Category Archives: Ascension

MUMBAI: The man who holds the key to the leadership struggle in Tamil Nadu is expected to arrive in Chennai on Thursday. Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who holds joint charge for Maharashtra and TN, is not yet scheduled to meet with the Sasikala camp though an appointment was sought through his office after she was elected leader of the AIADMK legislature party.

Indications are the governor will wait for the Supreme Court verdict on the appeal against Sasikala Natarajan's acquittal in the disproportionate assets case before he decides on the prospect of swearing her in as CM. The verdict is expected next week.

"Governor is not in a hurry to take a decision. Since the Supreme Court has announced that the verdict will be pronounced within a week, Vidyasagar Rao will prefer to wait. As of now, there will be no swearing-in event. Heavens are not going to fall if a new person is not sworn in immediately,'' a source close to Raj Bhavan told TOI on Wednesday.

The source also ruled out the possibility of President's rule in the state, saying there was no void at the moment; caretaker chief minister O Paneerselvam is discharging his duties as political head of state.

"There is no vacuum. The CM's post is not vacant, there will be no justification for imposition of President's rule,'' was the view put forward by the source. The governor had earlier accepted Panneerselvam's resignation, but the latter has since claimed that the resignation was submitted by him under duress.

Rao's stand to put off the decision is in line with the opinion expressed by constitutional expert and former attorney general Soli Sorabjee, who has said that deferring a decision may be the right legal option for now in view of the extraordinary situation. "Governor can defer the swearing-in till the verdict of the Supreme Court,'' Sorabjee told TOI .

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Governor likely in Tamil Nadu today, but may bide time over Sasikala's ascension - Times of India

Brandie Richardson

The Louisiana Travel Promotion Association (LTPA), a non-profit organization that represents the state's travel and hospitality industry, recently announced their 2016 graduates of their Louisiana Tourism Leadership Academy. Among the 22 graduates was Tracy Browning, Executive Director of Tour Ascension.

LTLA has been a tremendous opportunity for those interested in learning more about Louisianas tourism industry, and we are proud of the 2016 graduating class, said Jill Kidder, LTPA President and CEO. It is our hope that these professionals will utilize their new-found knowledge and experience to better themselves, their organizations and their state.

The year long leadership class met every other month at various locations around the state to help tourism-related organizations with skills such as advocacy, product development, leadership and management, networking and marketing.

"I thought this would be a grate learning and educational tool to participate in," Browning said. "It also is networking and meeting other people that do the same things that we are involved in. It was a great way to meet other people in the state."

She said one of the biggest tools she took away from the class to help boost tourism in Ascension Parish is advocacy, along with how bills pass through legislature.

"It was an education part for me, understanding how it was relative back to our business and how it can affect us."

Other 2017 graduates included representatives from organizations and parishes such as St. Tammany Parish, Bayou Country Childrens Museum, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation and Nottoway, Oak Alley and the Myrtles Plantations, to name a few.

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Tour Ascension executive director among leadership academy graduates - Weekly Citizen

GONZALES Authorities arrested the owner of a Baton Rouge company, Complete Construction Contractors, Wednesday morning on allegations he defrauded more than a dozen Ascension Parish homeowners who flooded in August, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Jeff Wiley said Matthew Morris, 39, the owner of the company, used a complicated contract to rack up thousands of dollars in claims assistance fees, grossly over-billed or billed people for work that had not been done, and collected residents insurance payments with inflated or fraudulent bills.

Ascension Parish sheriff's deputies said they had received 13 criminal complaints against Morris since December over allegations of contractor fraud on home restoration jobs stemming from the August flood. Six of those complaints were filed by homeowners who are 60 or older, deputies said. The company is often known by the abbreviation CCC.

Wiley said he believes the case could extend into other nearby parishes and noted law enforcement authorities in Livingston Parish are already expressing interest in looking into the case. He added that he believes some victims may still be out there thinking they only had a civil remedy and may not have thought to file a criminal complaint.

I look forward to his day in court when he will be held accountable, Wiley said. I dont think we have heard the last of this case. I think theres a trail of misery and trail of victims that is yet to be identified.

Separately, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors is actively investigating several complaints the board has received about Complete Construction since the flood, the boards compliance director said Wednesday.

