Military officials report the bodies of nine of the eleven servicemen killed after an Army helicopter crash Tuesday night off the Florida Panhandle have been found and identified. The bodies of two of four Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard and seven Marines from North Carolina have been recovered. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter. Officials have not released the names of the deceased.

Louisiana has the highest estimated percentage of unemployed youth in the country, according to a report by the Cowen Institute at Tulane University. The study found that southern states, when compared with the west coast, east coast and midwest, have a higher overall percentage of opportunity youth. Cowen Institute Director Vincent Rossmeier says one of the reasons they use the term “opportunity youth” is because they should be viewed as assets to the community…

cut 11 (09) “to get there”

Rossmeier says this is an opportunity to improve our communities and make them more vibrant by finding ways to reconnect these young people.

Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie files a bill that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to the national average. Ritchie’s bill would raise the tax from 36-cents to a $1.54 per pack. He expects his tax proposal will be one of many that will be discussed by lawmakers…

cut 14 (10) “time around”

The Jindal administration says they will support an increase in tobacco taxes, but only if it’s accompanied with a tax break.

Leaders from communities around the state are urging citizens to participate in a massive litter cleanup effort. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne will be announcing the results of the amount of litter picked up from morning cleanups and the number of “Leaders Against Litter” who have pledged to beautify the state. Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director Susan Russell…

cut 7 (05) “litter free Louisiana”

She says citizens from all walks of life can join the Great American Cleanup from March through May.

Military officials say the bodies all but two of the eleven servicemen killed after an Army helicopter crash Tuesday night off the Florida Panhandle have been recovered. The bodies of seven Marines and two Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard have been found. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter. The names of the deceased have not been released.

Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie files a bill that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to the national average. The governor has proposed an increase in the state’s cigarette tax to the southern regional average, but Ritchie believes the tax on cigarettes should be higher…

cut 13 (10) “ever starting”

Ritchie’s bill would raise the tax from 36-cents to a $1.54 per pack. It will be considered during the legislative session that begins April 13th.

A new Centers for Disease Control study shows that two out of every three people diagnosed with cancer in the US survive five years or more. Among the most common types of cancer, the study reports a five-year-survival rate of 97-percent for prostate cancer and 88-percent for breast cancer. Associate Dean for Research at LSU’s School of Public Health, Ed Trapido, says the improvement in prostate cancer survival is because of an increase awareness and earlier detection…

cut 5 (12) “entire lives”

He says better treatment and improved therapies have improved survival statistics for breast cancer patients. The cancer survivor estimates are based on cases of invasive cancers reported during 2011.

Eglin Air Force Base officials say the wreckage of the Army helicopter that crashed Tuesday night over the Florida Panhandle, killing all eleven on board, has been found. Eglin Col. Monte Cannon says the wreckage was located yesterday in about 25 feet of water…
CUT 9 (08) “safety investigation”
As far as the search is concerned, the Coast Guard announced this afternoon they are suspending that operation.

State Police have redeployed additional troopers to patrol in New Orleans. The funds for the extra support are provided by the business community and members of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau who raised $2.5 million dollars.
CUT 6 (08) “patrol presence”
State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson also says this will not take away any patrol efforts for the rest of the state.
——————————-
Lt Governor hopeful Kip Holden is involved in an alleged scandal as a four-year-old lawsuit has surfaced claiming the Baton Rouge mayor repeatedly sexually harrassed a woman in Louisiana on business. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this makes things tough for his campaign team.
cut 13 (10) Q: ‘what they can’
The lawsuit does not name Holden as a defendant and it’s actually targeted at her former employer. A poll was released this week showing Holden in good position to make the run-off in the lieutenant governor’s race.

The New Orleans Saints did another trade today to clear some salary cap room, saving the team $3.6 million. Two time Pro-Bowler guard Ben Grubbs was traded to Kansas City in exchange for a 5th round pick. The move allowed the Black and Gold to sign cornerback Brandon Browner from the New England Patriots.

Officials at Eglin Air Force Base say the wreckage of the Army helicopter that crashed Tuesday night over the Florida Panhandle, has been found. Eleven people died in the crash into the water, which, according to Eglin Fire Chief Mark Giuliano was a violent one…
CUT 11 (06) Q: ‘lot of debris’
The Coast Guard announced this afternoon they have suspended their search for the soldiers and marines.

There’s an allegation that has been raised against members of the SAE fraternity on the Louisiana Tech campus that the chapter sang a racist song for a pledge event in 2010. A former student alleged the song was similar to the one from the University of Oklahoma that shut down that fraternity. But Dr. Reginald Owens, the head of the journalism program, says on-campus race relations at Tech are good…
CUT 4 (07) Q: ‘ to be done’
——————————————–
Candidate for Lt. Governor & Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden issued a statement today in response to sexual harassment claims made in a suit by a woman in Kansas City…
CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

According to a new research by the LSU economics department, LSU is the number 32 most disliked team in the country. LSU is behind some other SEC schools-Tennesses, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The most disliked team in the nation is Boise State.

The search for a crashed Army helicopter from Hammond, Louisiana is over near Navarre Beach Florida. The incident claimed the lives of 11 soldiers including 4 from Hammond. Eglin Col. Monte Cannon says due to the Department of Defense’s 48-hour grieving period, the names of the deceased soldiers have not been released…:
CUT 10 (10) “tragic event”
They say the wreckage has been found.

Louisiana Tech is under somewhat of a microscope after a claim comes up accusing their Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity of racist chanting in 2010 — similar to the now-closed Oklahoma Chapter. Tech says there is no evidence of this. But Dr. Reginald Owens, head of Tech’s journalism program, says he wouldn’t be surprised if it did happen…:
CUT 3 (05) “time to time”
Tech says they are investigating the matter.

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office says they are investigating a school bus crash and a driver that is suspected of being under the influence when the accident took place. They say no there were no major injuries of students on the bus. The driver, 50-year-old John Harvey Bernard, was issued a careless operation citation and is still under investigation pending results from a blood alcohol content test.

State Police say they are redeploying additional troopers to New Orleans to help keep the city safe. Col Mike Edmonson says the CVB raised $2.5 million to help pay the extra overtime for boots on the ground. Edmonson says this will not impact the forces across the rest of the state and it’s very important we protect the tourism industry in New Orleans…:
CUT 8 (05) “parts of Louisiana”
Edmonson says they developed a strategy with the CVB funds, based on the needs of the New Orleans PD and requests from business leaders.

Eglin Air Force Base officials say the wreckage of the Army helicopter that crashed Tuesday night over the Florida Panhandle, killing all eleven on board, has been found. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (27) “reporting”

Governor Bobby Jindal announces legislation will once again be brought up this session that would protect sexual assault victims and ensure that they are not charged by hospitals for medical services associated with assault claims. The Stand and Support Survivors Bill is sponsored by New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno.

There has been a report that the Louisiana Tech Chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity sang a racist chant during a pledge event five years ago. The university says there is no evidence this took place but they are looking into it. Dr. Reginald Owens, head of journalism at Tech says the one good thing about the similar case in Oklahoma is that the race relations topic is being brought up…:
CUT 5 (06) “that we have”
He adds it wouldn’t surprise him if the incident which shuttered SAE in Oklahoma also happened at Tech.

Lt Governor hopeful Kip Holden is involved in a sex scandal as a four-year-old lawsuit has surfaced claiming the Baton Rouge mayor repeatedly sexually harassed a woman who was in Louisiana on business. Holden has quickly denied any such incident took place which political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says is a good call…:
CUT 14 (09) “type of defense”
The lawsuit does not name Holden as a defendant.