Free Republic

AVOYELLES PARISH, La. — Two police officers and a Louisiana State Police trooper were shot Thursday afternoon in Avoyelles Parish, according to local reports. The shooting was reported in Moreauville near Avoyelles High School. Officials confirmed to KALB-TV that a state trooper, a Marksville police officer and a Simmesport police officer were shot after an apparent car chase in Hessmer. KALB reported that the trooper has non-life-threatening injuries, one of the officers was treated at the scene and the condition of the other officer is unknown. Officials said the gunman is barricaded and the shooting happened during the standoff. Additional...

For Dion Houston, a slight 43-year-old with a gold tooth and the jaunty air of a pirate, hurricane Katrina has been "a blessing," even a holiday of sorts. Since leaving his flooded New Orleans apartment, he "found $2,000 just floating in the water," quit smoking crack, and finally proposed to his 25-year-old girlfriend, Miata Gipson, who is six months pregnant. Plus, they've been given a new TV, a closet full of clothes, "everything for the baby except the baby," a free day trip to Lion Country Safari, US$600 from the Red Cross which helped pay for an engagement ring --...