TRUMP THREATENS TO CHARGE U.S. TOLLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ 3A
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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S u n d ay, J u n e 21, 2026
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Structural issues and safety a concern after hundreds of crashes on the Lake Charles I-10 bridge
A SPAN TOO STEEP
ELECTION 2026
Senate race could be closer than expected Polls show gap narrowing between Letlow, Fleming BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge is seen May 21 in Lake Charles. More than 100 people have been injured on the bridge in recent years. While it is rated structurally deficient, officials assure it remains safe due to regular inspections and timely repairs. BY MEGAN WYATT
Staff writer
First in a series Lolly Comeaux Sr. rarely wore a seat belt 20 years ago when he worked as a truck driver in Westlake. But he buckled up on the morning of May 23, 2006, while hauling sand in an 18-wheeler from Kinder. He was driving up the steep incline of Interstate 10’s Calcasieu River Bridge when he and another 18-wheeler collided to avoid a stalled taxi. Both tumbled 40 feet off the bridge’s pistol-lined guardrail. Now 73, Comeaux lived to tell the tale. “There’s a few other people that’ve
went over the side of that bridge since Highway Administration and considthen,” said Comeaux, who was born the ered to be in “poor condition,” based on same year the bridge finished construc- annual inspections dating back to 2011. The rating, which the feds used tion. “I know what they went to describe as “structurally dethrough.” It was the kind of nightmarficient” before a 2017 classificaish wreck that those who fretion change, means that strucquently drive the bridge say tural components have started they fear most on the imposing to deteriorate. Engineers base structure with a steep incline, the ratings on inspections of a narrow lanes and no shoulders. bridge’s deck where vehicles More than 100 people have Comeaux drive, along with its other been injured in crashes on the structures and supports. bridge since 2018, The Advocate found Still, bridge engineers say the low in an analysis of state data that tracks rating does not mean it’s unsafe for bridge crashes, injuries and fatalities. drivers. Several factors make the bridge a “We at DOTD want to stress that concern — both for drivers and for the bridge is regularly inspected and those in charge of maintaining it. ä See BRIDGE, page 8A It’s rated a 3 out of 9 by the Federal
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Baton Rouge man arrested in teen’s disappearance BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
Pope Leo warns priests to write their own homilies
WEATHER HIGH 90 LOW 78
ä See SENATE, page 4A
Police suspect missing 15-year-old is dead
For clergy, sermons come from the heart, not AI as telling the story about the time he got hit by a truck. And Monsignor Keith DeRouen is a stickler for the eight-minute rule. “But sometimes four is betBY BOB WARREN ter,” DeRouen said. “C’mon, you know the listening capacity of Staff writer most people. If you’re just makThe Rev. Kurt Young says ing one point, you don’t have to nothing is off-limits, but treads say it 16 times.” carefully around hot topics. Different clergy, different Deacon Eddy Beckendorf ä See SERMONS, page 6A works to make it relatable, such
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow appeared to hold an insurmountable advantage coming out of the Republican Senate primary on May 16 when she led state Treasurer John Fleming by 17 points and nearly won the election outright. But signs have emerged before the June 27 Republican Senate runoff that the outcome will be much closer, Letlow and a victory by Fleming is possible, even though Letlow’s side is badly outspending him, and she has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. In what will be a low-turnout election, Fleming appears to have supporters who are more committed to him, especially among Republicans who back Fleming him because of his vigorous opposition to carbon capture and sequestration. That’s a new technology where companies want to build pipelines to transport carbon dioxide from industrial plants to locations where it would be injected deep underground.
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
The Rev. Kurt young teaches homiletics at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. young spends three semesters teaching seminarians the process of writing and delivering effective homilies during Mass.
A 51-year-old Baton Rouge man was arrested on a count of first-degree murder Saturday in connection with the disappearance of 15-yearold Ja’Derrius Minnieweather, who is believed to be dead but whose body has not been found. Baton Rouge police apprehended Maurice Parms at his house Saturday morning. He already was facing counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. Minnieweather was last seen around 2 a.m. June 5 on Bradley Street in the Foster and
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Happy Father’s Day from The Baton Rouge Clinic
ä See ARREST, page 4A
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