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The Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Committee event set for June 8

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The Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Committee event set for June 8


The Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Committee is commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States by educating the community about African American heritage, and by promoting positive cultural interaction.

This year’s events kicks off June 8 and features a job fair, a music festival, and also a sickle cell walk.

“The walk is a very special walk because world sickle cell day is on June 19, so we are including it in the Juneteenth festivities because sickle cell disease affects a lot of African Americans, especially within the Untied States. So we are in need for more treatment, more medicines for the sickle cell patients,” said sickle cell survivor Sherrell Jones.





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Why a voting rights advocate says AG Murrill could be tanking Louisiana’s redistricting case • Louisiana Illuminator

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Why a voting rights advocate says AG Murrill could be tanking Louisiana’s redistricting case • Louisiana Illuminator


The U.S. Supreme Court hasn’t set a date for when it will hear the challenge against Louisiana’s majority-Black 6th Congressional District as an illegal racial gerrymander, but one invested onlooker has made it clear where she stands on the case in the meantime.

In doing so, she claims Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who’s defending the map, is content to lose the case because it will lead to the removal of the state’s second majority-Black district in Congress. 

It’s an allegation Murrill firmly refutes, despite having strenuously defended a prior map in federal court that had just one majority-Black district.    

Marina Jenkins, executive director for the National Redistricting Foundation, told reporters last week her group’s “friend of the court” brief (as an outside party to the case) filed Dec. 26 calls on the Supreme Court to keep the current map in place.

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Her organization, which is aligned with the Democratic Party, maintains politics, not race, factored into the crafting of the new 6th District. Specifically, Louisiana’s Republican leaders decided who would be sacrificed among their GOP congressional incumbents, she said.   

Also, Jenkins suggested that Murrill’s heart might not be in the task of defending the current map. 

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Even though Louisiana wants the court to keep the current map in place, she said Murrill and state Solicitor General Benjamin Aguiñaga are trying to undermine the portion of the federal Voting Rights Act that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, Section 2.    

“The state of Louisiana has presented outlandish arguments intending to undermine precedent on Section 2 claims, going as far as to say that the state has no obligation to comply with federal law and vote dilution claims,” she said, referencing prior cases when Murrill stood behind maps that watered down Black voting strength.

Murrill firmly rejected Jenkins’ claims Thursday when reached by the Illuminator.

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“We absolutely disagree with everything that she said,” the attorney general said in an email from her spokesman. “We have vigorously defended this map, and we look forward to continuing to defend the map at the United States Supreme Court.”

Louisiana filed its own brief Dec. 19 that explains why it supports the map, Murrill said.

“Our brief urges the Supreme Court to uphold [the map] and provide clarity to states that, like Louisiana, are forced into endless litigation every time a new census requires redistricting,” the attorney general wrote. 

Projections show Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax overhaul will erase next year’s budget deficit in Louisiana

A group of non-Black 6th District voters sued in February to throw out the new version of the 6th District state lawmakers had approved the month before. A federal district judge ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor, and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeal upheld that decision.

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The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal but gave its OK to use its boundaries for the Nov. 5 election. State Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, won his way back to Congress in that race, having previously represented the 4th District from 1993-97. Coincidentally, the federal courts rejected that version of the 4th District because it was deemed an illegal racial gerrymander.

This is not the first time Murrill and the National Redistricting Foundation have crossed paths.

The group, founded in 2017, filed one of its very first lawsuits a year later against Louisiana for its congressional map that had just one majority-Black district out of its six U.S. House seats. The case timed out with the 2020 Census, which required a new round of congressional reapportionment anyway.

The foundation, with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund leading the way, successfully challenged a congressional map approved in 2022 – one that’s Murrill job to defend as attorney general  – with just one majority-Black U.S. House seat in Louisiana. Before that decision could be appealed, its fate became clear in 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Alabama’s congressional map that also shorted the state’s Black population. 

