SUMMARY: The Ouachita Parish Police Jury is conducting a series of community meetings to gather public input for their comprehensive plan guiding future growth. Police Jury members, including Larry Bratton from District D, emphasize the importance of reflecting residents’ voices in the master plan. Community members participated in interactive stations, allocating resources to priorities like infrastructure and downtown development, to help shape goals for the next 2, 5, and 20 years. Landscape architect Matt Pizatella and partners from Atlas support the effort. Bratton stresses that without proactive planning, the parish risks costly and less beneficial outcomes in the long term.

OPPJ Comprehensive Plan

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SUMMARY: Mayor Latoya Cantrell pleaded not guilty to 11 federal charges including conspiracy, fraud, obstruction, and making false statements. The indictment links an alleged affair with her police bodyguard, Officer Vappy, to misuse of city funds and efforts to conceal deleted encrypted WhatsApp messages. Although no personal financial benefit is claimed, the charges accuse Cantrell of arranging unnecessary protective details for Vappy, costing taxpayers $70,000. Released without bond, Cantrell must surrender her passport, requires approval for travel outside Louisiana, and is barred from discussing the case with city employees or Vappy. Despite restrictions, court rules her ability to manage city operations remains unaffected.

Cantrell was indicted by a grand jury Aug. 15 as additional charges tacked onto Vappie’s indictment from 2024.

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SUMMARY: In 2018, Will Boyton’s 3-year-old son, Robert, drowned and was without oxygen for nearly an hour. Despite hospitals urging them to give up hope, Will insisted on hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatment, inspired by its success in brain injury cases. Robert began treatments at Harch Hyperbarics, showing rapid improvement: from unresponsive and bent backward to recognizing family and laughing within days. Over years, combined with stem cell therapy, Robert vastly surpassed his initial brain-dead prognosis. Though studies and treatments show promise in severe brain injuries, insurance refuses to reimburse these costly treatments, as the FDA hasn’t approved them.

For years, Medical Watch has covered adults and children with brain injuries, coming to New Orleans from around the world, for a treatment considered controversial.

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