Posted
2012-10-04 06:21:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR THURSDAY 100412
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
A 21-YEAR-OLD DEVILLE MAN DIED AND A 59-YEAR-OLD PINEVILLE MAN WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AS A RESULT OF A VEHICLE COLLISION WEDNESDAY MORNING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF LA. HIGHWAY 28 EAST AND SANDIFER LANE IN PINEVILLE. POLICE IDENTIFIED THE DRIVERS AS 59 YEAR OLD LLOYD IVY OF PINEVILLE AND 21 YEAR OLD WESLEY DAVENPORT OF DEVILLE. BOTH WERE TAKEN TO RAPIDES REGIONAL, WHERE DAVENPORT DIED. AS OF LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON IVY WAS IN GUARDED CONDITION.
A GARBAGE TRUCK REAR-ENDED A SCHOOL BUS WEDNESDAY IN MONROE, BUT NO MAJOR INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE BUS HAD JUST DROPPED OFF A CHILD WHEN THE GARBAGE TRUCK STRUCK THE BUS. STATE POLICE SAY THEY ARE NOT SURE HOW MAN CHILDREN WERE ON THE BUS. HOWEVER, THEY DO REPORT NONE OF THE CHILDREN WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED.
A PANEL OF STATE LAWMAKERS MEETS TODAY TO DISCUSS RECENT CUTS TO LOUISIANA'S SYSTEM OF HEALTH CARE FOR THE POOR AND UNINSURED. CHARITY HOSPITALS ARE UNDER THE LSU HEALTH SYSTEM, AND HAVE RECENTLY BORNE THE BRUNT OF $329-MILLION IN CUTS. ABITA SPRINGS REP. SCOTT SIMON CHAIRS THE HOUSE HEALTH & WELFARE COMMITTEE. HE SAYS TODAY'S MEETING IS "A FACT-FINDING MISSION", TO DETERMINE WHAT LSU WILL DO AND HOW THEY'LL HANDLE THE MANDATE TO TRIM THE BUDGET.
FIVE PARISHES IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA ARE GETTING MILLIONS IN FEDERAL MONEY TO PLUG GAPS IN HIGH SPEED MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS IN THE REGION. DAN HOPKINS, WITH CELLULAR ONE, SAYS THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATION COMMISSION HAS AWARDED THEM $3.35-MILLION FOR THE UPGRADE. HOPKINS SAYS CELLULAR ONE'S PARENT COMPANY, CENTRAL LOUISIANA CELLULAR, WILL GET THE GRANT TO PROVIDE MORE COMPLETE "3G" AND "4G" COVERAGE. HE SAYS IT WILL MEAN A GENERALLY BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR CELL CUSTOMERS IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THE FCC GRANT COVERS FIVE PARISHES; GRANT, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, SABINE AND VERNON.
LOUISIANA'S LONE DEMOCRATIC STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIAL PULLS IN GOOD NUMBERS IN A NEW POLL BY SOUTHERN MEDIA AND OPINION RESEARCH. IN A SURVEY OF SIX-HUNDRED LOUISIANA VOTERS, 61-PERCENT APPROVE OF SENATOR MARY LANDRIEU'S JOB PERFORMANCE, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST OF ANY ELECTED STATEWIDE OFFICIAL. POLLSTER BERNIE PINSONAT SAYS HE'S NOT SURPRISED. BATON ROUGE CONGRESSMAN BILL CASSIDY HAS BEEN MENTIONED AS A POSSIBLE CHALLENGER TO LANDRIEU. BUT THE POLL SHOWS NEARLY 63-PERCENT OF THE STATE'S VOTERS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH CASSIDY.
A FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTS NINE MEN, INCLUDING TWO LAFAYETTE LAWYERS AND A LOCAL BUSINESS FOR ALLEGEDLY PARTICIPATING IN A MULTISTATE SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA TRAFFICKING RING. PROSECUTORS ALLEGE THAT THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED EARNED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BY SELLING SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA OVER A TEN-MONTH PERIOD. THE TWO LAFAYETTE LAWYERS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS 54-YEAR DANIEL STANFORD AND 52-YEAR-OLD BARRY DOMINGUE (DO-MAIN).
THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES HAS HANDED OUT NEARLY 104-MILLION-DOLLARS IN DISASTER FOOD STAMPS AS A RESULT OF HURRICANE ISAAC. DCFS SPOKESPERSON TREY WILLIAMS SAYS THEY ACCOMPLISHED A LOT IN A VERY SHORT TIME. WILLIAMS SAYS THE STATE HAS LEARNED A LOT SINCE PAST STORMS AND AS A RESULT THE PACE OF THE DELIVERY OF BENEFITS FOLLOWING ISAAC WAS MUCH
IMPROVED.
TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP YESTERDAY MORNING ON I-10 EAST NEAR VINTON AFTER A PEDESTRIAN, WHO WAS STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC VIOLATION, WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY AN 18-WHEELER. STATE POLICE SGT. JAMES ANDERSON SAYS THE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AROUND 8:00 THIS MORNING, WHEN THE CALCASIEU PARISH ANTI-DRUG TASK FORCE PULLED OVER A VEHICLE. ANDERSON SAYS THEY HAVE NOT PUBLICLY IDENTIFIED THE VICTIM. HE SAYS THEY ARE NOT SURE IF THE INDIVIDUAL INTENTIONALLY PUT HIMSELF IN FRONT OF THE 18-WHEELER OR JUST DIDN'T SEE THE SEMI COMING.
REPUBLICAN LEADERS IN TWO-THIRDS OF THE PARISHES IN THE NEWLY-DRAWN 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SAY THEY SUPPORT US REPRESENTATIVE JEFF LANDRY OVER THE CONGRESSMAN CHARLES BOUSTANY. THE LANDRY ENDORSEMENTS COME FROM GOP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES IN ACADIA, IBERIA, ST. MARTIN, ST. MARY AND VERMILION PARISHES. SCIENCE PROFESSOR PEARSON CROSS SAYS THIS IS A STRONG SHOWING OF
SUPPORT FOR LANDRY. LANDRY AND BOUSTANY ARE FORCED INTO A RUN-OFF AFTER LOUISIANA LOST A CONGRESSIONAL SEAT.
A NEW ORLEANS CITY PROSECUTOR IS IN TROUBLE AFTER A MARIJUANA CIGARETTE DROPPED FROM HIS POCKET, WHILE TALKING WITH A POLICE OFFICER IN A CITY COURT ROOM. 43-YEAR-OLD JAMES CALDWELL WAS CITED FOR SIMPLE POSSESSION AND RELEASED, UNDER A NEW CITY POLICY FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES.
RESEARCH FROM PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL CENTER IN BATON ROUGE SUGGESTS THAT CHILDREN LIVING IN HIGH POVERTY AND CRIME AREAS HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF DEVELOPING HEART DISEASE. DOCTOR STEPHANIE BROYLES SAYS UNTIL NOW, RESEARCH MAINLY FOCUSED ON THE CONNECTION THAT OBESITY HAS WITH DIFFERENT DISEASES. BROYLES SAYS THIS NEW FINDING PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT WHERE WE LIVE CAN IMPACT OUR HEALTH STATUS. BROYLES SAYS RESULTS SHOW THAT NEARLY 19-PERCENT OF THE CHILDREN LIVING IN HIGHER LEVELS OF POVERTY OR CRIME HAD ELEVATED LEVELS OF A PROTEIN THAT'S A MARKER FOR HEART DISEASE IN ADULTS.
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