The St. Tammany Parish Coroner has identified Ruth Prats as the second victim who along with Father Otis Young, both of their bodies were found Monday and burned beyond recognition. The cause of death for both victims is blunt force trauma. Antonio Tyson has been arrested and charged with the murders.

Federal authorities are searching for potential victims from an online child exploitation scheme that started in Northeast Louisiana in 2021. Whitney Thomas Reports

Cut 2 (33)  “…I’m Whitney Thomas.”

Republican State Treasurer John Schroder says he will not run for governor in 2023 if U.S. Senator John Kennedy does. Schroder also says the state Republican party’s endorsement of Attorney General Jeff Landry has no bearing on his decision, but he is hoping Kennedy clears the air soon.

Cut 8 (07)  “…benefit anybody.“

A Greater New Orleans Crimestoppers tip leads to the recovery of 16 vehicles and the arrest of David Darby of Texas and Haley Smith of New Orleans.  Trooper Kate Stegall says the tip led them to an Algiers abandoned apartment complex and eight stolen cars. Then a traffic stop of Darby prompted a search of his apartment at the same complex.

Cut 12 (07) “…and Smith.” 

She says those stolen vehicles are valued at more than $300-thousands and the search also found several stolen guns.

Republican State Treasurer John Schroder has told Louisiana Radio Network he will not run for governor next year, if G-O-P Senator John Kennedy decides to run for governor. Schroder says if Kennedy runs for governor, he’ll run for re-election as State Treasurer and look forward to working with Kennedy…
cut 7 (08) “….with Senator Kennedy”
Kennedy said shortly after he was re-elected to a second term in the U-S Senate that he was considering a run for governor.

Federal authorities are searching for potential victims from an online child exploitation scheme that started in Northeast Louisiana in 2021. A grand jury has indicted Gary London Harper for producing child pornography after praying on underaged minors. U.S Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Brandon Brown says he’s glad Harper is in federal custody.
Cut 9 (11) “…multiple victims”
Harper used Snapchat and Cash app with usernames like “lilharp”, “oleharp”, “Millwright2011”, and “olecountry1234”.

St. Tammany Officials have called a 1 PM press conference to provide more information about the double homicide case involving a retired priest. Brooke Thorington….
cut 29
And again that press conference is at 1 PM.

State Treasurer John Schroder says he will not run for governor in 2023 if Senator John Kennedy runs…
cut 6 (12) “…2023”
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is in the same position, while Attorney General Jeff Landry has already announced and has the endorsement of the Louisiana Republican Party.

Covington Police Sergeant Edwin Masters says an autopsy has confirmed the identity of one of the victims in the double homicide investigation where the victims were burned beyond recognition.
cut 11 (05) “…the second victim”
And the identity of that second victim will be released this afternoon at aw one o’ clock press conference. Retired priest Otis Young has been positively I-D and the community fears pastoral associate at Saint Peter Catholic Church in Covington Ruth Prats is the second victim. Police have made an arrest in the case.

The National Weather Service says the tornado that struck Caldwell Parish got up to E-F 3 intensity as it traveled several miles in a rural area. Caldwell Parish Chief Deputy Jack McKeithen says the twister killed some livestock and injured one person whose home collapsed around him…
cut 4 (11) “…later on”

The Caddo Parish Sheriff Deputies arrested 53-year-old Emmanuel Barrett of Shreveport for allegedly possessing 29 grams of methamphetamines. The arrest occurred during a traffic stop. Earlier this month, a wastewater study indicated the city of Shreveport has twice the national average of meth giving the area a notorious distinction. Head of the Caddo parish Sheriff’s Drug Task Force Lt. Darin Marshall says the arrest of Barrett will make a difference…
cut 14 (06) “….in itself”
Marshall says in his 20 years in law enforcement he’s seen the meth problem grow increasingly.

St. Tammany Parish authorities will release more information this afternoon on the double homicide investigation where a Covington priest and a woman were burned beyond recognition. Their charred bodies were found in downtown Covington on Monday. Covington Police Sergeant Edwin Masters says 49-year-old Antonio Tyson is being held without bond…:
cut 12 (12) “…false name”
Tyson was released from prison in August after serving over 30 years for rape and burglary.

The community of Holum in Caldwell Parish is recovering from a tornado that hit Tuesday. The National Weather Service says the tornado strengthened as it went along, reaching peak winds of 140 miles per hour as an EF3. Caldwell Parish Sheriff Chief Deputy Jack McKeithen describes the damage.
Cut 3 (09) “..three or four others.”
McKeithen says the tornado killed some livestock and injured one person whose house collapsed around him.

According to a new report from the state department of education, just under 50-percent of K-through-third graders are able to read at grade level, which is a very small increase from the year before. Superintendent of Education Doctor Cade Brumley on how they are attacking the problem…
cut 6 (13) “..and homes”
The report shows only 39-percent of kindergarteners are reading at grade level.

