Senator David Vitter announces he’s raised $4 million dollars for his bid to become governor of Louisiana. Lapolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says a Vitter-friendly Super PAC has raised another 3.9 million dollars. He says Vitter is raising money through his Senate finance campaign account, which can’t be used directly on his gubernatorial campaign, but can be donated to the Super PAC…

cut 11 (10) “it’s unprecedented”

He says Vitter is re-writing the book on campaign finance in Louisiana.

State Police is requesting a 30% pay increase for many troopers. Some have been critical of the timing of the increase as the state faces budget woes and the price of oil is so low, but Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson says this has been a long time coming…

cut 14 (10) “they’ve done that”

He says the money is coming from a special fund approved in last year’s legislative session.

Two young siblings were killed in a house fire in Bastrop Monday and now their mother is facing criminal charges for leaving them unattended. Authorities say 21-year-old Ciarria Johnson left her children alone in the home while she was having her hair styled. Investigators also determined that Johnson made no arrangements for the care of her children while she was gone. Johnson is charged with two counts of negligent homicide.

Researchers from the LSU Health Sciences Center are encouraged that a new drug derived from sea moss could be used to treat Alzheimer’s. Scott Carwile has the story…

cut 1 (31) “reporting”