NEWS FOR THURSDAY 120811
BY DAVE GRAICHEN

LOUISIANA IS WAKING UP TO SOME BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING, WITH SOME AREAS UNDER A HARD FREEZE. STATE CLIMATOLOGIST BARRY KEIM SAYS THIS IS THE COLDEST DAY OF THE FALL / WINTER SEASON SO FAR. KEIM SAYS A CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM IS PUSHING COLD AIR ACROSS THE SOUTH. HE SAYS WE CAN EXPECT THE CHILLY WEATHER TO BE WITH FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE GOOD NEWS, A WARMING TREND WILL ENTER THE FORECAST BY ABOUT SUNDAY.

JONATHAN GOINS IS OFFICIALLY A FORMER MEMBER OF THE ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL.
SECRETARY OF STATE TOM SCHEDLER SAID HIS OFFICE RECEIVED GOINS' OFFICIAL RESIGNATION LETTER ON TUESDAY. A VACANCY ON THE COUNCIL IS FILLED BY A VOTE OF THE REMAINING COUNCIL MEMBERS. IN CASE OF A TIE, ALEXANDRIA MAYOR JACQUES ROY WOULD, ACCORDING TO THE CITY CHARTER, CAST THE DECIDING VOTE. THE COUNCIL WILL HAVE UNTIL DEC. 16 TO APPOINT GOINS' REPLACEMENT, WHO WOULD SERVE THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM.

THE CALDWELL PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS A NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIER YESTERDAY COMMITTED SUICIDE BY JUMPING OFF THE US 165 BRIDGE IN COLUMBIA INTO THE OUACHITA RIVER. CHIEF DEPUTY GLENN GILMORE SAYS 24-YEAR-OLD MARCUS WHITE OF MONROE WAS ARGUING WITH HIS FIANCE IN THE CAR AND JUMPED OUT WHILE IT WAS STILL MOVING. HE SAYS A BYSTANDER AND A POLICE OFFICER ATTEMPTED TO GRAB WHITE TO KEEP HIM FROM GOING OVER BUT HE BROKE AWAY AND JUMPED. HE SAYS THE OFFICER SAW WHITE TREADING WATER AND THEN GO UNDER.

THE COLORADO STATE HURRICANE FORECAST TEAM RELEASED ITS FIRST FORECAST FOR THE 2012 SEASON TODAY. THEY USUALLY PREDICT A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF STORMS, BUT DR. PHIL KLOTZBACH SAYS THIS YEAR THEY ARE WAITING TO SEE IF THERE WILL BE A DEVELOPMENT OF AN EL NINO WHICH COULD MEAN FEWER STORMS. THE TEAM EXPECTS A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF A BELOW-AVERAGE HURRICANE SEASON NEXT YEAR.

STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY CO HAS RECEIVED STATE APPROVAL TO INCREASE RATES BY AN AVERAGE 7.8 PERCENT. LOUISIANA'S LARGEST INSURER OF HOMES SAYS THE RATE HIKE WILL GO INTO EFFECT WITH NEW POLICIES ON FEBRUARY 15TH AND RENEWAL POLICIES ON APRIL 1ST.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JAMES HAYES JR. OF HAYES MANUFACTURING COMPANY. HE WAS NAMED SMALL BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR YESTERDAY BY THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THE COMPANY, A FAMILY AFFAIR, HAS COME A LONG WAY OVER THE YEARS SINCE IT HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. HAYES FATHER STARTED HAYES MANUFACTURING IN 1954 WITH A WELDING MACHINE MOUNTED ON A MODEL-T FORD.

FANS HOPING TO ATTEND THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON JANUARY 9TH IN NEW ORLEANS MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE OUT A SMALL LOAN. JOELLEN FERRER IS WITH THE ONLINE TICKET BROKER STUBHUB. SHE SAYS "GET IN THE DOOR" TICKETS FOR THE REMATCH BETWEEN LSU AND ALABAMA START AT ABOUT $1300 AND AVERAGE OVER $2000. FERRER SAYS FOR FANS WHO CAN AFFORD IT, SINGLE SUITE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR AROUND $150,000.

THE STATE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION HAS SIGNED OFF ON A NEW TEACHER EVALUATION PLAN THAT FACTORS IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE. BESE PRESIDENT PENNY DASTUGUE SAYS THE NEW TEACHER REVIEW SYSTEM IS SET TO BE PUT IN PLACE FOR THE FALL 2012 SEMESTER. DASTUGUE SAYS IT WILL HELP ASSURE THAT THERE ARE QUALIFIED, CAPABLE TEACHERS IN EVERY CLASSROOM.

THE ACTING SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS RESIGNED. OLLIE TYLER, WHO IS ALSO THE FORMER CADDO SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT, SAYS SHE'S BEEN SERVING STUDENTS IN LOUISIANA FOR DECADES, AND NOW IS THE TIME TO STEP AWAY FROM IT. TYLER HAS SERVED AS THE INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION SINCE PAUL PASTOREK'S RESIGNATION IN MAY.

LOUISIANA'S TOP HIGHER EDUCATION BOARD HAS BACKED THE BUDGET FOR SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY'S MAIN CAMPUS IN BATON ROUGE, AFTER DELAYING APPROVAL IN SEPTEMBER BECAUSE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT SPENDING CUTS. SINCE THEN, THE UNIVERSITY HAS DECLARED A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY AND IS RESTRUCTURING TO MAKE THE CUTS.
THE BOARD OF REGENTS SIGNED OFF ON THE PLANS WEDNESDAY. THE BUDGET YEAR BEGAN JULY 1.

IBERVILLE PARISH SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES HAVE FOUND THE BODY OF THE MAN WHO DISAPPEARED TUESDAY IN BAYOU GROSSE TETE AFTER HE RAN FROM OFFICERS DURING A TRAFFIC STOP ON INTERSTATE 10. A SHERIFF'S OFFICE SPOKESPERSON SAID THE BODY OF THE MAN WAS FOUND ABOUT 10:25 A.M. WEDNESDAY NEAR THE SPOT WHERE HE WAS LAST SEEN. DEPUTIES WERE GIVEN A NAME FOR THE MAN, BUT FINGERPRINTS AND DNA WILL BE USED TO POSITIVELY DETERMINE HIS IDENTITY. DEPUTIES FOUND COUNTERFEIT MONEY IN THE CAR THE MAN WAS RIDING IN, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR IF THAT IS WHY HE FLED.

MOTORISTS TRAVELING THROUGH BATON ROUGE ON INTERSTATE 10 WILL HAVE TO PUT UP WITH CONSTRUCTION LONGER BECAUSE THE STATE IS SEEKING A NEW CONTRACTOR FOR AN 86 MILLION DOLLAR WIDENING PROJECT. WORK WAS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE YEAR ON A 4 MILE STRETCH, BUT DOTD SPOKESPERSON JODI CONACHEN SAYS THE PROJECT IS A YEAR BEHIND. CONACHEN SAYS THE STATE SENT A LETTER TO THE PROJECT'S INSURANCE AGENCY REQUIRING THEM TO FIND A NEW CONTRACTOR BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

LSU FOOTBALL COACH LES MILES HAS BEEN NAMED WINNER OF THE HOME DEPOT NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR. HE'LL RECEIVE THE AWARD TONIGHT IN ORLANDO. MILES GUIDED THE TIGERS TO A 13-AND-0 RECORD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY. EIGHT OF THOSE 13 WINS WERE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS.