Monthly Archives: July 2017

An app to track missing people on high seas – Times of India

Posted: July 11, 2017 at 10:30 pm

HYDERABAD: A mobile app, SARAT (Search And Rescue Aid Tool), that can help save lives and find lost objects at sea was released on Monday. The versatile tool has been developed by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (Incois), Hyderabad, which is an autonomous agency under the ministry of earth sciences. The SARAT app can assist in the search for over 64 types of missing 'objects', including boats, ships and people. While the web version was released last year, the mobile app will be available for download from the Google Play Store. "Conducting search and rescue operations at sea is extremely challenging and can be compared to the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack. Typically, search and rescue operations are most frequent during bad weather over the high seas, when fisherfolk inadvertently venture out and their vessels capsize," Incois said. The system mainly enables the Indian Coast Guard, Navy and Coastal Security Police to minimise search time during various operations to reduce loss of life, injury and property damage. In such exigencies, quick action is vital and hence this mobile app has been developed to make this system conveniently available to all, Incois said. The accuracy of SARAT is validated using a network of drifting buoys and other instruments. The system proved its mettle earlier by successfully assisting in the recovery of the Indian Coast Guard's missing Dornier aircraft off Chennai coast in 2015.

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‘Make new rules’ to save the oceans – BBC News

Posted: at 10:30 pm


BBC News
'Make new rules' to save the oceans
BBC News
Christiana Figueres, a former chief climate negotiator, is joining a push at the UN for a formal treaty process to safeguard the high seas. She says a healthy ocean can buffer the planet against changing climate by continuing to soak up CO2 emissions ...

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10 incredible tropical islands you can rent from just 240 – and you’ll have them all to yourself – Mirror.co.uk

Posted: at 10:29 pm

Imagine lying on a white sandy beach overlooking turquoise ocean waters, sipping on cocktails and basking in the sunshine, far away from the stress and bustle of daily life on your very own tropical island.

Sound ideal? Well, it's about to get a whole lot easier to make that fantasy come true!

We've teamed up with HomeToGo.co.uk to search out some of the best private islands you can rent to yourself, across luxurious locations from the Bahamas to the Philippines.

The best part is you won't need a millionaire's budget.

With prices starting from 240 it could be the perfect excuse to finally bag that luxury holiday you've always dreamed of - or it could make for a seriously amazing honeymoon destination.

Check out the amazing offering below - and find out how you can book your stay...

If you're after more amazing holiday inspiration, make sure to also check out our luxury holidays page .

Check out of reality and into paradise when you book this private island vacation rental on Bird Island in Belize.

The island is located in the middle of a coral reef with unbeatable marine life, crystal clear waters, and beautiful weather year round.

The house can hold up to four guests, and has a host of amenities including a fire pit and BBQ for laidback dining, three bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and two sundecks overlooking the turqouise waters.

How much? Prices start from 340 ($435 ) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: You can bag return flights to Belize from 617.57 on Expedia , with a host of UK airports including London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Sit back, relax and bask in the Caribbean sun with a stay at this quaint cottage on Ship Channel Cay.

You won't need to lift a finger during your trip as the island has a full-time service team who can take you on guided boat tours or cook your dinner, so you can truly disconnect from every day life.

Take a stroll along the pink sandy beaches, explore one of the island's spectacular nature trails, or spend a lazy afternoon on you private beach away from the crowds.

How much? Prices start from 350 ($450) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: British Airways has direct return flights to the Bahamas from 649 .

Although it's just a short drive from Hilton Head, this private island plantation seems a world away from that bustling resort area.

Take a step off the beaten path into South Carolina's Lowcountry, where you can enjoy 150 acres of unspoiled nature.

How much? Prices start from 240 ($307) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: There are no direct flights to South Carolina from the UK, but you can find seats from 393 each way on Cheapflights.co.uk .

Ideal for an exotic getaway, Ipil Waterfront is hidden in the heart of Palawan, an archipelago comprising 1,780 islands in the Philippines.

It's the epitome of paradise with fine white sand beaches, crystalline blue waters, colourful tropical fish, jaw-dropping corals, lusciously green forests and towering limestone cliffs.

Meanwhile, the three-bedrooom villa has its own private beaches, and thanks to the large windows and high ceilings it boasts unparalleled views of the ocean and landscape.

How much? Prices start from 620 ($801) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: You can find return flights from 326 with one stopover on Kayak.co.uk .

