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The Louisiana Nation Guard’s 139^th Regional Support Group are back in Louisiana today after an extended stay in Iraq. 84 troops, 60 of those from the New Orleans area, and the rest from Alexandria, returned from a deployment that began in December. Sergeant First Class Denny Ricou says the 139^th was re-united with family and friends.

 

Cut 3 (09) “…with excitment”

The guard worked at Taji and Al Asad in Iraq, and Erbil Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan. Ricou says they were there as part of the fight against the Islamic State.

Cut 4 (10) “…the base.”

ISIL has lost 98 percent of the territory it control at its peak in 2015.

Ricou says while overseas, the Support Group played a role in some highly technical work to keep the bases up to date with the newest hardware.

Cut 5 (11)  “…communication system” 

 

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Lafayette-Mayor President Joel Robideaux believes the Lafayette public library should cancel an event called Drag Queen Story Time. The library’s newsletter says the October 6th event will be an afternoon of books, songs and activities led by drag queens. At last night’s Lafayette City-Parish Council meeting, Reverend Dale Hoffpauir was the only who spoke to support Mayor Robideaux’s idea…

Cut 6 (10) “to you”

Mayor Robideaux said in a statement he’s not sure how the event was approved and any programming at the library should be both appropriate and serve the need of Lafayette Parish. Several appeared at last night’s city-parish council meeting to support the event, high school teacher Caleb Powell says it’s very important that children are read to at a young age…

Cut 7 (09) “no matter what”

The Delta Lambda Phi fraternity proposed the idea to read to children in drag at the main branch of the Lafayette Public Library. The event has created a lot of backlash on Facebook, which upsets resident William Tillie, who believes Drag Queen readers can help teach tolerance at a young age…

Cut 8 (10) “…teach tolerance.”

But the director of the library says there are no plans to cancel the event.

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A Baton Rouge Rouses’ employee whose act of kindness toward an autistic teen became a viral video, now has a new set of wheels.  Jordan Taylor already received six-figures for his college education and is enrolled at Grambling State, so he did not attend the presentation of the car from Neighbors Federal Credit Union.  His mother, Teresa Taylor, was on hand to express the family’s gratitude.

Cut 9 (08) “…he was going to do it.”

Taylor says the act of kindness of her son was a great showcase of his character.

Cut 10 (10) “…appreciative of it.”

Congressman Garrett Graves appeared at the event, and said it’s great to see positivity in the state get the spotlight.

Cut 11 (11) “…that we are.”

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A Katrina Museum is open to the public today after a morning ceremony christened the exhibit showcasing the extensive damage many homes suffered after the levees broke in New Orleans. For the first two weeks, a room will be furnished to look like a normal living room, but after that, Levees.org Founder Sandy Rosenthal says it’ll be put through he ringer to get that authentic post Katrina look and feel.

Cut 12 (12)   “home too.”

The site is located 400 feet from one of the major canal breaches that inundated the city.

Rosenthal says The Flooded House Museum is one of the last houses left standing that was not gutted after flooding in August of 2005. Arriving home to a decimated domicile is a memory that’s been seared into the minds of most New Orleanians who were old enough to remember, but Rosenthal says a new generation of Crescent City kids just don’t know what it was like.

Cut 13 (10) “…the country.”

The formerly flooded house was purchased in 2016 by Leeves.org.

Rosenthal says the museum is a testament to the people who rebuilt one of the oldest, and most well-loved cities in the country.

Cut 14 (10) “…New Orleanians.”

The diorama is open to the public every day as long as there is light enough to see inside the windows.