One crew member is dead and 12 are still missing after a 129-foot lift boat capsized off of Port Fourchon in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Congresswoman Julia Letlow was sworn into office this morning to represent the state’s 5th Congressional District. Brooke Thorington has more.
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The search is still on for 12 missing crewmembers of a SeaCor lift boat that capsized seven miles off the coast of Port Fourchon Tuesday afternoon.
Six of the ship’s original 19 crewmembers have been rescued so far, along with one confirmed death. Coast Guard Captain Will Watson thanks every civilian who’s offered to help in the search…
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Four Coast Guard boats, one helicopter, at least four good Samaritan vessels, and other fixed-wing aircraft are participating in the search.
The SeaCor Power is believed to have started taking on water around 4:30 PM Saturday as it encountered a “microburst” of unexpectedly bad weather.
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Watson describes what a lift boat is…
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Half of the 129-foot vessel remains submerged. The boat is designed to carry thousands of barrels of oil from offshore platforms. Watson says there is no indication right now of any environmental impacts from the incident.
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It’s another day of severe thunderstorms, hail, and flash flooding for areas of the Bayou State. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a slow-moving cold front is responsible for the April showers and they’ll stay with us for the remainder of the week.
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Keim says the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for all of southern Louisiana, and as far north as Alexandria until noon Thursday.
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Several parts of the state have experienced hail also, Keim says the National Weather Service is urging citizens to remain weather alert for the rest of the week.
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The National Weather Service is also reminding drivers to turn around don’t drown due to the excessive amounts of rain causing flash floods.
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Alexandria Police have made an arrest in the murder of 19-year-old Courtney Coco, who was killed in 2004. Coco was last seen at her home two days before her body was discovered in an abandoned building in southwest Texas. Alexandria Police Sergeant Josh Peppers says Detective Tanner Dryden was assigned to the case in 2018
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45-year-old David Burns of Boyce has been charged with second-degree murder. Peppers hopes the arrest is a relief for those who knew Coco
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Coco’s death received national attention as NBC’s dateline featured the case last October. A multi-series podcast called “Real Life Real Crime” also provided the public details on the case. Peppers says Detective Dryden put numerous hours into the investigation
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Burns’s bond has been set at 500-thousand dollars.
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Congresswoman Julia Letlow took the oath of office this morning, filling the fifth district seat that was left vacant after the unexpected death of her husband Luke Letlow in December. Julia Letlow is the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in Congress.
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Letlow says she wants to assist farmers in the state, champion education, and assist with bringing broadband internet to the predominantly rural 5th district. She also wants to focus on recovery efforts with the pandemic.
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Letlow says she wants to be part of a revival of honesty, integrity, and hard work in congress.
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Julia’s two children along with the other members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation were present for the ceremony. A runoff to fill Louisiana’s 2nd congressional seat is set for April 24th.