Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart passed away at 90 years old after suffering a cardiac arrest last month at his home in Baton Rouge. Sean Richardson has more.
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The board that investigates ethics violations by public officials has new rules to abide by. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Reverend Jimmy Swaggart, a prominent Louisiana televangelist, died at 90 after suffering a cardiac arrest last month at his Baton Rouge home. Louisiana Radio Network President Jim Engster, whose first full-time job out of college was working for Swaggart at the Baton Rouge gospel radio station then known as WLUX, says Swaggart was a kind, Christian man.
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Born in Ferriday, Swaggart founded Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and Bible College, serving as senior pastor of Family Worship Center. Ordained by the Assemblies of God in 1961, he was defrocked in 1988 after a prostitution scandal. Engster says even though he lost his credibility, he came back like a lion.
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His television ministry, which started in 1975, reached millions globally. A Grammy-nominated gospel artist, he sold over 15 million records. Engster says Swaggart, who was a cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, gave up a successful commercial music career to be a minister.
Swaggart leaves behind his wife, Frances, and son, Donnie, who continue his ministry through SonLife Broadcasting.
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The board that investigates alleged ethics violations against public officials has new restrictions to abide by. That’s due to a new law as a result of the passage of House Bill 674 by New Iberia Republican Beau Beaullieu (BOW-lee-ay), who says officials have complained for years about the egregious nature of ethics investigations – especially during campaign season.
Beaullieu stresses, however, that these new rules by no means gives any public official – elected or otherwise – permission to act unethically.
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The bill sailed through both houses of legislature, with only two Republican senators voting against it. However, the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana has expressed criticism. PAR President Steven Procopio says among his concerns is a provision that the board of ethics has to determine that the investigation is not too expensive, either for the board or for the person it’s investigating.
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However, Procopio says the legislature did address PAR’s biggest concerns by the time the bill got to Governor Landry’s desk, including a provision that required having evidence before even launching the investigation.
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A federal judge has granted Serve Louisiana’s motion for a preliminary injunction, reinstating the AmeriCorps grant that had been abruptly canceled as part of a nationwide termination effort earlier this year. Serve Louisiana Program Director Maggie Connaro (CON-er-row) says the ruling restores the program’s operations and allows members to complete the 11-month service terms.
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Serve Louisiana filed suit in early May following the sudden cancelation of its federal grant by AmeriCorps at the direction of the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency. Connaro says the preliminary injunction can be appealed within 60 days, and the battle is far from over.
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Connaro says this ruling will not only be beneficial to team members that are serving, but also to the people the members were serving in the Corps from food access, youth development, housing access and coastal restoration.
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The Louisiana Department of Health is launching a campaign this Fourth of July week to help veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. As part of the effort, the Office of the Surgeon General has released a TV public service announcement to reach veterans across the state. Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham says PTSD is serious.
Dr. Abraham urges any veteran experiencing PTSD to call the Louisiana 988 Helpline and press 1 or text 838255 to talk to specialists who focus on providing emotional support to service members, veterans and their families.
Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says PTSD is very prevalent among service members who were in combat.