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Voters to settle Senate primary race runoffs tax measures, PSC and BeSe seats are also on ballot BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Voters will conclude Louisiana’s new primary elections Saturday by choosing between two Republicans and two Democrats in the U.S. Senate party runoff elections. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow has been the heavy favorite to win the Republican Senate nomination, but treasurer John Fleming has closed most, if not all, of the gap.
Farmer Jamie Davis and business owner Gary Crockett are vying in a separate primary for the Democratic Party Senate nomination. The winners of each runoff on Saturday will advance to a general election on Nov. 3. Whoever emerges victorious in that election will replace U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was ousted in the May 16 Republican primary. Polling stations on Saturday will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Also on the ballot are races for open seats on the Public Service Commission and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education — and 115 local measures, most involving taxes. State Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, RNew Orleans, and former Jefferson Parish President John Young, a Republican, are facing off for the PSC seat that Eric Skrmetta is vacating because of term limits. The Legislature drew boundaries
St. Bernard, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. The winner of the GOP primary ä What’s on the ballot. PaGe 5a runoff will advance to the Nov. 3 ä Tax renewals up for vote in election and face Democrat Connie East Baton Rouge Parish. PaGe 5a Norris of Slidell and Chris Justin, a no-party candidate. Joseph Cao and Ellie Schroder are competing for the BESE seat that Cao holds, having been appointed designed to elect a Republican. The PSC regulates the power to the position by Gov. Jeff Landry. grid and other utilities. The district BESE sets policy for K-12 education includes portions of Jefferson, Liv- in Louisiana. ingston, Orleans and St. Charles ä See ELECTION, page 5A parishes and all of Plaquemines,
ELECTION 2026
Recovering missing teen’s body may take weeks authorities need to pinpoint search area at landfill
BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer
StaFF PHotoS By MICHaeL JoHNSoN
Water covers the roads and farm area in Dupont on thursday. tropical Storm arthur dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain within 12 hours across southern parts of avoyelles Parish, catching many residents off guard.
Avoyelles Parish begins recovery after historic flood at least 1,500 households have reported flood damage
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
Soon after crossing the Simmesport Bridge over the Atchafalaya River into Avoyelles Parish, the shoulders of La. 1 give way to piles of drywall, furniture, refrigerators, mattresses, stuffed animals and family photos. Inside homes smell of bleach; dehumidifiers and fans hum. “It’s going to take a couple of months before it can completely dry,” Ellen Thibodeaux, a 71-year-old widow, said as she stood inside her gutted home near Plaucheville. Nearby, a group of eight
Editor’s Note:
Because of expected late election results, Sunday’s delivery may be delayed.
men leaned against the back of a pickup, taking a break from cleaning her home and ripping Sheetrock from the walls. The scene was similar in many driveways across the parish Thursday, as neighbors, family members and aid groups tried to save homes from mold and rot following the historic flooding. Last week, Tropical Storm Arthur dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain within 12 hours across southern parts of the parish, a likely 1,000-year rainfall event that caught most residents off guard. Flood insurance is rare
Ward Bordelon loads dehumidifiers with help from Jarrod Hayes on thursday while at the Moreuville Fire Department to take back to Plaucheville for distribution to residents that are still ä See FLOOD, page 4A cleaning up from recent storms and flooding.
WeatHer HIGH 93 LOW 76 PaGe 6a
Business ......................5B Classified .....................7D Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Deaths .........................4B
Even though police have strong evidence that points to Ja’Derrius Minnieweather’s body being in a parish landfill, authorities said they can’t begin recovery efforts for more than two weeks. Minnieweather, 15, has been missing for 22 days. On June 20, Maurice Parms, 51, was arrested on a count of first-degree murder after he allegedly beat the teen to death and went to great lengths to hide the evidence from the police. Baton Rouge police Chief T.J. Morse said investigators believe Minnieweather’s body wound up in a collection truck and was transported to the East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill in Zachary. Police said they believe the teen’s body lies somewhere in the 400 acres of garbage, but FBI-level imaging technology will be required to determine the search radius. Combined with rerouting trash collection and surveying the area, Mayor-President Sid Edwards estimates that recovery efforts will start on July 13. “We have been trying to isolate and reduce our search area, and believe that the cell we have to search makes up nearly a half-acre,” Morse said. Once authorities have pinpointed the most promising search area, law enforcement will have to go through the debris by hand to preserve any evidence or bodily remains that may be found. On average, the North Landfill receives more than 1,600 tons of solid waste from roughly 325 collection vehicles per day, Morse said. Since June 5, when Minnieweather went missing, the landfill has received over 35,000 tons of refuse. Special Agent Charles Kruger of the New Orleans FBI office said recovery in a landfill is a labor-intensive process that requires extensive planning, specialized expertise and significant personnel and resources. Time and
Living............................1D Nation-World................2A opinion ........................6B Sports ..........................1C
ä See RECOVERY, page 4A
101St year, No. 362