The Curious and Tragic Case of Quawan Charles
Plus, the end of the Trump Era, and the power of music.
On the menu this week: developments in the death of Quawan Charles, what the end of the Trump era means, and how the power of music can have a deep impact on your memories. Also, pulling a family recipe out of retirement for you to try this weekend. Thanks for subscribing to the Kitchen Pundit newsletter.
Allow me to first bring you up to speed:
Quawan “Bobby” Charles was a 15-year-old black male who went missing at the end of October. Three days later, he was found dead in a shallow body of water in a sugarcane field. His death was listed as a drowning, but few other details were forthcoming.
In the course of the investigation, it was discovered Charles was last seen by the Irvin family. Gavin Irvin, a 17-year-old white male, was Charles’ friend, and he admitted that Charles had smoked “a little” marijuana. Irvin’s mother, Janet, told law enforcement that Charles was high on hallucinogens before leaving their property.
Charles’ family maintains that the Irvins took Quawan to their home without permission, and they and their attorneys have been seeking answers as to what happened to Quawan while he was there and after he left suddenly, though few answers were forthcoming.
The attorneys appear to have long suspected the Irvins were more involved with the disappearance than they originally claimed, and have called for deeper investigations and even the arrest of Janet Irvin - by her own testimony, she was aware of minors taking illegal substances in her home and did nothing.
On Tuesday, the tragic case took a turn for the curious: attorneys for Charles’ family released the results of an independent autopsy, which included a toxicology report. That report shows low levels of THC and alcohol in his system, but no hallucinogens.
Iberia Parish sheriff’s deputies have been investigating the disappearance and death as a murder because of the condition his body was found, and this new information will probably keep them on that path.
The focus now seems to be on whether or not the Irvins lied in order to deceive law enforcement, or if they were misinformed about what Charles had taken while he was at their home. Attorneys (and, I assume, law enforcement) will probably assume the former and pursue the truth harder. The attorneys involved in the case (full disclosure, I know one of them pretty well) are adamant that something very heinous has happened here, and I think we may be close to finding out the truth.
The case is tragic. A young man is dead and we have no answers as to why. There is now a pretty strong case for the Irvin family to be suspects, though not enough to prove their guilt (yet?). But the amount of press coverage that had to happen in order to get justice - or at least answers - for this young man is a shame, and I am glad there were people who fought to keep the case open until law enforcement stepped in to investigate closer.
All I Wanted in Trump’s Final Hours
Today, the Trump era ends. His presidency is over as of noon, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I have made no secret that I am not a fan of him or his methods. Policy-wise, he wasn't the worst, but character matters, and his was not one I could support.
Still, I could support some of the things he did, and I could defend him from dishonest attacks from the left and from the media (repeating myself, etc.). I could stick to being a conservative and support conservative things even if I was not on board with the Republican President. I've done it before, and I'll probably do it again.
And while I was not a fan and actually thought his campaign was poorly run and his behavior after the election was horrendous and caused a lot of damage to Republicans, I never saw the need to impeach him again. Up until now, I was in favor of just letting him go out quietly. Impeachment may have been a bridge too far. You risk stirring up a lot of trouble in the process and I’m not sure that the country can handle that.
All of that changed last night.
In 2020, America needed unity. We hadn't experienced true unity in years, and our partisanship and negativity toward our fellow Americans were at an all-time high. A deadly pandemic was racing out of control and keeping us locked in our homes out of fear. We needed something to help bring us together.
We got Tiger King.
Last night, pardoning Joe Exotic would have been the healing moment we needed. Instead, Trump pardoned Steve Bannon. Freaking Steve Bannon. But, Joe Exotic remains locked away.
This was supposed to be the day he finally became President, and instead, he chose division and corruption. It’s an absolute shame that it has come to this, but I guess letting us down is what he’s best at.
The good news is that the movement to free the Tiger King is going strong. It appears that even Turner Classic Movies is supporting Joe Exotic.
Not sure what other Joes they could be supporting if not him.
Homestyle: The Power of Music
On this week’s episode of Homestyle, my co-host Leigh Guidry and I the influence of music in our lives.
There are few things that dominate our longest-standing memories like music does. You can forget the details of an important event, but you can remember the music that was playing when it happened. You can forget which of your children is which, but you’ll remember that 90s pop hit the moment you hear it. Music is extremely powerful, and it can affect our memories from our childhood or the memories we make with our own children.
If you want to hear more, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast here, and if you have cooking, crafting, or family activity ideas, you can find us on Facebook and on Instagram (@Homestylepod).
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The Homestyle Podcast is a joint venture between myself and one of my best friends, education reporter Leigh Guidry. Throughout each episode, we discuss cooking, crafting, and other hobbies as well as how we make sure to spend time with our families despite how insanely busy life can be. The goal of the podcast has always been to take a moment to focus on what’s really important because, at the end of the day, family and life is more important than whatever distractions are going on in the world around us.
Recipe of the Week: Pasta Salad
Dusting this one off because I have been craving it. My grandmother made this all the time. I loved it growing up. She usually made it alongside her stellar chicken salad (which I’ll share with y’all some other time) and it was a glorious time to get those giant Ziplock bags from her house to take to ours.
The key here is the packet of salad dressing mix. Instead of just using Italian dressing, mix the powdered form with oil and white wine vinegar. Also, being a Southern recipe, pimentos are properly involved.
1 package (12 ounces) pasta
Olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions (with tops)
1 cup sliced black olives
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 jar diced pimentos, drained
Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, then rinse with cold water and drain well.
Toss the cooled pasta with some of the olive oil.
Separately, combine the mushrooms, olives, green onions, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Save the remaining cheese for later.
Prepare the dressing by mixing it with the vinegar and olive oil, whisking until smooth.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables, then add the pasta and toss well until mixed.
Add remaining Parmesan cheese.
Let it chill for a few hours. Serves 6-8.
Final Thoughts…
Going back to the Quawan Charles story, I cannot stress to you enough how important it is that we support law enforcement for pursuing this case. It took pressure, but they have responded well to it and are currently on track to provide some level of justice in the matter. The justice system isn’t perfect, but we must strive to push it to be as perfect as possible.