The Daily Advertiser from Lafayette, Louisiana • 9

'Before you knew it, there was just water everywhere' there was just water everywhere," Babineaux said Wednesday evening. Though the water didn't Nicholas Persac npersacStheadvertiser.com Gretchen Babineaux was in the process of setting up her daughters' bedrooms in a new rent house Wednesday afternoon when she left her new home to run errands. But by about 1:30 when Babineaux, a special education teacher at Live Oak Elementary School, returned to the Elmwood Drive home in Broadmoor, a torrential downpour had begun, and water was rising along the streets leading her there. "The rain came down so very quickly that before you knew it, flood into her new home, Babineaux said the streets in her neighborhood and her driveway were covered with pools of water between 6 inches and a foot deep. The sudden, intense rain in Lafayette on Wednesday afternoon left some streets flooded, and though the rains provided temporary relief to Louisiana's severe drought, the state is still far behind typical rainfall averages, and even If I i to 1 .1 i I See Rain, Page B6 The Daily Advertiser Thursday, June 23, 2011 va- -life Photo By Leslie Westbrook Arrests lncident2B Jwestbrooktheadvertiser.com HousingSB theadyeriiser.com hesus monkey deaths spark environmental group's protest Local Arm approved for casino property O-v.

Three animals had been unattended for atleastaweek Claire Taylor ctaylortheadvertiser.com UL Lafayette's New Iberia Research Center violated a federal regulation in connection with the deaths of three Rhesus monkeys, a May 31 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service alleges. The Rhesus monkeys, all one- rr L-M 1 tll Tl i mill Ct "NL "A lit HMOlll 'mm I f' I mx ,1 I -I mem, iSki.a- 1 i to two year-old yearlings, died after they were "accidentally blocked" in a chute connecting two outdoor cages, NIRC The Rhesus monkeys cages at the New Iberia Research Center on Friday, photo by brad kemp bkempthead- VERTI5ER.COM Rowell "On a personal note, when the animals were found, the staff was devastated and still are dealing with the loss today as we go through the review process." ty's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, he said. "On a personal note, when the animals were found, the staff was devastated and still are dealing with the loss today as we go through the review process," Rowell said. The university's investigations could take up to another week.

The USDA has not visited the NIRC about the incident, he said. Budkie's group has previously reported alleged problems at the NIRC at least three times. The USDA investigated the See Monkeys, Page B6 Director Thomas Rowell said on Wednesday. Michael Budkie, executive director of the research watchdog group Stop Animal Exploitation provided The Daily Advertiser with the report and a letter he sent Wednesday to the USDA seeking citations against UL Lafayette. The USDA report, based on a self-report that Rowell submitted, states that the three monkeys' bodies had begun to decompose inside the enclosed metal chute, "therefore they had been trapped for some time and not properly monitored." That indicates the NIRC did Amanda McEifresh amcelfreshtheadvertiser.com A Lafayette-based company has been given the go-ahead to proceed with plans to build a casino and hotel along the Red River in Bossier City.

Officials from Paradise Casino LLC made their presentation at a special meeting of the Bossier City Council on Wednesday morning, where council members unanimously agreed to allow the city's mayor to negotiate an option agreement with the company. Headquartered on Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette, Paradise Casino's officers are listed on state records as St. Gabriel Downs LLC of the same Lafayette address; and Silver Slipper Gaming LLC of Pasadena, Calif. The officer for St. Gabriel Downs is William Trotter, who helped develop the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas.

Deborah Harkins, an attorney for Paradise Casino LLC, said that in addition to working out a formal agreement, the proposal must go before Bossier Parish voters on Nov. 19 and receive approval from the state's gaming control board. The board may evaluate the project as early as August. If voters approve the project this fall, the casino will carry the Margaritaville name and theme and will be accompanied by a 400-room hotel tower, a entertainment complex and an outdoor tropical area visible from the Louisiana Boardwalk, according to The (Shreveport) Times. Harkins said the proposed project is on a prime location along the Red River.

"It's an excellent location that provides us with an anchor position for the Louisiana Boardwalk," she said. "It's right next door to Bass Pro Shop, which will be great synergy for the area. On the other side there will be a David Toms pro golf academy. We've already started to call it a little 'golden Harkins said Paradise Casino officials had an existing relationship with Margaritaville officials, which helped in bringing the popular Jimmy Buffett-led brand to the project. Demographic information has shown that Buffett and Margaritaville projects draw large numbers of people from the nearby DallasFort Worth area, which could translate into big crowds for the casino and hotel.

THOMAS ROWELL New Iberia Research Center director not follow Animal Welfare Act regulations requiring daily observation, the report states. The monkeys probably died from dehydration or starvation, which may have taken days, Budkie said. It also probably took several days for the bodies to decompose, which means the monkeys were probably trapped inside the chute for up to a week before anyone noticed they were missing, he said. Rowell said the monkeys were found on May 26. That same day, the research center notified the appropriate regulatory agencies.

The NIRC's senior management is investigating as well as the universi V. 5" 1 3 .1 4 7 I wt- BEST OF ACADIANA Hundreds of businesses and local personalities were honored Wednesday at Keith's Ballroom in Broussard for being winners in the 2011 Best of Acadiana contest. Find profiles of winners along with a full listing of winners in a special edition of the Times of Acadiana on newsstands today or go to timesofacadiana.com. LEFT: Karen Fowler, from left, Sonya Gallow and Kathryn Tal-ley look at the Times of Acadiana. photo by leslie westbrook A ,8 0 0 2 5 9 5,2 0 E.L.I E.R.