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Tag: Louisiana

  • Phil Robertson Speaks Out Against Equal Rights Yet Again

    Phil Robertson is pretty vocal about his political and religious views and this has got him in trouble in the past. Just last year, Robertson’s comments in GQ Magazine got him suspended (albeit briefly) from the reality show Duck Dynasty. In the interview, Robertson compared homosexuality to bestiality and promiscuity. “Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine,” Robertson told GQ.

    Earlier this year, Robertson was interviewed by the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins for his radio show. It should be noted that Perkins has also spoken against the LGBT community in the past. In the interview, Robertson said that AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases “were God’s punishment for immorality”.

    Just last week, Robertson spoke at an event called “I Stand Sunday” which was organized by the Family Research Council among others. In the event, Robertson talked about his opposition to Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance which aims to extend equal rights protections to gay and transgender residents. The ordinance was passed by Mayor Annise Parker, the first openly gay mayor of any major city.

    “For all you ladies in Texas, trust me when I tell you this, when you’re seated in your restroom putting on your Maybelline, when I need to take a leak I’m not going there,” Robertson said referring to allegations that the ordinance will allow men to enter women’s restrooms.

    It seems Phil isn’t the only Duck Dynasty star who is vocal about his religion. Phil’s eldest son, Alan, has also been outspoken about his beliefs. He recently told CNSNews.com, “Let’s look at human civilization and go back at all the great cultures that rose up, like the Romans or others, and it [sin] just weighs in on itself and it destroys. It becomes such a weighted-down culture in its own seeking of personal pleasure or personal gain, and then it collapsed. It’s happened every time, up to now. Do I think it will happen to America? Absolutely.”

  • Lenar Whitney Flees Interview, Catches Hell

    Lenar Whitney is getting famous, but not in the way she wanted. The Louisiana Republican is a state representative and is running for Congress in an open race in her state. Whitney describes herself as very conservative.

    “Several people have asked me to run for this seat because I have one of the most conservative voting records in the Louisiana House,” she says on her campaign website.

    “I fully intend to join the growing ranks of conservatives in Congress and I think that is something people can count on, from my past performance. I think that’s the main reason people are calling for me to run.”

    Whitney is a former dance studio owner. She proudly claims to have a concealed carry permit, is a lifetime NRA member, and likes it when people call her the “Palin of the South.” Little could she know how apt that nickname would become. Ordinarily, attention to a Congressional hopeful would be welcome. But Whitney made it into the Washington Post under less-than-favorable circumstance.

    It seems that Whitney was sitting for an interview with David Wasserman, the House editor at the Cook Political Report, a major election-forecasting group. Partway through the interview Wasserman asked Whitney some questions based on a political ad she had put out claiming that global warming was a hoax.

    Wasserman describes Whitney’s response to his questions about her video.

    “[I]t’s not unreasonable to expect candidates to explain how they arrived at their positions, and when I pressed Whitney repeatedly for the source of her claim that the earth is getting colder, she froze and was unable to cite a single scientist, journal or news source to back up her beliefs.”

    Given Whitney’s controversial stance on climate-change, Wasserman asked her another question.

    “To change the subject, I asked whether she believed Obama was born in the United States. When she replied that it was a matter of some controversy, her two campaign consultants quickly whisked her out of the room, accusing me of conducting a ‘Palin-style interview.’ ”

    Whitney’s advisers were no doubt referring to the two interviews with Charlie Rose and Katie Couric that haunted Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential race, where she could not name what newspapers she regularly read or discuss such basic political concepts as George Bush’s policy of preemptive military engagement.

    Following her walkout, Whitney herself took to Facebook, also a Palin favorite, and cried foul about the interview.

    “It was obvious, from the onset of the interview, that Wasserman had planned to jump me simply because I am a Conservative Woman and liberal shills like Dave Wasserman want to destroy us.”

    Commenters on Whitney’s Facebook page were not letting her off that easily, especially Republicans.

    “Ms. Whitney. The Cook Report is about as even as it gets in terms of DC reporting. Your advisors need to be replaced, walking out of that interview was a poor choice. BTW, I am a lifetime GOP voter!”

    “It’s idiots like you that ruin any chances for the Republicans. If you are ill informed, just drop out and let someone qualified have a shot at it.”

    “Oh hell no, lady. Don’t make yourself into a feminist martyr for simply not interviewing well. Keep us women out of it!”

    “He asked you two straightforward questions regarding issues that you or other members of your political party have made part of the national conversation. Shame on you for ducking them.”

