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‘One suicide is too many;’ Man runs across Louisiana to raise awareness for veteran, teen suicide

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‘One suicide is too many;’ Man runs across Louisiana to raise awareness for veteran, teen suicide


La. (KPLC) – A run across Louisiana has come to an end, but the conversation it sparked is far from over.

Jeremy Adams, a Louisiana veteran who served in Afghanistan, completed the run to raise money for a public high school while drawing attention to veteran and teen suicide.

The run began Friday, Dec. 18 at the Texas state line at Bon Weir and stretched more than 100 miles across the state, ending in Natchez, Mississippi.

“Finished around 10 o’clock last night (Dec. 21) in Natchez. I got a police escort by the Vidalia Police Department over the river bridge,” Adams said.

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Adams says the run was not easy and hopes this inspires others to keep moving forward, no matter what battle they may be facing.

“I was tired. I ran at night. My feet are hurting; I got screws in my feet. I kept moving forward; I didn’t quit. That’s what I wanted to teach veterans and kids (contemplating) suicide, don’t quit. There’s somebody out there that cares. Don’t end the story before God gives you a chance to show you his plans,” he said.

Adams says the run raised money for East Beauregard High School, the school that Adams says gave him a second family.

“In 2017, a good friend of mine there died of a drug overdose, and that’s what got me running. I quit drinking that year, quit smoking the following May, and then I decided to start running,” Adams said.

Adams is a veteran himself and has overcome his own battles with drug and alcohol addiction, which led him to be interested in running.

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“In 2011, the Lord changed everything. I got wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. It shattered both my heel bones. They said it was a 50% chance I would walk again,” he said.

Although the run is over, Adams says the mission continues, urging people to talk, listen, and take action.

“One suicide is too many; there are gentlemen out there who went to battle, saw combat, and came home and still see that combat on a daily basis. If they need help, reach out and get help,” Adams said.

Adams says all proceeds from the run will go toward supporting students at East Beauregard High School.

If you’d like to donate to Adams’ cause, you can do so through his GoFundMe.

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DHS watchdog finds use-of-force issues and safety and sanitation concerns at Louisiana ICE center

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DHS watchdog finds use-of-force issues and safety and sanitation concerns at Louisiana ICE center


A Department of Homeland Security watchdog report revealed that staff members at an ICE detention center in Louisiana used a prohibited chokehold to “gain control” of a person being held there and stabbed another in the hand with a pen when an officer could not close the door to a housing unit.

The newly released findings about Winn Correctional Center in central Louisiana follow the DHS inspector general’s review of video of the use-of-force incidents as part of an unannounced facility inspection. The report, which was published on the DHS website, also noted that the officer who stabbed the detainee with a pen was disciplined.

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Staff members failed to maintain safe and sanitary conditions, the report says, noting leaking vents and ceilings with insulation falling through. Staff members used napkins and Styrofoam containers to collect the water from the leaks, according to the report.

Scrutiny of conditions inside ICE detention centers that house more than 60,000 detainees has been growing.

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Earlier Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended his agency’s detention standards on Capitol Hill amid complaints about ICE’s Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. That center has been the site of frequent protests.

Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., accused Mullin of leaving detainees without food or medical care.

Mullin rejected the claims. “You can say all you want, but don’t accuse me of something that’s not accurate,” he said.

The inspector general made nine recommendations, ranging from environmental health and safety standards to proper handling of use-of-force incidents and maintaining food service standards.

ICE is working to address all of the issues, including by providing additional staff training, a spokesperson for the agency said.

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“These minor infractions included failing to provide detainees exercise equipment, record keeping errors and leaking vents. Another infraction included providing a shared computer for legal research that would allow other detainees to see other detainees’ case information,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for DHS said the report shows that the facility complies with detention standards.

“ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” the spokesperson said.

Winn Correctional is one of the largest ICE detention centers in the country, housing more than 1,500 men. It opened in 1990, and ICE took it over from the state in 2019.

The report was produced after an unannounced inspection by the DHS inspector general, whose office recently got an infusion of $20 million and plans to boost its inspections from four to six per year to potentially as many as 40 to 60.

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ICE lists 70% of the 1,500 detainees at Winn as having “No ICE threat level,” meaning they do not have violent criminal histories.

Winn is an hour north of Alexandria, which is one of four hubs for ICE deportation flights around the country.



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Louisiana insurance officials to announce retirement of Katrina, Rita bonds

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Louisiana insurance officials to announce retirement of Katrina, Rita bonds


METAIRIE, La. (WVUE) – Louisiana insurance officials will hold a press conference Wednesday to acknowledge the retirement of bonds issued after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation leadership will provide an update on the state-backed insurer as hurricane season begins.

The press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.



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Heart of Louisiana: Civilian Conservation Corps

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Heart of Louisiana: Civilian Conservation Corps


CALVIN, La. (WVUE) – A small community in north-central Louisiana is working to preserve an important piece of its history.

During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps put young men to work replanting by hand the state’s only national forest.

The tiny community of Calvin, tucked away in the resulting pine forest, holds only a few other remaining crumbling clues of that work, as Dave McNamara finds in the Heart of Louisiana.

For more, visit the Heart of Louisiana archive here.

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