Louisiana
Parents want school superintendent removed for holding classes in severe weather • Louisiana Illuminator
LAKE CHARLES – The school superintendent for Calcasieu Parish is facing calls for his resignation after he chose not to cancel classes April 10, when three tornados hit the area.
Shannon Lafargue defended his decision in a video statement, saying he kept schools open based on the information available to him and prioritized safety.
However, many community members are angry the superintendent did not cancel school, saying he put students, teachers and staff at risk. Bus drivers are particularly upset, as they were forced to drive through dangerous conditions, including flooded streets and winds of more than 25 mph. Bus routes were further impacted six days later when more than 30 drivers decided not to report to work in protest.
Emails the Illuminator obtained show Lafargue was aware the National Weather Service modified its risk forecast for severe storms April 10 to level 4 out of 5 as early as the morning of April 9. The worst of the weather struck between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The National Weather Service confirmed three separate tornadoes touched down in the Lake Charles area on the morning of April 10. They included an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 115 mph near McNeese State University, and two EF-1 twisters in Cameron Parish.
At the April 16 Calcasieu Parish School Board meeting, District 11 representative Phylis Ayo asked for a formal investigation of how the school superintendent handled the April 10 weather event to determine where the breakdown in communication occurred.
“Something went down, and we don’t know what it is. A formal investigation needs to happen sooner rather than later,” Ayo said.
A unanimous board vote was needed to add an item to the meeting’s agenda for the proposed investigation. District 8 Representative Eric Tarver said he would not support the motion, drawing boos from the standing-room-only audience. Board members Billy Breaux, Glenda Gay and Dean Roberts also voted against the agenda change.
At a special board meeting April 30, Lafargue recommended school board members approve a delayed school start protocol for future weather events. Bus drivers also got the opportunity to air their grievances, with many saying Lafargue owed them an apology.
Bus driver Sharon Welcome said school district officials have previously failed to prioritize the safety of bus drivers, students and teachers during severe weather.
“It’s not the first time. It’s not the fourth or the fifth time that something like this has happened. Enough is enough,” Welcome said. “I’m not going to jeopardize myself for your negligence.”
“The buck stops with you, bus drivers,” Kathy Landry, district representative for the Louisiana School Bus Operators Association, told drivers in the audience. “As your rep, anytime you don’t feel it’s safe to drive that bus, you don’t have to, and the federal government will back us on that one.”
Corey Arvie said he had seven students on board when the severe weather struck April 10. The conditions left them stuck in the middle of the road, less than 2 miles away from the tornado that struck Ryan Street. Arvie said his bus was facing toward the wind, and he worried about tree limbs crashing through his windshield.
“Today marks 20 days that I’ve dealt with trauma, crying out of nowhere, trying to earn the trust of parents again to be their bus driver,” Arvie said. “It’s hard getting up every morning knowing that these parents are trusting us with their kids’ lives, and any wrong turn, any little mistake can cost a life. It’s hard for us to keep going right now.”
Arvie said bus drivers should be represented on the school board and among school district leadership.
“I really do feel like … there should be a bus driver, either on the crisis team, in an office, because no one knows what we go through on a day-to-day basis.”
Teri Johnson, a Southwest Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees representative, asked Lafargue to apologize to those in the audience.
“I haven’t earned your trust. I’m going to do something about it tonight,” Lafargue responded. “It may be too late, but at least from this point forward, no matter what happens to me, our district is going to be better … You voiced your opinion. I said in that video, that didn’t resonate with you, that this will never happen again. You are the most valuable people … I take full responsibility, and everything that goes with that is an apology.”
The school board approved a delayed start policy that would go into effect when severe weather threatens, allowing school to begin as late as 10 a.m.
According to District 10 School Board member Tony O’Banion, the board has received evaluation forms that would decide Lafargue’s future with the system. He told the Illuminator the board will go into executive session during its May 14 meeting to discuss the evaluations and will decide whether Lafargue’s contract will be renewed by June 30.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing
3-9-9
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing
4-1-1-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing
0-5-2-9-5
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.
The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.
New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.
During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.
According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.
“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.
While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.
“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.
Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.
“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Jury selection begins Monday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest auto insurance fraud cases in Louisiana history, with two local attorneys set to stand trial on charges that include fraud and obstruction of justice.
Attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are accused in an alleged scheme in which drivers — referred to as “slammers” — were paid to intentionally crash into 18-wheelers, file injury lawsuits and allow attorneys to collect the settlements. Both have pleaded not guilty.
63 people have been charged in the case. Many have already pleaded guilty. Motta and Giles are being tried together.
Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock, who is not directly involved in the case but has been following it closely, said the scope of the litigation is significant.
“You have 10 years of personal injury cases and almost… almost a billion dollars in recovery. That’s all at issue,” Mordock said. “So yeah, this could go two to three weeks.”
Motta’s defense team has advanced a narrative that she was manipulated by a co-defendant.
“There is a compelling narrative that’s been advanced by Vanessa Motta’s lawyer in terms of her being manipulated by one of the co-defendants… about being manipulated by him and him having a prior federal conviction for fraud,” Mordock said.
Motta’s team originally claimed she did not know the crashes were staged. In 2024, her team told FOX 8 she is the victim.
Mordock said Giles faces a more difficult defense.
“I don’t see a favorable juror for one of the other lawyer defendants, Jason Giles. There’s not a clear theory of innocence. This is basically a standard white-collar prosecution where knowledge and intent are going to be the issue,” Mordock said.
The case carries what Mordock described as a shadow. In September 2020, key witness Cornelious Garrison was killed in New Orleans four days after his name appeared in an indictment. Garrison’s admitted killer, Ryan Harris, is expected to testify.
The judge in the case is also allowing the slain witness’s recorded descriptions of the alleged scheme to be admitted at trial.
Mordock said Louisiana drivers have a direct stake in the outcome.
“As your average Louisianan, the idea would be you would save… because the people committing this fraud have been wrapped up. The insurance companies are going to know how to look for this,” Mordock said.
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