News for Monday 112612

By Dave Graichen

Pineville police report a 23-year-old Pineville woman died late Saturday afternoon when she was struck  by a vehicle while trying to cross Highway 28 East, near red river bank.  23-year-old Asala Nidal Suleiman was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 71-year-old Donald Laborde, also of Pineville, was driving the vehicle that struck Suleiman. The accident is under investigation and routine toxicology reports are pending.

Beauregard parish officials report the pilot of a small plane was seriously injured  when he crashed just south of DeRidder, Sunday afternoon shortly before 4. FAA  officials have been notified of the crash. The cause of which is unknown at this time.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission will hold four orientation sessions Monday at the Central Louisiana Business Incubator in Alexandria for Hostess Brands employees being laid off in the company's  liquidation. Commission staff members will familiarize workers with free re-employment services available, as well as to explain unemployment insurance benefits and eligibility. No reservations are required, and employees may attend the session of their choice. The sessions will be at 8:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.

Lottery officials say nobody won Saturday's Powerball jackpot and the top prize will now increase to about $425 million for the next drawing, the largest jackpot ever for the game. The next drawing is Wednesday night.

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are followed by Cyber Monday; the day when many shoppers turn to on-line merchants to fill out their  Christmas lists. Byron Henderson with the Louisiana Department of  Revenue reminds on-line shoppers that on-line doesn't mean tax-free. The state's consumer use tax is on the honor system, leaving it up to  customers to keep up with and pay the tax.  On-line vendors who don't  have a physical presence in Louisiana are not required by law to charge  sales tax. Henderson says the consumer use tax was designed to level the  retail playing field.

Early voting is underway in runoff elections and tax ballots across Central Louisiana and will stretch through next Saturday Dec. 1. In Alexandria, two City Council seats are up for grabs. In Boyce, voters will decide if the Mayor can appoint a police chief, or if town residents will continue to elect the chief .Early voting in Rapides Parish will take place in the Registrar of Voters office at the state courthouse on Murray Street. For a list of early voting locations in other parishes, go to geauxvote.com Election Day is Dec. 8.

A Baton Rouge judge will hear arguments starting Wednesday over whether Gov. Bobby Jindal's statewide voucher program and other sweeping education changes were properly created by lawmakers. After months of behind-the-scenes legal haggling since a lawsuit was filed in June, the court hearing is set for Wednesday. District Judge Tim Kelley set aside three days for the case. Two statewide teacher unions and dozens of local school boards say the voucher program that is using tax dollars to send children to private schools and other new education funding plans are unconstitutional.

A free "Head to Toe" clinic for patients with diabetes will be offered from 8 to 11 a.m. Tomorrow in Alexandria. The program, presented by the Rapides Wound Healing Center and Alexandria Eye and Laser, will include eye screenings, foot exams, blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c tests and nutrition education. The program will be at the center at Rapides Regional Medical Center in downtown Alexandria

The program is free, but advance registration is required. To register, call 769-4440.

In New Orleans’s north end, firefighters battled a six-alarm fire Saturday afternoon that destroyed a block of homes and several vehicles. Thirty-four units and 100 fire personnel responded to the blaze. Authorities report no residents or fire personal were injured.

Through the miracle of modern science a much loved pet dog from West  Monroe has been cloned. Dr. Clark Cooper says they had tried everything  possible through conventional means to have his beloved 13-year-old blue  tick hound, Gator, reproduce. But without success. Coopers says then

someone had the wild idea. A pair of researchers in South Korea are the only scientist who have, so

far, succeeded in cloning dogs. Cooper's new 16 week-old puppy came home  about a month ago. He says the process is important, not only to  preserve his cherished pet, but to preserve a rare blood line.

The cost for the cloned puppy was a staggering 100-thousand dollars.

Sports..

The Saints had a chance to take control of its playoff destiny, but they  ran into really good team on Sunday and lost to the 49ers 31 to 21. It  was a rough day for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who was sacked  5 times and threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. The loss drops the Saints record to 5-and-6. They don't have much time  to recover from this physical loss. They visit the 10-and-1 Falcons on  Thursday night.

The Ragin Cajuns football team is heading back to the New Orleans Bowl.  U-L Lafayette accepted an invitation to the bowl game following their 52  to 30 win over South Alabama on Saturday. Coach Mark Hudspeth has led  the Cajuns to two consecutive bowl appearances in his two seasons in Lafayette...