Jury selection is underway for a murder trial in which the alleged crime took place over 50 years ago in Lake Charles. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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The state Department of Education announces a record number high school students have achieved AP college credits this year. Emelie Gunn has more…
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A 76-year-old man accused of killing his wife over 50 years ago in southwest Louisiana will finally stand trial. Jury selection is underway in Calcasieu Parish as Mississippi native Felix Vail is charged with 2nd degree murder for allegedly killing his 22-year-old wife, Mary Horton Vail, in 1962. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s difficult to try a case after such a long time, because evidence deteriorates and there’s no DNA.
The investigation in Mary Horton Vail’s death was reopened after a Mississippi newspaper featured a series about the victim, as well as the disappearances of two other women who were close to Felix Vail in 1973 and 1984. Meche says those incidents could be discussed in the courtroom, if the judge decides it’s relevant.
Vail was arrested after his wife’s death in the 1960s, but the jury declined to indict because the death was ruled accidental. Meche says it’s cases like this that make him wish it was legal to broadcast court proceedings on TV in Louisiana.
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A low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida coast could bring heavy rains to southeast Louisiana by the end of the week. Michael Hill with the National Weather Service in Slidell says the system is not a tropical disturbance yet, but it will push some rain into Louisiana.
Hill says the New Orleans metro area and surrounding parishes will be the hardest hit by the rains. He says we’ll likely see scattered showers today and tomorrow, but he says it should start to ramp up by the middle of the week.
Hill says the heavy rains should begin on Wednesday and flash flooding is possible…
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A record number of Louisiana high school students earned advanced placement college credits in 2016. State Education Superintendent John White says they’ve been working hard to raise expectations when it comes to academics. He says these scores prove that while we have a ways to go, students are just as smart and capable as any in the country.
White says 845 more A.P. tests were passed this year in Louisiana compared to 2015.
White says these improvements show when opportunities are given to students to show their potential, they rise to the challenge and do great. He says students in Louisiana also earned record numbers of college credits by taking the College-Level Examination Program.
White says over the last 4 years, Livingston Parish is the most improved parish when it comes to students receiving college credits on their AP tests. St. Bernard Parish is second and Terrebonne is third.
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There was a bizarre incident on I-10 this morning near LaPlace, as a small plane had to make an emergency landing in the median. That’s according to Melissa Matey with State Police. She says the aircraft had some mechanical failures…:
Matey says State Police was able to tow the plane off the scene. She says it was smart of the pilot to do some quick thinking…:
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Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says there’s a good chance the state will end up with a deficit for the fiscal year that ended on June 30th. Dardenne says they are still waiting for all of the numbers to come in, so it’s hard to say how much that deficit will be. But he says a member of the Revenue Estimating Conference has an idea.
Dardenne says this means that lawmakers will once again have an immediate budget problem to deal with when they convene for the fiscal session in 2017. He says his office and the governor have advised state agencies to spend their money wisely in preparation for potential cuts in the future.
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