Posted
2011-11-11 10:09:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR FRIDAY 111111
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
EARLY VOTING FOR THE NOVEMBER 19TH RUNOFF ELECTING TAKES A DAY OFF TODAY IN OBSERVANCE OF VETERANS DAY, AND RESUME FOR A FINAL DAY TOMORROW, SATURDAY. THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE REPORTS EARLY VOTING IS RUNNING JUST OVER HALF OF WHAT IT WAS FOR THE OCTOBER 22ND PRIMARY. SO FAR JUST OVER 56-THOUSAND EARLY BALLOTS HAVE BEEN CAST.
TODAY, 11-11-11, IS VETERAN'S DAY, A DAY TO HONOR THE MILLIONS OF VETERANS WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY AND FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM. LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY LANE CARSON SAYS HE IS PROUD OF ALL THE ATTENTION THIS IMPORTANT DAY IS RECEIVING. CARSON SAYS THERE ARE MANY VETERAN'S DAY EVENTS PLANNED ACROSS THE STATE TODAY AND YOU CAN FIND A SCHEDULE ON THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.VETAFFAIRS.LA.GOV
THE ALEXANDRIA VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER CELEBRATES VETERANS DAY TODAY WITH A TRIO OF EVENTS ON THE MEDICAL CENTER GROUNDS. AT 10 A.M., THERE WILL BE A VETERANS DAY PROGRAM HELD AT THE MEDICAL CENTER QUADRANGLE WITH GUEST SPEAKER RETIRED COL. LOUIS DECHERT. THE VAMC'S ANNUAL PARADE BEGINS AT 11 A.M. FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM. AFTER THE PARADE WILL BE A HOT DOG PICNIC ON THE HISTORIC GROUNDS OF THE VAMC.
TODAY LOUISIANIANS WOKE UP TO THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SEASON, BECAUSE OF A FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH TWO DAYS AGO. STATE CLIMATOLOGIST BARRY KEIM SAYS TEMPS IN MANY AREAS OF THE STATE ARE IN THE MID-30S TODAY. KEIM SAYS THIS IS PACIFIC AIR THAT'S SETTLED OVER THE STATE AND IF IT WERE CANADIAN AIR, WE'D SEE TEMPERATURES 10-20 DEGREES COOLER. KEIM SAYS ONCE AGAIN, THIS LATE-WEEK COOL FRONT IS GOING TO RESULT IN A FANTASTIC WEEKEND..
WE SHOULD KNOW SOONER THAN LATER WHETHER OR NOT FEDERAL OFFICIALS WE RETRY FORMER RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JUROR STEVE BORDELON. U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE DEE DRELL ORDERED THIS WEEK THAT BORDELON MUST BE RETRIED BY JAN. 12. AFTER DECLARING A MISTRIAL ON NOV. 3 BECAUSE OF A HUNG JURY, THE JUDGE INITIALLY GAVE U.S. PROSECUTORS 120 DAYS TO RETRY THE CASE, IN WHICH BORDELON IS CHARGED WITH BRIBERY. IN A MOTION WEDNESDAY TO SHORTEN THE TIMETABLE, ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY EARL CAMPBELL CITED THE 70-DAY POST-MISTRIAL LIMIT CONTAINED IN THE FEDERAL SPEEDY TRIAL ACT. DRELL SIGNED THE ORDER WEDNESDAY.
IT’S ANOTHER FEATHER IN THE CAP OF FT. POLK. THE LOUISIANA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD WILL ADD ANOTHER TRAINING FACILITY TO ITS ARSENAL. CONSTRUCTION WILL BEGIN SOON ON A NEW TACTICAL UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM FACILITY AT THE FORT POLK. IT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF JULY.
STATE FIRE MARSHAL H. "BUTCH" BROWNING AND AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY COMMISSIONER MIKE STRAIN HAVE LIFTED THE BAN ON OUTDOOR BURNING ISSUED ON AUG. 24. THE BAN IMPACTED THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA PARISHES OF ALLEN, AVOYELLES, BEAUREGARD, CATAHOULA, EVANGELINE, GRANT, LASALLE, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, SABINE, VERNON AND WINN.
STATE REGULATORS ARE UPSET THAT THE STATE HAS LET AN 80-MILLION DOLLAR FEDERAL GRANT TO EXPAND BROADBAND INTERNET TO POOR AND RURAL AREAS OF THE STATE GET AWAY. PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION MEMBER FOSTER CAMPBELL WANTS GOVERNOR JINDAL TO ASK THE PRESIDENT TO RESTORE THE GRANT. JINDAL SPOKESPERSON KYLE PLOTKIN SAYS THE GOVERNOR HAS NO PLANS TO CALL MR. OBAMA. CAMPBELL SAYS THAT'S UPSETTING TO HEAR BECAUSE HIGH SPEED INTERNET IN POORER PARISHES WOULD HELP THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. THE GRANT WAS ORIGINALLY MADE BY THE US COMMERCE DEPARTMENT. OFFICIALS THERE SAY THE MONEY WILL BE RETURNED TO THE FEDERAL TREASURY.
