http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/la-news/ en-us Fri, 1 Jan 2010 15:59:15 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418970/posts Formaldehyde, a chemical commonly used in building materials and household products, was found in elevated levels in thousands of trailers distributed by FEMA after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. In lawsuits filed against the manufacturers, victims said the levels of formaldehyde in the trailers caused their health to deteriorate. Democrats say Vitter has blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from releasing a report that concludes formaldehyde is dangerous. Vitter’s office, however, has argued that more testing is needed before a final decision on new regulations is reached. The World Health Organization has linked formaldehyde, which is also used in embalming,... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418970/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 15:59:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418280/posts UPDATE: Shreveport Police are still searching for a man who they believe is responsible for a deadly home invasion shooting in Cedar Grove Tuesday morning. 23-year-old Jerome Hughes is still on the run Wednesday and police need your help in capturing him. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jerome Hughes to call Shreveport Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373. SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) – Shreveport police have impounded a car believed to belong to the surviving suspect in Tuesday's deadly home invasion in Cedar Grove. Acting on a tip, police found the an '80s model blue Chevy Caprice in the 100... Ksla.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418280/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:24:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417837/posts Here is the Initial Report from the Streamlining Government Commission in the State of Louisiana. Among the recommendations to trimming the state government are: 1. Trimming the state fleet of vehicles by roughly 30% by December 31, 2011. 2. Abolishing all special funds in the State Treausry by June 30, 2011. 3. Outsourcing and consolidating different activities within the State Departments. The State Legislature will review the recommendations once that are submitted to the House and Senate Governmental Affairs committees early next year to determine which recommendations to adopt. Louisiana Commission on Streamlining Government http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417837/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:46:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417720/posts Michael Steven Lee, of Baton Rouge, was charged Tuesday with federal racketeering and other offenses related to the payment of bribes to dismiss drug-possession and domestic violence cases. Lee, 46, is the ninth person charged since October in an ongoing federal investigation of corruption in city and state courts in Baton Rouge. The Advocate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417720/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:52:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417417/posts Today, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal put out an op-ed piece touting Louisiana’s economic gains in an otherwise-rough year... The Hayride http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417417/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:23:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts New population figures give a boost to the GOP By: Chris StirewaltPolitical EditorDecember 28, 2009 The 2010 census is sure to be controversial.Republicans will thunder about the community organizers who get hired to do the counting, and Democrats will wail that the homeless and migrant workers are undercounted.But in the final pre-count estimate just released by the Census Bureau, we already have a broad idea of where the results are headed and what they will mean politically.The numbers are cause for alarm for Democrats.Of the states gaining House seats -- Texas (three) and Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416160/posts The owner of an Alexandria, Louisiana fireworks stand reportedly used his handgun to fend off three armed robbers. Police say that the husband and wife who own the fireworks stand were preparing to close for the day when the wife noticed a young man acting suspiciously. The wife reportedly notified her husband, at which point he got his gun and kept it ready. At closing time, the suspicious young man and two accomplices drew their handguns as part of a robbery attempt, police say. The fireworks stand owner reportedly then drew and fired his own gun in self defense, ending... Self Defense Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416160/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:42:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416076/posts Louisiana health professionals are developing guidelines that specify which patients would get access to lifesaving treatments — and which wouldn’t — during a severe pandemic, bioterrorist attack or natural disaster that overwhelms the medical system. Around two dozen hospital leaders, health professionals and ethicists in Baton Rouge began crafting the guidelines last summer after the emergence of the H1N1 flu, also known as the swine flu. In November, the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals sent an early draft to representatives in Louisiana’s nine public health regions asking them to reach out to hospitals and the medical community for feedback.... nola.