SUMMARY: Thomas Welty, a 46-year-old Metairie man, was convicted on May 20 of drugging and sexually abusing two teenage girls. The abuse occurred between 2019 and 2021, starting with Welty providing alcohol and drugs, including methamphetamine and GHB, to the victims. One victim developed a drug addiction, and both suffered sexual assault. The abuse continued until the victims’ families intervened. Welty denied the charges, but was found guilty of second-degree rape, sexual battery, trafficking minors for sex, and other charges. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12. Welty has prior convictions for drug offenses.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-21 16:27:00
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order addressing a major security breach at the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility, where 10 inmates escaped by removing a toilet and creating a hole in the wall. Five inmates have been recaptured, and the others remain at large. The order calls for an investigation by Attorney General Liz Murrill, audits by the state inspector general, and reviews of jail operations by the Department of Corrections. It also mandates judicial performance evaluations and the creation of a case-tracking system by the Metropolitan Crime Commission to improve the criminal justice system.
(The Center Square) — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order Wednesday that demands an “immediate and aggressive response across multiple state agencies to address a major breach at the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility.
Ten inmates at the New Orleans facility escaped on Friday after removing a toilet and burrowing through a hole in the wall, even writing “to [sic] easy LOL” as a bit of parting graffiti.
Five of them have been caught, but the remainder are still at large.
“Our criminal justice system is a three-legged bar stool. If one fails, the whole system collapses,” Landry said in a news release. “This brings us to where we are today – New Orleans willingly handed the jail keys to those leaders who vowed to keep criminals out of jail. Sadly, it worked.
“However, the state will not sit idly by. We are taking immediate, decisive action to ensure that this never happens again. The people of Louisiana deserve not only transparency and accountability, but also a justice system that is unyielding in its commitment to public safety – and our executive order demands it. Enough is enough.”
The executive order will task state Attorney General Liz Murrill with an investigation into the jail break. The order also requires the state inspector general to oversee audits of case files. The state Department of Corrections will review jail operations for compliance with jail standards and relocate any state inmates, for which the parish is paid by the DOC, to state facilities.
The Louisiana Supreme Court will be asked to review the Orleans Criminal Court. His order also requires the state Judiciary Commission evaluate judicial performance in high-crime parishes.
Landry’s order also requires documentation of continuance requests by court clerks, and judges are encouraged to address unnecessary delays.
The Metropolitan Crime Commission will be asked to develop a system to track cases from arrest to conviction.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Right-Leaning
The article reports on Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s executive order following a jail break, focusing heavily on themes of law and order, public safety, and accountability within the criminal justice system. The framing emphasizes tough-on-crime rhetoric, including phrases like “enough is enough” and criticism of local leadership that “vowed to keep criminals out of jail,” which reflects a punitive, conservative approach to criminal justice issues. The coverage centers on the governor’s decisive actions and critiques of judicial leniency, which aligns with a right-leaning ideological stance. Although it largely presents facts and quotes the governor’s statements, the selected language and framing suggest a perspective supportive of stricter criminal justice policies, rather than a neutral or balanced reporting stance.
The LSU baseball team celebrated their College World Series win in June 2023. Meanwhile, Louisiana’s House Bill 639 proposes increasing the sports gambling tax from 15% to 21.5%, generating about $77 million annually. A quarter of this revenue, roughly $20 million, would fund the SPORT program, benefiting NCAA Division I public universities by providing each school nearly $1.7 million annually. This boost would significantly help smaller athletics programs like Southern and Nicholls, although LSU’s large budget sees less impact. The bill also allocates funds to addiction programs and educational initiatives but faces criticism over prioritizing sports amid social issues linked to gambling. The bill awaits Senate committee review.
Louisiana college athletic programs closer to scoring state tax dollars
Most college athletic programs in Louisiana could soon each receive nearly $2 million in state tax revenue annually under a plan advancing in the legislature.
House Bill 639 by Rep. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, cleared the House on a 74-15 vote. It would increase the tax on sports gambling from 15% to 21.5%. One-fourth of that revenue would go to the Supporting Programs, Opportunities, Resources and Teams (SPORT) Fund to benefit student-athletes at Louisiana’s public universities that compete at the NCAA Division I level – UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Grambling, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Southern and the University of New Orleans.
Under the new tax rate, Louisiana would receive about $77 million annually from sports gambling, with about $20 million dedicated to the new fund. Each school would get approximately $1.7 million annually.
That’s a small drop in the bucket for LSU, which has an athletics budget of over $200 million. But it would be a significant lifeline for schools such as Southern, Nicholls and ULM, which each spend less than $20 million a year on their sports program.
The proposed increase in sports gambling taxes has support from conservative and progressive corners, both saying the revenue should be used to offset the “social ills” of gambling. The higher rate would generate more money for addiction programs.
But the decision to dedicate some of that revenue to college athletics at a time when the state is under budget constraints troubles some progressives.
“Legalized mobile gambling has created or exacerbated many social and cultural problems, including addiction, bankruptcies and even increases in domestic violence. New tax revenue should be used first and foremost to address some of those problems before we talk about spending more money on college sports,” said Peter Robins-Brown, executive director of Louisiana Progress, an advocacy group for marginalized communities.
Presently, the state’s split for sports gambling tax revenue calls for 25% to go toward early childhood education, 10% to local governments, 3% to gambling addiction programs, and the rest to other priorities and the state general fund.
Under Riser’s bill, childhood education, local governments and addiction recovery would retain their existing share of tax proceeds. In addition to the 25% for college athletics, another 3% would be dedicated to the Louisiana Postsecondary Inclusive Education Fund to finance programs for students with disabilities. The rest goes into the state general fund for a variety of government needs.
Riser’s bill will next be discussed in a Senate committee.
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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content presents a policy proposal regarding the allocation of sports gambling tax revenue in Louisiana. It maintains a balanced perspective by offering viewpoints from both conservative and progressive sides. While it discusses the potential benefits for college athletics and addiction programs, it also includes a critique from a progressive advocate concerned about prioritizing sports over social issues like addiction. The article focuses primarily on the legislative process and the implications of the proposed tax rate change without strongly advocating for either side, offering a neutral presentation of facts and diverse opinions.
SUMMARY: Eighth grader Chidu Anulele from St. Frederick School is headed to Washington, D.C., to represent Louisiana in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, making history as the first St. Frederick student to do so. After winning regionals in March, Chidu has been studying daily with his mom, preparing for the competition. While confident, he admits to feeling nervous about the pressure of spelling correctly. The St. Frederick community is excited and supportive as Chidu gets ready for the event, which takes place from May 27th to 29th. In addition to studying, Chidu enjoys playing basketball with friends and his brother.