    “The easiest way to clear this up would be to post your positions on global climate change and the birthplace of the President of the United States.”

    Image via Lenar Whitney Facebook Page

  • McDonald’s Plane Crash Leads To Broken Leg

    McDonald’s Plane Crash Leads To Broken Leg

    The pilot whose plane crashed outside of a McDonald’s in Monroe, La. was hospitalized for moderate injuries.

    Michael Ray Martin of Calhoun suffered a close call (and a broken leg) when his plane went down in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant.

    According to Louisiana law enforcement officials, the 41-year-old pilot was airlifted from the scene to a nearby hospital. It’s believed the incident occurred at just before 11:00 am on Tuesday.

    Witnesses to the plane crash say that Martin was flying east along Balboa Street when his plane clipped the top of a tree. The plane spun and then crashed in the McDonald’s parking lot.

    Martin himself stated that his plane troubles began before that. Apparently, the pilot was conducting a test flight following repairs for mechanical issues.

    Martin said that during the flight the engine suddenly cut off. Shortly afterwards the plane went down.

    Traffic was shut down for nearby roadways following the crash. It’s believed this was a precautionary measure since fuel was leaking from the plane.

    Highway 80 and Desiard Street both have been reopened to traffic as of Wednesday. Balboa Street remains closed off due to its immediate proximity to the site of the crash.

    The McDonald’s where the crash occurred also remains closed.

    FAA officials arrived on the scene Tuesday evening and their investigation is ongoing.

    Aside from injuries to the pilot there was no harm caused to anyone on the ground. One hapless car owner found that their vehicle was severely damaged as a result of the crash.

    Louisiana deputies were said to have monitored the situation all night and will continue to do so in order to prevent a disturbance of the plane wreckage.

    The small plane is registered to the WFO Flying Service out of Carmi, Illinois. It has been operated out of Monroe Regional Airport since November 2013.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ray Nagin Must Pay Government Over $500,000

    Ray Nagin Must Pay Government Over $500,000

    On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to pay over $501,000, which is the total amount he got from bribing and exploiting his position as a Mayor.

    Nagin was convicted in February on several counts including conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, and bribery among others. He served as the Mayor of New Orleans from 2002 up to 2010.

    According to prosecutors, the amount that Nagin has to pay is the total amount he got from services, money, and goods from several businessmen. Robert Jenkins, Nagin’s attorney, contested the amount and said that his client should pay less, as he shared liability with others.

    With his charges, Nagin could face a maximum of 20 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled on June 11. However, he is asking for the sentencing to be pushed back, so he could take time to prepare for a pre-sentence investigation. Although reports are not available to the public, there are speculations that Nagin’s camp wants the date pushed back so they can formulate a plan to fight the details stated on the report.

    The half-a-million amount may be detrimental to Nagin, as he is already in deep water with his finances. Early this month, his wife, Seletha Nagin filed for bankruptcy and the Nagins’ townhouse located outside Dallas was set for foreclosure.

    The precise prison term for the ex-Mayor will be based on the findings after the pre-sentencing investigation. They will be considering the number and severity of crimes that Nagin has committed during his years in office.

    Nagin was indicted 3 years after leaving office. The City Hall conducted a corruption investigation and Nagin’s technology chief, as well as a city vendor and two businessmen, pleaded guilty to the corruption case. His technology chief testified against him.

    Nagin’s attorney stated that he will appeal his client’s conviction.

    A look back at Ray Nagin

    Image via YouTube

  • Sandra Bullock Tells Grads Not to Pick Noses in Public

    Sandra Bullock surprised the graduating class of Warren Easton Charter High School at their commencement ceremony Monday at the University of New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena.

    “Please join me in a warm welcome for Sandra Bullock,” an announcer said as Bullock took the stage at the graduation. The entire arena cheered.

    Sandra Bullock stunned in a plum dress that hugged her curves. The Gravity star has long been a big supporter of the school, especially after it had to close from 2005 to 2006 following Hurricane Katrina. It is the oldest public high school in Louisiana.

    Bullock did a great job motivating the students and making them laugh, too.

    “I didn’t remember anything because I was so worried about the future,” Bullock told the crowd of her own graduation. “I wasn’t present.”

    She mentioned how someone recently asked her if she could go back and give her younger self some advice, what would it be?

    “I wished someone had said to me what I’ve been spending the last four years, telling a little boy, who I love more than anything, who happens to be my son,” she explained of her adopted son Louis Bardo Bullock. “So I thought, ‘Maybe I will share that with you guys, that what I tell a 4-year-old, is what I wish someone had told me before I stepped out into the world.’

