Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack is reporting that preliminary autopsy reports for Mitchell Guist, 47, indicate the star of the popular Swamp People reality show died of natural causes. Guist’s manager, friend and part time employer, Todd Alexander, confirmed that Ascension Parish Coroner John Fraiche talked to Guist family members Wednesday. Additional information about the cause of … Continue reading →

Baton Rouge police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man at the Palm Apartments on McClelland Drive, police spokesman Cpl. L’Jean McKneely said. The shooting occurred at 2:40 p.m. during an argument with another man in the parking lot of the complex at 5655 McClelland Drive, McKneely said. The victim died at the scene. Continue reading →

LAFAYETTE — A federal judge on Wednesday ended the federal desegregation lawsuit against the Evangeline Parish School Board, drawing to a close years of federal oversight of the parish’s public school system. The desegregation case has spurred major changes over the past decade, including a $6 million makeover of Ville Platte High School and … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON – The chairwoman of the nearly 50-member conference committee on federal transportation legislation does not mince words that the RESTORE Act language that directs BP fine money to Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states will definitely remain a part of the final bill. “It will be included,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said during her … Continue reading →

Retail spending rose 7 percent in March and for the quarter, as businesses and consumers continued to spend at a higher rate than a year ago, the city-parish Finance Department reported Wednesday. Total spending in East Baton Rouge Parish was $716.3 million in March compared with $669.8 million that month last year. For the quarter, spending … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — Police arrested a 12-year-old on drug charges and a Zachary man on numerous counts involving pirated movies after searching a car stopped for a traffic violation Tuesday night, Police Chief David McDavid said. Officers booked Gary Sloate, 57, 8923 W. Vernon Drive, with 950 counts of illegal use of counterfeit trademarks, 31 counts … Continue reading →

A bill that would have given Louisiana’s college systems the ability to charge full-time students up to $300 in new fees each semester effectively died in the House Education Committee on Tuesday. The proposed “stabilization” fee of up to $25 per credit hour in House Bill 1078 was intended to partially offset more than $100 million in … Continue reading →

A legal action that a group of Scotlandville residents filed jointly with an environmental group threatens to derail a $1.4 billion city-parish sewer improvement program that is being conducted under a decade-old agreement with federal authorities, an attorney for the city-parish says. Greg Mitchell, a spokesman for University Place subdivision residents, said they filed the … Continue reading →

Baton Rouge-area homes sales rose 21 percent in April, with Realtors in the eight-parish region selling 616 homes compared with 510 that month a year ago. Dollar volume rose 16 percent to $116.1 million, compared with $100.4 million in April 2011. The figures were compiled by the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors. Sales were … Continue reading →

The Louisiana House endorsed random drug-testing of 20 percent of the state’s welfare recipients Tuesday after rejecting an attempt to include TOPS recipients. The House voted 65-26 for the measure, which its sponsor promoted as a drug-abuse prevention measure. Fourteen members did not vote. House Bill 380 goes to the Senate for debate. Critics … Continue reading →

Allowing a slice of East Baton Rouge Parish’s southeastern section to form its own school district would cripple the public school system financially and possibly lead to new desegregation litigation, opponents of the group said Tuesday night. “This splits the parish racially, and it splits the parish economically,” said Belinda Davis, an assistant professor of political … Continue reading →

Baton Rouge police Officer Richard McCloskey has stared death in the face twice, but he has lived to talk about it. McCloskey was shot at by a bicyclist while trying to question him in north Baton Rouge on March 1. The bullet narrowly missed the officer’s chest, he said, striking his bulletproof vest and wireless … Continue reading →

More than 9,000 Catholic elementary school students in East Baton Rouge Parish could be starting their school day at 7:45 a.m. next year, 45 minutes earlier than this year, in a change expected to save the public school system $2 million a year, officials said. Under a tentative agreement reached with the East Baton Rouge Parish … Continue reading →

A Louisiana House committee advanced Tuesday Senate-passed legislation that would make murdering a taxicab driver a capital crime. The House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice recommended without objection that the entire House debate Senate Bill 639. The Senate approved the measure on an April 30 vote of 27-6 State Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Metairie, said … Continue reading →

