The St. Tammany Parish town of Covington mourns the death of retired local priest, Father Otis Young, from a grisly double murder. Badly burned remains found Monday behind a local business have been confirmed by the parish coroner to be those of Father Young. Covington Police Sgt. Edwin Masters…:

CUT 10(09)      “…double homicide.”

Father Young and a church assistant, Ruth Prats, were reported missing Sunday. Two charred bodies were found Monday behind a local business. Sgt. Masters says they cannot yet confirm the other remains are those of Ms. Prats. The suspect is 49-year-old Antonio Tyson, who was just released from prison in August, after serving over 30 years for rape and burglary. Masters says Tyson is being held without bond.

The National Weather Service says the tornado that ripped through parts of Caldwell Parish Tuesday was an EF-3, with winds up to 165 miles an hour. It was on the ground for about 9 minutes; long enough to damage numerous buildings and injure two people.

Louisiana’s first through third graders showed improvement on a literacy test this fall, but Whitney Thomas reports the state’s public school education leader is concerned the percentage of kindergartners reading below grade level has declined…:

Cut 01  (28)      “…Thomas.”

Who couldn’t use a little extra cash for the holidays? One way to get some is check the State Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property website. One in six people have unclaimed property or cash owed back to you. You can check to see if you have cash coming by visiting “LaCashClaim.org” or by calling then at 888-925-4127.