News

BATON ROUGE – Researchers in the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication found the majority of Louisianans – 88 percent – support raising teacher salaries, and the majority – 81 percent – also support an increased minimum wage of $8.50 an hour.
Two-thirds of Louisiana residents report that they have a good deal of confidence or a very great deal of confidence in the state’s public school teachers, although three quarters of people surveyed believe teachers earn less than they actually earn.

ST. LANDRY PARISH — An Opelousas man has been taken into custody in connection with arson fires at three churches in St. Landry Parish.
Holden Matthews, 21, was booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail on three counts of Simple Arson of a Religious Building.
On March 26, a fire was reported at the St. Mary Baptist Church in the 100 block of Saqueget Road in Port Barre.
On April 2, a fire was reported at the Greater Union Baptist Church in the 1400 block of Hwy 742 in Opelousas.

ERATH — When Taylor Mencacci became mayor of Erath, he vowed to have a veteran lead the Pledge of Allegiance before each Erath council meeting.
On Monday at the town’s monthly meeting, one of only a handful of remaining World War II veterans from Erath led the Pledge.
Willis Granger, who is 96, was surrounded by friends and family when he began saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
When Granger entered the Navy in 1944, he spoke no English. He was a seaman who worked on maintaining ammunition aboard the USS Catoctin.