Latest news with #Daigle
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zachary pastor reflects on Louisiana history following Nottoway Plantation fire
ZACHARY, La. (Louisiana First) — The Redwood Baptist Church was first organized in 1857 by slaves, according to the church's pastor. Following the Nottoway fire this month, he reflected on the way slaves are contextualized in Louisiana's history. Pastor Dale Flowers said he never visited Nottoway, which was finished in 1859 in White Castle. He said following the May 15 fire, he noticed online debates on social media about the plantation's legacy. 'Some people were like, 'Hey, pass the marshmallows,'' Flowers said. 'Others were extremely upset.' Support for the plantation began before the embers completely cooled. Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle called the fire a tragedy considering its history in the area. 'The preservation of history is so important,' Daigle said in the fire's aftermath. Nottoway constituted the South's largest existing antebellum mansion, according to its website. The location has been popular for portraits, weddings, fine dining, and tours. 'The event is going to take a toll on Louisiana tourism,' Daigle said. Daigle said at the time recent renovations did not include installing a sprinkler system. 'It's a day we were always afraid of,' Daigle said. The state fire marshal ended its investigation into the fire Tuesday without any conclusions on what caused it. Evidence was sent to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Crime Lab in Georgia to be analyzed. Daigle discussed the controversy already beginning to take shape online, which included whether the fire burning down the structure was a blessing or a curse. 'There's so much controversy with the past,' Daigle said. 'We didn't live in that generation, but the preservation of history, even the uncomfortable parts, is important.' The plantation's owner shared that sentiment in a statement published soon after the fire. William Daniel Dyess, an attorney and preservationist from Natchitoches, did not respond to a Louisiana First News request placed through his law office by publication. In a statement to the New York Post, he dismissed much of the criticism while calling for people to 'move forward.' 'I take this position — we are non-racist people,' Dyess said in the article. 'I am a lawyer and my wife is a judge. We believe in equal opportunity rights for everyone, total equality and fairness. My wife and I had nothing to do with slavery, but we recognize the wrongness of it. We are trying to make this a better place. We don't have any interest in left wing radical stuff. We need to move forward on a positive note here and we are not going to dwell on past racial injustice.' Dyess said he plans to rebuild the mansion. A couple of signs are posted outside the property, including one that suggests construction is already happening. 'Rebuild it,' Flowers said. 'Slaves built that building. Slaves aren't going to build this one.' Flowers said there is a sentiment from many in America to romanticize the Antebellum period. 'Some people are nostalgic about that time,' Flowers said. Flowers said the prioritization of weddings and the positive elements of history are part of the reason so many people have the opposite opinion: that Nottoway displayed a largely incorrect version of its history. People who view the website and click the 'History' tab will be met with a list of named trees on the property. 'I honestly thought, 'I wonder how many people hung from those trees,'' Flowers said. Flowers said a better representation of history can be found at Whitney Plantation. Located in Edgard, Whitney operated from 1752 to 1975, according to its website. Whitney has been open about its purpose, posting in 2020 that it would not hold weddings because of slavery's impact on the property. 'Plantations are sites of immense cruelty and violence,' the Instagram post read. 'We do not allow any event that would overshadow this reality and disrespect the memory of all those who suffered, labored and died here.' A recent trip to Whitney was emotional, Flowers said, but he said his children began to learn about the reality their ancestors experienced. 'It's honestly a hard place to visit,' Flowers said. 'They present it as it is.' Flowers said those slaves who directly ramped up Louisiana's economy in the late 1800s also founded the church he now serves. He said the record is unclear on whether they got permission from their master to organize or secretly did so in a wooded area. 'It was actually organized by slaves,' Flowers said. Flowers said he thinks the original congregation would be proud that the church carries on their legacy. 'The work they started in 1857 is still going on today,' Flowers said. 11-year-old finds message in a bottle from Hawaii on Florida beach Livingston Parish woman arrested, accused of child sex crimes Zachary pastor reflects on Louisiana history following Nottoway Plantation fire New Orleans Saints starting offensive line taking shape during OTAs Haribo recalls sweets in the Netherlands after cannabis detected Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Judge sets phone hearing on settlement in JCPD sex assault investigations case
