Posted
2011-07-26 05:40:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR TUESDAY 072611
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
CONGRATULATIONS TO DEBORAH RANDOLPH. THE CENLA CHAMBER'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTED MONDAY TO MAKE HER THE NEW CHAMBER PRESIDENT, SUCCEEDING ELTON PODY, WHO SPENT 20 YEARS AS THE LEADER OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. PODY DIED FROM CANCER IN MARCH. RANDOLPH SAID SHE WAS “EXTREMELY HONORED AND GRATEFUL” TO BE CHOSEN PRESIDENT. RANDOLPH SAYS SHE WILL LOOK TO BUILD UPON THE YEARS OF SERVICE AND PROGRESS MADE UNDER PODY'S LEADERSHIP.
THE 50-YEAR-OLD OK ALLEN IS BEING REPLACED WITH TWO NEW SPANS ACROSS THE RED RIVER THAT WILL ADD TWO NEW LANES WHEN COMPLETED IN 2014. DOTD ENGINEER ADMINISTRATOR NICK VERRET RECOMMENDS AVOIDING THE CONGESTION AND DELAYS BY USING THE JACKSON STREET BRIDGE OR THE PURPLE HEART BRIDGE AS ALTERNATE ROUTES. PLANS WERE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF LANES LEADING UP TO THE BRIDGE BEGINNING TODAY. HOWEVER, THAT HAS BEEN POSTPONED A DAY OR TWO DUE TO RECENT RAINS.
THE LONGEST WORK STOPPAGE IN NFL HISTORY IS OVER. PLAYERS AND OWNERS OFFICIALLY REACHED AN AGREEMENT YESTERDAY MORNING. STARTING TODAY TEAMS WILL BE ABLE TO SIGN THEIR OWN FREE AGENTS, DRAFT PICKS, UNDRAFTED ROOKIE FREE AGENTS AND MAKE TRADES. THE SAINTS WILL REPORTEDLY OPEN TRAINING CAMP ON THURSDAY.
GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL SAYS THE RETURN OF THE N-F-L IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE STATE'S ECONOMY. IF THE LOCKOUT WOULD HAVE LASTED PAST THIS WEEK, PRESEASON GAMES WOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELLED AND THE THREAT OF A SHORTENED REGULAR SEASON WOULD HAVE EXISTED. BUT JINDAL SAYS HE'S LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, GLAD THAT NFL FOOTBALL WILL BE PLAYED IN THE DOME.
A FEDERAL RANKING BY STATE RATES LOUISIANA SECOND BEST IN THE NATION FOR NEW JOBS CREATED OVER A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD. THE U.S. BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS SAYS THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN OUR STATE ROSE BY 56-THOUSAND BETWEEN JUNE 2006 AND LAST MONTH. LSU ECONOMIST DR. LOREN SCOTT SAYS OUR STATE WEATHERED THE RECESSION BETTER THAN MOST. SCOTT SAYS THE JOBS OUTLOOK FOR LOUISIANA'S FUTURE IS GOOD. HE SAYS THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF ENTICING BUSINESSES TO LOCATE HERE, OR EXPAND THEIR CURRENT OPERATIONS.
GOVERNOR JINDAL SAYS SHREVEPORT-BASED MUSIC MOUNTAIN WATER COMPANY WILL INVEST OVER $9-MILLION EXPANDING FACILITIES TO MAKE IT'S OWN PLASTIC BOTTLES TO PACKAGE IT'S PRODUCT. THE COMPANY'S PLANS WILL MEAN RETAINING OVER 70 EXISTING JOBS AND CREATING ABOUT 25 NEW ONES. MUSIC MOUNTAIN CURRENTLY BUYS BOTTLES FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE FOR ITS BOTTLED WATER.
HAVE RECENT RAINS IN LOUISIANA MADE A DENT IN THE STATE'S RECORD DROUGHT? STATE CLIMATOLOGIST BARRY KEIM SAYS - IN A WORD - "NO". THIS YEAR HAS BEEN THE WORST DROUGHT ON RECORD IN LOUISIANA GOING BACK TO 1895, WHEN RECORDS-KEEPING BEGAN. KEIM SAYS DESPITE SOME SOAKING RAINS IN RECENT WEEKS, DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST. KEIM SAYS THE STATE IS, OVERALL, BEHIND ON RAINFALL BY OVER 12 INCHES. HE SAYS THE DROUGHT IS MUCH WORSE IN NORTHERN LOUISIANA THAN IN SOUTHERN PARISHES.