At the time, legal analysts said the case for a second Black congressional district in Louisiana was even stronger than Alabama’s. So when Republican Gov. Jeff  Landry took office in January, he and Murrill conceded the court fight over the 2022 map, and state lawmakers then convened for a special session to update the lines for the 6th District.

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When state legislators were given options in January, the NAACP and NRF backed a bill that created a more compact majority-Black seat out of the 5th District anchored in Northeast Louisiana and held by U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start. The GOP-dominated Legislature instead chose to create a 6th District that stretches awkwardly between Baton Rouge and Northwest Louisiana, largely keeping intact Letlow’s district and the 4th District U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport, represents   

Jenkins was asked why her organization is now defending the new 6th District rather than suing to revive the revised 5th District it originally supported. She said it’s more important for justices to issue a ruling that ends a federal court pattern of “moving the goalposts” on the Voting Rights Act. 

“This has been sort of a nonstop attack against enforcement of voting rights, protections for voters of color,” she said.

Republican attorneys general in other states have followed Louisiana’s redistricting court saga closely. Fourteen of them filed an amicus brief in a separate NAACP LDF lawsuit that argues state lawmakers underrepresented Black voters when they redrew districts for the Louisiana House of Representatives. 

Murrill defended the Louisiana House map and didn’t join her Republican peers in the brief.

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NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney Jared Evans said at the time the stakes in that case extend well beyond Louisiana. 

“They know that if Section 2 is upheld, there are a lot of states that need to have additional … Black districts in their [state] house maps, but also in the congressional map, in the state school board maps and all of the other political boundaries,” Evans said. 

Lawmakers ponder ‘tort reform’ rebrand to fix car insurance crisis in Louisiana

Jenkins highlighted another common thread between Louisiana and other states where Republicans have fought to constrain Black voting strength. The outside law firm Murrill has hired to assist the state in its defense, Holtzman Vogel, also defended what Jenkins called “egregious gerrymanders” in political maps for North Carolina and Ohio.

Drew Ensign, the Holtzman Vogel attorney working on Louisiana’s case, previously worked with Landry and Murrill when they led 24 states in a challenge of the Biden administration’s rejection of Trump-era immigration policy.

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Jenkins argues further that race and politics are intertwined. While drawing district lines based on racial makeup is illegal, she noted lawmakers are allowed to take politics into account — making the existing 6th District legally sound. 

She contends that the Republican-led Louisiana Legislature and Landry steered the redistricting process to sacrifice Congressman Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge from the 6th District.

Graves had fallen out of favor with Landry after choosing to back business lobbyist and longtime friend Stephen Waguespack in the 2023 governor’s race. He had also lost support from Louisiana’s hardcore GOP sect who viewed Graves as insufficiently supportive of Rep. Steve Scalise’s failed bid for U.S. House speaker. 

“The Legislature had multiple pathways to create a … compliant map, but testimony from legislators showed that the boundaries of the new district were designed with political interests top of mind, specifically the uniquely partisan goal of favoring one incumbent,” Jenkins said, referring to Letlow.

With Republicans now in control of Congress, the outcome of this case isn’t likely to affect whatever momentum the incoming Trump administration builds for at least a couple of years. But if historical election patterns hold true and Democrats attain House control in the 2027 midterms, Louisiana’s two majority-Black seats might be key to that swing.

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Louisiana couple discovers quadruplet daughters are two sets of identical twins

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Louisiana couple discovers quadruplet daughters are two sets of identical twins


One Louisiana-based couple celebrated the end of 2024 with an extraordinary delivery — quadruplet daughters.

On November 20, Farrah Larry went in for her cesarean section knowing she was about to give birth to four healthy baby girls. What she and her husband Peyton didn’t know was that their babies would come out as two sets of identical twins.

In conversation with People, the 29-year-old mother spoke about the remarkable birth, which occurred just before Thanksgiving.

“I was laughing and crying at the same time,” she remembered before adding: “My husband was about to pass out.”

