BC-LA--Louisiana-News Digest,ADVISORY, LA

Louisiana at 12 p.m. on Monday

Good afternoon, Louisiana editors.

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TOP STORIES

EDWARDS-CONGRESS

BATON ROUGE — Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards is expected to announce whether he will enter the race for Louisiana's 6th Congressional District seat during a luncheon of the Baton Rouge Press Club. The 80-something Democrat served eight years in federal prison and six months of home detention for a 2000 of racketeering, extortion and conspiracy conviction tied to his role in a riverboat casino licensing scandal during his fourth term as governor. He was released in 2011. The district is heavily Republican and centered in the Baton Rouge area and south Louisiana parishes west of New Orleans. It's being vacated by U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, a Republican running for the Senate seat now held by Democrat Mary Landrieu. In 1991, when former Klansman David Duke made the runoff against Edwards in the governor's race, bumper stickers sprouted around the state proclaiming "Vote for the Crook. It's Important." Edwards won. Now, after his corruption conviction and time in a federal prison, Edwards, if he does enter the race for Congress, may have to deal with voters who will wonder whether it is still important to vote for the crook. By Kevin McGill. UPCOMING: 600 words by about 3:45 p.m. With AP Photos.

XGR-LOUISIANA BUDGET

BATON ROUGE — The House budget committee gets into the details of spending for the attorney general's office, agriculture department and insurance department as it continues its hearings on how best to spend available dollars next year, while the Senate budget committee hears from the legislative auditor's office about outstanding financial issues that need to be resolved from the current year. By Melinda Deslatte. UPCOMING: 500 words by about 3:30 p.m.

ALCOHOL PERMITS-AUDIT

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana's Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is lax in monitoring businesses that have permits to sell alcohol, skipping some routine inspections and shrinking compliance checks. Those are the findings of an audit released Monday by Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera's office. It looked at the ATC's regulation of alcohol beverage outlets for three budget years from 2011 through 2013. The audit says the agency has improved its issuance of alcohol permits but needs to better manage its enforcement oversight. Auditors say the agency was inconsistent in inspections, didn't do proper follow-ups on violations and omitted late fees for some businesses that didn't renew permits on time. ATC Commissioner Troy Hebert agreed with recommendations for improvement, but said his office has made tremendous progress since he took over three years ago. By Melinda Deslatte. SENT: 486 words.

TEACHER ARRESTED

BAKER — How far can a teacher go to maintain discipline as an effective educator? Baker School Board President Dana Carpenter said that question is at the heart of Thursday's arrest of Baker Middle School teacher accused of grabbing an eighth-grade student by his shirt and yanking him out of her classroom. Carpenter said Friday the Baker Police Department's decision to arrest and jail 47-year-old teacher Deborah Anderson was too aggressive. Baker Police Chief Mike Knaps has defended the Police Department's decision to book Anderson by citing Police Department protocol. However, Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers union, said Anderson's arrest sends a bad message to educators in Baker and teachers statewide. Anderson is due to appear in Baker City Court on April 29. SENT: 318 words.

SPACE EXPERIMENT

LAFAYETTE — Karl Hasenstein hopes to finally send his zero-gravity, plant-growing experiment into space this month, after more than 20 years of research and one experiment lost in the tragic explosion of Space Shuttle Columbia. The project is extremely important to Hasenstein, a professor of biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. To get his project in space, Hasenstein said he first had to submit a proposal convincing NASA that it was an important study. After approval, the experiment and its abilities were scrutinized by engineers. NASA delayed the launch of Falcon 9, originally scheduled for Sunday, to March 30, which has also stalled the experiment hitching a ride on the ship to the space station. Hasenstein said the delay hasn't dampened his spirits. SENT: 185 words.