    “The first thing is stop worrying so much,” she said. “Stop being scared of the unknown, because anything I worried about didn’t happen. Other stuff happened. The unknown we can’t do anything about.”

    Her second point of advice was to “raise the bar higher.” She added, “It is noisy out there and for some reason, people want to see you fail. That’s not your problem, that is their problem. I only remember the moments where I tried beyond what I thought I could do and I do not remember the failures because I didn’t. Nothing’s a failure, it’s just not supposed to work out that way because something better is supposed to come along.”

    “The third thing we work on [is] at home in the morning,” she shared. “We turn on the music really really loud before we leave the house. And the rule is, you have to dance a little bit before you step out in the world, because it changes the way you walk.”

    Sandra Bullock shared additional funny words of advice that included eating “something green every day with every meal” and “do not pick your nose in public.”

    More importantly, Bullock told the high school graduates to love their family and friends.

    “When someone who cares about you hugs you?” Bullock said, “Hug them back with two arms. Don’t do the one-armed hug, because when you hug with two arms, it allows you to lean on somebody, and we always need somebody to lean on. If someone doesn’t want to play with you, it’s okay. Not everyone is going to love us, go find somebody who does want to play with you, and appreciates what you have to offer.”

    Her parting words for the students going off to find their purpose in the big world was to “go find your joy.”

    “It’s what you’re going to remember in the end. It’s not the worry, it’s not the what-ifs. It’s the joy that stays with you,” she said. “I want to thank you for the joy that Warren Easton brings me every day.”

    If nothing more than laughter results from Sandra Bullock’s commencement speech, it will likely be enough for her. She appreciates humor and understands how much laughter lightens everyone’s load. Even if the students never remember a word the actress said as she addressed their graduating class, they’ll certainly never forget the surprise of seeing a Hollywood actress take the podium at their graduation.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Angola Prison Rodeo Marks 50th Anniversary

    This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of Louisiana’s Angola Prison Rodeo, drawing thousands of spectators into the detention center complex. The rodeo, called “the wildest show in the South,” draws in funds for religious and educational programs for prisoners, with each springtime event raising roughly $450,000.

    The Angola Prison Rodeo commenced in 1964 as a recreational activity for the inmates and prison guards, and was originally closed to the public. Over time, more and more spectators began to arrive for the events, watching from the hoods of cars and apple crates outside of the fence. Seeing an opportunity to generate profit, prison officials eventually began selling tickets and setting up seating for fans.

    Angola, a maximum security facility, holds some of Louisiana’s most violent offenders, and according prison athletics director Gary Frank, only the most well-behaved inmates get to participate in the games. Prisoners spend their time during the year preparing arts and crafts which are sold at the rodeo event, which can hold 10,000 spectators. “It keeps them occupied, keeps their minds occupied,” Frank said. “It also gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

    Here is a piece on the prison entitled Lockup: Inside Angola:

    Here is a clip from the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Wildest Show in the South: The Angola Prison Rodeo:

    The Wildest Show in the South: The Angola Prison Rodeo from Ramzy Telley on Vimeo.

    The Angola Rodeo event schedule includes the Grand Entry, the Bust Out, Bareback Riding, the Wild Horse Race and Barrel Racing, which is the sole event in which inmates do not participate. The barrel racing event is a tour stop for The Girl’s Rodeo Association. The prison rodeo concludes with an event called Convict Poker, in which four inmate cowboys sit at a table in the middle of the arena playing a game of poker, while being attacked by a bull. The last man sitting wins.

    Frank commented, “Everybody has an inner kid in them, and they (the inmates) just want to play. If they get into a fight, they don’t get to play. It helps take out the nonsense.” Rodeo spectator Monique Wagner added, “they’re still human beings.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Back in Los Angeles After Louisiana Trip

    Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are back home in Los Angeles after a trip to Louisiana.

    The couple was spotted in and around New Orleans throughout last week, enjoying the food and drink the iconic Southern city has to offer and visiting Kutcher’s sister Tausha.

    On Tuesday, they hit up Tacos & Beer in Old Town. According to the restaurant’s owner, “They were here for about an hour … Ashton had a big burrito and a beer while Mila had the carne asada dish with tea and water.”

    Kunis, who signed on as the new face of Jim Beam earlier this year, most likely abstained from alcohol during the trip since she is reportedly pregnant with her and Kutcher’s first child.

    Kunis and Kutcher also stopped by the Slidell Soda Shop on Tuesday.

