Louisiana
Northwest Louisiana Judge Lane Pittard dies after illness
The Shreveport Times
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Henrietta Wildsmith, Shreveport Times
Northwest Louisiana lost a judge Tuesday evening following an illness.
On Dec. 12, District Judge Lane Pittard passed away at his home.
“We are saddened by the tragic news of Judge Lane Pittard’s passing. He was a humble leader and a dedicated jurist who served our area honorably,” said United States House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Pittard was a Minden, Louisiana native and was respected for his reputation of standing up for victims and putting bad guys away.
In 1978, Pittard graduated from Northwestern State University with a bachelor’s in business administration. He worked in the realm of business until 1992 when he graduated from the University of Arkansas Law School.
Upon graduation, he moved to the Shreveport-Bossier area where he began his career in law and managed a private law practice for 20 years.
Pittard later went on to serve as the lead prosecutor at the Bossier-Webster District Attorney’s office for 14 years. While at the DA’s office he was regarded as one of the most successful prosecutors in the office.
In 2017, Pittard was sworn in as a 26th Judicial District Judge in Division C. He was in his second term as judge and his term was not set to expire until December 2026.
Johnson said, “Kelly (wife) and I join everyone in praying for the Pittard family and the community surrounding the 26th Judicial District Court.”
More: Home in Shreveport, Speaker Mike Johnson says House to vote on impeachment inquiry Wednesday
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
Louisiana
Vote on amendment to Louisiana Senate Bill 2 expected Nov. 18
BATON ROUGE, La. (KSLA) — KSLA is continuing to track updates on Louisiana Senate Bill 2, a controversial measure that could lead to juveniles being charged as adults.
On Monday (Nov. 18), the Louisiana Senate will vote on whether to advance the legislation.
An amendment would allow the Louisiana Legislature to decide, by a two-thirds vote, which crimes committed by juveniles can be prosecuted under adult criminal laws, bypassing juvenile procedures.
The amendment would remove the specific list of crimes from the proposal and allow the Legislature to decide, on a case-by-case basis, which crimes should have juveniles charged as adults.
Voting on the amendment will take place Monday.
Copyright 2024 KSLA. All rights reserved.
Louisiana
Saints vs Browns Game Recap – NFL Week 11
The Cleveland Browns tested the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome but thanks in part to the overall excellence of Taysom Hill the Saints passed the exam and walked away with a 35-14 victory.
The win was the Saints’ second consecutive under the leadership of interim coach Darren Rizzi and improved their record to 4-7 heading into their bye week. The Browns fell to 2-8.
Hill was a contributor all over the field for the Saints, running for three touchdowns (10, 33 and 75 yards), passing for an 18-yard completion, returning a kickoff 42 yards and providing blocking on punt returns and protecting on punts. The veteran finished with 138 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving (eight catches), 42 yards on kickoffs and an 18-yard completion. All three touchdowns came with Hill lined up at quarterback, including the 75-yarder with 2:26 to play when the Saints were trying to run out the clock. It was the longest touchdown run of Hill’s career and the 34-year-old became the fifth-oldest player in NFL history to score three rushing touchdowns in a game.
Louisiana
3 takeaways from South Alabama’s 24-22 win over Louisiana
South Alabama pulled off arguably its biggest win of the season on Saturday night, holding on for a 24-22 victory at first-place Louisiana.
The Jaguars (5-5 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt Conference) led 24-3 at halftime, which was just large enough to last after a wild second-half comeback by the Ragin’ Cajuns (8-1, 5-1). South Alabama needed a stop on a two-point attempt with 1:16 left to close out the win. South Alabama is now one win away from qualifying for a third straight bowl trip, with two games remaining in the regular season. Before that, here are three takeaways from the Jaguars’ 2-point win in Lafayette:
1. South Alabama finally wins a close game
The Jaguars had not won a game by fewer than 15 points before Saturday, and had lost three times by a touchdown or less. Though South Alabama nearly blew a fourth-quarter lead for the third time this season, the Jaguars ultimately closed out a one-score win for the first time under Major Applewhite. There are still execution and mental focus errors that still need to be ironed out, but those are much easier to do after a win than after a loss. Winning this game in the fashion that it did will no doubt build confidence for a South Alabama team that is loaded with youth, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
2. Jaguars in very good shape for bowl-eligibility
South Alabama had played in only two bowl games in its history before 2022, but now is on the verge of a third straight postseason berth. The Jaguars will almost certainly be a heavy favorite next Saturday at last-place Southern Miss, which it has beaten four consecutive years. If South Alabama can lock up a bowl trip next week, it could secure an even more desirable destination by beating Texas State in the regular-season finale in Mobile on Nov. 29. After the devastating loss to Georgia Southern two weeks ago, the Jaguars looked destined to be sitting home in December. Now after knocking off the first-place Ragin’ Cajuns, there is once against postseason life in Mobile.
3. Earlier losses really painful for USA now
Of course, South Alabama could have been in the driver’s seat to host the Sun Belt Conference championship game if it could have finished off either Arkansas State or Georgia Southern earlier this year. The Jaguars led the Red Wolves by one in the final two minutes before allowing a game-winning field goal to lose 18-16, and blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead vs. the Eagles before falling 34-30. The Jaguars are still mathematically alive for the conference championship, but need Louisiana to lose to either Troy or Louisiana-Monroe for that to happen. South Alabama would win a three-way tiebreaker with the Ragin’ Cajuns and Arkansas State, however.
NEXT UP: South Alabama travels to Southern Miss (1-9, 0-6) at 2 p.m. next Saturday. That game will stream live via ESPN+.
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