Located on the remote Big Farmers Cay, this hidden gem is the perfect island escape.

You won't be stuck for things to do, with kayaking, fishing, snorkeling and windsurfing just some of the options on offer.

There's some incredible wildlife on the island too: go swimming with wild pigs, turtles and stingrays, and look out for iguanas.

Meanwhile the luxurious three-bedroom house has its own private beach and unrivalled views of the breathtaking landscape, but if you are looking for somewhere a bit vibrant for dinner then it's just a short walk to the nearby Ty's Sunset Bar & Grill.

How much? Prices start from 555 ($720) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: British Airways has direct return flights to the Bahamas from 649 .

This beautiful, private island log cottage sits on Lake of the Isles, which is renowned for its unusually warm water temperatures.

After a day of swimming, guests can unwind on the wrap around deck while they enjoy stunning 360-degree waterfront views.

This gorgeous home has everything you could want including a natural stone hot tub, satellite TV, outdoor stereo speaker system, water treatment system, as well as luxurious furnishings including 6 beds, leather & log cabin style sofas.

How much? Prices start from 470 ($604) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: TripAdvisor has a host of cheap flights to New York available from 357 .

Perfectly situated in the heart of the Florida Keys and just a short, three-minute boat ride from the mainland, East Sister Rock Island is the perfect tropical escape.

The house has three bedrooms and two baths, and has 19 sliding glass doors that offer the best views and ocean breeze from every part of the house.

For a very billionaire-worthy entrance, guests can also arrive by helicopter as the rental features its very own launch pad!

How much? Prices start from 1,250 ($1,613) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: You can bag seats from 321 on TripAdvisor including a departures from a host of UK airports such as Bristol, London, Norwich, Leeds and Edinburgh.

This multi-million dollar cottage sits atop a 4-acre private island in Ontario's Muskoka Lakes Region, and boasts 6 bedrooms and bathrooms.

It makes for the ultimate beach break, as the private beach has everything including its own bar, campfire, picnic table and hammock, as well as plenty of beach toys and sports equipment (canoes, kayaks and a paddle board).

Meanwhile, its open lake views makes for some seriously breathtaking backdrops especially at sunset time.

How much? Prices start from 1,900 ($2,466) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: Canadian Affair often has great deals and discounts including flights from 344pp .

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Boasting five bedrooms and six bedrooms, this impressive estate can hold up to 14 guests.

Offering breathtaking views of the Maya Mountains it's the epitome of a luxurious getaway: you'll have access to the island's boat and your own personal driver, as well as a full staff to help cater to your every need.

Meanwhile there's plenty of watersports equipment if you want to make use of the private beach, but if you're not in the mood for sand then there's also a large freshwater pool which includes a layout deck, covered seating area and even pool volleyball.

How much? Prices start from 1,160 ($1,643) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: You can bag return flights to Belize from 617.57 on Expedia , with a host of UK airports including London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Get ready to dive into the adventure of a lifetime!

This fully-staffed, private island rental in Belize sleeps 18 and includes unlimited access to sea kayaks, snorkeling gear, paddle boards, and more.

There's even an island chef to serve you up some mouthwatering local cuisine - or whatever other foodie delights take your fancy.

How much? Prices start from 3,860 ($5,000) a night. Click here for booking information .

Cheap flights: Return flights to Belize from 617.57 on Expedia , with a host of UK airports including London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester.

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10 incredible tropical islands you can rent from just 240 - and you'll have them all to yourself - Mirror.co.uk

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Top 10 remote and exotic islands where you can forget the world – Stuff.co.nz

Posted: at 10:29 pm

SUE WILLIAMS

Last updated12:05, July 12 2017

The Rock

The Rock is located along Zanzibar's coastline that is made up of white sandy beaches.

In this near and far-flung places, it's ok to suspend reality for a short time. Here are 10 places where you can truly get away from it all.

ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA

This island 40 kilometres off the East African coast is a fascinating blend of cultures: African, Arabic and European. Once the world's largest producer of cloves, the air is still heavy with the scent of spices.

The ancient Stone Town at Zanzibar's heart is a fascinating labyrinth of old alleyways, mosques, bazaars, and grand houses with massive carved doors, studded with brass fittings. The coastline is made up of white sandy beaches and coral reefs, perfect for diving and snorkelling, with dhows gliding past for sailing trips. Seeclassicsafaricompany.com.au

GREAT BARRIER ISLAND

Chris Skelton/FAIRFAX NZ

Rural nurses Adele Robertson and Leonie Howie talk about life on Great Barrier Island.

