April 2021

ONE MILLION PEOPLE IN LOUISIANA FULLY VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19

BATON ROUGE (AP) — More than 1 million people in Louisiana have completed their coronavirus vaccine series, about 22% of the state’s population, according to the latest health department data released Thursday.

While officials hailed the benchmark, that vaccination rate remains far below the threshold that scientists say is needed to stop the uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus.

Moncrief signs letter of intent

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Keagan Moncrief of West Monroe recently signed to play basketball at the collegiate level with Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss.

He is the son of Michael and Chianti Dawn Harris-Moncrief and the grandson of his biggest supporters, Valerie Abraham of Jenning and the late Bradley Abraham.

Duhon fans 16 in Lady Dogs’ 10-2 win over LCCP

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SULPHUR – The only thing that came close to stopping Jennings Lady Dogs pitcher Elyse Duhon from striking out batters was the rain, but that lasted only 20 minutes. The junior pitcher struck out 16 batter, helping Jennings to a 10-2 district win over the Lake Charles College Prep Lady Trailblazers Wednesday at Sulphur’s Frasch Park.

In the first inning, Jennings batted six, with Karman Bradley stealing home on a wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead. LC Prep would bat four, getting a walk and then going out with three strikeouts.

Police trying to identify gunman, motive in FedEx shooting

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities said Friday they had not yet identified a gunman who stormed a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, killing eight people and wounding several others before taking his own life.

Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the gunman started randomly shooting at people in the parking lot and then went into the building, where he shot himself shortly before police entered.

La. lawmakers weigh medical marijuana expansion, tax

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A House Republican leader’s bid to expand Louisiana’s medical marijuana program and allow smokable cannabis started to gain traction Thursday, as lawmakers advanced a bill that would tax the new therapeutic products.

Louisiana’s dispensaries sell medical marijuana in liquids, topical applications, inhalers and edible gummies.

Houma Rep. Tanner Magee, the House’s second-ranking Republican, is proposing to authorize sales of raw, smokable marijuana for medical use — and to apply state sales tax to those products if lawmakers allow them.

Amid hesitancy, state gets creative in vaccine outreach

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Brass bands playing at a 24-hour drivethru coronavirus vaccine event. Doses delivered to commercial fishermen minutes from the docks. Pop-up immunization clinics at a Buddhist temple, homeless shelters, truck stops and casinos, with shots available at night or on weekends.

And now, door-to-door outreach getting underway in neighborhoods where few people have gotten vaccinated.

Mississippi coast’s Crawfish Music Festival back this year

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi coast’s Crawfish Music Festival is back after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wednesday night saw the return of the almost three-decades-old event at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Rain and wind kept some people away the first day, but more activities are planned as the week progresses.

“We are hoping that we will still get to hear some great music and we will get a few peaks of sunshine in the middle of all this mess,” vendor Shelly Newman told WLOX-TV.

Dogs walk-off Rams in 4-3 district win

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WESTLAKE – After dropping their first game to the Westlake Rams on Tuesday 5-3, the Jennings Bulldogs got a little revenge by walking off the Rams on Thursday by a final of 4-3 to end the district slate. Rainy conditions all week forced the Dogs and Rams to play both games on Westlake’s newly renovated turf field, but Jennings would serve as the home team in Thursday’s affair.

POLICE REPORT

Editor’s Note: An arrest does not indicate whether a person is guilty of the crime with which they have been charged. A person is not considered guilty until they are convicted of a crime in a court of law.

Nine people were booked into the parish jail by the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office over the past week.

Saturday, April 9

Kendall Jamal Pete, 21, of Ville Platte, was charged with illegal possession of stolen things, aggravated flight from an officer and resisting an officer.

Cheers to Debris

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Cheers to Debris for not cluttering things up with

things up with romance. Despite the crackling chemistry between stars Jonathan Tucker and Riann Steele (pictured), the slick NBC thriller is wisely keeping its alien-tech-hunting agents from getting flirty, leaving extra space for the show’s ominous international conspiracy mythology to keep developing.

Jeers to Lifetime