ETHEL—A Christmas tree farm in Ethel is ready for the holiday rush and happy to keep Christmas traditions alive for families across the state.
Lisa Brabham and her husband Ricky Peairs own Windy Hills Farm and have been growing trees since the 1990s. Last year’s historic lack of rain spooked the couple.
“We had such a serious drought. Some of the trees we lost. They died and some had damaged limbs. We still had plenty to sell, but we were worried about the impact on this year,” Brabham said. “We’ve had calls this year saying, ‘Hey, do y’all have trees this year? Do you have a good selection?’ And I think we do.”
The couple waited anxiously to see if those young trees would come back. As they get ready for the Christmas season to begin, Brabham says she’s pleased with how the farm held up.
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“We’ve had rain this year, so I would say the trees have recovered, so lots better than last year,” Brabham said.
Families can come to chop down their Christmas trees once again and carry on traditions.
“I remember going with the family to go get the tree. It’s a very good memory we have, and I think that’s what people are trying to do now is build memories and get traditions started,” Brabham said.
Windy Hills Farm will be open for business on Black Friday.
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis was arrested on a count of driving while intoxicated over the weekend, a Louisiana State Police spokesperson said.
Lewis, 33, was arrested in West Baton Rouge Parish, officials said.
It is the West Baton Rouge Parish jail’s policy to not book first-offense DWI offenders, therefore Lewis was not held.
First offense DWI is a misdemeanor charge.
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State police said Lewis was initially stopped for driving without headlights.
In a statement, Lewis said he “will be working with lawyers to contest the charge.”
“I have great respect for the men and women who serve our community in law enforcement, and I believe everyone, myself included, is accountable to the law,” he said. “I appreciate the professionalism shown during the encounter.”
Lewis said he understands “the gravity of the situation” and why the community is concerned.
“As I always have, I plan to remain accountable through both my words and my actions, not just through my words,” he said in the statement. “My hope is that our focus remains on the consistent, good work we have accomplished advocating for Louisiana’s citizens.”
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The five-member Public Service Commission regulates utilities in Louisiana, like electricity, water, gas and some telecommunications. Lewis’ district covers majority-Black communities stretching from New Orleans up to West Baton Rouge Parish.
Lewis, a Democrat, is the first openly gay person elected to state office in Louisiana. Since ousting longtime commissioner Lambert Boissiere III in a 2022 election, he has been a prominent critic of Entergy and other utilities.
Lewis is also a frequent foe of Gov. Jeff Landry. In February, the PSC board voted to remove him from his role as vice chair after he called Landry an “a**hole” on the social media app X in response to a post Landry made mocking a transgender Department of Health Official in former President Joe Biden’s administration. Lewis argued he was being held to a different standard because he is Black.
Trump says he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of Venezuela attacks
President Donald Trump said he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of future attacks regarding Venezuela.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as the special envoy to Greenland.
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In a Truth Social post on Dec. 21, Trump said “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,”
It was not clear whether Landry, who became governor in January 2024, would need to step down to assume this role.
Louisiana authorities captured the third and final inmate who escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail following a weeks-long manhunt.
In early December, three inmates — all 20-somethings jailed on “charges of a violent nature”— removed the mortar and concrete blocks of a deteriorating part of a jail wall, then used sheets and other materials to scale the side of the building, dropped to the first-floor roof, and escaped, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has said.
The last remaining escapee, 24-year-old Keith Eli, was apprehended Friday without incident in Opelousas by narcotics detectives and SWAT, the sheriff’s office said. Eli faces one count of attempted second-degree murder.
Eli’s capture comes weeks after authorities apprehended Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, on December 8. Joseph had been jailed on charges of principal to first-degree rape, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other counts. “Numerous tips” and “intelligence gathering” led authorities to find the escapee, the sheriff’s office said.
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Days earlier, Joseph Allen Harrington, a 26-year-old in custody on numerous felony counts, including home invasion and cruelty to juveniles, died by suicide after authorities found him, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told the Associated Press.
Keith Eli, the last of the three inmates who escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail, was captured following a weeks-long manhunt, authorities said (St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office)
A tipster had recognized Harrington, who was pushing an e-bike. Authorities found the e-bike at the home and then used a loudspeaker to urge the individual to come out of the house. They later heard a gunshot and authorities found his body inside with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
Authorities announced the inmates had escaped on December 3.
Maj. Mark LeBlanc, of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, told the AP that he hadn’t heard of anyone escaping from the jail in this manner before.
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“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he told the outlet.
Three inmates escaped St. Landry Parish Jail by removing parts of the wall and then used sheets to scale the side of the building (St. Landry Parish Government)
However, the three men’s jailbreak came months after 10 inmates at another Louisiana jail — the Orleans Justice Center — in May.
The group was able to open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans-area jail, squeeze through a hole behind a toilet, and then scale a barbed-wire fence to freedom. They escaped in the early hours of May 16.
Authorities found a message drawn around the hole: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words “To Easy LoL.”
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While nine of the escapees were captured within six weeks of their jailbreak, the final inmate — who had the most violent criminal record of the group — wasn’t found until October.