Note: This article includes attached video showing News Channel 11's Jeff Keeling and Anslee Daniel's discussion of the Johnson City lawsuit settlement. An audio version is at the end of this story. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A federal judge won't rule on a proposed $4.2 million settlement between Johnson City and women who reported sexual assaults to its police department from 2018-2022 until after a telephone hearing June 24. U.S. District Judge Travis McDonough made the ruling Thursday, 10 days after plaintiffs' attorneys filed their motion for approval of the class action settlement. Johnson City and the plaintiffs' attorneys have already agreed to an overall settlement amount of $28 million. The bulk of that money will go to the original plaintiffs, nine women who said they were victimized by now-convicted sex offender Sean Williams and that the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) didn't adequately investigate the downtown resident. That settlement doesn't require the judge's approval, but the $4.2 million one does. It relates to an added element to the original lawsuit that came following release of the 'Daigle Report' — an audit of JCPD's sexual assault investigations the city commissioned in 2022 after a completely separate lawsuit related to Sean Williams was filed. That report found that while a number of JCPD's investigations between 2018 and 2022 were adequate, the department had a number of 'certain investigative practices' that 'could negatively affect the quality and efficiency of their response to sexual assault cases.' JC's new 'transparency' webpage covers police lawsuits related to Sean Williams Daigle noted a common theme running through many of these weaknesses: 'JCPD's response to sexual assault was challenged based on gender-based stereotypes and bias.' The report, and the addition of a plaintiff whose reported assault did not involve Sean Williams, led to the filing of a class action that's now the subject of the settlement proposal. Johnson City has consistently denied all allegations in the lawsuits related to Williams and JCPD sexual assault investigations. The city also says JCPD has implemented the recommendations in Daigle's report and is following a new sexual assault protocol devised by First District Attorney General Steve Finney's office — an assertion Finney has confirmed. The class settlement would include both monetary relief — attorneys estimate about $7,000 to more than 350 people — and something called 'equitable relief.' Equitable relief would come in the form of plaintiffs' attorneys being provided audits of sexual assault investigations by JCPD every quarter for two years so they could review how well JCPD is complying with a new sexual crimes protocol it adopted in late 2023. The motion for settlement approval is complex, and McDonough wrote Thursday, 'a telephonic hearing will aid in the resolution of Plaintiffs' pending motion for preliminary approval.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman arrested in Lake Charles fatal shooting
LAKE CHARLES, La. () — A Lake Charles woman was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a man. According to authorities Randolyn Allen, 43, of Lake Charles, was arrested for the second-degree murder of Brett Daigle, 48, of Canyon City, Colorado. Officials with the said Saturday, around 2:30 p.m. deputies were dispatched to a residence on South Perkins Ferry Road in Lake Charles after receiving a call in reference to a shooting. Officials said when they arrived, they found Daigle deceased. During the initial investigation detectives learned Allen allegedly discharged a firearm at the residence during a child custody exchange. Daigle was struck several times and pronounced dead at the scene. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Allen was booked into a Calcasieu Parish jail. Her bond is still pending. The investigation is ongoing. One killed, one critically injured in Calcasieu Parish crash Malik Nabers to host two youth football camps in Acadiana Woman arrested in Lake Charles fatal shooting Hot and mostly dry Memorial Day; Heavy rain threat this week What is diabetes? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
America's largest remaining antebellum mansion burns down in devastating fire