FERAL HOG

BATON ROUGE — Add up all the wild hogs in Louisiana, and you get roughly the same number of people who live in Baton Rouge and New Orleans combined. The exploding feral hog population in the southeastern U.S. causes an estimated $1.5 billion in damage every year as the voracious eaters root up pastures, destroy crops and generally wreak havoc everywhere they go. LSU's Agricultural Center is working on another strategy that could one day be used in conjunction with the sharpshooting to get wild hog populations under control. Phil Elzer, the LSU AgCenter's program leader for animal sciences, said the idea is to use the animals' legendary greediness against them in developing a bait that proves lethal to wild pigs. SENT: 325 words.

JEFFERSON SCHOOLS

GRETNA — The Jefferson Parish school system is getting ready to spend $7.3 million to paint, scrape, seal and repair years of deferred maintenance at a dozen of its high schools over the next two years. Gymnasium floors will be sanded down and resealed, and auditoriums will be refurbished. For the 2,000 students at John Ehret High School in Marrero, the project means they will be able to use the campus' covered walkways without wearing their raincoats. The Jefferson Parish School Board's Facilities Committee is recommending the board approve the work, $3.9 million of which is slated to be done this coming school year and $3.4 million in the 2015-16 school year. Superintendent James Meza said he expects the board to approve the work when it meets Wednesday. SENT: 267 words.

NEWELLTON-DEBT FREE

NEWELLTON — The town of Newellton is completely debt free. Officials say the town made its final debt payment Wednesday. Edwin Britt, who has been an alderman since 1972, said the town's accomplishment has been years in the making and involved cooperation from all those involved with managing the Tensas Parish town. Newellton has a population of about 1,300. Mayor Timothy Turner says its annual operating budget is between $400,000 and $500,000. Town officials hope the accomplishment can serve as a model for other small towns that are struggling financially. SENT: 421 words.

LOCKPORT POOL

LOCKPORT — The Lafourche Parish Council has selected a firm to design a proposed $1.5 million public swimming pool in Lockport. The council chose Duplantis Design Group for the work. The land for the pool, at Louisiana Highway 305 and Louisiana Highway 655, was donated by Hugh Caffrey of Valentine Chemical Co. The site was donated specifically for use as a public pool, something Lockport hasn't had for about a decade. SENT: 165 words.

BATON ROUGE PARK TAX

BATON ROUGE — Voters will decide April 5 whether to extend for another 10 years the property taxes that fund East Baton Rouge Parish's parks system. The East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission unanimously voted in the fall to ask voters to continue paying the 6.2 mills last approved in 2004. The taxes make up about half of the commission's operating budget and all funding for capital improvements. Voters will see one proposition that contains two tax renewals: a 4.1 mill tax for capital improvements, operations and maintenance and a 2.1 mill tax that only goes toward operations and maintenance. Combined, they are expected to generate nearly $23 million for the system. SENT: 212 words.

AUDIT-STUDENT GRADES

BATON ROUGE — The state is ordering a comprehensive review of the records of recent East Baton Rouge Parish public high school graduates. Officials say a limited audit found that some students earned grades or credits that differed from those the school system reported to the state. The audit, made public Sunday night, also looks at whether some students listed as transferring elsewhere should be considered dropouts, and probes deeply into a case, which sparked the audit, where a student was allowed to graduate despite lacking the necessary credits. State Superintendent of Education John White said the mismatch between teacher grades and those reported to the Department of Education's transcript database could be inadvertent errors, or in a small number of cases, intentional fraud by principals and other school leaders. SENT: 286 words.

WILDLIFE REFUGE

MER ROUGE — North Louisiana Wildlife Refuge Complex officials want to purchase about 30 acres adjacent to Handy Brake National Wildlife Refuge near Mer Rouge that was once leased to the them by International Paper. Recently the lease expired and the area once accessible by the public for wildlife observation has been closed. The property was purchased after the lease expired, but refuge officials want to purchase it or work with the landowner to allow the public to access the observation platform for wildlife observation. North Louisiana Wildlife Refuge Complex project leader Joe Saenz said it's not immediately known when an agreement might be reached nor how much the land would cost. SENT: 189 words.

