The 318: Shreveport acts on catalytic converter thefts, donates cop vehicles to Oil City

Music lovers in Shreveport - even those who are children - were treated to an abundance of options this weekend as Christian music tour Winter Jam Spectacular, the Baby Shark tour, 80’s R&B boy band New Edition, and the 14th Annual Shreveport Blues Festival headlined at concerts spread between the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium and Brookshire’s Arena. Did you attend any? Have your worries around COVID and large gatherings lessened?

New Shreveport laws address businesses that fund catalytic converter theft epidemic

The Shreveport City Council adopted a number of new laws Tuesday designed to address what has been described as an epidemic of catalytic converter thefts.

The laws are meant to deter individuals who steal the converters and the businesses that purchase the stolen parts.

Chief Wayne Smith described a disregard for theft among business owners who purchase the converters.

Shreveport donated vehicles at request of Oil City: 'So our officers can properly patrol'

Two Shreveport Police Department vehicles that have aged out of service life will be donated by the City of Shreveport to the Oil City Police Department, who described a need for vehicles that allow officers to properly patrol in a written request to SPD.

The donated vehicles will be a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria and a 2012 Chevrolet Caprice.

In the resolution authorizing the donation, the Crown Victoria is listed as having a $500 value while the Caprice has a $2,000 value.

One man dead, another man found stabbed following Friday incident in Bossier

A man is dead after being found unresponsive in a home in the 1200 block of Dot Avenue Bossier City, just after 5 p.m. Friday

Upon arrival, Bossier City Police Department located one male unresponsive and a second male with stab wounds.

The second male was transported to a local hospital. It is unknown what happened and officers are actively working the incident.

Sgt. BJ Sanford said the homicide and stabbing are under investigation at this time.

Shreveport apologizes for bloody 1963 police attacks on Black students and church members

At the dusk of Black History Month, the Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission in their own ways delivered apologies to two separate graduating classes and a church congregation that bore the violent brunt of the Civil Rights movement.

Retired Judge Leon Emanuel was 11 years old when he witnessed the events that day at Little Union. He described the church leaders ordering silence in the sanctuary once the congregation noticed the sounds of horse heels clacking on the church's steps.

Emanuel said he noticed the men in the church, including his father, on high alert but didn't realize the severity of the situation until the leaders began allowing small groups of members to leave at a time. When his family walked outside, the fear of the moment made sense.

See archive photography showing violent responses from police officers and read more from Emanuel about those two days here.

Shreveport couple may never get the Ukrainian kids they've waited three years to adopt

When Angie and Steve Kelly decided to adopt three teenagers from Ukraine in late 2018, they never imagined a war would break out, potentially keeping them from the final steps of the adoption process.

The Kelly's youngest daughter Stephanie went to Ukraine on a mission trip in 2018 and came back emotionally attached to three orphaned siblings: Igor, Yulia and Ivan. Due to restrictions in the Ukrainian adoption process, she was not qualified to adopt the trio. ,,

The couple decided to join a hosting program and were able to host middle child Yulia in early 2020 for four weeks and again in the summer of 2021 for 10 weeks. During that time, they felt what their daughter felt the first time around - that these kids belonged with them.

Check out The 318 every Sunday for a summary of the biggest headlines of the past seven days.

If you're interested in a deeper dive into the week's local business happenings, check out Business in the 318.

If you'd like to know more about art, food and entertainment from this week, check out Life in the 318.

Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: The 318: Shreveport catalytic converters thefts inspire new laws