NEW ORLEANS' TOP TOURISM OFFICIAL HAS BEEN NAMED TO LSU'S GOVERNING BOARD BY GOV. BOBBY JINDAL. JINDAL'S OFFICE ANNOUNCED MONDAY THAT STEPHEN PERRY, PRESIDENT OF THE NEW ORLEANS METROPOLITAN CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU, HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE LSU BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. PERRY WAS CHIEF OF STAFF FOR FORMER GOV. MIKE FOSTER, A GOVERNOR WHO STARTED JINDAL'S POLITICAL CAREER BY APPOINTING HIM TO JOBS AS HEALTH CARE SECRETARY AND LEADER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA SYSTEM. PERRY REPLACES ANN DUPLESSIS, A FORMER STATE SENATOR AND DEPUTY NEW ORLEANS MAYOR, WHO FAILED TO GAIN SENATE CONFIRMATION FOR THE SEAT.
AN EMPLOYEE AT LOUIS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN NEW ORLEANS WAS ACCIDENTALLY SHOT YESTERDAY, WHEN A HUNTING RIFLE WENT OFF AS IT WAS BEING BAGGAGE CHECKED. JEFFERSON PARISH DEPUTIES SAY THE BULLET RICOCHETED OFF A COUNTER AND FRAGMENTED; PART OF THE BULLET STRIKING THE WORKER'S LEG. THE WOUND IS NON-CRITICAL. THE RIFLE'S OWNER IS CHARGED WITH NEGLIGENT INJURY.
GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL REPORTS HE HAS $8.8-MILLION IN CAMPAIGN CASH ON-HAND. IN A CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT FILED ON MONDAY, HIS ONLY DECLARED CHALLENGER, HAYNESVILLE SCHOOLTEACHER TARA HOLLIS REPORTS $953 IN THE BANK. IN THE LT. GOVERNOR’S RACE, THE REPORTS SHOW INCUMBENT LT. GOVERNOR JAY DARDENNE'S CAMPAIGN HAS ROUGHLY A HALF-MILLION DOLLARS IN THE BANK, WHILE HIS REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER, BILLY NUNGESSER JR., HAS OVER A MILLION.
THERE’S BEEN YET ANOTHER MURDER SUICIDE. THIS TIME IN SHREVEPORT. SHREVEPORT POLICE SAY IT APPEARS THAT 40-YEAR-OLD RYAN DOUGLAS SHOT HIS 49-YEAR-OLD WIFE CAROLYN SEVERAL TIMES EARLY YESTERDAY MORNING, BEFORE GOING INTO ANOTHER ROOM AND SHOOTING HIMSELF. A THREE-YEAR-OLD BOY--BELIEVED TO BE THE COUPLE'S GRANDCHILD--WAS IN THE HOME AT THE TIME. HE'S BEEN RELEASED TO RELATIVES.
THE N-F-L IS BACK AND SOME MIGHT SAY IT'S BETTER THAN EVER. A NEW TEN-YEAR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WAS FINALIZED BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND OWNERS. EVEN THOUGH THE LOCKOUT LASTED FOR OVER FOUR MONTHS, NFL ANALYST MIKE DETILLIER SAYS THE LENGTHY WORK STOPPAGE WILL NOT HURT THE GAME.
IN A MAJOR PRODUCTION AND MARKETING MOVE ABITA BEER ANNOUNCES IT WILL BEGIN OFFERING THREE OF ITS FLAGSHIP BREWS IN CANS FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE NEW CANS WILL BE OFFERED IN SIX AND 12 PACKS AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE IN STORE EARLY IN 2012.
A NINE-YEAR-OLD BOY HAS DROWNED AT KENNER'S DRIFTWOOD COUNTRY CLUB POOL THAT HAD BEEN CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE RAIN. KENNER POLICE SAY THE BOY AND A FRIEND CLIMBED OVER A 20-FOOT CAST-IRON AND BRICK GATE AT THE PRIVATE CLUB MONDAY ONTO A ROOF OF A SMALL BUILDING, FROM WHICH THEY JUMPED INTO THE POOL. AT SOME POINT, THE VICTIM WENT UNDER WATER AND NEVER RESURFACED. POLICE SAY THE OTHER CHILD CLIMBED BACK OVER THE FENCE TO GET HELP.
JUST OVER $400,000 IN LOST MONEY HAS BEEN RETURNED TO NEW ORLEANS-AREA RESIDENTS FROM THE STATE TREASURY. THE AGENCY HELD AN UNCLAIMED PROPERTY DAY SATURDAY IN METAIRIE. STATE TREASURER JOHN KENNEDY SAYS OVER 5,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED. KENNEDY SAYS ONE PERSON CLAIMED $98,000, WHILE ANOTHER CLAIMED $36,000. UNCLAIMED PROPERTY CLAIMS NORMALLY AVERAGE $200 TO $400 EACH.
THE MONEY INCLUDES FUNDS FROM UNCLAIMED BANK ACCOUNTS, PAYROLL CHECKS, CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSITS, STOCKS AND DIVIDENDS, INSURANCE PROCEEDS, PETROLEUM ROYALTY PAYMENTS AND UTILITY DEPOSITS.
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