12-18-18
A LAFAYETTE DENTIST, WHO MURDERED HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND AND THEN HER STEPFATHER IN 1986, WAS DENIED HIS REQUEST FOR AN EARLY RELEASE. DAVID GARRETT IS SERVING TWO LIFE SENTENCES FOR THE MURDER OF TRACY BARTON AND HER STEPFATHER, RUSTY MAYNE. TWENTY-EIGHT RELATIVES OF TRACY SHOWED UP AT MONDAY’S HEARING TO OPPOSE PAROLE FOR GARRETT. OTHER RELATIVES WROTE A TOTAL OF 60 LETTERS URGING THE PAROLE BOARD TO DENY THE REQUEST.
AN ELDERLY JEFF DAVIS PARISH COUPLE WERE KILLED EARLY SUNDAY MORNING IN WHAT OFFICIALS ARE CALLING A SENSELESS ACT. JEFF HORCHAK REPORTS.
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A MAN AND A WOMAN FROM NEW IBERIA HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR THE SEX TRAFFICKING OF A JUVENILE GIRL. AN INVESTIGATION BEGAN IN OCTOBER AFTER THE ST. LANDRY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE NOTIFIED POLICE THAT THE GIRL HAD BEEN TRAFFICKED IN LAFAYETTE AND IBERIA PARISHES. INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED THAT 39-YEAR-OLD DERRICK HALL AND 21-YEAR-OLD SHAENA KELLY WERE RESPONSIBLE AND ARREST WARRANTS WERE ISSUED. THE TWO WERE ARRESTED LAST WEEK IN THE BATON ROUGE AREA AND WILL BE TRANSPORTED BACK TO IBERIA PARISH TO BE BOOKED ON THE OUTSTANDING WARRANTS.
Louisiana’s governor and attorney general are trading criticism in the wake of a Texas federal judge’s ruling that, if upheld, will jettison the entire federal health care overhaul. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards worried about eliminating insurance coverage for 480,000 people enrolled in Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion program and 850,000 residents with pre-existing conditions. He criticized Attorney General Jeff Landry for joining other Republican attorneys general in supporting the Texas lawsuit. Landry said Louisiana can improve health care access and cover pre-existing conditions through state-based legislation, though he didn’t detail how a state-based plan would work.
LAFAYETTE GENERAL HOSPITAL HAS SEEN AN INFLUX OF KIDS WITH THE RESPIRATORY VIRUS KNOWN AS R-S-V. THE DIRECTOR OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY SERVICES, DR. SCOTT HAMILTON, TELLS KLFY TV THAT THEY’VE HAD TO SEND KIDS OUT OF THE AREA BECAUSE, WITH SO MANY KIDS WITH R-S-V, THERE AREN’T ENOUGH BEDS. THE SYMPTOMS OF R-S-V ARE WHEEZING, SNEEZING, A RUNNY NOSE AND A DECREASED APPETITE. HE SAYS IF THERE’S DIFFICULTY BREATHING, YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR CHILD TO THE E-R, BUT IF THE BABY IS BREATHING REASONABLY COMFORTABLY AND FEEDING OKAY, YOU CAN WAIT A DAY OR TWO TO SEE THE DOCTOR.
OFFICIALS BELIEVE A CAR WAS TRAVELING AT FULL SPEED WHEN IT CRASHED THROUGH A SAFETY BARRIER ON THE CAMERON FERRY AND SPLASHED INTO THE CALCASIEU SHIP CHANNEL AT AROUND 1:30 SUNDAY MORNING. TAMMY YORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT SAYS THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS ON THE FERRY. THE TWO OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE WERE RESCUED BY FERRY WORKERS, WHO HAD TO REACT QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T SWIM. SHE SAYS LIFESAVERS WERE THROWN TO THE MEN AND A BOAT WAS LAUNCHED TO RESCUE THEM.
ACADIA PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES ARE SEARCHING FOR THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE WHO SPED PAST A STOPPED SCHOOL BUS PICKING UP A CHILD IN THE MORSE AREA. JUSTIN TRAHAN TELLS KATC TV THAT THE DRIVER NEARLY HIT HIS FIANCEE AND HIS DAUGHTER AS THEY WERE WALKING ACROSS THE ROAD TO THE BUS. THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE DRIVER OF THE DARK COLORED PICKUP, BELIEVED TO BE A DODGE, THAT WAS SEEN IN A SURVEILLANCE VIDEO. SHERIFF K-P GIBSON SAYS THEY ARE STEPPING UP PATROLS IN THE AREA AS WELL.
The number of Louisiana public high school students taking college courses is growing, but black students continue to lag behind their white counterparts. Data shows more than 31,000 students took courses through Louisiana’s dual enrollment program in the 2017-18 school year, a 60 percent increase over 10 years ago. But, The Advocate reports only one in five of those enrolled in the program is black, even though black students make up nearly half the high school population. Louisiana officials say uneven access and the lack of a statewide plan are hindering the effort to further boost participation in the dual enrollment program.
