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American Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- American Press
Jim Beam column:New voting machines overdue
Louisiana legislators have come up with a new system for buying new voting machines that some watchdogs are worried about.(Image courtesy of Louisiana has always had an election system that ranks among the most trustworthy in the country. However, the national conspiracy about the 2020 election being stolen from President Donald Trump resulted in the Legislature creating what is called 'an overly burdensome system for buying voting machines.' The Louisiana Illuminator in 2024 said the 2021 law created the Voting System Commission within the Louisiana Department of State. It is charged with analyzing any available voting systems and recommending a specific type to the secretary of state. Legislators also created a separate Voting System Proposal Evaluation Committee to independently review vendors that submitted bids before making a final recommendation. Joel Watson, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Nancy Landry, said the multiple layers of bureaucratic red tape would mean it would take five rather than three years to purchase new voting machines. And time is important because the Illuminator said the state's current machines are 35 years old and have become difficult and costly to repair. The Illuminator said an effort was made in 2024 to shorten the selection process but it failed 'under pressure from a small group of Donald Trump supporters who came to the state Capitol several times during the 2021 legislative session and bogged down committee hearings with far-fetched election conspiracy theories involving the 2020 presidential election…' Many of the baseless arguments were about Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine vendor that many Trump supporters falsely accused of rigging the election. Dominion in 2023 won a nearly $800 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which spread some of the conspiracy theories. Now another effort appears to be under way to purchase those machines. The Advocate reported Thursday that House Bill 577 by Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Marksville, which has passed both the House and Senate, authorizes the elections department to purchase a new voting system using a bidding process called 'invitation to negotiate.' An 'invitation to negotiate' (ITN) is a type of solicitation used in procurement, where the buyer invites potential suppliers to submit proposals and then negotiates with the most promising ones to achieve the best possible outcome. It's a competitive process where factors beyond price, like experience, project plans, and design features, can be considered. The newspaper said the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana says the new process could lead to less transparency. It is a substitute for the open bidding process, which has delayed purchase of new machines because of lawsuits filed by unsuccessful bidders. Watson said Gov. Jeff Landry hopes to have a new voting system finalized by the end of 2025 and begin a 'phased-in implementation' of the new system in 2026. Under the new system, the state invites vendors to submit competitive sealed responses as a starting point for negotiations. It is then empowered to select which vendors it wants to continue negotiations with. Louisiana currently uses voting machines from Dominion and it will be interesting to see whether Dominion is asked for a response. The state's current machines don't include a paper trail, making it impossible to double-check election results. Absentee and mail-in ballots are on paper and can be checked, but over 90% of Louisiana voters cast their ballots in person. Landry defends the new selection process, saying negotiation is a public bid process. 'It's just more flexible …. It allows you to exchange more information than (a request for proposals) does.' Melinda Deslatte, the research director for PAR, said, 'We just want to make sure that there will be something available for the public to see at the end of this process to understand why the secretary of state's office chose the vendor that it chose.' Deslatte added, 'We're not entirely certain yet if that information will be publicly available. But we're hopeful because the secretary of state's office has indicated that they expect this to be a transparent process.' The PAR concerns are legitimate because the Landry administration has been active in trying to close public records. Landry and other top officials in his administration most of the time also refuse to respond to news media questions. We hope things will be different and that this new voting machine purchasing process will be open widely to the general public. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A promising tip fizzles as the manhunt for a convicted killer and chronic escapee intensifies
A double murderer and a repeat escapee have managed to evade capture for almost two weeks – leading authorities to believe the fugitives could be anywhere. As of early Wednesday, Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves were still on the run – 12 days after they and eight other inmates broke out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans. The eight other fugitives have been caught – mostly in New Orleans. But two of the most recent arrests happened in Texas. Now, several states are involved in the manhunt for Massey and Groves. A glimmer of hope emerged Tuesday when someone reported a possible sighting of Massey around 8:30 a.m. in Natchez, Mississippi, Police Chief Cal Green said, according to CNN affiliate WDSU. Natchez is in Adams County, about 135 miles north of New Orleans. But that hope faded by Tuesday night. 