Louisiana news briefs

Cassidy agrees to 2 TV debates in the Senate race
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bill Cassidy has agreed to two statewide TV debates against Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu ahead of the Nov. 4 election, fewer than the senator sought.
The GOP congressman’s spokesman John Cummins said Wednesday that Cassidy will face off with Landrieu and tea party favorite Rob Maness twice, on Oct. 14 in Shreveport and Oct. 29 in Baton Rouge.
The Shreveport match-up will be broadcast statewide by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, while the Baton Rouge debate will be on Raycom Media stations around the state, along with WRKF and other public radio stations.
Cassidy has rejected three other debates in which Landrieu had agreed to participate, two in New Orleans and a third in Monroe. New Orleans-based WWL-TV said it intends to proceed with its Oct. 27 debate without Cassidy.

Voter guide released on constitutional amendments
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Voters trying to sift through the details of 14 constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot have a guide they can consult.
The nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, known as PAR, has released its online informational guide on the proposals to rewrite the state constitution.
The amendments can be dense, dealing with health care funding changes, property taxes and transportation financing. This year’s ballot contains among the heftiest number of amendments voters have ever faced at once.
PAR’s guide provides background information for each amendment, describes the change and offers arguments both in support and opposition. It also includes a checklist, so voters can decide which amendments they support or oppose and take that list into the voting booth.

LSU board to discuss dispute with hospital manager
BATON ROUGE (AP) — An ongoing financial disagreement between LSU and the manager of its Shreveport and Monroe hospitals will be talked about by the university system’s governing board.
LSU claims it’s owed more than $25 million for services rendered from the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, known as BRF. An LSU lawyer sent a collection letter, saying BRF’s refusal to pay has created problems for the Shreveport medical school.
In response, the research foundation has disputed the amount it owes. BRF says it has paid LSU $6.4 million for the back-owed debts so far, while negotiations continue.
The LSU Board of Supervisors was scheduled to discuss the disagreement today. An agenda for the meeting said the discussion could be done behind closed doors because “the matters at issue may result in litigation.”

Feds approve Cameron
LNG exports from SW La.
BATON ROUGE (AP) — The U.S. Energy Department has issued the final authorization to Cameron LNG LLC in southwest Louisiana to export liquefied natural gas to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
The Cameron terminal in Hackberry has permission to export up to 1.7 billion cubic feet of LNG per day for 20 years.
The Energy Department approves LNG exports to non-Free Trade Agreement countries, which include the more lucrative Asian markets, as long as those exports are “consistent with the public interest.”
A dozen of the multibillion-dollar facilities have been proposed in Louisiana. Three have been given final approval to export to non-Free Trade Agreement countries.

East Baton Rouge council fires parish attorney
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Parish Attorney Mary Roper has been fired by the East Baton Rouge Metro Council
The council voted 8-3 Wednesday night to remove Roper.
Mayor Pro Tem Chandler Loupe laid out the case against Roper in an emotional 15-minute speech detailing their bumpy relationship since 2009 when he first took office.
Loupe said he initially grew concerned about issues in the Parish Attorney’s Office in 2009 after media reports that a backlog of DWI cases were being dismissed because the City Prosecutor’s Office, which was under Roper’s control, had failed to prosecute them.
Roper told reporters after the vote it was a sad day for Baton Rouge.
Roper had served in parish government for 21 years.

Terrebonne Parish votes
to accept Houma school
HOUMA (AP) — The old Houma Elementary School building may be repurposed to accommodate affordable housing apartment units.
In its Tuesday night meeting, the Terrebonne Parish council voted to regain possession of the now vacant building in downtown Houma from the School Board.
Built in 1931, the building was last used as a school in 1970. The building was being used as office space for the school district’s federal and special education services workers until this spring. Due to asbestos concerns, the 80 employees working inside the facility relocated to another closed school.
The parish is accepting proposals for various projects including one from HRI Properties, which has a reputation for restoring and repurposing old buildings.

Retail sales on the rise
LAFAYETTE (AP) — The Lafayette Economic Development Authority says year-to-date retail sales in Lafayette have reached $3.1 billion in 2014, an increase of 4.7 percent over last year.
That includes $565 million in sales in June alone. June sales, the highest on record for the month, reflect an increase of 5.3 percent over June 2013.
Building materials continues to lead the way for retail sales, up 16 percent compared to 2013. Other categories showing increases over 2013 numbers are services, auto, other/miscellaneous and general merchandise.

Jindal is in Georgia
ATLANTA (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is touting efforts in his state to expand charter schools and praising Gov. Nathan Deal for his support of school choice.
Jindal was in Atlanta on Wednesday with Deal for a Republican Governors Association fundraiser. Jindal says the RGA is “very committed” to helping Deal win re-election but didn’t detail how much the group might spend.
Deal is facing Democrat Jason Carter who’s been arguing the state is underfunding public education.
Jindal says Louisiana has seen tremendous improvement in student performance since passing a constitutional amendment allowing the state to intervene and in some cases take over poor-performing districts.
Deal says he wants to see reforms in Georgia, adding he’ll work with lawmakers to study the Louisiana model and develop a plan to help failing schools.