Posted
2011-10-20 05:36:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR THURSDAY 102011
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
ALEXANDRIA CITY ATTORNEY CHUCK JOHNSON YESTERDAY PROVIDED THE ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL WITH INVOICES FROM ALL OF THE CITY'S CONTRACT ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE DONE WORK SINCE THE 2011-12 FISCAL YEAR BEGAN ON MAY 1. HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR, JOHNSON’S DEPARTMENT IS ALMOST OUT OF MONEY. OF THE $500K BUDGETED, BETTER THAT $473K HAS BEEN SPENT FOR PROFESSIONAL FEES AND SERVICES.
JOHNSON, HOWEVER, TOLD COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT SLIGHTLY MORE THAN $200,000 OF THOSE FEES HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TO OTHER DIVISIONS AND WILL BE PAID FOR BY FUNDS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY'S LEGAL DIVISION. THAT LEAVES JOHNSON WITH A BALANCE OF JUST OVER $222K FOR THE REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH RUNS THROUGH APRIL 30, 2012.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT JOHNSON ASKED THE CITY ATTORNEY IF HE THOUGHT THE LEGAL DIVISION COULD MAKE IT UNTIL THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR WITH ITS CURRENT BUDGET, AND CHUCK JOHNSON SAID HE EXPECTS TO ASK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS DURING THE COUNCIL'S MAJOR BUDGET AMENDMENT, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
THAT INMATE WHO WAS CRITICALLY INJURED FRIDAY WHILE WORKING ALONG COLISEUM BLVD. HAS DIED. AUTHORITIES SAY 38 YEAR OLD SYLVESTER MILLER WAS STRUCK BY A VEHICLE DRIVEN BY 38 YEAR OLD KELLY TUTTLE OF PINEVILLE. POLICE SAY TUTTLE’S VEHICLE SWERVED OFF THE ROADWAY FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON AND STRUCK MILLER. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED SHORTLY BEFORE NOON ON FRIDAY. NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED YET BECAUSE INVESTIGATORS ARE AWAITING TOXICOLOGY AND OTHER TEST RESULTS. REPORTS FROM THE SCENE INDICATE THAT TUTTLE MAY HAVE BEEN TEXTING AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH.
LOUISIANA IS EXPERIENCING THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SEASON TODAY. STATE CLIMATOLOGIST BARRY KEIM SAYS THIS AIR IS MOVING IN FROM CANADA AND DIRECTLY INTO LOUISIANA. KEIM SAYS HIGHS TODAY ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO MAKE IT TO THE MID TO
UPPER 60'S STATEWIDE. HE SAYS TOMORROW WILL BE SIMILAR. KEIM SAYS THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND WILL BE PERFECT FOR TAILGATING. HE SAYS THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS WEATHER PATTERN IS THAT THERE IS NO RAIN WHICH ONLY MAKES DROUGHT CONDITIONS WORSE.
LSU FOOTBALL COACH LES MILES IS NOT CONFIRMING REPORTS THAT THREE OF HIS STARTERS ARE SUSPENDED FOR SATURDAY'S GAME AGAINST AUBURN. MILES MET WITH THE MEDIA AFTER YESTERDAY'S PRACTICE AND TOLD REPORTERS HE'S NOT GIVING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF THE TEAM. ACCORDING TO SEVERAL MEDIA OUTLETS, RUNNING BACK SPENCER WARE AND CORNERBACKS TYRAN MATHIEU AND THAROLD SIMON WILL MISS SATURDAY'S GAME FOR ALLEGEDLY FAILING A DRUG TEST. MILES SAYS REPORTS OF PLAYERS FAILING DRUG TESTS ARE LEFT OF CENTER.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009, SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS WILL BE GETTING A 3.6 PERCENT INCREASE IN BENEFITS STARTING IN JANUARY. EARL WILLIAMS WITH THE AARP OF LOUISIANA SAYS THERE WAS NO COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE (COLA) IN 2010 OR 2011 BECAUSE INFLATION WAS TOO LOW. WILLIAMS SAYS MANY PEOPLE RELY ON SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MORE THAN 90% OF THEIR INCOME. BUT, BEFORE YOU GET TOO EXCITED, REMEMBER, MEDICARE PREMIUMS ARE DEDUCTED FROM SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS, AND SOME OF THE JANUARY INCREASE WILL BE LOST TO HIGHER MEDICARE PREMIUMS.
A NEW IBERIA MAN IS ARRESTED FOR MAKING DEADLY THREATS ON THE INTERNET. DETECTIVES FROM THE IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE ARRESTED 26-YEAR-OLD DEL RICHARD WHO POSTED A THREAT TO GO ON A KILLING SPREE IN NEW IBERIA ON A SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITE. RICHARD WILL UNDERGO PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION.
