Leslie Turk

Lafayette

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Managing Editor at KeepMeCurrent.com

Senior Editor at The Current Media

Lead investigative reporter for The Current. (AKA: Pajama-wearing basement blogger who likes to "pry & pry.")

Featured in: Favicon

thecurrentla.com Favicon

nytimes.com Favicon

theadvocate.com Favicon

theadvertiser.com Favicon

wwno.org

lailluminator.com Favicon

wrkf.org

newsbreak.com Favicon

kadn.com

Articles

LPSB’s Hidalgo seeks ethics opinion on vendor sponsorships at his bar

4 days ago | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk

Last year Lafayette Parish School Board member Jeremy Hidalgo’s Broussard bar, The Barrel, regularly posted advertisements on Facebook for “customer appreciation” events, a number of which were sponsored by vendors and contractors doing work for the Lafayette Parish School System.
LPSS construction quotes may be forgeries, licensing board finds

5 days ago | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk

An investigation into the Lafayette Parish School System’s use of an unlicensed contractor for drainage repair work at Charles Burke Elementary has uncovered what may be forged quotes submitted for the job. An investigation by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, first reported by The Current on May 11, found that officials with two companies that purportedly submitted quotes for the $74,500 drainage repair job had no recollection of doing so.
LPSS hired unlicensed contractor for school work

4 weeks ago | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk |Jack Williams

The Lafayette Parish School System has directed hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance work to a local oilfield service company, in potential violation of state licensing requirements. The company once employed the school system’s current maintenance manager.
Sources: NE Regional Library to be built at Holy Rosary site

1 month ago | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk

The Boulet administration on Monday announced an update on the Northeast Regional Library, scheduling a press conference for Tuesday to provide additional details. According to sources familiar with the administration’s plans, Mayor-President Monique Boulet will be announcing the location for the long-awaited facility, to be built on the grounds of the former Holy Rosary Institute.
Boulet, sheriff at odds over jail funding

2 months ago | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk

More than six months after a dispute over jail funding and crowding issues boiled over in an email thread that included dozens of city and parish officials, the administrations of Mayor-President Monique Boulet and Sheriff Mark Garber remain at a standstill. Whether the jail is being adequately funded by Lafayette Consolidated Government is likely to be debated at this summer’s budget hearings.
Lafayette Parish School System scrutinized for no-bid contracts

2 months ago | theadvocate.com | Leslie Turk

Since early 2024, Lafayette Parish School System officials have awarded millions in no-bid work to a metal building company in Scott. Bergeron’s Metal Buildings of Scott was awarded contracts to complete walkway covers and sidewalk canopies, remove portable buildings and replace some of their roofs, and construct a large agricultural building at Carencro High School.
Illegal or cost-effective? LPSS scrutinized for no-bid contracts

2 months ago | kadn.com | Leslie Turk

LAFAYETTE, La. (The Current) — Since early 2024, Lafayette Parish School System officials have awarded millions in no-bid work to a metal building company in Scott. Bergeron’s Metal Buildings of Scott won contracts to complete walkway covers and sidewalk canopies, remove portable buildings and replace some of their roofs, and construct a large agricultural building at Carencro High School.
Illegal or cost-effective? LPSS scrutinized for no-bid contracts

2 months ago | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk

Since early 2024, Lafayette Parish School System officials have awarded millions in no-bid work to a metal building company in Scott. Bergeron’s Metal Buildings of Scott won contracts to complete walkway covers and sidewalk canopies, remove portable buildings and replace some of their roofs, and construct a large agricultural building at Carencro High School.
LCG moves to fire engineer on Homewood drainage project

Feb 21, 2025 | thecurrentla.com | Camden Doherty |Leslie Turk

Mayor-President Monique Boulet has moved to fire engineer Pam Granger, whose drainage studies during the Guillory administration were used to launch more than $80 million in controversial flood control projects that were then designed by her firm, McBade Engineering.
Lafayette school system auditors flag public bid law violations

Feb 12, 2025 | thecurrentla.com | Leslie Turk

The Lafayette Parish School System has been breaking up public works projects that auditors say should have been combined and put out for bid, amounting to potential violation of state law. The findings were reported in an annual audit covering the year ending June 2024 and included about a dozen issues, eight of which were unique findings with several others duplicate compliance/internal controls problems. The most serious of those are five separate potential public bid violations.