NEWS FOR THURSDAY 102512
BY DAVE GRAICHEN

VOTERS IN LOUISIANA ARE SETTING RECORDS  FOR EARLY VOTING. SECRETARY OF STATE TOM SCHEDLER SAYS HIS OFFICE IS ANTICIPATING  A TOTAL VOTER TURNOUT  JUST SHORT OF 70-PERCENT, WHICH IS AHEAD OF THE  67-PERCENT VOTER TURNOUT IN 2008. HE CREDITS WIDE SPREAD EXCITEMENT AMONG VOTES WHO HAVE FOLLOWED THE CAMPAIGNS CLOSELY. THE SECRETARY  OF  STATE'S  OFFICE  REPORTS THAT ROUGHLY 40-THOUSAND BALLOTS WERE CAST ON THE OPENING DAY OF EARLY VOTING. ABOUT 2,000 PEOPLE HAVE CAST EARLY BALLOTS IN THE PAST TWO DAYS HERE IN RAPIDES PARISH ALONE.

VOTING IN THE NOV. 6 ELECTIONS THAT WAS TO BE DONE AT MARTIN PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HAS BEEN MOVED TO NEWMAN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN ALEXANDRIA.

MARTIN PARK ELEMENTARY, LOCATED ON LISA STREET IN ALEXANDRIA, WAS DAMAGED BY A FIRE ON OCT. 12, FORCING ITS CLASSES TO BE RELOCATED TO THE FORMER LEAD CENTER ON LINCOLN ROAD. NEWMAN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IS LOCATED AT 5700 ORAN ST. IN ALEXANDRIA. THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY APPROVED THE RELOCATION OF THE POLLING PLACE FOR VOTING PRECINCT C21 AT A SPECIAL MEETING TUESDAY. THE NEW POLLING PLACE MUST STILL RECEIVE CLEARANCE FROM THE STATE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY WAS DIVIDED ON, BUT APPROVED, $7,500 IN FUNDS TO BE USED TO SEND PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL TO CITIZENS ABOUT THE UPCOMING VOTE ON THE RAPIDES COLISEUM. VOTERS WILL DECIDE ON NOV. 6 WHETHER TO SUPPORT A $23 MILLION BOND ISSUE TO RENOVATE AND UPGRADE THE AGING COLISEUM AND A ONE MILL PROPERTY TAX TO PAY FOR ITS OPERATIONS OVER 20 YEARS.

LOUISIANA GETS ANOTHER FAILING GRADE IN THE ANNUAL PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL  CENTER REPORT CARD ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH FOR CHILDREN AND  YOUTH. THE REPORT MEASURED THINGS LIKE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SCREEN TIME,  SPORTS INVOLVEMENT, OBESITY AND OVERALL PHYSICAL WELL BEING.

ALL NINE SCHOOLS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA SYSTEM WILL SOON OFFER A BACHELOR  OF  ARTS  ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAM IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP. THE PROGRAM IS IS AIMED AT FORMER COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO DID NOT COMPLETE THEIR DEGREES. STATE HIGHER ED OFFICIALS ESTIMATE  THERE'S  600 THOUSAND  ADULTS  IN LOUISIANA WITH SOME COLLEGE CREDIT AND NO DEGREE.

LSU'S  SIX YEAR GRADUATION RATE HAS HIT  AN  ALL TIME HIGH OF 67 PERCENT. IT'S THE FIRST TIME IN LSU’S HISTORY, THE GRADUATION  RATE  IS  HIGHER  THAN  THE  AVERAGE OF ITS PEERS IN THE SOUTH. LSU'S GRADUATION RATE HAS NEARLY DOUBLED OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS.

LOUISIANA COLLEGE IN PINEVILLE HAS BEEN NAMED NO. 12 ON THE “MOST CONSERVATIVE COLLEGE” LIST, ACCORDING TO NEWSWEEK AS PART OF ITS “2012’S BEST COLLEGES FOR YOU" REPORT. ON THE LIST OF 25 CONSERVATIVE COLLEGES, LC, A PRIVATE BAPTIST COLLEGE, WAS RANKED JUST AHEAD OF BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY IN IDAHO AND JUST BEHIND HARDING UNIVERSITY OF SEARCY, ARK. AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA WAS RANKED AS THE MOST CONSERVATIVE SCHOOL IN THE UNITED STATES.

LOUISIANA COLLEGE IS EMBARKING ON A $50 MILLION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, ASKING FOR $12 MILLION FROM LOUISIANA BAPTIST CONVENTION CHURCHES.. THE $12 MILLION WILL BE USED TO IMPROVE STUDENT HOUSING. LC PRESIDENT JOE AGUILLARD SAID EVERY HOUSING UNIT ON CAMPUS IS TO BE COMPLETELY RENOVATED, FROM NEW HVAC SYSTEMS TO NEW ROOFS.

