🌱 Former Teacher Charged With 15 Felony Counts + Short Play Festival

Hello all. It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Lafayette Patch newsletter. Here's what you need to know about what's happening locally.

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Now, your local weather:

• Friday: Mostly cloudy with a t-storm. High: 83 Low: 59.
• Saturday: Hot with some sun. High: 90 Low: 67.

Here are the top three stories in Lafayette today:

1. Ja’Shon Burks, a former Lafayette Jefferson High School teacher, has been arrested and charged with numerous counts of child seduction and sexual battery. Multiple students confronted Principal Mark Preston about inappropriate behavior from the teacher, and police were notified immediately following. An attorney for the families involved says he hopes that all of the victims will come forward. Burks is currently booked at the Tippecanoe County Jail with 15 felony counts. (wlfi.com)
2. Need something to do this weekend? The 11th annual short play festival is taking place at the Civic Theatre from now through Sunday. There will be 17 plays featured this weekend all ranging in duration between one to ten minutes. Tickets are $12 or you can roll a dice and pay the number on the dice! Shows tonight and tomorrow begin at 7:30 p.m., Sunday the shows begin at 2:30 p.m. (Subscription: Journal & Courier)
3. The TCAP Lunch and Learn session will be held on Jun. 27, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. at the YWCA Greater Lafayette. The session will be focused on the gang activity that occurs in the Greater Lafayette area and hopes to inform those working with children about the local crimes and police involvement. Sgt. Michael Zambon from the Lafayette Police Department will be giving an hour and half long speech on the topic and how his department is handling the issue through documenting and tracking methods. (wlfi.com)

Today and tomorrow in Lafayette:

Friday, June 23

• Wyandotte Family Storytime At Tippecanoe County Public Library - Wyandotte Branch (11:00 AM)
• Pets Unleashed VBS At Northwood United Methodist Church (5:30 PM)

Saturday, June 24

• Gala Of Hope At Wells Community Cultural Center (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Welcome to Lafayette Fire Department’s new Fire Chief Brian Alkire! Outgoing Fire Chief Richard Doyle is retiring after having served the department for 39-plus years. See photos from the Changing of Command here. (City of Lafayette via Facebook)
• Art In the Park’s Celebration Night at CAT Park was a success despite the wind! See photos from the event here. If you’d like to participate in the next Art in the Park event, it will be held Jul. 11 at Columbian Park for Baseball Night. (Art in the Park - Lafayette Parks and Recreation)
• In case you missed it: The 2023 Green Expo is taking place this Sunday from 12:00-4:00 p.m. at Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds. Check out the expected exhibits at the link! (City of Lafayette via Facebook)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday! I'll catch up with you soon with another update.

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.