Brad Hassert, the director, said the board, which isnt authorized to look at contract disputes, is focused at this time only on claims related to mold remediation work performed by the company.

Ascension Parish sheriffs deputies said investigators have learned that, though Morris was billing people for mold remediation, he didnt have a valid mold remediation license at the time.

Contractor board online records do show Complete Construction is currently licensed to do commercial, residential and mold remediation work, but Complete Construction did not get its first mold remediation license until Nov. 4, months after the August flood.

In 2015, the board found Complete Construction guilty of hiring unlicensed contractors for a large commercial job and was fined $1,000, the maximum allowed under the law, Hassert said. Morris has paid the fine.

Morris business office and his home in Baton Rouge's Mallard Lakes subdivision off Hoo Shoo Too Road where Complete Construction also has a 6,300-square-foot spec home for sale were searched Wednesday morning shortly before he was arrested at his office. The parish Sheriffs Office, the Louisiana State Attorney Generals Office and the U.S. Secret Service Task Force jointly investigated the fraud allegations, deputies said in a news release.

A woman answering the phone at Complete Construction's office on Perkins Road Wednesday afternoon said Morris was not available and offered "no comment" on the allegations against the company's owner.

The homeowners told Ascension deputies that they signed contracts with Complete Construction Contractors that covered demolition, drying, mold remediation and reconstruction but never received cost estimates despite repeated requests.

Wiley said the fine print in Complete Constructions contracts purported to allow Morris to make change orders while he was dealing directly with residents insurers and raising costs without homeowners realizing it until it was too late.

Residents began to receive inflated invoices that totaled two-thirds of their insurance payouts after demolition was finished, leaving a funding shortage to finish their jobs, deputies said.

When homeowners terminated the agreements, it was then that Morris mailed them bills for the claims assistance fees and 50 percent of the cost of the overall job, deputies said. Morris also placed liens on some homeowners properties that prevented them from continuing to receive their insurance payments.

Morris, 21313 Turkey Creek Drive, Baton Rouge, was booked Wednesday with 12 counts each of residential contractor fraud and of prohibited activities and sanctions, 11 counts of engaging in the business of contracting without authority, nine counts of misapplication of payments, six counts of theft of assets of aged persons and filing or maintaining false public records, deputies said.

Morris remained in Ascension Parish Prison near Donaldsonville late Wednesday awaiting the setting of bail, deputies said.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

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Complete Construction Contractors owner arrested on counts of post-flood contractor fraud in Ascension - The Advocate

Tottenham Hope for Danny Rose Return by March by Ryan Wrenn

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Last year, a very young Tottenham team took the pitch in the Premier League. Because of a few summer sales, Mauricio Pochettino kept only 22 players on his roster.

Their average age was the youngest in Englands top flight division for the season at 23.5.

With plenty of youth, this was a hungry squad that pushed eventual league champions Leicester City until the final four games when the teams inexperience showed.

Against West Bromwich Albion, Craig Dawson gifted Tottenham a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute with an own goal but rectified things 40 minutes later to steal two points from Spurs.

Drawing with the Baggies was a disappointment but losing Dele Alli for the remainder of the 2015-16 season didnt help matters either.

A week later, Spurs traveled to Stamford Bridge needing three points to continue keeping pace with Leicester. Instead they coughed up a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Chelsea, picking up asecond consecutive draw in as many games.

To lose yet another player to suspension once again Mousa Dembl for six matches meant that Pochettino would be without two key midfielders in his sides spine for the final two matches.

Its no surprise that without Alli and Dembl on the team, Tottenham would implode for the final two fixtures of the season and finish in third place. A disappointing finish despite a very good season.

Its unfortunate then that most people will remember Spurs 2015-16 campaign as one of failure, failing to win the league title and finishing below Arsenal for the 21st consecutive season, than recording their best-ever finish in Premier League history with such a young and inexperienced squad.

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Harry Kane Reflects on Tottenham's Ascension and Mauricio Pochettino's Influence - HotspurHQ

WWE Smackdown Live

The dark match before tonights WWE Smackdown Live TV tapings saw Mojo Rawley defeat Curt Hawkins.

According to wrestling statistician Darren Bongiovanni, tonights win by The Ascension in tonights 12 man tag team match was their first win since September.