The state department of transportation has produced an interactive map that allows residents to provide public comment on proposed highway projects that are up for discussion. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett says public input is very important…
cut 9 (10) “….subdivision”
You can find the map on the Department of Transportation’s website and the public comment period ends January sixth

State Superintendent of Education Doctor Cade Brumley Louisiana first through third graders showed improved on a literacy test. Brumley says second graders saw the biggest improvement, nearly two percent….
cut 5 (13) “…around reading”
But overall, about of half of K-through-third graders are reading at grade level.

Covington Police Sergeant Edwin Masters says an autopsy has confirmed the identity of one of the victims in the double homicide investigation where the victims were burned beyond recognition.
cut 11 (05) “…the second victim”
And the identity of that second victim will be released this afternoon at one o’ clock. Retired priest Otis Young has been positively I-D and the community fears pastoral associate at Saint Peter Catholic Church in Covington Ruth Prats is the second victim.

The state department of transportation has an interactive map that allows the public to provide input on proposed highway projects. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

Caddo Parish Sheriff Deputies have arrested 53-year-old Emmanuel Barrett of Shreveport after a K-9 allegedly discovered 29 grams of methamphetamine in his pockets. Lt Darin Marshall says meth problem continues to get worse and they are doing all they can to contain it…
cut 15 (06) “…near future”

The St. Tammany Parish coroner confirms the badly burned remains of a murder victim found Monday Are those of a retired local priest who went missing last weekend, Father Otis Young. Covington Police spokesman Edwin Masters says they are still awaiting identification of the other victim, who MAY be Ruth Prats, a church assistant who is also missing. He says a suspect is in custody and being held without bond…:

CUT 12  (12)        “…a false name.”

Want to give your input on highway projects the state is considering? DOTD now has an interactive map you can use online to do that. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says just click on the map for the project you want to talk about…:

CUT 08(09)      “…make comments.”

Find that map at “DOTD.la.gov.”

The state Department of Education released its fall 2022 Reading Report and it shows an improvement in reading skills for students in 1st-through-3rd grade, but kindergarten scores declined two-percent. Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says that’s due to closing schools for the pandemic…:

CUT 04(13)      “…language acquisition.”

Brumley says overall the Reading Report shows just under 50% of K-through-third graders scoring on or above benchmark.

There’s always a Louisiana connection. The passenger in that small aircraft that crashed into a high-voltage electrical tower in Maryland this week is identified as 66-year-old Janet Williams of Marrero. She and the pilot sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, but were rescued. First responders say it’s a miracle the plane didn’t fall to the ground, and that the plane’s occupants were not electrocuted.

The St. Tammany Parish town of Covington mourns the death of retired local priest, Father Otis Young, from a grisly double murder. Badly burned remains found Monday behind a local business have been confirmed by the parish coroner to be those of Father Young. Covington Police Sgt. Edwin Masters…:

CUT 10(09)      “…double homicide.”

Father Young and a church assistant, Ruth Prats, were reported missing Sunday. Two charred bodies were found Monday behind a local business. Sgt. Masters says they cannot yet confirm the other remains are those of Ms. Prats. The suspect is 49-year-old Antonio Tyson, who was just released from prison in August, after serving over 30 years for rape and burglary. Masters says Tyson is being held without bond.

The National Weather Service says the tornado that ripped through parts of Caldwell Parish Tuesday was an EF-3, with winds up to 165 miles an hour. It was on the ground for about 9 minutes; long enough to damage numerous buildings and injure two people.

Louisiana’s first through third graders showed improvement on a literacy test this fall, but Whitney Thomas reports the state’s public school education leader is concerned the percentage of kindergartners reading below grade level has declined…:

Cut 01  (28)      “…Thomas.”

Who couldn’t use a little extra cash for the holidays? One way to get some is check the State Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property website. One in six people have unclaimed property or cash owed back to you. You can check to see if you have cash coming by visiting “LaCashClaim.org” or by calling then at 888-925-4127.

The coroner in St. Tammany Parish confirms charred remains found Monday in a double murder case as those of a missing local priest…:

CUT 03(32)      “…Thorington.”

Lake Charles Police arrest a man from Welsh for a shooting earlier this week at a local hookah lounge that left seven people shot and wounded. Cops tracked a vehicle used in the getaway to 20-year-old Damien Guidry Jr., who is now facing seven counts of attempted murder. Three of his victims are in critical condition.

A month-long narcotic investigation in Caddo Parish leads to the arrest of 53-year-old Emmanuel Barrett of Shreveport. Caddo Sheriff’s Drug Task Force head Lt. Darin Marshall says when they searched Barrett’s home, they found a significant amount of illegal substances…:

CUT 13(06)      “…methamphetamines.”

He says those drugs were worth about $7-thousand on the street.

If you want to give input on highway projects the state is considering, the Louisiana Department of Transportation is making it easier. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says there’s a new interactive map on the DOTD website…:

CUT 07(07)      “…January 6^th.”

Now you can click on the map instead of going to a meeting or sending an email. It’s on the DOTD website.