Posted
2012-07-27 05:00:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR FRIDAY 072712
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
A YET TO BE IDENTIFIED 39 YEAR OLD POLLOCK WOMAN DROWNED IN THE RED RIVER YESTERDAY JUST SOUTH OF THE PURPLE HEART BRIDGE. THE RAPIDES PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE WOMAN, WHO WAS ON AN OUTING WITH FAMILY, DOVE INTO THE WATER AND NEVER RESURFACED. DIVERS FOUND HER BODY ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER.
HERE IS SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOW. IF YOU LIVE IN ALEXANDRIA OR HAVE A BUSINESS HERE AND YOU HAVE A FIRE AND BURGLARY ALARM SYSTEMS, YOU HAVE TO REGISTER WITH THE ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT. IF YOU DON’T REGISTER, THERE’S A $100 FINE. THOSE WITH ALARM SYSTEMS CAN GO TO WWW.ALEXANDRIALAPOLICE.ORG TO OBTAIN A REGISTRATION FORM. THERE IS A ONETIME REGISTRATION FEE OF $25, WHICH ISN'T DUE UNTIL JANUARY 2013 BUT CAN BE PAID NOW. POLICE SAY THEY ARE TRYING TO ELIMINATE FALSE ALARMS. SOMETHING THEY PLAN ON CHARGING FOR SOON AS WELL.
THE MAN ACCUSED OF THE KIDNAP AND MURDER OF 22-YEAR-OLD LAFAYETTE CO-ED MICKEY SHUNICK IS SCHEDULED IN COURT AGAIN TODAY. BRANDON SCOTT LAVERGNE
HAS A PRELIMINARY HEARING ON THOSE CHARGES AND THE 1999 MURDER OF LISA PATE. LEGAL ANALYST TIM MECHE SAYS HE DOUBT ANYTHING MAJOR WILL OCCUR TODAY. LAFAYETTE PARISH D.A. MIKE HARSON FEELS THAT THE GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST LAVERGNE NEGATES THE NEED FOR TODAY'S PRELIMINARY HEARING. MECHE SAYS THESE HEARINGS ARE USUALLY TO DETERMINE IF THE DEFENDANT CAN BE HELD IN CUSTODY PENDING TRIAL.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AND HORNETS OWNER TOM BENSON HAS MADE AN OFFER TO BUY THE NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE. THE NEWSPAPER ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH IT WAS CEASING DAILY PUBLICATION IN AUGUST; GOING TO JUST THREE EDITIONS WEEKLY. IN A LETTER TO TIMES PICAYUNE OWNER STEVE NEWHOUSE, BENSON SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY TO HAVE A STRONG DAILY PAPER. NO DOLLAR FIGURES HAVE BEEN MENTIONED. NEWHOUSE EXPRESSED THANKS FOR BENSON'S INTEREST, BUT NOTHING ELSE.
US SENATOR DAVID VITTER HAS SENT A LETTER TO THE OWNERS OF THE TIMES PICAYUNE URGING THEM TO SELL THE PAPER. IN THE LETTER TO ADVANCE PUBLICATIONS AND THE NEWHOUSE FAMILY, VITTER SAYS THE DECISION TO ONLY PRINT THE TIMES PICAYUNE THREE TIMES A WEEK IS A BAD ONE. VITTER SAYS HE IS DISGUSTED BY THE ENTIRE SITUATION.
THE LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD IS GETTING IT'S FIRST-EVER WOMAN GENERAL. IN CEREMONIES AT THE JACKSON BARRACKS MUSEUM IN NEW ORLEANS, COLONEL JOANNE SHERIDAN, THE GUARD'S ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENERAL OF THE ARMY, WILL BE GIVEN THE RANK OF BRIGADIER GENERAL. SHERIDAN BEGAN HER MILITARY CAREER IN 1983, IN THE ROTC, AND WORKED HER WAY UP THROUGH THE RANKS.
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL'S STATEWIDE VOUCHER PROGRAM CAN CONTINUE ON TRACK, AFTER A STATE APPEALS COURT DENIED A BID BY TEACHER UNIONS AND SCHOOL BOARDS TO BLOCK ITS START NEXT MONTH AS THEY CHALLENGE WHETHER THE PROGRAM IS CONSTITUTIONAL.
IN A 2-1 DECISION A THREE-JUDGE PANEL OF THE 1ST CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEAL IN BATON ROUGE UPHELD A LOWER RULING THAT IT COULDN'T STOP TAXPAYER-SUBSIDIZED STUDENTS FROM ATTENDING PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS. THE DECISION COMES AS A LAWYER FOR THE LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS, ONE OF THE TEACHER UNIONS SEEKING TO STOP THE PROGRAM, SENT A LETTER TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS ACCEPTING VOUCHER STUDENTS, SAYING THE SCHOOLS COULD END UP IN COURT FOR TAKING TAXPAYER MONEY WHILE THE CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE IS PENDING.
