A third Louisianan dies from a vaping related lung illness linked to a thickening agent found in the devices. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission has assembled a database on their website of financial disclosures for every single judge in the state. Jeff Palermo spoke with President Rafael Goyeneche…
cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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The Bayou Country Superfest is riding off into the Baton Rouge sunset as festival organizers have announced the annual Memorial Day weekend event will be on hiatus until further notice. President and CEO of Visit Baton Rouge Paul Arrigo says looking back, it was a great event for the city.
The festival had a decade-long run, starting at Tiger Stadium, did two years in the Superdome, then returned to Baton Rouge in 2019 and featured some of the biggest names in country music including Florida Georgia Line, George Strait, Tim McGraw, and others.
Arrigo believes several factors contributed to last year’s modest attendance, including bouncing back from the festival’s two-year run in New Orleans, shrinking the schedule from three days to two, and a late lineup release.
Cut 4 (09) “…made in November.”
Arrigo says he’s not sure what the future holds for the festival.
Cut 5 (07) “…the near future.”
At the peak in 2014, 135,000 people attended the festival. Last year drew about 50,000.
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The Louisiana Department of Health reports a third person has died in Louisiana from complications related to vaping, while the total number of vaping-related cases has risen to 35.
Office of Public Health Assistant Secretary Alex Billioux says these cases are being linked back to Vitamin E Acetate, which is used as a thickener in E-cigs.
Symptoms of the Vitamin E Acetate illness include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, and more.
The outbreak began last year, and researchers have started to notice a trend in who’s most likely to be impacted. Billioux says it’s older vapers who tend to buy vaping liquids with additives.
Of the 35 cases, 17 appear to be THC related, and patients range from ages 17 to 71.
Billioux says despite the tragic recent death, growth in the number of cases seems to be on the decline.
LDH’s number one recommendation to stop the illness is still to just not vape.
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You can now view 5 years of financial disclosures for all 298 judges in the state of Louisiana at the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission’s website.
MCC President Rafael Goyeneche says they’ve made it easy to find out how much your local judge makes, and any potential locally financial ties they may have.
Previously the only way you could get that kind of information was by filing a public records request. Goyeneche says judges are the only elected officials who have that privilege in Louisiana.
12 years ago an ethics reform package was passed that required the executive and legislative branches to publicly post that information, but the State Supreme Court blocked judges from having to comply.
Goyeneche says uploading the 10,000 pages worth of data was a mammoth task, but was worth the effort to help citizens discover whether or not a local judge has a conflict of interest.
If they do, Goyeneche says requesting a recusal becomes a lot easier with that information available.
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Authorities arrest a Calhoun man on a drug charge after he approached two people asking to borrow guns at a Planet Fitness parking lot in West Monroe. West Monroe Police Major David May says the two declined the request of 19-year-old Landon Duke before going into the gym and calling the police.
Cut 12 (09) “…to rob someone.”
May says it is unclear why the Duke thought it was a good pitch, but Duke told the two why he needed the money.
May says Duke caught the drug charge when he consented to a search.
Cut 14 (10) “…money contained methamphetamine.”
Duke faces one count of possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance.