News

Witness mandate vexes some new mail-in voters

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — As the pandemic prompts a surge in voting by mail, voters in a handful of states, including the presidential battlegrounds of North Carolina and Wisconsin, are facing a requirement that already is tripping up thousands — the need to have a witness sign their ballot envelope.

Fourth grader suspended for moving BB gun during virtual class

HARVEY (AP) — A fourth grader at a Louisiana elementary school was suspended from school after he picked up a BB gun his younger brother tripped over and placed it in view of his computer’s camera while taking a virtual class, officials said.

Woodmere Elementary student Ka Mauri Harrison was suspended for six days and was eligible to return to class Thursday, news outlets reported.

The Jefferson Parish Public school system said Ka Mauri brandished the BB gun during the virtual class on Sept. 11 and was suspended because he violated an in-class instruction policy.

Largest California wildfire threatens marijuana-growing area

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s largest wildfire is threatening a marijuana-growing enclave, and authorities said many of the locals have refused to evacuate and abandon their maturing crops even as weather forecasters predict more hot, dry and windy conditions that could fan flames.

The wildfire called the August Complex is nearing the small communities of Post Mountain and Trinity Pines, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Teen charged in shootings fights extradition

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — A 17-yearold in Illinois accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Friday fought his return to Wisconsin to face homicide charges that could put him in prison for life.

THOUSANDS IN LA. MAY HAVE UNCLAIMED $1,200 FEDERAL AID

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Nearly 160,000 people in Louisiana may have missed out on the $1,200 individual payments that Congress authorized earlier this year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue said the IRS is mailing letters to the thousands of Louisiana residents, urging them to apply for the assistance by an Oct. 15 deadline. The payments are $1,200 for individuals, $2,400 for married couples and $500 for each dependent.

TWO EX-LETTER CARRIERS IN 1 CITY ACCUSED IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS

SHREVEPORT (AP) — Two former letter carriers in the same Louisiana city are accused of separate felonies involving mail they were supposed to deliver.

Sedarius Howard, 33, is accused of delaying or destroying mail in March and Shinice Jordan, 32, of stealing a Walmart gift card from a letter and of delaying opening of that letter in July 2019, U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook said in a news release Thursday. The statement does not describe the amount or circumstances of Howard’s alleged actions.

Priorities listed for special session

With the special session of the Louisiana Legislature set to begin Monday, local state legislators discussed priorities for the legislature.

District 37 State Representative Troy Romero spoke to Jennings Daily News recently on his priorities for the special session set to begin Monday with adjournment no later than 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Suicide prevention begins with knowledge

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Data and Statistics Fatal Injury Report for 2018, suicide remained the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. There were an estimated 1.4 million suicide attempts that year with 48,344 people confirmed to have died by suicide.

On average, there are 132 suicides per day in this country.

GOOD EATS

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Carson Gotte, 5, spent time picking satsumas while visiting his great-grandfather’s home in Evangeline Friday. He is the son of Devin Gotte and Autumn Jones of Iota. 

 

Completing census important for disaster recovery

With federal dollars flowing into states for Hurricane Laura disaster recovery, completing census forms is more important now than ever.

“Being counted has never been more important than now,” said Jeff Davis Economic Development and Census Committee President Marion Fox. “This is where our share of the federal dollars comes from.”

Census data is used to estimate the number of people affected by a natural disaster, Fox said.