A legal analyst says the man accused of injuring more than two dozen Endymion parade goers in New Orleans may only face 5 years in jail. Halen Doughty has more…
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Sneezing more than normal? Itchy/watery eyes? Experts say allergy season is hitting Louisiana with a bang this year. Michelle Southern reports…:
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Volunteers from around the country are coming together to help Louisiana flood victims get back into their homes. Louisiana Launch volunteer Shanna Forrestall says a lot of families either aren’t getting what they need from insurance or there’s delays on getting help from FEMA. She says Let’s Rock is collecting donations to help cover the cost of the sheetrock needed to make their homes livable.
Forrestall credits the hard work of Melissa Armand and Janet Rhodus for getting the campaign moving, and giving her a way to get involved, as the Gonzales native now lives in Los Angeles. She says through the donations, flood victims are given a gift certificate to cover the cost of their drywall, and 100-percent of the donations go directly to flood victims.
Forrestall says the donations are going to families who need it the most, those with elderly, disabled and special needs members. She says donations can be made at LaunchLouisiana.com and encourages everyone to share the link on social media to raise awareness for the cause.
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The man accused of drunkenly plowing into parade goers at Endymion in New Orleans may not face much jail time. That’s according to legal analyst Tim Meche, who says 25-year-old Neilson Rizzuto is only charged with negligent vehicular injury, a hit and run with serious injury, and reckless operation after police say he crashed his truck into a crowd and sent 21 people to area hospitals.
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New Orleans police say Rizzuto’s blood alcohol content was .232, nearly three times the legal limit. A judge reportedly says if the suspect can make his $125-thousand bond, he’ll be put on house arrest and not allowed to drive. Meche says Rizzuto’s circumstances aren’t really that bad.
Despite at least 28 reported injuries, Rizzuto only faces two counts of negligent injuring for two serious injuries named in the police report. But Meche says more charges could be added as the investigation unfolds. He says Rizzuto’s public defenders will likely try to play the sympathy card in court.
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Allergy season is in full swing a little early this year, and experts say because Louisiana had such a mild winter, there never really was a low pollen period. Dr. Kenneth Paris, head of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at LSU Health New Orleans, says warm winters typically mean pollen season will peak earlier, and last longer…:
Cut 9 (09) “when we don’t have rain”
Paris says people who have seasonal allergies are typically bothered by itchy, drippy and sneezy symptoms. But he says the pollen season really impacts kids and adults with asthma a great deal…:
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Paris says there are plenty of effective medications on the market to help people keep their allergy symptoms under control. He recommends oral antihistamines that are non-sedating, and a now-available over the counter intranasal steroid sprays…:
cut 11 (10) “the burden of illness”
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A Mansfield man has been arrested for fatally shooting a man who was allegedly vandalizing his car on Sunday night. Mansfield Police Chief Gary Hobbs says 34-year-old Cody Parker saw 50-year-old James Hewitt near his car and came outside with a firearm and shot Hewitt multiple times as he was fleeing the scene….
Hobbs says Parker is charged with second-degree murder. He says based on the evidence, Hewitt was doing nothing other than committing the crime of property damage before he was shot.
Hobbs says detectives are working to determine if Parker and Hewitt had a previous connection. He says recently, Parker has had other issues with vandalism, as he filed multiple reports with the police department about someone vandalizing his vehicle.
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