Lafayette

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Huge Sum Raised for 25-Year-Old Who Saved 5 From Fire

Nick Bostic suffered burns and blisters

(Newser) - Update: The 25-year-old hero who saved five people from a burning home in Indiana on July 11 is getting a hero's reception on GoFundMe . A fundraiser started for Nick Bostic by his cousin, who explained Bostic suffered "serious injuries and will need help during his recovery," has...

Louisiana Judge Admits Using Racial Slur at Home
La. Judge Resigns
Over Her 'Hurtful Words'
UPDATED
Jan 1, 2022 6:30 AM CST

La. Judge Resigns Over Her 'Hurtful Words'

Michelle Odinet had been caught on video saying n-word, comparing Black people to roaches

(Newser) - Update: A Louisiana judge caught on video saying the n-word has resigned. Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet had already taken an unpaid leave of absence after the clip of her using the racial slur—recorded as she watched surveillance footage of an attempted burglary outside her home—circulated online...

There Was Snag After Snag in Millionaire's Plot of Kidnap Wife
Millionaire's Plot to Kidnap Wife
Ends With 2 Drownings
in case you missed it
Aug 1, 2021 12:30 PM CDT

Millionaire's Plot to Kidnap Wife Ends With 2 Drownings

Pair of men hired to kidnap woman jumped into canal during police chase

(Newser) - A Louisiana millionaire is facing up to 35 years in prison after plotting to kidnap his estranged wife at gunpoint. Lawrence Handley's plan did not go at all as he expected. After the two men he hired to kidnap his wife from the couples' south Lafayette home handcuffed her,...

Cops: She Let Him Stay. Then He Killed Her and Her Kids

Cohen Hancz-Barron, suspect in Fort Wayne quadruple murders, arrested

(Newser) - A 21-year-old Indiana man is now in custody after police say he brutally murdered a woman and three children, who were found dead in their home on Wednesday. Officers arriving at the Fort Wayne home shortly before 11am were met by a man and woman yelling, "He killed them,...

'Satirical' Antifa Events Spark Angry Lawsuit

Activist John Merrifield says his social-media events were satirical

(Newser) - A Louisiana native who posted fake antifa events online is being sued for his efforts, the Advocate reports. Lafayette city-parish government sued John Merrifield on Monday, saying his pranks forced law enforcement to investigate and respond to the purported antifascist gatherings. But Merrifield insists his social-media posts are about satire,...

Police Shoot Black Man Armed With Knife '11 Times'

The killing is under investigation in Louisiana

(Newser) - Police in Louisiana shot and killed a man as he tried to enter a convenience store with a knife, authorities said Saturday per the AP . The shooting was captured on video (WARNING: graphic images) and the state ACLU condemned what it described as a "horrific and deadly incident of...

Mom Posted Video of a School Fight, Inspiring a Legal One

Louisiana woman arrested, but experts think the law was mis-applied

(Newser) - The mother of a Louisiana high school student was arrested Wednesday for posting a video of two students fighting on social media, though a lawyer says police "could have liability for making a false arrest." Maegan Adkins-Barras, 32, reportedly admitted to uploading the video her son recorded, showing...

One Cop Shoots Another During Search
Body Cam Shows Why
Officer Is 'Devastated'
video
Jan 12, 2019 4:05 PM CST

Body Cam Shows Why Officer Is 'Devastated'

Cop shoots fellow officer shot in the back

(Newser) - Officer Aaron Wright had her back—but for a split second, in the wrong way. Released body cam footage shows the Indiana officer shooting fellow officer Lane Butler in the back Tuesday in an apparent accident, ABC News reports. Three officers were searching a Lafayette home for a suspect wanted...

10 US Cities With the Most Smokers
10 US Cities With
the Most Smokers
Jun 23, 2017 8:15 AM CDT

10 US Cities With the Most Smokers

In some cities, smoking rate tops 28%

(Newser) - In the past 50 years, the US smoking rate has fallen from 40% to about 18%. That suggests the habit and the health problems associated with it are easing, yet more than a quarter of residents still smoke in some US cities. The US metropolitan areas (none of them major...

10 Fattest Cities in America
10 Fattest Cities in America
Mar 25, 2017 11:51 AM CDT

10 Fattest Cities in America

Jackson, Mississippi, takes the top spot

(Newser) - WalletHub has ranked 2017's fattest cities in America, and—as the US is once again the fattest country in the world—possibly the fattest cities anywhere. More than 70% of Americans over the age of 15 are considered overweight or obese by one metric. WalletHub ranked 100 of...

Theater Gunman Did Twisted Things to Own Home

And apparently had big issues with his daughter's wedding

(Newser) - In 2014, facing eviction from his Alabama home, John Russell Houser set out to make sure no one else could ever live in that house. He poured concrete down the drains and cemented the fuse box shut. He splattered paint and human waste all over the walls. The new owners...

Theater Victims: Promising Student and 'Creative Force'

Mayci Breaux, 21, and Jillian Johnson, 33, died in Lafayette, La., attack

(Newser) - One was a popular student studying to be a radiology technician, while the other was an outgoing artist who ran retail boutiques in two Louisiana cities. The two people slain by a gunman who opened fire yesterday in a Louisiana movie theater, Jillian Johnson and Mayci Breaux, had promising careers...

Wife of Theater Shooter Got Protective Order

Filing shows she moved all weapons from their marital residence

(Newser) - The wife of Louisiana shooter John Russel Houser sought a protective order against him in 2008 after he "exhibited extreme erratic behavior" and "made ominous as well as disturbing statements," according to court documents cited by the AP . The filing for the order, which was at least...

Cops: Theater Shooter Had Wigs, Disguises at Motel

'Drifter' John Russel Houser, 59, was from Alabama

(Newser) - The 59-year-old man who opened fire at a Lafayette, La., movie theater last night, killing two and injuring nine before killing himself, has been identified as John Russel Houser, police said at a news conference this morning, per ABC News . Details are still emerging, but police say Houser, from Phenix...

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