    “Mila was trying out all kinds of ice creams. She tried the Rocky Road and then got two scoops of Thin Mint,” a source told E! News.

    The two were also spotted leaving a Winn Dixie in Slidell at some point that day:

    On Wednesday Kutcher posted a photo of himself with Kunis at the World’s Largest Peanut monument in Ashburn, GA.

    On Friday the couple toured the Abita brewery in Abita Springs, LA.

    On Saturday Kunis and Kutcher were spotted having breakfast at a waffle house in Slidell. Among their companions was Kutcher’s sister Tausha Kutcher, who is also pregnant.

    Later on Saturday it was back to Los Angeles for the celebrity couple as the two were seen pushing luggage through LAX airport.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Vance McAllister Urged To Resign Over ‘Smoochgate’ Scandal

    Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister promised to stay in office even after calls for his resignation were made over a leaked video of him kissing the wife of a friend.

    Gov. Bobby Jindal, the state’s Republican governor, urged McAllister to resign, after the representative said he wanted to work things out with his family in private. Jindal further said McAllister’s actions are an embarrassment.

    Roger Villere, state GOP chairman, also called for his resignation and said that McAllister’s hypocrisy can only be solved by an immediate resignation. However, the congressman still refuses to budge from his seat.

    Jennifer Dunagin, spokeswoman for McAllister said that there are no plans to resign yet.

    A few are less aggressive towards the congressman. House speaker John Boehner admitted to speaking with McAllister and said that the congressman has decisions to make. According to him, all members must uphold the highest ethical standards, and that McAllister is no different.

    Friends and backers have said that they expect him to fight for his job and his family.

    A weekly newspaper released the video of him kissing Melissa Peacock, a member of the congressional payroll. She submitted her resignation on Monday.

    No one knows how the video made its way to the Ouachita Citizen, but McAllister’s office denied rumors that he will conduct an FBI investigation into finding out who leaked it. Instead, a statement from his office said that he is focused on regaining the trust he has lost.

    According to The Washington Post, odds say that the chances of him still being in office next year is not great. Based on an analysis of 38 scandals since 1974, only 39% of government officials embroiled in sex scandals were re-elected.

    Politically, McAllister was considered an unknown when he ran for office in 2013. Many believe that his strong showing in the race was due to the endorsement of Phil Robertson, who stars in the Duck Dynasty TV series.

    McAllister caught smooching another man’s wife

    Image via YouTube

  • Vance McAllister Fires Aide After Kiss Video Surfaces

    Louisiana Congressman Vance McAllister has taken a staffer off the payroll this week after a video of the two of them kissing surfaced online.

    The video was leaked on Monday and shows McAllister hugging his district scheduler, Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, as the two of them kiss. Both are married, and although McAllister has apologized publicly to his family, he says he will not resign.

    “I have fallen short as a husband and a father, and I feel more ashamed than you can imagine,” said McAllister. “I’ve asked them for forgiveness, and I’m asking forgiveness from my constituents who elected me to serve them.”

    McAllister says the transgression was his first outside of his marriage and that he confessed to his wife before the video was leaked online; the surveillance footage is dated from December. He also says he won’t back away from a race in the fall as long as he has supporters.

    “If the people are willing to forgive me I’ll keep fighting. If there’s somebody more perfect than me who they support, it’s their will,” he said.

    Peacock has not released a statement, but was reportedly taken off McAllister’s payroll in the last 24 hours.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chicken Boxing Defended By Louisiana Senator

    Chicken boxing, according to one Louisiana senator, is very different from cockfighting, and a bill that would seal up loopholes in a state cockfighting ban would threaten what he calls a legitimate sport.

    Sen. Elbert Guillory says that chicken boxing is a much less bloody sport and isn’t fought to the death; instead, the animals wear rubber gloves that cover their legs while engaging in the sport, which is much like kickboxing. Guillory says that veterinarians are always on hand to monitor the events, as well.

    “Instead of a blade or exposed spur, they hit each other with these boxing gloves on, which is quite safe,” Guillory said at a hearing. “There’s no blood…There is a legitimate sport known as chicken boxing. It has nothing to do with cockfighting, and it is clear that this bill would interfere, would criminalize that legal enterprise.”

    The bill that Guillory is fighting would impose tougher penalties for anyone engaged in any act of cockfighting, and that isn’t limited to chickens; now included are roosters and game fowl. However, he says the bill will harm families who have raised the animals strictly for the sport.

    “My concern is about the breadth of this bill,” Guillory said. “It covers all chickens. I represent a rural area where people raise a lot of chickens, including chickens that are 15th- and 20th-generation fighting birds that are exported legally and legitimately to other nations.”

