Posted
2011-11-21 05:34:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR MONDAY 11/21/11
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
WILLIAM EARL HILTON IS HEADING BACK TO THE RAPIDES PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
HILTON, A FOUR-TERM SHERIFF WHO RETIRED IN 2008, DEFEATED INCUMBENT SHERIFF CHUCK WAGNER IN SATURDAY'S RUNOFF ELECTION. ENDING WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A RACE FILLED WITH ACCUSATIONS AND MUDSLINGING FROM BOTH SIDES. HILTON CAME AWAY FROM THE ELECTION WITH 54.1 PERCENT OF THE VOTE. HILTON SAYING AT HIS VICTORY PARTY THAT HE WAS JUST VERY, VERY HONORED. HILTON'S TERM IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN JULY 1 OF NEXT YEAR.
IN OTHER CENLA SHERIFF’S CONTESTS, DOUG ANDERSON WAS RE-ELECTED IN AVOYELLES PARISH; STEVEN MCCAIN WAS ELECTED IN GRANT PARISH; CRANFORD JORDAN WAS ELECTED IN WINN PARISH; AND RONNY RICHARDSON WAS ELECTED IN SABINE PARISH.
CRAIG SMITH CAPTURED 52.05 PERCENT OF THE VOTE TO EDGE JOHN R. "RANDY" PATTERSON III IN THE DISTRICT C RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY RUNOFF. RICHARD VANDERLICK WON RE-ELECTION IN DISTRICT E OVER CHALLENGER DEWAYNE OLSON.
VANDERLICK FINISHED 58.77 PERCENT OF THE VOTE.
TWO OFFICIALS WHO HELD INTERIM OFFICES WERE ELECTED TO FULL TERMS SATURDAY.
ROBIN L. HOOTER WAS ELECTED CLERK OF COURT BY A NEARLY TWO-TO-ONE MARGIN OVER LINDA "LIN" DYESS STEWART. HOOTER HAD BEEN CHIEF DEPUTY UNDER FORMER CLERK CAROLYN RYLAND AND INTERIM CLERK SINCE RYLAND RETIRED THIS YEAR. HOOTER GRABBED 63.8 PERCENT OF THE VOTE. IN THE ALEXANDRIA CITY MARSHAL RACE, INTERIM MARSHAL TERENCE GRINES WON COMFORTABLY OVER T.A. MESSINA. GRINES HAD BEEN CHIEF DEPUTY UNDER FORMER MARSHAL JAMES BYRD AND TOOK OVER THE OFFICE WHEN BYRD RETIRED FOR HEALTH REASONS. GRINES FINISHED WITH 60.99% OF THE VOTE.
A $20 MILLION-PLUS BOND INITIATIVE FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION IN PINEVILLE'S DISTRICT 52 PASSED WITH APPROVAL FROM NEARLY 60 PERCENT OF VOTERS.
FIFTH WARD SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 51'S REFERENDUM FOR A 6.97-MILL TAX PASSED, WITH MORE THAN 52 PERCENT APPROVAL. ON THE OTHER HAND, VOTERS IN SCHOOL DISTRICT 57 AND 61 SAID NO IN THEIR REFERENDUM.
ONLY ONE OF THREE FORMER SENATORS SEEKING TO RETURN TO THEIR OLD POSTS HAS SUCCEEDED IN OUSTING A CURRENT OFFICEHOLDER. GREG TARVER OF SHREVEPORT IS HEADING BACK TO THE JOB HE HELD FOR TWO DECADES UNTIL 2004, AFTER DEFEATING INCUMBENT LYDIA JACKSON IN SATURDAY'S ELECTION. BOTH ARE DEMOCRATS. BUT TWO OTHERS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN UNSEATING INCUMBENTS. IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA, JAMES DAVID CAIN OF DRY CREEK COULDN'T FORCE SEN. JOHN SMITH OF LEESVILLE OUT OF THE SEAT CAIN HELD BEFORE TERM LIMITS KEPT HIM FROM A RE-ELECTION BID FOUR YEARS AGO. BOTH MEN ARE REPUBLICANS. IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA, OPELOUSAS MAYOR DON CRAVINS SR. WAS DEFEATED IN HIS BID TO GET BACK THE SENATE SEAT HE HELD FOR 25 YEARS, LOSING TO INCUMBENT SEN. ELBERT GUILLORY. BOTH MEN ARE DEMOCRATS.
FORMER STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE TERRY BROWN UPSET HOUSE DISTRICT 22 INCUMBENT STATE REP. BILLY CHANDLER SATURDAY. CHANDLER HAD A VAST CAMPAIGN WAR CHEST ADVANTAGE AND THE BLESSING OF GOV. BOBBY JINDAL BUT STILL LOST.
LOUISIANA VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED AN AMENDMENT SATURDAY THAT BANS TRANSFER TAXES ON THE SALE OF REAL ESTATE AND OTHER IMMOVABLE PROPERTY. THE AMENDMENT WAS THE ONLY STATEWIDE MEASURE ON THE BALLOT.
