ACROSS ACADIANA

Five-year-old shooting victim dies

The five-year-old shot point-blank in the head Thursday is dead after he was taken off of life support Saturday afternoon. Opelousas police continue investigating the incident.

No seatbelt, intoxication factors in weekend deaths

Four people are dead and one is in critical condition after highway crashes this weekend.

STATEWIDE

5th pediatric flu death reported in Louisiana

The death of a child in central Louisiana was the fifth fatal case of pediatric flu in Louisiana so far this flu season. The department said there have been two child flu deaths in southeast Louisiana this season, one in northwest Louisiana and another in southwest Louisiana.

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Buddy Caldwell: Fraud cases difficult in food stamp misuse

Louisiana's Attorney General told The Advocate there's no evidence of who presented the food stamp card during a computer crash last year, and he says no stores complained about the overspending or sought arrests. So far, nine people have been disqualified from receiving benefits for a year, and the department is pursuing more.

Bill would create drug court" for veterans

State Sen. Elbert Guillory of Opelousas is sponsoring a bill that would create "drug court" program for veterans. Such programs divert people convicted of nonviolent drug crimes to substance abuse treatment with probation supervision, rather than prison. Lawmakers will begin considering the bill in the upcoming legislative session, which begins March 10. Another bill on the table would restrict surveillance drones in the state.

BP loses efforts to see documents in claims probe

The confidential documents used by a court-appointed investigator allege some private attorneys improperly used a lawyer, who once served on claims administrator Patrick Juneau's staff, to expedite a $7.9 million claim arising from the 2010 Gulf oil spill. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said BP has shown no reason why it should see the confidential documents.

What else happened?

A Shreveport pastor was convicted for taking young choir girls across state lines for sex. A man was sentenced to life for killing three women in the same city that's getting ready to roll out natural gas-powered garbage trucks. Louisiana's budget is $15 million short of what's needed for projected student growth, but the state is finally sending out tax refund checks after an unfortunate delay. And this guy thinks the gay marriage ban in Louisiana could soon be ruled unconstitutional.

NATIONAL

Idaho lawmakers poised to vote on guns on campus

A bill to allow students, staff and visitors to carry guns on Idaho's college campuses passed the House State Affairs Committee in a party-line split. Backers of the bill say letting those with

Gun photo Boris KatsmanThinkStock
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Idaho's new enhanced concealed carry permit carry guns to class could halt a would-be mass shooter. But others say a loophole in the bill will allow those permit holders to openly wield firearms anywhere on campus — including in dormitories and at football games.

JPMorgan Chase class-action settlement is approved

A federal judge approved settlement of a class-action lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase for its force-placed insurance practices, an agreement that could pay more than $300 million to about 750,000 mortgage borrowers. The national settlement prohibits the bank for six years from getting commissions, kickbacks or reinsurance from the insurance, which it obtains when a homeowner's policy lapses. The judge also barred JPMorgan Chase and Assurant and subsidiaries "from inflating premiums" for six years.

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