News for Friday 061413

By Dave Graichen

A 29-year-old man from Hammond died in yesterday's chemical plant  explosion in Ascension Parish. Zachary Green was one of 600 workers at  the Williams Olefins plant in Geismar, when a huge fireball went up into  the sky at around 8:30 yesterday morning. The department of health and hospitals says another 77 individuals were

 taken to local hospitals and three remain in intensive care. Now that  all of the workers have been accounted for, officials will try to  determine what ignited the blaze. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says  several experts are assisting in the investigation.

Word is from Michael Jenkins the new owner of the Hotel Bentley, the refurbished downtown landmark show be open in December.  Jenkins tol the “Town Talk” earlier this week that “He could have probably opened 3-4 months earlier, but he wanted to go ahead and do the job right the first time. Jenkins saying, It’s going to take longer, but that he thinks it will pay off in the long run.” Under Jenkins’ plans, the original portion of the Bentley will remain a hotel with nearly 100 rooms. The seven-floor tower portion, which was added in the 1930s, is being gutted and converted to condominiums. The entire interview is in today’s “Town Talk”.

Speaking of the Town Talk, The company that owns our local newspaper, Gannett, has purchased Belo Broadcasting, the owner of WWL TV in new Orleans and other TV stations across the country. The cost, $1.5 Billion and the assumption of $715 Million in debt.

A new poll shows Louisiana voters support passage of a bipartisan  immigration bill currently moving through the U.S. Senate. Sponsored by  the Alliance For Citizenship, the poll was conducted by Burland &  Associates. Pollster James Burland says 70% of those polled say they support the immigration reform  bill, co-authored by the "Gang of Eight"; four House and four Senate  members from both parties.  The bill could come up for a U.S. Senate vote soon. Senator Mary  Landrieu leans toward a "yes" vote, but Senator David Vitter opposes the  bill, because it doesn't prioritize securing the boarder. The bill would however authorize and pay for national guard troops to patrol the border.

Dad should do alright this Sunday, Father's Day, as the National Retail  Federation projects spending for Dad should be higher this year. Baton  Rouge retail analyst Jim Rutledge says the average person will spend  just under $120 this year--up from $117 last year.  Total spending for Father's Day nationwide is expected to top $13-billion.

Four months after requesting a speedy trial, an attorney for one of two Baton Rouge men accused in the 2007 slaying of two LSU graduate students from India asked a judge Thursday to scrub the scheduled June 24 trial date and set a later one.

State District Judge Chip Moore scheduled a new trial date of Sept. 23 for both men.

The attorney who represents one of accused, told the judge he needs time to investigate forensic evidence that prosecutors recently turned over to the defense.

The judge warned both sides Thursday that the Sept. 23 trial date will not be altered.

A 7-mile stretch of the southbound  lanes along the main Plaquemines Parish evacuation route will be closed for most of hurricane season. The  LA Hwy 23 project hopes to raise  that  part  of  the  road  to prevent future flooding.

State Police inspectors have given Bossier City's new Margaritaville casino the all-clear to open its doors the the  public.  The  casino hopes  to  have that soft opening this Saturday. A Grand Opening  is planned for July 3rd, with a live performance by Jimmy Buffett.

Senator Mary Landrieu's son was arrested in New Orleans  for driving the  wrong  way  in  the  French  Quarter,  hit  &  run, and an open alcoholic   beverage   in  the  car.  21-year-old  Connor  Snellings reportedly hit a pedestrian,  who  wasn't  badly  hurt. In a written statement, Senator Landrieu says she and her husband  are "extremely

disappointed" in their son's "irresponsible actions".

Ouachita  Parish  deputies  arrested  Philadelphia  Eagles   all-pro offensive   tackle  Jason  Peters  for  alleged  drag  racing  early Wednesday morning.  Sheriff's spokesman Major Mike Moore says Peters fled when officers tried  to pull him over--reaching speeds of up to 100 miles an hour. He says  Peters  eventually  pulled  over and was booked on two charges. Moore says Peters posted bail and was released. Peters was busted by Shreveport cops back in March of 2011, for  a  loud  music violation and resisting an officer.

News for Wednesday 061213

By Dave Graichen

It appears Ft. Polk is safe for now. A Senate panel on Tuesday approved legislation rejecting the Defense Department’s request to shutter installations and facilities in the United States that are no longer needed as the military branches cut the number of troops in uniform. Last week, The House Armed Services Committee also said no to more base closings, and even took the additional step of adding a provision barring the Pentagon from even planning for another round of cuts. The House and Senate refusals effectively ensure that a final defense policy bill approved by Congress for the 2014 fiscal year won’t give the department permission to close excess bases even as lawmakers clamor for ways to cut the federal deficit.

Governor Jindal yesterday signed senate bill 116 that will allow voters in Pineville to go to the polls in October to decide whether or not they what alcohol to be sold in local restaurants. Supporters say restaurants that are interested in Pineville but currently shying away, particularly national chains who say they would come to the city if alcohol sales are allowed. It’s hoped, that, in turn, would attract more development, including hotels, that would open up economic opportunities in the city.

The Alexandria City Council adopted resolutions Tuesday confirming two people to city posts who had held the positions on an interim basis. Daniel Williams was confirmed as director of community services. Williams was confirmed by a 4-3 vote, with council members Chuck Fowler, Harry Silver, Lee Rubin and Jim Villard voting yes while Ed Larvadain, Mitzi LaSalle and Jules Green voted no. David Gill was confirmed by unanimous vote as director of public works.

Governor  Jindal's  coastal  advisor is critical of BP's decision to end  active  deepwater  horizon oil  spill  operations  in  Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.  Chairman  of  the  Coastal  Protection and Restoration  Authority  Garret  Graves  questions  why BP would  end response   efforts   in  those  states  when  there's  an  estimated one-million barrels of oil still in the Gulf of Mexico. BP says oil response  efforts will continue along 84 shoreline miles in Louisiana.

