A state lawmaker wants to give D.A.s more time to decide if certain juvenile offenders should be tried as adults. More from Kevin Gallagher…:

Cut 1 (34)  “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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Police have identified the killers in the death of an infant girl found in 1992. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 2 (32)  “….I’m Teiko Foxx.” 

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State lawmakers file legislation that would give prosecutors twice the time to screen cases wherein a juvenile offender may be charged as an adult. Metairie Representative Laurie Schlegel says her House Bill 54 was inspired by the case of two New Orleans youths arrested for carjacking and attempted murder. The D.A. missed a 30-day deadline to charge them as adults for nearly killing their victim. She says her bill will help with similar cases…:

Cut 3 (07) “…as adult offenders.” 

Schlegel’s bill would double the prescriptive period for charging juveniles as adults; from 30 days to 60 days. She says charging certain minors as adults allows more serious punishment when they commit violent crimes, like rape, murder, attempted murder and carjacking…:

Cut 4 (08)  “…and held accountable.” 

Last month, an Orleans Parish judge dismissed charges against 17-year-old Kendell Myles, after he escaped juvenile detention, carjacked a man and shot him. The reason: the 30-day period to charge him as an adult had passed. Schlegel says prosecutors need more leeway in dealing with perpetrators like Myles…:

Cut 5 (09) “…as an adult.”

Schlegel’s bill will come up in the regular legislative session, which starts a month from today.

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If a crawfish boil is on your agenda this weekend, you’ll be happy to know the average price has dropped 50 cents a pound, to $2.84 a pound for live mudbugs. That’s according to Crawfish App Co-founder Laney King who says that’s on top of the drop in prices last weekend.

Cut 6 (10)  “…this weekend.” 

King says the current price drop is unexpected and down 30 percent compared to prices this time last year. But next weekend is St. Patrick’s Day and like other spring holidays, Easter, and Mother’s Day she expects to see an increase in prices due to demand.

Cut 7 (07)  “…what happens.” 

The Crawfish App average per pound is calculated from the 16 hundred vendors in Louisiana. And while $2.84 is the average Laney says south Louisiana will see prices even lower.

Cut 8 (04)  “…are farmed.” 

If you’re looking to purchase boiled crawfish you can expect to pay $5.22 a pound for medium-large-sized mudbugs.

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State Police investigators have arrested the parents of an infant female found inside a garbage bag in Picayune, Mississippi back in 1992. Inga Johansen Carriere was arrested in Avondale, LA on Feb. 28^th and Andrew Carriere was arrested in Galliano, LA on March 9. State Trooper Kate Stegall says the two were booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on first-degree murder…

Cut 9 (05) “…in Mississippi.”

The Picayune Police Department and Detectives Mississippi Bureau of Investigations reopened the investigation in 2021. Stegall says the breakthrough in the case is a testament to the advancements in forensic technology as DNA profiles and fingerprints were developed.

Cut 10 (05) “…30 years.” 

Stegall says the Picayune Police has various pieces of evidence, some of it tied to associations in Gretna, Louisiana

Cut 11 (05)  “…are today.”

State Police said that the investigation is ongoing.

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The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will end its Hurricane Ida Sheltering Program on May 31st. Following the destructive Category four storm, the state supplied thousands of displaced families with travel trailers. GOHSEP Director Casey Tingle says the trailers were always viewed a a temporary living arrangement

Cut 12 (08) “…recovery process” 

Tingle says Ida Sheltering Program staff can assist families find other housing if repairs to their pre-Ida home are not complete.

Cut 13 (11) “..long term.” 

Ida Sheltering Program Staff can be reached at 844-268-0301. Tingle says there are about 23-hundred households still occupying the travel trailers and some are close to moving back into their homes and there are others who might not know where their next home will be…

Cut 14 (09)  “…to us”

The Humane Society of Louisiana says the lack of services compounds pet overpopulation issues across the state. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

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DCFS has hired more than 300 employees for their child welfare division after they were plagued with several child death cases that fell through the cracks. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “….I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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State Police are investigating a Wednesday crash in Jackson Parish that took the life of a woman and young girl. Master Trooper Javier Leija (Hah-vee-er LAY-hah) says it happened at around 3:45 yesterday, on state Highway 167, and involved a Honda CRV driven by 29-year-old Katelyn Granger…:

Cut 3 (12) “…and the passenger.” 

Leija says Granger, the driver, was wearing a seatbelt when she ran into the back of the stopped bus, but nevertheless died from her injuries after being taken to a nearby hospital. The other victim, is 7-year-old Anna Rivers, who Leija says was not properly restrained, and was in the front seat where children should not be. She was pronounced dead at the scene. He says the driver of the CRV was responsible for her passengers’ safety…:

Cut  4 (08)  “…when driving.” 

Two other children in the SUV were wearing seatbelts and suffered moderate injuries. The children on the school bus received some scrapes and bruises, but are otherwise OK. Leija says, at this time, they do not know why Granger failed to brake before she ran into the bus…:

Cut 5 (08) “…to the crash.”

Trooper Leija says impairment is not suspected, but distracted driving cannot yet be ruled out. LSP is investigating.

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It was two weeks ago a suspected cybersecurity attack resulted in the shutdown of Southeastern Louisiana University’s computer network system. The network still has not been restored and S-L-U professor Dayne Sherman says students are worried about their classwork and their credit scores…

Cut 6 (08)  “..etcetera, etcetera” 

Wi-Fi was recently restored in the union, library and all residence halls. Sherman blames outgoing S-L-U President John Crain for not doing more to help professors and students during this difficult time…

Cut 7 (10)  “…they’re doing” 

Crain is set to retire at the end of the current academic year and in a statement says good progress is being made to restore to the university’s computer and internet system. Adjustments have been made to the academic calendar. But Sherman says AT&T should have been brought on campus to help…

Cut 8 (07)  “…to use” 

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The Humane Society of Louisiana is urging the state to approve funding for new animal shelters and improve existing ones. HSLA Director, Jeff Dorson says lawmakers can approve the much needed funding in the upcoming legislative session

Cut 9 (05) “…rural areas.”

More than 31 of the state’s 64 parishes lack facilities. This contributes to stray, missing, and hurt animals struggling to survive on the streets.

Cut 10 (09) “…huge problems.” 

Legislators are asked to set aside $3 million to distribute as grants of up to $100,000 to eligible parishes and municipalities.

Cut 11 (09)  “…everybody else.”

This year’s legislative session begins April 10.

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The Department of Children and Family Services has hired 326 full-time workers since July, which increases their staff to 35 hundred. The agency has been under fire after several high-profile child death cases. DCFS Secretary Terri Ricks says while she’s pleased, they still want and need more employees.

Cut 12 (07) “…the solution.” 

DCFS has held 12 statewide hiring fairs to increase staffing of the Child Welfare Division. Ricks says people feel called to take on what’s very often a difficult job.

Cut 13 (08) “…in the past.” 

Ricks says as they continue to hire more employees and the agency is also taking steps to retain existing employees with a bump in pay.

The agency has been plagued with staffing shortages at a time when child welfare cases continue to increase. Ricks says welfare investigations are up more than 30 percent compared to their five-year average and are on trend to surpass the last fiscal year’s caseload by 6,000.

Cut 14 (10)  “…by that”

Ricks says the agency is also trying to assist families are who experiencing food insecurities after the federal SNAP benefits were reduced. She encourages families in need to call 2-1-1 for assistance.

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