A federal court has ruled conditions at a state prison in Homer are so harsh they violate the inmates’ constitutional rights. Marsanne Golsby has more.
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The LSU AgCenter estimates the annual damage caused by feral hogs to Louisiana farmer is 91-million dollars. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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A federal judge has ruled conditions at the David Wade Correctional in Claiborne Parish are so severe they violate the constitutional rights of men housed in solitary confinement. Melanie Bray’s Disability rights group brought the suit on behalf of a group of inmates. She says in one instance the staff poked fun at a mentally ill inmate.
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The prison is located in Homer, Louisiana.
Bray says the court found conditions in the prison’s South Compound solitary wing served as a repository for the mentally ill.
Despite the ruling, Bray says conditions at the prison are not expected to improve immediately.
She says the next phase of the trial will be the remedy phase in January, where both sides will present experts.
The Louisiana Department of Corrections has no comment, because the litigation is ongoing.
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A new study from the LSU AgCenter finds that feral hogs cost Louisiana farmers 91-million dollars annually. LSU AgCenter animal scientist Glen Gentry says in 2015 the annual damage figure was 74-million dollars…
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates nearly one-million feral hogs live in the state. Gentry says annual production losses were greatest for sugarcane, rice, corn, hay and soybeans…
The losses ranged from seven-million dollars for the timber industry and nearly 15-million dollars for sugarcane.
Gentry says feral swine generally prefer to stay away from humans, but their rapidly expanding population and constant search for food sources is causing increasing interactions with farmers and foresters….
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Gentry says it’s estimated that about 70 to 75 percent of the population must be harvested to control the feral swine numbers, but in Louisiana, hunters kill less than half of the population so it continues to grow.
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In just over 48 hours the Bayou Bengals will face off against Alabama at Tiger Stadium and co-owner of the Purple and Gold store in Baton Rouge, Sarah Sanders says sales have picked up and there’s one shirt that’s outselling others.
And if you’re not looking for a Beat Bama t-shirt, Sanders says there are Beat Bama buttons available.
Sanders says Tiger fans are also showing their support for LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly’s first season and following his fashion trend.
And while Alabama is favored by 12 and a half points, there’s a 75-percent chance it will rain in Tiger Stadium Saturday night, but Sanders says believes it won’t dampen any fan’s spirits.
Kickoff is at 6 PM, the game will air on ESPN.
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The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services celebrated National Adoption Day this afternoon with its first in person celebration since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event at the Governor’s Mansion celebrated families who adopted 700 children and youth from foster care during the past year. Dr. Marketa Garner Walters is DCFS secretary.
Young adults who are already in the foster care system can elect to stay until they are 21 and get state help with education and job training. She says several hundred young adults are in the new program, which is only three years old. Walters says 55 young people between the ages of 13 and 17 were adopted from foster care during the past year.
Walters says the hardest groups to adopt are older children and sibling groups. But she says 269 siblings were adopted by 122 families over the course of the past year.