One of the bills passed by the Legislature and sent to Governor Jindal's  desk reforms the state's practices for collecting outstanding debts.  State Treasurer John Kennedy supported the legislation. He says,  currently, the state's many agencies handle their own collections – and  do so poorly. House Bill 629  centralizes all debt owed the state under the Department of  Revenue. Kennedy says it will more effectively collect some of the  nearly $2-billion in outstanding sums owed to the state. Kennedy says the   centralized collection system will be implemented with  the Governor's signature and could produce millions for state coffers  before the year's end.

3 death row inmates have filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana State  Penitentiary for what they call appalling conditions under extreme heat  in their cells. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of the inmates by the  Promise of Justice Initiative and deputy director Mercedes Montagnes who says the state of death row at Angola is unacceptable. Montagnes says they are not asking for "comfortable"  conditions on death row---they are asking for humane conditions... in addition to the extreme heat, Montagnes says the inmates say they get dirty water and when they  get ice, it often has bugs in it.

Pairings and game times have been announced  for  the  College World Series and the LSU Baseball/UCLA game will be held Sunday  night  at 7pm  on  ESPN2 and ESPN3. The first game on Saturday will be between the  Oregon   State/Kansas   State   Super  Regional  winner  versus Mississippi  State.  The second game on  Saturday  will  be  Indiana against  Louisville.  The  first  game  Sunday  will  be  the  North Carolina/South Carolina  Super Regional winner versus North Carolina State.

The woman accused of a Memorial Day weekend drunk driving crash that killed  three  people  has been released from the hospital and taken into custody by St. Charles  Parish  deputies. Jennifer Englade face three counts of vehicular homicide, 3rd degree feticide, 2nd offense DWI and other charges. Investigators believe  she  was legally drunk when she veered across the center line and into the  path  of  small sedan;  killing two adults inside...one of them a pregnant woman.  A passenger in Englade's vehicle was also killed.

The US Coast Guard  says one person is dead and another fighting for their life after a boating  accident  in Pilottown Monday. Pilottown is  located  in the very tip of the boot  of  Louisiana  and  rescue swimmers had to  be lowered to the location of the pleasure craft in trouble. The two were  air-lifted to the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans and upon  arrival  one person was pronounced dead and the other in critical condition.

U-L Monroe has named three finalists to become the school's new athletic  director. The three finalists are Georgia associate A-D Josh  Brooks, U-C Riverside A-D Brian Wickstrom and Texas-Pan American  athletic director Chris King.  The plan is to have a new A-D in place by August 1st.

A New Iberia woman and her  son are accused of burglarizing the same home twice. Morgan City Police  say 47-year-old Tina Collier and her 17-year-old son Brandon allegedly  hit  the  house  on  May 17th and again last Sunday. They've been booked in the parish jail.

Bossier City's newest casino resort is growing closer to opening its  doors. Margaritaville spokesperson Christy Wood says State Police Gaming  division officers are visiting this week, to test casino systems, gaming  machines, staff training and compliance with state laws. Wood says the tropically-themed Margaritaville is very much on track for

it's Grand Opening celebration; coming up in early July. Jimmy Buffett is scheduled to perform at the grand opening.

News for Monday 061013

By Dave Graichen

The LSU baseball team is headed back to Omaha for the first time since  2009 after sweeping its Super Regional Series with Oklahoma. The Tigers  reserved their spot in the College world Series with an 11-to-1 win over  the Sooners.  If LSU didn't get to Omaha this year, they would have been the first  senior class since 1985 not to play in the College World Series. The LSU team will leave on Thursday for Omaha, where they'll play the  College World Series at the new TD Ameritrade Park. The Tigers will take  on UCLA in their first game next weekend.

Senator David Vitter has filed a bill to help homeowners avoid  potentially drastic increases in the cost of National Flood Insurance.  Right now the NFIP is scheduled to implement rate increases of up to 20%  a year for four straight years. The bill seeks

to delay those premium hikes for a year, while a better solution is  worked out. Just weeks ago, an amendment to that same effect by Senator  Mary Landrieu was defeated in the Senate.

A family’s agonizing, months-long search for missing Jefferson Parish teacher Terrilynn Monette appeared to end Saturday when her car was pulled from a bayou with a body behind the wheel. While an autopsy still must be performed to find out if the corpse is that of the 26 year old teacher, officials who led search efforts, said the chances of the body not being her’s are slim.

State  Police  say an early Sunday morning two car crash  in  Sabine Parish has claimed  the life of a man from Dilboll, Texas.  They say Tommy Tilley Jr lost  control  of  his  vehicle  on  Highway 191 and crossed  the  center  line  hitting  a  truck  going  in  the  other direction.  After  impact,  Tilly slammed into several trees. He was pronounced dead on scene. The  driving  of  the truck received minor injuries.

State  wildlife  and  fisheries  agents  say a six-year-old boy  was seriously hurt during a boating accident on  the  Tickfaw  River  in Livingston  Parish  on Sunday night. Wildlife agents say five people were on a boat that slammed into a tree. Authorities say charges are possible against the boat operator.

State  Police say a driver  who  was  not  wearing  a  seatbelt  and possibly drunk is dead in a single vehicle crash in Claiborne Parish late Saturday  night.  They say 52-year-old Michael Waganer of Homer ran  off  La  Highway  2  and  struck  a  ditch  then  a  tree.  The unrestrained man was partially  ejected  and  pronounced  dead  at a

local hospital. Alcohol use is suspected.

