Top New Orleans stories of the day | News
Louisiana is the only US state with split jury convictions, the Joan of Arc parade is already underway, more information on the Gulf helicopter crash and more. Here’s a look at today’s top stories in New Orleans for Friday, December 30, 2022.
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The Oregon court goes where Louisiana refused, voiding hundreds of split jury convictions
People gather outside the Louisiana Supreme Court on Monday, May 9, 2022 for an evening vigil before the court will consider the 25-year sentencing of Reginald Reddick, who is serving a life sentence despite not all jurors agreeing to condemn him. The outcome of this case could determine whether some 1,500 people who remain in jail because of disagreements from the jury are eligible for a new trial. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Two months after the Louisiana Supreme Court denied new trials for up to 1,500 inmates convicted years ago by split juries that are now illegal, the Oregon Supreme Court did exactly the opposite.
In a unanimous ruling Friday, Oregon’s seven justices agreed to retrospectively apply a US Supreme Court ban on non-unanimous juries.
The decision leaves Louisiana as the only state with intact convictions and verdicts derived by split juries.
Read the whole story here.
Alvin Kamara returns to Saints practice and plays Sunday; Eagles QB Jalen Hurts doubtful
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball while Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant (27) defends Sunday, December 18, 2022 during an NFL football game at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA .com | The Times-Picayune)
The New Orleans Saints will be without three players against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, but running back Alvin Kamara in particular will not be there.
In the meantime, it seems the Eagles may have to go without their starting quarterback for a second straight week.
Kamara’s status was in question after missing consecutive training sessions for personal reasons, but he returned to training on Friday carrying no injury designation. The sixth-year pro ended two straight games with 100-plus yards from scrimmage.
Here are the details.
The Gulf helicopter crash was the third this year for the Broussard-based aircraft company
An oil platform stands in the Gulf of Mexico after a four-person helicopter crashed Thursday, December 29, 2022 while exiting a platform about 10 miles from Southwest Pass, a shipping channel of the Mississippi Estuary.
Thursday’s helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico was the third serious accident this year for Broussard-based aircraft operator Rotorcraft Leasing Co., according to federal records and the Coast Guard.
Four people were still missing Friday after the Rotorcraft-operated helicopter crashed about 10 miles off Southwest Pass, one of the main shipping channels at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard called off its search Thursday night after finding only a few small parts of the plane.
Two people died when another Rotocraft helicopter crashed into a swamp near Houma on January 14. Two weeks ago, on December 15, another Rotocraft helicopter crashed into the Gulf about 30 miles off the coast of Terrebonne Bay. All three people on board were rescued by the Coast Guard.
Here’s what we know so far.
Fugitive arrested in harassment case before boarding New Orleans airport
A fugitive wanted in connection with a harassment investigation by the Jefferson Parish sheriff’s office was arrested before boarding a plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, authorities said.
Javier Ribon Bautista, 36, of Gretna, was charged Dec. 23 with two counts of molesting a youth under the age of 13, said Captain Jason Rivarde, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
According to Rivarde, the arrest warrant comes from an eight-year-old case. Ribon is accused of kissing and fondling an 11-year-old girl twice in a Terrytown dormitory in November 2014.
Here’s what happened.
The 2023 Mardi Gras season begins with the sacred Joan of Arc parade in the French Quarter
The Joan of Arc parade opens the Mardi Gras season in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, Thursday, January 6, 2022. The parade honors the city’s French heritage with marching nuns, musicians and kings of the Krewe. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
January 6th marks the traditional start of the Mardi Gras season, which means that the French Quarter’s Krewe de Joan of Arc gets medieval once again.
For 14 years, the anachronistic parade group has been celebrating the birthday of the sword-wielding teenager who saved the French city of Orléans from siege six centuries ago. Orléans is our sister city and Jeanne, a deeply devoted girl who ended up being burned at the stake for heresy, is our patron saint.
That poor Joan’s birthday falls on the same day as the start of the seasonal Mardi Gras march is just a happy coincidence. Not only is their parade the first of many to parade through the city streets in the weeks leading up to February 21; It’s also one of the best, as it combines a ghastly piece of European history with a touch of whimsy and wit.
Details can be found here.
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