Republican lawmakers in Washington DC criticized Governor John Bel Edwards today during a hearing on the federal and state response to the deadly flood last summer. South Carolina Congressman Tom Rice questioned the Governor’s handling of the storm before it started flooding…
cut 5 (14) “….in advance”
Edwards told the Jim Engster show that he believes politics were behind line of questioning.

There’s been talk of raising the gasoline tax by as much as 17 cents a gallon in the upcoming legislative session. Franklin Representative Sam Jones believes that’s too much of a hike, but he says the state needs to invest more in transportation…:
Cut 10 (11) “and traffic”
Jones has filed a bill to increase the state’s gasoline tax by an additional seven cents, but he says that’s negotiable.

Former northshore District Attorney Walter Reed was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for his conviction on fraud charges related to using campaign contributions for personal use. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says Reed got off a lot easier than many people thought he would…:
CUT 13 (10) “for which he was convicted”
Ride sharing services like Uber support a pre-filed bill that would let the state put rules on how they operate. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard says right now the regulations are set at the local level which is confusing, and his bill would also make rates the same everywhere:
Cut 9 (08) “the state”