Daily World from Opelousas, Louisiana • Page 1

Grand jury ends term in Edwards investigation 2A The following are Church Pomi braces for Teurlings Jef proud sponsors of 'ill Celebrate 2000, a community 1 project of the MMH5 EVANGELINE IOWNS 1B I FAYETTE. IA tNww.mfiBilinMWwilt.eoni VOL. 59 NO. 239 OPELOUSAS, LA. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1999 SOC VENDING 33C HOME DELIVERY Ill smcitur JE3u OPELOUSAS Civil service showdown set I i Wreck kills 2-year-old By HENRI LeJEUNE Staff Writer A 2-year-old child died Wednesday after sustaining injuries during a single-car wreck, according to Opelousas police, reports.

According to Capt. Ronnie Trahan, 2-year-old Makayla Texada was pronounced dead by Lafayette General Hospital staff at 1:30 p.m. He said head injuries sustained during the crash were determined by doctors at the hospital to be the cause of death. Trahan said that John Texada was holding the 2-year-old girl in his lap while sitting on the passenger side of the vehicle at the time of the accident. "At this point the investigation is still under way," commented Trahan.

Trahan stated that any charges that may be filed against John Texada can be brought up by the St. Landry Parish District Attorney's office after the investigation by the police department. The accident occurred on South Bullard Street Tuesday night when Gregory Jones, who was driving the 1994 Ford Mustang, failed to negotiate a curve in the northbound lane and crashed. Trahan reported that there were nine people in the car at the time of the crash. He said of the nine, five were children under 6.

He said three of the passengers sustained injuries. He said they were Makayla Texada, John Texada and Jones. He stated that none of the passengers was ejected from the vehicle at the time of the accident. Jury must develop parishwide road plan By PHILLIP de VALCOURT Staff Writer BEGGS According to a state attorney general's opinion, the St. Landry Parish Police Jury's plan to divide surplus funds from the parish Solid Waste Commission is not legal.

The letter from the attorney general's office was handed out at the St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Commission's finance committee meeting Tuesday. The opinion, requested by state Legislative Auditor Daniel G. Kyle, said that the Police Jury's plan to divide their portion of the $2.25 million surplus into four working districts is illegal. The Solid Waste Commission had a $2,5 million dollar surplus from money obtained over several years from Evangeline Parish using the landfill here.

The sur- Viliict maa AaAtoataA ttirmirrVi a law Photo by Freddie Herpln Doug Dean, Opelousas Fire and Police Civil Service Commission attorney, presents the Commision's side to the Board of Aldermen in a dispute with the city over the removal and appointment of commission members. Caillier says he was stiffed on pay hike Council backs move to replace commissioners By PHILLIP de VALCOURT Staff Writer At a special meeting Wednesday, a majority of the Opelousas Board of Aldermen voted to appoint two new members to the city's Fire and Police Civil Service Commission after Mayor John Vallien fired two members last week. Alderman Leroy Payne was absent from the meeting and Alderman Gregory Castain abstained during the vote to place Darryl Wagley and Harry Jerry on the commission. Alderman Charles McKinney said he voted in favor of the appointments based on the advice of Richard Millspaugh, the city attorney. "The mayor called me a couple or three weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to serve on this commission and I want to serve Opelousas any way I can, so I agreed," Wagley said before being given the oath of office.

"But at the time I didn't know there was any controversy over this issue, and if you can find a way to resolve this and you don't want to appoint me, you won't hurt my feelings at all." Before the two were sworn in, Doug Dean, attorney for the commission asked to be heard about the legality of what was about to happen. Millspaugh said that Gabriel Lewis and Babineaux the members Vallien sent letters of termination to on Sept. 29 j-were never really members because the Board of Aldermen did not make their appointments, but Dean argued that was not the issue. "Mr. Lewis and Ms.

Babineaux were given the oath of office and were seated on the commission," Dean said. "The law is crystal clear that once these members are' seated, only a district judge can remove them." Dean said that it was the city's responsibility to see that the members are properly selected before they are seated. "If anybody has done anything wrong in this appointment, it's you! You did it!" Dean said referring, to the Board of Aldermen. Mayor Vallien went ahead with the swearing in. Vallien also said at the beginning of the meeting that he had searched for four people to put on a list to send to President Ray Authement of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from which Authement would pick two people to serve on the commission.

See Civil Page 8A Aug. 31. -V. 4 "The mayor knew about the raise and he said he was going to take care of that, meaning take it up with all of you," Caillier said. "It was my understanding he would keep up his end of the Alderman Dale Pefferkorn said he thought a 3 percent raise had been approved, but Caillier wouldn't 1 entertain the, and Alderman Joseph Tr- See Chief Page 8A .1,.,..

i.iii.i... i.i. im in pf.vinm Opelousans claim Lotto winnings Picking the same Lotto num-. bers paid off this week for Opelousas residents George and" Lynne LeBlanc when they collected $846,485 in lottery win nings. "We were elated," Lynne LeBlanc said Thursday.

"My husband has been playing the same numbers since the lottery began. I guess he felt there was a method to his madness, she said. The numbers 7-8-10-19-27-40 were drawn Sept. 29, winning a total of $1.26 million for the couple. The $846,485 is what remained after taxes, said Dudley Lehew, public information officer for the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Lynn LeBlanc, a former health care human resources director, said she and her husband kept silent about the win until they had time to think things out.

