11-13-20
A JEFF DAVIS PARISH TRUSTEE FROM THE PARISH JAIL, WHO HAS BEEN ON THE LAM SINCE LAST SUNDAY, HAS TURNED HIMSELF IN. FIFTY-YEAR-OLD DUANE LEMAIRE OF JENNINGS WALKD OFF A WORK DETAIL AND WAS WANTED FOR SIMPLE ESCAPE. HE WAS IN JAIL ON A PROBATION VIOLATION. DEPUTIES TOOK LEMAIRE INTO CUSTODY AFTER HE CALLED THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, TELLING THEM HE WAS AT A LOCAL CHURCH AND WANTED TO TURN HIMSELF IN.
A VERMILLION PARISH SCHOOL IS SWITCHING TO ONLINE LEARNING AND A FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER EARLY AFTER POSITIVE COVID-NINETEEN CASES WERE CONFIRMED. CAROLINE MARCELLO HAS MORE.
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THOMAS MORE HIGH SCHOOL IS ALSO MOVING TO VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION AFTER A RISE IN COVID-NINETEEN CASES IN THE STUDENT POPULATION. NINE STUDENTS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE, WHICH MEANS ABOUT TEN PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS HAVE TO BE QUARANTINED BECAUSE OF CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE COVID-NINETEEN. THE ADMINISTRATION MADE THE DECISION TO HAVE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY, WITH CLASSES RESUMING AFTER THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS. IN AN EMAIL, THE ADMINISTRATION FOR ST. THOMAS MORE SAID THE DECISION WAS MADE TO ATTEMPT TO MITIGATE THE VIRUS AND REDUCE THE SPREAD.
A Louisiana judge has rejected an effort by Republican state House members to force an end to Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ coronavirus restrictions. Sixty-five Republican state House members recently invoked a 2003 state law provision allowing a majority in either the House or the Senate to force an end to a governor’s declared public health emergency. State Judge William Morvant agreed with Edwards on Thursday that the provision violates the state constitution’s requirement that a law be approved by both legislative bodies.
NEW CONFIRMED COVID-NINETEEN CASES TOOK A MAJOR JUMP TODAY IN LOUISIANA. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PUTS THE TOTAL AT ONE HUNDRED, NINETY-FOUR THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE, WHICH IS TWO THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-SIX OVER YESTERDAY’S TOTAL. THERE ARE TWENTY TWO MORE DEATHS FROM COVID-NINETEEN IN THE STATE. HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE UP BY SIXTEEN TO NEAR SEVEN HUNDRED, WHILE THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS ROSE BY THREE.
THERE ARE SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX NEW CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-NINETEEN IN THE ACADIANA REGION, INCLUDING ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR IN ST. LANDRY PARISH. THE TOTAL FOR THE AREA NOW EXCEEDS TWENTY-NINE THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED. LAFAYETTE PARISH’S TOTAL IS ABOVE TEN THOUSAND FOR THE FIRST TIME. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAS ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR NEW CASES, MOVING THE TOTAL PAST THIRTEEN THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED. CALCASIEU PARISH HAS THE MOST WITH EIGHTY-EIGHT. THERE WERE TWO NEW DEATHS IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA, BOTH IN ALLEN PARISH. THE TOTAL HAS REACHED THREE HUNDRED NINETY. ACADIANA REPORTED ONE MORE DEATH, WHICH WAS IN ST. MARY PARISH.
Activists and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana are calling for an independent investigation into the death of a Black 15-year-old whose body was found days after he was reported missing. Quawan Charles’ body was found Nov. 3 in Iberia Parish, where the sheriff’s office is investigating his death as a possible homicide. Civil rights attorney Ron Haley and the ACLU say authorities in two parishes have provided little information to the family. Haley says he doesn’t know whether damage to Charles’ face was caused by violence or decay.
A LAWYER, HIRED BY THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL TO REPRESENT THEM IN DISPUTES WITH MAYOR PRESIDENT JOSH GUILLORY AND CITY PARISH ATTORNEY GREG LOGAN, HAS RESIGNED. LOGAN HAD FILED A LAWSUIT CHALLENGING THE CITY COUNCIL’S AUTHORITY TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY AND THE FIRST COURT HEARING WAS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY. LEA ANNE BATSON RESIGNED AS THE LAWYER FOR THE CITY COUNCIL AFTER LOGAN ASKED THE COURT TO ALLOW THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM HER. IN A LETTER, BATSON SAID SHE IS NOT IN A POSITION TO TAKE ON THE VAST RESOURCES OF LOGAN’S OFFICE, BUT SHE DID ARGUE THAT THE COUNCIL WAS LEGALLY EMPOWERED TO HIRE HER WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF LOGAN.