The Louisiana Lottery Commission says a Lotto ticket bought in New Orleans is worth $835,701, but nobody won the jackpots for Easy 5 or the Powerball. That means Wednesday's estimated Powerball jackpot rises to $70 million.

The explosives recycling company that last month had its licenses suspended in the wake of an investigation into millions of pounds of improperly stored military propellant has launched its own salvo. Explo Systems Inc. and its owners are seeking damages along with a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction to halt the action of the state police that has put them out of business for now. The owners claim their constitutional right against unreasonable seizure and taking without just compensation were violated when the state police without warning on May 20 entered the premises at Camp Minden and physically confiscated all licenses and the keys to the storage magazines.

A  Caddo  Parish man has been arrested for setting fire to a church, allegedly because  he  was  angry with the pastor's teachings. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says  25-year-old William Sexton, of Oil City, intentionally set the blaze that  destroyed  the Vivian United Pentecostal  Church,  on  April  23rd. He's charged with  aggravated arson, because people were asleep in the facility at the time of the fire. No one was hurt in the blaze.

An east Texas actress has been arrested in connection with allegedly ricin-tainted  letters  that  were  mailed last month  to  President Barack  Obama  and New York City Mayor  Michael  Bloomberg.  Shannon Richardson is also  known  as  Shannon  Rogers or Shannon Guess. She reportedly called police to implicate her  estranged  husband in the case.  The  letters  were postmarked from Shreveport. Richardson  is accused of mailing a threatening  communication to the president and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Two south Louisiana  woman are under arrest for defrauding Medicaid. The woman worked as home  health care providers, and allegedly filed bogus timesheets for home visits  to  patients  who,  it turned out, were  in a hospital at the time. They've been charged with  Medicaid fraud.

Police in Baker,  in  East  Baton Rouge Parish, say a small aircraft crashed into a neighborhood Friday--setting  three  homes  on  fire. It's confirmed  the pilot, who was the only person aboard the plane, was killed in the crash.

Narcotic  officers in Terebonne, Lafourche and  Assumption  parishes have busted a major cocaine ring. After a months-long investigation, eight people  have been taken into custody. They also seized 8 to 10 kilos of powder cocaine and over $80-thousand in cash.

News for Thursday 060613

By Dave Graichen

This is it, the last day of the 2013  Legislative  Session,  And it appears the Louisiana House and state Senate officials have reached a preliminary agreement on the state budget that begins on July 1st. Word is, the deal was struck shortly after the chambers adjourned for the night. A final deal will not be completed until the various caucuses and factions have an opportunity to tell their members.

We have our first named storm of the 2013 hurricane season. Tropical Storm  Andrea  is  located  in  the east-central Gulf. It's forecast track should take it northeast into Florida. We could be seeing some related rain from Andrea though.

Gov. Bobby Jindal will allow Louisiana’s public colleges to raise new fees on their students, charges that will produce an estimated $18 million annually for campuses. The Legislative Fiscal Office said the building fee would generate $4.7 million for the LSU System each year, $7.2 million for the University of Louisiana System, $700,000 for the Southern University System and $4.9 million for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

The Louisiana Senate on Wednesday refused to take up House-passed legislation that would reduce the penalties for simple possession of marijuana.  A two-thirds vote was required in order to bring House Bill 103 up for debate as the 2013 session winds down. The Senate voted 22-10 to allow the measure to be heard but it was four votes short of the super majority.

The Louisiana House made a failed stab Wednesday at reviving a proposal to eliminate the mandatory retirement age for judges. Senate Bill 5 is a constitutional amendment that needs the approval of two thirds of the Legislature to go before voters. In the House, the bill needs 70 votes. The amendment would ensure that judges no longer are required to retire when they turn age 70. The House vote was 59-29 in favor of the bill, not enough for passage.

Members of the LSU and Southern University system governing boards will have to disclose which students receive scholarships from them, if Gov. Bobby Jindal agrees to a bill that received final passage Wednesday. Senate Bill 31 requires the boards to post the list of its scholarship recipients annually on their websites and to provide a list to the Louisiana Legislature. The list will have to include the name of each recipient, the board member who gave the scholarship and the annual dollar value of the award. Refusal to submit the information would suspend board members’ ability to give scholarships. The bill passed both house unanimously.

A bid to let Louisiana driver’s licenses comply with federal law requiring each state to create a national identification card for air travel, including domestic flights, has stalled in the state Senate. Officials with the state motor vehicles department have said that if the state doesn’t comply with the federal Real ID law, residents will need passports to fly starting in October.

The Lafayette Police Department  is  asking for the public's help in locating  a  suspect  involved  in  a shooting  in the city early Wednesday morning.  They say two suspects in masks  forcefully entered a home around 2:50am and once inside exchanged gunfire  with  the resident. One  suspect  was  killed by the home owner and  the other fled in a getaway car  and remains at large. The homeowner was later arrested on drug charges.  The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.

The  Coalition  to  Restore Coastal Louisiana is launching a program that will collect oyster  shells  from  New Orleans area restaurants and use them to improve public oyster seed  areas  along  the coast. It’s believed  the oysters can serve as a foundation for reefs. A one-million dollar donation  from  Shell  Oil  Company makes this program possible.

The Assumption Parish sinkhole has grown again. This time nearly 500 feet  of berm set up to help keep possible contaminants from leaking into other  waterways,  have now sunk. It's been almost a year since the now 15-acre sinkhole  caused  the evacuation of nearby residents in Bayou Corne.

Sports..

LSU  shortstop  Alex  Bregman  was  named  Wednesday as the National

Freshman Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball magazine. Bregman

has  been  invited  to  join Team USA this summer  for  its  33-game

international tour, which includes a trip to Japan.