    John Goodwin of the Human Society says that there is no such thing as “chicken fighting” and that the term “is just a creative excuse the cockfighters have come up with to mask their real agenda, which is to maintain the weakest penalties for cockfighting possible.”

    James Demoruelle, a cockfighter for 53 years, spoke up in Guillory’s favor, saying the bill would hurt someone like him since he has around a quarter of a million dollars in cockfighting paraphernalia.

    “God put the gameness in the chicken, not man,” Demoruelle said. “We don’t make them fight. You can’t make a gamecock fight if it doesn’t want to fight.”

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Death Row for 30 Years, Now Glenn Ford is Free

    Louisiana man, Glenn Ford, walked free on Tuesday evening for the first time since being incarcerated 30 years ago for a murder he didn’t commit, according to CBS.

    “My mind’s going all different kinds of directions, but it feels good,” Ford said moments after taking his first steps outside the Angola prison. He feels good, but does harbor some incredibly understandable resentment.

    “I’ve been locked up almost 30 years for something I didn’t do,” Ford said. “I can’t go back and do anything I should have been doing when I was 35, 38, 40, stuff like that.”

    He is now 64, and most of his life has passed. Ford was convicted in 1984 for the 1983 murder of Isadore Rozeman, 56, a Shreveport jeweler and watchmaker for whom he said he did some occasional yard work.

    Rozeman was found shot to death behind the counter of his shop on Nov. 5, 1983 and no murder weapon was ever found. There were also no eyewitnesses to the crime.

    The wrinkles in the case against Ford were numerous and are now a little disturbing. The most damning testimony came from a woman named Marvella Brown who happened to be the girlfriend of Jake Robinson, the man Ford implicated in the murder. Brown later testified that she had lied to the court.

    There was also the fact that Ford’s court-appointed attorneys had never tried a murder case before. And there was the entirely white jury of his “peers” which, after his conviction, called for the death penalty.

    In 2013, prosecutors notified the defense that “a confidential informant for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office stated that Jake Robinson told him that he, not Mr. Ford, shot and killed Isadore Rozeman.”

    The family of Isadore Rozeman welcomed the overturning of Glenn Ford.

    “This is a positive reflection on the criminal justice system,” Phillip Rozeman, Isadore Rozeman’s nephew said. “We don’t have animosity for anyone. If someone else was involved or others were involved in his death there also will be justice for those people.”

    According to The Shreveport Times, he also stated about the incident, “From a personal viewpoint for our family, this was a hard time and it was tragic that he was killed. It had a major impact, especially on my father, I think it had a negative impact on his health. My uncle was a kind and gentle person. He never hurt anyone. It was tragic he was killed for a few antique watches and clocks, that someone felt they needed to kill him for that.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Historic LeBeau Plantation Destroyed By Fire

    LeBeau Plantation, the historical landmark that was once one of the largest in the south, was completely destroyed by a fire that started early Friday morning. The plantation is one of the largest such estates that can be found south of New Orleans. St. Bernard Parish Fire Chief, Thomas Stone, said that the first call regarding the fire came a little after 2:00 Friday morning. By the time the first crews arrived on the scene, Stone says, ‘it was engulfed,’ and a ‘lost cause.’

    Sadly, LeBeau had been a massive marker of the Old Arabi historic district near New Orleans for decades. According to the Greater New Orleans Times-Picayune, the home was erected in the 1850’s, and has served as a private home, boarding house, hotel, and illegal casino over the years. Six fire trucks, two rescue teams, and 25 firemen could not save the crumbling structure; all that was left were the chimneys, some of the brick wall on the interior, and its foundation.

    The current owners of the home are the Arlene and Joseph Meraux Charitable Foundation, though it hasn’t been inhabited for years. The president of the Foundation says that her family is ‘saddened’ by the loss of the home, and had many plans for the landmark. Unfortunately, those plans will never see fruition, as the home is ‘a total devastation,’ according to Chief Stone.

    There were seven men arrested in regard to the fire later on Friday, ranging in age from 17 to 31. The seven males being detained for allegedly starting the fire had been “ghost-hunting” in the house, as well as drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. They are purported to have caused $50,000 worth of damages in the destruction of the property.

    Main image courtesy infrogmation via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Walmart Food Stamps, EBT Glitch Empties Shelves

    If a temporary glitch incorrectly showed that there were no restrictions to your bank account, would you proceed to max out the card with unlimited merchandise? A similar situation involving the EBT system for food stamp benefits took place at the following two Walmart locations: Mansfield, Louisiana, and Springhill, Louisiana.

