Louisiana
Shoppers react to rule changes for those under 18 at Mall of Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – On June 25, the Mall of Louisiana announced its implementation of the ‘Parental Guidance Required’ (PGR) program that will go into effect on Friday, June 28.
Mall of Louisiana announces adult supervision policy for guests under 18
WAFB spoke with many shoppers about what this means and heard their thoughts on the new changes.
Meleia and J.B. Nelson say they think this is a great idea that will keep shoppers and employees safe.
“Sometimes the kids get rowdy…you know, especially on Fridays and Saturdays,” Meleia says.
“A lot of them don’t mean any harm, they’re just having fun but sometimes they can get out of hand and they need someone like maybe more security guards that might be around at that time,” J.B. says.
Other shoppers agree. Carmen Richard and Aaliyah Rodruiguez say they saw a group of young men being escorted out by security guards and voices being raised the last time they were at the mall.
“I feel like it is definitely a benefit to the whole mall.” Richard says.
The friends say it may be tough for those almost 18 years old, but they believe it will be beneficial in minimizing the potential of unsupervised incidents.
“Yeah I think it’s sad we have to do it, but hopefully it’ll be better to make it more of a family environment,” Rodruigez says.
WAFB also spoke to one woman who is visiting Baton Rouge from Egypt, Nada Elkaffas. She says in the malls she shops at in Egypt, there are no such rules.
“Coming from a culture that is so strict and conservative, we don’t do this there, so it’s kind of weird, it’s kind of bizarre actually,” Elkaffas said. ” It’s a very critical age, but at the same, time we should trust our kids.”
Mall officials say this rule is a permanent change. Guards will be located at every entrance of the malls and at the entrances to the malls from department stores.
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Louisiana
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis arrested on DWI count, State Police say
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis was arrested on a count of driving while intoxicated over the weekend, a Louisiana State Police spokesperson said.
Lewis, 33, was arrested in West Baton Rouge Parish, officials said.
It is the West Baton Rouge Parish jail’s policy to not book first-offense DWI offenders, therefore Lewis was not held.
First offense DWI is a misdemeanor charge.
State police said Lewis was initially stopped for driving without headlights.
In a statement, Lewis said he “will be working with lawyers to contest the charge.”
“I have great respect for the men and women who serve our community in law enforcement, and I believe everyone, myself included, is accountable to the law,” he said. “I appreciate the professionalism shown during the encounter.”
Lewis said he understands “the gravity of the situation” and why the community is concerned.
“As I always have, I plan to remain accountable through both my words and my actions, not just through my words,” he said in the statement. “My hope is that our focus remains on the consistent, good work we have accomplished advocating for Louisiana’s citizens.”
The five-member Public Service Commission regulates utilities in Louisiana, like electricity, water, gas and some telecommunications. Lewis’ district covers majority-Black communities stretching from New Orleans up to West Baton Rouge Parish.
Lewis, a Democrat, is the first openly gay person elected to state office in Louisiana. Since ousting longtime commissioner Lambert Boissiere III in a 2022 election, he has been a prominent critic of Entergy and other utilities.
Lewis is also a frequent foe of Gov. Jeff Landry. In February, the PSC board voted to remove him from his role as vice chair after he called Landry an “a**hole” on the social media app X in response to a post Landry made mocking a transgender Department of Health Official in former President Joe Biden’s administration. Lewis argued he was being held to a different standard because he is Black.
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President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as the special envoy to Greenland.
In a Truth Social post on Dec. 21, Trump said “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,”
It was not clear whether Landry, who became governor in January 2024, would need to step down to assume this role.
Louisiana authorities captured the third and final inmate who escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail following a weeks-long manhunt.
In early December, three inmates — all 20-somethings jailed on “charges of a violent nature” — removed the mortar and concrete blocks of a deteriorating part of a jail wall, then used sheets and other materials to scale the side of the building, dropped to the first-floor roof, and escaped, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has said.
The last remaining escapee, 24-year-old Keith Eli, was apprehended Friday without incident in Opelousas by narcotics detectives and SWAT, the sheriff’s office said. Eli faces one count of attempted second-degree murder.
Eli’s capture comes weeks after authorities apprehended Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, on December 8. Joseph had been jailed on charges of principal to first-degree rape, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other counts. “Numerous tips” and “intelligence gathering” led authorities to find the escapee, the sheriff’s office said.
Days earlier, Joseph Allen Harrington, a 26-year-old in custody on numerous felony counts, including home invasion and cruelty to juveniles, died by suicide after authorities found him, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told the Associated Press.
A tipster had recognized Harrington, who was pushing an e-bike. Authorities found the e-bike at the home and then used a loudspeaker to urge the individual to come out of the house. They later heard a gunshot and authorities found his body inside with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
Authorities announced the inmates had escaped on December 3.
Maj. Mark LeBlanc, of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, told the AP that he hadn’t heard of anyone escaping from the jail in this manner before.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he told the outlet.
However, the three men’s jailbreak came months after 10 inmates at another Louisiana jail — the Orleans Justice Center — in May.
The group was able to open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans-area jail, squeeze through a hole behind a toilet, and then scale a barbed-wire fence to freedom. They escaped in the early hours of May 16.
Authorities found a message drawn around the hole: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words “To Easy LoL.”
While nine of the escapees were captured within six weeks of their jailbreak, the final inmate — who had the most violent criminal record of the group — wasn’t found until October.
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