The LHSAA Executive Committee is set to vote today on the biggest issue  on their agenda, the split football championships. LHSAA President Todd  Guice of Ouachita High says the debate has been over whether the  playoffs for the private schools should have two divisions or up to  five.  The LHSAA president says the advantage of having five playoff divisions  for select schools, is that schools of similar size will be play each other in the postseason.

News for Tuesday 060413

By Dave Graichen

Cleco has once again sent crews Monday  to  assist  in  Oklahoma City after   Friday's  storm  that  damaged  Oklahoma  Gas  and  Electric Company's  system. According to a release, the work during the first trip to the  city  of  Moore  was so extensive they worked on basics like replacing poles. This storm did not create that type of damage,

but 33 Cleco line mechanics will  be  working  to restore the area's power to assist in recovery efforts.

The Rapides Parish Police Jury’s Finance Committee approved the sale of the Martin Luther King Jr. library branch building to Pill Box pharmacy owner Joe Williams Monday. The jury is expected to finalize the $78,000 sale at its regular meeting next Monday.

Williams said once the sale is final, “we’ll start rehabbing the building immediately.” He expects renovations to take a month or two to complete.

The  hurricane  forecasting  team  at Colorado State University says they'll stick with their prediction  of  18  named storms this year. CSU  researcher Dr. Phil Klotbach says the above  average  hurricane season   is   based   on  unusually  warm  waters  in  the  tropical Atlantic. He says the probability of a major hurricane landfall along the Gulf

Coast this year is 47%.

Louisiana  Tech  is  receiving  more accolades as the university has been named in the Top 25 schools  in  the  nation  that  provide its graduates  with  the  best  returns  on  their  investments  or ROI. The report was  put  together by an online financial news site which uses data from PayScale.com  who  rank  Tech  No. 1 in Louisiana for starting salaries of its graduates.

A House bill that would loosen criminal penalties for those convicted  of marijuana possession will be considered by a Senate Committee today.  The lower chamber passed the bill by New Orleans Representative Austin  Badon last week. Badon says sentencing currently in place for those  caught with pot makes no sense.  Badon says he hopes the bill will make it out of committee today then  pass the Senate Floor tomorrow.

Tangipahoa Parish deputies say early yesterday morning they  found  a 5-month-old baby alone in  a home with two dead people. Investigators  believe  26-year-old Brandon  Colona  shot and killed his girlfriend, 21-year-old Theresa Doby, then turned  the  gun  on  himself. The baby is OK, and in the care of a family member. Deputies  say Colona's motive is unclear at

this time.

An Allen Parish judge sets  bail  for  a couple accused of the April death of two-year-old child. Brandi Holyfield is the child's mother. she  and  live-in boyfriend Bobby DAvis Jr.  are  charged  with  2^nd degree murder  and  conspiracy  to commit murder. A coroner's report indicated the baby died of blunt force trauma. Bond for the pair are set at $225-thousand each.

A bill that sets up clear rules about using a surrogate mother to have a  child is on its way to the Governor's desk. Norco Senator Gary Smith is  the bill's sponsor. He says current state law is extremely vague in this  area.  The bill has cleared both House & Senate, though many don't like it.  Smith says liberals object that it applies only to married couples;  meaning same-sex couples would be excluded. Louisiana Family Forum  president Gene Mills says conservative groups like his object to parts

 of the bill pertaining to reimbursement of the surrogate birth mother.  Mills says the LA. Family Forum feels  the bill will further erode the traditional family, and he's urging the Governor to veto.

Police in Opelousas arrest a man for  leaving  his  four  kids  in a locked  SUV  while  he  was in a bar shooting pool. Justin Rosette's kids were all between 1 and  11  years old. Rosette was charged with child desertion and drug possession.

The Slidell Police Department says a Mississippi  woman was arrested twice  in 24 hours for driving drunk. They say 26-year-old  Marjorie Portier  exhibited  signs of intoxication when she left a party at a bar Saturday morning  at  2:30 and was arrested for DUI. Police then arrested Portier leaving another  bar  the  next  night when she was

driving under the influence again. The incidents were  her first and second offense.

Folks on both sides of  the Mississippi River are upset to learn the state is shutting down the White Castle Ferry later this month. DOTD says it costs over million  dollars a year to run and it provides no state or regional transportation;  only local service. Residents are angry to hear that, as driving to the  nearest  bridge  to cross the

river will add dozens of miles to their daily travel; not to mention the additional fuel expense. The ferry is set to close on June 28th.

News for Friday 053113

By Dave Graichen

Federal investigators say they are now  looking  into three letters, laced   with  the  toxin  ricin,  that  were  all  postmarked   from Shreveport.  One  was sent to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another to his DC-based  gun control group and the third was sent to President Obama. Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover says police and city

offices are cooperating fully  with  the  FBI's investigation of the potentially deadly letters.

Tweeting while driving will now be against the law in Louisiana. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Thursday his signature on Senate Bill 147. The bill nixes posting on Facebook and accessing other social network sites while behind the wheel.

The governor also signed House Bill 265, which creates a lifetime concealed weapons permit. The permit costs $500 and requires training and education every five years.

Governor Jindal  has  signed legislation giving residents the option of having the words "I'm  a  Cajun"  emblazoned  on  their  driver's license. Another  bill still moving through the legislature would set up "I'm Cajun" specialty license plates.

Another  bill  headed  to  the  Governor's desk  will  increase  the penalties  for acts of domestic violence  that  involve  the  victim being burned.  Monroe Senator Bob Kostelka sponsors the legislation, which makes domestic  violence with burning a felony punishable by 5 to 50 years with or without hard labor.