"We have been just trying to tie up a lot of loose ends," she said. The winning ticket was sold at Tommy's Mobile, 746 East Landry by the owner's father, Abel Ortego. "I'm going to give my dad $500 (of the seller's bonus) because See Winners Page 8A Weather: Cloudy, rainy Cloudy tonight with a 70 per cent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows tonight around 70 with southeast winds at 5 to 10 mph. Mostly cloudy Friday with a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Highs Friday in the mid 80s with southeast winds at 10 mph. INDEX Acadiana 6A Ann Landers 5B Classified 6B Comics 5B Crossword 5B Editorial 5A Horoscope 5B Lottery 3A Obituaries 4A Outdoors 4B Sports 1B mm mat 2 WORLD WIDE WEB DAHT(3V0U riTi OjiMgiliU Mil tsApvtttit I Visit the Daily World on the Internet at www.dailyworld.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Missing your paper or wanting to subscribe? Call 942-8852 until 6 p.m. weekdays. By PHILLIP de VALCOURT Staff Writer Opelousas Police Chief Larry Caillier came before the Board of Aldermen's budget committee at its meeting Wednesday to ask what happened to a $15,000 raise he said he was promised by the mayor and budgeted by the board. Caillier reminded the aldermen that they had approved his department's salary budget "in macro" and had not asked for a breakdown of each police officer's salary.

The police chief stood before the board, holding the line-item breakdown of the police department's salary budget and said repeatedly, "You did not ask for this, you simply approved my salary budget in macro." Caillier said he had met prior to the formation of the 1999-2000 budget with Mayor John Vallien and his former assistant Dr. Paul Medus, and he had a "gentlemen's agreement" with the mayor concerning a $15,000 raise. Caillier currently receives an annual salary of $39,000 and a $3,000 supplement from the state, "It's in the budget and it was approved, what I want to know is why can't I get my money?" Caillier asked the board. Caillier said he submitted a salary budget of about $2.2 million that was approved by the board on Photo by Freddie Herpin Opelousas Police Chief Larry Caillier, right, confers with Opelousas City Attorney Richard Millspaugh prior to the start of Wednesday's City Council meeting. Legend Living Zydeco Festival founder Wilbert Guillory honored -w6.

that allows the money to be distributed to St. Landry Parish and the municipalities exclusively for road and drainage repair and improvements. The opinion said that the Police Jury would have to make a parish-wide priority list of road and drainage repairs and improvements rather than four working-district lists as the jury had planned. The finance committee decided that the matter would best be worked out by the Police Jury and decided to let jurors figure out how they would abide by the opinion. "We're going to follow the attorney general's opinion and go back to a priority plan," said Police Jury President James Eaglin, in a telephone interview.

In other business, Melville was the first municipality to submit a request for road work to be done in the city to the commission. "I see no problems with the request," said Velton Stelly, the person the commission placed in charge of checking out the validity of requests for road and drainage work. "It's good that we're starting with a small town like Melville to get our feet wet with a project like this," Stelly said. Another issue raised was that of municipalities who have their own equipment and workers seeking in-kind compensation from the money they are allotted by the Solid Waste Commission. The town of Sunset was pointed out since commission President Allen Brasseaux said that the See Roads Page 8A Wilbert Guillory received a phone call stating he needed to dress up.

The caller declined to mention the occasion, but Guillory figured something special was coming. "Normally, I don't get surprised, but this time I was almost speechless," said Guillory, the retired director of the Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Plaisance. "I knew something was going on because people normally see me with blue jeans and a T-shirt. "But Horatio Handy called and told me to dress up because he had something special for me to do. Normally people don't call me and tell me to dress up.

"I was surprised to find out the type of award I was receiving. It was mind blowing and I was just so happy." Guillory received the Living Legend Award at the first annual Zydeco Music and Creole Heritage Awards held at La Maison de Madison Square in Broussard. The event, part of the year-long FrancoFete celebration, was sponsored by C.R.E.O.L.E. a nonprofit group that has been dedicated to preserving Creole heritage h- i. KUYIIII BOOGIE Herman Fuselier since 1987.

Eunice's Geno Delafose was the evening's top winner as he claimed the Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin Heritage Award, Accordionist of the Year and Album of the Year for his CD "La Chanson Perdu." Boozoo Chavis took the Clifton Chenier Heritage Award and Song of the Year honors for "Look Like a Monkey." Zydeco Joe was crowned Entertainer of the Year. The late Irene Hebert was honored with the Paul Thibeaux Award, a tribute named after her late brother and legendary deejay on Lafayette radio station KVOL. Chubby Carrier received the Canray Fontenot Heritage Award. Don and Charles Cravins shared Zydeco Deejay of the Year honors See Awards Page 8A 111 1 .111. I Photo by Freddie Herpln Zydeco musician Jimmy Seraille, left, a.k.a.

Lil Pookie, and Wilbert Guillory display awards won at the First Annual Zydeco Music and Creole Heritage Awards held recently in Broussard. Seraille was named Newcomer of the Year and Guillory received the Living Legend Award. I I JUIII.HIII..IH nun i i munfc ifc ui wnn.