5-17-17
ACCORDING TO CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICIALS, A MAN BARRICADED HIMSELF INSIDE A COOLER AT THE VINTON E-Z MART, OFF OF HIGHWAY 90, YESTERDAY MORNING AROUND 7. VINTON POLICE AND SWAT, ALONG WITH PARISH OFFICERS USED SEVERAL ROUNDS OF GAS TO GET THE MAN OUT OF THE COOLER PEACEFULLY, AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO TALK HIM OUT. THERE WERE NO HOSTAGES TAKEN AND THE EMPLOYEES WERE SAFELY OUT OF THE BUILDING.
AN UPDATE TO YESTERDAY’S NEW STORY OF A 7 YEAR OLD BOY BEING ACCIDENTALLY SHOT AT MOSS BLUFF ELEMENTARY; THE BOYS NAME IS GAGE MECHE AND HE IS RECOVERING FROM A SUCCESSFUL SURGERY AT WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN LAFAYETTE. THE FAMILY THANKS EVERYONE FOR THEIR PRAYERS AND CONCERS. A MEDICAL CARE ACCOUNT HAS BEEN SET UP TO HELP THE FAMILY WITH EXPENSES AT JEFF DAVIS BANK UNDER THE NAME “MBE FIRST GRADE STUDENT”.
(AP) A push to raise Louisiana’s gasoline tax and pump millions more yearly into roadwork has narrowly crossed its first, and possibly hardest, legislative hurdle. The conservative, majority-Republican House Ways and Means Committee voted 9-7 yesterday for the 17-cent per gallon tax hike. The vote sends the proposal by Republican Rep. Steve Carter of Baton Rouge to the full House for debate. The tax hike is pushed by chambers of commerce and some business leaders, particularly in the Baton Rouge and Acadiana regions that struggle with gridlock. That crippling traffic in parts of south Louisiana persuaded several GOP lawmakers who normally oppose taxes to vote for the bill. But the tax, estimated to raise $539 million in its first year, faces difficulty getting through the House. It requires a two-thirds vote.
AN UPDATE TO THE BURGLARY AT CANCUN MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN LAKE CHARLES ON SUNDAY MAY 7TH; VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SHOWED ONE OF THE THREE SUSPECTS, TIFFANY WIGGINS, 32 OF SULPHUR, MAKING HERSELF A MIXED DRINK BEFORE LEAVING. YESTERDAY MORNING ARREST WARRANTS WERE ISSUED FOR WIGGINS AND AARON “COOKIE” COOK, 36 OF LAKE CHARLES, ON CHARGES OF SIMPLE BURGLARY AND THEFT. LATER YESTERDAY, AROUND 1:30, COOK WAS ARRESTED BY LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES. WIGGINS ALSO HAS AN OUTSTANDING WARRANT FOR A SEPARATE CASE. LAKE CHARLES POLICE CREDITS AN OUTPOURING OF HELP FROM THE PUBLIC IN IDENTIFYING THE SUSPECTS. ANYONE WITH WHERE WIGGINS MAY BE SHOULD CALL 491-1311.
YOUNGSVILLE POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A SUSPECT WANTED FOR MULTIPLE CAR BURGLARIES. JULIE DARCE HAS MORE.
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THE SULPHUR CITY COUNCIL OVERTURNED MAYOR CHRIS DUNCAN’S VETO OF A PAY RAISE FOR THE MAYOR THAT PASSED LAST MONTH. DUNCAN STATED CLEARLY THAT HE DIDN’T ASK FOR OR WANT A PAY RAISE. THE PAY RAISE WILL NOT TAKE AFFECT UNTIL THE NEXT MAYOR IS ELECTED IN 2018, RAISING THE SALARY TO $90,000. THE LAST PAY RAISE FOR THE POSITION WAS $11,000 IN 2007, MAKING THE CURRENT SALARY $80,000. THE APPROVED NEW RAISE WILL BE ONLY ABOUT A $833 A YEAR, INCREASING EVERY YEAR FOR 12 YEARS. COUNCIL MEMBERS STATED THAT WITH THE GROWTH OF THE CITY, THE POSITION NEEDS TO PAY ENOUGH TO HAVE A FULL TIME MAYOR, WHETHER THAT’S A RE-ELECTED DUNCAN OR SOMEONE ELSE .
(AP) The Louisiana Senate has approved three key bills backed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to decrease the state’s highest-in-the-nation incarceration rate and save millions each year.
Senators voted more than two-to-one in favor of each measure yesterday, hours after Edwards announced a compromise with district attorneys. The bills are headed to the House for consideration. If they pass, Edwards expects Louisiana’s prison population to be reduced by 10 percent over the next decade thanks to expanded opportunities for probation and parole and shrunken sentences for some offenders. The estimated $262 million savings is 87 percent of what a criminal justice task force predicted if the bills had passed before district attorneys convinced lawmakers to exclude sex offenders and violent offenders from most changes.
National police Week is this week, which honors our police officers serving our communities and also remembers those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Memorial services continues with Sulphur, Westlake, Vinton and DeQunicy holding a joint memorial program at 2 on Wednesday afternoon at Heritage Square Pavilion in Sulphur. Iowa will have a candlelight vigil at 5:30 Thursday afternoon at their headquarters. And Lafayette Parish will have a memorial service at 6:00 Thursday evening at Saint Barnabas on Camellia in Lafayette.