The state House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday that would expand technical education in all corners of the state. The 88-11 vote in favor of the community and technical college construction bill marks one of the last steps for a piece of legislation that has been roundly criticized by the state treasurer, the state Board of Regents and the people who run Louisiana’s four-year schools. The bill now heads back to the Senate for approval of technical changes made in the House. Then the measure goes to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk for signing into law.

A state Senate committee clipped the fiscal hawks’ wings Thursday on a package of bills aimed at revamping the state budget process. Amendments to the bills marked the second day in a row that the Senate Finance Committee spurned significant portions of the Louisiana House’s approach to the state spending plan. The committee refused to embed the hawks’ proposals into the state constitution, choosing instead to turn them into a pilot program that could fade away in a few years.

The Senate Education Committee has denied a compromise intended to spare Louisiana teachers from glitches in the state's evaluation program that could affect their employment status. Senators voted 4-3 against approving House Bill 160 The bill sought to delay for one year the Compass system’s determination that a teacher is incompetent so flaws in the system could be worked out.

It a great argument for wearing your seatbelt. Two Slidell police officers were injured when their patrol car hit a cement culvert and flipped during a chase. The officers were buckled up  and suffered minor injuries. The person they  were  chasing  was

eventually caught.

It’s a case of a man’s past coming back to haunt him. State  Police  arrest  a  Lafayette man on aggravated rape  charges. L-S-P  says  they  were able gather  enough  information  to  arrest 66-year-old Joseph Thibodeaux even though the encounters occurred 40 years ago.

Legislation requiring state government to pay men and women equally who  perform similar jobs is close to final legislative passage. The House  Labor Committee has endorsed the Senate approved bill and it heads to  the House floor for more debate. The bill will give employers the ability to pay one gender  more than the other if the pay structure is based on seniority,  education or experience.

A  former  Angola prison guard pleads  guilty  to  covering  up  the beating of an  inmate.  Prosecutors  say  the guard witnessed the beating but filed a false report denying the  assault happened. With his guilty plea he could face up to 25 years in  prison  himself.  A sentencing date is yet unknown.

After  her  Senate  floor tirade this week,  declaring  that  anyone opposed  to the Medicaid  Expansion  contained  in  Obamacare  is  a racist, New Orleans Senator Karen Peterson is now dodging questions. A Baton Rouge  TV  crew  asking  about  the comments, was ignored by Peterson as she rushed into the Capitol.  Peterson said Tuesday that opposition  to  the  expansion  "comes  down  to  the  race  of  the President".  Peterson  is also chairman of the Louisiana  Democratic Party.

Sports…

The Baton Rouge regional gets underway today with LSU taking on Jackson State at 2:00 and then UL Lafayette will battle Sam Houston State at  7:00. If the Tigers and Cajuns win, they'll face each other on Saturday  night.

The Alexandria Aces cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Whitewings before 290 fans at Bringhurst Field last night.

News for Wednesday 052913

By Dave Graichen

The  2013  Memorial  Day  weekend  was  a deadly one. State Police investigated 6 fatal crashes resulting  in 8 deaths.  This is up  from  last  year's 4 fatal crashes resulting in  4  deaths  last Memorial Day weekend.  They  report  says failure  to  use  a  seat  belt contributed  to most of the 8 fatalities; driving while drinking was also a factor in some of the crashes.

The Military is reporting a Louisiana solider was killed in Afghanistan. The family of Chris Drake of Tickfaw was  notified  on Sunday night about Drake's death. Drake was reportedly 20-years-old  and  graduated  from  Independence High School. As of Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at least 2,092 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

A planned contract to allow a partnership between Rapides Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Francis Cabrini Hospital to take over Huey P. Long Medical Center has been delayed because details have yet to be worked out. One of the things apparently holding up the contract is a plan to move the hospital’s functions to the England Airpark in Alexandria, a process that began a year ago but was halted by hospital budget cuts. The LSU Board of  Supervisors  Tuesday did approved  contracts to privatize four  more of its public hospitals, in Houma, Lake  Charles,  Monroe and Shreveport. The board ignored pleas from lawmakers and local residents in Monroe & Shreveport  to delay action until a more complete contract — one that shows cost estimates and personnel actions — could be developed.

The  state  Senate  deflected  another attempt to make voters decide whether Louisiana should accept  Medicaid  Expansion  money  in  the White  House  health  care  reform. Governor Jindal has rejected the expansion as being unsustainable  once  the  federal money runs out. Supporters say it'll bring health coverage to  over  250-thousand of

the state's working poor. An attempt was made to tack  that  onto  a hospital debt bill by Bogalusa Senator Ben Nevers. The amendment failed by a 15-23 vote.

A national business magazine ranks Lafayette first in the country for  economic strength and year-over-year growth indicators. Lafayette  Economic Development Agency President Gregg Gothreaux says being ranked  number one overall is a big deal for the city. Area Development Magazine, a site selection and facility planning  publication, ranked 380 metro areas in 21 different economic and  workforce measures over the last five years.

Two gun bills were heard on the  House  floor Tuesday. One received it final passage; another was sent to a conference  committee  to  hash out  differences  over  an  amendment.  John  Schroder's HB 6 allows off-duty cops to carry their weapons onto school campuses. That bill now goes to Governor Jindal's desk. The other,  HB  8  from  Bossier City  Rep. Jeff Thompson would penalize anyone who publicly releases names or personal information on the state's concealed weapon permit holders.  Thompson  objected to an amendment tacked on in the Senate to allow said information release IF the CCP holder commits a crime. A conference committee  was assigned to try to resolve that disputed amendment.

The state House of Representatives approved final passage Tuesday of a bill that would exempt students with disabilities, and who are not pursuing a traditional high school diploma, from taking the American College Test, commonly known as the ACT. Senate Bill 127, which passed on a 101-4 vote,  provides that schools accountability scores won’t be affected by students who opt out of taking the test.

