June 2019

Town of Welsh to host Old Time Celebration

WELSH - Merchants here have decided to try something new this year to go along with the Fourth of July fireworks display. The Old Time Celebration has been slated for Saturday, June 29.

“Local business owners wanted to give this festival a shot,” said Town Clerk Eva Kibodeaux. “We’re going to see how it goes.”

The event will take place from 3-9 p.m. near Veterans Memorial Park on West South and South Elm Streets, she said.

Environmentalists: Offshore drilling rule changes dangerous

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten environmental groups are suing to challenge what they view as the Trump administration’s decision to weaken critical safety rules created after the nation’s worst offshore drilling disaster.

The rule changes announced in March will make oil and gas exploration and development off the Pacific, Atlantic, Alaska, and Gulf coasts “significantly more dangerous,” according to the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by national groups including the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife, and groups on the Gulf and Carolina coasts.

Edwards signs La. ride-hailing regulations into law

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s mid-sized and rural communities are hopeful they’ll soon see Uber and Lyft drivers on their streets now that lawmakers passed a measure creating statewide rules for the ride-hailing services.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the bill into law Tuesday at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, in a region that has been seeking access to the transportation networks for years. The Democratic governor was surrounded by cheering Uber and Lyft drivers as he signed the regulations, which take effect July 1.

California company to build and test rockets in Mississippi

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) — A California rocket company announced Tuesday that it plans to build and test rockets at a NASA facility in Mississippi, part of its bid to use three-dimensional metal printing to reduce the complexity of rocket building.

Los Angeles-based Relativity said that it would invest $59 million, with a plan to increase to 200 workers from 90 current employees.

The company will lease space from NASA at Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The facility has long hosted rocket tests.

STATE BRIEFS

Deputies: Alligator bit off piece of patrol car

MOORINGSPORT (AP) — Sheriff’s deputies in Louisiana say an alligator took a bite out of one of their patrol cars.

WBRZ-TV reports deputies were called Monday to Louisiana Highway 1 in Caddo Parish after someone spotted the gator in the middle of the road.

The sheriff’s office says deputies were waiting for wildlife removal experts to arrive when the alligator chomped off a piece of the front bumper. Deputies estimate the alligator was 8 feet (2.4 meters) long.

White House asserts executive privilege in census fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege over documents that were subpoenaed by Congress related to the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

The claim comes as the House Oversight Committee considers whether to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for failing to turn over the subpoenaed documents.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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In opioid lawsuits, one state opts to stay on the sidelines

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has fought prescription opioid abuse through public education campaigns, worked with lawmakers to tighten up prescribing practices and even demanded documents from the maker of OxyContin. He has said the overdose crisis is ravaging families.

What Peterson has not done is pursued a lawsuit seeking to hold any opioid manufacturer, distributor or pharmaceutical company accountable. That leaves him standing alone among state attorneys general.

Jennings’ Benoit, Myers both launch homers in win

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DERIDDER – The Crowley Millers American Legion Team moved to 3-0 Tuesday night with a 10-5 win over a scrappy team from DeRidder. Once again, it was a plethora of Jeff Davis Parish players who helped the Millers to victory over their scrappy Dragon opponents. The Millers will now return to the friendly confines of Historic Miller Stadium today when they welcome district rival Abbeville into town.

The game stayed close all the way until the fifth frame, but the Miller bats blew things open to claim their third win of the season.

Swedish regions show support for 2026 Winter Olympics

STOCKHOLM (AP) — All three regions proposing to stage events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Sweden have committed their backing for the bid for the first time.

With less than two weeks to go before the vote, the leaders of the executive councils in Stockholm, Jamtland and Dalarna have published a joint letter underlining their support for a bid that has struggled for political approval.