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The happy couple, who met in college, found out they were having quadruplets only after they announced they were expecting in May 2024. Because they’d conceived their girls naturally, they were stunned to hear Farrah was carrying more than one baby.

According to the Journal of Family and Reproductive Health, the odds of conceiving quadruplets without any fertility treatment are large, falling somewhere between 1 and 512,000 or 1 and 677,000, not to mention the extremely rare outcome of having two sets of identical twins.

“Clearly God has a plan for these girls because the odds were against us. We’ve just got to trust Him,” Farrah said.

The new parents originally referred to the children as Baby A, B, C, and D, before they were named Paisley, Psalm, Lyric, and Fallyn. Paisley and Psalm are one set of twins, while Lyric and Fallyn are another.

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Peyton and Farrah left their monikers up to fate, picking each name from a random draw out of a brown bag.

“As the baby came out, he would pull out the name and say, ‘Alright, this is Lyric…,’” Farrah explained.

Each baby came out of the womb weighing about four pounds. They were placed in a neonatal intensive care unit for a few weeks before they were allowed to be released from the hospital.

“I’m sleeping maybe three and a half hours a night,” Farrah shared with People. “For diapers, we’re going through seven or eight a day, times four. We’re going through packs quickly. It’s the same for bottles; they eat like eight times a day.”

In 2023, an Alabama-based couple witnessed their own miracle, welcoming quadruplets, two sets of identical twins. The boys — David and Daniel — and the girls — Evelyn and Adeline — were carried by Hannah Carmack and welcomed via cesarean section when she was 27 weeks.

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Louisiana senator shocks terror attack press conference with clever jab at NBC reporter

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Louisiana senator shocks terror attack press conference with clever jab at NBC reporter


A Republican senator known for his support of Donald Trump insulted a member of the media this week – as he spoke about the recent terror attack in New Orleans.

The quip from Louisiana’s John Kennedy, 72, came hours after 14 were killed on the city’s iconic Bourbon Street, by a 42-year-old Army veteran shot dead at the scene.

As Kennedy was tasked with giving members of the media an update, a reporter was heard reminding the conservative that NBC News was ‘here on the right.’

Kennedy’s response – uttered alongside law enforcement officials and the state’s governor Jeff Landry – has since lived in infamy, seemingly unable to resist lampooning the network’s progressive reputation.

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‘That’s an unusual position,’ he said aloud Wednesday, to a combination of laughter and confusion.

As he spoke, Kennedy was seen moving his hands to the right – further hitting home the idea that NBC is a left-leaning outlet.

The jab was seemingly met in jest, but quickly spurred a torrent of outrage on social media.

On the floor in New Orleans, it appeared to confuse the reporter who had shouted the directional in the first place. She’s heard calling out, ‘I don’t get it’ – to which a Kennedy responded, ‘You wouldn’t,’ before taking over the podium.

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John Kennedy, a Republican senator representing Louisiana, insulted a member of the media this week as he spoke about the terror attack in New Orleans

The quip from Louisiana 's John Kennedy, 72, came hours after 15 were killed on the city's iconic Bourbon Street, by a 42-year-old Army veteran shot dead at the scene

The quip from Louisiana ‘s John Kennedy, 72, came hours after 15 were killed on the city’s iconic Bourbon Street, by a 42-year-old Army veteran shot dead at the scene

The rest of the conference contained far fewer jokes –  not surprising considering the occasion.

Kennedy, however, did have some strong words about the federal support the city was receiving during the investigation at the time, before the FBI eventually intervened.

As a result, the outspoken senator’s comments were riddled with contempt, as he appeared visibly frustrated by the situation.

‘I did talk to the Secretary of Homeland Security a little while ago, and I told him that, with all the respect I could muster, that we expect [him] to put the full force and resources of the federal government behind this investigation,’ he said.

Taking occasional sips out of two red solo cups, the politician also promised to ‘raise fresh hell’ and ‘chase the federal government’ for more information.

