A state audit looking at the “Road Home” program following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita finds that $939 million was given out to homeowners who did not comply with the rules of the program. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says, that amount is just what they have discovered so far…
cut 5 (10) Q: ‘costs out there”
He says the feds could ask for the money back, but it’s a very complex situation.

The state budget crisis will close four north Louisiana swimming pools this summer in four state parks. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne says it applies to pools at Chemin-A-Haut, Lake Bistineau, Lake D’Arbonne and North Toledo Bend…
CUT 11 (09) Q: “to do that”
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Hollywood South is announcing more casting opportunties for an upcoming movie starrring Mark Wahlberg. Central Casting Louisiana is especially looking for people with oil rig experience for the upcoming film “Deepwater Horizon”….
CUT 7 (09) Q: “story of it”
That’s Director of Casting, Adam Hochfeld (HOCK-feld), who says the movie will be shot in New Orleans and is expected to begin in May.

If you ‘ve traveled on the road around the country, you probably already know that Louisiana has some of the lowest gas prices in the nation. In fact, Louisiana has the seventh lowest statewide average in the country, just behind Alabama and Mississippi….
cut 14 (10) “in the nation”
That’s Gas-buddy-dot-com’s Gregg Laskoski.

Louisiana is in the top 10 lowest states for what we pay at the pump according to gasbuddy.com. Senoir petroleum analyst Gregg Laskoski says the statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.24. He says gas prices have been rising since the start of February and he expects that trend to continue…:
CUT 13 (05) “week or two”
Trilby Lundberg, which monitors gas prices across the country says Baton Rouge has the lowest national average gas price in the country at $2.16.

Swimming pools at Chemin-A-Haut (Sha-Min-A-Hoat), Lake Bistineau, Lake D’Arbonne and North Toledo Bend state parks will not open for summer 2015 due to budgetary constraints. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne says if any of these closures affect people who made reservations at the parks for the summer expecting to have a pool, they will be taking cancellations…:
CUT 10 (07) “impacted”

Central Casting Louisiana is looking for people with oil rig, merchant marine, and Coast Guard experience to work on the upcoming feature film, “Deepwater Horizon”. Eric Gill has more…:
CUT 2 (28) “reporting”

In a poll released Monday, LSU is ranked No.1 in the Baseball America Magazine. The Tigers are 15-1 and are currently riding a 12-game win streak. LSU plays McNeese on Wednesday and a series against Ole Miss this weekend at The Box.

Trilby Lundberg, which monitors gas prices across the country, says Baton Rouge has the lowest national average gas price in the country at $2.16. Gas-buddy-dot-com’s Gregg Laskoski says Louisiana’s statewide average of $2.24 ranks in the top ten for lowest gas prices in the nation…:
CUT 12 (07) “state taxes”
The lowest statewide average in the country is Wyoming and South Carolina at $2.14 a gallon.

Central Louisiana Casting is looking for people who have actual oil rig experience for an upcoming film starring Mark Wahlberg about the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The Director of Casting is Adam Hochfeld (HOCK-feld)…:
CUT 6 (11) “in that tragedy”
He says if you’re interested in being a part of the film please submit pertinent information to: “deepwater@centralcasting.com.”

A state audit looking at the “Road Home” program finds that $939 million was given out to homeowners who did not comply with the rules of the program. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

The LSU Tigers won all three of its baseball games in Houston this past weekend and they are now ranked number one by Baseball America.

A recent audit of the Road Home program revealed more than $930 million dollars was paid to homeowners who didn’t meet the requirements. Legislative Audiotor Daryl Purpera says the federal Road Home program was designed to help people reoccupy their homes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita…:
CUT 3 (09) “beginning”
He says a large portion of the documentation doesn’t prove individuals actually rebuilt their homes or got certain insurance they were required to get.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on whether or not marijuana should be legal in Louisiana for recreational use. Honore says he hopes other lawmakers will get on board with letting people decide…:
cut 14 (08) “people vote for it”
The legislative session begins April 13th.

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne says swimming pools at some north Louisiana state parks will be closed this summer because they don’t have enough money to open them. Dardenne oversees the office of state parks and says mid year budget cuts have caused the office to make significant reductions in spending…:
CUT 9 (08) “for this summer”
He says these closures do not impact the wave pool at Bayou Segnette (Sin-yet) State Park in Westwego or water playgrounds at other parks and beach swimming will still be available.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office is warning citizens about a scam which claims to raise money for fallen law enforcement officers. A caller says they are someone from the Department of Safety and they’re collecting money for cops who have died in the line of duty. They say that’s a scam and you should contact law enforcement if you question a caller’s legitimacy.

