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St. Tammany Parish authorities caught and killed a large alligator that attacked an 11-year-old boy near Slidell Wednesday afternoon, slit open the animal's belly and retrieved the boy's arm that the gator had bitten off at the shoulder.As soon as Devin Funck's arm was rescued from the stomach of the alligator, it was wrapped in a wet towel, stashed in an ice chest and rushed by a sheriff's deputy and a Slidell 1st District firefighter to Ochsner Medical Center, where the boy had been taken by helicopter two hours earlier.Devin's condition was undetermined, but authories near Slidell were hopeful that...

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's officials say over $150,000 in weapons has been seized from a Slidell home. Investigators say they learned of the massive weapons cache after a man called them to report over $70,000 in weapons was stolen from his home. That prompted authorities to secure a search warrant for the home, which turned up some 50 additional weapons, ranging from semi-automatic pistols to a .50 caliber semi-automatic bolt action sniper rifle. "When the deputies responded to take the burglarly report, they became suspicious at how he was reporting the crime," said St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain. "As...

<p>The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has asked a federal judge to award the organization more than $65,000 in attorneys fees and court costs, stemming from a ruling earlier this month that said Slidell officials broke the law by hanging a portrait of Jesus on the wall at Slidell City Court.</p>

A Slidell-area couple whose house was sold for a $1.63 property tax bill they knew nothing about will have clear title to their home today, thanks to a local businessman who paid to settle a years-old lawsuit with the land company that claimed their property. "I don't even know who to thank," said Dolores Atwood. "But I'm relieved and happy that this is finally over . . . I'm relieved and tired." Atwood and her husband, Kermit, will again be the unquestioned owners of their house at 4122 Dauphine St. because a St. Tammany Parish businessman and his partner volunteered...

In 1996, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office mailed a paltry $1.63 property tax bill for the Slidell-area home of Kermit and Dolores Atwood that never reached its destination. The seemingly innocuous, misaddressed bill was the start of a bizarre legal ordeal that threatens to leave the elderly couple homeless and now stands at the door of the state Supreme Court. The chain of events that followed the wayward property tax bill, including the eventual sale of the home at a sheriff's tax sale, is described by Dolores Atwood as "seven years of emotional hell." "I don't know how much...

A thief who snatched a purse from an 80-year-old woman in Slidell got a 12-year jail sentence after he pleaded guilty Thursday, the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office said. Curtis James Fletcher, 43, of Slidell was arrested in March after he took the woman's purse in a store parking lot. The woman was headed back to her vehicle after shopping when he came up behind her and took the purse, knocking her to the ground. The woman, whom authorities did not identify, quickly got up and yelled for help. Several bystanders helped police catch Fletcher as he was fleeing....

NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union sued the city of Slidell on Tuesday for displaying a painting of Jesus in a courthouse lobby, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The ACLU sued after the Slidell City Court refused to voluntarily remove the picture and a message below it that reads: "To Know Peace, Obey These Laws." The ACLU says the portrait — an image of Jesus presenting the New Testament — is a religious icon of the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity. "We did not file this lawsuit because the ACLU is anti-religion ......

Flanked by Slidell's mayor and local clergy, City Court Judge Jim Lamz said Saturday he has decided not to remove a portrait of Jesus from the Slidell court's lobby, potentially setting the stage for a legal battle with the American Civil Liberties Union. With the portrait hanging above him, Lamz told a news conference he disagrees with the ACLU's assertion that displaying the portrait violates the First Amendment's guarantee of separation of church and state. Lamz said the court will await further action from the ACLU, which had set a Monday deadline for action on the issue after an initial...

The ACLU of Louisiana has agreed to a Slidell judge’s request for more time to consider the legality of a picture of Jesus that hangs in the city’s courthouse, a spokesperson for Slidell said Monday.

Language barriers hampered Slidell police Sunday night when officers responding to a 911 call about a knifing had to wait nearly half an hour for an interpreter before they could question a suspect. Officers arrived at the scene in the 700 block of Walnut Street shortly after 9:20 p.m., when the distress call was logged, police said. They were met by a man who said Santos Lopez, 36, of nearby Cypress Street, had approached him after exiting 736 Walnut St. and said he had been cut by a man named Isaac. The officers arrested Isaac Ramirez, 33, about 9:35 p.m.,...

Standing in the shadow of the Slidell City Court, a swarm of protesters congregated Tuesday night for a rousing and at times revival-like demonstration, denouncing the American Civil Liberties Union and offering a show of unconditional support for the controversial portrait of Jesus that hangs on the wall just inside the courthouse. More than 250 local residents packed the intersection of Bouscaren and Fourth streets in Slidell ­ which had been blocked off by authorities -- and spilled onto the grass that edges the courthouse to pray, cheer and hear speeches from several local pastors and State Rep. A.G. Crowe,...