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At the time, specifics of the believed terror attack were still trickling out, leading to an erroneous report from Fox News that the Texas-born suspect’s truck crossed the US border in Eagle Pass ‘two days ago.’

Attributed to anonymous sources, the bit of misinformation brought politics into the budding investigation, and was quickly aired as fact by a fervent President-elect Trump.

‘When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,’ he wrote on Truth Social eight minutes later.

As Kennedy was tasked with giving members of the media an update, a reporter was heard reminding the conservative that NBC News was 'here on the right.'

As Kennedy was tasked with giving members of the media an update, a reporter was heard reminding the conservative that NBC News was ‘here on the right.’

Kennedy's response - uttered alongside law enforcement officials and the state's governor Jeff Landry - has since lived in infamy, as he seemingly could not resist honing in on the network's progressive reputation

Kennedy’s response – uttered alongside law enforcement officials and the state’s governor Jeff Landry – has since lived in infamy, as he seemingly could not resist honing in on the network’s progressive reputation

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At the time, specifics of the believed terror attack were still trickling out, leading to an erroneous report from Fox News that the Texas-born suspect’s truck crossed the US border in Eagle Pass 'two days ago'

At the time, specifics of the believed terror attack were still trickling out, leading to an erroneous report from Fox News that the Texas-born suspect’s truck crossed the US border in Eagle Pass ‘two days ago’

Before Fox could amend the report, he added: ‘The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before.

‘Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.’

Hours later, it was revealed the suspect was a US citizen, Beaumont-born Shamsud-Din Jabbar. He served in the US Army Reserve, and the car he drove into a crowd gathered in the city’s famed French Quarter was not even his.

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He had rented it via an app known as Turo, and the person who Fox reported had driven the Ford-150 across the border was found to be someone else.

The timeline was also wrong, with the conservative news station later changing the ‘two days’ assertion to ‘two months.’

But the damage was already done, and spawned unfounded accusations online that feds on the scene were in the midst of covering the incident up.

As this was occurring, Kennedy continued to offer his update – appearing somewhat disheveled as he insulated his plastic cups with paper towels.

He promised to chase’ feds as if ‘they stole Christmas’ to find out the ‘truth,’ as his earlier joke sparked some pushback online.

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Attributed to anonymous sources, the bit of misinformation brought politics into the budding investigation, and was quickly aired as fact by a fervent President-elect Trump

Attributed to anonymous sources, the bit of misinformation brought politics into the budding investigation, and was quickly aired as fact by a fervent President-elect Trump

Hours later, it was revealed the suspect was a US citizen, Beaumont-born Shamsud-Din Jabbar. He served in the US Army Reserve, and the car he drove into a crowd gathered in the city's famed French Quarter was not even his

Hours later, it was revealed the suspect was a US citizen, Beaumont-born Shamsud-Din Jabbar. He served in the US Army Reserve, and the car he drove into a crowd gathered in the city’s famed French Quarter was not even his 

As this was occurring, Kennedy continued to offer his update - appearing somewhat disheveled as he insulated his plastic cups with paper towels. He promised to chase’ feds as if 'they stole Christmas’ to find out the 'truth,' while his joke sparked some pushback online

As this was occurring, Kennedy continued to offer his update – appearing somewhat disheveled as he insulated his plastic cups with paper towels. He promised to chase’ feds as if ‘they stole Christmas’ to find out the ‘truth,’ while his joke sparked some pushback online

The checkmarked account ‘Republicans against Trump’ wrote that Kennedy was a ‘disgrace’, tweeting to more than 780,000 followers.

Conservative political commentator Kimberly Klacik conference added how the conference was ‘definitely one of the worst’ she’d ever seen, tweeting, ‘I can barely take notes.’ 

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‘There’s a lot of information going around. Some of it is actually true. Some of it isn’t,’ Kennedy said earlier in the day – as information continues to come out.

Hour later, President Joe Biden promised to give onlookers updates – as the case continues to fold. The FBI is handling the investigation.





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