It may be only 90 kilometres north-east of Auckland, but this 285-square-kilometre island does feel a million miles from care. It's all about getting back to nature here, with walking tracks, mountain bike trails, diving, surfing, bird-watching, swimming, boating and fishing.

A flight or ferry from Auckland, the rugged terrain has peaks falling down to wetlands, beaches and secluded bays. Logging, whaling and copper, gold and silver-mining were once the main industries but now it's much more about conservation and a fledgling tourism industry. Seethebarrier.co.nz

TAHUATA, THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS, FRENCH POLYNESIA

Tahuata in French Polynesia is best reached via a cruise with the half-cargo, half-cruise ship, Aranui 5.

No man is an island, but it's worth trying It's a thrill to visit some of the most remote islands in the world and they don't come any more isolated than the lush green volcanic Marquesas, 1400 kilometres north-east of Tahiti in the Pacic Ocean and 4800 kilometres from Mexico.

TahuAta is the smallest of the inhabited islands, so it's a shock to find a magnificent church there, which was opened by the Vatican. It comes complete with gorgeous wooden carvings, including of Mary with Jesus and breadfruit, and statues of bishops. More predictable are stunning beaches. Best reached via a cruise with the half-cargo, half-cruise ship, the 254-passenger Aranui 5. Seearanuicruises.com.au

NORFOLK ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

Norfolk Island: The red-earth island that's been dubbed 'the Uluru of the Pacific'.

Now much more closely aligned, both politically and economically with "the mainland", the home of The Bounty mutineers and now their descendants still has a culture and atmosphere all its own.

With rolling green hills, national parks, beaches and a decidedly 1950s sensibility, everyone's tipping Norfolk for a fresh tourist boom. Seenorfolkisland.com.au

GALAPAGOS, ECUADOR

Being on the Galapagos, the islands almost 1000 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador, feels like starring in your own Disney movie, with none of the animals even the weirdest ones appearing at all afraid of you.

123RF

Iguanas will be your only company on the beach in Santa Cruz Galapagos Islands.

They thus gambol, swim and waddle around you, giving you the best view you'll ever have of massive marine iguana, giant tortoises, turtles, albatross, penguins, sea lions, dolphins even whales.

With the islands so far from everywhere, nearly one quarter of the islands' species are endemic, so it's little surprise it's the home of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. Seeperegrineadventures.com

AITUTAKI, THE COOK ISLANDS

Caught in the middle of a triangular barrier reef with breathtakingly beautiful turquoise lagoons and white sand beaches, Aitutaki is a 50-minute flight from the main island, Rarotonga, between French Polynesia and American Samoa. Picnicking on uninhabited motus nearby, snorkelling, swimming, fishing, sunset cruising and kite-surfing are favourite activities. It's the closest I've ever come to paradise. Seecookislands.travel

Diane Chandler

A stunning lagoon with crystal clear water and white sand beaches on Aitutaki, Cook islands.

EASTER ISLAND, CHILE

With Chile 3700 kilometres to its east and Pitcairn more than 2000 kilometres to its west, this far-flung island is best known for its 900 towering stone statues, or moai. Now dated at between 1100 and 1600AD, they're believed to represent the different lineages of the original population, later decimated by slave-raiders, smallpox and cannibalism. Despite the long flights from Chile or Tahiti, visitors still flock there to explore and experience the ultimate in seclusion.easterislandtourism.com

ROSARIO ISLANDS, COLOMBIA

Join the locals for a day boat trip over to the Caribbean archipelago 100 kilometres off the coast at Cartagena. With the whole of the area declared a national park, there's swimming in the clear waters, snorkelling around the coral, sunbaking on the sandy beaches, an aquarium to visit and fabulous sunsets on the return journey. Fellow passengers are thrilled to show off one of their prettiest places. Seerosarioislands.com

SHETLAND ISLANDS, SCOTLAND

It's no utopia, but this wild and bleak archipelago 80 kilometres north-east of Orkney and 280 kilometres south-east of the Faroe Islands, a part of Norway until confiscated by the Scots in the 15th century over an unpaid dowry, has a certain charm. It's undergoing a mini-boom with the hit TV crime seriesShetlandset on the biggest island, based on the best-selling books by Ann Cleeves. There are ferries, flights and cruise ship stops. Seeshetland.org

