Posted
2012-02-09 05:32:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR THURSDAY 020912
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
RED RIVER BANK ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT THEY WERE DONATING A MOBILE BANKING CENTER TO THE ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT TO USE AS A NEW MOBILE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER. BLAKE CHATELAIN, PRESIDENT OF THE BANK, SAID THEY PURCHASED A NEW MOBILE UNIT SEVERAL MONTHS AGO TO REPLACE ITS ORIGINAL MOBILE BANKING CENTER. THE BANK THOUGHT ABOUT SELLING THE OLDER MOBILE CENTER, WHICH IS LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD, BUT DECIDING TO DONATE IT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. MAYOR ROY AND POLICE CHIEF LOREN LAMPERT BOTH EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION UPON RECEIVING THE DONATION YESTERDAY.
AN ALEXANDRIA WOMAN WAS ARRESTED ON MULTIPLE CHARGES, INCLUDING DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED, ON TUESDAY AFTER SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ON COTTINGHAM EXPRESSWAY. 22 YEAR OLD RHEA BROWN WAS CHARGED WITH OPERATING A VEHICLE WHILE INTOXICATED, DRIVING UNDER SUSPENSION, RECKLESS OPERATION OF A VEHICLE, OPEN CONTAINER, NO PROOF OF INSURANCE AND NO PROOF OF REGISTRATION. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES IN THE ACCIDENT. BROWN'S BLOOD-ALCOHOL CONTENT WAS 0.15 PERCENT, NEARLY TWICE THE LEGAL LIMIT.
GOVERNOR JINDAL IS SCHEDULED TO REVEAL HIS PROPOSAL FOR BALANCING THE STATE BUDGET FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR TODAY; A BUDGET $900-MILLION IN THE RED. PUBLIC AFFAIRS RESEARCH COUNCIL PRESIDENT ROBERT TRAVIS SCOTT SAYS THE EXECUTIVE BUDGET PROPOSAL IS A DRAMATIC STARTING POINT OF A LONG DANCE BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND LAWMAKERS. IN RECENT YEARS, JINDAL AND LAWMAKERS HAVE BALANCED THE BUDGET BY USING ONE-TIME MONEY ON RECURRING EXPENDITURES. SCOTT SAYS HE EXPECTS JINDAL AND LEGISLATORS WILL TRY WHAT WORKED FOR THEM BEFORE.
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL'S BUDGET PROPOSAL WOULD NOT CUT PUBLIC COLLEGES NEXT YEAR, AND WOULD GIVE THE SCHOOLS AN EXTRA $100 MILLION IF LAWMAKERS AGREE TO RAISE RETIREMENT COSTS FOR STATE WORKERS AND MAKE OTHER CHANGES TO THE STATE EMPLOYEE PENSION SYSTEM. STEPHEN WAGUESPACK SAID THE SPENDING PROPOSAL, BEING UNVEILED TO LAWMAKERS TODAY, WOULD KEEP HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING AT ITS CURRENT LEVEL IN THE YEAR THAT BEGINS JULY 1. THAT WOULD INCLUDE ALREADY APPROVED TUITION INCREASES SET TO TAKE EFFECT IN THE 2012-13 SCHOOL YEAR.
NONE OF THE TICKETS SOLD FOR THE POWERBALL GAME WEDNESDAY EVENING MATCHED ALL SIX NUMBERS DRAWN. THE PRIZE GOES TO AN ESTIMATED $310 MILLION FOR SATURDAY. TICKETS.
AN ARRAIGNMENT HEARING IS SCHEDULED TODAY FOR FORMER LSU QUARTERBACK JORDAN JEFFERSON, WHO IS FACING A SIMPLE BATTERY CHARGE RELATED TO A BRAWL OUTSIDE OF A BATON ROUGE BAR LAST AUGUST. JEFFERSON WAS ORIGINALLY CHARGED WITH 2ND-DEGREE BATTERY FOR HIS ALLEGED ROLE IN THE FIGHT. BUT HE WAS LATER INDICTED FOR SIMPLE BATTERY.
THE GOVERNING BOARD OF LOUISIANA'S PROPERTY INSURER OF LAST RESORT PLANS TO MEET TODAY TO DISCUSS A $100-MILLION-PLUS COURT JUDGMENT AGAINST THE COMPANY FOR TAKING TOO LONG TO BEGIN HANDLING CLAIMS FOR HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA.
STATE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER JIM DONELON SAID THE PLAINTIFFS HAVE OFFERED TO SETTLE THE CASE, BUT HE COULDN'T DISCUSS DETAILS OF THE OFFER. LOUISIANA CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORP. HAS BEEN ORDERED BY STATE COURTS TO PAY $5,000 EACH TO MORE THAN 18,000 POLICYHOLDERS FOR FAILING TO START ADJUSTING STORM CLAIMS WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER THE STORMS. CITIZENS HAS ASKED THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW THE CASE.
