Louisiana

Louisiana man dies when helicopter with 5 aboard crashes into Naknek River

Published

4 months ago

September 8, 2024

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Louisiana man dies when helicopter with 5 aboard crashes into Naknek River

By Anchorage Daily News

Updated: 1 hour ago Published: 1 hour ago

A Lousiana man died in a helicopter crash near King Salmon Saturday, Alaska State Troopers said.

A helicopter carrying five people departed from the King Salmon airport and crashed into the Naknek River at about 9:18 a.m., a quarter-mile south of the airport, said Clint Johnson, Alaska chief of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The pilot of the Bell 206B helicopter, more commonly known as a Jet Ranger, was transporting four fishermen to a fishing site, according to the preliminary information from NTSB, Johnson said. The helicopter was operated by Egli Air Haul out of King Salmon, Johnson said.

Weather at the airport was foggy at the time of the crash, with visibility around a quarter of a mile, according to the National Weather Service. The helicopter departed under Special Visual Flight Rules, or SVFR, conditions, Johnson said. Such an authorization allows aircraft to leave the airport in less than favorable weather.

Emergency responders and good Sarmatians got the occupants out of the water before authorities arrived, troopers said in an online report.

One passenger — a 73-year-old Louisiana resident Martin de Laureal — was killed in the crash, troopers said. He was a prominent New Orleans businessman and civic leader who was on a fishing trip to Alaska with friends, according to nola.com.

An NTSB investigator was expected to arrive on site this week to document the scene and examine the aircraft, said Sarah Taylor Sulick, the agency’s spokeswoman. After that, the agency plans to recover the aircraft to a secure facility for further evaluation, she said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Louisiana

Senator Cassidy says Louisiana is making progress in infrastructure

Published

6 hours ago

January 14, 2025

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Senator Cassidy says Louisiana is making progress in infrastructure

MONROE, La. (KNOE) – Senator Bill Cassidy says Louisiana is making progress in infrastructure following the approval of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funding.

Senator Cassidy says $1.4 billion was approved by Governor Landry, making Louisiana the first state to get federal approval for a plan to build statewide broadband.

Cassidy also says so far Ruston and Morgan City have taken advantage of this funding.

“With this money we’re receiving from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, we’re creating an even better state for families and businesses. Ruston got a Raise grant several years ago and they built a connector between the City of Ruston and Louisiana Tech University, we just cut the ribbon recently. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill we quadrupled the money going to such grants,” says Senator Bill Cassidy.

For information on how to apply for federal grants visit Senator Cassidy’s website.

WATCH: KNOE Latest Video

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Louisiana

BRProud rebrands as Louisiana First News

Published

14 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Fox 44 News and NBC 33 News, a pair of Baton Rouge broadcast news stations formerly under the banner of BRProud, have launched a new joint brand: Louisiana First News.

The stations, also known respectively as WGMB-TV and WVLA-TV, announced the rebranding Friday.

In a statement announcing the move, the stations call the launch of Louisiana First News a “unified news endeavor rooted in [Louisiana’s] authentic culture and dedicated to providing all the information Louisianans want and need to know.”

The stations also say that viewers should expect “additional changes” going forward, though they do not hint at what those changes might entail.

WGMB-TV and WVLA-TV are both under the umbrella of Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of local television stations in the nation. The media group currently has 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets, according to its website.

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Louisiana

Altadena Resident with Louisiana Roots Recalls Horrifying Wildfires

Published

22 hours ago

January 14, 2025

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Altadena Resident with Louisiana Roots Recalls Horrifying Wildfires

LAFAYETTE — LAFAYETTE, La. (KATC) — Wildfires in Los Angeles have destroyed about 40,000 acres of land—an area larger than the city of Lafayette.

KATC spoke with Dr. Carolyn Dunn, a professor at California State University and an Altadena resident with deep Louisiana roots. She shared the harrowing story of how the fires forced her to evacuate her home twice.

Dr. Dunn recalled the frightening moments from last week when she received a call from her daughter, warning that they had to evacuate their Altadena home after a wildfire broke out nearby.

“The next morning, I watched the town burn down. Driving down the freeway, the winds were pushing the cars. Power lines were down, debris was flying, trees were flying—it was crazy. As we came around a bend near Pasadena, we could see the fire racing down the mountain,” Dunn said.

Dunn’s current home was spared, but the fire destroyed her childhood home. She also spoke about how some of her close colleagues lost their homes, describing the experience as the “craziest, most terrifying” thing she’s ever seen.

Dunn’s family has ties to Louisiana—her cousins live in Opelousas, and her great-grandmother is from Opelousas, while her great-grandfather hailed from Marksville.

The American Red Cross has deployed teams from Louisiana to assist those affected by the fires.

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