Posted
2011-09-23 07:16:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR FRIDAY 092311
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
FALL OFFICIALLY ARRIVED TODAY AT FOUR MINUTES AFTER FOUR THIS MORNING. THE CHANGE OF SEASON TYPICALLY BRINGS SHORTER DAYS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES. STATE CLIMATOLOGIST BARRY KEIM SAYS THE RE-APPEARANCE OF LA NINA IS A WILD CARD THAT COULD CHANGE OUR NORMAL FALL WEATHER. THE EXTENDED DROUGHT ACROSS LOUISIANA BEGAN WHEN LA NINA APPEARED LAST FALL. MOST OF LOUISIANA HAD BEEN UNDER DROUGHT CONDITIONS UNTIL TROPICAL STORM LEE BROKE THE DROUGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE A FEW WEEKS AGO. HOWEVER, KEIM SAYS LA NINA COULD PUSH US BACK INTO DROUGHT.
NEW CENSUS NUMBERS HAVE MIX RESULTS FOR LOUISIANA. THE US CENSUS BUREAU SAYS FOR THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW, MORE PEOPLE MOVED INTO LOUISIANA THAN MOVED OUT. LSU DEMOGRAPHER TROY BLANCHARD SAYS THE NEGATIVE NEWS IN THE REPORT IS THAT LOUISIANA EXPERIENCED A DECLINE OF 2,000 PEOPLE WITH ADVANCED DEGREES. BUT BLANCHARD SAYS THE CENSUS REPORT SHOWS THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH A BACHELORS DEGREE REMAINS THE SAME COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.
TWO NEW IBERIA MEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY CALLING IN A BOMB THREAT IN THE HOPES THAT IT WOULD DIVERT THE POLICE'S ATTENTION SO THEY COULD ROB A LAFAYETTE BANK. LAFAYETTE POLICE CPL PAUL MOUTON SAYS OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO TRACE THE CALL TO A PAY PHONE WHERE THEY DETAINED TWO MEN THEY BELIEVED WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE THREAT ON THE SCHOOL. THE CHILDREN AT OUR LADY FATIMA CATHOLIC SCHOOL WERE TAKEN TO A SAFE LOCATION AND WERE ABLE TO RESUME CLASSES ONCE THE SCHOOL WAS CLEARED. MOUTON SAYS THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE WARNS YOU NOT TO BE SUCKERED BY A FAKE VOTER REGISTRATION WEBSITE. THEY SAY THE WEBSITE "REGISTERTOVOTE.ORG" OFFERS TO REGISTER ANYONE IN ANY STATE.
SECRETARY OF STATE TOM SCHEDLER SAYS THE SITE IS HOSTED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, AND GATHERS INFO THAT LEGITIMATE VOTER REGISTRATION DOESN'T ASK; LIKE HEIGHT, WEIGHT AND JOB INFORMATION. HE SAYS LOUISIANANS CAN SAFELY REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE AT "GEAUXVOTE.ORG". BY THE WAY, THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER AND BE ABLE TO VOTE IN THE OCTOBER 22ND ELECTION HAS PASSED.
OUR STATE WILL BE VISITED BY 2 GOP CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT TODAY AND TOMORROW. TEXAS CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL GIVES A SPEECH TO LSU STUDENTS AND OPENS A CAMPAIGN OFFICE IN BATON ROUGE TODAY. TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY HAS A FUNDRAISER IN SHREVEPORT TOMORROW.
THE JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH DA’S OFFICE ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THE TRIAL FOR VILLE PLATTE HIGH SCHOOL HEAD FOOTBALL COACH ROY SERIE, WHO IS CHARGED WITH VEHICULAR HOMICIDE, HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL JANUARY. SERIE WAS ARRESTED IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR AFTER TOXICOLOGY RESULTS FOUND HE HAD ILLEGAL DRUGS IN HIS SYSTEM AT THE TIME OF A MAY CAR CRASH THAT KILLED HIS WIFE, SHEILA SERIE, AND SHANNON COX OF LAKE CHARLES. AUTHORITIES SAY COX WAS THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE SERIE HIT. SERIE PLEADED NOT GUILTY LAST NOVEMBER TO TWO COUNTS OF VEHICULAR HOMICIDE, ONE COUNT OF DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED AND ONE COUNT OF VEHICULAR NEGLIGENT INJURY.
FREE CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY SEAT CHECKS WILL BE OFFERED FROM 9 A.M. TO 1 P.M. SATURDAY AT WALKER AUTOMOTIVE, ON MACARTHUR DRIVE IN ALEXANDRIA. NO APPOINTMENT IS NECESSARY. THERE WILL BE A LIMITED NUMBER OF FREE CAR SEATS AND BOOSTER SEATS AVAILABLE.
LOUISIANA IS BEING INVADED BY A NEW SPECIES OF ANT. THE ANTS, KNOWN AS HAIRY-CRAZY ANTS, ARE AN INVASIVE SPECIES, MUCH LIKE FIRE ANTS, THAT HAVE MOVED INTO THE STATE FROM TEXAS. ZACH LEHMANN WITH THE AUDUBON INSTITUTE CALLS THE ANTS A NUISANCE. THE SPECIES ARRIVED FROM THE CARIBBEAN IN THE 1950'S AND TOOK UP RESIDENCE IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA AND HOUSTON TEXAS AREAS. THE PESTS HAVE BEEN SLOWLY MAKING THEIR WAY ALONG THE GULF COAST FOR YEARS. THE GOOD NEWS, THE HAIRY CRAZY ANT WILL EAT FIRE ANTS.
THE FOUNDATION FOR HISTORICAL LOUISIANA HAS PUT OUT A LIST OF ENDANGERED HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND ENTITIES CALLING THEM "TREASURES IN TROUBLE." EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CAROLYN BENNETT SAYS THESE SIGNIFICANT SITES EACH REPRESENT A TIE TO THE HISTORY, ARCHITECTURAL, AND CULTURAL STORY OF OUR STATE. MOST OF THE SITES ARE LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. BENNETT SAYS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH OF THESE PROPERTIES CAN BE FOUND ON THEIR WEBSITE AT FHL.ORG. BENNETT SAYS THEY'RE CREATING A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR EACH TREASURE IN TROUBLE IN HOPES OF GETTING DIALOGUE GOING ABOUT WAYS THESE IMPORTANT LOCATIONS CAN BE SAVED.
LOUISIANA TECH'S 2011 ENROLLMENT NUMBERS ARE OUT AND THEY'RE REPORTING THE LARGEST FRESHMAN CLASS SINCE 2006. TECH REPORTS 1,632 NEW FRESHMAN HAVE ENROLLED FOR THE 2011 QUARTER WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF TWO PERCENT OVER LAST FALL. TECH PRESIDENT DAN RENEAU SAYS THE AVERAGE FRESHMAN ACT SCORE IS ALSO THE HIGHEST IN THE UNIVERSITIES HISTORY AT 23.81
A SCHOOL FOR VIDEO GAME DESIGN, 3-D ANIMATION AND VISUAL EFFECTS IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN JANUARY, OFFERING TRAINING THAT OFFICIALS SAY COULD HELP SPUR THE LOCAL DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY. THE ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, A TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF SORTS FOR THE DIGITAL WORKFORCE, WILL SET UP SHOP AT THE LITE CENTER IN THE ULL RESEARCH PARK IN LAFAYETTE. ACCORDING TO STATE OFFICIALS, THE SCHOOL WILL OFFER “TOP-TIER” TRAINING AND REPRESENTS A BIG WIN FOR THE STATE’S EMERGING DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY.
.jpeg)
