The state has set a new record for seat belt usage. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Proposals to reduce Louisiana’s highest-in-the-world incarceration rate have been released by the Governor’s Justice Reinvestment Task Force. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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A Walker police officer has been suspended for three days without pay after hanging a noose in the department’s squad room. Walker Police Capt. John Sharp says the makeshift noose was hung on a pipe in public view.
Sharp says the department has several options when it comes to who will conduct the investigation and determine if charges should be filed. Walker Police Chief David Addison reportedly requested the Attorney General’s Office to look into the matter. But Sharp says the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office would be more appropriate to lead the investigation.
Sharp says the department takes this very seriously because the unnamed officer is a sergeant and should be held to a higher standard. He says there’s a law on the books that prohibits the display of a noose in public to intimidate a person or persons.
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A new record has been set in the Pelican State for seat belt usage. Based on a study from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, 88-percent of drivers and passengers are buckled up, which is up two-percent from the previous year. The commission’s executive director, Doctor Katara Williams says they are pleased more motorists are making the choice to buckle up…
The report shows the increase is mostly attributable to more African-American and Hispanic drivers and passengers are buckling up. Williams says Hispanic usage rates rose 10-percent…
Usage rates were up in each region of the state, except for the Alexandria and Monroe areas. Williams says there was a seven-percent decline in drivers and passengers who use their seat belt in central Louisiana…
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The Justice Reinvestment Task Force Commissioned by Governor John Bel Edwards has released its recommendations to reduce Louisiana’s highest-in-the-world incarceration rate. Department of Corrections Secretary James Leblanc says if enacted, these proposals would put us second in the world.
Leblanc says their recommendations include changes to drug and property crimes, altering probation and parole supervision, simplifying the criminal code, and narrow sentencing ranges. He says they are presenting 26 ideas borrowed from other states that reflect compromise and innovation.
The recommendations seek to focus prison beds on those who pose a serious threat to public safety. Governor Edwards acknowledges there are some people who need to be in jail for a long time, either for the nature of the crime or their threat to public safety.
The proposals from the task force will be put into bills that will be considered in the upcoming regular session. Edwards says while the recommendations are a good start, we’re a long way from mission accomplished.
cut 12 (09) “legislative instruments”
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Catholics who are abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent get a pass on St. Patrick’s Day, sort of. Fr. Frank Coens of St. Paschal Catholic Church in West Monroe says giving up meat is a type of penance Catholics practice during the 40 day season between Mardi Gras and Easter. He says the St. Patrick’s Day exception dates back to an old Irish tradition.
But Coens says it doesn’t just apply to Irish Catholics. He adds that while slipping up once isn’t considered sinful, it’s better to have a good reason for eating meat on a Friday during Lent. Unfortunately, having a hankering for a steak won’t cut it.
cut 14 (10) “good enough reason”
Coens says denying ourselves of certain things reminds us we need change in our lives, which is why Catholics practice different kinds of personal sacrifice during Lent. If you’re going to eat meat tomorrow, he recommends finding some other penance to do instead.
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