Posted
2012-10-09 06:23:00
by
Dave Graichen
NEWS FOR TUESDAY 100912
BY DAVE GRAICHEN
WEYERHAUSER CORP. SAYS IT WILL INVEST $6-MILLION IN MODERNIZING ITS PLANT IN NATCHITOCHES. THE WORK IS SET TO BEGIN EARLY NEXT YEAR AND FINISH BY THE END OF 2013. THE UPGRADE WILL ALSO MEAN AROUND 30 NEW JOBS AT THE PLANT.
STATE POLICE SAY AN 84-YEAR-OLD MAN FROM VERNON PARISH IS DEAD AFTER HE WAS RUN OVER BY A CAR EARLY YESTERDAY MORNING. THEY SAY ROBERT MICHALK OF HORNBECK WAS WALKING IN THE MIDDLE OF HWY 171 WHEN HE WAS RUN OVER BY 40-YEAR-OLD MAYNARD SMITH OF ANACOCO. THE ELDERLY PEDESTRIAN WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.
THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY WASTED NO TIME GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS YESTERDAY AS THEY WADED THROUGH A 55-ITEM AGENDA IN 24 MINUTES WITH NO DISCUSSION AND WITHOUT A DISSENTING VOTE FROM THE NINE-MEMBER PANEL. THE POLICE JURY AWARDED TWO CONTRACTS WORTH $373,620 FOR LEVEE WORK. ONE TO CONTRACTOR DON M. BARRON, ANOTHER TO RYLEE CONSTRUCTION. JURORS WERE SCHEDULED TO HEAR FROM RAPIDES COLISEUM AUTHORITY BOARD MEMBER JIMBO THIELS ON THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE UPCOMING PROPERTY TAX VOTE ON NOV. 11, BUT THIELS WAS A NO-SHOW FOR THE MEETING. HE WAS HOSTING THE RAPIDES PARISH FAIR PARTY FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA AND COMMUNITY. A FULL LIST OF ITEMS PASSED CAN BE FOUND AT THETOWNTALK.COM
23 YEAR OLD GREGORY NASH OF ALEXANDRIA HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH SECOND DEGREE MURDER IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH OF A 14TH STREET MAN OVER THE WEEKEND. APD REPORTS A CALL TO THE 300 BLOCK OF 14TH STREET SUNDAY AFTERNOON LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF AN UNIDENTIFIED 24 YEAR OLD MAN HOW HAD BEEN SHOT AND KILLED. LATER THAT NIGHT ABOUT 10PM NASH TURNED HIMSELF INTO POLICE AND WAS CHARGED. THE INCIDENT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.
WITH GOV. BOBBY JINDAL POISED TO SNAG A PLUM POLITICAL ROLE IN NATIONAL CIRCLES, A POLL RELEASED MONDAY DELVES INTO WHO MIGHT SUCCEED HIM AS GOVERNOR IN THREE YEARS. THE POLL, PREPARED BY MAGELLAN STRATEGIES, PUTS U.S. SEN. DAVID VITTER, R-LA., SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF DEMOCRATIC NEW ORLEANS MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU IN A SLATE OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR THE 2015 GOVERNOR’S RACE. LANDRIEU’S SISTER, U.S. SEN. MARY LANDRIEU, D-LA., FARED LESS FAVORABLY IN THE SURVEY, WITH 50.8 PERCENT RESPONDING THAT THEY WOULD PREFER SOMEONE DIFFERENT SHOULD SHE TRY TO HANG ONTO HER JOB. SEN. LANDRIEU, WHO IS UP FOR RE-ELECTION IN 2014, DECLINED COMMENT ON THE POLL MONDAY. THE SENATOR, JUST LAST WEEK ACCORDING TO YET ANOTHER POLL, HAD THE HIGHEST APPROVAL RATE OF ANY STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIAL. EXACTLY WHO UNDERWROTE THIS POLL IS UNCLEAR.
NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY DATA SHOWS THE NUMBER OF REAR-SEAT PASSENGERS KILLED IN LOUISIANA CRASHES FELL TO A LONG-TIME LOW LAST YEAR. LOUISIANA HIGHWAY SAFETY COMMISSION DIRECTOR COL. JOHN LEBLANC SAYS THE NUMBERS WERE COMPILED BY AN LSU RESEARCH GROUP, AND THE NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANT. IN 2009, THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A LAW REQUIRING ALL OCCUPANTS OF ANY MOTOR VEHICLE TO WEAR THEIR SEAT BELT. LEBLANC SAYS THE NUMBERS COLLECTED SINCE THEN SHOW THAT THE LAW IS WORKING.
A TEENAGER ARRESTED IN CALDWELL PARISH FACES NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE AND OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE CHARGES BECAUSE AT FIRST HE SAID HE WASN'T DRIVING A VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A FATAL CRASH. TROOPER ALBERT PAXTON SAYS 17-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL WOODS OF COLUMBIA WAS KILLED INSTANTLY IN THE CRASH ON HWY 849 EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, AND THE DRIVER 17-YEAR-OLD EUGENE WILLIAMS, LIED AND TOLD POLICE WOODS WAS DRIVING. PAXTON SAYS WILLIAMS AND ANOTHER 16-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER ENDED UP COMING CLEAN. WILLIAMS COULD FACE UP TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON.
CNN IS REPORTING THAT LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL COULD BE THE NEXT CHAIRMAN OF THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION THROUGH THE NEXT TWO ELECTION CYCLES. THE REPORT SAYS THE ARRANGEMENT APPEARS TO HAVE THE BLESSING OF RGA MEMBER GOVERNORS.
STATE SENATOR DAN CLAITOR OF BATON ROUGE SAYS A LAW THAT'S BEEN ON THE BOOKS SINCE THE 90'S COULD PUT SOME EXTRA DOLLARS IN STATE COFFERS. THAT LAW GIVES THE STATE THE RIGHT TO REQUIRE ANYONE WHO DEALS IN MARIJUANA TO PURCHASE TAX STAMPS FROM THE STATE, EVEN THOUGH THEIR PRODUCT IS ILLEGAL. CLAITOR SAYS THE LAW COULD BE USED TO GIVE THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE THE POWER TO STEP INTO LOCAL DRUG BUST AND ASK FOR THE STATE'S SHARE FROM THE DISPOSAL OF PROPERTY THAT IS FREQUENTLY SEIZED AT THE TIME OF THE ARREST.
ST. MARTIN PARISH DEPUTIES SAY A DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE LED THE THE FATAL STABBING OF A BREAUX BRIDGE MAN. DEPUTIES REPORT THEY RESPONDED TO A DOMESTIC CALL EARLY SUNDAY TO FIND A 38-YEAR-OLD MAN, DEAD FROM AN APPARENT STAB WOUND. HIS 39 GIRLFRIEND WAS BOOKED WITH 2ND DEGREE MURDER.
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