Louisiana news briefs

Cassidy says Reid runs ‘Senate like a plantation’
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Maness is calling on his fellow GOP contender in the race, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, to apologize for saying that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “runs the Senate like a plantation.”
The quote was reported Tuesday by Environment & Energy Publishing.
Maness, a tea party favorite, says the language was offensive and extreme rhetoric. In a statement, Maness described Cassidy’s statement as “over-the-top, out-of-bounds ignorance” that drives people away from the Republican Party.
In a response, Cassidy didn’t retract the comment. He says Reid runs the Senate “dictatorially,” not allowing votes on items that he doesn’t support. Cassidy said: “Any other interpretation of my remarks is a false controversy.”
Cassidy and Maness are challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in the Nov. 4 election.

Miss. woman accused of having sex with teenager
THIBODAUX (AP) — A 27-year-old Mississippi woman accused of having consensual sex with a Thibodaux teenage boy has been booked with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile Monday.
Victoria Baker, of Carriere, Mississippi, is being held in the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office says Baker was arrested Monday.
Deputies say during questioning Baker confessed to having sex with the boy.

Port receives
$10M grant
LAKE CHARLES (AP) — The Port of Lake Charles has received a $10 million federal grant for the expansion of its Bulk Terminal 1.
The grant will provide funds for a barge fleeting area, new berths, a bulkhead and conveyors. The grant, awarded through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery discretionary grant program, will also go toward the dredging necessary for infrastructure improvements.
Construction on the terminal expansion is expected to begin in 2015. After the design package is formalized, the port will put out a request for proposals.

Ochsner
to acquire hospital
LAPLACE (AP) — Ochsner Health System said that it has reached an agreement to acquire River Parishes Hospital in St. John the Baptist Parish
Ochsner officials say plans call for turning the underused 80-bed acute-care hospital into an outpatient clinic providing emergency and primary care services until a new facility is built in coming years.
David Gaines, vice president of public affairs for Ochsner Health System, said the agreement, which is expected to be completed in November, will likely result in layoffs of about 90 of the hospital’s 150 full-time employees.
Gaines says the LaPlace facility will stay open as Ochsner builds a new facility elsewhere in St. John, which will provide emergency, primary care, laboratory and radiology services. He says that could take two years.

B.R. councilwoman wants police
body cameras
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman says she wants city police to join the ranks of New Orleans, Thibodaux and other police departments across the country that are using body cameras to increase officer accountability.
Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle said recent news stories involving police, both locally and nationally, motivated her to put pressure on the Baton Rouge Police Department to consider the surveillance technology.
Cpl. Don Coppola Jr., a Baton Rouge police spokesman, said the agency would be interested in reviewing the possibility of acquiring body cameras if the opportunity arose.

Ark. man booked on sex trafficking
BATON ROUGE (AP) — East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies have arrested a 22-year-old fugitive accused of trafficking at least two women and possibly others from out of state to Baton Rouge, allegedly forcing them into prostitution
Investigators first learned of Emmanuel Bailey’s operation in March when authorities arrested a woman for prostitution at a hotel, only to learn she had been brought to Louisiana by Bailey.
Bailey, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was booked Tuesday on counts of human trafficking.

Democrats pledge strong push
in 5th District race
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s Democratic Party says it will have a strong get-out-the vote effort for the lone Democrat running for the congressional seat representing northeast Louisiana.
The party announced Tuesday that its governing body voted to endorse Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo in the 5th District race.
State Democratic Party Chair Karen Carter Peterson says that endorsement will be backed by door-knocking, mailers, radio advertising and other support for Mayo.
Nine candidates are running in the Nov. 4 election, including Republican incumbent Vance McAllister, trying to overcome a cheating scandal that threatens his re-election.

Officer, 2 suspects shot in Gretna
GRETNA (AP) — A Gretna police officer was shot Tuesday along with two suspects during an apparent drug deal that a task force was trying to thwart, authorities said.
Gretna Deputy Police Chief Anthony Christiana said members of a West Bank task force were trying to intercept an alleged heroin deal at a strip mall around 3 p.m.
An officer was shot in the arm and abdomen, he said. Christiana credits a military-style armored vest with aiding the officer from more serious injury. “The officer also sustained abrasions and lacerations to the arm,” police said in a news release.
The officer’s name was not released. The department said he’s listed in good condition.
Both suspects also were shot.
The driver, Darryl Johnson, 22, was shot in the face and listed in critical condition, police said. Darrin Johnson, 23, was shot multiple times — in the shoulder, neck and head — and is in stable condition.

Sentencing
set for another Nagin witness
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A businessmen who pleaded guilty in a New Orleans City Hall corruption case and provided key testimony against former Mayor Ray Nagin is about to learn his fate.
Rodney Williams was set for sentencing today afternoon in federal court in New Orleans. Williams pleaded guilty in 2012 to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. In February, he was among those who testified against Nagin.
Williams testified about $60,000 in payoffs to secure city contracts.
Nagin this week began serving a 10-year sentence on charges that included bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.

School boss wants public hearing
LAFAYETTE (AP) — When the Lafayette Parish School Board meets Thursday to consider formal charges against Superintendent Pat Cooper, the discussion won’t be behind closed doors.
Cooper said Tuesday he still intends to waive his right for the board to hold the discussion in executive session. He said he wants any discussion about decisions he’s made to be held in public.
In a 5-4 vote in July 2013, the board voted to hire an attorney to investigate Cooper.
From The Associated Press.
The vote followed the board’s April 2013 reprimand of Cooper related to the hiring and continual employment of Thad Welch as a special assistant to the superintendent over facilities, maintenance, operations and grounds.