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Eight escape from jail in N. La.
WASHINGTON MARDI GRAS
‘Louisiana has the assets to be incredibly successful’
2 men facing murder charges in Lafayette among escapees BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER
Larry Allen, left, a former Washington Mardi Gras king from 2014, dances to the Treme Brass Band during a reception during Washington Mardi Gras on Friday.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick sees bright future for state INSIDE
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pointed to huge projects being developed in Louisiana and said the pieces are in place for the state to become the next generation’s economic powerhouse. “Great assets left in the garage don’t produce anything. You need leadership. You need the talent. You need drive,” Lutnick said in a luncheon at Washington Mardi Gras on Friday. “Louisiana has the assets to be incredibly successful.” Gov. Jeff Landry said the state’s energy economy and infrastructure is fueling that growth. “For so long, our citizens have been used to bad news. They don’t know or they don’t believe because
ä While in town for Mardi Gras, New Orleans Mayor Moreno gets chance to meet with President Trump. Page 5A ä Photos from Friday’s activities in Washington. Page 5A when they heard good news before, they didn’t believe it was sustainable,” Landry said. Landry and Lutnick addressed the Washington Mardi Gras Economic Development Luncheon & Reception, one of the centerpieces of the four-day event. Since the 1940s, the annual carnival festivities have given business leaders and elected officials a chance to socialize and
Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, speaks at the Economic Development Luncheon on ä See ASSETS, page 4A Friday.
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
A Spotify-sponsored billboard in Lafayette is honoring Addison Rae’s first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist at the 68th annual Grammy Awards. The billboard, located on Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Robley Drive and facing south, features a baby photo of Rae wearing a pageant sash and crown alongside the tagline: “Pageant beginnings. Pop stardom destiny.” The display is part of a global
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Spotify campaign spotlighting this year’s Best New Artist nominees. Other rising stars featured include KATSEYE, Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas. Each ad uses a childhood image to highlight the early dreams and passions that helped shape the artists’ paths to success. “We had a feeling Addison Rae was one to watch from the moment her debut single ‘Obsessed’ landed on New Music Friday in 2021,” Spotify said in a news release on its website. Born in Lafayette and raised in Shreveport, Rae began building her following in 2019 by posting dance and lip-sync videos on TikTok. Her
ä See BILLBOARD, page 6A
ä See ESCAPE, page 6A
DOJ opens civil rights probe of Minn. killing
Addison Rae gets billboard after Grammy nomination Display part of Spotify campaign
Two men who face murder charges in Lafayette escaped from the River Bend Detention Center in Lake Providence alongside six other detainees. The escape took place late Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the East Carroll Vicknair Parish Sheriff’s Office. Other details are slim. One of the men, Kopelon Vicknair, 18, of Arnaudville, was due in a Lafayette Parish courtroom for sentenc- Looney ing on Wednesday, the day before his escape. Vicknair and fellow escapee Kolin Looney, 21, were charged with second-degree murder in separate incidents. Vicknair signed a plea deal, pleading guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter and agreeing to a 10-year sentence, according to a defendant’s sentencing brief his attorney filed Tuesday. While incarcerated at the Lafayette Juvenile Detention Center, he became the first ever inmate to graduate from the Reformative Instruction and Skills Enhancement, or R.I.S.E., program. He also passed the high school equivalency test. Looney’s trial was supposed to take place in August, but he was not transferred from River Bend Detention Center in Lake Providence. His trial has been reset for March 9. Looney is accused in the shooting death of Paul Bernard Jr., 18, whose body was found Jan. 13, 2024, in the 400 block of Leisure Field Drive in Broussard. Officers with the Broussard
BY MICHAEL BIESECKER, REBECCA SANTANA and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Lafayette native Addison Rae is nominated for a Grammy Award in the best new artist category.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident killed Saturday by Border Patrol officers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday. “We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” Blanche said during a news conference. Blanche did not explain why
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the DOJ decided to open an investigation into Pretti’s killing, but has said a similar probe is not warranted in the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. He said only on Friday that the Civil Rights Division does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and that there have to be circumstances and facts that “warrant an investigation.” “President Trump has said repeatedly, ‘Of course, this is something we’re going to investigate,’ ” Blanche said of the
ä See PROBE, page 6A
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