Louisiana news briefs

Senator seeks report on college sexual assault
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A New Orleans state senator is asking higher education leaders to compile a report detailing the numbers of sexual assaults reported on Louisiana’s college campuses in the last five years.
Sen. J.P. Morrell sent a letter Friday to Board of Regents Chairman Clinton “Bubba” Rasberry and the chairmen of the college system boards seeking the information by Sept. 15.
He is also seeking details of each campus’ policy governing sexual assaults and employee training requirements to handle such cases.
Morrell, a Democrat who chairs a Senate judiciary committee, cites a recent national survey that he describes as showing “an epidemic” of rape and sexual assault on campuses and disappointing efforts to address the problem.
He says the data will help state lawmakers find ways to combat assaults in Louisiana.

Drainage improvements
tied to stadium upgrade
HOUMA (AP) — The Terrebonne Parish Council will spend $561,000 to build a new baseball complex for Terrebonne High School and make way for a 5-acre drainage and water retention basin.
The agreement envisions development of a multipurpose sports complex at the stadium.
The upgrade would include removing the track and reconfiguring the site to include both a baseball diamond and a football field.
The project also includes construction of drainage and storm water retention basin on the high school’s current field, which is adjacent to Southdown Stadium.
Parish Manager Al Levron says the basin would be used in time of heavy rain to relieve strain on the area’s drainage system. The basin would hold runoff until it can be pumped into Bayou Black.

Man pleads guilty to investment fraud scheme
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A Louisiana man has pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud for executing a $13 million investment fraud scheme that included victims in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Florida.
James R. Holdman, 59, of Baker, entered the plea Friday in federal court in Baton Rouge.
In return for Holdman’s guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to dismiss 16 additional counts of mail fraud.
U.S. District Judge James J. Brady has not set a sentencing date. Each of the mail fraud counts carries a possible 20-year prison term and fine of $250,000.
Prosecutors say from February 2008 to October 2008, Holdman falsely represented to the victims that their investments were earning positive rates of return when, in fact, he had lost more than 98 percent of their funds.

Shooting suspect back in La.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office says a suspect in the gunfight that killed one person and injured nine others last month in the French Quarter is back in New Orleans.
Trung Le is being held in Orleans Parish Prison. Le was booked with one count of first-degree murder and nine counts of attempted first-degree murder. Le is an Asian male from Belle Chasse, Louisiana.
Chris Bowman with the Orleans Parish DA’s office says in a statement that Lee was picked up from a Mississippi jail around 10 a.m. Saturday. Prison officials said Le was booked about 1:15 p.m. Saturday.
Earlier Saturday, Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves signed a document to have Le extradited.
The 20-year-old Le has been held in a Gulfport, Miss., jail since being arrested on July 4. He had refused to sign a waiver of extradition, but Gov. Bobby Jindal signed what is called a governor’s warrant Thursday, which overrides an inmate’s refusal to be taken to another jurisdiction to face criminal charges.
A warrant New Orleans police issued for Le does not spell out in detail what evidence police have against him.
They have yet to identify the second gunman in the case.

Man struck, killed by pickup
LAROSE — State police are investigating a fatal pedestrian accident on La. 657 in Larose.
Trooper Evan Harrell says a 38-year-old man attempted to cross La. 657 early Sunday morning and was struck by a pickup driven by 32-year-old Elmer Lagos of Galliano.
Harrell says the pedestrian was pronounced dead on the scene by a Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office representative.
The victim’s identity is being withheld until the next of kin is notified.

Deputy kills man
NEW IBERIA — State police say an Iberia Parish sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a 33-year-old man who brandished a gun as the deputy responded to a domestic disturbance.
Trooper Brooks David said the shooting happened in New Iberia Saturday night.
David said Coty Champagne was standing in the doorway of his stepmother’s home with a gun as the deputy approached.
After shouting at Champagne to drop the gun, David said the deputy fired several shots, striking Champagne. David said Champagne was later pronounced dead.
Authorities say his stepmother called the sheriff’s deputies to report that Champagne was damaging property throughout the house.
Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal requested the state police investigate the officer involved shooting.

U.S. 90 work to begin
BROUSSARD (AP) — Construction crews will begin work within a month to widen a 1.6-mile stretch of U.S. 90 from Albertson Parkway to Ambassador Caffery Parkway. It’s part of an effort that ultimately could extend Interstate 49 from Lafayette to New Orleans.
The three-year U.S. 90 widening project includes building a new overpass at Albertson Parkway and replacing the old one over the Burlington Northern railroad tracks and La. 182.
James Construction Group, of Baton Rouge, was awarded the design-build project in December with a bid of $57.1 million.
Rodney James, vice president of the company’s Civil Projects Division, said the project’s schedule should keep traffic congestion to a minimum.

PBS focusing on sinkhole
BAYOU CORNE (AP) — The Public Broadcasting Service television series NOVA is working on a documentary about the sinkhole in northern Assumption Parish.
NOVA producer Larry Klein said a film crew associated with the science program finished up four days of interviews and shooting in Bayou Corne on Friday. Klein says a one-hour program is set to air in the winter of 2015.
The lake-like sinkhole, now covering 32 acres, has drawn worldwide media attention since it appeared in early August 2012, swallowing up a former cypress swamp.
Klein said the program will report on why and where sinkholes occur around the world, and whether their numbers are increasing and whether anything can be done to prevent or lessen them.