With little discussion, a Louisiana House panel Tuesday advanced a state construction budget that contains more projects than the state can afford. The House Committee on Ways and Means added $32 million in projects to House Bill 2, the $3.9 billion multi-year construction budget. Initial year project funding is in the fiscal year that starts July … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he prefers moving forward with a six-month extension of the National Flood Insurance Program rather than the five-year plan by Sen. David Vitter because of “abusive” procedures used by Vitter and other Republicans. Reid, D-Nev., specifically blamed tactics used … Continue reading →

The Senate Finance Committee late Tuesday killed legislation under which Louisiana would be authorized to set up health insurance exchanges as part of President Barack Obama’s health-care revamp. The committee sidelined the measure on an 8-1 vote that had cleared the Senate Insurance Committee. The action occurred … Continue reading →

House convenes at 2:00 p.m. Senate convenes at 3:00 p.m. HOUSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS Criminal Justice. 9:30 a.m. in Committee Room 6. Education. 9:00 a.m. in Committee Room 1. Health & Welfare. 9:00 a.m. in Committee Room 5. Natural … Continue reading →

LAFAYETTE — A 29-acre site in the 1900 block of West Willow Street for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office’s planned public safety complex gives the office an opportunity to expand its corrections footprint outside downtown, authorities said Tuesday. Sheriff Mike Neustrom and other public officials gathered near a grove of live oaks Tuesday … Continue reading →

CLINTON — The East Feliciana Parish School Board should consider withholding a “13th check” from employees this summer to avoid wiping out the general fund’s small balance in the coming fiscal year, the board’s financial adviser said Tuesday. Certified public accountant Tommy LeJeune said paying a salary supplement of about $600,000 as the fiscal year … Continue reading →

GONZALES — An autopsy was scheduled Tuesday to determine what caused the death of Mitchell Guist, 47, one of the stars of “Swamp People,” the History channel reality television show. According to information released by the Ascension Parish Coroner’s Office, the final determination could take several weeks. Mitchell Guist, who appeared in the series … Continue reading →

LAFAYETTE — City-Parish President Joey Durel said Tuesday that Lafayette will immediately stop providing new water connections within the neighboring city of Broussard and he plans to eventually end a wholesale water agreement with the smaller city. The move comes amid an ongoing feud between the administrations of the two cities, which have … Continue reading →

LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board ended its budget review of $244 million in educational and operational expenses Tuesday with a small surplus: $300. “It’s basically a break-even budget,” said Billy Guidry, the district’s chief financial officer. The balanced budget is made possible with $583,856 from the board’s reserve or rainy … Continue reading →

LAFAYETTE — Lafayette’s traffic camera enforcement program will remain in place. The City-Parish Council on Tuesday voted 6-3 against a proposal by councilmen Jared Bellard, Andy Naquin and William Theriot to end the automated enforcement program. They were the only council members to vote in favor of taking the cameras down. Continue reading →

The state Senate at first rejected, then approved legislation late Tuesday that would change how members on the CATS Board of Commissioners are chosen. The Senate first voted 18-18 on House Bill 865 on Capital Area Transit System, called CATS, short of the majority needed for passage. State Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, D-Baton Rouge, … Continue reading →

State Treasurer John Kennedy accused Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday of using scare tactics to fight the Louisiana House’s changes to the $25 billion state spending plan. “It is not necessary to make the draconian reductions ... you and your staff have suggested in order to achieve the fiscally responsible goals of the House,” Kennedy wrote … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON – Former Gov. Buddy Roemer said he is not giving up on his long-shot presidential bid even after the failure Tuesday of the third-party online campaign, called Americans Elect, to field any qualified nominees by its own rules process. The deadline for any candidates to qualify for the nominating process of the centrist, third-party … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON — Only about 20 percent of the areas of the Gulf of Mexico’s Outer Continental Shelf that are leased for potential oil and gas drilling are under production, according to a new lease utilization report Tuesday from President Barack Obama’s Interior Department. The report comes during a presidential … Continue reading →

Two north Baton Rouge apartment developments got passing grades from a loan review committee of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, which could pave the way for $1.5 million in loans to the projects. Cypress Springs, a 144-unit senior apartment development, and Wesley Chapel, a rehabilitation of an 82-unit low-income development by the local housing authority, received … Continue reading →

NEW ROADS — The City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance Tuesday night that will increase court costs in Mayor’s Court from $45 to $65. The measure was passed after a public hearing during which no one spoke in opposition of the change. Mayor Robert Myer said the city is not trying to … Continue reading →

