At a ceremony in New Orleans, Governor John Bel Edwards posthumously pardoned civil rights pioneer Homer Plessy. Plessy was a Creole man arrested in New Orleans 130 years ago when he refused to leave a whites-only railroad car. Plessy’s protest led to the 1896 ruling known as Plessy versus Ferguson, which said it was legal to have white-only spaces in public areas. Governor Edwards says unfortunately the negative effects of that ruling still linger…:
An early morning house fire in St. Landry parish claims the lives of two young boys, ages 11 and 12. Opelousas Fire Chief Charles Mason says only four of the six residents escaped. A third child was taken to a hospital.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Jonesboro’s Fire Chief Brandon Brown and a Jackson Parish Sheriff’s deputy, George Wyatt face insurance fraud charges involving a two-vehicle crash of fire department vehicles. Trooper Michael Reichardt says two have also been charged with filing or maintaining false public records, and malfeasance in office.
The investigation revealed that Brown’s juvenile son was the driver of one of the vehicles.
LSU’s football season ended with a loss in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State. But the game was a highlight for fifth-year senior Jontre Kirklin who made his first start at quarterback with three touchdown passes. Kirklin who only played cornerback and wide receiver at LSU, says he was calm heading into his first start at QB since Lutcher High…