Hearings over the treatment of juveniles held in Angola enter its second day. Brooke Thorington has more.
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As part of the Lights Out for fall bird migration, Louisiana Wildlife Federation is asking everyone to lower or eliminate bright exterior lighting to protect birds. Teiko Foxx has more…
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Following the first day of hearings over teens being housed at Angola, advocates voiced their frustrations with the Office of Juvenile Justice at a press conference Tuesday. Lead counsel, David Utter with the Fair Fight Initiative says they want to know if the state is treating juveniles with deliberate indifference.
After multiple escapes from juvenile facilities, the decision to move some inmates to Angola was made and more than a dozen teens have been housed there for the last 10 months.
Utter says they have documentation that shows the OJJ is in violation of state law by holding inmates, ages 14 to 18, in their cells for more than 23 hours a day.
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The juveniles are separated from the adult prisoners and are held where death row inmates were previously held in Angola.
Utter says Louisiana houses far too many juveniles and when asked where should they be held after multiple escapes from the Bridge City facility, he says the case is not about that.
During today’s hearing experts will testify about the dangers of extreme heat and children.
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The Louisiana Wildlife Federation is encouraging building owners, businesses, and residents to participate in turning off bright or excess outdoor lighting from 11 PM to 6 AM every day through November 15 to help protect the billions of migratory birds that fly through Louisiana at night. LWF Board Member Charles Williams says city lights can misguide birds, diverting them off course with often dire consequences…
During the 2022 fall migration, an estimated 478 million birds migrated through the state of Louisiana. Williams says buildings and windows kill roughly a million birds in the U-S every year.
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LWF passed a resolution earlier this year requesting that all public buildings observe ‘lights out’ as the official policy of the state. Williams says reducing lighting is one of the easiest ways everyone can take part in this initiative.
To read the full resolution, https://lawildlifefed.org/resolution/lights-out-to-save-migrating-birds/
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The fall lineup for the 49th annual Festivals Acadiens et Creoles is in and Sonny Landreth, Roddie Romero, and others are scheduled to headline October 13 through 15 at Girard Park in Lafayette. Festival VP Patrick Mould says it’s a celebration of music and cultural heritage…
The three-day music festival will include a crafts fair, chefs demonstrations, workshops, and more. Mould says it’s a great way for someone to come and experience cajun culture and music…
Mould says there’s double excitement this year with the celebration of Lafayette Parish Bicentennial. He says the festival brings people from around the world together and they’re preparing for another great year.
The official pin and poster will be revealed at Hilliard Art Museum’s fall opening on September 8 at 6 PM.
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A bomb threat was called in to several schools today which prompted students to be placed on lockdown. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul says a call was made through the suicide hotline that there was a bomb and a gun at Baton Rouge High School. He says other schools received similar threats.
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Paul says no device nor gun was found at Baton Rouge High and students are expected to be dismissed at their normally scheduled time. Paul says several law enforcement agencies responded to the threat including bomb squads and K-9 units.
Paul says investigators learned of similar threats at schools in other parishes.
The investigation is ongoing.