 in Baton Rouge, says a bill has passed both the House and Senate that would redirect revenue from speeding tickets issued on Interstate highways away from the city writing the ticket and into state coffers instead. The state argues this money will go to a state commission to promote Safe Speed campaigns. Local police agencies are asking Governor Jindal to veto the bill.

Photo by: gwdexter

Jena 6 Expected to Plead on Friday

The last 5 of the Jena 6 students are expected to plead guilty to lesser charges this Friday bringing the much publicized civil rights case to an end. The students were initially charged with attempted murder but the charges were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery. MSNBC.com picked up an Associated Press article about the story.

Photo by: ashleigh_b

Nothing Says Class Like Cadillac

For the Saints fan that has everything...except a custom Saints Cadillac, Ebay Motors has this gem. It's a '99, but it's clean. Check it!

Not To Beat A Dead Horse...

Eileen Sullivan, writing for the Associated Press, has this story run by the Washington Post, detailing an inspector general report that finds FEMA misused, $7 million that could have gone to victims of Katrina and Rita in 2006. From the article:

In the summer of 2006, FEMA spent more than $7 million on two warehouses the agency said it needed to repair trailers and mobile homes used by disaster victims. One of the warehouses was paid for out of the federal disaster relief fund, which investigators say is not permitted. And the other warehouse was paid for out of proceeds from sales of travel trailers and mobile homes - also not allowed.

More here.

Photo by Dental Ben

UL Week 3

Last night, I got about 2.5 hours of sleep. This morning was hectic. I woke up, started doing my homework and realized I could not possibly park and walk to my class in time. Luckily for me, I have a boyfriend who picked me up and dropped me off. I was able to complete my Math homework and get there in time.

I took a quick nap read my reading assignment for english and decided to take a nap in between classes. I had about 40 minutes or so. I even set an alarm to wake me up 20 minutes before English. Well, once again, it didn't go over too well. I woke up in time, so that wasn't the problem. I ended up going back to sleep! But once again, that silly boy saved the day and woke me up and brought me to my class. Phew. What a lifesaver!

The Transformers movie last night was amazing, as I expected. It was a lot different from the first one, but I loved it! Just about every single joke in there cracked me up. I was also with some really funny people so overall, not getting the proper amount of sleep was definitely worth it! By the way, if you haven't seen Transformers yet, GO NOW! Watch it. That is all.


Olivia Melancon is from Lafayette and a first time freshman at ULL. She is documenting her experiences here in a special series for The Daily Meaux.

It Ain't Fair

To make music this beautiful.

Career Diploma Now an Option

Earlier this month we told you about the bill before the Senate that would create a 'career diploma' to try and help combat Louisiana's high school drop out rate. Well, according to the Advocate, that measure overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate yesterday and now the bill is on to Gov. Jindal's desk, which he has indicated he will sign.

Photo by: gadgetdude

Rezoning in Elmhurst Park Approved

There has been quite a controversy over Glenn Murphree's request to rezone a portion of Elmhurst Park neighborhood. He asked the City Council to rezone a piece of property adjacent to Olde Tyme Grocery so he could use it for additional parking but many residents of the neighborhood were opposed. Even so, KATC reports that after 3 hour discussion last night, the council voted 6-3 in favor of rezoning. Walter Pierce of The Independent wrote a great recap of the meeting here.

Photo by: ejanuska

Tigers Drop Game 2

LSU fell to the Longhorns of Texas 5-1 in game 2 of the College World Series final. Texas pitcher, Taylor Jungman, never let the Tiger bats get warmed up, setting up tomorrow night's final game for the national championship. Start time is again 6 p.m. cst. ESPN will carry the game on television, and 98.1 The Eagle will broadcast on the radio.

Don't You Burn Dat

KSLA in Shreveport is reporting that a statewide burn ban has been issued since 4 p.m. this afternoon, and will remain in effect indefinitely. From the article: Due to the extremely dry conditions throughout the state, the State Fire Marshal, Butch Browning has issued a cease and desist order for all private burning. See the rest here.

Set Your DVR

Look for Breaux Bridge native Ali Landry tonight on the series premier of the ABC show, The Superstars. According to Landry's website, she'll be paired with recently retired baseball player Jeff Kent. For more information on the show, visit ABC.com and for some photos from the season premiere, click here.

UL Week 3 Monday

I got back my first test in Math. I got a 93. I was really disappointed. Yes, a 93 may be an A, but I should have gotten a higher A. My teacher took off 1 whole point because I did not show one step to a problem in which I had gotten the correct answer. She also took off a half a point because she didn't like what my plus sign looked like. Let's just say, I wasn't too happy.

We're starting a new project in English. It will be due in about 2 weeks. I really don't even want to start it. I got an 81 on my last essay. That's still a B so it's not too bad... I'm just trying to get an A in both of my classes especially since those are the only 2 classes that I'm taking in the summer.


Tonight, the Transformers movie comes out! I'm going to it. The midnight feature. I'm going with this guy that I met in my English class along with a few of his friends. It's going to be an amazing movie! I can't wait!


Olivia Melancon is from Lafayette and a first time freshman at ULL. She is documenting her experiences here in a special series for The Daily Meaux.