Posted
2011-09-27 05:59:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR TUESDAY 092711
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
TWO TEENS WHO WERE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH SEVERAL RANDOM SHOOTINGS IN BOYCE THAT TOOK PLACE EARLIER THIS MONTH ARE FACING ADDITIONAL CHARGES.
19 YEAR OLD DARIUS WILLIAMS AND 17 YEAR OLD JAMAR FISHER, BOTH OF BOYCE, WERE ARRESTED ON SEPT. 19. THEY WERE CHARGED AT THE TIME WITH FIVE COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, AS WELL AS CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND CONSPIRACY CHARGES. WILLIAMS WAS CHARGED WITH TWO MORE COUNTS EACH OF ATTEMPTED MURDER, AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL DAMAGE AND ILLEGAL USE OF A WEAPON, AS WELL AS THREE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES OF CONTRIBUTING TO THE DELINQUENCY OF A JUVENILE. FISHER WAS CHARGED WITH TWO ADDITIONAL COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AND ILLEGAL USE OF A WEAPON, AS WELL AS THREE COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL DAMAGE AND FELONY CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY. AUTHORITIES SAY THEIR INVESTIGATION IS ON GOING.
ALEXANDRIA’S NEW POLICE CHIEF, LOREN LAMPERT WILL MAKE $100,000 PER YEAR ACCORDING TO SEVERAL CITY OFFICIALS. ALEXANDRIA MAYOR JACQUES ROY SAID THE BASE SALARY OF $100,000 CAME "UPON RECOMMENDATION OF SENIOR STAFF," AND ROY'S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, KAY MICHIELS, ALSO CONFIRMED THE SIX-FIGURE SALARY FOR LAMPERT. THE PREVIOUS POLICE CHIEF, ROGER TULLY, WAS PAID $85,000
A FEDERAL JUDGE IN SHREVEPORT SAYS A WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST CLECO MAY GO TO TRIAL, THOUGH WITH LESS CLAIMS THAN WERE ORIGINALLY MADE BY CURRENT AND FORMER EMPLOYEES WHO ARE SUING THE PINEVILLE-BASED UTILITY.
IN HIS RULING U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE TOM STAGG DISMISSED MANY OF THE CLAIMS THE 11 REMAINING PLAINTIFFS MADE IN THE LAWSUIT FILED IN 2009. HE ALSO RULED THERE WOULD BE 11 SEPARATE TRIALS INSTEAD OF ONE. CLECO REQUESTED THE ONE-AT-A-TIME TRIALS IN A MOTION LAST YEAR. UTILITY ATTORNEYS SAID ONE BIG TRIAL COULD "RESULT IN CONFUSION TO THE JURY AND PREJUDICE TO CLECO
LOUISIANA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL SOON BE SENDING HOME EASY TO UNDERSTAND LETTER GRADES ON THEIR OWN PERFORMANCE. THE GRADING SYSTEM IS INTENDED TO HELP PARENT DECIDE IF THEY WANT TO KEEP THEIR CHILDREN IN A PARTICULAR SCHOOL AND TO HELP SCHOOLS PINPOINT AREAS WHERE THEY NEED IMPROVEMENT. SAY THE GRADES COULD BE OUT AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK AND MADE PUBLIC BY MID-OCTOBER.
AN EAST BATON ROUGE JURY TOOK LESS THAN AN HOUR TO BRING IN A GUILTY VERDICT IN THE 2ND-DEGREE MURDER TRIAL OF SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER JEFFREY LEE GUILLORY. GUILLORY FACES A MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCED FOR THE KILLING OF RENEE NEWMAN IN 2002. HE IS ALREADY SERVING 50 YEARS FOR THE MURDER OF A LAFAYETTE WOMAN IN 2007.
HEARINGS HAVE BEEN SET FOR TWO WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACCUSED OF CYBERSTALKING. JUVENILE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY DONIELE STATEN SAID ON MONDAY THE JUVENILES, BOTH FEMALE, WERE ARRESTED AT THE SCHOOL AS A RESULT OF FACEBOOK POSTINGS WHICH THREATENED BODILY INJURY TO ANOTHER STUDENT. POLICE BECAME INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT AFTER THE SCHOOL'S RESOURCE OFFICER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE POSTINGS, WHICH LED TO THE ARRESTS EARLIER THIS MONTH. STATEN SAYS THE GIRL THAT WAS THREATENED WAS AFRAID TO GO TO SCHOOL. THE JUVENILES WERE ARRESTED AND TAKEN TO GREEN OAKS DETENTION CENTER WHERE THEY WERE LATER RELEASED.
