Thecurrentla.com
Thecurrentla.com
The Current – Lafayette's Community Voice
The Current is a nonprofit news organization exploring the politics and culture of Lafayette and southern Louisiana.
The Current is a nonprofit news organization exploring the politics and culture of Lafayette and southern Louisiana.
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In her State of the Parish address, M-P Monique Boulet said she plans to create incentives for young people to stay, aims to fix mistakes of the past and stabilize local government.
12.3.2025 21:51Johnston Street, housing and drainage top Boulet’s prioritiesHeart disease, cancer and obesity were identified as main health concerns in a recent assessment performed by the major hospital systems. What can be done to address them?
11.3.2025 22:10How to fix Acadiana’s health woes? Ochsner, Lourdes seek inputLetitia Labbie doesn't get paid to nurse injured birds of prey back to life. She does it out of a passion for wildlife — and a sense of responsibility.
10.3.2025 19:03For the birds? An Acadiana woman has dedicated her life to saving injured wildlifeIn a move to modernize older commercial zoning and improper uses, Lafayette’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning of 48 properties just north of Evangeline Thruway.
10.3.2025 18:58Council Preview: Rezoning on the Northside, adding to University Corridor overlay districtMany women experience symptoms that are related to menopause, but aren't recognized as such. Now, there's a telehealth clinic focused on treating them holistically.
6.3.2025 14:00Women lack access to menopause care — a Louisiana couple wants to change thatA special election to fill the vacant Lafayette-area state House seat is set for May 3. House District 45 is the last link in a chain reaction of special elections set off last fall when Jean-Paul Coussan won a seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission and vacated his state Senate seat. District 45 Rep. […]
5.3.2025 18:46Election set for vacant Lafayette-area legislative seatOur goal is to get our clients the compensation they deserve as efficiently and fairly as possible—without unnecessary legal battles.
5.3.2025 16:00[Sponsored Post] Why trial lawyers avoid filing lawsuits — unless we have no choice62% of participants say they have almost been hit along Johnston Street or University Avenue.
28.2.2025 16:16UL pedestrian/bike survey finds students feel ‘unsafe, scared, uncomfortable’ on Johnston StreetTwo heart surgery patients reunited with their care team at Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital. Their cases show just how important regular check-ups are.
27.2.2025 14:00‘Get checked out early’: Lourdes patients and doctors reunite in honor of Heart Health MonthThe low-income housing complex was cited for code violations in the summer and failed to meet a Jan. 31 deadline to fix problems.
26.2.2025 23:23Affordable housing complex fails LCG re-inspection, daily fines set to accrueThe high-level objective of the project [Bertrand Drive] is to open the mindset of our entire community, says M-P Monique Boulet.
25.2.2025 21:46LCG addresses dangerous intersections amid increasing roadway accidentsJust 42.8% of working age adults are now projected to have post-secondary degrees in 2025, falling short of a goal to hit 55% by this year.
25.2.2025 19:58Column: Rural brain drain stymies Acadiana’s higher ed goalsThanks for this article. One change that would improve safely planning and advocacy would be for DOTD to make data easily available on accident frequency at the level of individual streets and intersections. As far as I can tell, only parish wide statistics are made public. Other states do provide this information to their citizens. It's difficult to advocate for fixing problems when we're shut out of fundamental facts.
6.2.2025 01:14Comment on Getting around Lafayette can be deadly. Better connectivity could help. by MICHAEL WALDONJerome is a true wordsmith, able to capture the moment and then share it through his eloquent prose, at a level that reaches our innermost core and touches our most shared common feelings as humans. No conflict. No struggle. Simply stating what we all experienced as a community and as human beings sharing the planet. Inspiring and unifying.
22.1.2025 22:54Comment on Letter: When wonder was everywhere by Kevin TauzinIf no candidate gets over 50% in the special election would there be a runoff?
