Free Republic

The military veteran who killed three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge last summer left behind a suicide note, a prayer from an Islamic holy book and an online trail of his rage against police. Two days after a white police officer shot and killed a black man in Louisiana’s capital, Gavin Long searched the internet for addresses, phone numbers and other personal information belonging to the two officers involved in the July 5 shooting of Alton Sterling, a prosecutor’s report revealed Friday. Less than two weeks later, the 29-year-old black man from Kansas City, Mo., traveled to Baton Rouge...

That Louisiana is sinking into the Gulf of Mexico is not news. Rising seas and coastline erosion have been working together for decades, but this sinking may well be happening faster than previously thought—threatening billions and billions of Louisiana oil infrastructure. This is the central idea of a new study from Tulane University that set out to map the Louisiana coastline using new methods of measuring subsidence—the technical term for sinking land. The outcome of the measurements is an average 9 mm of wetlands lost to the sea every year. This compares to previous estimates of an annual subsidence rate...

As the Reverend William Barber appeared as a guest on Saturday's AM Joy on MSNBC to give his religion-based views on current events, host Joy Reid at one point seemed to worry about not being able to talk more about Republican Rep. Steve Scalise's conservative views and his history on "race," as she recalled the discredited story that the congressman spoke to a white nationalist event 15 years ago. The Reverend Barber declared that he hopes that Scalise stops being "homophobic," and that Republicans -- presumably including Scalise -- stop "preying" on "the poor and on minorities and the sick,"...

The group Take 'Em Down NOLA claims New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu paid a private security firm $750,000 to spy on the organization. Its members held a press conference in front of City Hall on Friday to address what the group calls the city's "unauthorized contract" with the Trident Response Group of Dallas... {snip} Suber said Take 'Em Down NOLA meetings are public, so the city "certainly could have sent spies" to these events as well to monitor their actions. He also questioned why the city would pay this group for surveillance work if the city claims to have resources available...

In addition to visits from the president and first lady, U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, has had his local parish priest praying by his bedside. Fr. Timothy Hedrick, parochial vicar at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Metairie, was in Washington taking a summer course at Catholic University when Scalise was shot by a lone gunman Wednesday during a baseball practice with other Republican congressmen. When news broke of the mass shooting, Hedrick rushed to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in northeast Washington to attend to Scalise and pray with his wife, Jennifer. Hedrick has also served as a...

Select Comfort Corp. will establish a technical support contact center near New Orleans, in the Elmwood business corridor of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The company will lease more than 28,000 feet of commercial space in an existing building for its new center at 1333 South Clearview Parkway in Elmwood, Louisiana. The project will create 225 new direct jobs, according to Louisiana Economic Development. “Select Comfort is an impressive, fast-growing company that is the innovation leader in the mattress industry,” Governor John Bel Edwards said. “With our talented workforce and healthy business climate, Louisiana is a great fit for innovative consumer brands....

A popular annual July 4th parade of boats in New Orleans has been canceled this year -- and the founder of the parade is blaming the 2016 election.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Black Lives Matter is a movement, not an organization that can be sued by a Louisiana police officer who was injured at a protest after a deadly police shooting, a prominent activist's attorney argued Wednesday. DeRay Mckesson's lawyer, William Gibbens, urged U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson to dismiss a Baton Rouge police officer's lawsuit against Black Lives Matter and the Baltimore-based activist. The judge said he would rule "within the coming days" after hearing from attorneys. {snip} The unidentified officer claims a piece of concrete or "rock like substance" struck him in the face during...

Republican Congressman and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot early Wednesday morning in Alexandria, Virginia while practicing for the Congressional baseball game at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park. Scalise was shot in the hip and is reportedly in stable condition. His staffers and two Capitol Police officers were also shot. At least five people were hit. "He was dragging his body from second base to the infield to get away fro the shooter," Rep. Mo Brooks, who was at the scene and applied a tourniquet to Scalise, described to CNN. "My adrenaline is raging. It's never easy when everyone around...

BOSSIER CITY, LA (KSLA) - Sabre Industries Incorporated has announced 50 new direct jobs are coming to Bossier City. The company made a $1.6 million investment to create 50 new jobs at its Sabre Building Systems by CellXion Manufacturing facility on Friday. The new jobs will provide an average salary of $47,000 plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) estimates the project will result in an additional 13 indirect jobs for a total of more than 60 new jobs in Northwest Louisiana. “Manufacturing continues to be a mainstay of the Louisiana economy, and we are excited to help one of our...