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416076/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:30:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415176/posts JENNINGS, La. — A South Carolina family passing through Jennings on their way to Texas was pulled over, hauled off to a church, "tried" for not stopping to enjoy local hospitality and "sentenced" to gumbo, presents and a tour."We do this every year at Christmastime to some unsuspecting out-of-town person," said Gayle Jones, a member of the Jennings Optimist Club, which has made it part of a more than 30-year holiday tradition. Neither Leonard nor Lori Pavia of Greer, S.C., could figure out why the deputy had pulled them over as they headed to see friends in McAllen, Texas. "I... FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415176/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:50:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413718/posts BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Nearly 400 protestors crowded the sidewalk outside Sen. Mary Landrieu's office in downtown Baton Rouge Tuesday afternoon. Landrieu's mind appears to be made up on the highly controversial healthcare overhaul, but some constituents in Baton Rouge say she needs to reconsider her position as the Senate gets closer to passing it. Their concerns range from government-funded abortions to constitutional rights violations and alleged cuts to Medicaid. Protestors held bold signs in hand. Some of them read, "Ho, ho Mary's gotta go" and "You are a sellout Landrieu." "When people tried to call Mary Landrieu, they... wafb http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413718/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:46:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413435/posts Energy: An oil company wants to invest its profits in clean-burning American natural gas. A Hungarian billionaire and a "green" politician want to stop it. This is the real Climate-gate scandal. While the greenies of the world united in Copenhagen to talk about the weather, emitting a Third World-country-size chunk of greenhouse gases to gather there, the world's largest oil company, Exxon Mobil, was doing something about it. On Dec. 14, Exxon agreed to buy XTO Energy, a natural gas firm, in a deal valued at $41 billion. XTO is one of the leaders in something called "fracking" technology, in... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413435/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:25:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413314/posts Politics: Sen. Mary Landrieu was the new "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up his state's future Medicaid tab. Maybe we should just put Senate votes up on eBay. Nelson, the 60th vote in the middle-of-the-night Senate party line vote on health care reform, will go down in American political history as the inventor of the permanent earmark. His seemingly principled stand against including federal funding for Tea Party Nexus http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413314/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:10:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413171/posts The South has risen again, at least in terms of belief in God. Mississippi is the America's most religious state, according to a Pew Forum study on the levels of devotion in America, which asked respondents whether religion is important in their lives. Eighty-two percent of Mississipians said yes. "That is not too surprising," said William F. Lawhead, chairman of the religion and philosophy department at the University of Mississippi. "This is the Bible Belt. We are primarily made up of small towns - not many urban areas like Dallas and so on, where there's a lot of people coming... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413171/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:01:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413299/posts FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22, 2009 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy, (866) FRC-NEWS Senator Landrieu Closes Office: Constituents Turned Away at the Door, Callers Reach Only Busy Signals December 22, 2009 FRC's Tony Perkins Calls Closure the "Height of Arrogance" Baton Rouge, LA - This afternoon, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins attempted to deliver a letter to Senator Mary Landrieu's Baton Rouge office only to be told by a federal marshal that her offices were "closed for the holidays." Over 150 concerned citizens joined Perkins at a rally in front of Senator Landrieu's office to urge the Senator to oppose the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413299/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:49:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412787/posts In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, word has come that we New Yorkers are the sad sacks of the United States. This is something of a surprise. Sure, we complain a lot. Grumbling could qualify as the official state sport. But are we really the unhappiest of them all? It seems so, judging from a study by two economics professors, newly published in Science magazine. The academics — Andrew J. Oswald, of the University of Warwick in Britain, and Stephen Wu, of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. — examined piles of data, tossed them into a... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412787/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:48:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412685/posts Politics: Sen. Mary Landrieu was the new "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up his state's future Medicaid tab. Maybe we should just put Senate votes up on eBay. Nelson, the 60th vote in the middle-of-the-night Senate party line vote on health care reform, will go down in American political history as the inventor of the permanent earmark. His seemingly principled stand against including federal funding for abortion evaporated like the morning dew as he decided to take what was behind door No. 1. The deal for Nelson includes special Medicaid funding for Nebraska, along... