Louisiana news briefs

FERC approves Cameron LNG site clearance
LAKE CHARLES (AP) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given the green light to Sempra Energy to begin site clearance at Cameron LNG. The move will pave the way for the company to begin construction on the plant’s new liquefaction trains.
FERC’s authorization, granted on July 10, will allow Sempra to begin removing bushes and trees from the area on which the trains will be built. The permit will also allow Sempra to bring construction equipment and trailers into the area.
Sempra plans to expand its Cameron LNG plant in Hackberry with three trains that will produce a combined total of up to 12 million metric tons of LNG per year for export. Construction on the estimated $10 billion project is expected to begin this fall.

Man accused
of using company check to pay hooker
SLIDELL (AP) — A Slidell health-food store worker is accused of using a $200 company check to pay a prostitute after a back-room encounter, police said.
Surveillance cameras showed it all, Detective Daniel Seuzeneau, a Slidell Police Department spokesman, said in a news release Thursday.
“We can’t make this stuff up,” Chief Randy Smith said. “I’m at a loss for words! This is unbelievable.”
Charles West, 24, remained jailed Thursday after being booked the previous day on charges of theft, forgery and soliciting prostitution, Seuzeneau said in an email.
Seuzeneau said he did not know whether West has an attorney. An online directory did not have a phone number for West.
According to Seuzeneau, West told investigators he didn’t know the woman, who “randomly came into the store and offered him oral sex for money.”
The store’s manager reviewed surveillance footage after finding that a company check was missing, Seuzeneau said. He said one camera showed West talking with a woman at about closing time Monday and another showed them going into the back room, where subsequent events also were videotaped.
Slidell Police said they will arrest the woman for prostitution once they identify her.

Wildfire burning marsh at Sabine wildlife refuge
HACKBERRY (AP) — Federal wildlife officials say lightning has sparked a wildfire in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in an area about eight miles south of Hackberry that has burned about 2,000 acres of marsh.
Jamie Farmer, fire management officer for the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, said Thursday that westerly winds have caused smoke to reduce visibility along areas of La. 27 and La. 82.
He says the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office is putting up smoke warning signs along the roads as a precaution for motorists.
Officials say the fire has continued to burn as thunderstorms move over the area from the Gulf of Mexico. Flames as high as 10 to 20 feet have been reported.
Federal fire management staff and resources from Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi are monitoring the blaze.

Chinese chemical company coming to Louisiana
VACHERIE (AP) — A China-based company is opening a methanol manufacturing facility on the Mississippi River in St. James Parish that’s expected to create 350 to 400 permanent jobs.
Yuhuang Chemical Inc., a subsidiary of Shandong Yuhuang Chemical Co. Ltd., will make a $1.85 billion capital investment in the project that represents the first major foreign direct investment by a Chinese company in Louisiana.
Gov. Bobby Jindal and company CEO Charlie Yao announced Thursday that the first phase of construction would begin in 2016, with operations beginning by 2018.

2 lottery tickets worth thousands set to expire
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Two $10,000 Powerball lottery tickets purchased in Louisiana are set to expire next month.
Lottery officials say no one has claimed the prizes won Feb. 15. The winning tickets were purchased at Brothers Food Mart on Jefferson Highway in Jefferson and Tallulah Truck Stop on Highway 65 in Tallulah.
Each ticket expires Aug. 14.
The winning tickets matched four of the five numbers drawn and the Powerball. The numbers were: 2, 9, 14, 21, 23 and Powerball 3.
The holders of the winning tickets have until 5 p.m. Aug. 14 to claim their prizes. Prizes not claimed within the 180-day deadline are deposited into the Louisiana Lottery’s unclaimed prize fund, which goes to players in the form of increased payouts on scratch-off games and player promotions.

$300M in borrowing for colleges approved
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s community colleges are about to start a construction boom.
The Bond Commission agreed Thursday to let the Louisiana Community and Technical College System borrow $300 million to pay for a list of 29 construction projects.
State lawmakers approved a bill in 2013 that allows LCTCS to sidestep the traditional construction budget process for the projects, over the opposition of Louisiana’s then-higher education commissioner.
Supporters say the projects will beef up worker training, to meet industry job demands and aid economic development efforts.

The state will pay off the borrowing, done through bond sales to investors, with interest over 25 years. At least 12 percent of a project’s cost has to be matched with private dollars before construction begins.
Repayment costs for the state will be $22 million a year.
Hot sauce festival continues in Lafayette
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Specialty hot sauce makers from around the globe are making their way to Lafayette this weekend for the inaugural Louisiana Hot Sauce Festival, where they hope to introduce hot sauce aficionados to new blends and spicy flavors.
Festival director Dana Romero said more than 100 vendors, including 30 different hot sauce makers, nine bloody mary mix makers, and arts and crafts makers are descending into the Cajun houses of Lafayette’s Acadian Village.
Romero says the oldest vendor participating in the event, CaJohn’s Fiery Foods out of Columbus, Ohio, has been crafting hot sauces for only 13 years.
The festival runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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