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Three dead in plane crash
Aircraft went down in pasture in Carencro; flight originated in Texas
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Emergency personnel and investigators work the scene of a plane crash Tuesday in a pasture near the intersection of Gloria Switch Road and La. 93 in Carencro.
Three people were killed when a small plane crashed in a pasture near a Family Dollar off Gloria Switch Road in Carencro, according to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. Officials were called to the scene about 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Chris Cormier said, after a witness reported
old Lydia Laws, of Spring, Texas; and 42-year-old Justin Ramsey, of The Woodlands. “The aircraft was a Baron Beechcraft; it’s a small aircraft with two props. That’s pretty much all we have right now,” Cormier said at the scene. Deputies were blocking off the scene as of 11:30 a.m. and asking drivers to avoid the area as they awaited investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration, which will lead the investigation.
The plane was identified by FAA registrant data as a 2006 Beechcraft G58 Baron, owned by Align Aviation in The Woodlands. Its latest registration certificate was issued Sept. 11, suggesting a recent change in ownership. Ramsey was listed by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office as the registered agent for Align Aviation. FlightRadar24 showed the twinengine plane took off from David
LAFAYETTE Bosco Hwy.
Staff writers
a small plane circling the air, then crashing down near a roundabout at Gloria Switch Road and La. 93. The aircraft landed in a pasture behind a home near a metal fence line in a rural part of Lafayette Parish. Upon arrival, deputies confirmed that all three occupants aboard died at the scene. Following notification of the family, the deceased have been identified as 58-year-old Bruce Verduyn, of The Woodlands, Texas; 46-year-
Site of plane crash 98
Janvier Rd.
BY JULIA GUILBEAU and STEPHEN MARCANTEL
Gloria Switch Rd.
93 Staff map
ä See CRASH, page 4A
Two get prison terms for bribery Kickback scheme defendants sentenced in federal court
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
Louisiana soybean farmers are concerned that China’s boycott will have a detrimental effect on next year’s prices.
Shutdown hits La. farmers at harvest time Low prices, high costs, trade uncertainty also fuel concern
BY JENNA ROSS
Staff writer
It’s a key moment on Stephen Logan’s farm in Gilliam. And in farming, he said, “timing is everything.” His team has harvested the final corn, soybeans, cotton and peanuts, in that order. Now they’re spreading cereal rye seed and making plans for the next growing season.
WEATHER HIGH 81 LOW 59 PAGE 10A
“All of that is shut down,” Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain said. But the government shutdown has made That means many farmers are flying paying for those cover crops and finalizing blind as they try to decide when to sell this those plans more difficult. fall and what to plant next February, a deciEach fall, farmers across Louisiana count sion they often make months in advance. on the now-shuttered U.S. Department of “That information is needed now,” Strain Agriculture and other federal agencies for said. financial assistance and information. For Government programs are even more three weeks, they’ve been unable to get a critical as farmers are struggling with high loan from the agency, apply for a conservaä See FARMERS, page 4A tion program or receive a market report.
Two men involved with kickback schemes at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Lafayette District Attorney’s Office were sentenced Tuesday in federal court. Lafayette businessman Leonard Franques pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiracy to commit bribery involving the wildlife department. He also was implicated in the kickback scheme in the District Attorney’s Office but wasn’t charged in that scheme. Federal Judge David Joseph in Lafayette on Tuesday sentenced Franques to a year in prison, a $100,000 fine and ordered him to forfeit $69,300. He will be allowed to report to prison after the
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ä See BRIBERY, page 4A
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