News For Wednesday 103013

By Dave Graichen

Bad weather is on its way to Cenla on Thursday and with that in mind. Many  Rapides Parish municipalities have had to change their regularly scheduled Halloween events and trick-or-treat times. The city of Pineville’s Fall Festival at Kees Park, which had been scheduled for tomorrow night, will be held tonight. Pineville also changed its citywide trick-or-treating to 5 to 8 this evening instead of Thursday. Others moving their “Trick or Treating” up.. The city of Alexandria is this afternoon from 5:30 to 8:30. The town of Ball, 5 p.m. to 8  tonight. Cheneyville’s Halloween celebration has been changed to 5:30 to 7:30  this evening on the grounds of the Old Town Hall. Festivities will be moved inside in case of rain. Halloween in the Park in Forest Hill is planned for Halloween night, but if necessary, it will be moved to the Forest Hill Academy gymnasium on Blue Lake Road.

Fifth  congressional district Republican candidate Vance  McAllister has picked  up  the endorsement of democrat Monroe mayor Jamie Mayo. McAllister is in  a  November  16th  runoff against Republican State Senator Neil Riser. Political experts  say  Mayo's endorsement could be a game-changer for McAllister's campaign.

When  making  publicity  rounds touting his new reality show, rumors are  circling  that former Governor  Edwin  Edwards  is  considering another run for office. During a speaking engagement at LSU, Edwards says if he felt  people  would warm up to the idea and he thought he could  win, he would likely  run  again.  He  says  Louisiana  needs him. According to  state law Edwards would need a Presidential pardon to run for governor  in  2015 -- but he could run for US Senate in 2016

without the need of a pardon.

A financial website rates Louisiana the nation's worst state in which to  retire. "MoneyRates.com" looked at factors like overall senior  population, costs of living, crime and more to compile the list. The ranking also cites Louisiana's climate and the low average life expectancy past 65 as reasons our state tops its Worst  Places to Retire list.  Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne disagrees with the ranking and  says it will not change plans to continue  marketing Louisiana as a great place to spend one's Golden Years. He  says our state has so much to offer.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has filed legislation aimed at  sparing homeowners with National Flood Insurance from massive premium  hikes. One of the sponsors is Senator Mary Landrieu, who says nearly a  half-million policyholders will see unsustainable rate increases under  the 2012 Biggert-Waters flood insurance reforms.  Senator David Vitter is a co-sponsor too, plus senators from Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon, North Dakota, Florida, Massachusetts and New York.  Landrieu says the bill seeks to delay Biggert-Waters for several years,  while mandating FEMA to complete an impact and affordability study of  the proposed premium increases.

A coalition of conservative think tanks recommended Tuesday morning that Louisiana address its nation-leading incarceration rate by repealing mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenses. The report concluded rolling back Louisiana’s harsh sentences would allow the state to better focus on ensuring violent criminals are kept behind bars. Laws enacted by the state during the past couple decades led to a doubling of the state’s prison population from 1992 to  2011.  ( The report was produced by the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based research group that says it promotes libertarian principles, in conjunction with the New Orleans-based Pelican Institute for Public Policy, a self-described study group that promotes free markets and limited government. http://theadvocate.com/home/7440265-125/groups-recommend-louisiana-legislators-rewrite

Whooping cough has set a post-1960s record in Louisiana and things are worse in Texas, where nearly 2,900 cases have been reported, and Arkansas, where numbers are double those of a year ago. Louisiana health officials are asking doctors to keep an eye out for it. Louisiana’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Raoult Ratard, says 169 confirmed and likely cases as of mid-October breaks a vaccination-era record of about 160 for all of last year.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is asking questions about the financial arrangements needed to make privatization of LSU hospitals work. A top state health official said the inquiries are routine, but state Treasurer John Kennedy fears the privatization effort might be improperly laundering federal money. Kennedy said he is concerned the federal government will not accept the way the state is accounting for lease payments under the LSU plan. The payments are being included as part of the calculation that determines how much the federal government pays for reimbursing the hospitals for medical care to patients under Medicaid.

A Bossier City couple is charged with  cruelty  to  juveniles, after two  kids  were found living in their home with no electricity or  running   water.   Bossier   spokesman  Mark  Natale  says  the

11-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy  had  been  left home alone for over 15 hours with no food in the house either.

Police in Opelousas  report a car that hit a parked boat, tree and a fence was found to have  a  dead  man behind the wheel. The owner of the property where the damage was done  called  police and told them the driver was still in the car and was not moving.  Officers  found 35-year-old Daniel Hardy of Opelousas inside the car. It's unsure if he  was  killed  by  the  crash,  which was a high rate of speed, or something else.

Grambling State University  says civil rights activist Jesse Jackson plans on visiting the campus in the near future to help close a rift that's developed between students and administrators. School leaders

say Jackson will be able to promote a period of healing. Grambling's football  team  recently  held  a  boycott  that  resulted  in  them forfeiting a game against Jackson State.

A personal injury attorney from LaPlace admits he stole 58-thousand  dollars from an elderly client. Kurt Wall, director of the Louisiana  Attorney General's office criminal division, says 42-year-old Kerry

Brown represented a senior citizen in an automobile accident, but never  informed the client of the 58-thousand dollar settlement.

News for Monday 102813

By Dave Graichen

The University of Virginia's Center for Politics, which is known for  predicting  elections, no longer labels next year's US Senate race in  Louisiana as a "toss up." Their crystal ball leans democratic, meaning  Landrieu is a slight favorite. University of Virginia political analyst  Kyle Kondik says the  latest campaign finance totals show Landrieu has two million dollars more compared to Cassidy in her campaign war chest. He says  Landrieu also has a history of winning close elections, which is why  they give her a slight edge in the race.  Kondik  says Louisiana's unique open primary system for federal elections  also gives Landrieu an edge.