Jesus has no place in Slidell City Court, says the Louisiana ACLU, which has asked court officials to remove his portrait from the lobby within a week or face the possibility that the organization will file a lawsuit to force the issue. Several people have complained to the ACLU about the picture, and one has filed a written complaint, prompting the organization to intervene, said Joe Cook, the Louisiana chapter's executive director. The ACLU also wants the court to remove lettering beneath the portrait that says, "To know peace, obey these laws." The organization sent a letter Wednesday to court...

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWL020606tpslidell.347bf1.html Slidell Mayor Ben Morris says his city is being ignored in all of the rebuilding debate and he says many of his residents are suffering just as much as their more publicized neighbors in New Orleans. “I don’t have any objection to the Ninth Ward,” he said. “But that’s all you hear is the blooming Ninth Ward.” Neighborhoods in Slidell were devastated by Katrina as the eye passed closer to that city than to New Orleans. Morris says that out of about 10,000 homes in the city, 4,000 were badly damaged by floodwaters and a total of 8,000 suffered...

SLIDELL - They expected to see devastation. They anticipated horrific scenes of overturned cars and homes swallowed by water. But after nearly two exhausting weeks of working 12-hour days to help clean Slidell and area schools, the 100 or so U.S. Marines camping at Bonne Ecole Elementary School never expected to see a Mardi Gras parade. Then, on Friday night, just as dusk faded to night, the stereo receiver clicked on. Zydeco music shot through the parking lot where the Marines gathered, and several Slidell Rotary Club members burst through the school's doors dressed in lavish Mardi Gras attire. The...

'Gatemouth' Brown, legendary singer and guitarist, dies Musician fled to Orange before Hurricane Katrina wiped out his Slidell, La., home BATON ROUGE, LA. - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown , the singer and guitarist who built a 50-year career playing blues, country, jazz and Cajun music, died Saturday in his hometown of Orange, where he had gone to escape Hurricane Katrina. He was 81. Brown had been battling lung cancer and heart disease, said Rick Cady , his booking agent. Cady said the musician was with his family at his brother's house when he died. Brown's home in Slidell, La., a bedroom...

GUEST HOUSE OF SLIDELL RESIDENTS RETURN TO HOME. ALL SAFE. NO MAJOR DAMAGE TO GUEST HOUSE. GENERATORS RUNNING SPOKE WITH MY UNCLE WHO WAS THERE TODAY. NO FLOODING. EVERYONE IS OK.

I have a friend named Jeff Easterby who lives in the Pine Crest Mobile Home Park in Slidell. I am looking for any information to get him about the condition of the park. He lives off Old Spanish Trail. Any info would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

Is there any information about Clipper Drive in Slidell in Clipper Estates?

GUEST HOUSE OF SLIDELL

LOOKING FOR INFO ON THE "GUEST HOUSE OF SLIDELL" NURSING HOME

Any news on Breckenridge, Sterling Oaks, French Branch, or Meadow Lake subdivisions in Slidell? I live in Sterling Oaks and cannot get any information about that area. Would love to hear something. Thanks!

The Salvation Army SATERN Health and Safety network finally has stations up and running in Covington, Slidell, Mississippi and other areas. Messages sent through the below link will be delivered to the EOC at the affected city. There is a long backup of messages. to send a message to the affected area: http://www.tsasw.org/qso/healthandwelfare.asp

My husband was able to get into Slidell in Chamale Subdivision. Trees were on some houses, but others were okay. We had about a foot of water in our house & about five feet in our garage (just to let you know what you should expect). Although, there was no mud in our house. The police officer stated count on all of the houses on Lakeview drive to be gone.

Hello all in the Gulf coast area, Our prayers go to you all. We all know what your going through as all 7 families here in Florida went through Betsy and the 3 hurricanes last year here...God Bless you... I represent the 7 families here looking for our beloved Arieux family that resided at 153 Carr Dr in Slidell, We understand that nothing is left there, but we have not heard a word from George and Jean Arieux....Our searches on the internet and calls to the Red Cross get us nowhere right now.. We just want them to know they...

The Advocate - Baton Rouge, LA : story link - http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/083005/new_slidell0sen01.shtml Senator: Slidell area likely hardest hit by Katrina Capitol news bureau Much of Slidell is under water and likely sustained the worst damage from Hurricane Katrina, tate Sen. Tom Schedler, R-Mandeville, said Tuesday at 1 p.m. Calling the devastation “total”, Schedler said, only slabs remain where dozens of houses were blown down and several feet of water remain in the Slidell Memorial Hospital on Gause Boulevard as well as throughout the old town area off U.S. 11. Slidell is a suburban community of about 25,000 people northeast of New...