Former Marksville Officer Derrick Stafford has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars for a manslaughter conviction he received after fatally shooting a 6-year-old during a car chase. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino…

Cut 15 (09) “possible sentences”

The judge ruled Stafford must serve 20 years before he’s eligible for parole.

HUD has approved the state’s spending plan for the full $1.6 billion Congress allocated for flood recovery. This approval brings the state one step closer to getting federal funds in the hands of flood victims, but no dollars have yet been dispersed. Governor John Bel Edwards calls this a milestone in recovery, but Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves is disappointed the state does not have a contractor lined up to oversee the rebuilding.

Expanding athletic facilities and funding cuts have led ULM to the decision to donate several biology research collections from the Museum of Natural History. Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Eric Pani says they don’t have the facility to properly store the specimens, and they’re being used less since research funding has been reduced.

Cut 7 (11) “store them”

The space where a new facility would be built is instead being used to expand the track at Brown Stadium.

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with back to back break-ins at both Tioga High School and Tioga Junior High that caused extensive damage to the interior of the schools. Police say 17-year-olds Cody Blakeny and Shane Johnson both of Rapides Parish will face charges of burglary and criminal damage.