THE CHARTER SCHOOL MOVEMENT AND STATE EDUCATION OVERHAUL PLANS SOUGHT BY GOV. BOBBY JINDAL GOT A BOOST FROM THE RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR THE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. AND THE STALEMATE OVER LOUISIANA'S NEXT EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT APPEARS ON TRACK TO END, WITH JINDAL'S CONTENDER LIKELY TO GET THE POST. IN ALL THREE BESE RUNOFFS, CANDIDATES CONSIDERED CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH JINDAL'S POLICIES AND DISTANT FROM TEACHER UNIONS AND OTHER TRADITIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION LEADERSHIP WON THEIR CONTESTS SATURDAY.
KIRA ORANGE JONES AND CAROLYN HILL WON SEATS ON THE BOARD. CHAS ROEMER WAS RE-ELECTED TO HIS SEAT.
STATE POLICE ARE EXPANDING A PILOT PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BRING NEWS AND ALERTS TO YOUR CELL PHONE OR WIRELESS DEVICE STATEWIDE. LSP SPOKESMAN LT. DOUG CAIN SAYS THE NIXLE COMMUNITY INFORMATION & ALERT SYSTEM HAS BEEN IN USE IN THE TROOP A & TROOP L REGIONS FOR SOME TIME, WITH GREAT SUCCESS. BUT NOW, IT’S GOING STATEWIDE. HE SAYS REGISTERED USERS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED OF ANY PERTINENT PUBLIC SAFETY INFORMATION, LIKE ROAD CLOSURES, AMBER ALERTS, EVACUATIONS AND MORE. CAIN SAYS IT'S THE INFORMATION YOU WANT AND NEED; SENT INSTANTLY TO YOUR PHONE. SIGN UP ONLINE AT "NIXLE.COM"
IT'S THANKSGIVING WEEK, AND LOUISIANA HIGHWAYS ARE EXPECTED TO BE BUSY WITH HOLIDAY TRAFFIC. LOUISIANA AAA'S DON REDMAN SAYS AAA EXPECTS TO SEE MORE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRAVEL THAN IN 2010. HE SAYS THE MAJORITY OF TRAVELERS WILL BE ON THE HIGHWAYS. REDMAN SAYS, IF AAA'S TRAVEL FORECAST HOLDS TRUE, THANKSGIVING WILL BE THE FIRST TIME SO FAR THIS YEAR THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE IN HOLIDAY TRAVEL.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE FFA SAYS FOUR-SEAT AIRPLANE CRASHED INTO LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM LAKEFRONT AIRPORT THE PILOT NOTIFIED CONTROLLERS SHORTLY AFTER HE WAS AIRBORNE THAT HE WAS HAVING ENGINE TROUBLE. THE SINGLE-ENGINE PLANE HIT THE LAKE AT 10:38 A.M. SUNDAY. THE PILOT THEN PULLED THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE THAT IS BUILT INTO THE PLANE AND NOTIFIED THE AIRPORT MOMENTS LATER THAT HE WAS OK. THE PILOT WAS SITTING ON THE TAIL OF THE PLANE WHEN A FISHING BOAT ARRIVED TO RESCUE HIM.
AT LEAST TWO AIRLINES SERVING MONROE WILL BE CUTTING THE FREQUENCY OF FLIGHTS TO THE AREA IN COMING WEEKS. FOR MONROE, THAT MEANS THE THREE ROUND AMERICAN EAGLE TRIPS A DAY SCHEDULED BETWEEN MONROE AND DALLAS AMERICAN'S HUB IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH WILL BE REDUCED TO TWO A DAY STARTING THURSDAY. A SPOKESMAN FOR UNITED CONTINENTAL CONFIRMED THEY ARE ALSO REDUCING THEIR SERVICE BY ONE FLIGHT PER DAY TO MATCH A SEASONAL REDUCTION IN DEMAND.
SPORTS..
THE LATEST AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL GIVES A NEW MEANING TO THE TERM ALL-SEC.
THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE IS THE SECOND LEAGUE TO HAVE THE TOP THREE SPOTS IN RANKING ALL TO ITSELF. NO. 1 LSU HELD THE TOP SPOT FOR THE NINTH STRAIGHT WEEK IN SUNDAY'S RANKINGS, AND AFTER A WEEKEND WHEN THREE OTHER TOP-FIVE TEAMS LOST, ALABAMA MOVED UP A SPOT TO NO. 2 AND ARKANSAS JUMPED THREE PLACES TO NO. 3. THE ONLY OTHER TIME IN THE 75-YEAR HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKINGS THAT THE TOP THREE TEAMS ALL CAME FROM THE SAME CONFERENCE WAS THE FINAL REGULAR-SEASON POLL OF 1971, WHEN NEBRASKA, OKLAHOMA AND COLORADO FROM THE BIG EIGHT WERE 1-2-3.
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