A state audit looking at the Road Home program finds that $939 million was given out to homeowners who did not comply with the rules of the program. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says this came with certain requirements and deadlines the recipients had to meet. He says the federal government requires a review to make sure the rules were met..:
CUT 3 (11) “supposed to get”
Road Home was designed to get money to people quickly to help them recover from disastrous storms.

How would you feel about pot being legal in Louisiana for recreational use? Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore says he’s bringing a bill to the legislature this upcoming session that, if passed, would put the question on a ballot next year. He says citizens should be able to vote on the recreational pot law…:
CUT 13 (09) “with the legislators”

State Police are urging folks not to drive fatigued if you’re sleepy due to the time change. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office say a mother is under arrest accused of using a stun gun on her 13-year-old and daughter and beating another 12 year old with a boot until it broke. They say the motive for the attack is unknown. 42-year-old Janice Collins was booked into prison on two counts of cruelty to juveniles and was releases Sunday after posting $20,000 bail.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session seeking to let citizens vote on the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Louisiana. Honore says regardless of how lawmakers feel about the recreational use of marijuana, they should at least allow the issue to be put on a ballot…

cut 15 (08) “in 2016″

Honore is also bringing back his medical marijuana bill which failed last year.

State Police say, although we lost an hour of sleep with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time over the weekend, that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Sgt. Nick Manale says sleepy driving can be as dangerous as impaired or distracted driving…

cut 6 (10) “avoiding crashes”

Manale suggests pulling over and getting a breath of fresh air, stepping out of the car, or getting something to drink as ways you can revive yourself if you begin to feel fatigued behind the wheel.

Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 2 (30) “reporting”

State Police say a weekend crash in Marrero claimed the life of a woman and left a man injured. They say 52-year-old Shelia Haggarty lost control of her vehicle and ran off the roadway. As the vehicle traveled into a parking lot, 24-year-old Tabatha Thiobodaux and 24-year-old David Jeblonski were struck. Both were transported to a local hospital where Thiobodaux was pronounced dead. The investigation is ongoing.

A Baton Rouge lawmaker will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on on the legalization of marijuana in Louisiana for recreational use…

Cut 3 (32) “reporting”

State Police say a hit-and-run accident in St. James Parish claimed the life of a Vacherie woman. Authorities say 24-year-old Corey Newton ran a red light and struck a vehicle driven by 25-year-old Brittany Harris, causing her vehicle to leave the road and hit a utility pole. Harris was pronounced dead at the scene. Newton fled the scene on foot, but was captured a short time later and charged with vehicular homicide, DWI, and other charges.
A Louisiana physician is working on a way to perfect a permanent solution to sleep apnea. Dr. G. E. Ghali, an oral surgeon and instructor with LSU Health Shreveport, says they’ve come up with a treatment which uses the daVinci Robot inside a person’s mouth. He says they’ve had a 90% success rate in the surgery permanently opening up airways of sleep apnea patients…

cut 9 (04) “a mask, comfortably”

Ghali says recovery from the surgery can take several weeks, but many patients report that after a month or two they are feeling better, sleeping better and sleeping in bed with their spouse again.

According to the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org, Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US. Editor Steven Richmond says this list represents some of the busiest, hardest working, and most workaholic populations in the US…

cut 12 (11) “they put in”

Richmond says about 350 cities were ranked on four separate categories for this report.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on whether or not marijuana should be legal in Louisiana for recreational use. Honore says he hopes other lawmakers will get on board with letting people decide whether or not marijuana for recreational use should be legal…

cut 14 (08) “people vote for it”

Honore is also bringing back his medical marijuana bill which failed last year. The legislative session begins April 13th.

A Louisiana physician is working on a permanent solution to sleep apnea. Dr. G. E. Ghali, an oral surgeon and instructor with LSU Health Shreveport, says they’ve come up with a treatment for that which uses the daVinci Robot inside a person’s mouth…

cut 8 (11) “in the pallet”

Ghali says if you are interested in learning more about the procedure, call 318-675-6101.

Lafayette has been recognized as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Editor Steven Richmond says Lafayette scored high in the number of people in the workforce…

cut 11 (09) “in Lafayette”

Richmond says they used data from the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compile their report.

We all lost an hour of sleep, with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, but State Police says that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Sgt. Nick Manale says if you do feel yourself becoming fatigued while driving, there are some things you can do to help yourself…

cut 5 (06) “do something”

He says they often see accidents that were caused by sleepy drivers, so it’s imperative to be sharp behind the wheel.