TAPROBANEISLAND, SRI LANKA

This tiny rocky islet just off the south coast of Sri Lanka is the only spit of land before the South Pole but it's eminently physically accessible via a short paddle through the ocean at low tide. The only real hurdle is cash it's the country's sole private island with an elegant octagonal five-bedroom house built in the 1920s and staffed by five, only available for hire for a pretty sum. Guests all have ocean views, there's an infinity pool and landscaped gardens filled with exotic plants and flowers. Little wonder it's been billed the most romantic escape in the world. Seetaprobaneisland.com

Traveller.com.au

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Lansing group helps adults with disabilities live on their own, in community with others – Interlochen

Posted: at 10:29 pm

The Next Idea

Parents of children on the autism spectrum face significant challenges in getting the right education, support and other life tools for their kids. But the difficulties dont go away when these kids grow up. Can they live alone, support themselves, be a part of society? And what happens when their adult caregivers age out of watching over them?

Mary Douglass is one of many working to combat these challenges. Douglass is the president of Lansing Intentional Communities, or LINCS. The organizations goal is to promote the creation of spaces, called intentional communities, where adults with developmental disabilities live together.

Were putting these individuals in close proximity with each other so we can help them create community together and support them as they create community with their surrounding neighborhood, Douglass said. "Really the individual is making their own self-determined choices about where they live, who they live with, how they get supported, what the neighborhood looks like."

Douglass says there's no one model or format the communities must follow. LINCS recently bought its first house for three people, but several apartments, for example, could work just as well.

"It doesnt matter how we acquire that housing. What really matters is that were being intentional about keeping ourselves close together and creating community with each other.

LINCS then inserts what it calls a community builder, Douglass said, to live within the community. They might plan outings, or just help out when needed.

I like to think of it as an RA, like when you go to college, Douglass said.

The intentional community model is different from a group home. It purposefully has less of a rigid schedule to give as much independent choice as possible to individuals. This is a fluid model that can change and improve with different circumstances, Douglass said, but its a distinct improvement from the past.

Stateside's conversation with Mary Douglass, president of Lansing Intentional Communities (LINCS).

The Next Idea is Michigan Radios project devoted to new innovations and ideas that will change our state.

Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook, or let us know your Next Idea here.

(Subscribe to The Next Idea podcast on iTunes, or with this RSS link.)

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St. Martin Community seeks priests with smell of the sheep – Crux: Covering all things Catholic

Posted: at 10:29 pm

VRON, France In 1992, when Pope John Paul II released his apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (I will give you shepherds), the Catholic priesthood was in serious decline. Seminary formation was in disarray, clergy were renouncing their vows, and new vocations were dwindling around the globe.

To address this crisis, John Paul outlined four major dimensions to aid in priestly formation: The human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral. The aim of the exhortation was not only to discern but also to accompany priestly vocations. Central to this was an elevation of the human dimension of the priesthood, which, according to the exhortation, is the basis of all priestly formation.

In some respects, this insight had already been realized by Monsignor Jean-Francois Gurin, a French priest who founded the Community of Saint Martin in 1976. For Gurin, the spirituality of the Community was an embrace of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council with a particular focus on the human development of its priests.

Originally founded in the diocese of Genoa, Italy, at the invitation of Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, the Community was born in a poor environment in a former Capuchin monastery. The humble setting formed the DNA of the community, with the Eucharist at the center and a commitment to Church unity as a direct response to what Gurin believed to be the crisis in identity of priests.

By 1979, the Community had its first ordinations and over the next decade another twenty followed. In 1993, the Community returned home to its French roots and opened its seminary in Cand-sur-Beuvron, France.

Today its motherhouse is in vron, France, where they relocated in 2014 after outgrowing their previous home due to an unprecedented uptick in new seminarians. Now under the leadership of Don Paul Praux, the Community boasts an enrollment of 100 new seminarians and 100 priests serving in dioceses in France, Italy, and Cuba and is one of the fastest growing religious communities in France.

Inspired by Saint Martin of Tours, the spirituality of the order is based on four aspects of the life of the fourth century saint. First, he was a hermit who understood the contemplative life and what can be gained from withdrawing from the world. Second, he founded a monastery, which is viewed as his recognition of the importance of community life.

Third, he was a pastor and a bishop who went out to the peripheries of his time and became the first to found parishes outside of cities. Finally, his constant devotion to the poor set an example of both spiritual and physical poverty, which the Community still tries to model.