State health officials say now is the time to get the flu shot, even  though the peak of the influenza season in Louisiana is not until  February. The state department of health and hospitals flu shot expert,  Doctor Frank Welch, says it's best to get the shot now, before the flu  bug gets you. DHH urges everyone six months and older to get a flu shot. Welch says  it’s especially important for pregnant women, adults 65 and older and  children under the age of five to get the flu shot. He reminds Louisiana  residents that the flu is an illness that can kill.

Another West Nile virus death has been reported by the state Department of Health and Hospitals. It is the fourth death in the state this year. DHH said the death is from Ouachita Parish, the second death in that parish this year. The other two deaths were in Rapides Parish. DHH also confirmed four new West Nile virus cases this past week, bringing this year’s total to 55 cases.

Two Americans remain hostages of pirates on a Louisiana owned ship  off the coast of Nigeria. The C-Retiever ship, which is owned by Edison  Chouest Offshore, was attacked by Nigerian pirates last Wednesday.  Tulane maritime law director Martin Davies says the kidnappers are  likely demanding money for the safe return of the two men. Davies says these hostage situations off the coast of Africa could go on  for months, but if the kidnappers are seeking ransom, then the victims  are usually treated well. According to the International Maritime Bureau there's been 40 piracy  attacks in the first three quarters of 2013 in the Gulf of Guinea, where  this attack occurred. Davies says companies who vessels that work in  these areas, understand the dangers and purchase insurance for it.

A group of business, faith and conservative leaders from Louisiana are  headed to Washington DC today to urge members of Congress to pass  comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Group spokesman Randy  Hayden says it's vital to Louisiana's economy to help immigrant  workers become Americans so they can easily enter the workforce. Hayden says reform is needed in agricultural visas to help our farmers  and also reform in high-tech visas to help colleges and universities.

With less than a month until the runoff election for Louisiana's 5^th  Congressional District, the two Republican's vying for that job are  campaigning hard to come out on top. Columbia state Senator Neil Riser  has been considered front-runner all along. He says he'll bring true  conservatism to Congress for Louisiana. Political newcomer Vance McAllister is Riser's opponent. He has run a largely self-funded campaign and finished in the October 19th election with 18% of the vote, to Riser's 32%. McAllister suggests Riser has  become a career politician, and voters now want something else.  Both men will spend the next three weeks campaigning hard to win voters over - especially the many Democrats  and independent voters in District 5.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has been the subject of some  controversy this week regarding the way it chooses to refer to itself.  The school says it's not trying to change its name, but State Senator  Francis Thompson of Delhi is one of many who doesn't think it's right  for UL-Lafayette to simply have "Louisiana" on its jerseys.  Many Ragin' Cajuns feel most of the outrage is coming from the ULM  nation but before the Monroe school was known as The Warhawks, they  used "Louisiana Indians" on their football helmets. Thompson says he's  gotten many calls from angry ULM alumni who are angry the Lafayette  school is trying to refer to itself as Louisiana.

Sports..

The LSU Tigers head into the bye week ranked 13th in the coaches poll  and 11th in the AP poll after beating Furman 48-to-16 on Saturday night.

 Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw five touchdown passes as New Orleans  improved to 6-and-1 on the season with a 35-17 win over the Buffalo  Bills.

News for Thursday 102413

By Dave Graichen

Alexandria police are looking for a 21-year-old woman in connection to the shooting death Monday of an 18-year-old woman on Lee Street.  Police describe Stormy Cofer, of Alexandria, as being about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing between 130 and 140 pounds. Her hair is colored reddish, according to the release. If you know the whereabouts of this woman, contact the APD.

If  you  plan  on  buying  tickets  to LSU football games and you're worried about the price going up and  by how much, you're just going to have to wait a while longer. The LSU  Board  of  Supervisors   had scheduled  the  item  for  a  vote this coming Friday, but the board decided to wait a while before deciding what to do. They'll now vote on the ticket price hikes at their December meeting.

Since  the  Grambling  State Football team decided not to show up to its game on Saturday, their  opponent Jackson State says it plans to sue. The Mississippi university  claims the cancellation of the game cost  them  millions  of  direct and indirect  dollars.  The  game  was  also Jackson State's homecoming which the university says  draws thousands  of  fans.  Tickets  are  being  refunded  and

businesses are reporting losses.

Two Louisiana congressmen  John  Fleming  and  Charles  Boustany are calling  for the resignation of Health and Human Services  Secretary Kathleen Sebelius  because of the ongoing issues with the Affordable Care Act. Boustany says  people are finding it difficult to purchase insurance because  of  technical  glitches  in the system.  Fleming  plans  to  file  legislation to stop collection of personal  data  when  people sign up for  the  Affordable  Care  Act because he's afraid the information would not be kept confidential.

Members  of  the  state  House and Senate Insurance committees heard yesterday from state and local officials who are concerned about impacts of dramatic rate increases  for  flood  insurance  in Louisiana. St. Charles Parish President VJ St. Pierre Jr. says FEMA  has told their residents that flood insurance rates could be as high as 35-thousand dollars. An  estimated  18-thousand  Louisiana policies will see their  rates skyrocket  because  of  changes  to  the  National  Flood  Insurance

program.

A Baton Rouge woman is now facing two  years in prison after a judge suspended 15 years of her 17 year sentence  for a road rage incident that  claimed  the lives of five people just south  of  the  capitol

city. Kelsy Hall  was  convicted  of  negligent homicide in the 2011 accident. The other defendant accused in  the  deadly  crash,  David Leger, will be standing trial early next year.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is offering a reward for tips on who illegally killed a black bear in Avoyelles Parish earlier this month. A citizen reported finding the bears remains  in some woods a few miles south of the Grassy Lake Wildlife Management Area. A necropsy revealed  the bear had been dead for about five to six days and that it had been shot in the head. Agents also collected an arrow nearby and think the bear might have been shot with an arrow first.

