7-31-20
AFTER GOING DOWN FOR THREE DAYS, HOSPITALIZATIONS ROSE BY TWENTY-TWO TODAY.THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS INCREASED BY SEVENTEEN. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REPORTED TWENTY-FOUR MORE DEATHS FROM COVID-NINETEEN STATEWIDE. THE TOTAL IS THREE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE. THERE WERE NEARLY EIGHTEEN HUNDRED MORE CASES OF COVID-NINETEEN, BRINGING THE TOTAL UP ABOVE ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN THOUSAND.
THERE ARE FIVE MORE DEATHS IN THE ACADIANA AREA. THEY WERE REPORTED IN IBERIA, LAFAYETTE, ST. LANDRY, ST. MARY AND VERMILLION PARISHES. THE TOTAL IS UP TO NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED. THE REGION HAD TWO HUNDRED EIGHTEEN MORE POSITIVE CASES. THE OVERALL TOTAL IS SEVENTEEN THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED.
WITH FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-THREE MORE CASES OF COVID-NINETEEN IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA, THE REGION NOW HAS MORE THAN NINE THOUSAND OVERALL CASES. CALCASIEU PARISH HAD THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE MORE CASES. THERE ARE FIVE MORE DEATHS. THAT INCLUDES FOUR IN CALCASIEU PARISH AND THE OTHER IN BEAUREGARD PARISH. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA IS ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT.
THE WIDOW OF A MAN WHO KILLED HIMSELF AT THE ACADIA PARISH JAIL IS SUING THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE. THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THAT CORRECTION OFFICIALS FALSIFIED SUICIDE WATCH LOGS AND REFUSED TO GIVE ROCKY CHANEY HIS PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE. JAIL RECORDS SHOW THAT CHANEY WAS HANGING IN HIS DETOX CELL FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS ON AUGUST TWENTIETH. GUARDS WALKED BY HIS CELL THIRTY TIMES DURING THAT PERIOD, FAILING TO EITHER NOTICE OR TO TAKE ACTION, ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT, FILED BY ATTORNEY DAVID RUTLEDGE.
Protesters are calling for the continuation of $600 federal unemployment benefits as well as an end to evictions while the coronavirus pandemic rages. Unemployed workers gathered outside the offices of the state’s two Republican U.S. senators Thursday. Both Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy say they support an extension of the federal benefit but have not committed to a specific amount. Protesters also gathered Thursday at a court in New Orleans where evictions are held and kept people from going inside.
THE INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT’S PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, FRANK WITTENBERG, IS OUT. SYLVIA MASTERS EXPLAINS.
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LAST NIGHT THE JEFF DAVIS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD HELD A SPECIAL MEETING TO CONSIDER MOVING THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR TO AFTER LABOR DAY. IN THE END, THE BOARD VOTED SEVEN-TO-TWO TO KEEP THE ORIGINAL START DATE OF AUGUST SEVENTEENTH. SUPERINTENDENT KIRK CREDEUR SAYS ALL SUPPLIES AND TRAINING WILL BE READY ON DAY ONE. THE COUNCIL DETERMINED THAT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ARE READY, SO THEY’LL START AS PLANNED.
AN INVESTIGATION INTO RECENT SHOOTINGS IN BREAUX BRIDGE LED POLICE TO ARREST THREE MEN. A SEARCH WARRANT WAS EXECUTED AT A RESIDENCE IN THE EIGHT HUNDRED BLOCK OF LENA DRIVE WHERE MULTIPLE HANDGUNS WERE SEIZED. TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD DESHAWN BATISTE OF BREAUX BRIDGE FACES NINE COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER. TWO OTHER BREAUX BRIDGE MEN, NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD BRENAN JEAN-BAPTISTE AND TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD TANERIAN BABINEAUX, EACH FACE CHARGES OF ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
