Claire Taylor

Baton Rouge

Reporter, The Acadiana Advocate at The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

Louisiana native. Journalist with The Acadiana Advocate in Lafayette, Louisiana. Retweets not an endorsement.

Featured in: Favicon

theadvocate.com Favicon

usatoday.com Favicon

smh.com.au Favicon

usnews.com Favicon

theconversation.com Favicon

news24.com Favicon

theage.com.au Favicon

business-standard.com Favicon

jsonline.com Favicon

canberratimes.com.au + 50 more

Articles

Lafayette's Myrtle Place residents split over proposed restaurant

2 days ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

Residents in Lafayette's Myrtle Place neighborhood are divided over whether a restaurant should be allowed in the mostly-residential neighborhood. The owners of Five Mile Eatery, which currently operates in the Oil Center, want to move into a vacant house at 903 Myrtle Place at its intersection with Congress Street, between University Avenue and St. Mary Boulevard. It is within walking distance to Lafayette Middle School and Myrtle Place Elementary School.
Lafayette Council members declare June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month

3 days ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

Four of Lafayette's five City Council members have signed a proclamation recognizing the month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. City Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux, Vice Chair Liz Hebert, Councilman Elroy Broussard and Council Clerk Joseph Gordon-Wiltz signed the proclamation on June 2-3. Councilman Andy Naquin, as in years past, did not endorse the proclamation. The council did not formally vote on the Pride Month declaration during a council meeting.
Lafayette council OK's Ambassador, Jonnston road swap and to consider new taxing district

3 days ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

Lafayette and the state will swap ownership of parts of two major roadways in the city to facilitate Mayor-President Monique Boulet's Johnston Street and Bertrand Drive redevelopment plans, with a caveat: the possible creation of an economic development district along Johnston Street with a special sales tax to pay for the work.
Lafayette school drainage project bids may have been forged

4 days ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

The Lafayette Parish School System is investigating whether bids for a $74,500 school drainage project were forged. Sean Beavers, deputy director of enforcement with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, in a May 21 letter to Superintendent Francis Touchet said representatives of two companies that supposedly submitted bids for an August 2024 Charles Burke Elementary School drainage project said they did not submit the bids.
Ethics complaint filed against Lafayette library board member Robert Judge

6 days ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

Lafayette Pubic Library Board of Control member Robert Judge is the subject of an ethics complaint after persuading the board not to discuss settling a federal lawsuit in which he is being sued and for soliciting donations to help pay his legal fees. Margaret Oeklers of Lafayette, a frequent library board meeting speaker, submitted the complaint by email Friday to the Louisiana Ethics Administration.
Funeral service set for Ceci Neustrom of Lafayette

1 week ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

Funeral services will be held June 6 in Lafayette for Cecilia Rose "Ceci" Neustrom, 77, an artist and wife of former Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neustrom. She died Wednesday at her residence. Ceci Neustrom grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi, in a large family. She earned a master's degree in English education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and taught English between the births of six children with her husband.
Partial dismissal of lawsuit against Acadian Ambulance recommended

1 week ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

A federal magistrate judge is recommending the dismissal of some parts of a federal class-action lawsuit against Acadian Ambulance for a cybersecurity breach. Magistrate Judge Carol Whitehurst, U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana in Lafayette, made the recommendations May 19 on Acadian Ambulance's motion to dismiss a consolidated amended class action lawsuit over a 2024 data breach of customers' and employees' personal information.
Lafayette Consolidated Government may bear more hurricane recovery cost

2 weeks ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

President Donald Trump's push to shift the burden of disaster assistance away from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to state and local governments already has put a greater financial burden on Lafayette Consolidated Government.
12,000 Youngsville, Lafayette Parish Slemco customers without power

2 weeks ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

A problem with a transmission line has left about 12,000 Slemco electric customers in Lafayette Parish in the dark Friday afternoon. The outage stretches from the Youngsville area to the Judice and Ridge area of the parish. The company's website and telephone lines also were affected, according to a post on Slemco's Facebook page. Its website server has been restored. Customers do not need to report the outage, the post states.
Will Robert Judge seek reappointment to Lafayette Public Library board?

2 weeks ago | theadvocate.com | Claire Taylor

Controversial Lafayette Public Library Board member Robert Judge, who attempted to ban gay-themed books and removed "equal access" from the library's mission statement, said he does not intend to seek reappointment to the board in September. Judge was appointed to the library board in early 2021 by the Parish Council out of seven people who applied for the volunteer position, including university professors. His term expires in September, but he is eligible to serve a second term.