Three people were killed and three more were seriously injured in a fire in Winnsboro during the overnight hours. Halen Doughty has more…
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Alto Congressman Ralph Abraham is visiting Cuba next month to establish potential agriculture trade with the island…
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Three people were killed in a tragic fire during the overnight hours in Winnsboro, a father and two sons. A mother, a daughter, and another son were also seriously injured. Brant Thompson, with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, says when the firefighters arrived, they found the singlewide trailer fully engulfed in flames.
Derrick Boley, his 3-year-old son Kenderrick Boley, and 8-year-old Bryson Scobbee were killed in the fire. Thompson says the investigation will continue throughout the day as fire investigators systematically examine debris from the home.
Thompson says 29-year-old Victoria Guthrie, a 6-year-old, and a 19-month-old child were transported to an area hospital, where they are being treated for injuries.
Thompson says their thoughts and prayers go out to the survivors and their family.
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Alto Congressman Ralph Abraham is traveling to Cuba in April to ensure Louisiana becomes a trading partner with the country, once Congress lifts the trade embargo. Abraham says he’ll speak with Cuban officials to determine potential delivery and distribution. He says currently, the island receives imports from Asian countries, but the Port of New Orleans is only 36 hours away so a partnership makes sense.
Abraham says we’re on the tip of the spear to be the first state to get our goods to Cuba in a big way. He says Cuba imports about 80 to 90 percent of their agricultural products.
Abraham expects the trade embargo with the island to be lifted by 2017. But he understands Cuba still has some significant human rights issues to fix…
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Matthew Flugence of Marrero has entered a guilty plea in the death of a 6-year-old girl who was killed then stuffed into a trashcan in 2013. Flugence was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. will not pursue the death penalty. Legal analyst Tim Meche says money may be a factor in the DA’s decision.
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Meche says in Louisiana there is no chance of getting out of a life sentence, like there may be in other states.
Meche says the process of prosecuting a death penalty case takes time. He says the family needs closure, and this decision gives it to them.
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The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says so far over 12-thousand homes have received flood damage and 26 parishes are available for federal assistance. GOHSEP spokesperson Mike Steele recovery efforts are still underway and more severe weather is possible Easter Sunday.
Steele advises people to document and take pictures of damage to their homes sooner than later.
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Steele says begin your cleanup if possible but you still must register your damage with FEMA, even if you’re in a parish that hasn’t yet been declared as part of the emergency process. He says registering lets GOHSEP get a better picture of the state’s total damage.
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