Historic Nottoway Plantation, the largest antebellum mansion in the U.S., burned to the ground this week after a fire broke out on Thursday. There have been no reports of injuries or deaths connected to the fire. Fire crews worked to extinguish the flames with water reportedly being poured onto the rubble as long as 18 hours after the fire started, according to Fox 8. As of Saturday, the cause of the fire was still under investigation. "Some staff members stated they had gone into the museum and there was smoke. When they returned, the whole room was in flames," Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle told Fox 8, adding that it was "a total loss." 2 Dead After House Burns Down In New Jersey Following 'Gigantic Explosion,' Criminal Investigation Underway Daigle noted in a post on the Iberville Parish Government's Facebook page that "The loss of Nottoway is not just a loss for Iberville Parish, but for the entire state of Louisiana. It was a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a site of national significance." The 64-room mansion was built by John Hampden Randolph in the late 1850s, according to multiple sources. It sat on more than 53,000 square feet and — in addition to the dozens of rooms — it contained 365 doors and windows and 22 white columns, Fox 8 reported. The property overlooked the Mississippi River. Read On The Fox News App Nj Wildfire Scorches 13,500 Acres As Firefighters Work Toward Containment Randolph first arrived in Louisiana in 1841 and began by planting cotton, but ultimately shifted to sugar cane, according to the LSU Scholarly Repository. The scholarly repository article also notes that the mansion was named "Nottoway" after the county in Virginia where his ancestors lived. U.S. Department of the Interior records cited by Axios show that Randolph owned 155 slaves and 6,200 acres of land by 1860. In addition to the luxurious mansion, the property also featured several trees that are over 100 years old, several of which are more than 120 years old, according to Nottoway Plantation's website. In modern times, the mansion and the surrounding property functioned as a museum, resort and wedding venue. Nottoway Plantation's website states that it sat on 31 acres, which included 40 overnight rooms, a bar, a restaurant, event space, a pool, tennis courts and more. "While its early history is undeniably tied to a time of great injustice, over the last several decades it evolved into a place of reflection, education, and dialogue," Daigle wrote in the Facebook post. "Since the 1980s, it has welcomed visitors from around the world who came to appreciate its architecture and confront the legacies of its era. It stood as both a cautionary monument and a testament to the importance of preserving history — even the painful parts — so that future generations can learn and grow from it."Original article source: America's largest remaining antebellum mansion burns down in devastating fire
New York Post
16-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Largest antebellum mansion in the south — built in 1859 with 165 rooms — burns to the ground
The largest pre-Civil War mansion in all of the American South burned to the ground as a devastating fire ripped through the historic wooden structure built nearly 200 years ago. Flames broke out at Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana, just after 2 p.m. Thursday, drawing engines from 10 local fire departments who were helpless to stop the fire from burning up all 53,000 square feet of the iconic building. Officials reported no injuries, though one Louisiana fire marshal said it was 'the biggest fire' they'd seen in their entire career, ABC reported. The overwhelming blaze broke out just after 2 p.m. Thursday. Nicholas Schabert/Facebook Advertisement Local politicians in the Pelican State's Iberville Parish lamented the unrecoverable loss of what was a beacon of a difficult chapter of American history. 'Nottoway was not only the largest remaining antebellum mansion in the South but also a symbol of both the grandeur and deep complexities of our region's past,' Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said in a statement posted to Facebook. 'While its early history is undeniably tied to a time of great injustice, over the last several decades it evolved into a place of reflection, education, and dialogue,' Daigle added. Advertisement The plantation was built with slave labor in 1859. Nicholas Schabert/Facebook Nottoway was a sugar plantation operated and constructed by slave labor on behalf of John Hampden Randolph in 1859 for roughly $80,000 — equivalent to roughly $3 million in 2025. The home became a museum in the 1980s opening its grand doors, 165 rooms and acre-plus of floorspace to visitors from around the world to engage in the challenging history embedded in its floorboards. Advertisement 'It stood as both a cautionary monument and a testament to the importance of preserving history — even the painful parts — so that future generations can learn and grow from it,' parish president Daigle wrote in his statement. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, according to Louisiana fire officials.
