News for Friday 041213

By Dave Graichen

 

The building in Shreveport that was meant to house Louisiana College’s Law School, The former Joe D. Waggonner Federal Building, has been put up for sale. The town talk reported today that building is expected to list for about $4 million. It’s believed LC, has slightly more than that invested in the building.

 

An investigation into possible drugs at an Alexandria residence resulted in five people being arrested. The Alexandria/Pineville Narcotics Unit found suspected marijuana, Ecstasy, LSD and several types of designer drugs Wednesday at a house in the 1800 block of Dartmouth Street. The five arrested, ranged in age from 19 to 23. All were booked and released on bond.

 

A  report  from  the  Legislative  Fiscal  Office  says  a  ten-year phase-out  of  state  income  taxes  will  cost  the   state  nearly $24-billion to implement. The report is in response to  Baton  Rouge Representative  Hunter  Greene's  bill, which would lower income tax rates by 10% a year, starting in 2014.  The  report  says  the state

would  lose  $78-million  in  revenue  that  first  year.  Louisiana currently  brings  in  a  little over 2 & a half billion dollars  in revenue from income taxes .

 

House Speaker Chuck  Kleckley says he endorses a ten-year income tax phase-out. Kleckley says,  however,  that  SOMETHING  has to replace that lost revenue; perhaps higher tobacco tax or eliminating certain tax  exemptions. Though he favors the ten-year  phase-out,  Kleckley says he'd  like  to  delay  starting  it for at least two years. The

House Ways & Means Committee will begin  hearing proposed income tax phase-out bills next week.

 

Lawmakers have given final approval  to  plans  to shut down the LSU Earl K. Long Medical Center, in Baton Rouge. The vote came after two hours of oft-times heated discussion of the Jindal administration's privatization of public teaching and charity hospitals. The hospital will  shutter  on Monday. Almost 780 people are losing  their  jobs; fewer than 300 have been hired by other facilities.

 

A plan designed to rein in the cost of TOPS, the state’s merit-based college scholarship, appears doomed at the State Capitol before debate over the program could begin. Senate Bill 83 would cap the popular merit-based scholarship at current tuition levels plus 10 percent. Because much of the money for the TOPS program comes from the state general fund, many legislators said they were open to finding a way to better control the program’s steadily rising costs. Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday he would not sign legislation that limited TOPS awards. The governor called TOPS a good investment for the state.

 

A Louisiana House committee approved legislation Thursday morning that would require some parents of developmentally delayed children to help pay for therapy and treatment from the state. The House Committee on Health and Welfare advanced without objection House Bill 375. The measure now heads to the full House of Representatives for consideration.HB375 would allow the state to receive a co-pay for services provided by the Early Steps program.

 

Today, as you know is  Friday.  That  means  the House and Senate have the day

off, as is the tradition until much later in the session. Their work

will resume Monday.

 

Governor Bobby Jindal announces Louisiana's graduation rate has reached  an all-time high. Jindal says 72-percent of freshmen who started high  school in 2008, completed high school in four years. The governor says the graduation rate is on the rise, because the state  eliminated ineffective dropout prevention programs, rigorous standards  are in place to prepare students for college.

 

The  Ouachita  Parish  teenager  who  was  convicted  of killing his parents  is  going to be re-sentenced. Dalton Fletcher, who  was  15 when he committed  the  crime, was sentenced in February 2012 to two life sentences without the  possibility  of  parole.  But the latest ruling comes in light of the fact that the Supreme Court  ruled last year  states  can't  impose  mandatory  life  sentences  without the possibility of parole on juveniles convicted of murder.

 

The  East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's office says a 48-year-old man shot his wife, then shot and killed his step-daughter before turning the gun  on  himself.  They  say  the wife, who survived the ordeal, called 9-1-1 screaming that her husband,  William  Benham,  had gone crazy. When deputies arrived the step-daughter was alive long enough to say what had happened before she died inside the house.

 

Senator  Mary  Landrieu's latest campaign finance reports show she's raised over a million  dollars  so far this year. That's about twice as much as her only declared challenger,  Baton  Rouge   Congressman Dr. Bill Cassidy.

 

A Louisiana meat processor is recalling over 20-thousand  pounds  of roast  beef  deli   cuts  tainted  with  bacteria. Baker-based Manda Packing  says  the beef cold cuts may contain  listeria.  They  were shipped, under different brand names, to eight states.

 

Looking  for something  to  do  this  weekend?  The  French  Quarter Festival is  on  -  rain  or  shine  - in New Orleans. In Tangipahoa Parish,  the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival  starts  today.  And there's the  Baton  Rouge  Blues Festival this weekend. Expect great blues music on multiple stages in Baton Rouge.

 

A run of the mill car accident  on  I-49  was what brought police on the. But as a St.  Landry  Parish  Sheriff Deputy  arrived  a  naked  22-year-old  Byron  Simon of Ville Platte charged  him, entering the officer's vehicle. Then  when  a  trooper arrived a  short time later he discharged his weapon to draw Simon's attention. A  Taser was finally used to subdue the naked man who has been  taken to a  hospital  for  treatment.  He now  faces  several charges.

 

Registration begins today for The X Factor Auditions being held at the  UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on Sunday. Executive Producer Andrew  Linares (Lin-Air-Ess) says they'll begin distributing wristbands this  morning and tomorrow, then auditioners will be asked to return Sunday.  He says the competition is open to one and all.

 

 

Sports..

 

The top ranked LSU baseball team faces a big test this weekend as they  visit 10th ranked Arkansas. The Tigers have won 9 consecutive SEC games  and they are 11-and-1 in the league. The Razorbacks are 8-and-4 in the  SEC and LSU Coach Paul Mainieri says this series will go a long way in  deciding the Western Division. You can hear the entire series this weekend on 970 KSYL.