With a little help from my friends: Gov. Bobby Jindal has steered clear of endorsements in the GOP presidential competition since Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race, but Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne is jumping into the endorsement game in advance of Louisiana’s presidential primary on Saturday, backing Mitt Romney. Romney’s campaign announced the support of Dardenne and Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain on Monday. In a statement, Dardenne says he supports Romney’s economic and energy plans in his bid to be the Republican Party’s nominee against Democratic President Barack Obama in the fall election. Louisiana’s primary is Saturday. Jindal has said he’ll support the eventual Republican nominee.
Back in the Big Easy: The Alabama man accused of committing sexual battery on a passed out LSU fan following the Jan. 9 BCS Championship Game in New Orleans is scheduled to appear in court this morning, New Orleans’ WWL-TV reports. Along with the sexual battery charge, Brian Downing, 32, is accused of one count of obscenity. The charges stem from an incident inside the Krystal restaurant on Bourbon Street following the game; that incident was captured on a video that went immediately went viral. Downing apparently rubbed his genitals on the neck of an LSU fan who appeared to be passed out on a table in the restaurant. The hearing was set for 10 a.m.
It fills you up: Shreveport’s first public compressed natural gas pumping station is opening today. The Shreveport Times reports the station, located and built by Time-It Lube, makes CNG vehicle fuel available for public use on both sides of the Red River for the first time. Bossier City has two public CNG stations. The station was fully funded by Time-It Lube in partnership with Chesapeake Energy Corp., which has committed to fueling its fleet of natural gas vehicles there in addition to the Bossier City stations. “It’s a step, and we each have to take a little step,” says Time-It Lube owner Todd Burns. The new station represents the desire of all Americans seeking cheaper fuel and a more sovereign energy policy, Burns says. Public access to CNG and the infrastructure related to that can lead to those goals, he says. Check out the full story here.
