News for Friday 120712

By Dave Graichen

Four Pineville men and two 16-year-old Alexandria boys are in jail on a long list of sex crime charges, including raping two girls -- one barely a teenager, the other a few years from becoming a teen. Prosecutors say the girls were raped and enticed into prostitution with the men and boys, including at least one relative.

Voters are asked to go to the polls one more time tomorrow, to decide  runoff elections left undecided in November. Secretary of State Tom  Schedler says south Louisiana must choose which of two seated congressmen--Charles Boustany or Jeff Landry--will represent the state's  new District Three. Even so, Schedler feels turnout for the runoff will  be low. Here in Alexandria, two city council seats will be decided.

Embattled  New  Orleans  area U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, the man  who successfully prosecuted former  Governor  Edwin Edwards, will resign his post. Letten has been in the crosshairs  since  it  became known that  two  of  his  top  prosecutors  were using fake names to  post inflammatory  online  comments  about  cases   they  were  currently prosecuting. Letten says he's served Louisiana's  eastern district a long time, and it's time to move on. Letten says he will retire from public service.

State education officials are preparing their appeal, after a judge  ruled last week the new private school vouchers program is  unconstitutional.  A week ago, state District Court Judge Tim Kelley ruled the "School  Choice Act" unconstitutional, for its use of public school funds to pay  private and parochial school tuitions. The suit was filed by two  teachers unions and the state School Boards association. State Supt. Of Education John White says  they're obstructing education progress.  Judge Kelley ruled the state Constitution clearly says the funding for  public education will be used only for public schools.

Highway deaths in Louisiana fell for the fourth consecutive time last year, and the decline in fatalities among drivers 18-24 ,according to state officials, is especially encouraging. A total of 676 people died in traffic crashes in 2011, a drop of 44 from 2010 and a reduction of about one-third since 2007, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. In addition, 72 people ages 18-24 died in crashes, a drop of 19 from the previous year and down from 134 who died in 2007.

The body  of an Assumption Parish man has been found in an Iberville Parish Canal.  The  Assumption  Parish  Sheriff's  office  says Tony Rodriguez was the victim of an armed robbery Tuesday night. They say he was found by fisherman this morning shot in the chest.

A federal report endorsing exports of liquefied natural gas gives developers of the proposed multibillion-dollar facilities the “green light” to move forward, an LSU energy expert said Thursday. So far, 22 liquefaction facilities have been proposed nationwide — six of them onshore or offshore in Louisiana. Only Cheniere Energy’s $5.6 billion Sabine Pass project in Cameron Parish has been approved to export to countries that don’t have a free-trade agreement with the United States. The proposed projects could export 28.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, well over a third of current domestic production, according to the Department of Energy.

Four  young  children  from  Covington were dramatically rescued  as their  home went up in flames early  Thursday  morning.  State  Fire Marshal  Butch  Browning says the mother was able to escape with two children, then through  the  heroic  efforts  of  the Covington Fire Department,  the two children trapped inside the home  were  rescued but sustained  severe  burns  and  smoke  inhalation.  He  says  the decision  of  two  firefighters  to  jump  into a burning home saved lives. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Many offices will be holding Christmas Parties for their employees  over the next couple of weeks and there are a few steps you can  take to ensure things don't get too out of hand. Rene Amar with the National Federation of Independent Business says to avoid liability issues, employers should try to limit alcohol use. Amar says offices should ensure that their employees have alternate  transportation home such as a designated driver or a taxi. She says  sometimes work Christmas parties can create an environment that can  lead to sexual harassment claims. Amar says don't hang mistletoe at the party that may encourage  inappropriate behavior. She says employees should be reminded about harassment policies before the party. And oh yes.. Merry Chriatmas

After 22 wins in three seasons at Louisiana Tech, Sonny Dykes leaves Ruston  for  the  head  coaching  job at California. It was expected Dykes  would  leave  for a more high-profile  job  after  posting  a

nine-win season.

Hunters report fewer sightings of deer in Louisiana wilds this year, and State Wildlife & Fisheries agents say the invasion of feral pigs is partially to blame. The hogs  aggressively  compete with deer for foraged  food,  and  bucks  and  does  tend  to steer clear  of  the voracious animals, when they're around.

For the second time in less than a week, a black bear has been found shot to death. An adult female  black  bear  was illegally killed in Pointe Coupee Parish and found by a hunter. A  few days before that, a  dead  black bear was found in Avoyelles Parish.  Maria  Davidson, with the LDWF wildlife division says  a  $6000  reward  is being offered for any information that leads to the arrest of the person  responsible  for this latest bear death.

A Carencro strip club is closed, after a federal raid Wednesday. The club's owner, 54-year-old James Panos is charged  with maintaining a drug-involved  premises at Desperado's nightclub. Several  strippers and  customers were  arrested  on  drug  and  prostitution  charges, including a UL-Lafayette journalism professor. Agents say they found him in a private room with a dancer, engaged in sex for money.

LSU  hospital employees who were expecting to get laid off next month got some  good  news earlier this week. The LSU Health Care Services Division put on hold  most  of  the 15-hundred layoffs scheduled for January  21st.

A Lake Charles teen, accused of killing his aunt last year, has been ruled mentally fit to stand trial. 18-year-old Jeffrey Doise pleaded not  guilty  by  reason of insanity to 2nd degree murder. He was  17 when he allegedly  killed his aunt, Susan Doise, at her Lake Charles home - where he had  been  living. Two psychiatrists agreed Doise is competent to stand trial.

State Police will lift the voluntary evacuation order for the Webster  Parish town of Doyline at noon today. For the last seven days, crews  moved millions of pounds of improperly stored explosives on land leased by Explo at Camp Minden. LSP Sgt. James anderson says the threat of a  chain reaction explosion has been reduced. He says they are moving the explosive  product flats away from each other so that if it were to go off, it  would not cause a major explosion.