LOUISIANA RESEARCHERS ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT ONLY ONE-IN-THREE SCHOOLCHILDREN IN THE STATE CAN PASS AN AEROBIC ENDURANCE TEST. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED BY THE PICARD CENTER FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND LIFELONG LEARNING WHICH IS ASSOCIATED THE ULL. PROJECT DIRECTOR JOAN LANDRY SAYS THE STUDY ALSO SHOWED THAT MORE THAN ONE-IN-FIVE STUDENTS ARE CLASSIFIED AS OBESE. SHE SAYS THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED BECAUSE HEALTHIER CHILDREN BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE ADULTS.
THE LAWYER FOR A MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING A CATHOLIC PRIEST SAYS HIS CLIENT CAN'T GET A FAIR TRIAL IN MISSISSIPPI BECAUSE A CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL IN THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S RACE SAID HE MURDERED THE CLERIC IN COLD BLOOD. BRIAN ALEXANDER REPRESENTS JEREMY MANIERI, CHARGED IN THE JULY DEATH OF THE REV. ED EVERITT OF HAMMOND, LA. AUTHORITIES SAY THE PRIEST WAS ROBBED AND SHOT AT A BEACH HOUSE IN MISSISSIPPI.
WITH QUESTIONS STILL CIRCULATING IN THE PENN STATE UNIVERSITY CHILD SEX ABUSE COVER-UP SCANDAL, LOUISIANA CHILD WELFARE OFFICIALS URGE US TO REPORT SUSPECTED ABUSE OF CHILDREN. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES SPOKESMAN TREY WILLIAMS SAYS THERE'S A TOLL-FREE LINE SET UP, AND CALLERS CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS. WILLIAMS SAYS DCFS HAS TRAINED PROFESSIONALS STANDING BY 24 HOURS A DAY TO HEAR REPORTS OF SUSPECTED ABUSE OR NEGLECT OF CHILDREN. PENN STATE'S IMAGE PROBLEMS FROM THE SCANDAL STEM FROM THE FAILURE OF WITNESSES TO
ALERT PROPER AUTHORITIES TO BEHAVIOR THEY KNEW WAS WRONG. HE SAYS, IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON WHAT YOU THINK IS ABUSE, CALL 855-4-LA-KIDS.
A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULED YESTERDAY, LOUISIANA STATE PRISONS CAN'T JUSTIFY BANNING INMATES FROM RECEIVING COPIES OF A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED BY THE NATION OF ISLAM. A THREE-JUDGE PANEL FROM THE 5TH U.S. CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS UPHELD A FEDERAL JUDGE'S RULING THAT THE DAVID WADE CORRECTIONAL CENTER MUST DELIVER COPIES OF THE FINAL CALL NEWSPAPER TO HENRY LEONARD, A CONVICTED MURDERER. THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF LOUISIANA BACKED LEONARD'S CLAIMS THAT THE HOMER PRISON VIOLATED HIS RIGHT TO FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION. PRISON OFFICIALS ARGUED THE NEWSPAPER CONTAINS RACIST RHETORIC THAT COULD PROVOKE AN OUTBREAK OF VIOLENCE.
STATE POLICE REPORT AN IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF'S DEPUTY HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY POSSESSING SEXUAL IMAGES OF CHILDREN. LSP TROOPER STEPHEN HAMMONS SAYS THE IBERIA SHERIFF'S OFFICE REQUEST STATE POLICE AIDE, WHEN THEY REALIZED THE SUSPECT IN THEIR CHILD PORN INVESTIGATION WAS ONE OF THEIR OWN OFFICERS. HAMMONS SAYS LSP INVESTIGATORS OBTAINED A WARRANT TO SEARCH THE HOME OF 32-YEAR-OLD DEPUTY DANIEL BOURQUE, OF ERATH. HAMMONS SAYS HUNDREDS OF IMAGES AND MOVIES DEPICTING KIDS IN SEXUAL SITUATIONS WERE FOUND ON MEDIA STORAGE DRIVES IN BOURQUE'S HOME. HE FACES A 100 COUNTS OF POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
LOUISIANA'S DUCK HUNTING SEASON OPENS SATURDAY MORNING, AND HUNTERS WILL LIKELY SEE THE IMPACT THIS YEAR'S DROUGHT HAS HAD ON THEIR HUNT. STATE WILDLIFE & FISHERIES DUCK SPECIALIST LARRY REYNOLDS SAYS FINDING GOOD PLACES TO HUNT MAY BE TOUGH, BECAUSE SO MANY HAVE GONE DRY. REYNOLDS SAYS AREAS PARCHED BY DROUGHT DON'T ATTRACT DUCKS, SO HE THINKS HUNTERS' LUCK THIS WEEKEND WILL BE MIXED.
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