The News-Star from Monroe, Louisiana • Page 6

6A FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12. 2010 STATEREGION THE NEWS-STAR WWW.THENEWSSTAR.COM Colleges not getting budget boost this year Mr, fJ 1 I AP Fire razes church in Houma Assoc iarted Press HOUMA An early morning fire destroyed St Matthew's Episcopal Church in downtown Houma Thursday, leaving little more than the historic building's front steps, part of the steeple and a wall standing. There were no injuries, and the cause has not yet been determined Firefighters, alerted of the blaze at 3:42 am, arrived to find a "big ball of fire," said Houma District Fire Chief Chris LeCompte. It took personnel from four departments hours to extinguish the flames, he said. The fire consumed the church first, spreading to an under-renovation wing of the adjacent church-run elementary school.

LeCompte said that flames went through that building's roof as well, prompting its collapse. That wing of the school, called the lower school building, had not been used for Associated Press BATON ROUGE Public colleges won't get any extra money from the state this year under a Jindal administration plan to use $147 million in federal education cash to offset budget cuts. Michael DiResto, a spokesman for the governor's financial office, said Thursday that the complex plan will shuffle all the money into the upcoming 2011-12 budget year, to help cope with a $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Some of that $147 million will be used to stop cuts to higher education, but DiResto wouldn't say how much. State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek broke the news Wednesday to local school superintendents that the federal education money won't be used to give them a new influx of cash as they had expected, because Gov.

Bobby Jindal wants to use the money to fill budget gaps. State lawmakers will have to approve the plans before they can take effect The education money was part of a $26 billion jobs stimulus bill approved by Congress in August Federal guidelines require districts to use the money to pay salaries and benefits for teachers, school administrators and other staff In a series of budget maneuvers, DiResto said the plan involves putting the $147 million into the 6tate funding formula for local school districts to meet federal requirements for spending, but then removing the same amount of state general fund money to pay for other items. At least $68 million must be used to pay for higher education or Louisiana wouldn't meet the federal education funding criteria to even draw down the $147 million, DiResto said. But then another $68 million in college's self-generated dollars, like tuition and fees, will be held from this year and rolled into next year's budget. A fire burns at St Matthews Episcopal Church on Thursday in Houma.

The fire destroyed the 155-year-old church and damaged a nearby school building. There were no injuries, and the cause has not yet been determined. weeks, said Chuck Bourque, president of the school's Board of Trustees. All other school buildings were untouched by the flames, he said. Classes were canceled Thursday and Friday but are expected to resume as usual Monday.

The church-run school has 258 students in grades pre-K through seven The church, a Houma landmark, had been Terrebonne's second-oldest and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The cypress building where parishioners had worshipped was built in 1896. The church was perhaps best known for its Gothic revival architecture and magnificent stained-glass windows. in. mi Mk III UVpUUU 3 qQ i more fashi ion, less price LOUISIANA No big winners in drawings Baton Rouge None of the tickets sold for Wednesday night's Powerball, Louisiana Lotto or Easy 5 games matched all the numbers necessary to win the big prizes.

Players matching all five numbers and the Powerball would have won or shared the $20 million jackpot The prize goes to an estimated $25 million for Saturday. In the Lotto game, the $L3 million prize increases to an estimated $1375 million on Saturday. The Louisiana Lottery Corp reports 26 tickets had five of.the numbers correct ancLeach is worth $1,630. Four indicted in death of teen Rrton Rouge Three men and a 16-year-old boy have been indicted in the July 18 shooting death of a Baton Rouge teenager outside his home. The Advocate reports an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury charged 24-year-old Warren Jackson, stepbrothers Derrick Hughes and Christopher Phillip Arm-stead, both 19, and a 16-year-old with one count each of second-degree murder.

They are accused in the death of Travis Yates, who was one day shy of his 18th birthday. Two indicted in death of girl Port Allen A grand jury has indicted an Addis man and a Baton Rouge woman as principals to second-degree murder in the 2007 beating death of the woman's 16-month-old daughter. A state judge issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for the child's mother, Shaelsie Jason, who is currently free on bail Once in custody, West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Maj. Richie Johnson tells The Advocate that the 26-year-old Jason will be held in lieu of $1 million baiL Jason's boyfriend, 26-year-old Jeremy Jordan, is in the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center awaiting trial. La Place man gets 50 years in death Covington A 41-year-old LaPlace man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for negligence in a 2009 crash that killed a 16-year-old girl in St Tammany Parish.

Authorities say Tony Vol-lentine's pickup crossed the center line of La. Highway 21 near Bush on Sept 3, 2009, and crashed head-on into a car in which Teresa Mohon of Angie was a passenger. Not guilty pleas in agency theft case Mansfield Four people who were indicted last month following a theft investigation at the DeSoto Parish Council on Aging have entered not guilty pleas. The former director of the council, three members of her family and a board member face charges in the alleged theft of thousands of dollars from the social-service agency. An attorney entered not guilty pleas Wednesday afternoon for former director Martha Jones, her husband Roy Jones, her son Byron Laneaux and her daughter-in-law LaShelle Laneaux, according to The Times of Shreveport Arraignment for board member George Thomas was postponed to Nov.

because his lawyer was out of town. Old bones found in Natchitoches Natchitoches A Natchitoches Parish farmer finds old bones at the edge of his cotton field Sheriff Victor Jones Jr. says they apparendy had been there more than 50 years. Jones says the bones found in the Marco community were those of a man, but age and race have not been determined 1 injured in crash on 1-10 in NO New Orleans One man was killed and another injured in an early morning crash on Interstate 10 in New Orleans. The Times-Picayune reports a 2003 Ford Mustang GT was headed west near downtown about 1 am.

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