MORGANTOWN POLICE SAY FOUR LSU FANS WERE ATTACKED AFTER THE GAME AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA, WITH ONE OF THEM SUFFERING SEVERE HEAD INJURIES. THE ATTACK OCCURRED LATE SATURDAY AS SPECTATORS LEFT THE STADIUM. THE MORGANTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT SAID SOMEONE THREW A ROCK THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW OF THE VEHICLE CARRYING THE FOUR FANS. SEVERAL PEOPLE THEN APPROACHED THE CAR AND BEGAN ASSAULTING THE DRIVER. THE THREE OTHERS IN THE CAR WERE ALSO ASSAULTED.
THE MOST SERIOUSLY INJURED LSU FAN SUSTAINED A BROKEN NOSE, A CRUSHED EYE SOCKET AND OTHER INJURIES. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER FOR SURGERY. MORGANTOWN POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE ATTACK WITH THE UNIVERSITY'S DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
A PRELIMINARY REPORT FROM THE LSU AG CENTER INDICATES LOUISIANA'S AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY HAS SUFFERED QUITE A BIT FROM THE ONGOING DROUGHT. COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY DR. MIKE STRAIN SAYS ALMOST HALF THE STATES HAY CROP WAS LOST DUE TO THE DROUGHT. HE SAYS CROP AND LIVESTOCK LOSSES DUE TO DROUGHT TOTAL ABOUT $391-MILLION.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE TROPICS; THE STORM CALLED OPHELIA HAS WEAKENED INTO AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AND RAIN, AND ISN'T EXPECTED TO REGAIN NAMED STORM STRENGTH BEFORE PETERING OUR IN THE ATLANTIC. HOWEVER, TROPICAL STORM PHILLIPPE HAS FORMED IN THE MID-ATLANTIC, WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 50 MPH. PHILLIPE'S PROJECTED PATH DOES NOT INCLUDE A LANDFALL IN THE U.S. EITHER.
GAS PRICES HAVE FALLEN OVER 20 CENTS A GALLON IN RECENT WEEKS AND SHOW EVERY INDICATION OF CONTINUING TO FALL. AAA FUEL ANALYST DON REDMAN SAYS THE GOOD NEWS ON THE GAS FRONT IS THE SILVER LIVING TO A DARK, ECONOMIC CLOUD. HE SAYS THE WORLD-WIDE DROP IN DEMAND IS A BYPRODUCT OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS. REDMAN SAYS IF GLOBAL DEMAND FOR CRUDE OIL REMAINS LOW AND, BARING
ANY UNFORESEEN DISRUPTIONS IN SUPPLY, WE COULD SEE GAS AT OR NEAR THREE-DOLLARS A GALLON THROUGH OCTOBER.
ALTHOUGH HE HAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE RACE, FORMER U.S. REP. JOSEPH CAO'S NAME WILL STILL APPEAR ON THE OCT. 22 ELECTION BALLOT FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL. CAO DROPPED A CHALLENGE TO INCUMBENT AND FELLOW REPUBLICAN BUDDY CALDWELL'S RE-ELECTION BID. BUT THAT THE MOVE CAME AFTER THE DEADLINE WHEN BALLOTS WENT TO THE PRINTERS. SO, CALDWELL AND CAO'S NAMES WILL BOTH BE ON THE BALLOT EVEN THOUGH CALDWELL IS THE OFFICIAL VICTOR SINCE CAO WAS HIS LONE OPPONENT.
UNDER STATE LAW, ANY VOTES CAST FOR CAO WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
TONY CHACHERE’S CREOLE FOODS OF OPELOUSAS INC. HAS ASKED A FEDERAL JUDGE IN LAFAYETTE TO STOP BIG EASY FOODS OF LOUISIANA FROM SELLING PRODUCTS IN NEARLY IDENTICAL PACKAGING TO CHACHERE’S. IN ITS LAWSUIT, TONY CHACHERE’S ALLEGES BIG EASY FOODS, OF LAKE CHARLES, IS VIOLATING STATE LAW BY INFRINGING ON CHACHERE’S TRADEMARKS AND VIOLATING THE UNFAIR COMPETITION FEDERAL LAW. THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE COMPANY PACKAGED FOODS AND MEALS, INCLUDING FROZEN SHRIMP AND SAUSAGES, IN A PACKAGE THAT WAS “CONFUSINGLY SIMILAR” TO THE TONY CHACHERE’S BRAND. BIG EASY FOODS CALLED THE ACCUSATIONS “FRIVOLOUS AND WITHOUT MERIT,
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