THE HIGH COST OF LABOR IS TRANSLATING INTO FEWER JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS IN THE BAYOU STATE. PELICAN INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY PRESIDENT KEVIN KANE SAYS DATA FROM THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU REVEAL AN ALARMING TREND. LOUISIANA TEENS WITH LESS THAN A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION HAVE SEEN THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SKYROCKET FROM JUST OVER 13% IN 2006, TO OVER 34% THIS YEAR. KANE SAYS, FACED WITH FISCAL RESTRAINTS, MANY EMPLOYERS SEEK TO HIRE WORKERS WITH SOME PREVIOUS JOB TRAINING. KANE SAYS INCREASES IN THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE ARE LARGELY THE REASON WHY FEWER TEENS ARE FINDING JOBS. HE SAYS BETWEEN 2006 AND THIS YEAR, THE MINIMUM WAGE HAS GONE FROM $5.15 TO $7.25, AND THAT AFFECTS BUSINESS'S BOTTOM LINE.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS CAPITAL ONE HAS AGREED TO PAY $12 MILLION TO RESOLVE ALLEGATIONS THE BANK VIOLATED SPECIAL PROTECTIONS IN FEDERAL LAW FOR MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY. THE GOVERNMENT SAYS CAPITAL ONE WRONGFULLY FORECLOSED ON SOME HOMES AND IMPROPERLY REPOSSESSED SOME CARS. IN ADDITION, THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THE BANK OBTAINED WRONGFUL COURT JUDGMENTS AGAINST SOME SERVICE MEMBERS AND IMPROPERLY DENIED INTEREST RATE RELIEF ON SOME CREDIT CARD AND CAR LOANS. IN A SETTLEMENT UNDER THE SERVICE MEMBERS CIVIL RELIEF ACT, CAPITAL ONE WILL PAY AT LEAST $125,000 TO EACH SERVICE MEMBER WHOSE HOME WAS UNLAWFULLY FORECLOSED UPON AND AT LEAST $10,000 TO EACH SERVICE MEMBER WHOSE VEHICLE WAS UNLAWFULLY REPOSSESSED.
A HEARING IN FEDERAL COURT FOR SUSPENDED SAINTS LINEBACKER JONATHAN VILMA WRAPPED UP THURSDAY WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE DECISION ABOUT WHETHER HE CAN TEMPORARILY RETURN TO WORK. VILMA IS TRYING TO PERSUADE U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE GINGER BERRIGAN TO IMPOSE A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER WHILE HIS LAWSUIT AGAINST NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL PROCEEDS. BERRIGAN DID NOT SAY WHEN SHE WOULD RULE BUT HAS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN A QUICK RESOLUTION. VILMA, FORMER TEAMMATES AND NEW ORLEANS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH JOE VITT TESTIFIED THURSDAY THAT VILMA NEVER PUT UP CASH FOR TACKLES THAT INJURED OPPONENTS.
A CANADIAN-BASED METHANOL PRODUCER WILL RELOCATE A PRODUCTION PLANT IN CHILE TO GEISMAR, IN ASCENSION PARISH. THE NEW FACILITY WILL BRING HUNDREDS OF JOBS WITH GOOD SALARIES. ASCENSION PARISH PRESIDENT TOMMY MARTINEZ SAYS HE'S EXCITED AT METHANEX'S DECISION, AND HE LOOKS FORWARD TO MAKING MORE SUCH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE FUTURE. HE SAYS ASCENSION IS THE 69TH FASTEST-GROWING REGION IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
ALLSTATE INSURANCE, THE STATE'S SECOND-BIGGEST PROPERTY INSURANCE CARRIER, IS REQUESTING A RATE INCREASE APPROVAL FROM STATE AUTHORITIES. ALLSTATE SEEKS AN 11-PERCENT RATE HIKE FROM ABOUT 144-THOUSAND HOMEOWNERS. ALLSTATE INDEMNITY WANTS A 6% INCREASE FROM IT'S 73-THOUSAND LOUISIANA CUSTOMERS. STATE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER JIM DONELON HAS MADE NO DECISION YET ON THE RATE INCREASE REQUEST.
THE USDA SAYS CONSUMERS CAN EXPECT HIGHER PRICES FOR FOOD NEXT YEAR, LARGELY DUE TO DROUGHT ACROSS THE MIDWEST. DRY CONDITIONS ARE SEVERELY HURTING CROPS EVEN BEFORE THEY CAN BE HARVESTED. LOUISIANA AG COMMISSIONER MIKE STRAIN SAYS THE DROP IN PRODUCTION WILL HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT ON PRODUCTS USING THOSE CROPS AS INGREDIENTS.
COMEDIAN RUSSELL BRAND HAS BEEN ORDERED BY A NEW ORLEANS JUDGE TO 20 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND A $500 FINE, FOR A MARCH INCIDENT IN WHICH HE THREW A PHOTOGRAPHER'S IPHONE THROUGH THE WINDOW OF A LAWYERS' OFFICE IN DOWNTOWN NEW ORLEANS.
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