Alderman Valencia Hall asked the Board of Aldermen to disallow extra compensation for employees working beyond the standard 40-hour workweek, except in emergency situations involving police officers and firefighters. Hall cited budget constraints.
The Board voted 3-2 against the proposal. The mayor, Dan Gibson, argued the measure would unduly micromanage Natchez police chief Lee Best as he works to ensure enough officers are on the streets and that police personnel are adequately paid for their work.
Louisiana’s construction sector is seeing strong year-over-year growth, according to R.L. Owen, who said the CEO of the Louisiana Associated General Contractors reported that every major metropolitan area saw construction growth over the last 12 months. The construction increase was described as about 22%, with Louisiana also ranking among the top states for jobs growth. The report attributed much of the activity to data centers, including a metadata center in Richland Parish, as well as Amazon projects in Shreveport and an additional location near St. Francisville. Other cited work included industrial projects, including the Hyundai steel plant in Ascension Parish.
In Centerville, multiple suspects are under arrest in connection with a mass shooting on July 14 that left two people dead and seven others injured. Louisiana State Police Fugitive Task Force arrested 19-year-old Caden Anderson of Clinton, Louisiana. Authorities also said Xavier Augustine, Christian Johnson, and Zycavion Van Norman were taken into custody. Separately, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Larry Smith Jr. in Columbus, Ohio, on a fugitive warrant for murder connected to the same shooting; he is being held pending extradition to Mississippi.
A new study says a combination of THC and CBD can significantly reduce agitation in people with advanced dementia who are receiving end-of-life care. Agitation, described as among the most difficult symptoms to manage in hospice patients with dementia, can include behaviors such as yelling and physical aggression. Dr. Jeff Keller of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center said a recently completed clinical trial found the THC-CBD combination significantly eased these behaviors, with 90% of patients showing a reduction. Keller said the results could support broader use of the treatment in hospice care and that recommendations may follow in states where medical marijuana is legal.
The Mississippi River in Natchez-Vidalia is reported at 26.35 feet and falling.
