Free Republic

Strain says he's just trying to find suspects : St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain's statements about the suspects in a recent quadruple murder near Slidell amount to racial profiling that broadly paints Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans as "thugs" and "trash," the American Civil Liberties Union said in an open letter to the sheriff. Strain countered that the ACLU is distorting his comments, which he said were intended to warn St. Tammany residents about early signs of post-Katrina "spillover crime" from New Orleans. The dispute centers on a TV interview Strain gave after four people were shot June...

Covington woman arrested for raping boy 12-year-old told parents about alleged incident BY GEOFFREY SHANNON SLIDELL -- St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's detectives arrested a Covington woman Tuesday for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old boy. Juvenile investigators arrested Angela Wattler, 25, 15361 Tchefuncte Dr., Covington, on aggravated battery and two counts of delinquency of a juvenile, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office spokes-person Tiffany Tate said. The alleged incident occurred Jan. 3, while the 12-year-old was spending the night at the Slidell-area home of a 14-year-old friend, Tate said. Wattler, who knew the 14-year-old's mother, was also staying the night at the house,...

This afternoon, my wife and I stood outside her high school alma mater and announced that I am running for Congress in Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District. This is an important race, and I need your help to be successful. But before I ask for your support, I want to share with you the reasons why I decided to run for Congress. After coming so close in the gubernatorial election, my wife and I had several months to think about the future of our great state, and reflect on the “Bold New Vision” we discussed during that campaign. And those ideas…...