Louisiana
Faimon Roberts: Liz Murrill and the Case of the Ancient Plank
Just where is that damn board?
Nobody knows. It’s a Louisiana mystery. An ancient cypress plank, 20 feet long and six wide, has gone missing. It couldn’t have been an easy heist. The thing is huge, and certainly weighs hundreds of pounds at least.
This wasn’t as simple as slipping into the Louvre and making off with a few jewels.
No, this was a complex operation. It probably took a group. Maybe Danny Ocean was the mastermind.
This whole story just deliciously reeks of Louisiana. An object that started in a swamp, moved to the State Capitol, then out to the suburbs, is now missing and is the focus of the state’s top law enforcement officer. This is truly one for the “Louisiana is different” genre of political tales.
There’s Attorney General Liz Murrill who, like literary gumshoes Sherlock Holmes or Encyclopedia Brown, doesn’t know where the plank is but has fingered a suspect: former Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder.
Earlier this week, prosecutors from Murrill’s office persuaded a Baton Rouge grand jury to indict Schexnayder on counts of theft of a rare Louisiana artifact and malfeasance in office.
Murrill’s biggest clue is this: The board was last seen in Schexnayder’s district office in Gonzales.
The mystery is just the latest twist in the board’s long and interesting history. It began its life as part of a cypress tree in Lake Maurepas more than 1,000 years ago. That tree was cut down in the 1930s. The board was extracted and, in the 1950s, it was donated the state and was hung for display in the state capitol.
On it were engraved words describing its origin. It is a one-of-a-kind piece.
Sometime in the last two decades, the plank was moved to Schexnayder’s district office in Gonzales. Schexnayder said the move came in 2013 and was suggested by then-Speaker of the House Chuck Kleckley, of Lake Charles, because it had been cut from a tree in what was now Schexnayder’s district. Kleckley says he has no memory of making that suggestion and it would have been inappropriate for him to do so.
Murrill may have identified the guilty party, but the board’s whereabouts remain unknown. Schexnayder, who once owned an auto mechanic shop, is no Professor Moriarty. He says he has no idea where it is. Nor does the landlord of his office, who said he didn’t remove it when Schexnayder left.
Now, however, Schexnayder is facing two felony counts.
Murrill sleuthing skills might never been engaged if not for the efforts of Julius Mullins, a retired doctor whose grandfather was the one who donated the piece to the state. Mullins asked Murrill to take the case.
I hope Murrill doesn’t stop now and presses until she has found the board, like some sort of Cajun Miss Marple.
But this is a tough one. She may need outside help. Is Nancy Drew available?
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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