Police in Houma say a local woman and her boyfriend are facing first degree murder charges, after officers found the remains of her 2-year-old son in a trash can. Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman says the couple initially said the child was abducted, but evidence collected implicates them…:

CUT 09(12)      “…black duffel bag.”

Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joseph Waitz says this is potentially a death penalty case.

State Police in Troop I report a child riding without proper restraints was killed Monday in a single-vehicle crash on state Highway 91 in Acadia Parish. Trooper First Class Thomas Gossen says a pickup driven by 44-year-old Carla Lacombe, of Eunice, lost control and went into a spin and overturned, after hitting a culvert…:

CUT 06(07)      “…result of the crash.”

He says charges may be pending for Lacombe.

Monkeypox cases continue to turn up in Louisiana. Another two confirmed cases in the New Orleans area, for a total of three. Monkeypox is considered a cousin of smallpox and state health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says the vaccines for smallpox can be used to guard against monkeypox…:

CUT 05(12)      “…monkeypox and smallpox.”

Monkeypox is non-fatal, and transmitted through physical contact.

Many Louisianans are mourning the death of former state lawmaker and former Natural Resources Secretary Ron Gomez, who passed away this week. Gomez served in the state legislature from 1980 through 1989, and headed up DNR under Governor Buddy Roemer. He was an Air Force veteran, author and broadcaster for years on KPEL in Lafayette. Ron Gomes…dead at 87 years of age.