AFTER A SLOW START TO THE CRAWFISH SEASON, THERE ARE SIGNS IT'S PICKING UP. LAST YEARS DROUGHT RESULTED IN FEWER AND SMALLER CRAWFISH IN JANUARY, BUT LSU AG CENTER AQUACULTURE SPECIALIST ROBERT ROMAIRE SAYS THE CATCH IS PICKING UP AS DEMAND RISES. ROMAIRE SAYS WARM WATER HELPS THE GROWTH OF CRAWFISH AND SINCE LOUISIANA SAW A WARMER THAN NORMAL JANUARY, IT'S MADE THE MUDBUGS MUCH BIGGER..
SEASON THREE OF THE POPULAR HISTORY CHANNEL SHOW SWAMP PEOPLE PREMIERES TONIGHT AT 8PM. THE SHOW FOLLOWS THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF SEVERAL CAJUNS, INCLUDING TROY LANDRY, WHO LIVE IN THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BASIN SWAMP AND HUNT ALLIGATORS FOR A LIVING. LANDRY SAYS HE IS A TRUE CAJUN WHO TAKES PRIDE IN SHOWING OFF HIS FAMILY'S LONG HISTORY OF BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT AND GETTING EVERYTHING THEY NEED FROM THE LAND. HE SAYS HE IS HUMBLED BY THE NATIONAL ATTENTION HIS LIFESTYLE HAS RECEIVED. LANDRY BELIEVES SEASON THREE WILL BE THE BEST YET.
THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY THAT IT IS ROLLING OUT A PLAN TO WAIVE DEBTS FOR MANY VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA AND OTHER DISASTERS WHO MAY HAVE MISTAKENLY RECEIVED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN AID.
THE DEBTS, WHICH AVERAGE ABOUT $4,622 PER RECIPIENT, REPRESENT SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 5 PERCENT OF THE ROUGHLY $8 BILLION THAT FEMA DISTRIBUTED TO VICTIMS OF KATRINA AND OTHER 2005 STORMS. SOME OF THE OVERPAYMENTS WERE CAUSED BY FEMA EMPLOYEES' OWN MISTAKES. FEMA IS EXPECTED TO MAIL OUT ROUGHLY 90,000 LETTERS NEXT WEEK TO INFORM DISASTER VICTIMS THAT THEY MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR DEBT WAIVERS. THE RECIPIENTS WILL HAVE 60 DAYS TO RESPOND AND REQUEST A WAIVER.
BATON ROUGE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE DEATH OF A 4-YEAR-OLD CHILD. POLICE SPOKESMAN SGT. DON KELLY SAYS THE CHILD WAS SUFFERING FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE HEAD. HE WAS LATER PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE. INITIAL REPORTS INDICATED THE CHILD FOUND THE GUN AT HIS HOME AND WAS PLAYING WITH IT WHEN IT DISCHARGED.
AN OPELOUSAS MAN HAS PLEADED GUILTY TO FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINING DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS FROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION. FORTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD KEVIN V. LEDAY FACES A MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOLLOWING HIS GUILTY PLEA WEDNESDAY IN LAFAYETTE TO THEFT AND FRAUD CHARGES. FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAY LEDAY EMBEZZLED NEARLY $42,000 AFTER CLAIMING IN 2002 THAT AN INJURY PREVENTED HIM FROM WORKING. PROSECUTORS SAY LEDAY DIDN'T NOTIFY THE AGENCY THAT HE RETURNED TO WORK IN 2006, AND HE KEPT RECEIVING THE PAYMENTS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2010.
AN INADVERTENT OVERSIGHT BY A ST. FREDERICK HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT'S MOTHER LED TO HIS EXPULSION FROM THE SCHOOL AND ARREST. MONROE POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE SCHOOL TUESDAY IN REFERENCE TO A FIREARM BROUGHT TO SCHOOL BY A SEVENTH-GRADER IN HIS LUNCH BOX. AUTHORITIES SAY AFTER AN INVESTIGATION, IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE MOTHER PLACED THE HANDGUN IN THE LUNCH BOX SOME TIME AGO, AND THE STUDENT UNKNOWINGLY TOOK THE LUNCH BOX TO SCHOOL. SHE SAID THE MOTHER CLAIMS SHE FORGOT THE WEAPON WAS IN BOX. THE STUDENT, WHOSE NAME WAS NOT RELEASED BECAUSE OF HIS AGE, WAS BOOKED INTO JUVE ON A CHARGE OF ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF A HANDGUN ON SCHOOL GROUNDS.
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