LSU’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to appeal 19th Judicial District Judge Janice Clark’s ruling that the university illegally denied The Advocate and other news outlets the names and other information related to LSU’s search for a new president.  LSU general counsel Shelby McKenzie told the board the university followed all applicable public records laws and would be willing to take its case to the Louisiana State Supreme Court, if necessary. The judge issued a one-paragraph ruling April 25, saying the documents requested by The Advocate and the Times-Picayune should have been surrendered by LSU.

This sounds like a joke waiting for a punch line, There are  snakes  in  the Louisiana State Capitol and this is not a political jab. Apparently  baby  water snakes have been found in the basement committee rooms curled up in closets, slithering across the

carpet, and in a bathroom corner.  Workers  are  installing  weather stripping to help keep the snakes out. A wildlife official say they are water snakes and  are  completely  harmless  to humans.

State Police say a Ragley man is charged with 3rd offense DWI, hit & run and other offenses, after crashing his  pickup truck into a home in Moss Bluff. Troopers say Brian K. LeBlue rear-ended  a car...then left that accident scene. He later ran a stop sign and smashed  into the  house;  stopping  partially in the living room. The two persons

inside were not injured.

Police in Eunice say a man who used  a glass coffee pot as a weapon to rob a local casino has been apprehended. Officers say 32-year-old John  Guillory allegedly took over $800 from  the  register  and  stole an employee's  smartphone  before  fleeing on foot. They say using  the coffee pot as a weapon gave them additional grounds to arrest Guillory.

Sports..

LSU's Aaron Nola has been named SEC Pitcher of the Year and shortstop  Alex Bregman has received SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Nola has won  ten games for the top ranked Tigers, while Bregman leads the team in  hitting.

News for Friday 052413

By Dave Graichen

On Saturday and Sunday the state is offering a state sales tax holiday  on items residents need for the upcoming hurricane season. Louisiana  Department of Revenue spokesperson, Byron Henderson, says during the  next two days, consumers will not have to pay the state's 4-percent  sales tax on items like flashlights, batteries and generators.  Henderson says the exemption applies to the first 15-hundred dollars of

the purchase price of each item. Henderson says a complete list of the items exempt from the state's  sales tax on Saturday and Sunday can be found on the Department of Revenue's website.

Fewer people are expected to take trips this Memorial Day weekend.  Louisiana AAA ("triple A") spokesman Don Redman says just under 35- million Americans will travel 50 or more miles for the holiday; a dip of  about 1% below last year. He says highway travelers will likely not  notice any difference.

The state Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols announced Thursday, The total operating expense associated with the privatization of nine LSU hospitals will hit $1 billion during the new fiscal year. That’s more than is in the current year’s budget of $955 million for the state to operate the charity hospitals. And substantially more than the $626 million Gov. Bobby Jindal proposed for private companies to operate the public hospitals in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Nichols said the administration would submit amendments to the state Senate Finance Committee to close the funding gap, recommending using some money from hospital leases as well as other state and local revenues.

A plan to privatize operations at Huey P. Long Medical Center, which could close the Pineville hospital and move operations to England Airpark in Alexandria, will be considered Tuesday. Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols said Thursday that operating agreements are expected to be signed by the end of next month for private and public hospitals or foundations to take over nine hospitals currently operated through the LSU Health System. Rapides Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Francis Cabrini Hospital will be providing medical care at the airpark facility While the effective transfer date for the Monroe and Shreveport hospitals is Oct. 1, Huey P. Long’s transfer won’t be complete until October 2014. The hospital will continue providing care in Pineville, through most of next year until the Airpark facility is ready.

The state Attorney General's Office says a  special  grand  jury has been  selected to look at possible criminal activity in the awarding of a $200-million  Medicaid  contract  by the Jindal Administration. The  contract holder,  CNSI is the former employer  of  former  Health  & Hospitals head Bruce  Greenstein,  who  resigned  when  the  seeming impropriety  came  to  light.  The state abruptly cancelled the CNSI contract as well.

An amendment to the federal Farm Bill to deny food stamp benefits to convicted  rapists,  pedophiles  and  murderers,  has  been added by Senator David Vitter. He notes in Louisiana alone, from 2010 through 2012 over a million dollars’ worth of food stamp benefits were issued to people who were in prison. This would be a lifetime ban  that  no state could opt out of it. While Vitter's amendment passed, the Farm Bill itself is still under debate.

The state Legislative Auditor is requesting financial documents from the Louisiana Republican and Democratic  Parties,  but the state GOP is questioning whether the request is politically motivated. Auditor Darryl  Purpera  says  he  asked  for the financial documents  after learning state law requires both parties to file yearly reports. Louisiana Republican Party executive  director  Jason  Dore says the request  came  after  the  state  republican  party  fought  against proposed  tax increases that House members were discussing. He  says they already  file  campaign  finance  reports with the state ethics board and the federal elections commission. Purpera says there's no political agenda at play. The State Democratic party submitted the requested paperwork.

Louisiana's Congressional delegates are attempting to stave off big  impending rate hikes for the National Flood Insurance Program. Metairie  Congressman Steve Scalise says he and New Orleans Congressman Cedric  Richmond are co-sponsoring a bill to delay those premium increases for  three to five years. Scalise says the 2012 Flood Insurance Reform Act would  mean rate hikes of up to 20% a year over a four-year span, in an effort  to keep the program well-funded. Scalise says those proposed increases  are unrealistic.

A bill allowing clerks of court to receive a 4 percent pay raise zipped through the state Senate Thursday. The Senate voted 27-7 in favor of House Bill 174, giving the proposal final legislative passage. To be eligible for the pay increase, clerks would have to complete annual certification updates and other education requirements. State Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, said the pay boosts would not cost the state anything. He said the money would come from the clerks’ budgets.

