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

Louisiana at 12 p.m. on Tuesday

Good afternoon, Louisiana editors.

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TOP STORIES

CHILD EXPLOITATION NETWORK

WASHINGTON — Federal authorities say they've arrested 14 people in connection with an online child exploitation network that operated in the United States and overseas. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and other officials announced the arrests Tuesday. They say the network involved roughly 250 child victims in 39 states and five countries. Most were boys between the ages of 13 and 15. Johnson says the investigation disrupted a subscription-based website of more than 27,000 members who were involved in producing and distributing child pornography images. Authorities say the alleged leader of the operation has admitted creating multiple fake female personas to entice boys to produce sexually explicit images of themselves. Eleven of the 14 defendants have been charged in Louisiana. The three remaining defendants are in other states. By Eric Tucker. UPCOMING: 500 words by about 1:30 p.m.

COAL TERMINAL-POLLUTION LAWSUIT

NEW ORLEANS — Three environmental groups claim in a federal lawsuit that a coal terminal south of New Orleans is polluting the Mississippi River. The lawsuit against United Bulk Terminals alleges coal and petroleum coke fall daily from its conveyor belts at Davant and onto the river bank or into the Mississippi. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The groups charge the company is ignoring state law, which requires immediate cleanup of spilled materials. The groups seek fines against United Bulk under the federal Clean Water Act and want the company to be ordered to clean the river and its bank. The United Bulk facility is one of the nation's two largest coal transport terminals, according to the Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District. The suit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. By Janet McConnaughey. UPCOMING: 500 words by 3 p.m. AP Photos planned.

XGR-LOUISIANA BUDGET

BATON ROUGE — governor's economic development chief to explain why state tax revenue remains stagnant. The questions came Tuesday as members of the House Appropriations Committee were reviewing the Department of Economic Development's budget. Jindal repeats that his administration has announced business projects that will bring 80,000 new jobs and $50 billion in capital investment. But Appropriations Chairman Jim Fannin says he's not seeing the job growth reflected in state tax receipts. Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says Louisiana is outpacing the nation in job growth, but he says the growth is limited by the slow recovery of the national economy. He also says use of state tax breaks has grown significantly, siphoning more money from the state treasury. By Melinda Deslatte. UPCOMING: 500 words by about 3 p.m.

XGR-ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES

BATON ROUGE — A proposal to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to anyone under 18 in Louisiana has sailed through a Senate judiciary committee. Sen. Rick Gallot, a Ruston Democrat, described his bill as a safety measure. It would add e-cigarettes and alternative nicotine products to the list of items that can't be sold to minors. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that provide users with aerosol puffs that typically contain nicotine, and sometimes flavorings like fruit, mint or chocolate. Users get their nicotine without the chemicals, tar or odor of regular cigarettes. The Senate committee backed the measure Tuesday without objection. It moves to the Senate floor. The National Conference of State Legislatures says 27 states have banned the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. By Melinda Deslatte. UPCOMING: 450 words by about 2:30 p.m.

With:

XGR-LEGISLATIVE GUIDE

BATON ROUGE — A nonpartisan government watchdog group has put out a free mobile phone app to help Louisiana residents keep track of their elected officials. The guide from the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The app is available by searching for "PAR Guide" at the Apple or Google app stores. SENT: 111 word.

RAPIDES COLISEUM

ALEXANDRIA — The Rapides Parish Police Jury has directed its attorneys to file lawsuit against the former design firm on the Rapides Coliseum renovation project. The jury terminated its contract with Barron Heinberg & Brocato in August after the firm reported it could not complete the project within the $23 million budget. More than $600,000 had been spent on the project already. The litigation seeks to recoup some of that money. The jury voted unanimously to file suit and demand mediation after meeting in executive session during its Monday meeting. In November 2012, voters approved the $23 million bond issue — backed by a 2.5-mill property tax — to renovate the aging coliseum. Voters also passed a one-mill tax to fund coliseum operations over the next 20 years. SENT: 264 words.

BATON ROUGE PLANNER

BATON ROUGE — Four finalists for the city-parish planning director's job will be invited back to Baton Rouge for another round of interviews after the Planning Commission's top pick removed his name from consideration last week. Those still in the running include planners from Atlanta, Central, Norfolk, Va., and Columbus, Ga., with decades of experience in the field. Commissioners say they are hopeful that another round of interviews, following initial interviews earlier this month, will give more insight into the candidates so a final decision can be made. The timeline isn't yet finalized, and it could be several days before interview dates are set. Cincinnati Planning Director Charles Graves declined the job offer Wednesday, a decision Wicker attributed to media attention. SENT: 306 words.