Caddo Parish deputies arrest four people who were allegedly involved in  the theft of 63 semi-automatic guns delivered to a Shreveport gun  distributor. Sheriff's office spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says they were  called into investigate after the freight company noticed some of the guns

were gone. Chadwick says their investigation led them to a 21-year-old  security guard  who was on duty at the freight company on the day the guns arrived.  Three more people were arrested as their investigation continued.  Chadwick says they have yet to recover any of the guns and it's likely the semi-automatic weapons have already been sold.

The  police  department in Many will be posting pictures on Facebook of people who  loaded up their Wal-Mart buggies with groceries while the  food  stamp system  was  experiencing  a  computer  glitch  and balances couldn't  be checked. They simply loaded up and walked out. Investigator Jo Ann  Carter  says  they're targeting people who were specifically taking advantage of the October 12th frenzy.

Police in  Richwood  say  a  woman  is  under  arrest  for allegedly slapping  a  child  on a school bus then doing the same to  the  bus river. They say 32-year-old  Menza  Hudson entered the bus where her child and another child were fighting  and  got in the middle of it. She is booked with cruelty to a juvenile.

The  St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office say a  man  is  booked  with negligent  homicide  in  the death of a motorcyclist for leaving his truck on the side of the road when it ran out of gas -- then was hit

by the cyclist who died. They say Marcus Amos didn't leave lights on to warn others.

A former Livingston Parish deputy sheriff 38-year old Jeremy Brister of  Denham  Springs  has  been sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to contributing  to  the  delinquency of a juvenile.

Brister  was arrested in January of last year  on  three  counts  of indecent behavior  and  one  count  of  molestation  of  a  juvenile involving a 15-year old girl. He will also have to serve one year of

supervised probation, pay a 15-hundred dollar fine and register as a sex offender.

Today the 107th Louisiana State fair opens in Shreveport. The fair is  taking extra safety precautions this year to make sure there are not any  accidents on the carnival rides. State Fair General Manager Chris  Giordano says that a third party has been hired to make constant  inspections throughout the duration of the fair.  There have been mechanical errors the last two years that resulted in  injuries, including a four year old boy who was severely hurt in 2011.

A freshman on the LSU football team is in trouble with the law. LSU  police say they arrested defensive back Jeryl Brazil after he allegedly  grabbed a woman by the throat and threw her onto a sofa.  Captain Cory Lalonde says the incident occurred last week at  the West Campus Apartments. Coach Les Miles says Brazil has been suspended indefinitely. He's only  played in one game this season. He was an All-State player at Loranger  High School last season.

News for Tuesday 102213

By Dave Graichen

The state’s school voucher program continues to grow, but at a pace slower than expected.  The program added more than 1,800 students this year, according to the first official tally for the current 2013-14 school year released Monday. The state Department of Education said 6,751 students are enrolled in 126 private schools across the state with taxpayer dollars. Another 24 students have switched to a high-performing public school through the voucher program, for a total of 6,775 enrollments. That's a 37 percent increase, up from 4,944 students using vouchers at the same point last year, in the first year of the statewide program.

On Monday the Department of Defense announced a Marine, 20-year-old Lance Corporal Christopher Grant of Monroe, , died on Sunday during combat  operations supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Grant was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9^th  Marines, 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and had  been serving in Afghanistan. Friends say a candlelight vigil is planned for this weekend in Monroe.

Natchitoches Police Department Assistant Chief Cary Hargrove was suspended for one day for a policy violation related to a Sabine Parish homicide investigation. Hargrove is alleged to have had a telephone conversation with officer Robert Barthelemy charged in the beating death of Tony Procell, of Many, while Barthelemy was on the run from police in August. Barthelemy was indicated in September on charges of first-degree murder, home invasion and aggravated kidnapping. Natchitoches Police Chief Micky Dove did not disclose the nature of incident that led to an internal investigation into Hargrove’s actions.

After residents of Pineville voted to approve the sale of alcohol in restaurants over the weekend, city officials say it will most likely be  the first of the year before they start doing so. The city’s chief of staff Rich Dupree says the  City Council must still make any change official by ordinance. Such an ordinance would be introduced at the Nov. 12 council meeting at the earliest, and voted on at the Dec. 10 meeting. Dupree said city officials are working with the Rapides Parish Sales and Use Tax Office, which issues alcohol permits, on the language in the city’s future alcohol ordinance.

Human rights activists call on state officials to release the last  imprisoned member of the Angola Three. Laura  Downton is with the  National Religious Campaign Against Torture and she says Albert Woodfox  has been in solitary confinement for 41 years, even though his conviction for  killing a prison guard has been overturned three times. Federal judge James Brady ruled last February Woodfox should be released  on the issue of racial discrimination in the selection of the grand jury  foreperson. But Woodfox remains imprisoned as the Attorney general's  office appeals the decision to the fifth circuit. Downton says they have  a petition containing 25,000 signatures calling for Woodfox's release

State Police say a 1 year  old child died from injuries sustained in a New Orleans crash shortly after 1am Monday. They say 30-year-old Jeremiah Price was ignoring road closure  signs  in  the  area  and  ended up hitting  a  construction  vehicle  from  behind. The baby was in the front seat and was thrown forward as a result of the crash and later died  from  head injuries. Price's charges include  DWI  with  child endangerment, vehicular homicide, and no child restraint.