The Ascension teamed with the Usos back on September 26th, 2016 to beat American Alpha, Rhyno and Heath Slater on Smackdown. Additionally, The Vaudevillians were also on tonights winning team, and this marked their first win since June 6th, 2016, when they defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass on RAW.

Related:New Match Confirmed For WWE Elimination Chamber, Things Get Tense Between Mojo & Hawkins, Would You Eat New Day Ice Cream?

The following video features parade footage at the New England Patriots championship celebration, featuring the team celebrating with their custom WWE Championship belt presented to them by WWE:

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Mojo Rawley Works Dark Match, Ascension / Vaudevillians Note, The New England Patriots Celebrate With Their ... - Wrestlezone

ASCENSION The Ascension Parish Department of Public Works will begin prioritizing Parish President Kenny Matassa's recommendations for street widening and intersection improvements on several parish roads.

The following roadways are recommended priorities:

- Beco Road - C. Braud Road - Cannon Road - Duplessis Road - Germany Road - Henry Road - Leo Lambert Road - Roddy Road - Swamp Road - Tiggy Duplessis Road

Additional roads may be added as the parish council and administration work to finalize the projects. According to the Matassa's office, the projects with be funded through bonds.

"Transportation projects are vital for our continued success. This is the first step to funding and improving our parish roads in the near future, while continuing to cultivate long term solutions through the transportation master plan," Matassa said.

The Transportation Committee meeting will begin advancing the project recommendations forward at Monday night's meeting.

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Ascension to move forward on street widening and intersection projects - WBRZ

Contributed report

Shortly after 4 p.m. on Feb. 5, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop A began investigating a single vehicle fatality crash on Interstate 10 westbound west of La. 73 in Ascension Parish. The crash took the life of 23 year old Jared Cunningham of St. James and 39 year old Jeremy Jenkins of Baton Rouge.

The initial investigation by State Police revealed that the crash occurred as Cunningham was traveling westbound on I-10 in a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado. For reasons still under investigation, Cunningham lost control of his vehicle and ran off the left side of the roadway into the median. Cunninghams vehicle began to overturn and came to a stop after striking a tree.

Both Cunningham and Jenkins were unrestrained and sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash. They were pronounced deceased at the scene by the Ascension Parish Coroners Office. Impairment is suspected to be a factor in this crash and a toxicology sample will be taken from Cunningham for analysis.

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Impairment suspected in Ascension Parish crash - Weekly Citizen

St. Louis Business Journal

Ascension opens first clinic under new unified name St. Louis Business Journal Ascension Medical Group has opened its first clinic in the country under the new unified name for the St. Louis-based health care system. Ascension Medical Group at Westwood opened this week in Wausau, Wisconsin. The 48,000-square-foot clinic offers ...

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Ascension opens first clinic under new unified name - St. Louis Business Journal

GONZALES- The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office is staying one step ahead of criminals with nearly half a dozen crime cameras currently in use. Plans are in the works to increase that number to 18 by the end of the year.

The sheriff's office says it's to stay on top of technology as well. Some cameras will have license plate-reading capabilities. However, the ones currently up are centered around strategic locations across the parish.

Eric Duplessis' brand new home did not flood in August. Duplessis is one of the lucky ones as he is one of only two families on his entire street that didn't take on water. Since the flood, he's seen a surplus of strangers navigating down his street.

"All of my neighbors are rebuilding, and you hear different stories," Duplessis said. "Some have gone well. Some haven't gone well."

Not far away from Duplessis' home, are crime cameras. They are monitored inside the 911 center. If deputies get reports of suspicious vehicles or crimes occurring, the cameras can be zoomed in to get vital information.

"Unfortunately, we had our first homicide this year, and within minutes we were able to get camera footage of the getaway car," Duplessis said. "We put that on our social media page. Ya'll posted that for us, which inclined that person to turn themselves in."

Colonel Bobby Webre says the cameras are high definition. Right now, six are in operation across the parish.

"We'll take data driven info. that we have and decide where's the best place to put these cameras in geographical areas of our parish," Webre said. "Mainly going to be on major roads, where there are large subdivisions being built and burglaries or vehicle burglaries are occurring."

The cameras cost anywhere between $1,500 and $3,000 depending on the quality and the function.

"There's no substitute for a good investigator or detective," Webre said. "But, the technology we have now helps us solve crimes faster."

