Posted
2012-06-17 20:50:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR MONDAY 061812
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
IS IT ANOTHER CASE OF PUNISHING LAWMAKERS WHO WOULDN’T FALL IN LINE WITH THE GOVERNOR’S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA? GOV. BOBBY JINDAL'S DECISION FRIDAY TO CLOSE THE DABADIE CORRECTIONAL CENTER IN PINEVILLE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HOSPITALS LAYING OFF ABOUT 200 EMPLOYEES AT AREA MEDICAL FACILITIES, IS BEING DESCRIBED AS JUST THAT BY MANY CENTRAL LOUISIANA RESIDENTS. LOCAL LAW MAKERS WERE ALSO VERY CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNOR’S ANNOUNCED VETO LAST FRIDAY. IT’S HOPED THAT MANY OF THE NEAR 100 EMPLOYEES AT DABADIE, WILL BE ABLE TO TRANSFER TO OTHER FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE. BUT, AS REP. HERBERT DIXON PUT IT, 300 JOBS ARE NOW GONE FOR GOOD FROM CENTRAL LOUISIANA.
THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA WILL FORMALLY BREAK GROUND FOR THE NEW FIRE STATION NO. 5 TODAY AT THE SITE, ON COLISEUM BOULEVARD NEXT TO THE RAPIDES PARISH COLISEUM.
THE NEW STATION WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING FIRE STATION NO. 5 ON TEXAS AVENUE NEAR JACKSON STREET. THE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET IS $2.1 MILLION. WHEN COMPLETED, THE 10,831-SQUARE FOOT STATION WILL CONTAIN THREE PARKING BAYS AND WILL BE ABLE TO HOUSE A CREW OF NINE FIRE MEN.
ALCOHOL USE IS SUSPECTED IN A WEEKEND CRASH THAT LEFT TWO PEOPLE INJURED, ONE CRITICALLY. STATE POLICE SAY THE CRASH OCCURRED EARLY SUNDAY MORNING ON HIGHWAY 1 IN CLOUTIERVILLE, WHEN A VEHICLE CARRYING TO NATCHEZ, LA RESIDENTS LEFT THE ROADWAY AND OVERTURNED SEVERAL TIMES. 56 YEAR OLD DONALD ROBINSON, THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE RECEIVED CRITICAL INJURIES AND WAS FLOWN TO LSU SHREVEPORT. A PASSENGER, 50 YEAR OLD KATHERINE MOSS SUSTAINED MODERATE INJURIES. THE ACCIDENT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
LOUISIANA'S SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE ABRUPTLY RESIGNED FRIDAY AFTER SERVING DURING THE JINDAL, BLANCO AND FOSTER ADMINISTRATIONS. CYNTHIA BRIDGES SUBMITTED A LETTER OF RESIGNATION TO GOV. BOBBY JINDAL, WHO IMMEDIATELY NAMED FORMER STATE REP. JANE SMITH AS INTERIM SECRETARY. SMITH, R-BOSSIER CITY, WAS APPOINTED AS DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AFTER LOSING A CAMPAIGN FOR THE STATE SENATE LAST FALL. JINDAL'S SPOKESMAN, KYLE PLOTKIN, WOULD NOT SAY WHY BRIDGES WAS LEAVING OR WHETHER SHE WAS ASKED TO RESIGN. WHEN ASKED DIRECTLY IF JINDAL ASKED FOR BRIDGES' RESIGNATION, PLOTKIN SAID: "WE APPRECIATE HER SERVICE AND WISH HER WELL."
SAINTS OWNER TOM BENSON HAS OFFICIALLY GAINED CONTROL OF THE NEW ORLEANS HORNETS FROM THE NBA. THE COMPLETION FRIDAY OF THE $338 MILLION SALE OF THE NBA CLUB COMES TWO DAYS AFTER THE LEAGUE'S BOARD OF GOVERNORS APPROVED THE DECISION TO SELL TO BENSON. AS PART OF THE DEAL, LOUISIANA GOV. BOBBY JINDAL HAS APPROVED THE HORNETS' LEASE EXTENSION AT THE STATE-OWNED NEW ORLEANS ARENA, WHICH RUNS THROUGH 2024 AND PROVIDES FOR $50 MILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS.
THE NFL TURNED OVER SOME EVIDENCE TO THE FOUR PLAYERS SUSPENDED FOR THE SAINTS BOUNTY PROGRAM, BUT LAWYERS FOR THE PLAYERS SAID FRIDAY THEY ARE SEEKING MORE INFORMATION. CURRENT SAINTS LINEBACKER JONATHAN VILMA AND DEFENSIVE END WILL SMITH, GREEN BAY DEFENSIVE END ANTHONY HARGROVE AND CLEVELAND LINEBACKER SCOTT FUJITA WILL HAVE THEIR APPEALS HEARD TODAY BY NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL.
