
NEW ORLEANS – David West had 38 points and 14 rebounds as the Hornets defeated the San Antonio Spurs,, 101-79, to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semifinal playoff series Tuesday night in the New Orleans Arena.
The Hornets, who bounced back from two uninspired losses in San Antonio, can advance to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history with a win in game 6 on Thursday in San Antonio.

Convicted sex offenders would face possible jail time for wearing masks at Mardi Gras or handing out Halloween candy under legislation that cleared a House committee Tuesday.
LSU has its first minority business dean in Eli Jones from the University of Houston.
LSU Provost Astrid Merget made the announcement Tuesday that Jones will take over the E.J. Ourso College of Business on July 1, pending June approval from the LSU Board of Supervisors.

The East Baton Rouge Parish school system announced the 2008-2009 Teachers of the Year on Tuesday, honoring a special-needs pre-school teacher, a 33-year teaching veteran and a high school Spanish teacher.
Between field trips to museums and art and music lessons, two summer enrichment camps will give teens and pre-teens a chance to discuss the rise in sexually transmitted diseases among their peers.
There could be a difference in your paychecks starting next year. Gov. Bobby Jindal is backing a bill that eliminates the Stelly Plan tax increase. If passed, the bill could mean hundreds of dollars in tax relief, but it's only part of what some lawmakers hoped to accomplish.

Long rumored to have two children by Brad Pitt on the way, Jolie confirmed the news during a side-by-side "Today" show interview with Black, her "Kung Fu Panda" co-star.

Speed Racer is more Toy Story than Days of Thunder. That could be a good thing, but in this case it isn’t. Based on the Japanese anime series created by Tatsuo Yoshida, the frantic, big-screen edition of Speed Racer is, to say the least, cartoonish.
Good news is meant to be shared, and Carol Anne Blitzer said no event gets her group of friends more party-inspired than news that one of their children is getting married. “We like to go in together to host the announcement party for the couple-to-be,” Blitzer added, “so we have lots of ideas on how to host fun wedding announcement parties.”