HAMMOND — The City Council agreed Tuesday to hold a public hearing and vote on a proposed ordinance raising sewer and water rates by 4 percent in the new fiscal year starting July 1. Mayor Mayson Foster said the city has not increased its sewer and water rates since 2008 even though costs of operating … Continue reading →

PINEVILLE — Louisiana College recognized its 2012 spring graduates in the commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 12, in Guinn Auditorium. Graduates from The Advocate’s circulation area include: Laquita Armstead, Donaldsonville; Glenn Barras III, Baton Rouge; Emily Bordelon, Plaucheville; Daniel Chapman, Denham Springs; Kathleen Fairchild, Denham Springs; Devan Greene, Kaplan; Kayla Guidry, … Continue reading →

One man was killed and another wounded Monday night when they were shot while sitting in their car on Oak Park Drive in North Merrydale, an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s spokeswoman said. The shootings occurred in the 6000 block … Continue reading →

PLAQUEMINE — Iberville Parish sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday arrested a second suspect in connection with a March 30 fatal shooting at a Plaquemine motel. Jason Banks, 41, of Allen Street in Plaquemine, was arrested at 10 a.m. and booked into the Iberville Parish Jail on conspiracy and drug counts related to the slaying in … Continue reading →

VACHERIE — St. James Parish deputies have arrested a Convent man in connection with a shooting at the Magnolia Housing Complex in Vacherie that left one victim wounded and another dead. Joseph Monroe Johnson, 26, 10413 Legion Lane, was booked Monday with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, according to a news release from Sheriff … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — West Feliciana Parish School Board members clashed over personnel issues at their meeting Tuesday. Board members Milton Coates and James White objected to advertising for a curriculum specialist and an instructional coach to assist with the implementation of the new teaching standards beginning in fall. Common Core State Standards, or CCSS, … Continue reading →

CLINTON — The East Feliciana Police Jury unanimously voted Tuesday to extend its contract with the Slaughter Charter School for another two years. The decision means the school will be able to operate on parish-owned property. The charter school already has a three-year contract with the Police Jury. Tuesday’s vote clears the way … Continue reading →

Central schools won’t be offering vouchers to children in lower-performing public schools in other school districts to attend Central schools this fall, the Central School Board decided this week. In a letter to the board sent last week, Central Superintendent Michael Faulk recommended rejecting participating in the state’s voucher program because the school system is … Continue reading →

After hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated coastal Louisiana in 2005, state and federal officials took a closer look at what it would take to make communities in harm’s way more resilient to disasters. “We knew we had to come back in a different way than before,” said Patrick Forbes, executive director of the … Continue reading →

WALKER — The city’s sewage system will benefit from new regulations requiring residents to keep their own lines linked to city sewers in acceptable repair and free of clogging items, Mayor Bobby Font said Tuesday. The City Council approved an ordinance Monday that requires homeowners to fix leaks in their lines if those leaks allow … Continue reading →

AMITE — The Tangipahoa Parish Council declined to adopt a proposed ordinance that would have regulated and required a permit for companies to drill for oil and gas in the parish. The proposal, “An Ordinance to Regulate Oil, Natural Gas, Salt, Sulphur and Other Sub-Surface Minerals Exploration, Development and Production,” was spurred by … Continue reading →

PLAQUEMINE — Employees of the parish’s Head Start program may reapply for their positions at an upcoming job fair, an official told the Iberville Parish Council on Tuesday. The Head Start chief administrative officer, Edwards “Lucky” Songy, told councilmen during their regular council meeting that the event, open only to current Head Start employees, … Continue reading →

AMITE — The Tangipahoa Parish school system may soon change auditing firms for the first time in 18 years. Of the seven firms responding to a request for proposals, Harris CPA of Baton Rouge fell to the middle of the pack in scoring, Chief Financial Officer Bret Schnadelbach told the School Board’s Financial Advisory Committee … Continue reading →

A subsidiary of Crown Crafts Inc., of Gonzales, has signed a licensing agreement with Carter’s Inc., whose brands include Carter’s and OshKosh B’gosh, for a new line of toddler bedding products. Crown Crafts Infant Products Inc. is expected to launch the Carter’s line of bedding, blankets … Continue reading →

TAMPA, Fla. — The CEO of JP-Morgan Chase survived a shareholder push Tuesday to strip him of the title of chairman of the board, five days after he disclosed a $2 billion trading loss by the bank. CEO Jamie Dimon also won a shareholder endorsement of his pay package from last … Continue reading →