According to Praux, Saint Martin gave us in the fourth century a model of what priests should be in the 21st century. In an interview with Crux, Praux couldnt help but to offer parallels between the spirituality of the Community and the vision of the priesthood offered by Pope Francis. Were trying to live the reality that Pope Francis asks of us, particularly a focus on the poor and the joy of the Gospel. We still see it as a call to conversion for us.

In its early days many of the bishops in France viewed the Community with an unfavorable eye, noted Praux. Today, however, the Community is represented in 20 dioceses and 35 other French bishops have asked for the Community to send priests their way, placing the Community in direct contact with 55 out of the 100 bishops in the country.

Rather than having specific assignment for its priests, the Community entrusts its members to bishops for a wide range of services, including work in retirement homes, boarding schools, and parish service.

The priests and deacons of the Community live and work in communities of at least three, but with an integrated approach that combines religious life with intentional interaction with lay men and women.

vron Abbey, which is located two hours southwest of Paris, traces its roots back to the 7th century when it was previously a Benedictine Abbey and then later the home of the Sisters of Charity in vron. With plenty of room for growth and an attractive bucolic setting, the Community is aiming for greater expansion in Europe and beyond.

Praux who has been head of the Community since 2010 and was just re-elected for another six-year assignment, has made future growth a key area of discernment for his next term. He anticipates immediate expansion into German speaking countries and has also been in contact with several dioceses in the United States.

In June of this year, another three priests were ordained to the community. Xandro Pachta-Reyhofen entered the seminary in 2010 and the Austria native was the first non-French native to enter the community. Just two weeks before his ordination, he reflected back on what for him was the most unlikely of vocations whose life was changed after meeting a priest from the Community while studying philosophy in Paris.

The most important thing is to see priests whose priesthood does not diminish their human fulfillment, Pachta-Reyhofen told Crux. Clear identity makes the priesthood attractive. You have to be able to imagine yourself in the role of the priest and in the role that is being modeled for you. These were men that I could also see having very successful careers as businessmen, lawyers, or doctors, but were also attracted to the priesthood.

With a motto of Taking God seriously, not yourself, the Community of Saint Martin is aiming to breath new life into the Church through traditional ways. In terms of its own liturgy, formation, and structures, the Community is undeniably rooted in established traditions. But in its daily ministry, its unquestionably focused outward on the modern world.

In considering the role of religious life in the 21st century, Praux isnt worried about being written off as outdated or irrelevant. Rather than complaining about a society that isnt open to us or doesnt like us, were called to encounter them and offer them a real vision of who we are. That work is up to us, he told Crux.

If a priest has the smell of the sheep, like Francis tells us we should, its because he carried them as well. Not just in liturgical celebrations, but in their daily lives knowing their needs and their sorrows too.

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Chapel Hill wants affordable housing, but creates an unaffordable town – News & Observer

Posted: at 10:28 pm


News & Observer
Chapel Hill wants affordable housing, but creates an unaffordable town
News & Observer
... consequence of many conscious decisions, which other Triangle communities should avoid. Chapel Hill boasts the highest all-in property tax rates in the state. It has the most expensive housing, caused by an intentional lack of supply of single ...

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Should Self-Driving Cars Make Ethical Decisions Like We Do? – Singularity Hub

Posted: at 10:26 pm

An enduring problem with self-driving cars has been how to program them to make ethical decisions in unavoidable crashes. A new study has found its actually surprisingly easy to model how humans make them, opening a potential avenue to solving the conundrum.

Ethicists have tussled with the so-called trolley problem for decades. If a runaway trolley, or tram, is about to hit a group of people, and by pulling a lever you can make it switch tracks so it hits only one person, should you pull the lever?

But for those designing self-driving cars the problem is more than just a thought experiment, as these vehicles will at times have to make similar decisions. If a pedestrian steps out into the road suddenly, the car may have to decide between swerving and potentially injuring its passengers or knocking down the pedestrian.

Previous research had shown that the moral judgements at the heart of how humans deal with these kinds of situations are highly contextual, making them hard to model and therefore replicate in machines.

But when researchers from the University of Osnabrck in Germany used immersive virtual reality to expose volunteers to variations of the trolley problem and studied how they behaved, they were surprised at what they found.

We found quite the opposite, Leon Stfeld, first author of a paper on the research in journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, said in a press release. Human behavior in dilemma situations can be modeled by a rather simple value-of-life-based model that is attributed by the participant to every human, animal, or inanimate object.