An online petition is demanding that Louisiana State University change its “Tigers” mascot, calling the moniker “the most prevalent [C]onfederate symbol in the United States.” According to the author of the petition—a user going by the name “LaMallori LSU”—the nickname was chosen by “powerful white males” as an homage to the Confederate “Louisiana Tigers” regiment, whose members “were known for their propensity for violence on and off the battle field [sic].”

This “march toward justice” is a march toward insanity, a march toward devastation. The efforts to erase history, remove monuments, change names and mascots must stop immediately. If not, our country will disintegrate before our very eyes In our toxic age of political correctness, nothing is immune from liberal political attacks, even the beautiful, majestic and endangered tigers. It seems obvious that tigers should be supported since their numbers are dwindling the in the wild and their natural habitats are constantly shrinking. Most people probably think it is innocent for Louisiana State University (LSU) to feature tigers as their mascot...

Talks have been bubbling in recent months about making major route changes to Interstate 14, but the primary organization behind the push says it’s facing resistance from a West Texas representative and the state’s senior senator. Regional transportation lobby group Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN) has pushed to change the congressionally approved western route of I-14, also known as the Forts to Ports Highway and the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway System. Forts to Ports aims to connect Fort Bliss in El Paso with Fort Hood in Central Texas and Fort Polk in Louisiana. The plan also connects to military deployment ports...

“The cultural and economic and the spiritual loss to this city for having those statues up that have run people out of the city,” Landrieu claimed. “The great migration that sent some of our best and brightest to places across the country that we don’t have the benefit of has been incredible.”

A Gramercy chemical manufacturing plant’s $35 million expansion will bring 250 new jobs to the area, officials said Friday. The announcement was made by Gov. John Bel Edwards and Noranda Bauxite & Alumina CEO David D’Addario. Noranda will expand and upgrade its alumina refinery in St. James Parish and will also establish its company headquarters at the site, a 40-minute drive northeast from Thibodaux and another 30 minutes from Houma. The project will create 65 new direct jobs, including 15 corporate headquarters jobs, at an average annual salary of $90,000, plus benefits, officials said. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project...

I am NOT in favor of removing historic monuments. I especially think it is stupid to take down the Robert E. Lee statue at Lee Circle, a New Orleans landmark. Nevertheless, what gripes me most about the issue is its nonsensical nature on both sides. I find it incredibly disappointing that the mayor of New Orleans, in the midst of all the challenges and problems New Orleans faces, chose this issue to be his legacy. And make no mistake: this will be his legacy. He has no other accomplishments or achievements of note in his 8 years in office.

Contact @Billy Sessions if you are interested in going to New Orleans. The link goes to a video of one of the coordinators explaining how to participate. Godspeed, and Deus Vult!

A 97-year-old woman living in Metairie, Louisiana finally received her high school diploma, which she had previously missed out on by only completing the 11th grade. Katherine Summers Martinson quit high school in Picayune, Mississippi during the Great Depression to help her family, and her education was further delayed by the start of World War II in 1939, according to WDSU. But on Tuesday, she finally got what she's always wanted when Picayune Memorial High School presented her with an honorary degree at her home in Metairie.

Details are slowly leaking out about the Alton Sterling officer involved shooting. Alton Sterling apparently had a criminal history that included carnal knowledge of a juvenile, aggravated battery, and illegal firearm possession. Clearly, he was not somebody who could legally possess a firearm at the time of the shooting. Internet detectives have uncovered information that Alton Sterling was actually a bloods gang member, but we have been unable to confirm the accuracy of that information at this time. You can see our coverage of the first shooting video HERE and the second video coverage HERE. Maya Lau has posted a...

(CNN)The 11-year-old girl was relentlessly bullied. And the culprit, police say, were her teachers. One of them told the girl to "go kill herself" and threatened to fail other students if they didn't fight the girl, police said. And when that teacher was removed from the classroom, a second teacher allegedly kept up the abuse. The two Louisiana teachers, Ann Marie Shelvin and Tracy Gallow, now face criminal charges. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said he learned of the accusations back in February after the girl's mother filed a complaint. The mother returned to the sheriff's office in April...