Louisiana news briefs

Big lottery jackpots rise again: Powerball $450 million
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Louisiana Lottery Corp. says someone bought a $1 million Powerball ticket in Hammond. It matches five numbers without the Powerball.
The corporation says two Louisiana tickets match the Powerball and four other numbers. One is worth $10,000; the other is a Power Play worth $50,000.
Five Lotto tickets match five of six numbers to win $7,046 each.
The agency says nobody won jackpots for three big lotteries.
That means estimated jackpots rise to $100,000 for Easy 5, $750,000 for Lotto and $450 million for the Powerball.

Terrebonne to consider dropping out of Common Core
HOUMA — The Terrebonne Parish School Board on Tuesday will consider whether to ask the Governor’s Office to be removed from Common Core testing.
The resolution asks Gov. Bobby Jindal and state school Superintendent John White to remove Terrebonne Parish from Common Core testing until “these programs have been thoroughly reviewed and understood by teachers, parents, community leaders, and approved by school board members.”
Terrebonne school Superintendent Philip Martin said only the Legislature can alter state law.
In January, Jindal issued an executive order protecting parents who choose to opt their children out of the tests. His action came after several parents across the state announced they wouldn’t let their children participate.

Annexations are shrinking proposed city of St. George
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Since it was unveiled 17 months ago, the proposed city of St. George has steadily shrunk. Big commercial properties such as the Mall of Louisiana and L’Auberge Casino have been annexed one by one into the city of Baton Rouge.
In the process, the tax base for the would-be city has deteriorated to the point where opponents argue that tax increases are inevitable, an assertion St. George supporters hotly dispute.
If the St. George movement is successful, some parish residents and property owners will pay the city of Baton Rouge for fire, police and other municipal services but pay schools taxes to the new St. George school system.
The first step, a referendum to incorporate St. George, could go to voters as early as May 2.

St. James Parish eyes bond issue for school upgrades
LUTCHER (AP) — St. James Parish school officials plan to ask voters to approve a $56 million bond issue on the May 2 ballot that could greatly reorganize the school system and upgrade where the parish’s children go to school.
Officials say the proposed changes, including the relocation of the parish’s west bank high school, St. James High, are coming in part to make way for industrial growth coming to the northern half of the parish’s west bank.
Voters will be asked to extend for 20 years an existing 10-mill property tax that the system uses to retire long-term debt.
The board has already decided to put the existing high school property up for sale at minimum price of $9.85 million.
The board will discuss the bond issue on Feb. 19.

Historic church sold; developers plan hotel, community space
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Developers have bought a 156-year-old former church and school with plans to turn it into a hotel and community center.
Orleans Parish records show that the $2.4 million purchase closed Friday.
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church and School was founded in 1848 to minister to Irish Catholics in the area that became known as the Faubourg Marigny. In addition to the school and the church, which was designed by Irish-born architect Henry Howard, the campus includes a convent, rectory and parking lot.
Neighborhood resident Nathalie Jordi and New York interior designer and developer Ari Heckman want to turn the school and rectory into a 71-room boutique hotel. The church will be renovated as a community space.
The City Planning Commission and City Council rezoned the property and approved a change of use for the hotel.
The school closed in 1992. The church has been vacant since 2001, when the Archdiocese of New Orleans consolidated several area parishes.

Ex-banker pleads guilty to trying to embezzle nearly $65,000
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite says a 70-year-old former banker from Ponchatoula has pleaded guilty to bank larceny.
He said in a news release Friday that Frances Carrington admitted trying to steal nearly $65,000 from First Guaranty Bank, where she was a bank operations officer.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier set sentencing for May 14.
The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release after any imprisonment.

SUV driver’s bond $150,000 after post-parade tractor fatal
GRETNA (AP) — The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says bond has been set at $150,000 for a 54-year-old man accused in the death of a man who was moving a tractor after a weekend Carnival parade.
Sheriff’s spokesman Glen Boyd says 52-year-old Don Dauzat of Marrero died late Saturday and Michael Burrie, of Gretna, was booked Sunday with vehicular homicide — that is, killing someone by driving drunk.
It was not clear whether Burrie has an attorney.
Boyd says Dauzat was moving a tractor early Saturday — after a Friday night parade — when an SUV ran a red light and overturned the tractor. He suffered severe head injuries.
Boyd says Burrie was booked Saturday with reckless driving, DWI and vehicular negligent injury. The negligent injury charge was upgraded Sunday to vehicular homicide.