ASCENSION AUDITOR

GONZALES — Ascension Parish Assessor M.J. Smiley Jr. says he plans to proceed with hiring a firm to audit the parish's salt dome caverns, although the Parish Council will not reconsider participating in paying for the effort. Smiley and his staff have found that caverns in Ascension Parish's two salt domes have not been on tax rolls in at least 10 years and want to hire a Texas company other parish assessors are using to assess other unreported caverns in Louisiana. Parish Attorney O'Neil Parenton Jr. has advised the council that paying for an expert to determine the caverns' assessed values would create the appearance of a conflict. The Parish Council sits as the Board of Review to hear appeals of property tax rolls compiled by the assessor. SENT: 270 words.

BALDWIN AUDIT

BATON ROUGE — The state legislative auditor says Baldwin's municipal budget was about $240,000 in the red last year, leaving some businesses that deal with the town waiting months for payment. As of November, the audit released Monday found the small town in St. Mary Parish owed vendors $340,000, and $172,000 of that amount was more than four months past due. Auditors also found one potential source of revenue — utility payments for gas, water and other municipal services — was not bringing in as much as it could. More than 200 customers had delinquent accounts totaling $96,111 as of October. Baldwin Mayor Wayne Breaux said Monday that the town's finances have improved somewhat since the auditors visited last year, but he acknowledged there is still work to be done. SENT: 247 words.

LAFAYETTE SCHOOLS-ATTORNEY

LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board wants to bring on a private law firm as its legal counsel. But Superintendent Pat Cooper wants the board to address several concerns he has about how they handled the matter. Last fall, the board voted to discontinue using the district attorney's office as its legal counsel. Since then, the board has appointed Hammonds, Sills, Adkins and Guice as its interim general counsel. Cooper believes the board violated two of its policies during the process that include dismissing the DA's office and naming Hammonds and Sills as the temporary replacement. Cooper said Robert's Rules of Order require boards to have at least a two-thirds vote to change its policy, which he said never occurred. The board takes up the matter Wednesday. SENT: 264 words.

FORMER PROSECUTOR-CHARGES

LAKE CHARLES — Attorney has pleaded not guilty in state district court to charges of sexual battery and malfeasance. Ronnie Rossitto is accused of fondling a man whom he was helping get his license reinstated. Because all nine judges in 14th Judicial District Court have recused themselves, retired Judge Ward Fontenot presided. Attorney Walt Sanchez entered the not guilty plea on behalf of Rossitto, who was not present in court. Motions on the case are expected to be heard May 29. Rossitto is out of jail on $25,000 bond. SENT: 271 words.

WASTEWATER-WETLANDS

HOUMA — One of Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet's goals before leaving office after the end of next year is changing the route wastewater takes once it disappears down the drain. He wants to send the water into the wetlands. The Terrebonne Parish Council took a step toward that goal March 12 by giving preliminary approval to the Wetland Assimilation Project at the South Terrebonne Wastewater Treatment Plant that includes a $2 million bond sale. There will be public hearing and final passage at the next council meeting on March 26. The project will reroute millions of gallons of wastewater into the wetlands north of Lake Boudreaux instead of discharging in the Houma Navigation Canal where nutrients in the wastewater are uselessly flushed toward the Gulf of Mexico. SENT: 222 words.

LOUISIANA IN BRIEF

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

EX-PARISH PRESIDENT ARRESTED

WALKER — A domestic abuse battery charge against former Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer has been dismissed by a judge after Grimmer's wife failed to appear in court three times for the trial. Mike Grimmer was booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center on May 31 on a count of misdemeanor domestic abuse battery after an alleged altercation with his wife, Janet Grimmer, at the couple's home in Walker. SENT: 101 words.

OBERLIN HOMICIDE

OBERLIN — Authorities say foul play is suspected in the death of an Oberlin man whose body was pulled from inside a burning mobile home. Allen Parish Sheriff Doug Hebert III said the body of 59-year-old Freddie Green was pulled from his mobile home Tuesday after a passing motorist noticed smoke coming from the home around 8:15 a.m. Hebert says his deputies are treating the death as a homicide. SENT: 106 words.

EMERGENCY LANDING

JACKSON, Miss. — A United Airlines flight from Chicago to New Orleans made an emergency landing at the Jackson-Evers International Airport Monday night after the plane developed a mechanical problem. Bonnie Wilson, spokeswoman for the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, says in a statement that United Flight 1263 landed about 9:30 p.m. SENT: 75 words.

LAFOURCHE-FATAL CRASH

HOUMA — State police say a man and his son were killed in a car-18-wheeler head on collision. The accident happened just between 7 a.m. on La. Highway 316 in Lafourche Parish. SENT: 88 words.

