December 2020

NATIONAL BRIEFS

45 cold-stunned sea turtles being treated in Mississippi

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Seventy-five endangered sea turtles are being treated in Mississippi and Louisiana after being rescued from New England beaches where they washed up, injured and sick from the cold.

They’re Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the world’s smallest and most endangered sea turtles.

Twenty-five are being treated at the Mississippi Aquarium and 20 at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, which are about 5.5 miles (9 kilometers) apart in Gulfport.

State seeks private firm to build Lake Charles bridge

LAKE CHARLES (AP) — A Louisiana legislative committee has approved a plan to seek private operators to build and maintain a new bridge over the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles in exchange for toll revenues.

The new Interstate 10 bridge, estimated to cost between $600 million and $800 million, would replace a 68-year-old structure built before the interstate highway system. Officials say it doesn’t meet current highway standards.

La. high court returns virus rules dispute to lower court

BATON ROUGE (AP) — The Louisiana Supreme Court on Monday sent a legal feud between Gov. John Bel Edwards and House Republicans over coronavirus restrictions back to district court, saying the judge ruled too quickly that the state law the GOP used to try to nullify the restrictions was unconstitutional.

As vaccines arrive, audit says labs slow to report

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana started receiving shipments of a second coronavirus vaccine Monday, as a new audit said labs are taking so long to report COVID-19 data to the state and providing incomplete information that it’s often not useful for determining the scale of the virus outbreak.

La. retraining unemployed worker amid virus outbreak

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana is on track to retrain 5,000 workers who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic for other skilled positions by April, according to the state community college and technical system.

The effort from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System is called “ Reboot Your Career.” The training is being offered at all 12 of the state’s community and technical colleges, Southern University in Shreveport and LSU-Eunice.

Trooper investigated after firing gun at ground during chase

KENNER (AP) — Louisiana State Police are investigating a trooper who fired his gun at the ground while trying to stop a speeder in Kenner.

House passes $900B COVID relief, catchall measure

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Monday night that would finally deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Lawmakers tacked on a $1.4 trillion catchall spending bill and thousands of pages of other end-of-session business in a massive bundle of bipartisan legislation as Capitol Hill prepared to close the books on the year.

Justice Dept. charges bombmaker in 1988 Pan Am explosion

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Monday unsealed charges accusing a Libyan bomb expert in the 1988 explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, an attack that killed 259 people in the air and an additional 11 on the ground.

The charges were announced on the 32nd anniversary of the bombing and in the final news conference of Attorney General William Barr’s tenure, underscoring his personal attachment to a case that unfolded during his first stint at the Justice Department.

Monroe mom donates bone marrow, ready to help the next

MONROE (AP) — About a year ago, Rudy Turner was reading an article in People magazine about the Clements twins, two girls voted among the most beautiful in the world who used their social media presence to try and find a bone marrow donor for their father.

She and her husband wanted to do something good in 2020. That’s when the Turners looked into the DKMS program.

DKMS mails people who want to register a kit for a cheek swab, which is the first step to being added to the registry.

Ludie S. Trahan

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It’s with great sadness and heavy hearts that the family of Ludie S. Trahan announces her passing from this life on Dec. 17, 2020, at the age of 91.

Funeral services were held at Matthews and Son Funeral Home Chapel in Jennings Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, at 2 p.m., with Roy Platt officiating.

A gathering of family and friends was held at the funeral home Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, from 10 a.m. until the time of her service at 2 p.m.

Burial followed in Andrus Cove Cemetery.