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‘DREAMS FULFILLED IN THE FULLEST’ Longtime senator J. Bennett Johnston dies at 92 STAFF PHOTO By CLAIRE TAyLOR
Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet speaks with former city-parish employee Andrew Duhon following the annual Mayor-President Breakfast on Tuesday.
Boulet touts walkability projects Phase 1 for Johnston Street will move forward, but mayor says funding may be issue BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Staff writer
J. Bennett Johnston served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years before retiring in 1996.
He was not considered flashy, but got things done, lawmakers say BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
J. Bennett Johnston, a pro-business Democrat who during 24 years in the U.S. Senate steadfastly defended Louisiana’s oil and gas interests and worked in a bipartisan fashion to win congressional funding for infrastructure projects throughout the state, died Tuesday. He was 92 and had been living in Sperryville, Virginia, outside of Washington. Johnston was overshadowed during much of his career by flashier politicians in Louisiana during an era where
populist Democrats dominated. He didn’t rouse crowds with table-thumping speeches. Instead, Johnston cultivated relationships with Republicans and other Democrats in Washington, D.C., at a time when working across party lines got things done. Johnston had a lowkey and friendly style that served him as he became an effective advocate for his moderate-to-conservative views and for Louisiana’s interests. During more than 30 years in elected office, Johnston’s two biggest moments in the spotlight came in 1971, when he fell just short of winning the
FILE PHOTO By G. ANDREW BOyD
governor’s race, and in 1990, when he won reelection to the Senate over the surprisingly strong candidacy of David Duke. The loss in the governor’s race came at the hands of Edwin Edwards, but it ended up benefiting Johnston because it gave him enough political strength the next year to challenge veteran Sen. Allen Ellender, who was 81. Ellender died during the campaign, and Johnston won easily. Johnston won reelection in 1978, 1984 and 1990, with the race against Duke generating headlines nationwide because of how powerfully Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard who was then in the state House, tapped into resentment among White voters against Washington.
ä See JOHNSTON, page 6A
Fewer La. students seeking college aid
Lafayette isn’t ready to talk about how to fund a Johnston Street walkability project, Mayor-President Monique Boulet said Tuesday. She said she hopes the upcoming half-mile Bertrand Drive revitalization and walkability project will spark that conversation. Speaking at the annual Mayor-President Breakfast at the Downtown Convention Center, Boulet referenced the Houston area trails project and how voters OK’d a tax in 2012 to build out 150 miles of trails, a quality of life factor that appeals to younger adults when seeking homes and careers. Lafayette, she said, isn’t ready to have that conversation yet. The whole community hasn’t embraced the idea of building pedestrian trails across the city and parish, Boulet said. A mindset shift is needed. She said she hopes construction of the Bertrand Drive project, which will include moving utility lines to one side of the street, building a 12-foot-wide sidewalk on the Deano’s side and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on the other side and connecting Moncus Park on Johnston Street with Cajun Field, will create a new environment on Bertrand Drive and start the conversation about funding Johnston Street. The Johnston Street project, Boulet said, will be expensive — some funding is available through the state Department of
Ex-mayor wants judges recused from her case
Federal Student Aid, or State ends FAFSA for FAFSA, this school year is down 12% compared with requirement the same period last year,
Former DeRidder official accused of having sex with teen
Staff writer
BY JOHN SIMERMAN
BY PATRICK WALL
Once a national leader in getting students to apply for college financial aid, Louisiana has plummeted in the rankings this year and is the only state to see a decline in aid applications this cycle, according to the latest federal data. The number of Louisiana students who have submitted the Free Application
WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 60 PAGE 6B
according to federal data compiled by the National College Attainment Network, or NCAN. By contrast, applications are up 14% nationwide, and every state except Louisiana has seen a year-over-year increase. The sharp drop comes after the state board of education repealed a policy last year that had required high school seniors to complete
ä See BOULET, page 7A
Staff writer
FILE PHOTO
The number of Louisiana students who have applied for federal financial aid for college is down 12% so far this year, even as FAFSA applications are up ä See AID, page 5A nationwide, according to federal data.
A pair of judges in western Louisiana has rebuffed an attempt to boot them off the case of Misty Roberts, the former mayor of DeRidder who stepped down just days before her arrest last summer for allegedly having sex with a teen. Roberts, 42, is accused of sex with a 16-year-old boy and furnishing minors with alcohol. Louisiana
Business ...................10C Commentary ................5B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................2B Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
State Police said her purported victim and another teen told detectives about it. Roberts has pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and contributing to the Roberts delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor. Her case highlights some of the ethical pitfalls faced by jurists in smaller communities, where personal ties can blur perceptions of bias.
ä See JUDGES, page 5A
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