9-13-18
THE FORMER EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE DAILY ADVERTISER PASSED AWAY TUESDAY AT THE AGE OF 80. CHARLIE LENOX BEGAN AT THE PAPER IN 1962 AS THE SPORTS EDITOR AND WORKED HIS WAY THROUGH THE RANKS TO EXECUTIVE EDITOR IN 1996. HE RETIRED IN 2004. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE PENDING AND BEING HANDLED BY WALTER’S FUNERAL HOME.
Corrections officials say a Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate hit a guard in the head with a lawnmower part, and other inmates helped catch him. Spokeswoman Ken Pastorick says an investigation is underway. He says charges may be pending against 52-year-old David Settlemeyer, who is serving a life sentence for a 2001 solicitation for murder in Calcasieu Parish, as a habitual offender. Pastorick says Settlemeyer attacked the guard in her office about 7 a.m. Wednesday.
THERE WAS A HOUSE FIRE LATE LAST NIGHT ON HIGHWAY 90 IN CROWLEY, NEAR S&S CRAWFISH. THE FIRE STARTED AT AROUND 11:45 AND BY THE TIME FIRE FIGHTERS ARRIVED, IT WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. NO ONE WAS INJURED. CROWLEY FIRE DISTRICT ELEVEN IS LOOKING INTO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.
The company chosen to replace Louisiana’s years-old voting machines is dismissing suggestions that the bid process was mismanaged. Dominion Voting Systems filed its official response Wednesday to a protest of the contract award that losing bidder Election Systems and Software lodged with the state procurement office. Dominion says its competitor simply wants another chance at winning the contract, without offering any substantive grounds for throwing out the contract award. Dominion disputes all allegations of impropriety.
INVESTORS IN P-H-I, A LAFAYETTE-BASED HELICOPTER SERVICE, ARE ASKING THE COMPANY TO SELL OFF PART OF THEIR COMPANY IN ORDER TO REDUCE A 600 MILLION DOLLAR DEBT. ALESI ASSET MANAGEMENT AND A PRIVATE INVESTOR FROM INDIANA , WHO MAKE UP ABOUT FIVE PERCENT OF THE COMPANY’S NONVOTING STOCK, FILED A FORM WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION RECOMMENDING P-H-I REDUCE ITS DEBT AND IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH INVESTORS. THEY SAY THE COMPANY WENT HEAVILY INTO DEBT WHEN THEY PURCHASED H-N-Z GROUP’S OFFSHORE BUSINESS OVERSEAS. THEY RECOMMEND SELLING THE COMPANY’S AIR MEDICAL DIVISION, WHICH COULD BE WORTH 500 MILLION DOLLARS.
A CALCASIEU PARISH MOM IS RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT HOW PACKED THE SCHOOL BUS IS THAT HER DAUGHTER RIDES ON. SHE SHARED A PHOTO WITH KPLC TV AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT SHOWS STUDENTS SITTING IN THE AISLE. SCHOOL BOARD CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER SHANNON LAFARGUE SAYS BUS DRIVERS HAVE BEEN TOLD STUDENTS ARE NOT TO BE IN THE AISLES AND, IF THERE’S NO ROOM, THEY ARE TO WAIT AT THE SCHOOL SITE FOR ANOTHER BUS TO TRANSPORT THEM. SHE SAYS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES NEED MORE BUS DRIVERS, AND THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO APPLY CAN DO SO AT THE SCHOOL BOARD’S OFFICE.
A MAN, WHO WAS RECENTLY ARRESTED FOR STEALING A JOHN DEERE TRACTOR, IS NOW BEING CHARGED WITH A HOME INVASION THAT HAPPENED IN CROWLEY ON SEPTEMBER FIRST. 44-YEAR-OLD BILLY JOE HANKS WAS POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED FROM A LINEUP AND BOOKED INTO THE ACADIA PARISH JAIL ON A 325 THOUSAND DOLLAR BOND. THE HOME WAS LOCATED ON NORTH AVENUE L AND ONE PERSON IN THE HOME RECEIVED MODERATE INJURIES. POLICE ARE SEEKING ANOTHER PERSON OF INTEREST IN THE HOME INVASION.
A Louisiana abortion clinic is asking a state judge to throw out a 2015 state rewrite of clinic regulations, saying the health department ignored the rules for making such changes. Hope Medical Group for Women says the Louisiana Department of Health disregarded reams of public comments about the regulations when they were being proposed. On Wednesday, the clinic filed a motion asking the judge in an ongoing lawsuit to declare the licensing standards unenforceable. No hearing date was immediately set.