'We do not believe that the suspect is in our area,' Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said, according to WDSU. 'That's not to say he wasn't here, but we are saying he is not here now.' Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, Orleans Parish records reveal. But the 32-year-old has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to A broken lock at the detention center allowed Massey, then 15, and five other juveniles to access metal shackles, which they used to shatter a window and escape, reported. Massey stayed on the run for more than two weeks before authorities found him on an interstate in east New Orleans. Massey has also cut off electronic ankle monitors twice, said Matt Dennis, an employee with the company that operates the monitors, according to WDSU. Court records from late 2023 say Massey had 'tampered and/or removed the court-ordered GPS monitor.' Dennis said he was 'astonished' that someone with Massey's escape history was being held on the first floor of the New Orleans jail – a floor that had defective door locks. 'There isn't an ounce of this man's history that doesn't say 'escape,'' Dennis told CNN affiliate WVUE. Groves, 27, was convicted of murdering two men on Mardi Gras 2018. Groves was found to be one of the gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' the district attorney's office said. Groves was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, charges that carry a life sentence, the district attorney said. Authorities have 'a lot of leads' and are getting tips from the community, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said Tuesday. 'It's vitally important that we catch these fugitives, whether it's Arkansas, whether it's Louisiana. But it's also critically important that we know how they got out and who helped them get out, and we can't wait until they're in custody to do that,' Williams said. 'My office, the digital forensics team, has been scouring through hours and hours of jail calls using some AI software to figure out who they were in contact with the night before, hours before, to figure out where they may have been heading,' Williams said. 'Their circle is tightening, as people who are assisting are being arrested.' CNN's Karina Tsui, Matt Rehbein, Chris Lau and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
CNN
28-05-2025
- General
- CNN
A promising tip fizzles as the manhunt for a convicted killer and chronic escapee intensifies
A double murderer and a repeat escapee have managed to evade capture for almost two weeks – leading authorities to believe the fugitives could be anywhere. As of early Wednesday, Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves were still on the run – 12 days after they and eight other inmates broke out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans. The eight other fugitives have been caught – mostly in New Orleans. But two of the most recent arrests happened in Texas. Now, several states are involved in the manhunt for Massey and Groves. A glimmer of hope emerged Tuesday when someone reported a possible sighting of Massey around 8:30 a.m. in Natchez, Mississippi, Police Chief Cal Green said, according to CNN affiliate WDSU. Natchez is in Adams County, about 135 miles north of New Orleans. But that hope faded by Tuesday night. 'We do not believe that the suspect is in our area,' Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said, according to WDSU. 'That's not to say he wasn't here, but we are saying he is not here now.' Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, Orleans Parish records reveal. But the 32-year-old has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to A broken lock at the detention center allowed Massey, then 15, and five other juveniles to access metal shackles, which they used to shatter a window and escape, reported. Massey stayed on the run for more than two weeks before authorities found him on an interstate in east New Orleans. Massey has also cut off electronic ankle monitors twice, said Matt Dennis, an employee with the company that operates the monitors, according to WDSU. Court records from late 2023 say Massey had 'tampered and/or removed the court-ordered GPS monitor.' Dennis said he was 'astonished' that someone with Massey's escape history was being held on the first floor of the New Orleans jail – a floor that had defective door locks. 'There isn't an ounce of this man's history that doesn't say 'escape,'' Dennis told CNN affiliate WVUE. Groves, 27, was convicted of murdering two men on Mardi Gras 2018. Groves was found to be one of the gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' the district attorney's office said. Groves was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, charges that carry a life sentence, the district attorney said. Authorities have 'a lot of leads' and are getting tips from the community, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said Tuesday. 'It's vitally important that we catch these fugitives, whether it's Arkansas, whether it's Louisiana. But it's also critically important that we know how they got out and who helped them get out, and we can't wait until they're in custody to do that,' Williams said. 'My office, the digital forensics team, has been scouring through hours and hours of jail calls using some AI software to figure out who they were in contact with the night before, hours before, to figure out where they may have been heading,' Williams said. 'Their circle is tightening, as people who are assisting are being arrested.' CNN's Karina Tsui, Matt Rehbein, Chris Lau and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two escapees from the New Orleans jailbreak remain at large. One has a lot of experience being on the run
