June 2019

Undone by Brexit, May steps down as Conservative leader

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May formally stepped down as Conservative Party leader on Friday, defeated by the Brexit conundrum.

May’s three years at the helm ended not with a bang but a whimper: The party simply confirmed there had been a private exchange of letters between May and the committee that oversees party rules, confirming the departure announced by May two weeks ago.

May will remain as acting leader and prime minister for a few weeks while the party picks a successor, who will become Britain’s next prime minister.

2018-19 brings another exciting high school sports season

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It was another banner year in Jeff Davis Parish (JDP) high school sports, and it has become sort expected with the amount of success our programs have tasted in the past few2 years. 2019 saw teams and individuals win a host of state championships or advance to state tournaments and state championship games.

LSU’s Harrison wins NCAA long jump crown

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AUSTIN, Texas – JuVaughn Harrison used a personal best long jump of 26’ 11” (8.20 meters) to win his first-career national title on Wednesday evening at Mike A. Myers Stadium on day one of the NCAA Championships.

MISS. RIVER SPILLWAY OPENING INDEFINITELY POSTPONED

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Plans to open a major Mississippi River spillway have been canceled, at least for the time being.

Part of the Morganza Spillway structure northwest of Baton Rouge had been scheduled to open Sunday. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that the opening has been indefinitely postponed.

Six trapped by storm debris

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ELTON - Several residents here were trapped in a mobile home after a large tree uprooted and fell onto the structure.

At around 2:12 a.m. on Thursday, District 6 Chief John Richer said, a call came in reporting that a tree had trapped five residents including one infant inside a residence located at the intersection of St. Mary and Colorado streets.

Richer said torrential rainfall and flooded roads were encountered while rescue and emergency personnel responded to the scene.

AG’s office takes over assault case

The state attorney general’s office is now handling a Jennings case involving 11 counts of aggravated assault after the district attorney’s office recused itself from the matter.

The 11 charges against Dwight J. Hollier, 57, of Roanoke were filed May 14. Thirtyfirst Judicial District Judge Steve Gunnell appointed Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office to take over the case May 24.

District Attorney Michael Cassidy said he filed a motion with Gunnell asking for his office to be recused from the case due to a conflict of interest.

LA to seek bids on new city hall renovations

LAKE ARTHUR - With its current city hall running out of space, the town here is eager to get renovations started on its future site, the old Capitol One Bank building.

The building will soon become the town’s new place of business. Bids will begin being taken to complete work needed to bring the space up to par.

“Our current office does not have room for one more filing cabinet,” said Mayor Sherry Crochet. “We are jam-packed where we are now.”

Renovations will include updating the facility to create office spaces for the mayor, the town clerk and two secretaries.

PJ discusses blighted properties

The Jeff Davis Police Jury is looking into using a third-party inspector to help keep up with addressing unsafe or blighted properties in the rural areas of the parish.

Rodney Richard of Building Code Inspection Services said his company helps with condemnation for other towns in the state. He said they can come out to inspect the property and take pictures in order to present a full report and recommendation to the police jury.

Once the report is presented, the police jurors can then vote to condemn the property.

More caffeine, please

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Yaupon holly is probably best known these days for its use as an ornamental evergreen in the landscape. The shrub is a native of the southeastern United States and it grows from Virginia to Arkansas, Texas to Florida and in most Southern states in low wetlands, swamps and sandy pinelands in USDA hardiness zones 7-9.

After tough start, rice crop looks promising

MAMOU — The Louisiana rice crop is having a challenging year, but good weather in June could result in a decent harvest, according to the LSU AgCenter rice specialist.

“Don’t expect a record yield,” Dustin Harrell said at field day held May 27 near Iowa in Calcasieu Parish.

At a field day on May 30 in Mamou in Evangeline Parish, Harrell said weather extremes have caused several problems. Excessive rainfall flooded fields prematurely.

Wet fields also delayed fertilizer and herbicide applications.