Articles
Friday, May 21, 2021 - 3:17 pm
Alexandria, La. (May 21, 2021) — Summer time, with its hotter temperatures and kids out of school, is traditionally a time police see an increase in crime, especially violent crime. Alexandria has already seen increased instances of violent crimes in 2021, including two homicides this month involving juveniles. As the nation slowly eases away from COVID-19 restrictions, national experts are predicting an additional increase in violent crime this summer. “Unfortunately, Alexandria, like many cities across the state and across the country, has seen above average levels of violence already this...
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 - 1:43 pm
Alexandria, La. (May 19, 2021) — Alexandria residents may obtain free, pre-filled sandbags while supplies last from 3-6 p.m. today at the City Compound located at 2021 Industrial Park Road. There is a limit of 5 bags per vehicle. “With the extreme amount of rainfall we have seen in south Louisiana, we are concerned that the rain we receive locally will not be able to drain as quickly as normal,” explained Alexandria Mayor Jeff Hall. “We count on our water to go south, and it may not be able to do that right now. If our drainage canals backup and overflow, it could result in local flooding. We...
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - 6:29 pm
Alexandria, La. (May 18, 2021) — The National Weather Service in Lake Charles projects continued heavy rain Tuesday night and Wednesday in the Alexandria area. Current projections call for at least another 2-3 inches of rain, with higher totals possible in isolated areas. Rain estimates are as high as 10 inches of rain in areas along the Texas-Louisiana border. “We have already received a lot of rain, which means the ground is saturated and many of the drainage canals and bayous already have higher amounts of water than usual,” said Alexandria Mayor Jeff Hall. “Another concern is the heavy...
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 - 11:44 am
Alexandria, La. (May 11, 2021) — Celebrating the completion of an intensive 10-week online business training program for local entrepreneurs, 23 students were recognized Wednesday night at Louisiana State University of Alexandria as the initial graduates of the LaunchPad training program. LaunchPad is a joint venture between the City of Alexandria and the LSUA College of Business. The graduation ceremony, held in the Coughlin Auditorium at LSUA, was the first opportunity for the students and instructors to meet in person. Due to Covid-19 concerns, the 20 90-minute classroom sessions were...
Friday, May 7, 2021 - 3:38 pm
Alexandria, La. (May 7, 2021) — With repair work increasing at the Johnny Downs Sports Complex, the baseball and softball practice fields will no longer be available to teams effective Monday, May 10, until further notice. Parks and Recreation Superintendent Cam Hallman said the area around the practice fields is needed to store supplies and equipment necessary to finish the repair work on the eight baseball and softball fields. “We need to be able to stage supplies and equipment so everything is in place as needed to stay on schedule to be able to host the Dixie Softball World Series at the...
Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 4:35 pm
Alexandria, La. (May 6, 2021) — Mayor Jeffrey Hall has declared Sunday, May 16, as Citywide Prayer Day in the City of Alexandria. While May 6 is the National Day of Prayer, the mayor is encouraging local religious leaders to offer special prayers for the City of Alexandria as part of their worship services on May 16. “With all of the challenges we have faced as a community, I believe a coordinated effort that encourages people of all faiths to ask their God to mend our hearts and help us be better citizens is a wonderful way to bring us closer together as a community,” Hall said. Contact:...
Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - 5:27 pm
Mayor Renews Call to Create New Budget to Address City’s Needs Alexandria, La. (May 5, 2021) —Judge Monique F. Rauls signed a temporary restraining order Wednesday morning, temporarily barring implementation of the amended 2021-2022 budget re-adopted by the Alexandria City Council Tuesday night. “Unfortunately, the budget adopted by the City Council is not balanced and violates the City’s Home Rule Charter in several ways,” said Alexandria Mayor Jeffrey Hall. “For example, it creates an unsustainable payroll obligation and improperly interferes with the city’s negotiations with the police...
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 - 7:07 pm
Mayor Urges New Budget While Legal Process Plays Out Alexandria, La. (May 4, 2021) — Mayor Jeffrey Hall hopes to create a dual path of resolving the legal dispute over the 2021-2022 city budget while continuing to pursue creation of a balanced budget for the city following the Alexandria City Council’s vote to overturn his veto. “I am very disappointed in tonight’s decision of the City Council,” Hall said. “While we must take action to resolve the legal issues regarding violations of the city’s Home Rule Charter, we can’t lose sight of what we need to do to serve the needs of our residents....
Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - 6:51 pm
Alexandria, La. (April 28, 2021) — Offering further insight into his decision to veto the amended 2021-2022 city budget adopted April 20 by the Alexandria City Council, Mayor Jeff Hall said he was required to veto the budget due to it being unbalanced and some of the amendments made violate the Alexandria Home Rule Charter. “I understand residents are eager to see our police officers get a pay increase – I’m eager to do that as well. I’ve been working to increase police pay as well as compensation for all city employees since I took office,” Hall said. “But it has to be done correctly, using...
Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021 - 4:14 pm
Alexandria, La. (April 28, 2021) — The City of Alexandria continues to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), state health officials and Gov. John Bel Edwards regarding measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. “Yesterday the Governor announced that he is easing restrictions regarding the statewide mask mandate,” Alexandria Mayor Jeff Hall said. “We never issued a mask mandate for the City of Alexandria. We have, however, followed the Governor’s and health official’s guidelines and complied with the statewide mandate. In his latest order, the Governor...