A staple in the agriculture broadcasting industry, Mike Danna, has died of cancer at the age of 54. Danna was the director of public relations for the Louisiana Farm Bureau and host of This Week in Louisiana Agriculture. Louisiana Farm Bureau spokesperson Neil Melancon says Danna extended the public relations department to not only cover ag in Louisiana, but all over the world…

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Melancon says Danna spent more than 30 years in agriculture journalism coming to work for the Farm Bureau in 1985.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says 52-year-old Richard Picard Jr. of New Iberia is charged with the illegal killing of a Louisiana Black Bear during a hog hunt in St. Mary Parish. LDWF spokesman Adam Eick says it happened while hunting on private land when their dogs starting chasing the bear…

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Picard faces 120 days in jail and fines and restitution totaling more than $10,000.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says a fire at a home in Lake Providence has claimed the life of a 63-year-old woman. Officials say the body of Carrie Bell Phoenix was found in a passageway between the kitchen and dining room area. The victim lived in the home with her 45-year-old special needs daughter who escaped the blaze unharmed. She told authorities her mother stayed behind to try to extinguish the fire. Investigators say the likely cause of the fire was an electric space heater in a back bedroom.

It’s a nice start to the weekend weather-wise in Louisiana, but it is not expected to last. Michelle Southern has more…

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