Attempts to  stop  AGL Resources from expanding its salt mine in Lake Peigneur (Pin-your)  has  been  defeated  in  the  state senate. The company has requested a permit that would allow them  to  use  up to 5-million gallons of water every day. The bill would have called for an Environmental Impact Statement first.

Fire officials in Lafayette say nine horses  are dead after the barn they  were in caught on fire. They say upon arrival  the  smoke  was already  venting  through  the sides of the barn and the flames were too intense for firefighters  to  make entry and it was too late for the nine horses inside. It is believed  the  blaze  started  from  a lightning strike.

It’s not nice to fool with the IRS.. 42-year old Roderick  Dewitt  Aguillard the Third has pleaded guilty to not filingt income tax returns  over  a  four  year  period.  The former Denham Springs resident reportedly earned 2.3 million dollars during that four year period.  He was sentenced to eight  months  in federal prison.

Hurricane season  begins  in  10  days, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts  a  highly  active season. NOAA expects  13 - 20 named storms, 7 - 11 hurricanes. three  to  six  of those could  be  major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher. The  season  officially   begins   June   1st   and   ends  November 30th...though storms have occurred both before and after  those dates in recent years.

The  Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness launches a new smartphone app to let you receive emergency alerts as they happen.  GOHSEP director Kevin Davis says the Alert FM app is a free download for iPhone or Android systems. The app receives  special  alerts sent out by GOHSEP, which could be related to disasters, weather  emergencies and even Amber Alerts. It can  be  downloaded  free  at  the  online   Apple  store,  or  from GooglePlay.

Governor Bobby Jindal has signed into law a bill  that  will  assist and  encourage  Louisiana military servicemen and women to come home to the Bayou State.  House  Bill 312 does that by extending the time allowed for returning military  to  renew  any state or professional licenses  they may have had before going into  active  service.  New Orleans Rep.  Nick  Lorusso's bill met no opposition in the House or the Senate.

After losing to Arkansas yesterday 4 to 1. The LSU Tigers will face Alabama again today in the SEC baseball tournament. Airtime 2:30p

News for Wednesday 052213

By Dave Graichen

Roy O. Martin announces a $20-million expansion at its Chopin  (Sho-pan) plywood facility in Natchitoches Parish. The project will  retain nearly 700 jobs at the plant and produce 80 new direct and  indirect jobs. Company president Roy O. Martin III says

during this expansion, they'll upgrade their drying  equipment and add a production line.  Martin says construction will begin this summer, with the majority  of hiring taking place shortly before production begins on the new  timber line next year.

The Rapides Parish School Board voted 7-2 Tuesday to approved a plan brought, forward by Incoming Superintendent Tony Authement,  that will restructure the school district. The restructuring plan calls for the elimination of 44 central office positions. But,  the creation of 36 positions, plus changes to some existing positions. Authement says  the plan accomplishes three things,  streamlines the district, places “intense focus” on support for schools and provides targeted professional development opportunities for all schools. The plan’s initial cost to the district’s budget is an overall increase of about $680,000. The school board gave it’s stamp of approval to the plan at a special meeting last night.

A $3.5 billion spending plan for public schools was rejected by a Senate committee Tuesday morning, which may kill the measure for the session. The proposal, Senate Concurrent Resolution 23, was sharply criticized for proposed changes in how the state would fund special education students. A move to shelve the proposal won approval in the Senate Education Committee without objection. Unless there is a sudden change, the action means that the state’s 2011-12 public school financing plan will be in effect for the 2013-14 school year. That aid package did not include any changes in special education.

A 34-member Cleco team is expected to arrive today in Oklahoma City to  help Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company get their system back online.  Cleco spokeswoman Robbyn Cooper says (OGE called to request help because  they believe their entire electric grid was destroyed by the massive  deadly tornado.  Cooper says Cleco is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange's  mutual assistance program where member utilities offer power  restoration assistance after major weather events. She says) OGE serves  801,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas but at this time it  is impossible to say exactly how many people are without power.

Teams of  volunteers  from  the Red Cross in Louisiana left yesterday to help  those  affected  by  the  tornado   in   Oklahoma.  Red  Cross spokeswoman  Nancy  Malone says their workers will  help  distribute food and supplies to  the storm victims and first responders and are prepared to stay for at least two weeks..

Proposed gun bills met with mixed success on the Senate floor. A House  bill to assure that concealed weapon permit holders' identities remain  private won Senate passage.  The bill was amended to allow publishing a name, if the CCP holder  commits a crime with a handgun. The bill passed and goes back to the House for amendment concurrence.  The Senate delayed voting on a House-passed bill that would defy any  possible future federal ban on semi-automatic weapons.  But,one gun bill is on its way to Governor Jindal's desk. HB 265 would allow  concealed weapon permit holders the option of buying a lifetime permit,  rather than renewing every five years.

Law  enforcement  statewide  is  increasing patrols and  checkpoints through June second as part of the state's largest-ever concentrated effort to increase seat belt usage  through the "Click It or Ticket" campaign.  Colonel John LeBlanc with the  Louisiana  Highway  Safety Commission says  the  campaign  coincides with the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. LeBlanc also reminds motorists all  occupants  of  the  vehicle must wear their seat belts. Not just the front seat passenger.

The  bill  that  would prohibit drivers from posting to Facebook  or Tweeting while behind the wheel gets final legislative passage Tuesday  in the Senate. Also heading to the Governor's desk for his signature is the bill by Shreveport  Representative  Barbara  Norton that says drivers  of  Elio,  the three wheeled vehicle to be manufactured  in

Shreveport won't have to wear helmets.