ENTERTAINMENT/LIFESTYLE

SWAMP STOMP

THIBODAUX — The annual Louisiana Swamp Stomp Festival will be March 21-23 at Nicholls State University. The festival celebrates south Louisiana culture. SENT: 52 words.

LOUISIANA IN BRIEF

Editors: The following brief items moved Monday on AP's Louisiana wire and may be of interest for your Saturday editions.

KATRINA-BRIDGE SHOOTINGS

NEW ORLEANS — Attorneys for a former New Orleans police sergeant who is awaiting a new trial on charges in deadly shootings after Hurricane Katrina have asked a federal judge to move him to a local jail. Kenneth Bowen and three other former officers have been in custody since their indictment in 2010. U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt ordered new trials for them in September 2013, citing prosecutorial misconduct, but did not free them. SENT: 129 words.

JEFFERSON-HOUSING GRANT

GRETNA — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing a grant to help pay for the elevation of 16 houses Jefferson Parish. The grant covers about $2.1 million of the estimated $2.7 million total cost of the project. FEMA officials say elevating the homes will reduce the potential for damage during future floods. SENT: 111 words.

BRIDGE CLOSED

MONROE — The Hadley Street bridge east of Nutland Road in Monroe will be closed indefinitely for repairs and possibly replacement. Traffic may detour north to Millhaven Road or south to McGuire Ranch Road. The bridge closed Thursday following an inspection by the state Department of Transportation and Development. SENT: 131 words.

LOCKPORT POOL

LOCKPORT — The Lafourche Parish Council has selected a firm to design a proposed $1.5 million public swimming pool in Lockport. The council chose Duplantis Design Group for the work. The land for the pool, at Louisiana Highway 305 and Louisiana Highway 655, was donated by Hugh Caffrey of Valentine Chemical Co. SENT: 75 words.

SOUTHERN U-ARRESTS

BATON ROUGE — Southern University police have arrested a fourth person accused in an attempted armed robbery on campus in late February. Kailin Sylvain, 19, of Alexandria, was booked into Parish Prison Friday on counts of attempted armed robbery and home invasion. SENT: 88 words.

GRANDPARENTS-BURGLARY

BATON ROUGE — East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies have arrested a 21-year-old woman accused of burglarizing her grandparents' house in December of more than $10,000 worth of valuables, with help from several friends. Deputies booked Jenna Turner, of Greenwell Springs, over the weekend on counts of aggravated burglary, theft and theft of a firearm. SENT: 111 words.

COUNTER TERRORISM SEMINAR

BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie has spent the past week in Israel learning how to combat terrorism. Dabadie on March 8 left to join other law enforcement officials from the U.S., Italy and Austria at the Anti-Defamation League's National Counter-Terrorism Seminar. SENT: 106 words.

DOUBLE KILLING-HAMMOND

AMITE — An Independence man convicted of fatally shooting two people in April 2012 will serve life in prison. State District Judge Bruce Bennett imposed two life sentences on 53-year-old Giles McGhee last week following his conviction on two first-degree murder charges in the shooting deaths of 36-year-old Tamica Muse and 39-year-old Karum Smith at their Hammond home. SENT: 124 words.

ORLEANS DEPUTY KILLED

NEW ORLEANS — The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office says an off-duty deputy died in a two-car collision on Interstate 10 in eastern New Orleans. Police say 35-year-old Brunell A. Magee was eastbound Sunday morning when his car veered over the median into westbound traffic and struck a vehicle driven by a 61-year-old man. SENT: 94 words.

BAKER SCHOOLS-PROPERTY PURCHASE

BAKER — The Baker school system has purchased the former All-Star Chevrolet property off Plank Road and plans to use it for the district's offices. The $1.1 million deal includes 3.4 acres and three buildings. The board's lease on its offices on Ray Weiland Drive expires March 31. SENT: 93 words.