THE SAINTS ARE PREPARING FOR THEIR NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME THIS SUNDAY  AGAINST THE DENVER BRONCOS. QUARTERBACK DREW BREES HAS PLAYED IN DENVER FOUR TIMES AND HIS TEAM HAS NEVER WON. THE HIGH ALTITUDE IS A CONCERN,  BUT BREES SAYS PLAYING A MILE ABOVE SEA LEVEL DOESN'T IMPACT HIS GAME. BUT, TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE  THE SAINTS ARE LEAVING ON FRIDAY TO GET ACCUSTOMED TO THE HIGH ALTITUDE.

A NEIGHBOR TELLS THE BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE THAT THE LIVINGSTON PARISH MAN  ACCUSED  OF  CUTTING THE FETUS OUT OF HIS SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT WIFE SAID HE SWALLOWED  BATH  SALTS. LIVINGSTON PARISH SHERIFF JASON ARD SAYS THEY ARE STILL AWAITING  TOXICOLOGY  RESULTS ON 31-YEAR-OLD JEFFREY REYNOLDS OF WALKER, WHO ALLEGEDLY STABBED  HIS  WIFE  IN THE ABDOMEN  AND  PULLED OUT THE BABY. ARD SAYS PARAMEDICS WERE NOT ABLE TO SAVE THE BABY, BUT THE MOM IS THANKFULLY IN STABLE CONDITION.

A DOMESTIC DISPUTE HAS TAKEN THE LIVES OF TWO PEOPLE IN CADDO PARISH.  THE INCIDENT INCLUDED A POLICE CHASE AND A SHOOTOUT WITH OFFICERS. SHREVEPORT POLICE RECEIVED  A CALL YESTERDAY MORNING  ABOUT  A  MAN  THREATENING  A  WOMAN WITH  A  GUN.  SHERIFFS  OFFICE SPOKESPERSON CINDY CHADWICK SAYS  WHEN OFFICERS ARRIVED ON THE SCENE A HIGH SPEED CHASE ENSUED. SHE SAYS THE CHASE ENDED WITH THE SUSPECT FIRING  AT  OFFICERS AND POLICE RETURNING  FIRE,  KILLING  THE  MAN. CHADWICK SAYS  THEY  BELIEVE  THE SUSPECT SHOT AND KILLED THE FEMALE RIDING WITH HIM DURING THE CHASE.

THE  CEO  OF  ENTERGY  LOUISIANA TOLD THE PUBLIC SERVICE  COMMISSION TODAY  THEY DID EVERYTHING  THEY  COULD  TO  RESTORE  POWER  TO ITS CUSTOMERS  AS  QUICKLY  AS POSSIBLE FOLLOWING HURRICANE ISAAC . BILL MOHL DID SAY THE UTILITY COMPANY NEEDS TO DO A BETTER JOB OF GETTING MORE INFORMATION OUT TO CUSTOMERS  AND BETTER SET EXPECTATIONS ABOUT HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO RESTORE ELECTRICITY.

LSU'S FACES LAB WILL ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING  A  HUMAN  SKULL FOUND IN BEAUREGARD PARISH TUESDAY. OTHER HUMAN BONES WERE ALSO  FOUND IN THE AREA, JUST WEST OF MERRYVILLE. LSU'S DR. MARY MANNHEIN AND  HER TEAM WILL TRY TO DETERMINE WHO THE PERSON WAS AND HOW THEY DIED.

FOUR  CONTRACTORS  WHO HELPED TO BUILD BATON ROUGE'S NEWEST GAMBLING CASINO RESORT HAVE FILED LIENS AGAINST THE COMPLEX--SAYING  THEY HAVEN'T  BEEN  PAID  FOR MORE THAN $3-MILLION IN WORK DONE. PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT, WHO OWNS THE  L'AUBERGE  BATON  ROUGE,  REFERRED ALL  QUESTIONS  TO  THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR, MANHATTAN CONSTRUCTION.  THAT COMPANY CAN'T BE REACHED FOR COMMENT.

THE 106TH LA STATE FAIR KICKS OFF TODAY IN SHREVEPORT. THIS YEAR'S  FAIR WILL RUN THROUGH NOVEMBER 11TH AND IS CLOSED ON MONDAY'S AND  TUESDAY'S. STATE FAIR PRESIDENT CHRIS GIORDANO SAYS THIS YEAR'S FAIR  FEATURES LOTS OF NEW EXCITING ATTRACTIONS. MORE INFORMATION ON THE  FAIR IS ONLINE AT STATEFAIROFLOUISIANA.COM.