The state revokes Explo Systems  license  to  operate  in  Louisiana after the company failed to properly store millions of pounds  of  a military  propellant.  Explo was renting out space at Camp Minden, a Louisiana  National  Guard  Base  in  Webster  Parish  to  dismantle military propelling charges.  State  Police Lt. Julie Lewis says all the  improperly  stored  material  is  now  in  appropriate  storage magazines at Camp Minden and Explo has surrendered  its  keys to the facility.

State Police say a 10-year-old  child  is dead after a car driven by her unlicensed 15-year-old sister crashed  on  their way to baseball practice  in  Tangipahoa  Parish.  Spokesman  Nick Manale  says  the 15-year-old was driving the car with her three  siblings: ages 9, 10 and 12. The 10-year-old died from her injuries; the driver and the other two juvenile passengers suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Sports..

The LSU Tigers face Alabama this afternoon in the SEC Tournament. The  Tigers took two out of three from the Crimson Tide during the regular  season.

News for Monday 052013

By Dave Graichen

The Jindal  administration  has  proposed  privatization  deals with eight LSU hospitals, but lawmakers have learned there's only  enough money  in next year's budget to fully fund three of them. Department of Health  and Hospitals Undersecretary Jerry Phillips says they are aware of the  problem  and  they  believe  there may be other funding

sources out there to get these deals done.

He doesn’t officially start his new job until June 1^st. but, Incoming Rapides Parish schools Superintendent Nason “Tony” Authement is planning to create four “school turnaround teams” as part of a restructuring of the school district’s central office.

The School Board will consider Authement’s restructuring plan Tuesday at a special meeting, which will begin after the regularly scheduled committee meetings that start at 5 p.m. The school turnaround will be charged with helping to improve the district’s 17 schools that were graded as a D or F by the state Department of Education.

The state Senate settles in this week to begin its work with the  proposed $24-billion budget for the fiscal year that starts in July. The  House passed that bill out over a week ago. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne,  who is a veteran of the legislature, says he's pleased with how the  House handled tax incentives for the film & TV industry. Dardenne says the budget bill passed by the House makes some cuts to the  departments he oversees,  tourism, culture, state parks and most museums  but they are cuts he feels he can work with.

Business as usual? State ethics officials pushed a limited legislative agenda this year, but even that scaled-down approach got nowhere. No bills were filed, although Louisiana Ethics Board members says they sought legislative fixes from the Legislature’s leaders and from Gov. Bobby Jindal. Some of the measures that did get filed in the 2013 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature are contrary to the recommendations the Ethics Board had established. The Ethics Board asked for help with a handful of challenges it continues to encounter in enforcement of conflict of interest, nepotism and campaign finance laws. Some of the disputes have led to lawsuits and others concern about creating some big holes that could allow ethical misconduct.

A new report on poverty shows that the number of poor people living in the Baton Rouge suburbs increased by 31.8 percent from 2000 to 2011. But, the good news in the report is that 31.8 percent figure is less than half of the average percentage change reported for the nation’s largest cities. Nationally, the number of poor people living in suburban areas in the 100 largest cities went up 63.6 percent from 2000 to 2011, from just over 10 million to nearly 16.4 million.

The Calcasieu Parish  Sheriff's  office announces an arrest has been made in a murder that happened in 1962. Seventy-three-year-old Felix Vail  was  arrested  in  Canyon Lake,  Texas  and  booked  into  the Calcasieu Parish jail last  night. Investigators believe Vail killed his wife Mary Horton Vail, who  was  found  dead  in  the  Calcasieu

River.  Felix  claimed  it  was  a boating accident. The Mississippi native is also a suspect in the deaths  of  a girlfriend and another wife.

Marksville police  captured  an  inmate  from  the  Avoyelles Parish Detention  Center  who  was on the run. Authorities say  21-year-old Christopher Roy escaped while  on  work  detail.  He was found early Saturday  morning  at a home in Marksville. Roy has been  in  prison since November and he was scheduled for release in 2015.

Congratulations to Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson. Who on Saturday received the Buford Pusser National Law Enforcement Award for his efforts to promote partnerships among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The award is given annually to “deserving officers who have exhibited both heroism and leadership in law  enforcement.

A state lawmaker will look into whether legislation is needed to allow  parents track their children with G-P-S devices while at school.  Mandeville Representative Tim Burns says there's rules on the books  against electronic devices in the classroom like phones, so legislation  might be needed for parents to track their kids at school. Burns says he's asking the state legislature to approve a study  resolution this year to get a better idea on what schools have to say  about GPS devices in the classroom. He says they'll also look into the available technology and possibly propose legislation next year.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is seeking new  foster families. The state currently has about two-thousand foster homes  that serve four-thousand foster children. But D-C-F-S Secretary Suzy  Sonnier (SAHN-yay) says they are in need of families willing to take  large sibling groups or children with special needs.  Sonnier says parents can learn more about becoming a foster parent by  visiting the department of children and family services website.  Sonnier says foster parents take in children who had to leave their  family because of abuse or neglect.  She says the goal is to eventually reunite those children with their birth parents, relatives or family members.

Whitney and Hancock banks, which operate some 250 full-service bank branches in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are expected to close 40-45 area branches this year in all five states in which they operate, including Louisiana. The specific branches that will be closed — and how many employees might be laid off — will not be released until later. Most of the closings will occur Aug. 30 and all closings will be completed by year’s end.

Sports….After a record-breaking regular season, the second ranked LSU baseball  team can focus on the postseason. The Tigers will begin play in the SEC  Tournament in Hoover, Alabama on Wednesday. LSU will play Against the  winner of Tuesday's game between 10th seeded Auburn and seventh seeded  Alabama. The Tigers will need to win four games this week to win the SEC  Tournament. Hear Those Games On 970AM KSYL.