Following an explosion at Camp Minden in September, a plan has put into place to dispose over 200-thousand pounds of explosives that contain an unstable chemical compound. Jeff Palermo has more…
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At the second meeting of the Restore Louisiana Task Force, Congressman Garret Graves urges members to move quickly as more federal aid is coming. Don Molino has more…
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Officials announce plans to dispose of volatile explosives at Camp Minden in Webster Parish that led to a bunker exploding in September. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Chuck Brown says there are three bunkers that contain Clean Burning Ignitor, which is deteriorating and becoming more unstable by the day. He says on Monday they will open the doors of one of the bunkers and let the fire out.
The chemical compounds are being stored at Camp Minden after they had been improperly stored by an explosives company that went out of business. The Louisiana National Guard has been burning off M6 propellant in contained burning chambers. Brown says nearly 200-thousand pounds of the CBI will be destroyed, as well as 40-thousand pounds of M6 propellant.
Officials have set three separate dates to burn each of the bunkers, Monday, October 22, and October 29. It will take place early in the morning to take advantage of calm wind. Brown says DEQ and the EPA will be on hand to monitor the air quality. He says they do not anticipate a chain reaction of explosions with their plan.
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A 20-year-old Baton Rouge man has been charged with negligent homicide in the shooting death of his mother. BRPD Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says the 37-year-old mother and her son got into a verbal argument, which turned physical…
McKneely says when authorities arrived at the scene, Dexter Clay Jr. was applying pressure to the wound on his mother, Melissa Clay. He says Dexter Clay fully cooperated with police…
CUT 7 (07) “negligent homicide”
McKneely says the mother was transported to a local hospital where she later died. He says the shooting was clearly an accident…
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Flood recovery discussions are ongoing, as the Restore Louisiana Task Force is deciding how to spend the $438 million the state has received so far from the federal government. Republican Baton Rouge Congressman Garrett Graves says they will seek more federal assistance, but it’s important for the state to decide quickly how they’ll allocate the first installment of federal funds.
Graves says Louisiana’s congressional delegation will seek additional funding from Congress when they return for their lame duck session after the November election. He says the Comite River Diversion project and other flood mitigation plans will be at the top of the list for their funding request.
Graves says the task force needs to come up with specific areas that need disaster funding, like home repair and mental health. He says it will be easier to get federal dollars approved if Congress understands exactly where the money will go.
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A 12-year-old and a 14-year-old have been arrested for vandalizing over 50 graves and smashing urns in an Independence Cemetery. Vincent Spitale, president of Colonial Cemetery Association, says this is very upsetting for the families as they have to go through the grieving process again. He says so many things were destroyed.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office has charged the teens with multiple counts of criminal damage to property, desecration of a grave and simple burglary. Spitale says all the name plates were broken and the doors will have to be replaced. He says he wishes he could understand why the teens did a heinous act like this…
Spitale says they aren’t sure how much it will cost to repair the cemetery. He says family members of those whose graves were damaged or destroyed came out to see the destruction.
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LSU will be without one of their starting safeties in Saturday night’s game against Southern Miss. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says senior Rickey Jefferson suffered a serious leg injury in practice this week….
Junior John Battle will take Jefferson’s spot in the starting line-up.. Coach O’ says the whole team is ready to play after an unexpected week off and the death of the school’s live mascot…