May 2019

NATIONAL BRIEFS

Ethics ruling lets lawmaker seek House job after term limit

Flooding makes big ‘dead zone’ off Louisiana coast likely

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The year’s widespread flooding has made it likely that a big, oxygen-starved “dead zone” off Louisiana’s coast will form this summer, the head of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science said Thursday.

Preliminary computer model runs “indicate a large to very large year,” for the area where there’s too little oxygen to support marine life, Steven Thur told the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force during a meeting livestreamed from Baton Rouge. Thur’s agency is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Plan would shift immigration focus to ‘merit’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Unveiling a new immigration plan, President Donald Trump said he wanted to provide a sharp contrast with Democrats, and he did — aiming to upend decades of family-based immigration policy with a new approach that favors younger, “totally brilliant,” highskilled workers he says won’t compete for American jobs.

Outdoor adventures

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Jennings students at Save the Children Head Start and James Ward Elementary enjoyed outdoor activities Friday to celebrate the end of the 2018-2019 school year.The official last day for students in Jeff Davis’ public schools is May 23.

Daily News photos by Stacey Fontenot

Oil sheen ‘barely visible’ at site of 14-year-old Gulf leak

(AP) - A chronic sheen has become “barely visible” since government contractors installed a new underwater system for capturing and collecting crude at a site in the Gulf of Mexico where oil has been leaking for 14 years, a Coast Guard official said Thursday.

A Coast Guard statement describes the installation of the subsea containment system as a “major milestone” in long-running efforts by the federal government to contain the leak. More than 30,000 gallons of oil has been recovered since the system began operating, government attorneys said in a court filing Tuesday.

Venezuelan gov’t, opposition head to talks in Norway

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan government and opposition have sent envoys to Norway to attend talks on ways of ending the South American country’s crisis, though their mutual mistrust and differences on key issues are likely to slow chances of progress.

The development reported by officials Wednesday appeared to reflect a recognition that neither side had been able to prevail in the struggle for power, leaving Venezuela in a state of paralysis after years of hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine.

DHH issues mercury advisory for locally-caught fish

There are important advisories from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) regarding the consumption of locally caught fish.

According to the DHH, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), some fish in Louisiana’s waterways can contain levels of mercury which can be harmful to pregnant women and young children.

ANOTHER JDP STANDOUT

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WELSH – The saying “dynamite comes in small packages” embodies quite a few baseball players, but none quite like Welsh senior Parker Primeaux. Standing roughly 5’9” and weighing approximately 145 pounds, Primeaux doesn’t seem like an opposing figure on the mound. That all changes when he takes the ball and proceeds to mow down some of the best hitters in high school baseball.

PJ approves ITEP request

LACASSINE - A Houston-based company will be the first to locate at the new Rail Logix facility at the Lacassine Industrial Park.

The Jeff Davis Police Jury approved a resolution this week in support of a industrial tax incentive on ad valorem taxes for Equilibrium Catalyst, Inc. (ECI), doing business as Lacassine Industrial Operating Company, Inc.

Pregnant Chicago woman slain, baby cut from womb

CHICAGO (AP) — A pregnant woman who had gone to a Chicago home in response to a Facebook offer of free baby clothes was strangled and her baby cut from her womb, police and family members said.

The newborn was in grave condition and not expected to survive, and three people were taken into custody, with charges including murder to be filed Thursday afternoon, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.