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412685/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:24:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411252/posts 18 states allow for recall votes on US Senators. The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. The Senate oath of office is: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411252/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:02:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409264/posts A St. Rose, Louisiana homeowner reportedly shot two armed burglar who broke in to his home and threatened his life. Police say that a pair of burglars, who were armed with a pistol, kicked down the down the back door to a St. Rose home. Upon entering the house, one of the robber then reportedly shined his pistol's laser sight on the homeowner. Fearing for his life, the homeowner is said to have fired one shot from his shotgun, which caused both intruders to flee, according to police. One suspected burglar, 21 year old Michael Cockerham, was found dead from... Self Defense Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409264/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:44:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409170/posts Politics: If the Democrats' stitched-together Frankenstein monster of health care reform gets the 60 votes to get through the Senate, it will have been done through an assortment of bribes and brass knuckles. (snip) Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, has also been critical of the buy-in and public option, but he has an additional issue about whatever comes out of the Senate not involving public funding of abortion in any way. Michael Goldfarb on the Weekly Standard blog quotes a Senate aide as saying the White House is now threatening to put Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base on the... Investor's Business daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409170/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:29:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407185/posts man who attempted to rob a Marrero couple at gunpoint Saturday night died after one of the robbery victims, who was armed, shot him, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. The man was reported shot in the chest at 34 Azalea Court around 8 p.m. He was taken to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, said Col. John Fortunato, JPSO spokesman. Investigators learned that the man was one of three male suspects who tried to rob the couple as they were walking from their driveway to their home. But the male robbery victim was also... nola.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407185/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406093/posts BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU's governing board has agreed to the expropriation of property to build a new public teaching hospital in New Orleans and a nearby new veterans hospital. Without objection Friday, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved the use of expropriation. The resolution allows state officials working on the projects to seek a court order to seize private property if the owners refuse to sell. A judge would decide the purchase price the state must pay. More than 450 separately-owned parcels of land are located in the footprint of the planned U.S. Veterans Affairs' hospital and the $1.2... WWL TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406093/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:27:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406083/posts “It was like the crazy miner who comes in from the hills saying he has found gold,” said Kallenberg, a former newspaper reporter and cable television writer turned documentary filmmaker. But what he thought would be a film about the people in the middle of a mad rush for drilling rights ended up being something bigger, a story about the nation's energy future. Kallenberg took a few minutes from preparing for a screening of the movie at the Copenhagen climate change conference this week to speak with Chronicle reporter Tom Fowler by phone about his film Haynesville. Q: What's your... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406083/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:14:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405757/posts Tomorrow at the Uptown home of David Voelker, local liberals were set to pay big money for the chance to meet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). This fundraiser was going to boost the re-election coffers of the Majority Leader, who is facing a tough opponent in Nevada. While regular tickets cost only $1,000; co-hosts had to pay $4,800.00 each. Quite a haul for beignets!  The main hosts of the event were Democratic operative James Carville and U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA). All might have gone smoothly, but local tea party activists learned about the event and planned a protest rally.... BAYOUBUZZ.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405757/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:47:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405697/posts <p>AVONDALE, La. (AP) - A ceremony steeped in shipbuilding tradition kicked off major construction Friday on a U.S. Navy assault vessel named in honor of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.</p> <p>It is the second of three new Navy ships named for the sites of the Sept. 11 attacks. The USS New York entered service last month and the Arlington, memorializing the strike on the Pentagon, is under construction.</p> wgso,com radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405697/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:24:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404785/posts On Saturday, Sen. Mary Landrieu, political commentator James Carville and a committee of prominent Democrats will host a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada at the home of David Voelker, chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Tickets to the affair start at $1,000 and escalate to $4,800 for co-hosts supporting Reid, who is locked in a bitter re-election campaign for 2010 and raising money in the districts of his Democratic Senate colleagues nationwide. When he visits New Orleans, political donors as well as Tea Party activists from throughout Louisiana will greet him. They have labeled their rally... New Orleans City Business http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404785/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:29:29 GMT