Northshore Town Hall Meeting

–District Attorney Collin Sims announced that on August 29, 2025, a Washington Parish jury found 49-year-old Freddie McGowan of Bogalusa guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the 2022 killing of Travis Davis. Prosecutors Jay Adair and Iain Dover presented evidence showing McGowan fatally shot Davis during a planned robbery, with accomplices testifying that McGowan pulled the trigger after Davis awoke and tried to resist. Cell phone data, eyewitness accounts, and testimony from co-conspirators tied McGowan to the crime, despite his denials. Judge William H. Burris presided over the four-day trial, and McGowan now faces a mandatory life sentence when he returns to court for sentencing on September 22.

–The Ponchatoula Library Garden Club will host a special program on hummingbirds at 4 p.m. on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Ponchatoula Branch Garden Club, 380 North Fifth Street. Jane Patterson, President and Education Coordinator of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, will lead the discussion, offering insight into the world of hummingbirds and sharing tips on how to attract these colorful birds to local yards. The event is presented by the Tangipahoa Parish Library and is open to the public.

–The U.S. National Weather Service in New Orleans reported that summer along the northern Gulf Coast was near normal this year, with slightly warmer temperatures overall, wetter conditions in June, and a drier August balancing out the season. While rainfall and temperature varied by location, officials noted that areas along the Northshore and the I-55 corridor experienced drier conditions than surrounding regions. With summer wrapping up, forecasters are now turning their attention to the arrival of fall.

–Southeastern Louisiana University will celebrate the accomplishments of its graduates at the annual Alumni Awards Evening on Friday, October 17, 2025, in the Student Union Ballroom. Established in 1969, the awards program honors alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional success, service to the university, and contributions to their communities. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards presentation at 7 p.m., with cocktail attire requested. Hosted by the Southeastern Alumni Association, the event highlights the university’s tradition of developing leaders across diverse fields, and tickets are now available to the public at www.southeastern.edu/alumni.

–On August 29, 2025, the Hammond Police Department received two reports of unauthorized debit card charges at Walmart and McDonald’s, despite both victims still being in possession of their cards. Detectives reviewing Walmart security footage identified the suspect as a light-skinned Black female wearing a maroon shirt and gray hoodie, who was seen purchasing phone activation cards before walking toward West Thomas Street. Police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Randall Baudier at 985-277-5740 or baudier_rf@hammond.org.

–WDSU reported that search efforts continued yesterday on Lake Pontchartrain for a missing boater who went overboard Sunday morning after his vessel struck the Causeway Bridge, sending both him and his girlfriend into the water. The woman was rescued, but the man—last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts—remains missing as multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the United Cajun Navy, expand operations west of the bridge with boats and seaplanes. Volunteers from across the region, including Hammond, have joined the search, while officials note survivability drops sharply after 48 hours. The man’s name has not been released at the request of family, as loved ones from out of town make their way to the area.

— Drivers in French Settlement are now traveling across the new Amite River Bridge on La. 16, officially opened Tuesday by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development as part of a $19.7 million replacement project that began in 2020. The new fixed-span bridge, with 31 feet of clearance, replaces the old swing-span structure that caused frequent traffic delays for boat passage and carried strict weight limits. Located about 50 feet west of the former bridge, the new alignment is expected to reduce congestion, improve safety for heavy trucks, and provide more reliable travel, though DOTD urges motorists to watch for lane changes as crews complete final work.

–Nunez Community College celebrated the soft opening of the Los Isleños Historical Archive on August 27 with an open house at the Nunez Library, unveiling a one-of-a-kind collection dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Isleño people in St. Bernard Parish. The archive, donated more than 25 years ago by former parish historian Frank M. Fernandez Jr., contains hundreds of artifacts, photos, oral histories, and video recordings of Isleño elders documenting family genealogies, folklore, and traditional cuisine, and will expand through digitization, translation, and new interviews. Chancellor Dr. Tina Tinney emphasized the archive’s survival through Hurricane Katrina and its cultural significance, while current parish historian Bill Hyland praised its uniqueness. Supported by U.S. Treasury RESTORE Act funds in partnership with St. Bernard Parish’s Coastal Department, the project links cultural preservation with coastal restoration efforts, a theme highlighted by Louisiana Sea Grant’s Dominique Siebert, who underscored the shared challenges of land loss and cultural erosion facing the Isleño community.

–Law enforcement officers from East Feliciana and Livingston Parish are searching for work release inmate Christopher Truemaine Samuel, who fled his assigned detail at Deltak Manufacturing on John Lanier Road around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday. Samuel, a 5-foot-6, 135-pound Black male from Ruston, was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, gray shirt, blue jeans, and a black skull cap. Convicted of aggravated battery in Lincoln Parish, Samuel was serving a sentence with a projected release date of Sept. 6, 2028. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office has deployed additional units, K9s, and air patrol in the area as the search continues.

–WWL-TV reports that Gov. Jeff Landry is preparing to announce plans to house hundreds of undocumented immigrants considered the “worst of the worst” at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the nation’s largest maximum-security prison. The unused section, dubbed “Camp 47,” would hold federal detainees under a partnership with Homeland Security, with Landry set to detail the plan Wednesday alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Supporters, including Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, say the move will help remove dangerous criminals from Louisiana streets, citing recent arrests of MS-13 members. But critics, such as immigration attorney Glen Wasserstein, argue the proposal is an inhumane attempt to intimidate immigrants, many of whom have not been convicted of crimes, by placing them in the state’s harshest prison environment. The announcement comes amid the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration enforcement.