MANSFIELD, La. (AP) — Crews are sanitizing three schools in one Louisiana district.
KSLA-TV reports the elementary, middle and high school campuses in Mansfield were shut down Friday due to illnesses. Officials say there have been confirmed flu cases and flulike symptoms among students there.
Cleaning crews began sanitizing the schools Friday.
Classes are expected to resume Monday morning.
___
Information from: KSLA-TV, http://ksla.com
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana police officer who crashed a speeding sports car while off duty will face no criminal charges in the death of a child.
Prosecutors cleared Christopher Manuel of negligent homicide, even though investigators say he was driving an orange Corvette at 94 mph (151 kph) before crashing into an SUV, killing a child and injuring others in 2017.
The East Baton Rouge District Attorney said Tuesday that his office didn’t bring charges because the child’s mother also contributed to the death, by putting the infant in a child seat that wasn’t properly belted in.
The Advocate reports that investigators determined Manuel was going twice the speed limit, and that while both Manuel and SUV driver had green lights, Manuel’s speed made it impossible for the SUV to yield.
Prosecutors also considered a negligent homicide charge against Brittany Stephens, whose child was killed, because they said she had placed the child in an unrestrained car seat atop the SUV’s center console.
District Attorney Hillar Moore III said his office decided not to charge either driver because prosecutors “couldn’t really determine” who was responsible “based on the facts of the case and what the law requires.”
Manuel still works as a Baton Rouge Police officer, assigned to desk duty. He’s awaiting a resolution in the department’s internal affairs process.
Police initially filed citations against occupants of the SUV, saying it was overcrowded, nobody was wearing seatbelts and the driver didn’t have a license. Those citations were allowed to expire. A misdemeanor speeding count against Manuel also expired without action. Moore said prosecuting Manuel for speeding would have meant forfeiting the negligent homicide charge because of double jeopardy laws at the time. However, prosecutors could have cited Manuel for speeding after dropping the more serious charge, and declined to do so.
Stephens’ attorney said the least Moore’s office could have done is issue a speeding ticket. He said failing to file the charge “almost” makes it appear as if Manuel is “above the law.”
Manuel and Stephens have both filed civil suits accusing the other of causing the crash, the newspaper reported.
Stephens’ lawsuit says her mother suffered serious injuries, and three other children in the car, ages 7, 9 and 15, were hospitalized for months. It says the 15-year-old remains in a wheelchair.
Manuel’s attorney said Wednesday that the prosecutors’ decision was appropriate. He said the case is more suited to civil court.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Leaving a Washington embroiled in an impeachment drama, President Donald Trump returns to the Louisiana governor’s race Thursday, testing his ability to sway an election by trying to oust a Democratic incumbent.
Though Louisiana is a deep red state that Trump won by 20 percentage points, the gubernatorial contest has reached its final days ahead of Saturday’s election as a tossup. Democrat John Bel Edwards is vying for a second term against little-known Republican political donor Eddie Rispone.
Trump plans a Thursday night rally for Rispone in north Louisiana’s Bossier City. That’s near prime territory to reach out to backers of Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, the primary’s third-place finisher. Both Edwards and Rispone are targeting Abraham’s voters, knowing those 317,000 people can help decide the race’s outcome. Abraham endorsed Rispone and will appear at the rally with Trump.
Louisiana has the last of three Southern governor’s races this year, all targets of intense interest from the GOP and Trump. While Republicans kept the seat in Mississippi, they appear to have lost Kentucky’s governorship — though Republican Matt Bevin has yet to concede there.
Smarting from the Kentucky outcome, Trump has turned his focus to Louisiana and defeating Edwards, the Deep South’s only Democratic governor. Thursday’s event will be the president’s third in the state’s gubernatorial competition, with an anti-Edwards event in the primary, and now two pro-Rispone rallies in the runoff.
Rispone, owner of an industrial contracting firm, has spent millions on the race, hitched his candidacy to Trump and hammered a pro-Trump theme ever since.
“What Trump has done for our country has been phenomenal … The economy is booming in the United States, but it’s not booming in Louisiana. We’re falling behind,” Rispone said at an event in Baton Rouge. “We want to do for Louisiana what Trump has done for the nation.”
