Posted
2012-02-15 05:37:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR WEDNESDAY 021512
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
ALEXANDRIA BUSINESSMAN KEN MORAN THE OWNER OF COWBOY TOWN, COULD LOSE THAT PROPERTY AND OTHERS HE PUT UP FOR COLLATERAL ON LOANS OF MORE THAN $6.2 MILLION FROM 2002 TO 2010. KEN MORAN AND THE COMPANIES HE OWNED ARE BEING SUED IN 9TH DISTRICT COURT IN ALEXANDRIA BY WHITNEY BANK, WHICH LOANED MORAN THE MONEY. IN A BIDDING BATTLE IN U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT IN ALEXANDRIA WITH ANOTHER POTENTIAL BUYER, MORAN PAID $2.9 MILLION FOR COWBOY TOWN IN 2004. THIS YEAR, MORAN COULD LOSE THE ARENA ON ALMOST 28 ACRES OFF INTERSTATE 49 NORTH OF ALEXANDRIA AND OTHER PROPERTY ALONG AND NEAR BROADWAY AVENUE THAT HE PLEDGED AS COLLATERAL WHEN HE SIGNED PROMISSORY NOTES FOR THE LOANS.
A COUPLE FROM THE TOWN OF BOYCE IS A MILLION BUCKS RICHER, AFTER WINNING THE POWERBALL'S MATCH FIVE. KIMBERLY CHOPIN FROM THE LOUISIANA LOTTERY SAYS MARY AND MIKE ROBERTS WON A MILLION DOLLARS FOR MATCHING FIVE NUMBERS ON THEIR POWERBALL TICKET. CHOPIN SAYS MIKE IS A CONSTRUCTION WORKER AND HE AND HIS WIFE PLAN TO MOVE TO SHREVEPORT TO BE CLOSER TO THEIR FAMILY. CHOPIN SAYS THE ROBERTS' PURCHASED THE WINNING TICKET FROM THE SUPER ONE FOODS IN ALEXANDRIA.
THE MOTHER OF A WOODWORTH WOMAN WHO DIED LAST YEAR HAS FILED A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT AGAINST DONALD PICKNEY, WHO IS SUSPECTED OF HOLDING HIS WIFE CHANDA PICKNEY HOSTAGE FOR DAYS AND KILLING HER. THE SUIT FILED BY CHANDA PICKNEY'S MOTHER, BERNADELL WHITE, ALSO SEEKS TO COLLECT FROM TWO INSURANCE COMPANIES WHO HELD CHANDA'S LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES.
UNION PACIFIC CORP. SAYS IT WILL SPEND $200 MILLION TO EXPAND ITS OPERATIONS IN SOUTH LOUISIANA TO MEET EXPECTED HIGHER CUSTOMER DEMAND FROM PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE PLANS CALL FOR THE HIRING OF 225 NEW EMPLOYEES. THE EXPANSION ANNOUNCED TUESDAY INCLUDES A NEW SUPPORT YARD IN ST. JAMES PARISH, AN ADDITIONAL 29 MILES OF TRACK FROM LIVONIA TO ADDIS AND MORE SLOTS TO ASSEMBLE TRAINS IN LIVONIA. UNION PACIFIC SAID AT THE PEAK OF CONSTRUCTION IN JUNE, 1,500 CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES WILL BE NEEDED.
LOUISIANA'S CATHOLIC SCHOOLS COULD TAKE IN ONLY A SLIVER OF STUDENTS WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE UNDER GOV. BOBBY JINDAL'S VOUCHER PROPOSAL, A REALITY THAT WOULD LIMIT HOW MUCH CHOICE PARENTS COULD TRULY GET AS THE GOVERNOR PITCHES THE IDEA AS AN ANSWER FOR IMPROVING THE STATE'S TROUBLED EDUCATION SYSTEM.
AS MANY AS 380,000 STUDENTS WOULD MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS UNDER JINDAL'S PLANS TO USE STATE TAX DOLLARS TO SEND CHILDREN TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS. BUT UNDER AN INFORMAL TALLY, THE STATE'S CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH MAKE UP TWO-THIRDS OF STATE PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, ESTIMATE THEY COULD FIT ABOUT 1,000 OF THOSE VOUCHER STUDENTS.
