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A mass of concrete and floodgates near the head of the Atchafalaya River acts as a faucet of sorts to control how much water flows out of the Mississippi River into the vast Atchafalaya Basin swamp.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has kept a careful hand on that faucet for fear the larger Mississippi River might change course down the Atchafalaya.
Louisiana legislators embraced most of the measures in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s original 36-point legislative package for the recently wrapped session. Discounting duplicate — or companion — bills, only seven measures ultimately failed when the session ended June 25. With the mercury hovering around 95 degrees, several hundred people gathered on the Mississippi River levee to watch three World War II-era airplanes stage a mock attack on the USS Kidd during the day’s “Star-Spangled Celebration” of Independence Day. People eagerly scanning the sky for the start of the show saw two F-15 Eagle jets approaching from across the river before roaring above the Navy’s retired destroyer moored on the downtown Baton Rouge waterfront. Several minutes later, three T-6 trainers, their engines a dull hum compared to the jets, approached the Kidd, which began firing back angrily, causing many of the kids in the audience to clutch at their ears. Cleanup and recovery costs from hurricanes Gustav and Ike helped drive city-parish government spending up 12.1 percent last year to $659.1 million, an annual financial report shows. Mayor-President Kip Holden’s administration said pay raises for police and firefighters and hiring additional personnel for the two public safety agencies contributed to the sharp increase in government spending — from $588 million in 2007 to $659.1 million in 2008. CENTRAL — School bullies may stand head and shoulders above their victims, but newer and more menacing threats are those who use text-messaging and e-mail to harass other students, said Central school system officials. JARREAU “Show me your 401(k)” was the theme of the 27th annual False River Fourth of July Boat Parade on Saturday, and did they ever. Hundreds of boats of all sizes and shapes crowded the 22- mile-long oxbow lake as thousands of swimsuit-clad riders celebrated the nation’s birthday despite temperatures that nearly reached 100 degrees. Jimmy Faircloth, the governor’s executive counsel, is resigning to focus more on his campaign for the Louisiana Supreme Court. Faircloth’s last day is Friday. NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hundreds packed a huge hall at the Morial Convention Center on Saturday to hear from comedian, activist and educator Bill Cosby, a featured speaker at the Essence Music Festival’s annual gathering of leaders charged with finding solutions to problems facing urban America. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who led the famous Tennessee Titans' drive that came a yard short of forcing overtime in the 2000 Super Bowl, was found dead Saturday with multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Police said a pistol was discovered near the body of a woman also shot dead in a downtown condominium. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the woman as 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, whom he called a "friend" of McNair's. She had a single gunshot wound to the head. SHREVEPORT — For seven months, Gregory Kallenberg has been crafting a big story from inside a little executive suite in downtown Shreveport. The producer-director and his team just finished the first cut of “Haynesville,” a documentary motion picture about the natural gas drilling boom in northwest Louisiana. MONDAY DERIDDER — Bonds of $90,000 apiece were set for four men accused of planting bombs in two churches in the DeRidder area. Obituary Notices for July 5, 2009 |