Those sentiments are echoed by Duplessis, who is happy to hear money is being spent on proactive measures to keep his family safe in one of the fastest growing parishes in our area.

"You have to protect your community against those things, and understand that things to keep people safe are important," Duplessis said.

The sheriff's office did not reveal the locations of the cameras in an effort to not let criminals know where they are. The sheriff is paying for the cameras out of the general fund. Two more will go live this week.

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Crime cameras go live in Ascension Parish with plans for more - WBRZ

If you're feeling nostalgic for local multiplayer and couch co-op, you may want to turn your attention to the indie development scene. Besides the critical and commercial success of madcap kitchen simulator Overcooked, a lot of recent ID@Xbox titles have been combining their retro inspired visuals and gameplay with that good old fashioned ability for your friends to pick up a second controller and hop straight into the action. TowerFall Ascension is one of the latest games to play into this nostalgia. Conceptually, this could have been made in 1994. Its successes and frustrations will be familiar to anyone who has dusted off their old consoles with friends and tried to relive a time when games were simple, chaotic fun. Even from the main menu, there is no doubt that TowerFall has a multiplayer focus. Although it's possible to play the limited campaign mode solo, even the button you press is called 'Co-Op', making you feel like a bit of a loser for playing it on your own. The campaign consists of eight initial levels, plus four bonus levels that are unlocked by meeting obscure requirements. Each level is a static map of various platforms. The maps wrap around, so if you drop through a gap in the floor then you'll appear in the ceiling, and exiting left brings you out on the right; it's a very basic setup. In the campaign, you'll face up to eight waves of various sprite-based monsters. Some fly and some walk, while some shoot arrows or lasers. All are classic platforming archetypes and while it's not very inspiring to look at, you'll at least feel like you're on familiar ground. The real challenge is keeping out of the way. One touch from an enemy or projectile and you lose one of your five precious lives.

With enemies continually spawning and falling through the wrap-around edges, you'll want to take them out quickly so that you aren't swarmed. Your primary weapon is a bow and three arrows, which you'll have to retrieve from the map or a dead enemy after shooting. Such a scarcity of ammo seems unfairly balanced in the enemy's favour, given that there are so many of them, but that balance quickly swings too far the other way when you realise two key tactics. Firstly, you can stomp on enemies like a traditional platformer, negating any danger from enemies without projectiles. The other option is to use the dash. Not only are you protected from damage while dashing, you will also catch any enemy projectile in the path of your dash. It completely changes the game. In the campaign you'll also notice that the spawn locations and types are static, meaning that you can memorise the wave, take out the more significant enemies before they become a problem and simply stomp on everything else.

The other single player mode is Trials, hidden away in the corner of the main menu, and its the least entertaining mode in the game. Instead of spawning enemies, you just have a series of target dummies to try and hit as quickly as possible, turning the game into a typical trajectory based puzzle you've played a million times over on your smartphone. The diamond medal times aren't impossible but they are punishing. There's simply not enough entertainment value in the Trials mode to put yourself through the frustration.

Power-up chests will continually spawn, turning the action into a race to claim the prize. This might be a shield, a pair of wings, additional arrows or special arrows such as a Bomb or Laser. There's a decent amount of customisation available here too. Beyond setting the score target, you can limit which maps you play, what kind of power-ups will appear and how arrows will react in the environment. It's all cleverly balanced to favour lightning-fast rounds where one mistake can cost you the match, reminding me of Wand Wars or even Super Smash Bros. in its frenetic turning of the tables with every action. It's just unfortunate that TowerFall lacks the same level of charm and character.

The audiovisual design is quite charming if you like retro pixel art, with dynamic lighting giving a little flavour to the level design. Each arena has its own art style and theme tune and it's quite immersive. The soundtrack will get stuck in your head if you spend a good amount of time in the game, but it's a great homage to some classic 8-bit scores so you won't mind too much. There's certainly nothing here that offends the eyes or ears, but given the huge proportion of ID@Xbox titles already pumping out pixel art and 8-bit tunes, TowerFall fails to stand out from the crowd.

Positives

Negatives

Ethics Statement

The reviewer spent five hours shooting blobs with arrows, earning nine of the game's 17 achievements. An Xbox One digital copy of the game was provided by the ID@Xbox team for the purposes of this review.

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TowerFall Ascension Review - TrueAchievements