A 78-YEAR-OLD MAN HAS DIED AFTER A FIRE INSIDE HIS MOBILE HOME IN EVANGELINE PARISH. STATE FIRE MARSHAL H. "BUTCH" BROWNING SAYS AN ELECTRIC SPACE HEATER MAY HAVE SPARKED THE BLAZE REPORTED ABOUT 1 A.M. WEDNESDAY. WHEN FIREFIGHTERS FROM THE VILLE PLATTE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THE ENTIRE HOME WAS ENGULFED BY FLAMES. BROWNING SAYS ONCE IT WAS SAFE TO ENTER THE STRUCTURE, FIREFIGHTERS FOUND THE BODY OF ANDREW GARLOW. THE PARISH CORONER'S OFFICE PRONOUNCED GARLOW DEAD AT THE SCENE. AUTHORITIES DO NOT EXPECT FOUL PLAY.
U.S. SEN. MARY LANDRIEU SAID WEDNESDAY SHE IS "DISAPPOINTED AND CONCERNED" THAT GOV. BOBBY JINDAL'S ADMINISTRATION REFUSED TO APPLY FOR A FEDERAL GRANT THAT COULD HAVE BROUGHT $60 MILLION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FUNDING TO LOUISIANA. LANDRIEU SAID EDUCATION EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE SPENT MONTHS WORKING ON A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOR THE MONEY EARMARKED TO HELP LOW-INCOME AND DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN. SHE NOTED THAT ONE-THIRD OF CHILDREN IN LOUISIANA UNDER THE AGE OF 5 LIVE IN POVERTY. THE JINDAL ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED TUESDAY THAT IT WOULD NOT SEEK THE GRANT MONEY, SAYING THAT THE STATE'S SYSTEM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS INEFFICIENT AND MIRED IN BUREAUCRACY.
SOME LOUISIANA CITY MAYORS SAY LT. GOVERNOR CANDIDATE BILLY NUNNGESSER IS TAKING CREDIT FOR ENDORSEMENTS FROM THEM THAT THEY NEVER ACTUALLY GAVE. ONE IS CARENCRO MAYOR GLENN BRASSEAUX, WHO SAYS IT STARTED WHEN HE ATTENDED A NUNGESSER SPEAKING EVENT DAYS AGO. HE SAYS HIS PRESENCE WAS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT AND THAT HE NEVER MAKES ENDORSEMENTS. BRASSEAUX SAYS OTHER MAYORS--FROM BREAUX BRIDGE, NEW IBERIA AND OTHER CITIES--WERE AT THE EVENT AND WERE ALSO LISTED AS HAVING ENDORSED NUNGESSER'S RUN FOR OFFICE.
AN EVANGELINE PARISH JUDGE SENTENCED A ST. LANDRY PARISH SEWAGE TREATMENT COMPANY PRESIDENT ON WEDNESDAY TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON AND TOLD HIM TO STAY OUT OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT BUSINESS. DISTRICT JUDGE THOMAS FUSELIER ORDERED JOSEPH L. JONES OF PLAISANCE, ON WEDNESDAY TO PAY AN $80,000 FINE, AND FINED HIS PLAISANCE DEVELOPMENT CORP. $150,000. DEQ INVESTIGATORS ACCUSED HIM IN FEBRUARY 2010 OF VIOLATING WASTEWATER PERMITS BY FAILING TO ENSURE THAT SIX TREATMENT PLANTS IN EVANGELINE PARISH WERE PROPERLY OPERATED AND MAINTAINED, FAILING TAKE WATER SAMPLES OR SEND IN MONITORING RESULTS, AND CAUSING OR ALLOWING DISCHARGES THAT VIOLATED HIS PERMITS. THE PLANTS TREAT WASTEWATER FOR RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS IN EVANGELINE PARISH.
ST. LANDRY PARISH SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY THE PARISH'S EMBATTLED SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT HAS TAKEN AN EXTENDED LEAVE FROM THE POST. CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF AND EMPLOYEES ARRIVED AT WORK WEDNESDAY TO FIND MICHAEL NASSIF'S OFFICE EMPTY WITH NO EXPLANATION. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS THE ONLY DISTRICT IN THE AREA TO RECEIVE A "D'' RATING FROM THE STATE, AND PROTESTERS HAVE BEEN DEMANDING NASSIF'S RESIGNATION FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS. THE ST. LANDRY PARISH SCHOOL BOARD WILL CALL A SPECIAL MEETING SOON TO CHOOSE AN INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT.
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