A grand jury in East Feliciana Parish will hear the case against a couple accused of neglecting their adult daughter to death. More from Kevin Gallagher…:
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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A bill to test Louisiana students for reading proficiency before being promoted to 4th grade is set to be heard in the House this week. Brooke Thorington has more…
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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The death penalty still has the support of most Louisianans, but could we see it put to rest anytime soon? David Grubb has the story…
Cut 3 (34) “…I’m David Grubb.”
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An East Feliciana Parish grand jury will hear the case against a Slaughter couple accused of extreme neglect in the death of their 36-year-old daughter. 20th Judicial District D.A. Sam D’Aquilla (pronounced: duh-QUILL-uh) says Lacey Fletcher had developed a mental illness and became a shut-in; literally living on the couch in Clay and Sheila Fletcher’s home. He says she was found in early January – on that sofa – dead and in horrible conditions…:
Cut 4 (08) “…jumped right on it.”
The parish coroner reports Lacey was found lying on the couch, surrounded in her own bodily waste. D’Aquilla says she had become a recluse, and her parents seemingly did nothing to help…:
Cut 5 (07) “…room of the house.”
He says Lacey had developed physical health issues, but had not been taken to a doctor in many years.
The coroner described Lacey’s condition when she was found as being “melted into” the sofa; her body covered in sores and ulcers. D’Aquilla says the smell in the Fletcher’s living room was unbearable. He says the investigation led to considering that 2nd-degree murder charges against Clay and Sheila Fletcher were called for…:
Cut 6 (13) “…it’s just horrifying.”
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A bill to improve literacy rates in Louisiana will be heard in the House this week. Mandeville Representative Richard Nelson’s bill is modeled on a Mississippi law that prohibits students with reading deficiencies by the end of the third grade to be promoted to fourth grade. Nelson says since it was enacted in the Magnolia State in 2013…
Cut 7 (10) “…grade literacy.”
The bill allows the Louisiana Department of Education to determine testing qualifications for students and the criteria for promotion to the fourth grade. Nelson says when testing first went into effect in Mississippi the score was deliberately lowered so a large number of students would not be held back.
Cut 8 (11) “…across the board…”
If the bill receives final passage, it would not go into effect until the 2023-2024 school year. Nelson says he expects the first year would most likely impact the greatest number of students. Testing would be administered more than once to would allow students another opportunity to improve their scores along with intensive training.
Cut 9 (14) “…in our state.”
Nelson says one out of four fourth-graders in Louisiana can’t read on grade level.
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The state of Louisiana hasn’t performed an execution since 2010, though a majority of residents still support the death penalty in cases of murder, according to the 2022 Louisiana Survey. Dr. Michael Henderson of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab says that support is decreasing.
Cut 10 (08) “…13 points.”
Just over half of respondents said they favor the death penalty, a dip of seven percentage points from four years ago. Opposition rose four percentage points to 38 percent. Henderson says Louisiana is trending in the same direction as the rest of the country, and a major factor in that is the possibility of putting an innocent person to death.
Cut 11 (10) “…kinds of crimes.”
The death penalty is slowly being eliminated worldwide, with the US as the only Western nation that still applies it regularly, and it remains legal in just 27 states. Henderson says it may take a while, but if the national trend continues as it has, capital punishment could become a thing of the past within the decade.
Cut 12 (11) “…perhaps sooner.”
A bill to abolish the death penalty died in a Senate committee earlier in the session.
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If you are planning a trip to California in the summer or fall, Allegiant Air announces they are offering 65-dollar one-way flights from Shreveport to Los Angeles and back from May 27th to November 14th. Shreveport Regional Airport Authority Mark Crawford on why Allegiant Air is offering a low air fare…
Cut 13 (10) “…each way”
The Los Angeles flights depart and arrive in Shreveport on Monday and Fridays.
Crawford says they are fortunate to have Allegiant Air as a carrier at their airport, because they also offer low fares to Orlando and Destin, Florida…
Cut 14 (12) “…each way”
Crawford says they expect a busy summer but they do not have the number of flights going out and coming as they did before the pandemic…
Cut 15 (10) “…aircraft availability.”
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The Saints ended up taking five players in the NFL draft and they hope they found their left tackle in the future by selecting Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning with the 19th overall pick. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis says they’ve had success in drafting offensive linemen from small schools…
Cut 16 (25) “…our coaches”
On the final day of the NFL draft, the Saints selected the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, Appalachian State linebacker D’Marco Jackson. He led the Mountaineers in tackles last season and had six sacks. Allen says there’s a lot to like about Jackson…
Cut 17 (21) “ …benefit us.”
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Though the season has come to an end for the New Orleans Pelicans, the team gave fans several memorable moments as they climbed up the standings and into the playoffs. Perhaps, the most memorable was coach Willie Green’s impassioned plea to this team to keep fighting as the Pels overcame a double-digit deficit against the Clippers to clinch their spot in the postseason.
Cut 18 (18) “ …all season.”
As the Pelicans turned their season around, the fan base swelled and made the Smoothie King Center one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. VP of basketball operations David Griffin said the bond between the team and the fans was unlike anything he had experienced.
Cut 19 (20) _“…all the way through.”