Sen. David Vitter announced Monday he plans to block for now the nomination of the proposed undersecretary of the Department of Energy because of project delays at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. President Barack Obama has nominated NASA Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson for the undersecretary position and Vitter contends she is directly responsible for delayed, job-creating contracts at Michoud. The Michoud facility has tried to reinvent itself since the end of the space shuttle program and has contracted more with commercial and government contractors to use the site.

Leaders of the Louisiana House and Senate have decided to keep secret hundreds of documents that disclose whether Louisiana’s 144 legislators are awarding Tulane University scholarships to relatives of fellow politicians. The clerk of the state House of Representatives recently sent a letter to the New Orleans Advocate and WWL-TV explaining his refusal to disclose the one-page application forms. All students who receive Tulane legislative scholarships fill out the forms, which require them to disclose whether they are related to an elected official. It’s against the law for lawmakers to give those scholarships to family members. However, some believe certain members of the state legislature are awarding the $30,000 scholarships to the children of other lawmakers, thus skirting the law.

East Baton Rouge Parish deputies are investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide. The bodies were found when deputies received a phone call from a woman asking that they check on her friend. When deputies arrived at the home yesterday afternoon they found the two bodies. No other information is being released at this time.

State Police say a man is facing vehicular  homicide charges after a single  vehicle  accident happened south of Lake  Charles  Saturday. They say a teenage  passenger  died  in  a car driven by 21-year-old Ryan  Adams.  Hannah  McVey  was not wearing a  seat-belt  when  the vehicle hit a metal traffic signal  pole and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Adams was also booked with DUI, careless operation and open container.

Grambling State football players have ended their boycott and will play  their  home game against Texas Southern this Saturday. The players didn't play last Saturday, because they are upset with the  condition of their football facilities and the university's  administration. Vines says the players have received a commitment that  their facilities will be updated.

News for Friday 101813

By Dave Graichen

An Alexandria eatery will be featured tonight on CBS's "Undercover Boss"  Whitney Durant works at the Ryan's Buffet in Alex. She says she was  unaware of what was going on, when her supervisor recruited her for a  special project.  Durant was asked to take a trainee under her wing; a man named Mike, with zero experience in customer service. She was asked to teach him  everything she knows about the business, while TV cameras caught it all. She says she cannot reveal any more about tonight's program, but will  say that her Undercover Boss, Anthony Wedo (we-dough), the CEO of Ryan's  parent company was a good student.

Tomorrow is election day, and voters in the state's 5th Congressional  District will select their next representative in Washington. There are  14 candidates for that job. How is the race stacking up? U.L.-Monroe  political science professor Joshua Stockley predicts a runoff between  Columbia state Senator Neil Riser and one of the other Republicans. Republican Riser has been seen as the front-runner throughout the  campaign. Stockley feels other GOP candidates Jay Morris and Clyde  Holloway are the two most likely to make a November runoff with Riser. 

Lafayette  Congressman  Charles Boustany is the lone republican from Louisiana to vote in favor  of  legislation  that  ended the federal government shutdown. The legislation also gives the  US Treasury the ability  to borrow money through February 7th, avoiding  a  national default. Boustanty  says  he  did not want to jeopardize the economy over political disagreements on capitol hill. Democrats Mary Landrieu and Cedric  Richmond  also  voted to finance the federal government through January 15th and the raising  of  the debt ceiling.

Governor Jindal announced Thursday  that  $190,000 in capital outlay funding for new evidence technology and renovations  at  the  St.  Helena Parish Sheriff's Office has been submitted to the State Bond Commission for approval. The renovations would include new radio control  room  for booking offenders and taking tip calls to solve crimes faster.

LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva announces he plans to ask the  school's Board of Supervisors to approve an increase in football  ticket prices starting next season. The proposal would also seek to increase the Tradition Fund which is mainly paid by season ticket  holders.  Alleva is asking for a six percent increase in season ticket  prices for football with the price of no section in the stadium going

 up by more than $100. He is also seeking approval to price tickets  based on opponent and the date of the game.

The Lottery announces several changes will be made to the Mega  Millions game starting tomorrow. Louisiana Lottery spokeswoman  Kimberly Chopin says these game enhancements are designed to create  larger jackpots and more millionaires. She one of the key changes  includes a higher starting jackpot of $15 million. Chopin says even though all these changes are coming to Mega  Millions, the price of the ticket will remain $1. However, to make these new game features possible, 19 white ball numbers will be added for a total of 75 --- and 31 numbers will be  removed from the field of yellow Mega Ball numbers. That means the  the odds of winning the jackpot will get longer.

The Lafayette Parish  Sheriff's  office  says two men are charged in connection with pipe bombs that were found in their vehicle during a traffic  stop  Wednesday  in Carencro. Captain  Kip  Judice  says  a surveillance team followed  a  vehicle  leaving a home that had been under investigation over matters that were drug related. Judice says the exact intended use  for  the  bombs  is  not  known.

20-year-old  Jake Richard of Loreauville and 30-year-old Paul Parker of Carencro were  each charged  with manufacturing and possession of bombs.

A judge in Sorrento has tossed  out  hundreds  of  speeding  tickets written  by  a  Sorrento  cop, who himself is apparently an habitual speeder. The data recorder  in  Officer James Bell patrol unit shows

he exceeded 75 on well over 700 occasions between July and September, often outside his jurisdiction. The officer also admitted that he has not been calibrating he radar gun.

The man  from Breaux Bridge who runs a swamp tour group and was seen in video enticing  a  gator  with  an  oar,  has  the animal cruelty charged dropped against him. St. Martin Parish DA Chest  Cedars says there  was  no  evidence  to support such a charge. LDWF did however cite the man with illegal possession  of  an alligator and he has to pay a $250 fine for that.

