Lafayette News

A 3-year-old boy who wandered outside his grandparent's home Saturday night fell into a swimming pool and drowned, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office said.

DNA analysis of human fluids from 3-year-old Julian Madera's body strongly suggests a 21-year-old man charged with his murder also had sexual contact with him, according to evidence prosecutors have filed in court.

Festering litigation between Lafayette and Broussard over annexations along Ambassador Caffery in southern Lafayette Parish has been tentatively settled, an attorney in the case said.

Lafayette, LA On June 17, 2013, at approximately 1:00 am, Lafayette Police responded to an apartment complex in the 100 block of Belle Fontaine Drive regarding a robbery.

In its ninth year, the 2013 EatLafayette by Lafayette Travel campaign, brought to you by The Fly Lafayette Club runs from June 17 through September 2; with over 70 participating restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisines and experiences, diners will have many tasty options for their summer meals.

Summer gas prices rise every year, but don't expect them to fall after Labor Day, says one UL-Lafayette economics prof.

If you're age 25 to 64 living in Louisiana and have at least an associate degree, you're among a fairly rare group.

Father Hampton Davis officiated the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Mazion Pepper of Farmerville, and Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery McIntosh of Ruston.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Victor of Lafayette. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Adam Victor and Juanita Fusilier and the late Harold Fusilier.

Reverend Chester Arceneaux officiated the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dean Angelle of Carencro, Louisiana.

Bonnie Hall of Woodlawn, LA is pleased to announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of her daughter, Rebekah "Becky" Rae Hall to Casey Patrick Meador, son of Stephen and Denise Meador of Abbeville, LA.

The Lafayette Parish School System is at a stalemate. A six-year turnaround plan to improve schools probably will be suspended in the 2013-14 school year because of a lack of funding.

Podcast Powered By Podbean Phanat Xanamane's early years weren't always easy. But he had dreams.

The ceremony was officiated by Father Gil Dutel. Music for the ceremony was provided by Miss Kristen Pilcher, friend of the bride, Mrs. Margaret Kreider, aunt of the bride, and Mr. Lee LeBlanc.

For William "Sean" Bengtson, there is no job more important than fatherhood. "It's the best thing in the world," said Bengtson, 43. The Kaplan resident just celebrated the June 9 birth of twin sons, Noah William and Evan Sean, with his wife, Christian Bengtson, at Women's & Children's Hospital in Lafayette.

Close observers of the Louisiana Legislature agree that oil and gas interests were well represented in the session that ended last weekend.

<![CDATA[American Bank & Trust Co. has announced six new appointments in executive leadership: * Elaine Diesi has been appointed assistant vice president. She also serves as a director of the bank and of the bank's holding company, and she is the manager of the bank's south branch in Opelousas. She is the secretary and treasurer of both Little Capital of Louisiana, Inc., and Diesi Development Corp. She is also a member of the board of directors of ICONS Food Bank. Diesi is a graduate of Opelousas Catholic School and attended Northwestern State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She also has participated in numerous education programs related to her banking career. * Salvador "Sal" Diesi Jr. has been appointed business development officer. Diesi's more than 29 years of banking experience began at American Bank & Trust Co. during his college years before he graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in business finance. After earning his master's in business administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he worked in health care administration before joining his family business to assist with expansion. He has operated his own business since 1993. He rejoined the American Bank & Trust Co. in April 2008 and has been charged with business development for the bank. * Stephanie A. Haynes has been appointed assistant vice president. Haynes has been employed with the bank for 22 years, and she has been head teller and security officer since 1996. Haynes is a graduate of Opelousas High School and T.H. Harris Vocational School, and she attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. * Cindy Allemond Pefferkorn has been promoted to assistant vice president, accounting officer and secretary. Pefferkorn has been in banking for 29 years, during which she has taken various banking courses with the American Institute of Banking and attended various human resource seminars. She serves the bank in many capacities, including human resources, various accounting duties, wire transfers and stock, and as secretary for the board. * Lindsey Howard Pitre has been named consumer-mortgage lender in Opelousas. Pitre is a native of Opelousas and has been employed with American Bank since January 2009. She received her associate degree in administrative management from Louisiana State University-Eunice. * Valerie Mouton Thibeaux has been named assistant vice president and loan department manager in Opelousas. In her new position, she will manage the loan processing functions and loan operations of the bank. A native of Carencro, Thibeaux joined the bank in February 2009. Thibeaux earned her bachelor's in mass communications and studies in finance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has more than 10 years of banking experience. Principal and architect Chad Abell of Abell + Crozier + Davis Architects announced the hiring of Kaitlin Gammill as the firm's new office manager. Gammill, a native of Alexandria who has been living in Lafayette for three years, joins the architecture firm with a bachelor's degree in business administration from the LSU Alexandria campus. Lafayette Regional Airport's Michael Burrows has been elected president of the Louisiana Airport Managers and Associates. Over the next two years, Burrows will lead the organization in providing a forum for the exchange of management ideas among airport managers, promoting aviation and airport interests, and fostering the development of education programs and scholarships for aviation students. Burrows has been deputy director of aviation at Lafayette Regional Airport since April 2008, after joining the airport as an operations specialist in 2002. He holds a bachelor's in aviation management from Louisiana Tech and is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives. He is also a private pilot. Acadian Ambulance recognized two medics, Nicholas Tourney and Krystal Rodriguez, for their work ethic and dedication to their jobs. Tourney was a finalist for Acadian's 2013 Paramedic of the Year, and Rodriguez was a finalist for EMT of the Year. Tourney and Rodriguez were nominated by their fellow medics to represent Acadian's Hub City operations, which include Lafayette, Vermilion, St. Martin, St. Landry and Iberia parishes. Tourney has been with Acadian Ambulance for more than a decade and obtained his paramedic certification through Acadian's National EMS Academy division. Rodriguez has been with Acadian Ambulance for five years and received her certification from NEMSA as well. She also has a bachelor's in biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Pellerin Energy Group, an integrated service provider for the oil and gas industry, has named Edward "Ed" Godeaux general manager of its water solutions business unit. Godeaux joins PEG with more than 18 years of oil and gas experience, specifically in water treatment. He was previously employed at Siemens, where he served as a project manager, technical director and, ultimately, general manager. His responsibilities include supervision of the design and execution of the produced water systems and equipment, project management, customer relations and global business development. Coast Capital Mortgage, the Lafayette-based mortgage company specializing in first-time home buyers, recently added Renee Box to its team of loan officers. Box is a Lafayette native and graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has previous experience in business, marketing and education. She will team with Louise Logan, an industry veteran and Coast Capital Mortgage loan officer since 2000. Lafayette based lease-acquisition and land-management software company iLandMan has promoted developer Ben Bingham to director of research and development. Raised in West Monroe, Bingham has more than 15 years of programming experience, with 10 years in enterprise-level applications. He has been with iLandMan since 2005. Previously, Bingham worked as senior software engineer for National Oilwell Varco, John Chance and MD Totco, pioneering developmental best-practices and streamlining productivity for all three companies.

The bride is the daughter of Lamont and Patti Domingue. She is the granddaughter of Lawrence and Glenda Mathers, the late Harold Domingue, and Milton and Marie Stevens.

The couple will be united in marriage on July 6, 2013 at Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church in Lafayette.

He is the son of Mrs. Diane Dupre, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Dupre, and step-son of the late Mr. Paul Manuel.