18.11.2024 00:25Comment on Myers, Regan announce for Senate, as Guillory eyes race by Michael waldonAh so he is a religious conservative as well.
6.11.2024 20:56Comment on New Lafayette library board member named by Lisa M LeBlancExcuses all around from LCG.
28.10.2024 17:18Comment on Water leaks remain high amid LUS staffing challenges by Lisa M LeBlancI would like to thank Mrs Alena who wrote this story, I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart so when i tell you the number of my friend who have call and text me say it one the best story that has been written about Mental illness in quite sometimes. They also said everything she has written is the truth. we would like to let her Bosses know we are proud of her. She has a gift for put thing together this need to go Nation wide. Especially too CNN as soon as possible. Thank you cannot thank you enough. May God continue to bless this company and you to a higher level thank
17.10.2024 20:11Comment on There’s a mental health crisis in Louisiana jails by Joyce F GaymonDrivers are going to fight this. But Livability, economic development and safety are all going to improve long term.
4.10.2024 13:57Comment on LCG aims to fix a ‘rift’ with reimagined Johnston, UL connection by Max RickettI am glad this kind of bribery and corruptions in our DA's office have been exposed. Thank you for this great articles!!
22.9.2024 01:21Comment on Prosecutor Gary Haynes indicted in bribery scheme by Sonhui Graysonthat’s ridiculous if people can’t follow instructions they should not be participating. i can’t believe my councilperson is the one trying to ruin the program
5.9.2024 22:56Comment on LCG pauses key penalty in recycling tag program by Kai DrobishThe posting of the 10 Commandments in public schools is not a religious statement? Let’s look at them and see what they say. And, pardon me for taking out the ‘thou’ and other highfalutin language. I prefer the plain text. First Five 1 I am your god, and you can’t have any other gods. 2. You can’t have idols or physical effigies of me or anybody else (got that Hindus, Eastern Orthodox with your icons, and Roman Catholics with your statues of Mother Mary and the Saints?) 4. You can’t say my name in a disrespectful fashion or as a curse (or I, your god, will be offended). 5. Don’t work on the ‘Sabbath’. (I, your god, took the day off and so should you). The first five are both clearly religious and specific to the Abrahamic religions. You’re gaslighting me if you say the purpose in displaying them is only to teach history and the origins of our laws and constitution. By posting them in every public classroom and calling them a ‘historical document’ you're also saying that the founders of this country wanted us all to worship the god of Abraham. But if that were true, why is there is no mention of god in anywhere else in the US Constitution? And why does the First Amendment to the US Constitution say “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” I listened to Gov. Landry’s interviewed on Talk Louisiana last week (https://www.wrkf.org/show/talk-louisiana. July 30, 2024). Approximately 17 minutes into the interview he was asked about the case of children of parents who don't agree with the posting of the 10 commandments. His responses were: "..they don't have to look at it." and "..is it a bad way to live your life, 'thou shall not kill', 'thou shall not steal'?..”. The first part of his answer is disingenuous. If a law were passed that required the prominent placement of a pornographic picture in the front of every classroom (we'll call it 'sex education'), wouldn't that be considered promoting pornography? And if a parent objected to the pornography in the classroom, would Landry's response be tell the parents that their children “don’t have to look at it”? The second response requires you forget the nature of the first five commandments and focus on commandments 7 and 8. The implication is, 'after all, if they're good, shouldn't the rest of the 10 be okay as well?' It also implies that the 'non-religious' commandments have some unique historical and legal significance for America. So let's examine that. Second Five: 6. Honor your parents 7. Don’t murder 8. Don’t steal. 9. Don’t commit perjury. 