Two former East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court employees, one the son of a state judge, pleaded not guilty along with four others Thursday to charges stemming from the alleged theft of 48 pounds of cocaine and five guns from the clerk’s evidence vault last year. The prosecutor handling the case said after Thursday’s arraignments that attorneys for several of the indicted defendants have approached her about possible plea bargains.

Ouachita   Parish   Schools   is  checking  into  the  circumstances surrounding  a  video  that administrators  believe  shows  a  coach paddling two students at  Richwood Middle School in violation of the district's  corporal  punishment  policy.  That  policy  does  allow reasonable corporal punishment,  but  has  strict  rules for who can administer it, and coaches aren't on the list.

A  Baton Rouge firefighter has been sacked from his job,  for  using his  fire  house  as  a set to shoot a racy movie. 40-year-old Dewey Allen is a 10-year veteran.  Officials  say  he  violated  policy by shooting  the  film  in the workplace. The film is not pornographic, but certainly qualifies  as  R-rated.  Allen  says  the  termination violates  his  First  Amendment  rights.  A  review  of the case  is

scheduled next month.

A Thursday afternoon fire at LSU’s Huey P. Long Fieldhouse on Field House Drive caused the evacuation of a handful of students, faculty and staff from the building, but did not injure anyone, Baton Rouge Fire Department investigators said. A preliminary investigation pointed to a blow torch used during some construction work

ULL campus police say a man is under arrested for allegedly  hacking into  his  ex girlfriend's computer, deleting things and creating  a fake match.com  profile  for  her. They say 23-year-old Sean Michael Gray  was  booked  on  charges  of  computer  tampering  and  online impersonation.

News for Wednesday 101613

By Dave Graichen

Get ready for some more cool Autumn-like weather. State Climatologist  Barry Keim says it's coming via a cold front that is bringing rain to  parts of the state already. Keim says the cool front is expected to make its way from northwestern  parishes  to coastal regions by later today, bringing a nice cool  snap.  He says expect overnight lows in the upper 50's and daytime highs in the  mid-to-upper 70's, with very little rainfall after today.

Blue  Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana announces they are dropping its prescription  drug  plan  for  seniors.  That  move  will impact 13-thousand residents who will now have to find a new Medicare  Part D  Coverage.  Members  can  enroll  into  a  new plan starting today through February 28th.

A  manhunt  is  underway  for a Natchitoches man who is  accused  of fatally shooting 37-year-old  Ted  Charles Brou (Broh) during a home invasion  late  Sunday  in  the  town  of   Creston,   which  is  in Natchitoches Parish. Alan Virgil Brumfield is considered  armed  and dangerous.  He's   a  white  male,  about five-foot-ten, 150 pounds. Authorities believe he's driving a blue Nissan Sentra with a Florida license plate.

Deputies in Rapides Parish seek an  inmate who escaped Monday from a work detail on US 71. They say 28-year-old Randy Girod, of Columbia, is not considered to be dangerous. They ask anyone who may have seen him to contact the Sheriff's Office in Rapides.

Campaign  finance  reports  show  Senator  Mary  Landrieu  ahead  in fundraising for her 2014 re-election  bid  for  the third quarter of this  year. Between July and the end of September,  Landrieu's  team raised  over  $1.3-million,  compared to her nearest challenger, GOP Congressman Bill Cassidy, who raised about $700-thousand. Landrieu's total raised is nearly $6-million. Cassidy $3.4-million.

Cleanup  is  underway a Fourchon Beach, after a ton of oil was found under the sand  there.  Tropical  Storm  Karen brought the oily mess partially to the surface. Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Anderson says it's a mat of oil, beneath the sand,  that  only became visible as Karen dissipated. It is assumed the tar mats and tar balls were from  the  2010 BP oil spill.  He  says  active  cleanup  is underway and so far about  500 pounds have been removed.

Benedictine  monks  in  St. Tammany Parish win the final round of  a lawsuit to allow them to  sell  their  handmade  caskets.  The state Board  of Embalmers and Funeral Directors have protested the  coffin sales, as  cutting  into their business. The case went on appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme  Court.

The legal battle over who owns the phrase "Who Dat" is going back to court. Two new suits have been  filed  by  a  company called Who Dat Inc.  against a number of New Orleans t-shirt shops  for  using  the phrase  without  permission. Many say no one OWNS the expression and it dates back to the late 18th century.

Senator Mary Landrieu recommends that President Barack Obama appoint Walt  Green  as  the  U.S.  Attorney  for  the  Middle  District  of Louisiana.  Green  has  been acting  U.S.  Attorney  in  that  Baton Rouge-based federal district  since  Donald Cazayoux stepped down in July.

Police in the Jefferson Parish town of Harahan say a woman told them hundreds of  dollars  in bras and underwear had disappeared from her dresser drawers. She placed  a  hidden  camera and caught video of a neighbor entering her home, her bedroom and  helping  himself to her lacey  things.  Police  arrested 19-year-old Ross Frioux for  simple burglary and possession of stolen things.

Grant Parish Sheriff's deputies  were  called  to a Colfax Church on Sunday. Not by the holy spirit but by parishioners  who  didn't  care for  the  7-and-a-half  foot  gator  that got a bit too close to the

church. The deputies were miraculously  able to return the alligator to the Red River.

News for Monday 101413

By Dave Graichen

Food stamp recipients were able to use their debit-style cards in grocery stores on Sunday, a day after a system outage that affected people across 17 states, including Louisiana. People from Alabama to California found themselves temporarily unable to use their food stamp cards on Saturday morning, after a routine test of backup systems by Xerox sparked technical problems that shut down the states’ electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, systems. Xerox said late in the evening that access was restored for all users.

With   three  new  cases  being  reported  this  week,  the  state's year-to-date  total  of West Nile virus infections is 48. One of the three was the more serious  brain  and  spinal cord infection. There

have been two deaths as well this year in  Louisiana  caused  by the mosquito spread virus.