Edwards suggests Rispone turns repeatedly to Trump and the national outlook because he can’t stand on the strength of his state-specific issues. Rispone has dodged details of how he’d balance the budget with his proposed tax cuts and what he wants to accomplish in a constitutional convention.
“Rispone’s a bad candidate, so his party is forced to call in the president to try to prop him up,” Edwards said at a campaign rally in Monroe ahead of Trump’s last visit to the state.
The Democratic incumbent sticks to Louisiana-specific topics, in a sort of “pretend there’s-no-national-politics” angle to a race that partisans of both stripes want to use as a talking point in 2020.
But Edwards isn’t a traditional Democrat in the national mold. He’s a former Army Ranger who opposes abortion, supports gun rights and talks of his solid working relationship with Trump.
Edwards campaigns for reelection on his work with the Republican-led Legislature to stabilize state finances, saying Rispone would return Louisiana to the deficit-riddled ways of unpopular Republican former Gov. Bobby Jindal. And Edwards says Rispone’s plan to “freeze” enrollment in Medicaid expansion would eventually force thousands off health insurance rolls.
Rispone calls Edwards a “tax-and-spend liberal trial lawyer” who is fear-mongering and who doesn’t like the president.
Vance Gauthier, a 70-year-old contractor and Republican, cast his ballot for Rispone during the early voting period in Jefferson Parish, saying he was “looking for a change” and considered his vote in the state election a show of support for Trump.
“We need a Republican back in the position,” Gauthier said.
But race watchers say Trump’s influence can only stretch so far.
“I don’t think Trump’s bringing more to the table than has already been brought into the campaign,” said Michael Henderson, director of Louisiana State University’s Public Policy Research Center.
Edwards supporters say Trump’s visits are actually boosting their own chances, helping to turn out black voters and other Democrats who skipped the primary.
Melissa Toler, a 65-year-old retiree who voted early in New Orleans, chose Edwards “because he’s the best candidate, the most qualified, and the most reasonable.” She said Trump’s visits to Louisiana stirred up interest.
“I’m a registered independent and he whips me up, not in a good way,” Toler said.
In New Orleans and other cities with high concentrations of African American voters, a wave of ads says Rispone’s tight ties with Trump are a reason to vote for Edwards. And while Edwards sidesteps direct criticism of the president, the Louisiana Democratic Party posted ads on Facebook declaring: “If Rispone wins, Trump wins” and asking voters to “keep hate out of Louisiana” by supporting Edwards.
The anti-Trump messaging by outside groups and Edwards’ own grassroots outreach effort to black voters appear to be having an effect. African American turnout during the early voting period jumped significantly above primary levels, a critical piece of Edwards’ strategy to win a second term.
___
Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte
OBERLIN, La. (AP) — Employees of a Louisiana school district can expect an extra paycheck in December.
The American Press reports the Allen Parish School Board approved giving a $1.6 million surplus to teachers, administrators and other employees. Gaming compact funds from the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and surplus sales tax revenues will fund the checks.
Employees who have degrees would receive a $2,200 check. All other employees would receive $1,600. There are nearly 700 eligible workers in the school district. School board members won’t get the supplement.
Superintendent Kent Reed thanked the Coushatta Tribe and the school board for making the annual holiday supplement possible.
The checks are scheduled to be paid sometime between Dec. 2-20.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana legislative auditor says 18 cities, towns and villages may be close to reaching bankruptcy or may have the inability to provide basic services to residents in the future based on the municipalities’ most recent financial information.
The Monroe News Star reports Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera compiled a list of “fiscally distressed municipalities” and added it the auditor’s website.
The municipalities range from small villages like Epps in northeastern Louisiana to larger towns like Winnsboro in central Louisiana.
Purpera says the list is a way to alert the public and officials of the problems so they can be easily addressed.
The list includes concerns for each municipality, including incomplete or inaccurate financial information, insufficient utility rates, debt and rural water infrastructure problems.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In conservative Louisiana, where voters bucked expectations and elected a Democratic governor four years ago, this year’s gubernatorial race is testing if they’re willing to do it again — or if President Donald Trump can flip the seat.
