4-11-24
ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN A SHOOTING AT A POPEYES RESTAURANT IN OPELOUSAS. SYLVIA MASTERS REPORTS.
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THERE ARE STILL ONGOING POWER ISSUES IN PARTS OF SOUTH LOUISIANA DUE TO THE STORMS. THAT’S LED TO SOME SCHOOL CLOSURES INCLUDING IOTA ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS. LACASSINE HIGH SCHOOL IS CLOSED. THREE SCHOOLS IN CALCASIEU PARISH ARE CLOSED…W-T HENNING AND BARBE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AS WELL AS S-J WELSH MIDDLE. SCHOOLS ARE ALSO CLOSED PARISHWIDE IN SAINT LANDRY PARISH TODAY.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED THAT A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN LAKE CHARLES YESTERDAY. THE E-F-TWO TORNADO WITH ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN MILE AN HOUR MAXIMUM WINDS TOUCHED DOWN ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY AND STAYED ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT A MILE BEFORE DISSIPATING JUST EAST OF WALTON STREET. IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE ROOF OF THE MOSS MEMORIAL HEALTH COMPLEX. THE TORNADO DESTROYED THE ROOFS OF SEVERAL HOMES ALONG ELTON COURT AND CAUSED WIDESPREAD TREE AND ELECTRICAL DAMAGE.
FOUR PEOPLE WERE INJURED INCLUDING ONE WITH CRITICAL INJURIES AFTER TREES FELL ON VEHICLES NEAR THE YAMBILEE BUILDING IN OPELOUSAS YESTERDAY AS STORMS PASSED THROUGH THE AREA. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS SENDING A TEAM TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS CAUSED BY A TORNADO. MEANWHILE STRONG WINDS KNOCKED DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES IN SAINT LANDRY PARISH LEAVING ABOUT EIGHTEEN THOUSAND PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER. CREWS HAD TO BLOCK OFF A PORTION OF L-A TEN AFTER ABOUT TEN POWER POLES ENDED UP ON THE GROUND.
IN CHURCH POINT, A HOME WAS DAMAGED BY A TREE FALLING ON IT. HUNTER BARTON TOLD KADN TV THAT HE WAS AWAKENED AT AROUND SEVEN A-M BY THE HOUSE SHAKING AND THE SOUND OF THE ROOF BEING HIT. IN EVANGELINE PARISH, A GARAGE ROOF WAS RIPPED OFF BY POWERFUL WINDS AND ENDED UP IN POWER LINES. THE HOMEOWNER, TERRY GRIFFIN, SAYS THE STRONG WINDS ALSO PULLED CELL PHONE POLES FROM THE GROUND.
AN OPELOUSAS WOMAN LOST PART OF HER HOME YESTERDAY BECAUSE OF A FALLING TREE. SEVENTY-YEAR-OLD CAROLYN D’ARBONNE SAYS IT FELL ON AN ADDITION IN THE BACK OF HER HOME THAT HER LATE HUSBAND BUILT FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. SHE SAYS SHE’S THANKFUL IT DIDN’T FALL WHERE HER GRANDNIECE AND GRANDNEPHEW WERE SLEEPING. SHE SAYS SHE’S ALSO GLAD A BOOKCASE WAS SPARED WHICH IS SPECIAL TO HER BECAUSE HER HUSBAND BUILT THAT AS WELL.
The state House Committee on Education advanced two bills. One of the pieces of legislation broadly bars teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in public school classrooms. The other measure would require public school teachers to use the pronouns and names that align with the gender students were assigned at birth. Nearly identical bills were vetoed by former Governor John Bel Edwards last year but the new Governor, Jeff Landry, supports the bills.
A BILL ADVANCED OUT OF THE STATE HOUSE YESTERDAY THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE DISPLAY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOMS. THE BILL IS SPONSORED BY REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE DODIE HORTON, WHO SUCCESSFULLY SHEPHERDED A BILL LAST YEAR REQUIRING THE “IN GOD WE TRUST” MOTTO BE DISPLAYED IN CLASSROOMS. THE HOUSE ALSO PASSED A BILL THAT AUTHORIZES SCHOOLS TO BRING IN CHAPLAINS TO WORK WITH STUDENTS. BOTH BILLS NOW MOVE TO THE STATE SENATE.