Louisiana Ag Commissioner  Dr.  Mike  Strain  is  trying to make the public  aware  of  a  little-known  effect  of  the partial  federal government shutdown. He says the safety of the nation's  food supply

could  be  at risk because almost half of the current Food and  Drug Administration staff is not working. Those staff make inspections at over 200 food  plants  a  week.  Strain  says  normally  only  about 10-percent of imported food is inspected. He says if the shutdown  ends within the next few days the situation is unlikely to reach crisis level.

As we head into the third week of the federal government's partial  shutdown, Governor Jindal says there is some growing concern over parts  of state government that rely on the feds to operate. Mr. Jindal says  some state agencies, like the Department of Children & Family Services  are partially funded with federal dollars.  The Governor says Medicaid and other "entitlement" programs will not be

impacted by the continued Government shutdown. He says most federal  funding is good through the end of the year, but some programs are only  funded through the current month.

A Lafayette  Parish  parents  group  is  trying  to stop two charter school  operators from moving into their district. Their  concern  is that it does  not  provide help with the problems they have already

and it may under mind  the  good  programs  they  have  in place. The parents group plans to hold a rally in Baton Rouge this  Tuesday.

A  Texas  based  company  is  moving  its headquarters to Louisiana. Jogler LLC makes level gauges. They announced  Friday that their new location will be in Baton Rouge next month. Jogler  has  been  given tax  breaks from the state, along with assistance in worker training for the  eventual  60  new  jobs being created over the next several years.

A man from Deridder  is under arrest after being accused of raping a 3-year-old girl according  to  police.  They  say  Jerry  Palmer  is charged  with  aggravated  rape  after they investigated a complaint regarding  a 3 year old who had been  sexually  assaulted.  Palmer's bond is set at $750,000.

A  former  Ascension  Parish  sheriff's deputy who was arrested last month for indecent behavior with  juveniles,  was  arrested  again - charged  with  hundreds  of counts of child pornography. 24-year-old

Todd Tripp allegedly had over 300 illegal images on his computer and cell phone. Tripp was fired after his September arrest.

The St. Tammany Parish coroner  is  charged with conspiring to steal money  from  his own office, and other  charges.  54-year-old  Peter Galvan allegedly plotted with another employee to be overpaid to the tune of $111-thousand. He's also accused of using a coroner's office debit card for  personal  items--running  up  over  $15-thousand  in charges.  Galvan  will  reportedly  resign from his elected position this week.

SPORTS

 The LSU Tigers defense is back to playing dominant football. The Bayou  Bengals kept Florida out of the end zone on Saturday in LSU's 17-6 win  over the Gators. LSU climbs to No. 6 in AP Top 25 Poll

 The Saints were on their way to a 6-and-0 record, but Patriots  quarterback Tom Brady threw a 17-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds left  to give New England a 30-27 victory over New Orleans.

News for Wednesday 100913

By Dave Graichen

The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office has taken over the investigation into the death of  a Deville woman, whose body was found in Grant Parish. Sheriff's  spokesman Lt. Tommy Carnline says deputies in Grant discovered the human  remains on October 2^nd.   Carnline says Grant Parish investigators and the coroners' office  determined the woman,  61-year-old Paula Marlene Kimberlin,  was from Rapides Parish and was probably killed  here and dumped there. The RPSO is asking anyone with information to please come forward.

Opelousas  Police  say a man is charged with the first degree murder of his wife after allegedly  brutally  stabbing  her  to  death Tuesday  morning  during a domestic dispute. They say 44-year-old Hank  Moran was found in their home standing over his wife who'd been stabbed 14 times with a small pocket knife. The man is being held without bond.

Police in Alexandria say a woman is under arrest for allegedly lying about being raped. They say 49-year-old Vanessa Pierce told officers she  was  the victim of  rape  and  a  suspect  was  even  detained. Detectives discovered Pierce had given false information and she was charged with  one  count  of  injuring  public record. The person in custody was released.

The  city  of New Orleans plans to submit a major bid package to  the NFL to host the Super Bowl in 2018. The city especially wants to get the big game that year, because it will be the 300th birthday of the Crescent City,  and  will  be  a  great  beginning  to  a  year-long celebration.

As the October 19th special election to replace 5th District Congressman  Rodney Alexander heats up, many politicos are giving the advantage to  Columbia state Senator Neil Riser. Riser has the support of U.S. House  majority leader Eric Cantor. UL-Monroe political science professor

Joshua Stockley says things seem to be stacking up in Riser's favor.  Stockley says the 5th district is fairly heavily populated with actively  voting Republicans, so despite the Democrats and "other" party

candidates in the race,  he foresees a probable November runoff between  GOP candidates.

As expected, the Ouachita Parish  Police  Jury  has approved a total smoking  ban  in  bars and bingo halls. The 100-percent  smoke  free ordinance will go into  effect  January  2  and includes ALL tobacco products including electronic cigarettes, which only release water vapor.

Governor  Bobby  Jindal  is  chiming  in  on  the federal government shutdown  - now in its second week. On Fox News  yesterday,  Mr. Jindal says  the  President  is  providing  poor leadership with the matter. In addition the President is calling  for  Congress to raise the debt ceiling before October 17th. Jindal says he  opposes  that, as a way to simply "kicking the can down the road".

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's office says a man is under arrest for allegedly using a cell phone to video tape under a woman's dress  at a department store. They say a deputy working off duty security at a Wal Mart noticed 29-year-old Jarion Sherman of Baton Rouge following the  woman  and  putting  a cell phone under her dress. He is booked with video voyeurism which is a felony.

