Alena Maschke

New York native Justin Bennett has always had a soft spot for dive bars. Raised in and around them as a musician's son in Brooklyn, he's always found comfort in their gritty resilience and built-in diversity of patrons.

After a tumultuous few months that saw both UL Lafayette's president and longtime chief financial officer leave their respective positions amid

The metal letters that once spelled “Be True” on the marquee of the popular Be True Tattoo studio on Johnston Street now lay piled up in the parking

A lack of government transparency makes it hard to see what is being done to combat addiction with the roughly $100 million disbursed across the state.

No other state gives as much of its power to fund opioid abatement directly to local law enforcement. Louisiana is also the only state with no state-level program, apart from operating costs for the nonprofit and task force, while directing 20% of the funds to local sheriffs.

This year, The Current uncovered potential fraud in the public school system, interrogated Lafayette’s sprawl, and looked at the local effects of new Trump policies.

Under a new agreement with Immigration and Customs enforcement, Lafayette sheriff’s deputies are empowered to enforce federal immigration laws.

UL Lafayette faculty and staff could lose access to basic office supplies through the end of the fiscal year, as part of sweeping spending restrictions that included cutting monthly credit card limits for approved expenses in half.

Lafayette City Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux says there’s currently no ordinance proposed that would make it illegal to camp or squat on public property.

For someone experiencing a mental health crisis, there are few options available in Lafayette that don't involve a visit to the emergency room or the parish jail.