Louisiana news briefs

Arguments set on law to kill ‘Big Oil’ lawsuit
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — More arguments are set in federal court over attempts by state lawmakers to kill a southeast Louisiana flood board’s lawsuit against dozens of oil, gas and pipeline companies.
Backers of the lawsuit were set to argue today that a law passed this year to retroactively kill such lawsuits was so badly drafted that it can’t be applied to the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which filed the suit. They also say the law violates the Louisiana Constitution.
A similar argument is playing out in state courts, where one judge has ruled in favor of the flood board. That ruling is to be challenged at the state Supreme Court.
The lawsuit says oil and gas activity has severely damaged coastal wetlands that protect New Orleans from hurricanes.

LSU re-accredited
BATON ROUGE (AP) — LSU’s accreditation has been renewed for another decade.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges announced Tuesday the final outcome of its two-year re-accreditation review, which is required every 10 years for schools to continue to award degrees.
The review process included at least two trips to LSU, which resulted in several recommendations from SACS. In Nov. 2012, the Georgia-based regional accrediting authority raised concerns over whether LSU’s merger of its president and chancellor positions was in full compliance with its accreditation.
LSU in September submitted its response with corrective measures to SACS for final review.
The process on campus was led by a committee of faculty, staff, students and administrators.

Mother’s Day slaying suspect found not guilty
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A man accused in the Mother’s Day 2013 shooting death of his former girlfriend has been acquitted by an East Baton Rouge Parish jury.
Carlos Thomas, of Baton Rouge, was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Amanda McCullough.
In his closing argument Tuesday, Sean Collins asked jurors to acquit Thomas, arguing that his DNA was found in McCullough’s home because he had previously lived there. Collins also noted that another man’s DNA was discovered inside the home.
McCullough had obtained a temporary restraining order against Thomas on April 22, 2013.
McCullough was found fatally shot just three days before a scheduled hearing in family court.

Ex-pastor seeks reduced sentence
in relief scheme
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A former New Orleans pastor who embezzled nearly $1 million in disaster relief aid in the wake of Hurricane Katrina has asked a federal judge to shorten his prison sentence by several years.
The Rev. Toris Young, who has convictions in three federal cases and has been behind bars about five years, also is lobbying U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to recommend he be transferred to a halfway house or home detention for the rest of his sentence.
Federal prosecutors have opposed Young’s requests, saying a hearing set for next week is not necessary. They also said it’s up to the Bureau of Prisons, not the judge, to decide whether a prisoner should be placed in a halfway house.

Judge suspended for accepting paid-for trip
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A state district judge has been suspended without pay for 30 days for accepting an all-expense-paid trip from a Texas attorney whose client was awarded a $1.2 million settlement in a personal injury lawsuit tried in the judge’s court.
The suspension of District Judge J. Robin Free was approved in a decree handed down on Tuesday by the Louisiana Supreme Court. Free is a judge in the judicial district that covers the parishes of West Baton Rouge, Iberville and Pointe Coupee.
The court, on the recommendation of the state’s Judiciary Commission, also directed Free to reimburse the commission for $6,724 for costs in the investigation against him.
The Judiciary Commission found Free created an appearance of impropriety and placed the court’s integrity and impartiality in question when he traveled to Texas on the dime of lawyer whose personal injury case was settled in Free’s court.
The court records reveal Free took the all-expense-paid three-day trip in April 2010 to a hunting ranch south of Corpus Christi, Texas, at the request of Assistant District Attorney Tony Clayton, who had expressed interest at the time in buying the property.
Clayton asked the judge to accompany him so Free could view the property, as well, the records say. The ranch was owned by a Texas attorney who was working with Clayton on the personal injury case.
The trip occurred shortly after the $1.2 million settlement in the case was delivered in Free’s court on March 24, 2010.

Grand jury clears Houma man
in shooting death
THIBODAUX (AP) — A Terrebonne Parish grand jury has found that a Houma man acted in self-defense when he killed a man knocking on his neighbor’s door in July, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the grand jury found that Ray Carlos, who had been charged with second-degree murder, acted in self-defense when he shot James Rube, 29, of Gray, on July 6.
Houma police got a call from Rube’s ex-girlfriend, Nikki Frickey, saying Rube was causing a disturbance at her home. Around 3 a.m., Rube banged on Frickey’s door, breaking a window and waking up Carlos.
Assistant District Attorney Jason Dagate said Carlos then went outside with a gun and yelled, “Who’s there?”
Carlos told police Rube began yelling and cursing at him before raising his hands, leading Carlos to believe he had a gun, Dagate said. Carlos reported the shooting at 3:15 a.m.
Upon his death, Rube had a blood alcohol content of .158, just under twice the legal limit, Dagate said.

Lafayette board makes personnel, budget cuts
LAFAYETTE (AP) — The Lafayette Parish School System will eliminate dozens of positions this month after the board approved budget changes Monday night.
The eliminations include slots for 11 assistant principals, one counselor, 14 teachers, two special education para-educators, 2.5 teachers at N.P. Moss Preparatory School and four deans of students.
Earlier in Monday’s meeting, the board rejected a proposal that would have restored all but 5.5 positions, including slots for a counselor, two special education para-educators and 2.5 teachers at the N.P. Moss Preparatory School.
The board is still discussing this year’s budget after months of meetings to try to make up a $20.4 million deficit. Former Superintendent Pat Cooper refused to implement the board-approved budget, which included several personnel and program cuts, alleging that the budget was illegal.
Interim Superintendent Burnell LeJeune had pushed to restore as many positions as possible, saying that cutting employees would result in major mid-year instability for students, teachers and families.
“We know that, through data, that it is not beneficial to a student to have a different teacher, especially at this time of the year,” LeJeune said. “I would just like to maintain the staffing through the end of the school year. I’m just trying to look at the situation, can we complete the school year to provide these services.”
Several board members emphasized that they wanted to keep as many educators in schools as possible, but felt the need to balance that with the district’s long-term budget situation. Board member Tehmi Chassion said he thinks the system will start the 2015-16 fiscal year with at least a $15 million deficit because of expanding charter schools and state spending requirements.