Louisiana
Schools in Louisiana must display Bible's 10 Commandments
A new law in Louisiana requires every state school classroom to display the Bible’s 10 Commandments.
Jeff Landry, the Governor of the ultraconservative southern US state, signed the law on Wednesday in a move that has reignited the debate over separation of church and state.
“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original law given – which was Moses,” said Mr Landry, referring to the figure who, according to the Bible’s Old Testament, received the directives from God.
The legislation, the first of its kind in the US, mandates that the biblical text be on display starting in 2025 in all public classrooms from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
The law requires the 10 Commandments to be displayed as a poster or framed document “and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font”, the bill’s text reads.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded to the legislation by indicating it would take the case to court.
“The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the organisation said in a statement.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution forbids the establishment of a national religion or the preference of one religion over another.
Louisiana’s controversial new law, in a state deep within the US “Bible Belt”, comes during a new era of conservative leadership under Mr Landry.
Republicans hold a supermajority in the legislature, as well as every statewide elected position, paving the way for lawmakers to push through a conservative agenda.
Updated: June 20, 2024, 1:44 PM
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed two people are in critical condition and multiple others have been hurt following a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana.
The shooting is believed to have happened near the food court.
Paramedics have been called to the scene. They are setting up a triage near JC Penney.
Police are looking for one to two shooters.
Right now, they are clearing out the drive to get in and out of the mall for emergency responders only.
Gov. Jeff Landry released a statement:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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DESTIN, Fla. — A North Carolina man allegedly headed to do a mass shooting at a large Louisiana festival was arrested in Okaloosa County Wednesday evening.
Federal authorities contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the man. The department was told the man would be in the area.
The man’s name has not been shared by authorities.
Deputies found the man at a Destin Hotel. They took him into custody as a “fugitive from justice.”
The man will be extradited to Louisiana to face state charges, deputies say.
Louisiana
Mom whose 3 children were killed in Louisiana mass shooting still has bullet lodged in face — and sometimes thinks kids are alive
The mother of three of the eight children massacred by deranged Army veteran dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana still has a bullet lodged in her head and is struggling with her memory — sometimes believing her kids are still alive, according to a relative.
Christina Snow, the girlfriend of 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, was shot in the face early Sunday when the former National Guardsman went on a shooting rampage at two nearby homes in Shreveport.
Three of Snow’s children she shared with Elkins — Braylon Snow, 5, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Sariahh Snow, 11 — were killed in their home.
Elkins fired a bullet through Snow’s nose which is lodged in her head, and doctors aren’t ready to risk surgery, according to her cousin Jamarckus Snow.
The mom is now dealing with heartbreaking memory loss about the fate of her kids.
“One day, she’ll remember they’re dead. I heard yesterday she woke up and was like, ‘I got to get my kids ready for school.’ She’ll lose memory of what happened,” he told NBC News.
“One day, she’ll know, and the next day, she’s thinking her kids is still there.”
Follow the latest updates on the Louisiana father who killed 8 children in Shreveport shooting:
Elkins fatally shot his seven children — the three he shared with Snow and his four daughters with his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh: Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, and Layla Pugh, 7.
He also killed Mar’Kaydon Pugh, 10, the son of his wife’s sister, who was staying at their house.
The vet turned his gun on Pugh and Snow, too, severely wounding both women, who are still in the hospital.
Elkins shot himself in the driveway of his former military mentor as law enforcement closed in.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Elkins was suffering from mental health issues and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday after Pugh asked him for a divorce.
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