AMITE POLICE AUDIT

BATON ROUGE — State auditors say Amite Police Chief Jerry Trabona may have violated state law when he paid 25 off-duty policemen $18,000 for 360 court appearances even though the officers did not attend court on those days. Auditors reviewed the police department's time sheets after Lee Gray, Amite's independent auditor, told state officials about discrepancies in the town's payroll and court records. SENT: 127 words.

LASALLE PARISH BODY

JENA — Police say a body found Friday in LaSalle Parish near the Rapides Parish line has been identified as a 56-year-old Pineville woman. The LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office is treating the death of Mary Worley as a homicide. While the official cause of death has not been determined, deputies say the victim had a gunshot wound to the back of her head. SENT: 100 words.

ALEXANDRIA BUDGET

ALEXANDRIA — City of Alexandria employees could receive a raise for the first time in five years under the budget submitted by Mayor Jacques Roy. The budget contains a 3 percent pay raise for most city employees. Employees have not received a pay raise since fiscal year 2009-10, though they did receive a $2,500 one-time pay supplement last year. SENT: 103 words.

PLAYGROUND GRAFFITI

LAROSE — Officials say vandals damaged about $80,000 worth of playground equipment at the Larose Civic Center. Civic Center Director Jasmine Ayo said graffiti on two slides and a climbing piece was discovered by children playing at the Children's Tot Lot at the center last week. SENT: 107 words.

DISPATCHER ARRAIGNED

SHREVEPORT — A Shreveport Fire Department dispatcher has pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing and receiving child pornography. U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley says 45-year-old Stephen St. John entered the plea Monday before federal Magistrate Judge Mark L. Hornsby. Finley, of Shreveport, was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. SENT: 129 words

NO AIRSHOW

LAKE CHARLES — Chennault International Airport has decided not to host airshow this year. Randy Robb, president of the airshow's board of directors and Chennault's executive director, said Monday that the nonprofit organization needs more time to gather resources and recruit committee members before the airshow will return. SENT: 100 words.

CADDO CHARTER SCHOOL

SHREVEPORT — The Caddo Parish School Board has denied Bishop Larry Brandon's charter school proposal. Brandon hoped to open an all-boys school with up to 250 students in August in Shreveport. Brandon says he'll seek a charter from the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. SENT: 129 words.

GOVERNORS' FORUM

NEW ORLEANS — Three former Louisiana governors — Edwin Edwards, Buddy Roemer and Kathleen Blanco — will headline an annual political program at Loyola University in New Orleans next week. SENT: 65 words.

BUSINESS

LOUISIANA UNEMPLOYMENT

BATON ROUGE — State labor officials say Louisiana set a record in January with over 1.9 million people employed, which helped lower the unemployment rate to 4.9 percent. According to seasonally adjusted data released Monday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people employed in January was 25,787 higher than January 2013. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed was 102,476. That's 29,310 fewer people not working than a year earlier, according to a BLS survey of 750 households. Louisiana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January was the lowest since September 2008 and lowest in the 17-state southern region, where the average rate was 6.2 percent. The national unemployment rate in January was 6.6 percent. It's the fifth straight month unemployment has fallen in Louisiana. SENT: 359 words.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF

PLAQUEMINES-LEVEE IMPROVEMENTS

NEW ORLEANS — The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract to build a replacement levee stretching from Augusta to Cedar Grove in Plaquemines Parish. Tikigaq Construction LLC will do the work under a contract of about $8 million. Completion is expected by May 2015. SENT: 79 words.

GONZALES-DEVELOPMENT FLAP

GONZALES — A rezoning request to increase the commercial density for a 22-acre site on La. Highway 44 has been put off for six months by the Gonzales City Council. Nancy LeBlanc Bondy, representing the PriceCo company, made the request that the council take another look at a request for a zoning change from C-1 commercial to C-2 commercial for the site. SENT: 131 words.

SPORTS

T25-AP ALL-SEC

ATLANTA — The Associated Press announces its annual All-Southeastern Conference women's basketball team after South Carolina took the regular-season title and Tennessee claimed the league tournament. By Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 600 words by about by 3 p.m. With AP Photos.

With:

BC-BKW--AP All-SEC List. UPCOMING: 150 words by 3 p.m.

SPORTS IN BRIEF

LOYOLA-COACH

NEW ORLEANS — Loyola University New Orleans Athletic Director Dr. Michael Giorlando has named Matt Shelton interim head coach for its men's and women's track and field teams for the rest of the 2014 season. Shelton, in his second season, had been the program's assistant coach, primarily working with sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and multi-event athletes. He replaces Andy Canegitta, who resigned to take the head coaching job at the University of Mobile, which begins competing in track and field in Spring 2015. SENT: 130 words.

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