    According to Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd, “I saw people drag out eight to ten grocery carts. It was definitely worse than Black Friday. It was worse than anything we had ever seen in this town. There was no food left on any of the shelves, and no meat left. The grocery part of Walmart was totally decimated.”

    Shoppers continued pounding store clerks with carts full of merchandise until Saturday at roughly 9 p.m. CT. At that time, a Walmart employee made an announcement over the intercom explaining that the complications derived from the EBT system had been resolved where the computers were able to show accurate balance amounts. Shopping carts loaded down with every imaginable food item were left vacant in the aisles.

    Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd surmised that situation. “At that point in time, they knew the jig was up and they couldn’t purchase what they wanted to,” he said.

    Shopper Stan Garcia said, “That’s plain theft, that’s stealing that’s all I got to say about it.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klqqfaZg1wE

    While the situation in Louisiana left many store clerks with an unprecedented amount of unnecessary work, employees at the Walmart in Philadelphia, Mississippi, became fearful when a small riot broke out according to the Clarion-Ledger. When the EBT cards were not working, many of these grocery shoppers left the store without paying for goods.

    Walmart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling talked with KSLA-TV about handling the situation, and choosing the best avenue to ensure safety for the customers.

    “For the safety of our customers we did make a management decision to close the store. We’re looking into everything; looking at surveillance video and working with the local police,” Kayla Whaling said.

    Seventeen states were affected by this EBT system glitch, and people were unable to purchase groceries as a result.

    [Images Via YouTube]

  • FBI 2012 Crime Stats: Tennessee is Most Dangerous State

    24/7 Wall St.com did an analysis last week of the FBI’s recently released 2012 crime statistics, but before anyone starts hastily comparing states, it should be noted that the FBI does remind people not to compare state violence in rankings.

    “These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region,” the FBI said at the end of their report. “Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents.”

    Because no system of ranking could fairly gauge the numerous unknown variables, and because crime is reported and measured in different ways by different states, Urban Institute senior fellow John Roman would also caution against comparing them. The trend of declining crime since the 1990s is not clearly traced to any one factor, though experts have suggested demography, higher incarceration, falling crack use and new social programs as reasons for the decline.

    But trends always have exceptions. Alaska, Delaware, and Maryland are states with a high level of education and a high income, yet they are found within the top 10 because of small urban areas with a high crime rate (the city of Baltimore comes to mind).

    The 24/7 Wall St analysis was calculated by using the FBI’s population estimates and comparing four types of violent crime per 100,000 residents: homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Income, poverty, and education statistics were also compared as the relationship between the uneducated, the impoverished, and rising crime rates has been followed for decades.

    Here are the top 10 most violent states in the U.S. based on their calculations. If you want to see the report for yourself, you can find it here. Included are explanations of each states’ crime rates and the factors that contributed.

    1. Tennessee
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 643.6
    > Poverty rate: 17.9%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 24.3%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,371.4 (10th highest)

    2. Nevada
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 607.6
    > Poverty rate: 16.4%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 22.4%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 2,809.4 (23rd highest)

    3. Alaska
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 603.2
    > Poverty rate: 10.1%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 28.0%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 2,739.4 (24th lowest)

    4. New Mexico
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 559.1
    > Poverty rate: 20.8%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 26.1%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,600.7 (4th highest)

    5. South Carolina
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 558.8
    > Poverty rate: 18.3%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 25.1%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,822.2 (the highest)

    6. Delaware
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 547.4
    > Poverty rate: 12.0%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 29.5%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,340.9 (13th highest)

    7. Louisiana
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 496.9
    > Poverty rate: 19.9%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 22%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,540.6 (5th highest)

    8. Florida
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 487.1
    > Poverty rate: 17.1%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 26.8%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,276.7 (15th highest)

    9. Maryland
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 476.8
    > Poverty rate: 10.3%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 36.9%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 2,753.5 (25th lowest)

    10. Oklahoma
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 469.3
    > Poverty rate: 17.2%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 23.8%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,401.0 (9th highest)

    [Image via Google Maps]

  • Solitary Confinement: Dying Inmate, 71, Freed Four Decades Later

    After spending 41 years in solitary confinement for a murder he says he didn’t commit, Herman Wallace was freed on Tuesday. To add insult to injury, the 71-year-old Louisiana man has lung cancer and isn’t expected to live for more than a couple of months.