THE MAN WHO INVESTIGATORS SAY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 10 THAT LEFT FIVE PEOPLE DEAD HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED. A SPOKESMAN FOR LSU CONFIRMED TUESDAY THAT 30-YEAR-OLD RYAN GIBBS, A GRADUATE STUDENT, WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE CAR THAT WAS DRIVING THE WRONG WAY ON THE INTERSTATE AND SLAMMED INTO ANOTHER CAR LAST FRIDAY. GIBBS AND THE FOUR PEOPLE IN THE OTHER VEHICLE WERE PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.
THE OFFICE OF ALCOHOL TOBACCO CONTROL IS CRACKING DOWN ON BUSINESSES THAT CONTINUE TO SELL SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA BY SUSPENDING LIQUOR LICENSES. ATC COMMISSIONER TROY HEBERT SAYS THEY'RE WORKING WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO FIND STORES THAT SELL ILLEGAL PRODUCTS. HE SAYS THEY ARE IMPLEMENTING A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY. HEBERT SAYS FOUR BUSINESSES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SERVED SUSPENSIONS AND THERE ARE MANY MORE TO COME ACROSS THE STATE.
STATE OFFICIALS RAISED COMPLAINTS TUESDAY ABOUT A PROPOSAL BEING CONSIDERED BY THE LOUISIANA SEAFOOD PROMOTION AND MARKETING BOARD TO BUY THE NAMING RIGHTS TO THE NEW ORLEANS ARENA, WHERE THE NBA'S HORNETS PLAY. HOUMA-AREA STATE SEN. NORBY CHABERT SAID SEVERAL SOUTH LOUISIANA LAWMAKERS THINK THE PROPOSAL IS A BAD IDEA. THE MONEY WOULD COME FROM $30 MILLION BP PLC GAVE TO MARKET LOUISIANA SEAFOOD AFTER THE GULF OIL SPILL IN 2010. WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES SECRETARY ROBERT BARHAM, WHO OVERSEES THE MONEY, TOLD A LEGISLATIVE PANEL THAT THE STATE WOULD HAVE TO REACH A LONG-TERM AGREEMENT WITH THE NBA TO KEEP THE NEW ORLEANS HORNETS IN LOUISIANA BEFORE ANY NAMING RIGHTS DEAL WAS STRUCK.
A REVIVED AUTO RACING TRACK IN MONROE HAS RECLAIMED A NASCAR AFFILIATION.
NOW KNOWN AS REVOLUTION PARK, THE CONCRETE OVAL AT THE 55-ACRE, 4,000-SEAT COMPLEX IS THE ONLY NASCAR-AFFILIATED TRACK IN LOUISIANA. RACING BEGINS APRIL 21 WITH A GRAND OPENING EVENT SCHEDULED FOR MAY 5. DRIVERS WILL COMPETE IN THE NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES.
A POOR CHOICE OF WORDS ALMOST LANDED A SHREVEPORT MAN IN JAIL FOR BANK ROBBERY YESTERDAY. POLICE SAY AS THE MAN ENTERED THE BANK, HE JOKINGLY ASKED AN ARMORED CAR GUARD TO GIVE HIM ALL THAT MONEY. THE GUARD, NOT AMUSED, CALLED POLICE. AFTER SOME QUESTIONING, THE MAN WAS LET GO...MORE THE WISER.
THE TERREBONNE NAACP HAS ACCUSED THE NEW PRINCIPAL AT SOUTH TERREBONNE HIGH SCHOOL OF HARASSING TWO INTERRACIAL COUPLES. JEROME BOYKIN, PRESIDENT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP'S HOUMA BRANCH, SAID PRINCIPAL DANE VOISIN CALLED TWO DIFFERENT PAIRS OF STUDENTS INTO HIS OFFICE LAST WEEK AND ENCOURAGED THEM TO BREAK OFF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS. BOYKIN SAID VOISIN CALLED A WHITE GIRL, A JUNIOR AT THE SCHOOL, TO HIS OFFICE AND TOLD HER IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE FOR HER TO DATE A STUDENT BECAUSE HE IS BLACK. NO COMMENT YET FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
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