MONROE — Police in Monroe say an 8-year-old student brought a loaded .22-caliber pistol to his elementary school.
The incident was reported at about 8:15 a.m. Monday at Madison James Foster Elementary School.
Police Sgt. Mark Johnson said school officials found the gun in the boy’s book bag after receiving a tip.
Police took the child into custody and later released him to his parents.
Johnson said nobody at the school was ever in danger.
Suspect in teen’s death released
LAFAYETTE — A college student accused of first-degree murder of 15-year-old Austin Rivault and the attempted second-degree murder of two other Lafayette teens has been released on bail.
Seth Fontenot, 18, was released from the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center just after 1 p.m. Monday. His attorney, Thomas Guilbeau, said supporters pledged about $630,000 in cash and property to cover his bail.
Fontenot was arrested Feb. 10 after police said he shot three teenagers in a Lafayette neighborhood. Rivault was struck and killed; two other teenagers, also 15, were wounded but survived.
Guilbeau officially entered pleas of not guilty to all three counts on Fontenot’s behalf Monday before state District Judge Kristian Earles. Fontenot, a student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was not present in the courtroom.
New Orleans cancels boil order
NEW ORLEANS — Residents and businesses in much of New Orleans no longer have to boil tap water to ensure it’s safe to consume.
The mayor’s office said Monday that test results confirmed that public water in the city is safe to drink and can be used as normal for personal needs.
Water stopped flowing briefly Sunday for the more than 300,000 New Orleans residents on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. Pressure dropped after a problem with a generator’s boiler at a water treatment plant.
Judge voids order to disband police
HOMER — A state district judge has officially voided actions taken last month by the Town of Homer to abolish its police department, demote the police chief and cut his rate of pay.
Judge Jimmy Teat on Monday voided the actions taken by the town during a Feb. 11 meeting. The ruling, issued in state district court in Claiborne Parish, is a result of the town violating Louisiana’s open meetings law. The town acknowledged failing to comply with the law at a special council meeting held March 2.
Woman arrested for contact with teen
LAKE CHARLES — A 41-year-old Lake Charles woman faces 11 counts of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile after allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy whom she met online.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said Monday that Renee E. Broussard was arrested over the weekend and booked into the parish jail. State District Judge Clayton Davis set bond at $110,000 and the sheriff’s office says she has since been released.
The sheriff’s office, during its investigation, said Broussard confirmed she had sexual contact with the teenager on numerous occasions since October.
Horse owners warned about virus
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana agriculture officials are monitoring an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus-1 at the Horse Shows in the Sun equestrian event last month in Ocala, Fla.
The state Department of Agriculture and Forestry says on Feb. 21 a horse was diagnosed with a wild strain of the virus and six days later, several more horses were diagnosed.
EHV-1 is not contagious to humans.
Suspect fakes illness to avoid jail
HOUMA — Terrebonne Parish authorities say a Houma man who faked a medical emergency Friday to avoid being taken to jail was foiled Monday when he tried it again.
He was taken into custody Friday after drivers reported him speeding and swerving through traffic. A Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office report says he told deputies who were taking him to jail that he was having a heart attack. But, he left a hospital emergency room without being released.
On Monday, deputies responded to a disturbance at the man’s residence. He again claimed illness but he again refused treatment at a hospital. This time, deputies stood by to take him to the Terrebonne jail.
Charles Thomas Kreyenbuhl, 51, was booked on charges including reckless operation and DWI.
LSU courses now available online
BATON ROUGE — A new, completely Web-based, distance-learning initiative was launched Monday by Louisiana State University.
Administrators hope that the LSU Online program will increase enrollment, generate revenue and build the university’s “brand” nationwide.
The initial launch offers graduate students a choice of three master’s degree-level programs in business administration, construction management and human resource leadership and development. Two more degree programs in higher education administration and educational leadership are expected to launch later this year, possibly in May.
A 2011 Sloan Foundation Survey found that more than 6 million people, or nearly one-third of all college students, are taking at least one online course on their way to a degree.
New commander for Air Guard wing
BELLE CHASSE — The Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing will get a new commander in ceremonies Wednesday at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse.
Col. Thomas Sostarics will assume command from Col. Roy Qualls. Sostarics joined the Air Guard in 2001.
Qualls is taking an assignment as the Air Guard’s state director of operations.
Police chase ends in crash, 1 hurt
SHREVEPORT — A driver sped away from police in Shreveport when they attempted to stop him and the resulting chase ended in a fiery early morning crash.
Police said they attempted to stop the car Monday morning after noticing that it had a missing headlight. It all began around 3:45 a.m.
The five-mile chase through the streets of Shreveport lasted about five minutes.
The suspect is believed to be linked to a rash of cigarette thefts at Circle K’s in the area.
Bogalusa festival takes honors
BOGALUSA — The Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals has named the Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival its New Event of the Year.
Organizers held the inaugural festival in September. The festival drew a couple of thousand people despite a daylong rain.
At the fairs and festivals association’s recent annual conference in Baton Rouge, the Bogalusa festival also picked up a first-place award for its poster.
Blues festival chair Malinda White says the lineup has been decided for this year’s festival. However it won’t be announced until all of the artists have confirmed.
“We are so excited to win these awards,” White said. “We really wanted the New Event of the Year. It confirms that we produced something that everybody can be proud of, and something that will bring people back to Bogalusa.”
White said the Best New Event Award isn’t just for first-year events. There was additional competition. Representatives of one festival told her it took them four years to win the award, she said.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it,” said Mayor Charles Mizell. “Every member of the committee deserves a pat on the back. It’s another fine example of what teamwork does. And this is only the beginning.”
From The Associated Press.
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