10-30-17
LANES OF INTERSTATE TEN BETWEEN GROSS TETE AND LOBDELL. AS MANY AS FOUR 18 WHEELERS ARE INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT AND THERE’S A POSSIBLE HAZMAT SITUATION. TRAFFIC IS BEING DIVERTED AT I-49 TO HIGHWAY 190 EAST. WBRZ TV OUT OF BATON ROUGE IS REPORTING THAT THERE ARE TWO CRASHES AND TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED WHILE TWO OTHERS WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. STATE TROOPERS SAY IT COULD BE HOURS BEFORE THE ACCIDENTS ARE CLEANED UP.
APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THIS WEEK FOR THE TOYS FOR TOTS PROGRAM IN CALCASIEU PARISH. CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF ONE AND TWELVE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM IF THEY LIVE IN A HOUSE THAT HAS AN INCOME THAT DOES NOT EXCEED HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INCOME GUIDELINES, WHICH IS 125 PERCENT OF THE POVERTY LEVEL. ELIGIBLE RESIDENTS CAN APPLY AT THE ALLEN P. AUGUST MULTIPURPOSE CENTER IN LAKE CHARLES TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NEXT WEEK BETWEEN 8:30 AND NOON AND ONE TO THREE P-M EACH DAY. THE TOYS FOR TOTS DISTRIBUTION DAY WILL TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16TH FROM ONE TO FIVE P-M AT THE LAKE CHARLES CIVIC CENTER.
A LONG TIME CITY COURT JUDGE IN RAYNE DIED YESTERDAY AT HIS HOME OF NATURAL CAUSES. 88-YEAR-OLD DENALD A. “DENNY” BESLIN WAS AN ATTORNEY FOR SIXTY YEARS AND SERVED AS A RAYNE CITY COURT JUDGE FOR 32 YEARS. HE DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES. A FUNERAL MASS WILL BE CELEBRATED TOMORROW MORNING AT ELEVEN AT ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC CHURCH IN RAYNE.
Louisiana’s pickup truck drivers buckle up less regularly than motorists in cars, SUVs and vans. That’s the finding of a new seatbelt use study from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. The group says 87 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers overall wear their seatbelts as required by state law. But when broken out by vehicle type, the commission says the percentage falls to under 82 percent for drivers and passengers in pickup trucks. That’s compared to usage rates of 89 percent in cars, 90 percent in SUVs and 92 percent in vans.
THERE ARE MORE THAN 31 THOUSAND STUDENTS ATTENDING LAFAYETTE PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS THIS YEAR, AN INCREASE OVER RECENT YEARS. THE BIGGEST ENROLLMENT INCREASE IS AT S-J MONTGOMERY ELEMENTARY, WHICH HAS 227 MORE STUDENTS, AND PAUL BREAUX MIDDLE IS UP BY 163 STUDENTS. COMEAUX HIGH SCHOOL HAD THE BIGGEST ENROLLMENT DROP WITH 450 FEWER STUDENTS, THOUGH THAT IS LIKELY BECAUSE OF SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL IN YOUNGSVILLE OPENING. NEW ATTENDANCE ZONES WENT INTO EFFECT THIS YEAR, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO ALLEVIATE OVERCROWDING AT SOME SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY IN SOUTH LAFAYETTE PARISH, AS WELL AS CREATE MORE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AND KEEP STUDENTS TOGETHER LONGER.
THE FIRST EVER GREAT PUMPKIN BLAST WAS HELD SATURDAY AT THE LAKE CHARLES GUN CLUB. MONEY RAISED AT THE EVENT WENT TO THE J-J WATT FOUNDATION TO HELP VICTIMS OF HURRICANE HARVEY IN LOUISIANA AND TEXAS. IT WAS THE FIRST FUNDRAISER SPONSORED BY THE WEBSITE LEGALLY ARMED AMERICA-DOT-COM. PAUL GLASCO SAYS THEY HAD 100 PUMPKINS FOR THE EVENT AND THEY PLAN ON HOSTING MORE FUNDRAISERS IN THE FUTURE.
- MARY PARISH SHERIFF MARK HEBERT ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT FRIDAY MORNING EFFECTIVE JANUARY SEVENTH. HEBERT HAS BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR 34 YEARS, THE LAST SEVEN AS SHERIFF. HE SAYS HE NEEDED TO BE WITH HIS WIFE TO SUPPORT HER AS SHE BATTLES A SERIOUS ILLNESS. CRIMIINAL CHIEF DEPUTY SHERIFF SCOTT ANSLUM WILL TAKE OVER AS INTERIM SHERIFF ON HEBERT’S FINAL DAY.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and his wife, Donna, will travel to Puerto Rico to meet with officials and discuss their recovery from Hurricane Maria. Edwards and the first lady are making the trip at the invitation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Currently, Louisiana National Guard soldiers and GOHSEP personnel are deployed to Puerto Rico assisting in the recovery. The state also launched a donation drive, collecting about 100 pallets of goods including more than 125,000 packages of diapers, 269,000 packages of baby wipes, 57,000 feminine products and other items.
