 BY TIMOTHY BOONE | Staff writer Founder of international televangelism empire succumbs to cardiac arrest The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, who built one of the nation's biggest broadcast ministries in the 1980s from his Baton Rouge headquarters, died Tuesday. Swaggart, who went into cardiac arrest on Father’s Day, was 90 years old. Once called "the most charismatic televangelist of the 20th century," by 1986, he was the country’s top-rated TV preacher. But two widely publicized incidents involving Swaggart and prostitutes threatened to derail the ministry. His televised confession to the first encounter — "I have sinned" — was seen across the country. At its peak, his Jimmy Swaggart Telecast was being broadcast by upward of 200 television stations and watched by two million households. His thriving church complex on Bluebonnet Boulevard consisted of more than a dozen buildings, including dormitories, television production studios and warehouses to handle the bundles of mail that came into the ministry every day. Read the full obituary.
Louisiana set to ban handheld phones while driving Starting in August, handheld phone use while driving will be illegal in Louisiana. "You’re still allowed to use it hands-free, but we don’t want you to have your phone in your hand while you’re in motion while you’re driving," said Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, who sponsored the bill that was recently signed into law. That means it will be against the law to talk, text, be on social media, look at photos, or generally use any app if you are holding your phone while driving, and you could get a traffic ticket for doing so. But it will be OK to use your phone while stopped at a red light or while parked. Read the full story from Capital Bureau Reporter Alyse Pfeil.
Man arrested after threatening, injuring staff at Woodlawn Middle School in Baton Rouge: The man arrested Saturday for aggressively confronting students inside Woodlawn Middle School last year and threatening to shoot them was picked up on a routine warrant check 14 months after his actions put the school on temporary lockdown, police say. Elijah Morris, 24, was taken into custody by East Baton Rouge sheriff’s deputies responding to a disturbance call at a local Super 8 motel. Deputies then discovered an outstanding arrest warrant signed by a judge six days after the March 11, 2024, incident at Woodlawn. Read the story by Crime Reporter Aidan McCahill. | 
