Breaking News and Updates

A St. Tammany Parish jury on Wednesday took two hours to unanimously find a Lakeland, Fla., man guilty as charged of first-degree murder for the strangulation and beating of a 57-year-old man in 2006. Jody "Florida boy" Swafford held and strangled Carl Glass Jr. in his Slidell-area home on April 8, 2006. While Swafford had his arm wrapped around... Full story »

A Covington man is standing trial this week in St. Tammany Parish for allegedly robbing and killing a drug dealer in 2006. Ray Brooks, now 22, was 18 years old when he allegedly shot Scott Ramsey, 40, three times on Feb. 22, 2006, outside a blighted home on the 1000 block of North Polk Street in Covington. Ramsey's friend... Full story »

Residents who live in northwestern St. Tammany Parish are being asked to renew a property tax to help pay for fire service after officials in the 5th Fire Protection District failed to put the measure before voters in time to collect the millage in 2010. The district, which serves 7,000 people in Folsom and the surrounding area, is requesting... Full story »

St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis will fly this afternoon to Washington, D.C., to prepare for meetings Thursday with members of Congress, congressional committees and the Army Corps of Engineers to lobby for funding for storm protection on the north shore. "I am working on several levels on this trip." Davis said Wednesday in a news release. "In partnership with... Full story »

Two candidates promising to clean up Mandeville's image and promote its economic development are competing to be the city's next mayor. Although the goals are similar, Mandeville City Councilwoman Trilby Lenfant, 52, and St. Tammany Parish School Board member Donald Villere, 58, point to differences in experience, implementation and philosophy that each says makes them better qualified to lead... Full story »

Two sets of eyes, both seemingly filled with hurt and anger, took different paths Tuesday in a first-degree murder trial expected to conclude Wednesday in Covington. Carl Glass III, 37, the only son of Carl Glass Jr., who was killed in 2006 at the age of 57, looked Jody "Florida Boy" Swafford dead in the eyes, a stare filled... Full story »

St. Tammany Parish has received a $1 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation to construct a "park-and-ride" facility on Louisiana 434 near Lacombe, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced. The lot will be located on the eastern side of highway 434 about 1 1/2 miles north of Interstate 12, on the site of the planned University... Full story »

Weighing in on a variety of issues including drainage, staffing and trees, Slidell City Council hopefuls agreed more often than not during a candidates forum Monday, but sought to draw differences for voters going to the polls March 27. At the event hosted by the St. Tammany League of Women Voters, candidates listed drainage and infrastructure improvements, as well... Full story »

Slidell voters on March 27 will decide a slate of charter amendment proposals, representing an effort by some City Council members to delete obsolete charter language and change the process for setting the salaries of the city's elected officials. The proposals were approved by the council in a split vote in January. City Councilman Joe Fraught, who supported many... Full story »

He meant to rob, but not kill, attorney says Full story »

She finds a passion for democracy  Full story »

Slidell Police arrested a New Orleans man Friday after he stopped in a stolen car to ask a police officer for directions, authorities said. Officer Theresa Lubrano was in the drive-through lane of the McDonald's restaurant on Brown's Switch Road about 10:30 p.m. when Ronnie C. Ricks, 26, pulled up alongside her patrol car in a red Ford Explorer to ask... Full story »

St. Tammany Parish deputies are searching for a man who robbed four people in the Abita Nursery subdivision Sunday night, holding up several at gunpoint and pistol-whipping one of them, authorities said. The robber approached a car parked in the driveway of a home in the 73000 block of Jasmine Street about 10:30 p.m., Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. George... Full story »

Firefighters in St. Tammany Parish routinely undergo training to hone their skills for combatting blazes that strike houses, trailers and woodlands across the north shore. When it comes to operating the local fire departments, though, the appointed members of St. Tammany's 12 fire protection district governing boards get no formal training. As a result, fire board members have taken... Full story »

New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter will be a special guest Sunday at the Junior League of Greater Covington's "Night for the Museum" fundraiser. The proceeds will go toward building a children's museum in St. Tammany Parish. The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Castine Center near Mandeville. Tickets are $100 per person or... Full story »