A 10-year-old boy is in custody after heconfessedto fatally shooting a former Louisiana mayor and his adult daughter, a police official said Monday.
Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and Keisha Miles, 31, were found dead Sunday morning after officers were dispatched to the former official’s home in Minden, a city of nearly 12,000 east of Shreveport, the city’s police chief said.
Police Chief Jared McIver identified the boy as a relative of Cornelius’ but declined to provide additional details and said authorities have not determined a possible motive.
Joe Cornelius Sr.City of Minden
“Our city is in shock,” McIver said. “How does a 10-year-old commit something so malicious?”
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The boy is being held on two counts of first-degree murder, McIver said. He said it was unclear whether the child has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
The bodies of Cornelius and Miles were found with multiple gunshot wounds, said McIver, who said that two handguns were used and that their magazines were emptied.
A 6-year-old child who was at the home at the time of the shooting was not injured, McIver said.
The older boy initially provided a different account of the deaths but by Sunday afternoon hadconfessed to the shooting, McIver said.
His grandmother was with him at the time of the confession, McIver said.
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Cornelius was a well-known community activist, City Council member and deputy ward marshal for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, NBC affiliate KTAL of Shreveport reported.
In 2013, while on the City Council, Cornelius was appointed interim mayor after the mayor died in office, the station reported.
In a statement Sunday, Minden Mayor Nick Cox said he was grateful for Cornelius’ friendship and “the many ways he supported me and others in our city.”
“Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community,” Cox said, adding: “Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief.”
Investigators in Ragley, Louisiana, are probing the cause of a devastating explosion that obliterated a home, killing a teenage boy from Alabama and injuring five others. The incident, which occurred Saturday morning, left the house in ruins and damaged nearby properties, including vehicles and a metal outbuilding.
The victim, Deuce Barrere, 16, of Theodore, Alabama, was a high school cheerleader whose friends memorialized him on Dauphin Island on Sunday. His older sister and mother were hospitalized, while a toddler in the home escaped injury and is being cared for by family. Louisiana State Fire Marshal Bryan J. Adams called it “an unimaginable tragedy for this family and community.”
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Neighbors reported the explosion felt like an earthquake, causing power outages and knocking items off shelves in nearby homes. Ragley is approximately 20 miles north of Lake Charles. In a statement, Barrere’s girlfriend, Adalynn Hall, described his caring nature, saying, “When I was upset, he always made sure it was good before I left.” (This story was generated by Newser’s AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
A lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and several oil and gas trade associations is challenging a federal rule that the plaintiffs say could hamper oil and gas exploration and production, The Center Square reports.
The rule, which went into effect June 29, requires oil and gas companies operating on the outer continental shelf without investment-grade credit ratings to acquire additional financing to cover potential decommissioning costs for old wells.
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According to the plaintiffs, the rule has the potential to destroy thousands of jobs and result in billions in compliance costs for small, independent operators.
The government says the rule is necessary to prevent taxpayers from having to cover decommissioning costs for the operators.
LSU Health New Orleans is offering a fast-track admissions option for those interested in a public health career. Starting next year, any potential student who is a Louisiana resident or has an undergraduate degree from a Louisiana institution with at least a 3.0 GPA will receive a guaranteed spot in the master’s of public health program.
The initiative is called the Louisiana 3.0+ Scholars Pledge. The goal is to keep Louisiana’s “best and brightest” in town for school and beyond, said Kari Brisolara, professor of environmental health, climate & sustainability at the LSU Health Sciences Center.
“We’re trying to help build up the health care workforce in the state … but with a focus on serving the population of Louisiana,” said Brisolara.
Those with a master’s degree in public health work in a variety of fields, including for nonprofits, all levels of government and pharmaceutical companies.
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Plugging the brain drain
Louisiana is among the states with the most severe losses of highly educated residents, often called the “brain drain.” In 2023, the state saw 62% more college-educated residents leave than move in, according to a report that used data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Only South Dakota and Mississippi saw higher losses.
Another 2019 U.S. Congress report also found that Louisiana ranks high for educated people leaving the state, and they aren’t being replaced by people from other states. Texas, Florida, Georgia, Virginia and California are among the top destinations for Louisiana’s educated residents.
The loss of an educated workforce makes recruiting for in-demand health care jobs such as doctors and nurses more difficult. Louisiana ranks poorly for most health metrics, with high rates of chronic disease and a lower-than-average life expectancy. That makes the state prime training ground for people who want to understand those issues.
“We have no shortage of public health issues to deal with,” said Brisolara. “It’s really the front lines.”
Pandemic-related surge in interest
During the early years of the pandemic, applications to LSU’s master’s of public health program surged 257% compared to 2019. But in 2023 and 2024, interest began to wind down. Currently, the program has 93 students.
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Part of LSU’s mission also is to help find jobs in the state for public health students after they graduate. The most recent class of graduates has an employment rate over 90%, Brisolara said.
Potential students will still have to fill out an application for the program, but they’ll get automatic admission if they meet the GPA and undergraduate institution requirements.
