Louisiana

State police reported Saturday that a 16-year-old West Carroll girl was killed in a single-car wreck late Friday night on Cook Road near Oak Grove.

Kristi Yates of Oak Grove was not wearing a seat belt, Trooper Mark Dennis said in a news release issued by Troop F State Police.

 
Dennis said the teenager was driving north on Cook Road when for unknown reasons, her 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt veered off the right side of the road. The car left the road and struck a tree, ejecting the unrestrained driver.

Yates was taken to West Carroll Parish Hospital in Oak Grove, where she later died as a result of her injuries. The accident occurred about 11:35 p.m. (Read the full post about ‘W. Carroll teen dies after single-vehicle wreck; no seat belt’…)

Just two days after being released from jail on an unrelated charge, a Monroe man was arrested again — accused of firing a gun multiple times at two police officers.

Monroe police arrested Gilbert Marques Tyler, 19, 1101 Richwood Road No. 2, Apt. 172, Monroe, Saturday evening on two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer and unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling.

 
Monroe police responded around 4 p.m. to Parkview Apartments, located at 1101 Richwood Road No. 2, in reference to a woman arguing with a man over a set of keys.

“When police arrived the victim pointed the suspect out, and as the officer approached him to talk to him, he ran,” Maj Don Bartley, chief of investigations, said. (Read the full post about ‘Police: Man, officer exchanged gunfire’…)

Get a little sun on your lunch hour in April with the return of the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council’s Brown Bag Concert series.

The free concerts will be presented at noon every Wednesday at Anna Gray Noe Park, across from St. Francis Medical Center in downtown Monroe. Picnics and lawn chairs are welcome, and fresh cookies will be provided by Best Home Health.

 
Call the arts council office at 396-9520 in case of rain to confirm that the show will go on.

Ouachita Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a couple after a knife fight ensued in front of their 7-year-old daughter.

Helen F. Emerson, 41, and her ex-husband, Lorenzo Zeigler, 46, both of 105 Libby Drive, Monroe, were arrested late Friday night on one count of aggravated assault each.

 
Zeigler was additionally charged with simple assault.

According to arrest reports, the two got into an argument at their home. Emerson told deputies Zeigler tried to hit her while their 7-year-old daughter was sitting in her lap.

Zeigler reportedly raised his hand several more times as if he was going to hit his ex-wife, but did not and walked away to the back of the house.

Emerson then ran to the kitchen and armed herself with a knife.

(Read the full post about ‘Deputies say pair fought with knives’…)

A Monroe man was arrested after reportedly telling police they were trespassing while working a complaint.

Monroe police responded to the 1900 block of Filhiol Avenue in reference to a loud party.

 
While at the scene, Michael R. McHenry, 20, of 302 Thatcher Lane, refused to talk to police and told the officers they were trespassing.

McHenry was placed under arrest and admitted to drinking heavily at the party.

While he was being arrested, Lindsie B. Brockner, 21, 701 Pine St., reportedly interfered with the arrest by battering a police officer and refusing to back away when asked to do so.

McHenry was arrested on two counts of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace.

(Read the full post about ‘Loud party leads to two arrests’…)

BATON ROUGE, La. — After two special sessions with agendas tightly controlled by the governor, lawmakers are throwing out a grab bag of ideas for the unscripted regular legislative session that begins Monday.

Gov. Bobby Jindal said his main focus for the session involves revamping the state Labor Department to better train workers. (Read the full post about ‘Lawmakers Return For Regular Session’…)

MERAUX, La. — The Murphy Oil refinery said it wants to expand its operations by building a laboratory on land it bought as part of a $343 million legal settlement stemming from a massive oil spill during Hurricane Katrina.

The company said it is asking St. Bernard Parish’s government to rezone three lots from residential and commercial to heavy industrial so it can build a laboratory to test its petroleum products.

But residents are upset at the plan because they said it goes against the terms of the settlement.

Katrina’s floodwaters lifted a refinery storage tank off its foundation and moved it more than 30 feet, causing a million gallons of oil to leak into surrounding neighborhoods.

Last year, U.S. (Read the full post about ‘Murphy Oil Looks To Expand’…)

NEW ORLEANS — The French Quarter is known for its sights, sounds and souvenirs but renewed enforcement of an old ordinance could soon cut down on those souvenirs, angering some shop owners.

“They say the city passed a law, but how come we did not see it in the newspaper?” said shop owner Shyamal Roy.

City Councilman James Carter said a law limiting the number of T-shirt shops in the city has been on the books for years, but until now, it hasn’t been enforced.

He said he believes there could be too many of the shops, cheapening the atmosphere. Some tourists, however, disagreed.

“I don’t think it makes it look cheap,” said tourist Amy Ball. (Read the full post about ‘Councilman Pushes For Fewer T-Shirt Shops’…)

BATON ROUGE, La. — The state Department of Natural Resources is launching a months-long program to inspect as many as 4,000 water wells for possible damage from the 2005 hurricanes.

The need for such an effort emerged soon after the storms — with concerns about possible future contamination. But the department’s Anthony Duplechin Jr. said finding the money for the work took time. The project is estimated at $600,000.

The agency is tapping funding from a revolving loan program through the state Department of Health and Hospitals. (Read the full post about ‘State, Company To Investigate Water Well Damage’…)

NEW ORLEANS — The private contractor running a state program meant to help hurricane-affected homeowners said that in the rush to deliver aid, some people got too much.

ICF International said it wants to hire a company to collect millions of dollars in grant overpayments from the Road Home program. A request for bids went out earlier this month, seeking companies willing to handle about 1,000 to 5,000 cases.

The bid invitation estimated the average amount to be collected at $35,000, but said that in some cases, it may be as high as $100,000 to $150,000.

If ICF’s highest estimate of 5,000 collection cases, overpaid by an average of $35, proves to be true, that means applicants will have to pay back a total of $175 million.

ICF spokeswoman Gentry Brann said this effort was made inevitable when insurance and other aid was measured against what an applicant received from Road Home. (Read the full post about ‘Katrina Victims May Have To Repay Money’…)