A two-vehicle crash last night in Acadia Parish has claimed the lives of two men.  20-year-old Derrick Caesar Jr. and 20-year-old Tywon Thorn, both of Crowley were pronounced dead at the scene, after their sedan crossed the center line and hit an SUV head-on. Neither were wearing a seatbelt, nor was the driver of the other vehicle (who sustained moderate injuries). State Police Trooper Tom Gossen says the SUV had too many people aboard and most of them – including children – weren’t restrained…:

CUT 08(09)      “..results are pending.”

This is the fourth fatal crash, with a total of six deaths, investigated by Troop I since the start of 2022.

A fatal crash early this morning in Ascension Parish closed Interstate 10 West down for several hours. State Police in Troop A say a pickup lost control and flipped over near the Highway 22 Sorrento exit. The driver was killed. The crash is under investigation.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, gasoline and diesel prices keep going upward. GasBuddy.com senior fuel analyst Patrick DeHaan warns us to be prepared for some tough months ahead, as the U.S. enters conditions that could push gasoline prices up by anywhere from 25-to-75 cents by Memorial Day. Louisiana currently averages $3.35 per gallon; up 97 cents from a year ago…:

CUT 14(07)      “…in recent years.”

The state Department of Health reports just 668 new cases of the coronavirus; the Omicron variant. Statewide, there are 586 people in the hospital with the virus. Of those, about 68-percent are not fully vaxxed. LDH also reports 25 more deaths of persons with the virus; bringing the statewide total for the whole pandemic to just over 16,600.