Louisiana is preparing to execute its first death row inmate in 15 years tonight as Jesse Hoffman is set to die. It will be the state’s first nitrogen gas execution. Governor Jeff Landry appeared as a guest on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster today and he has no plans to stop the execution…
Cut 3 (12) “…quite some time”
Hoffman kidnapped Molly Elliot the day before Thanksgiving in 1996. According to authorities, Hoffman robbed Elliot of 200-dollars, raped her in the backseat of her own car and fatally shot her execution style. Elliot’s body was dumped in a river in St. Tammany Parish.
Hoffman’s brother, Marvin Fields, says his brother deserves an opportunity to atone for what he did.
Cut 7 (08) “…people can change”
Hoffman’s execution is set to take place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola between six PM and nine PM tonight.
Louisiana is seeing a large number of whooping cough cases. State epidemiologist Theresa Sokol says the symptoms start off so mild that one might not initially suspect anything serious.
Cut 9 (13) “…for whooping cough.”
Sokol says in the last six months, two children have died from this respiratory illness and she says a vaccine is available for protection.
As part of the deal to avoid a government shutdown last week, Congress approved another short-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. Senator Bill Cassidy says while he appreciates that, that’s not enough. He’s introduced a bill that would reauthorize the program for two years.