    Wallace is part of the Angola Three, a group of black men that are said to be victims of racial discrimination. The three men were placed in solitary confinement after being accused of murdering a white prison guard at Louisiana State Penitentiary, also called Angola Prison.

    Wallace and two other men–Robert Hillary King and Albert Woodfox–were sent to Angola Prison after being convicted of armed robbery in 1971. The next year, Wallace and Woodfox were accused of stabbing prison guard Brent Miller to death, and all three men were placed in solitary confinement. The men were only allowed out of their small cells for one hour per day to shower or exercise.

    The three men were reportedly part of a Black Panther group in Angola at the time of Miller’s murder. Even though no fingerprints were found on the knife used to kill Miller, the two men were found guilty, which many believe was race-related. The Angola Three was the subject of the documentary In the Land of the Free, which was narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Amnesty International had the Angola Three on their list of political prisoners.

    U.S. District Chief Judge Brian Jackson in Baton Rouge overturned Wallace’s murder conviction, saying that Wallace’s rights were violated because women were excluded from the jury.

    “The record in this case makes clear that Mr. Wallace’s grand jury was improperly chosen in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of ‘the equal protection of the laws’…and that the Louisiana courts, when presented with the opportunity to correct this error, failed to do so,” Jackson wrote in his ruling.

    Louisiana could start another case against Wallace, but that is unlikely since he doesn’t have long to live. “Nothing can be done for me medically within the standard care that (my oncologists) are authorized to provide,” Wallace said in a statement last month. “They recommended that I be admitted to hospice care to make my remaining days as comfortable as possible. I have been given two months to live.

    Wallace still maintains his innocence regarding Miller’s death. “I want the world to know that I am an innocent man and that Albert Woodfox is innocent as well,” he said. “The state may have stolen my life, but my spirit will continue to struggle along with Albert and the many comrades that have joined us along the way here in the belly of the beast.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Brain-eating Amoeba Claims a 4-year-old’s Life

    Parents will want to hold their little ones tighter after learning of how a 4-year-old contracted a deadly brain infection doing something their kids do every summer–playing on a water toy.

    The child’s identity hasn’t been released, but it has been confirmed that the Mississippi boy contracted the brain-eating Naegleria fowleri (N. fowleri) amoeba while visiting a home in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana in August. Officials say that the water at the Louisiana home tested positive for the amoeba, which they believe infected the child while he was playing. “The child contracted it by playing for a very long period of time on a slip n’ slide in the front yard of the residence they were visiting,” Parish President Dave Peralta said. The parish’s water supply didn’t test positive for the amoeba, but St. Bernard Parish is treating it to be on the safe side.

    According to WebMD, N. fowleri amoeba is found in fresh water all over the earth, including lakes, ponds, mud puddles and untreated swimming pools. While the amoeba is considered common, the possibility of contracting the brain-eating organism is rare. Even if the amoeba is found in one’s water supply, this doesn’t mean they will necessarily die. N. fowleri amoeba only reaches the brain through the nose, not by drinking the water.

    The brain-eating amoeba only affects a handful of people per year, but once it infects the brain it is almost always lethal. “Ninety-nine percent of people who get it die,” Dr. Dirk Haselow of the Arkansas Department of Health said. Symptoms of the infection include vomiting, fever, headache and loss of appetite. From the onset, the primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) infection caused by the amoeba may seem like a less serious illness. After the infection sets in, however, seizures and hallucinations are common, which may be eventually followed by a coma. Death usually occurs within 12 days. Drugs are being tested to treat the infection, but it is rare that they actually work.

    Florida officials issued a warning following a 12-year-old boy’s death from the same infection in August. Should parents think twice about letting their kids play in untreated water during the summer?

    Image via YouTube

  • Sinkhole Swallows Trees In Louisiana: VIDEO

    An enormous sinkhole in Assumption Parish, Louisiana swallowed several trees on Wednesday and the entire thing was caught on video.

    The sinkhole, which was first documented last year, has only grown in size over the past several months. The trees it takes down go completely underwater in a matter of seconds in the eerie video, vanishing like a magician’s illusion as though they had never been there. It’s not clear at this point just how deep the sinkhole is.

    The area has been evacuated for the safety of the residents, although the Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness says that none of the homes nearby are in danger.

    Several sinkholes have opened up across the country in recent months, especially in the southern states. Florida has been hit especially hard, with at least one death after a massive hole opened up right beneath a man’s house. In July, a sinkhole opened up on a busy roadway in Toledo and sucked a car into itself; the driver was uninjured.