An East Baton Rouge Parish jury finds two men not guilty in the case of the murders of 2 LSU grad students in 2007. They deliberated  for more  than  six  hours  and  EBR DA Hillar Moore says ultimately the feeling  was  the  prosecution did  not  prove  its  case  beyond  a reasonable  doubt. The  victims  were  international  students  from India.

A woman whose  pit  bulls  attacked  an  8  year old girl in 2012 is sentenced  to  six months in the Tangipahoa Parish  jail.  DA  Scott Perriloux reports  40-year-old  Bridgette  Harper  was  charged with negligent  injuring  after  her dog bit a little girl several  times while she was playing outside.  Another  owner  of the dog's case is still pending.

The  Louisiana  Department  of  Ag  and  Forestry  says  a  man from Greeenwood  keeps stealing timber. They say 61-year-old David  Lubas was booked into  the  Claiborne  Parish  jail  in Homer charged with theft  by  fraud of timber for the fourth time in  less  than  three months.

The price for Shrimp is up about a $1 from where it was this time last year  because there are fewer foreign shrimp available. Thomas Hymel (Hee-Mel) who is a marine extension educator with  the LSU Ag Center. He says we only produce about 10% of the shrimp  we consume in this country domestically. Hymel says the shrimp are in short supply here because some  shrimpers overseas are dealing with a viral disease outbreak in  their ponds. He says that's working towards Louisiana shrimpers  favor but the prices are up for everyone.

News for Monday 100713

By Dave Graichen

Louisiana wakes to brisk Autumn weather today. State Climatologist Barry  Keim says a cold front entered the state over the past several hours,  bringing cold, dry conditions.  Keim says the blast of cool air over the state started over the northern  Pacific Ocean, before crossing the Rocky Mountains and slowly working  its way southeast. He says we can enjoy the cool snap now through Wednesday.

Early  voting  for  the  October  19th election runs now through Saturday. Polling hours are from 8:30 AM to 6 PM at  your  parish Registrar of  Voters  Office  or at other designated locations. Voters  in  49 parishes  have  various   items   on   the   ballot   including  tax propositions.  The biggest item is the Fifth Congressional  district election, which impacts 24 parishes in the state.

The federal government shutdown will NOT affect benefits for Louisiana  mothers and their kids, under the Women, Infants and Children Program,  commonly called "WIC." J.T. Lane is Assistant Secretary for Public  Health at the Department of Health and Hospitals. He says a local budget surplus is the reason why.  Lane says feds gave DHH to permission to use  leftover WIC funds from last year to assure that doesn't happen here.

A 7-year-old child outside playing was shot and wounded in the leg Sunday afternoon when a man opened fire on a nearby SUV. Baton Rouge PD report the gunman approached the SUV, which was occupied by two people, and opened fire with bullets going through the front windshield and the driver’s side door. Neither of the occupants was injured in the attack.

With the help of a private consultant, the Jindal administration plans to give a tune-up to a state government IT system that employs hundreds of workers and costs nearly half a billion dollars a year. Roughly 800 people work in information technology, the computer and telecommunication systems that store and use data  departments in 20 executive branch agencies. Jindal administration aide Ruth Johnson said any positions eliminated will not be through layoffs, but when people retire or take other jobs. She said the goal is not privatization in and of itself. although there may be some of that.

The Ouachita Parish Police Jury is meeting today along with both  the Monroe and West Monroe City Councils to vote on an ordinance  that would ban smoking in bars and establishments like Bingo

Halls. Police jury president Shane Smiley says this is an extension of  the state smoking ban that's already in place for restaurants. He says the  parish-wide smoking ban would mean a level playing field for  businesses. Smiley says Monroe and West Monroe have agreed to  a workplace smoking ban as well and he expects it will pass today.

It's Fire Prevention Week and that's important, because Louisiana has  one of the highest death rates in the country based on data compiled by  the US Fire Administration. The state's fire death rate is 7th highest  in the nation. United States Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell says  most of these fatalities happen at night and are preventable.  Mitchell says the best thing you can do it to make sure your smoke detectors work.

Sports..

 Louisiana Tech won its first ever Conference USA game on Saturday with a

 38-35 victory over U-TEP. Coach Skip Holtz says it was a big win for his

 program.

 The Ragin Cajuns won their Sun Belt opener on Saturday by beating Texas

 State 48 to 24.

 The 10th ranked LSU Tigers bounced back from their loss to Georgia with

 a 59-26 win over Mississippi State.

 The Saints are an NFC best 5-and-0 after beating the Chicago Bears 26-18

 yesterday.

News for Thursday 100313

By Dave Graichen

The police chief of Colfax has been arrested and charged with theft and malfeasance in office. A complaint to the Grant Parish Sheriff's Office led to an investigation and the arrest of 43 year old  Charles Stickell. The release from the sheriff’s office does not go into any detail, like what was alleged in the complaint or even when the arrest was made. It does state that a warrant for Stickell's arrest was issued after the investigation. Neither Colfax Mayor Gerald Hamilton or representatives of the Colfax Police Department would commented on the arrest.

Authorities in grant parish report two fishermen found the body of an unidentified woman in the Little River just south of Pollock Tuesday. The grant parish sheriff’s department reports the body was that of a white female between the ages of 35 to 65. There have been no reports of anyone matching that description in the parish. The body has been sent for an autopsy, and an investigation is continuing.

The price of gasoline has fallen for the past 30 days here in Louisiana. The AAA now reports the statewide average for a gallon of gas is $3.22 and there are reports some stations in the Slidell are selling it for less than $3 a gallon.

Isn't it a little late in the year for a possible tropical storm? History says "no", there've been numerous storms and even hurricanes in October for Louisiana, including Hurricane Lili in 2002. Right now a tropical wave, just east of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, is headed for the southern Gulf and predicted to turn north in our direction. There's a 70% chance it could reach named storm intensity within the next two days.