On paper, the governor’s mansion should be an easy capture for the GOP in Saturday’s runoff election, with Louisiana a deep red state and Trump considered a lock on its electoral votes next year.
But with little-known political donor Eddie Rispone as the Republican contender and nontraditional Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards on the ballot, the gubernatorial contest has reached its final days as a true tossup.
Louisiana is the last of three Southern governor’s races this year, all targets of intense interest from the GOP and from Trump. While Republicans kept the seat in Mississippi, they appear to have lost Kentucky’s governorship — though Republican Matt Bevin has yet to concede there.
Smarting from the Kentucky outcome, Trump has turned to helping Rispone in Louisiana. After holding an anti-Edwards event in the primary, he returned for a pro-Rispone rally during the state’s early voting period and has another planned Thursday. Rispone, owner of an industrial contracting firm, has spent millions on the race, hitched his candidacy to Trump and hammered a pro-Trump theme ever since.
“What Trump has done for our country has been phenomenal … The economy is booming in the United States, but it’s not booming in Louisiana. We’re falling behind,” Rispone said at an event in Baton Rouge. “We want to do for Louisiana what Trump has done for the nation.”
Edwards suggests Rispone turns repeatedly to Trump and the national outlook because he can’t stand on the strength of his state-specific issues. Rispone has dodged details of how he’d balance the budget with his proposed tax cuts and what he wants to accomplish in a constitutional convention.
“Rispone’s a bad candidate, so his party is forced to call in the president to try to prop him up,” Edwards said at a campaign rally in Monroe.
The Democratic incumbent sticks to state topics, in a sort of “pretend there’s-no-national-politics” angle to a race that partisans of both stripes want to use as a talking point in 2020.
But Edwards isn’t a traditional Democrat in the national mold. He’s a former Army Ranger who opposes abortion, supports gun rights and talks of his solid working relationship with Trump.
Edwards campaigns for reelection on his work with the Republican-led Legislature to stabilize state finances, saying Rispone would return Louisiana to the deficit-riddled ways of unpopular Republican former Gov. Bobby Jindal. And Edwards says Rispone’s plan to “freeze” enrollment in Medicaid expansion would eventually force thousands off health insurance rolls.
Rispone calls Edwards a “tax-and-spend liberal trial lawyer” who is fear-mongering and who doesn’t like the president.
Vance Gauthier, a 70-year-old contractor and Republican, cast his ballot for Rispone during the early voting period in Jefferson Parish, saying he was “looking for a change” and considered his vote in the state election a show of support for Trump.
“We need a Republican back in the position,” Gauthier said.
But race watchers say Trump’s influence can only stretch so far.
“I don’t think Trump’s bringing more to the table than has already been brought into the campaign,” said Michael Henderson, director of Louisiana State University’s Public Policy Research Center.
Edwards supporters say Trump’s visits are actually boosting their own chances, helping to turn out black voters and other Democrats who skipped the primary.
Melissa Toler, a 65-year-old retiree who voted early in New Orleans, chose Edwards “because he’s the best candidate, the most qualified, and the most reasonable.” She said Trump’s visits to Louisiana stirred up interest.
“I’m a registered independent and he whips me up, not in a good way,” Toler said.
Republicans also seem to be adjusting their outreach in response to the limits on Trump’s ability to flip the Louisiana governor’s seat. GOP-backed TV ads that at one point seemed to focus entirely on the president have shifted in part to state issues, with attack ads about Edwards’ handling of flood recovery work and coastal restoration contracting.
Meanwhile, in New Orleans and other cities with high concentrations of African American voters, a wave of ads says Rispone’s tight ties with Trump are a reason to vote for Edwards. While Edwards sidesteps direct criticism of the president, the Louisiana Democratic Party posted ads on Facebook declaring: “If Rispone wins, Trump wins” and asking voters to “keep hate out of Louisiana” by supporting Edwards.
The anti-Trump messaging by outside groups and Edwards’ own grassroots outreach effort to black voters appear to be having an effect.
