2-3-20
CAROLINE MARCELLO HAS SOME IMPORTANT TRAFFIC ALERTS TO TELL YOU ABOUT.
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A PROJECT TO REPLACE THE DECK ON THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN BRIDGE HAS FINISHED EARLY. THE RIGHT WESTBOUND LANE BETWEEN THE WHISKY BAY EXIT AND MILE MARKER 125 IN ST. MARTIN PARISH WAS CLOSED BEGINNING FRIDAY NIGHT AND WAS SCHEDULED TO STAY CLOSED THROUGH THIS MORNING. THE EXISTING DECK SURFACE WAS REPLACED WITH MODIFIED LATEX CONCRETE. A VEHICLE FIRE ON THAT SECTION OF THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN BRIDGE IN AUGUST CAUSED SOME CRACKING IN THE CONCRETE AND SECTIONS TO FLAKE OFF.
THE BEAUREGARD PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS INVESTIGATING A HOMOCIDE IN THE TOWN OF MERRYVILLE. A WOMAN WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN THE ONE HUNDRED BLOCK OF BUXTON LOOP. A MALE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY. THE SHOOTING IS BELIEVED TO BE THE RESULT OF A DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE. SHERIFF RICKY MOSES HAS RELEASED NO OTHER DETAILS AT THIS TIME.
Louisiana cleans its execution chamber at the state penitentiary daily, but it’s been more than a decade since a condemned prisoner has laid on the chamber’s black-padded gurney to die. Sixty-eight people sit on Louisiana’s death row, with no execution dates set. Though the state historically has been tough on crime and holds the dubious distinction as the nation’s incarceration capital, Louisiana seems to be doing very little to carry out its death penalty. Louisiana reached the 10-year mark since its last execution this month, joining a trend of falling execution numbers across the country.
Seven of Winston Churchill’s paintings and one of his sculptures are on view through March 21 at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A news release says the exhibit at the university’s Hilliard Art Museum is titled “The Art of Sir Winston Churchill” and was organized by the U.S. National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In addition to Churchill’s own work it includes two sculptures by other people and a lithograph made by one of his granddaughters. National World War II Museum historian Keith Huxen says Churchill once told a friend that painting kept him alive.
The third oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase marks a milestone this year. The Advocate reports the bayou trading post that would ultimately become the town of Washington dates back to 1720 and local leaders are hoping to use that fact to their advantage as they prepare to celebrate its tricentennial. Local leaders say about 80% of the town’s buildings are of historical or architectural significance. Historian Jim Bradshaw, who lives in the town, says those facts could help draw folks to the area and in the process boost tourism, much like Natchitoches _ the oldest permanent settlement in the state _ has done.
Judges and a district attorney in Calcasieu Parish say they are looking into better ways to get citizens to show up for jury duty. KPLC-TV reports only 72 of the 350 people summoned for jury duty showed up last Monday. At least one judge says the number of potential jurors turning up at State Court in Lake Charles has been declining in the last few years. Judges are considering limiting excuses and changing the way people are subpoenaed and there could ultimately be contempt issues for those who fail to appear.
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration has reached another impasse over Louisiana’s income forecast. The administration failed to strike a deal Friday with the Legislature’s new Republican leaders about how to set the projections used to build the state’s budget. The Democratic governor had been hopeful a change in the House’s top leadership would break through repeated logjams over the forecast and give him the updated, larger state income forecast he wanted. Instead, the Edwards administration found itself at odds Friday with new House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and Senate President Page Cortez.