Good news for Louisiana sportsmen; the Federal government shutdown will have no effect on the state's wildlife management areas. That's represents over a million acres of public areas within the areas that hunters can access. Deer and resident game season opens this week.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Brees threw for 413 yards in New Orleans 38-17 victory over Miami. It's the 15th time he's won the award since coming to the Saints. Former LSU Tiger, Patrick Peterson, is the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Peterson had two big interceptions to help Arizona rally to beat Tampa Bay 13 to 10.

A Belle Chasse man is behind bars, pending a $50-thousand bond, for shooting secret nude videos of his fiancée’s teen daughter in the bathroom. Plaquemines Parish authorities say the mother found the video files on the family computer and called them. Once arrested, the man admitted everything. If convicted of video voyeurism he could face 10 years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender. The suspect's identity is being withheld to protect the identity of his 15-year-old victim.

Another Louisiana city is considering tougher anti-smoking laws. Thibodaux's city council is considering a ban on smoking along walking paths in the city's public parks. One park in question is next to the Nicholls State campus, where lighting up is banned entirely. Citizens complain the park is littered with cigarette butts.

State Farm is raising the rates on its homeowners insurance policies in Louisiana. That means premiums will rise an average of eight-point-seven percent for the nearly 308-thousand homeowners policyholders. State Farm spokesperson Gary Stephenson says the higher rates are already in effect for new customers and existing policyholders will see the rate increase after November first. State Farm's last rate adjustment was in February 2012 and that was a statewide average increase of eight percent.

A 150-million dollar expansion and modernization of a grain facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge will help Louisiana farmers ship their grain  around the world. LSU Ag Center economist, Doctor Kurt Guidry, says the new facility should help increase producers income.Louis Dreyfus, a global merchandiser of commodities,  invested the money into the project. Guidry says expectations for the expanded facility are high.

News for Tuesday 100113

By Dave Graichen

A mess on I-49 yesterday morning, between The Forest Hill and Meeker exits, after a tanker truck caught on fire. Traffic was detoured for hours as authorities contained the mess. The roadway was reopened shortly before 2 in the afternoon.

The  price  at  the  pump  has  slipped  once  again.  The  American Automobile Association  says  the  current  statewide  average for a gallon of regular is $3.22 which is down a penny from yesterday  and 21 cents less than this time last month.

New federal data shows personal income in Louisiana grew at the fourth-fastest rate in the nation, for the first half of this year. The report  from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis indicates that growth rate was  1.3 percent. LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says that's largely driven  by new business and industry, and building to house them.  In the report, only Arizona, Florida and New Hampshire show higher rates  of personal income growth in the years first two quarters.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is advising people to be  patient and prepared before you sit down and shop the health insurance  marketplace which opens today. BCBS Spokesman John Maginnis  says they are working closely with the government but it's possible  there will be some technical issues at the start. Customers will be able to begin purchasing health  insurance today, but the deadline to purchase coverage for a January  1, 2014 start date is December 15th. He says the marketplace is  scheduled to remain open through March 31st.

State officials have lifted the outdoor burn ban that had been in place  for fully half of Louisiana's parishes. State Fire Marshal Butch  Browning says daytime high temperatures are falling, and there's been a  fair amount of measurable rain in drought-stricken areas. However, Browning says even though the ban is over, remember outdoor fires will still be subject to any state or local  laws and fire department restrictions.

Governor Bobby Jindal has invited President Obama to Louisiana so he can meet with parents  of  children  who  received  taxpayer  funded vouchers  to  attend private schools. Jindal's invite is in response to the federal  government's  lawsuit  against  the  program. The US Justice Department filed the suit seeking to prohibit Louisiana from giving  out  future  vouchers to students who attend public  schools that under federal desegregation orders.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's office says the  wife  of the suspect in the case of the pastor who was shot while giving a church sermon, filed  rape  charges against the preacher last Wednesday.  They  say Pastor Ronald  Harris and the suspect Woodrow Karry's wife exchanged text messages that  were found by the suspect last weekend. Both the shooting  and  the  rape   allegations  are  being  investigated  to determine  if  there was a consensual  sexual  relationship  between Harris and Karey's wife or if it was non-consensual.

In St. Landry Parish, 34-year-old Todd Richard  of  Arnaudville  has been   arrested   after   allegedly   slipping  narcotics  into  his 78-year-old grandmother's food to make  her sleep. Sheriff deputies

say Richard gave her drugs so he can smoke  crystal met in the house and  he  also  allegedly  stole  seven-thousand  dollars   from  his grandmother.

Deputies  in  St.  Mary  Parish are investigating the death of a man whose  body  was  discovered   lying  on  state  Highway  182,  near Jeanerette, early Monday morning.  An  autopsy  has  been  ordered  to determine  exact cause of death, but detectives have already started investigating the man's death as a homicide.

Flood insurance rate hikes for many south Louisiana homes and businesses built prior to the first 1973 federal flood maps will begin being phased in today as new changes for the National Flood Insurance Program goes into effect.  The Oct. 1 trigger applies to properties — businesses, secondary vacation homes and homes that have been repeatedly flooded — that were grandfathered into artificially lower premiums for flood insurance before flood maps were created. Such impacted policyholders will see 25 percent annual premium increases over a few years. However, those not grandfathered in could see their rates go from $400 a year to $15,000.

Sports..

Can you say 4 and 0… Drew Brees passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns as the  Saints served a meal of whoop ass to the Miami Dolphins last night.. the final   38-17.

LSU has dropped four places on the AP Top 25  College Football Poll, after  Saturday's  hard fought loss to Georgia. LSU  went  from  6^th place last week to 10th.  The Tigers are also ranked 11th on the USA Today Coaches' Poll.