THE TOP NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS HAS CENSURED LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY FOR ALLEGED MISTREATMENT OF FACULTY, INCLUDING A COASTAL RESEARCHER FIRED AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA AND A BIOLOGY PROFESSOR REMOVED FROM A CLASS FOR ALLEGED HARSH GRADING. LSU IS THE ONLY PUBLIC FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY ON THE NATIONAL LIST OF THOSE CENSURED SATURDAY BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS. THE GROUP ALSO CENSURED SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITIES. THEY WERE CENSURED FOR ALLEGEDLY USING STATE BUDGET CUTS AND ACADEMIC PROGRAM ELIMINATIONS AS EXCUSES TO FIRE SOME TENURED FACULTY MEMBERS.
THE NUMBER OF RIGS ACTIVELY EXPLORING FOR OIL AND NATURAL GAS IN THE U.S. IS DOWN BY 13 THIS WEEK TO 1,971. HOWEVER, HOUSTON-BASED OILFIELD SERVICES COMPANY BAKER HUGHES INC. REPORTED FRIDAY THAT NUMBERS WERE UP BY OVER A HUNDRED FROM A YEAR AGO, WHEN THERE WERE ACTIVE 1,860 RIGS.
THE BODY OF A 52-YEAR-OLD MISSISSIPPI MAN WAS FOUND SUNDAY MORNING IN LAKE ST. JOHN IN CONCORDIA PARISH. THE BODY OF LARRY ALLEN OF OF PEARL, MISS. WAS FOUND SUNDAY MORNING UNDER A COLLAPSED PIER. ALLEN WAS A PASSENGER IN A BOAT THAT CRASHED INTO THE PIER SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT SATURDAY. THE DRIVER OF THE BOAT, 50 YEAR OLD BRUCE PICKLE OF FERRIDAY, ALSO DIED.
SHREVEPORT POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A MAN POSING AS AN OFFICER WHO PULLED A WOMAN OVER LAST WEEK. POLICE SAY THE WOMAN WAS PULLED OVER BY A MAN DRIVING A WHITE NEWER MODEL CHEVROLET WITH A SINGLE FLASHING BLUE LIGHT IN THE FRONT WINDOW. POLICE SAID THE MAN WAS WEARING SOME TYPE OF NAVY BLUE OR DARK-COLORED UNIFORM WITH NO PATCHES, MARKINGS OR BADGES. THE WOMAN REFUSED TO GET OUT OF HER CAR AS THE IMPOSTOR ORDERED, AND ASKED TO SEE HIS IDENTIFICATION.
THE IMPOSTOR THEN RETURNED TO HIS VEHICLE AND LEFT.
A BATON ROUGE COUPLE IS NOW ACCUSED OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER OF THEIR 8-YEAR-OLD SON, UP FROM SECOND-DEGREE MURDER. THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS MICHAEL ROBERTSON AND LAVAUGHN RILEY WERE REBOOKED AFTER AN AUTOPSY FOUND THAT XZAYVION RILEY'S INTESTINE RUPTURED FROM BEING HIT IN THE BELLY. ROBERTSON AND RILEY WERE BOOKED WITH SECOND-DEGREE MURDER ON TUESDAY, THE DAY THE BOY DIED. DEPUTIES SAY XZAVION'S BODY BORE 56 BRUISES, ABRASIONS AND CUTS INCLUDING AN ADULT-SIZE BITE MARK ON HIS STOMACH.
THE MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY PATROL SAYS THREE PEOPLE DIED WHEN A 2010 PICKUP TRUCK VEERED OFF MISSISSIPPI 27 SOUTH OF VICKSBURG, HIT A TREE, AND BURST INTO FLAMES. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SATURDAY. THE COUNTY CORONER SAYS THE BODIES WERE SO BURNED THAT DNA TESTS WILL BE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THEIR IDENTITIES.
A HOUMA TEEN, WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO DRIVING DRUNK WHEN HE WRECKED HIS CAR, KILLING HIS GIRLFRIEND LAST DECEMBER HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON. STATE POLICE SAY STEPHEN MURPHY WAS DRIVING 81 MPH IN A 45-MPH ZONE AND HAD MORE THAN TWO TIMES THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL IN HIS SYSTEM ALLOWED BY LAW FOR A PERSON UNDER 21 WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED.
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