  • Louisiana Gunman Kills Hostage Before Being Shot

    A standoff inside a Louisiana bank ended in tragedy last night after a 20-year old gunman shot two of his hostages before police took him down.

    Fuaed Abdo Ahmed gave authorities a list of demands after taking over the Tensas State Bank in St. Joseph, and based on that list, police believe he was a seriously ill individual. Ahmed told them he had a device in his head that made him hear voices and said he wanted it all to stop. He also had a bag full of items to torture people with, and police believe he would have done just that to his hostages if he’d had the time.

    “His intent was to inflict pain and kill these individuals,” Louisiana State Police superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson said.

    Ahmed initially held three people hostage but let one woman go during the 12-hour standoff; the other two hostages, a man and a woman, were both shot before the S.W.A.T. team swarmed in. Police have not identified them but say one died and one is in critical condition.

    Ahmed’s family owns a local convenience store and were at the scene to help police. However, Ahmed was prepared; authorities say he had a book on hostage negotiations and knew what he was in store for.

    “This was not a bank robbery,” Edmonson said. “He actually had a book for negotiations… and knew exactly how the negotiations would take place, the questions he would be asked.”

  • Rig Blowout Leads To Evacuation Of 47 Workers

    As of late, the gulf coast has become more well-known for oil spills and natural disasters than its natural beauty and once bountiful fishing and shrimping. A major oil spill in 2010 caused major damage to the area, damage that is still being dealt with.

    The latest event is this line of tragedy occurred today as a blowout on a natural gas rig off of the Louisiana coast lead to an unexpected leak. The blowout occurred 40 miles south and 15 west of Grand Isle at about 9:50 a.m.

    In the wake of the leak 47 workers on the rig were evacuated. No injuries or fires have been reported in relation to the leak and the gas released is expected to dissipate with minimal impact. The Coast Guard has been monitoring the resulting gas cloud from the air.

    The rig, which is owned by the company Hercules Offshore, was said to be working on completing what is called a “sidetrack-well” in the industry. “Sidetrack-wells” are used to reenter gas wells and are usually used when the original entry becomes damaged.

    Hercules has yet to release full details of the event, but it looks as if it will be less harmful to the area than past spills.

  • Louisiana Sinkhole Forces Evacuation Of 350 Residents

    A sinkhole that has reached 22 acres in size is forcing the evacuation of 350 people in Louisiana after an underground salt dome cavern collapsed.

    The original hole opened up last August, and now several families are having to give up their homes as oil and natural gas comes to the surface, making the area unsafe. Texas Brine Co., the company that operates the salt dome, is offering to buy many of the homes to make the transition easier for those who have to leave, but only 44 out of 92 families have accepted. Many residents feel unsafe and are taking the buyout offers simply because they have no choice.

    “We just feel that this place is not ever going to be what it once was,” resident Bucky Mistretta told ABC News. “It was just a beautiful, pristine place on the bayou. And now that’s gone, and we just don’t feel safe about what’s underneath us.”

    But several families are now involved in a class-action lawsuit that will go to trial next year and could cost Texas Brine Co. millions of dollars. They were fined last year by the state for failing to contain the sinkhole and for taking so long to install air monitoring devices in the homes around the sinkhole.

    It’s been a wild year for sinkholes all across the South; Florida, especially, has been hard hit and many occurrences have caused fatalities. In March, a man was in his bedroom when the entire room collapsed in a massive sinkhole; his brother tried to save him, but he was too late. Elsewhere in Florida, a swimming pool was swallowed up when a hole opened in a residential neighborhood, and a Toledo woman recently found herself twenty feet below the surface of the road when a sinkhole swallowed her car. The woman was unharmed.

  • Lil Snupe Memorial Service Attended by Hundreds

    18-year-old rapper Lil Snupe (real name Addarren Ross) was shot and killed in Winnfield, Louisiana earlier this month. The young rapper’s death shook the small Louisiana community where he lived, and hundreds attended a memorial service for the teen this weekend.

    According to a Shreveport Times report, hundreds of people attended a memorial service for Snupe on Saturday afternoon at the Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Attendees reportedly arrived as early as three hours before the service, and several speakers addressed the crowd to eulogize Snupe.

    Police were called to the Maplewood Apartments in Winnfield on June 20 for reports of gunshots. When they arrived Snupe was found with two bullet wounds to his chest. First responders tried to stabilize the teen, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

    The suspect in the shooting, 36-year-old Tony Holden, turned himself in to Winnfield police on June 26. He has been charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and first-degree murder.

    (via Shreveport Times)