11-24-20
THE BOAT LAUNCH AT LAKE MARTIN OPENED OVER THE WEEKEND AFTER HAVING BEEN CLOSED FOR NINE MONTHS. THE LANDOWNERS PUT UP BARRICADES WHILE RESOLVING LIABILITY ISSUES BUT THE STATE PETITIONED THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL COURT FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST THE ELEVEN DEFENDANTS, WHO ARE HEIRS TO THE PROPERTY. A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION HEARING IS SET FOR NEXT TUESDAY. ST. MARTIN PARISH PRESIDENT CHESTER CEDARS HAS BEEN PUSHING FOR THE REOPENING OF THE BOAT LAUNCH TO THE PUBLIC AND TOLD THE ADVOCATE IT IS A GOOD POSITIVE MOVE BUT HE HOPES IT STAYS THAT WAY LONG ENOUGH FOR THE MATTER TO BE RESOLVED.
THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE NEEDS YOUR HELP IDENTIFYING A SUSPECT ACCUSED OF STALKING A TEENAGE GIRL. CAROLINE MARCELLO HAS MORE.
VOICER I :37
A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas and Louisiana can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood clinics. Monday’s decision by a majority of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses earlier rulings in two longstanding fights over abortion. Pro-life groups have long sought to deny federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. Pro-abortion groups and advocates for women’s health have argued that cutting off Medicaid funding for the organization would also reduce the access of low-income women to a variety of vital non-abortion health services.
A THREE VEHICLE ACCIDENT ON I-TWO-TEN IN LAKE CHARLES, NEAR THE WEST PRIEN LAKE EXIT RAMP, CLAIMED THE LIFE OF A MARKSVILLE MAN YESTERDAY MORNING. STATE POLICE SAY THIRTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD RAYMOND CHRISTOPHER SIMMONS REARENDED A PICKUP TRUCK HE WAS TRAVELING BEHIND, THEN HIT THE BACK OF ANOTHER PICKUP TRUCK. THAT CAUSED HIS VEHICLE TO OVERTURN AND COME TO REST AGAINST A CONCRETE BARRIER. SIMMONS, WHO WASN’T WEARING A SEATBELT, WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE AND A TOXICOLOGY SAMPLE WAS TAKEN FROM HIM TO DETERMINE IF HE WAS IMPAIRED.
A NATIONAL POLICE ORGANIZATION IS CRITICAL OF THE BALDWIN POLICE DEPARTMENT’S HANDLING OF THE SEARCH FOR A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY, WHO’S BODY WAS LATER FOUND BY THE IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE. FORMER POLICE CHIEF KEVIN WALTERS, THE FOUNDER OF THE CAUTION GROUP, SAYS THE BALDWIN POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE ENLISTED THE HELP OF THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE OR STATE POLICE INSTEAD OF TRYING TO HANDLE THE INVESTIGATION THEMSELVES. AFTER THREE DAYS OF NOT FINDING QUAWAN CHARLES, THE FAMILY WENT TO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE WHO FOUND CHARLES BODY AFTER PINGING HIS PHONE. THE BALDWIN POLICE DEPARTMENT SAID THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY OR CAPABILITY TO PING PHONES, BUT WALTERS SAYS ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS CONTACT CHARLE’S PHONE PROVIDER AND THEY WOULD HAVE PINGED IT FOR THEM.
SUPER ONE FOODS THIRTEEN STORES IN ACADIANA WILL BE OFFERING COVID-NINETEEN VACCINATIONS AT NO COST ONCE IT IS APPROVED AND IS AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION. THE OWNER OF SUPER ONE FOODS, THE BROOKSHIRE GROCERY COMPANY, HAS JOINED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S OPERATION WARP SPEED EFFORT AND WILL ADMINISTER THE VACCINE TO THE PUBLIC AT NO COST. CHAIRMAN BRAD BROOKSHIRE SAYS HIS COMPANY IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING THEIR COMMUNITY AND PROVIDING FOR THEIR CUSTOMER’S DAILY AND ESSENTIAL NEEDS. ABOUT SIXTY PERCENT OF PHARMACIES IN THE COUNTRY HAVE SIGNED ON TO THE PROGRAM, ACCORDING TO FEDERAL OFFICIALS.
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE ABOVE ONE THOUSAND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN TWO MONTHS. THE NUMBERS ROSE BY FORTY-FIVE TO ONE THOUSAND, TWELVE, WHILE THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS IS UP BY NINE. THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REPORT YESTERDAY SHOWED THE NUMBER OF COVID-NINETEEN CASES HAS INCREASED BY NINE HUNDRED SEVEN TO MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED ELEVEN THOUSAND. THERE ARE TWENTY FOUR MORE DEATHS IN THE STATE.
ACADIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA EACH HAD ONE MORE COVID-NINETEED DEATH IN YESTERDAY’S REPORT. THEY WERE IN JEFF DAVIS AND VERMILLION PARISHES. ACADIANA HAD ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR NEW CASES. LAFAYETTE PARISH HAD THE MOST WITH SIXTY-EIGHT. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAD FORTY-THREE NEW CASES, TWENTY-SIX OF WHICH WERE IN CALCASIEU PARISH.