African American turnout during the early voting period jumped significantly above primary levels, a critical piece of Edwards’ strategy to win a second term. In addition to enthusiasm among black voters, Edwards also needs crossover support from some Republicans and independents.
To help him meet that benchmark, Edwards is reaching out to backers of Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, the primary’s third-place finisher. While Abraham endorsed Rispone, he’s done little to assist with Rispone’s campaign. The GOP also is targeting Abraham’s voters, setting both of Trump’s rallies in north Louisiana, where Abraham lives and saw strong support.
___
Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana woman has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for stealing more than $550,000 from her former employer.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans says in a Wednesday news release that 65-year-old Christelle Schmidt of Thibodaux was sentenced to 33 months in prison earlier this month.
She had pleaded guilty to bank larceny in March.
In a court document accompanying her plea agreement, prosecutors said the thefts began sometime after Schmidt began working as a bookkeeper for a south Louisiana architectural firm in 2002. They continued through 2017.
Prosecutors said Schmidt used a credit card, issued by the firm, for personal expenses and paid the credit card debts with money from the firm’s bank accounts.
MONROE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man who had nails and screws thrown onto his driveway says it’s not the first time the suspect accused of doing it tossed debris into a road.
The Monroe News Star reported Tuesday that 60-year-old Prentice Lamar Tedeton Jr. was booked at Ouachita Correctional Center this week on three counts of stalking and four counts of criminal mischief.
A neighbor told Ouachita Parish deputies it wasn’t the first time he and Tedeton had argued. The neighbor accused Tedeton of putting hazardous debris into a road in 2018 and later showing up at his workplace to accuse him of stealing an air hose.
An arrest report says video shows a car tracked to Tedeton’s home driving back and forth in the area that day. He denies the accusations.
___
Information from: The News-Star, http://www.thenewsstar.com
MONROE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana judge has set a bond for a man facing a murder charge in the stabbing death of a Taiwanese woman.
Quinton Tellis is the same man who was tried twice for murder but never convicted in the Mississippi burning death of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers.
The Monroe News Star reported Monday that Tellis was initially held without bond on a second-degree murder charge in the 2015 stabbing of Ming-Chen Hsiao. Tellis pleaded guilty in 2016 to unauthorized use of her debit card, but has pleaded not guilty to murder.
The newspaper said the judge set his bond at $300,000 on Oct. 23, and Tellis remains in Ouachita Parish custody.
Tellis was tried in Mississippi in 2017 and 2018 on capital murder charges in Chambers’ slaying. Both juries deadlocked.
___
Information from: The News-Star, http://www.thenewsstar.com
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Owners of a New Orleans hotel that partly collapsed during construction said Tuesday they are planning to implode the remaining floors.
City officials said the implosion will take place in about nine weeks.
“We cannot find anyone to say that it’s safe to destroy it in any other manner,” Fire Chief Tim McConnell told reporters. He said contracts could be in place as early as next week.
According to a news release from 1030 Canal Development LLC, multiple engineers have said implosion is the safest way to demolish the project. Parts of its upper stories collapsed Oct. 12 , killing three workers.
The cleanup after the implosion will take about three more months, McConnell said.
“The City of New Orleans will remain in control of this throughout the process,” McConnell said. “The contractors are required to file for permits that require our approval every step of the way.”
The nine-week timeline puts the implosion at about the time the College Football Championship is being hosted in New Orleans on Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, McConnell said the city’s No. 1 priority remains victim recovery.
“We will have to do a recovery after it comes down,” he said, adding that they’ve been in close contact with the family of the two victims’ whose bodies are still within the unstable wreckage.
The company’s statement said it has hired contractors Kolb Grading LLC and its affiliate Dem/Tech and is working with the city and other agencies to finish the demolition plan. It says consultants will do seismic monitoring of nearby businesses and neighborhoods.
McConnell said the city is working with the company on a plan to stabilize the crane still leaning against the collapsed site and to set up a protected walkway so the adjacent Saenger Theatre can reopen in early December.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating and, McConnell said, evidence gathering will begin after the building’s remains are down.
Lawsuits are already being filed on behalf of some of the more than 20 people injured against the project’s owners and contractors.