More than a week after 10 prisoners conducted a daring escape out a bathroom wall in a New Orleans jail, two inmates remain on the run, prompting an intensified search across state lines. Authorities on Monday captured three escapees: Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald. Tate and Donald were the first of the escaped inmates to be found outside Louisiana. They were arrested in Texas after what the Huntsville Police Department described as a high-speed chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Now with eight escapees recaptured, the manhunt continues for the last two remaining inmates –– Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves –– both of whom should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities say. Here's what we know about them. Antoine Massey is no stranger to breakouts. The 33-year-old has a history of escapes dating back to 2007, when he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested for armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to A broken lock at the center allowed Massey, then 15, and five other juveniles to access metal shackles, which they used to shatter a window and escape, reported. The teen stayed on the run for more than two weeks before authorities found him on an interstate in east New Orleans. Two years later, Massey faced a charge of attempted simple escape in Orleans Parish, according to online court records. CNN reached out to the parish sheriff's office for more details about the circumstances around the charge. At 27, Massey and another inmate broke out of a detention center in northern Louisiana in broad daylight by cutting and slipping under a chain-link fence in the exercise yard, Chief James Mardis of the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office told CNN last week. The two men were believed to have been picked up by a vehicle with Texas tags that was seen in the area. Massey was caught in Texas later that day. Massey has also twice cut off electronic ankle monitors, according to Matt Dennis, an employee with the company that operates the monitors who spoke to CNN affiliate WDSU. Court records from late 2023 alleged Massey had 'tampered and/or removed the court-ordered GPS monitor.' Dennis told CNN affiliate WVUE he was 'astonished' that someone with Massey's history of escape was being held on the first floor of the New Orleans jail. 'There isn't an ounce of this man's history that doesn't say 'escape',' Dennis said. Chief Mardis, who shared details of the inmate's 2019 escape, said it was no shock to learn of the current breakout: 'It didn't surprise me, because (Massey) was known for that.' It's still unclear how big of a role Massey may have played in planning this month's jailbreak, which the Orleans Parish sheriff has described as a 'coordinated effort.' The 10 inmates escaped through a hole in the wall behind a metal toilet in a handicapped cell. The escapees appear to have scrawled 'To Easy LoL' on the cell wall. The jailbreak has been blamed on a combination of faulty locks, stolen blankets and possible help from inside the jail. As of Tuesday morning, it is believed that at least 13 people helped the 10 escaped inmates – either before or after the May 16 jailbreak. The growing number of arrests provides new insight into just how elaborate and far-reaching the planned jailbreak may have been. Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker who turned off the water to the toilet, is charged with aiding the escape. Massey purportedly threatened to shank Williams if he did not turn off the water, according to an affidavit, but Williams' attorney later told the Associated Press that one of the jail's deputies asked Williams to fix the toilet because it was overflowing. 'Yes, someone said they would shank him … (but) they didn't say it in a particularly threatening manner. They said it more as an aside,' Michael Kennedy, the attorney for Williams, told the AP. Kennedy argues Williams was only doing his job and that jail officials are 'trying to use him as a scapegoat to minimize their own embarrassment' over the breakout. The other escaped inmate who's still at large is 27-year-old Derrick Groves, who was being held at the New Orleans jail after being convicted near the end of last year in the killing of two people on Mardi Gras day in 2018. Groves was found to be one of the gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' the district attorney's office said. Groves was found guilty of two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder, charges that carry a life sentence, according to the district attorney. Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told CNN affiliate WDSU that she wants her nephew to turn himself in and that she hopes deadly force will not be used against him. She said she's seen police cars and helicopters around her and other family members' homes since the breakout.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cameron Jordan returning for 15th season on a reworked contract
Defensive end Cam Jordan announced on social media that he will return to the Saints for a 15th season. Matthew Paras of reports that he and the team reached agreement on a reworked contract. Terms are not yet disclosed. Jordan was scheduled to make $12.5 million in base salary and count $20 million against the cap in 2025 in the final year of his deal. Jordan, 35, was a first-round pick of the Saints in 2011, and he has spent his entire career in New Orleans. He has made eight Pro Bowls and once was All-Pro, and his 121.5 sacks are a team record. Jordan has played 226 of a possible 228 games in his career, with 225 of those starts. In 17 games in 2024, Jordan totaled 34 tackles, four sacks, an interception, eight quarterback hits and four passes defensed. His 565 snaps were a career-low 48 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He has played 11,398 defensive snaps in his career.
