The Associated Press

Voters in parts of Jefferson Parish will go to the polls during the Nov. 6 primary to elect a replacement for Judge Patrick McCabe of the 24th Judicial District Court. McCabe, who was elected to his first term in 1987, will retire Dec. 31.

The Times-Picayune reports Gov. Bobby Jindal set the special election after the 66-year-old McCabe, of Metairie, announced his retirement in June.

Qualifying is Aug. 15-17. If needed, the runoff would be Dec. 8.

Attorneys for Angola 5 defendant David Mathis have persuaded a judge to allow them to use a jailhouse confession they say would show jurors their client had no intent to kill a prison security officer in 1999.

Mathis faces a first-degree murder trial in the stabbing and beating death of Capt. David C. Knapps.

The Advocate reports jury selection is set to begin Sept. 24 in Covington, where juries were chosen last year for three of Mathis' codefendants. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Education officials say the number of public schools facing state sanctions rose by 33 percent this year amid tougher state standards.

Barry Landry, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, tells The Advocate a total of 180 schools are listed as academically unacceptable, up from 135 last year.

The list represents 13 percent of public schools statewide.

Attorney Mary Whitney has been selected to serve as special counsel for the Louisiana Judiciary Commission.

The nine-member commission reviews allegations of judicial misconduct. The commission's Office of Special Counsel receives, investigates, and prosecutes formal charges regarding judicial behavior.

The Louisiana Supreme Court announced Whitney's appointment Monday.

The court says Whitney received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Nicholls State before getting a law degree from Florida State in 1992.

A New Orleans congressman is asking Gov. Bobby Jindal to reconsider his position against expanding Louisiana's Medicaid program, as allowed under the federal health care overhaul.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond sent the Republican governor a letter Monday saying as many as 400,000 Louisiana residents would be eligible to get insurance under the Medicaid expansion.

Richmond says low-income families wouldn't have a viable plan for getting coverage without the expansion, which covers adults up to 133 percent of the poverty level.

A federal appeals court has thrown out a $300,000 court award for an iron worker in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Boh Brothers Construction Company.

The worker won the award in 2009 after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on his behalf. He claimed his site superintendent flashed him and routinely taunted him about seeming feminine at a New Orleans area bridge project in 2006.

New Orleans cab drivers say new city rules aimed at improving taxi service are too expensive, and they were given too little time to prepare for them. City and tourism officials say the changes are needed to improve an outdated fleet.

The rules include requirements that cabs be less than 11 years old, able to take credit cards, and have cameras and GPS units.

Louisiana state police and local law enforcement agencies are telling motorists to clean off their dirty license plates.

State police say in a news release the motorists caught with their license plates obscured in any way, including by dirt, mud or frames that cover part of the plate, could be ticketed.

Louisiana law requires vehicle license plates be clearly displayed, as well as illuminated at night by license plate lights.

The Louisiana Technology Council is planning a forum for chief executive officers and chief information officers on Aug. 24. The events will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans.

Among speakers will be Frank DeArmas, vice president and CIO of Johnson & Johnson.

Admission is by fee. More details are available by calling 304-2910.

The Army Corps of Engineers plans a public meeting Tuesday on measures it is taking to mitigate the impact of wildlife habitat as construction continues on a levee and flood protection system in Plaquemines, Jefferson and St. Charles parishes.

The presentation and discussion are set for 6:30 p.m. at the Ernest Tassin Senior Center on Fourth Street in Westwego.