HOUMA-FATAL FIRE

HOUMA — Officials say two young toddlers, ages 1 and 2, were killed in a Houma house fire. Mike Millet, an inspector with the Houma Fire Department, says the fire's cause is under investigation and may take a week to determine. SENT: 108 words.

ST LANDRY-FATAL CRASH

LAWTELL — State police say a 45-year-old Church Point dead after his pickup truck ran off the side of U.S. Highway 190 Saturday and smashed into a culvert. Trooper Stephen Hammons says Michael Cunningham was taken to a hospital in critical condition after Saturday night' accident, but he died shortly after reaching the hospital. SENT: 91 words.

BUSINESS

SHEEP AND GOATS

BATON ROUGE — A field day program for people who raise sheep and goats in Louisiana is scheduled for April 26 at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m.; the program will begin at 8:30. The field day will cover topics such as farm biosecurity, improving pastures, controlling parasites and managing the integration of cattle with small ruminants on a farm. Cost to attend is $5 per person or $10 per family with a maximum of five people. Lunch will be provided. More information about plans for the field day is available by phoning Kenneth McMillin at 225-578-3438 or by email at kmcmillin@agcenter.lsu.edu. SENT: 162 words.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF

MINERAL LEASE SALE

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Mineral and Energy Board collected nearly $770,000 during its March sale of mineral rights on state and local lands. The March sale drew $769,753 in total bids, down from $1.1 million in February. The state awarded nine leases covering 2,500 acres out of 40 nominated tracts stretching over more than 57,000 acres. SENT: 113 words.

SPORTS

SAINTS-STRIEF

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints and right tackle Zach Strief have agreed to a five-year contract extension. Strief, who has spent his entire eight-year career in New Orleans and became a starter in 2011, had entered free agency last week but had expressed an interest in working out a deal to remain with the Saints if the club could field a competitive offer. Financial terms of the deal, announced Monday by general manager Mickey Loomis, have not been disclosed. Last season, Strief started 15 regular season games and both playoff games, giving him 45 regular season starts and four playoff starts in his career. He also was a regular reserve on playoff teams in 2009 and 2010. SENT: 296 words.

T25-AP ALL-SEC

ATLANTA — The Associated Press announced its annual All-Southeastern Conference men's basketball team after top-ranked Florida completed an unbeaten run through league play and the SEC tournament. By Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 700 words by about 3 p.m. With AP Photos.

With:

T25-AP All-SEC List. UPCOMING: 150 words by about 3 p.m.

AROUND THE NBA

Miami's Dwyane Wade is on the cusp of doing something he's never done. In a year that started with questions about whether his skills and health were in serious decline, and during a season in which he's sat out 16 games largely because of a need to rest his knees, Wade is now shooting 55 percent this season. Not only is that a career-best, but no guard in the NBA is shooting any better. Among players with enough games to qualify for the statistical ranking, no one else is currently within 4 percent of Wade's shooting pace this season. SENT: 665 words.

AP Photo FLJC103-0316141544

SPORTS IN BRIEF

NIT-LSU

BATON ROUGE — The LSU Tigers landed in the NIT field of 32 for the first time since 2012 and will open as a No. 5 seed in the first round at No. 4 San Francisco on Wednesday. LSU submitted a bid to host a first-round game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but the Tigers did not get the nod. SENT: 97 words.

LOUISIANA OUTDOORS

SPECKLED TROUT

NEW ORLEANS — Avid inshore angler Jonathan Ryan of Destrehan has noticed something lately that corroborates with the findings of many other year-round South Louisiana anglers: Our marshes are infested right now with a plague of undersized speckled trout. On his latest trip, Ryan took his father, Dennis, out for a quick afternoon trip Sunday, and it was all they could do to get out of the peanuts. "We caught a total of about 65 trout, but we could only keep 32," he said. "For every keeper trout, we had to catch and release at least one undersized trout." And that was actually a better ratio than some recent trips. Ryan said it's really gotten bad over the past month. By Todd Masson, The Times-Picayune. SENT: 1094 words.

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