10. Don’t yearn for other people's stuff. So commandments 6 through 9 are pretty much common to all civilized societies without regard to a particular faith tradition. If I had to guess, I’d say that the Egypt that Moses was leading the Israelites from had laws with respect to murder, stealing, and perjury; and they were probably similar to what could be found the Code of Hammurabi and other ancient legal codes, many of which proceeded the 10 commandments by thousands of years (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi). They’re a basic requirement of civilization and law. The last commandment is just good advice and something the Stoics, Buddhist, and just about every philosophy that has focused on happiness, has advised. So why not display the Code of Hammurabi instead? After all Hammurabi and his code are honored at the US capital and United Nations headquarters? Or better yet why not just put up a sign with commandments 7 through 10 without the numbers? The ‘why’ behind this law comes from the same dark places of the American soul that built monuments to Confederate traitors throughout the South in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The monuments were erected to tell Black Americans that they were second class citizens, without the same rights and privileges of white Americans (C. Mader, July 15, 2012, “Update: Mouton statue comes down Saturday 11 AM”, The Current online: www.thecurrentla.com). This despite the plain text of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution The symbolism was not lost on Black Americans then; and the symbolism of requiring the placement of the 10 Commandments in all public school is not lost on us now. So ‘why this law?’ For its backers, this is a first step towards establishing the primacy of their version of their Christianity and opening the door to the policy objectives of Christian Nationalism. It’s their way of telling non-Christians, and even Christians that don’t believe as they do, ‘If you don’t like it, suck it up; we’re in charge; and if you’re not one of us, you’re a second class citizen.’ Given the current jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), I don’t feel confident in saying this is unconstitutional. The conservative majority of SCOTUS has shown that they want to give primacy to conservative Christian views over others whenever they can. A few recent examples include the 2022 Dobbs, 2018 Masterpiece Cakeshop, and 2014 Hobby Lobby decisions. For those who say they are trying to return America to its religious routes, I suggest they look at the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli. It was negotiated under our first president, George Washington; ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1797; and singed into law by President John Adams, the second president of the United States. Article 11 of the Treaty states "... the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..." That section of the treaty could have been objected to either of our first two presidents or the U.S. Senate. But they read it and signed it. Secularism is built into the foundation of the US Constitution and is our cherished and long standing tradition. The Louisiana 10 Commandments law is un-American.
8.8.2024 22:13Comment on Landry deploys ‘Hamilton,’ RBG posters to defend Ten Commandments law by Jacoby CarterI agree.
28.6.2024 03:01Comment on Lafayette Parish owes the city $17M. It’s time to pay it back. by Jacoby CarterI agree this is bad for our homeless. I've have volunteered from time to time with Catholic Charities from time to time and believe they do good work. I think the state's spending priorities have taken a turn towards cruelty. More importantly, Jeff Landry doesn't seem to have learned the less of Matthew 25:42-46. However, I do have a question for Catholic Charities of Acadiana. The grant was for $1.2 million dollars, and their 'capacity' based on the article is 120 people housed in a dormitory setting with bunk beds, etc. That works out 10,000 per bed per year or about $833/month per bed, assuming all beds are occupied throughout the year. Individual apartments in Lafayette can be found for rent for less than $700/month (Zillow.com). It seems to me that housing people in a dormitory setting should be substantially less expensive than a full apartment on the open market. I understand that apartments for the homeless may not be available for any number of reasons, but why is housing people in a dormitory where you have many people to a room more expensive that housing people in their own apartment? Maybe it's additional services provided to the homeless that is driving up the cost? But still, it is not a good look that it costs that much to house 120 people for a year. Is there anyway we can house people in clean and safe places that can cost less per person. Since Gov Landry has indicated elsewhere (I think disingenuously) he wants charitable groups to compete for the dollars the state may allocate for these issues in the future, that cost to person ratio might be a problem. Personally, I think he's just using this as an opportunity to stick it to the cities who are having to deal with regional homeless issues as continuation of the culture war he waged as attorney general. Catholic teaching on the poor be damned, so to speak.
28.6.2024 02:58Comment on Column: Will Lafayette accept Landry’s homeless shelter funding veto lying down? by Jacoby Carter