The implication, the researchers say, is that human-like decision making in these situations would not be that complicated to incorporate into driverless vehicles, and they suggest this could present a viable solution for programming ethics into self-driving cars.

Now that we know how to implement human ethical decisions into machines we, as a society, are still left with a double dilemma, Peter Knig, a senior author of the paper, said in the press release. Firstly, we have to decide whether moral values should be included in guidelines for machine behavior and secondly, if they are, should machines act just like humans.

There are clear pitfalls with both questions. Self-driving cars present an obvious case where a machine could have to make high-stakes ethical decisions that most people would agree are fairly black or white.

But once you start insisting on programming ethical decision-making into some autonomous systems, it could be hard to know where to draw the line.

Should a computer program designed to decide on loan applications also be made to mimic the moral judgements a human bank worker most likely would if face-to-face with a client? What about one meant to determine whether or not a criminal should be granted bail?

Both represent real examples of autonomous systems operating in contexts where a human would likely incorporate ethicaljudgements in their decision-making. But unlike the self-driving car example, a persons judgement in these situations is likely to be highly colored by their life experience and political views. Modeling these kinds of decisions may not be so easy.

Even if human behavior is consistent, that doesnt mean its necessarily the best way of doing things, as Knig alludes to. Humans are not always very rational and can be afflicted by all kinds of biases that could feed into their decision-making.

The alternative, though, is hand-coding morality into these machines, and it is fraught with complications. For a start, the chances of reaching an unambiguous consensus on what particular ethical code machines should adhere to are slim.

Even if you can, though, a study in Science I covered last June suggests it wouldnt necessarily solve the problem. A survey of US residents found that most people thoughtself-driving cars should be governed by utilitarian ethics that seek to minimize the total number of deaths in a crash even if it harms the passengers.

But it also found most respondents would not ride in these vehicles themselves or support regulations enforcing utilitarian algorithms on them.

In the face of such complexities, programming self-driving cars to mimic peoples instinctive decision-making could be an attractive alternative. For a start, building models of human behavior simply required the researchers to collect data and feed it into a machine learning system.

Another upside is that it would prevent a situation where programmers are forced to write algorithms that could potentially put people in harms way. By basing the behavior of self-driving cars on a model of our collective decision making we would, in a way, share the responsibility for the decisions they make.

At the end of the day, humans are not perfect, but over the millennia weve developed some pretty good rules of thumb for life and death situations. Faced with the potential pitfalls of trying to engineer self-driving cars to be better than us, it might just be best to trust those instincts.

Stock Media provided by Iscatel / Pond5

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Ascension Parish heroin trafficker pleads guilty in federal court … – The Advocate

Posted: at 10:23 pm

An Ascension Parish heroin trafficker pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal drug and gun charges stemming from a large-scale heroin trafficking network based in Ascension and Houston, Acting U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson announced.

Jason Muse, 37, formerly of Prairieville, was accused earlier this year by a Baton Rouge federal grand jury of obtaining heroin from sources in Texas and distributing the drug in Ascension and elsewhere, including Baton Rouge.

Eighteen people, including 14 from Louisiana, are under federal indictment in Baton Rouge fo

Muse used his residences in Prairieville and elsewhere to store, weigh, package and distribute heroin. He also used his business, M.J. Chicken and Waffles, in Prairieville to facilitate his heroin distribution activities, the grand jury alleged.

Muse, one of 18 people named in the indictment, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a number of federal charges, including drug conspiracy, heroin distribution, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, Amundson said.

He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles did not set a sentencing date.

Follow Joe Gyan Jr. on Twitter, @JoeGyanJr.

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Ascension Parish heroin trafficker pleads guilty in federal court ... - The Advocate

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Mississippi man accused of impersonating officer in Ascension Parish – WDSU New Orleans

Posted: at 10:23 pm

ASCENSION PARISH, La.

A Mississippi man is accused of impersonating an officer and trying to stop a driver.

Timothy Wright, 51, was arrested Monday and charged with false impersonation of a police officer and reckless operation, according to The Associated Press.

Ascension Parish Sheriff's Chief Deputy Bobby Webre said in a statement that deputies received a call on Saturday that a man was driving a vehicle with flashing lights and had tried to stop another vehicle.

A second driver told deputies they drove off when Wright exited the vehicle in civilian clothing. Wright followed the driver for a few minutes before driving off.

Investigators said a license plate number was recovered from Wright's vehicle, which led to his arrest.

It's unclear if Wright has a lawyer.

Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!

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