Secretary of State Tom Schedler feels voter apathy may partly explain why 46% of candidates who signed up for offices in the October 24th primary will run without opposition. He says in 2007, 35% of qualified candidates didn’t have an opponent and in 2011 it was 39%. He feels this uptick points to a public that just doesn’t care:

cut 13 (09) “away from that”

Schedler says 20 out of 39 state senators drew no opponents.

The US House Natural Resources Committee will hold a field hearing in New Orleans today to discuss how current federal policies impact oil and natural gas development in the Gulf of Mexico. Committee chair, Utah Congressman Rob Bishop, says the hearing will focus on federal statutes which could cause a second moratorium in the Gulf…

cut 4 (09) “negative impact”

The hearing begins at 9AM.

A study out of Illinois finds people who drink diet sodas tend to eat unhealthier, higher calorie food, which negates their attempts to lose weight. The research found that many diet soda drinkers feel justified in eating more because they feel guilty about indulging in unhealthy food. Dr. Anne Gilmore of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center says these results aren’t surprising…

cut 10 (09) “we’re doing”

Gilmore says diet soda drinkers often think they are cutting calories in one place, so it’s okay to splurge on another. She says overall, we need to look at all the calories that we consume.

Governor Bobby Jindal held a prayer rally for law enforcement on the steps of the state capitol today. Jindal called for a statewide day of prayer, because nine police officers have died while on-duty this year. The governor says he also prays for the families of officers who worry each day, if their loved ones will come home…
cut 13 (11) “…enforcement officers”
The mother of Thomas LaValley, a Shreveport police officer fatally shot last month, was one of the attendees.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office says a Shreveport man is behind bars today and charged for the second-degree murder of 29-year-old Robert Earl French, who was fatally shot multiple times in a street in 1980. Authorities say good detective work led to the arrest of 62-year-old Jimmy Lee Tigues and solving this 35-year-old cold case.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office is still trying to make sense of a murder-suicide in Central that left four people dead including three brothers. Spokesperson Casey Hicks says 60-year-old Rodney Chemin (KEY-men) allegedly shot three brothers, who were in their 50s, before turning the gun on himself. Hicks says they were all watching football at a neighbor’s house and got into an argument about music…:
CUT 3 (07) “too long after”
She says the neighbor then went over and found the four dead.

In northwest Louisiana, police say a heated argument over video games led to a shooting that sent one man to the hospital. Many police spokesperson Dean Lambert says 32-year-old Patrick Carhee became angry with 21-year-old Edward Glynn and grabbed a handgun and shot Glynn in the thump. He says Carhee faces some serious charges…
cut 11 (10) ‘…probably forthcoming”
The victim was treated at local hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Governor Bobby Jindal hosted a prayer rally for law enforcement on the steps of the state capitol today. Jindal declared September 14th a statewide day of prayer for officers. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says our prayers shouldn’t end here and we should all continue to respect cops who have died in the line of duty by the way we live our lives:
CUT 14 (08) “forget them”
So far in 2015, Louisiana has lost nine police officers, making us the number two state in the country for law enforcement deaths.

State Treasurer John Kennedy feels the horrible crime problem in New Orleans could be helped by implementing a stop and frisk program for cops. He says this would let officers frisk anyone without probable cause which he admits is controversial, but we should be empowering our police officers and not undermining them…:
CUT 8 (10) “constitutional rights”

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office is trying to make sense of a murder-suicide in Central that left four people dead, including three brothers. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office says they’ve charged a man with second degree murder for a homicide that happened 35 years ago. They say 62-year-old Jimmy Lee Tigues of Shreveport was booked in the death of 29-year-old Robert Earl French who was found dead on the side of the road on August 1st 1980. Detectives got new information on the unsolved murder recently and obtained a warrant for Tigues’ arrest.

Governor Bobby Jindal declared today a statewide Day of Prayer and hosted a rally on the capitol steps in Baton Rouge to honor law enforcement across Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The coroner in East Baton Rouge Parish says autopsies on the four people who died in Central in an apparent murder suicide show one man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and his two brothers had one shot each to the chest. He confirmed the three brothers deaths were homicides. The alleged shooter, 60-year-old Rodney Chemin (KEY-men), died of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Apparently the men were in a dispute over what music to listen to while watching a football game.

Many Police say two men who got into a fight while playing games on an XBOX ended with one in the hospital and another in jail. Spokesperson Dean Lambert says 32-year-old Patrick Carhee became angry with 21-year-old Edward Glynn and slapped him. He says Glynn then punched Carhee and that’s when Carhee tried to hit Glynn with a hammer and stabbed him in the arm with a kitchen knife, but wasn’t done there..
CUT 10 (11) “not hit again”
Carhee is charged with multiple offenses, including attempted second degree murder.

Playboy Magazine has released its 2015 Top Party Schools List and Tulane made number 4. Playboy says if anybody knows how to party its New Orleans and Tulane is a thriving campus. They say you can often find spirited students strolling the French Quarter where the notorious open-container policy allows shenanigans to happen year round.

Governor Bobby Jindal declared today a statewide day of prayer to honor law enforcement and held a prayer rally on the steps of the State Capitol. So far in 2015, Jindal says Louisiana has lost nine police officers which makes us the number two state in the country for law enforcement deaths. He says today is a day to pay our respects for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us…:
CUT 12 (11) “their service”
Jindal also gave thanks to the families of the officers who go each day wondering if their loved ones will be coming home.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler says 43 percent of candidates who qualified in offices on the October 24th primary ballot have no challengers. He feels this high percentage is a reflection of voter apathy and could explain low voter turnout. LaPolitics.com reports statewide, 68 seats drew only one candidate while 37 attracted three or more candidates.

A murder-suicide in the East Baton Rouge Parish town of Central has left four people dead including three brothers. EBRSO spokesperson Casey Hicks says they believe 60-year-old Rodney Chemin (KEY-men) was angry with the brothers over music they were listening to and he shot the three before turning the gun on himself. She says they aren’t releasing many details…:
CUT 5 (07) “still ongoing”
The brothers are 57-year-old Joseph Allen, 55-year-old Perry Allen, and 51-year-old Mark Allen.

Cops say two people in a rental car died Sunday night when the vehicle crashed and burst into flames upon impact off Louisiana Highway 10 just east of the Tangipahoa River. They say authorities responded to the crash site in the town of Wilmer which was in a winding curve on the road. One resident nearby came out to help suppress the fire, but the two occupants in the vehicle did not survive.

Governor Bobby Jindal hosted a prayer rally today on the steps of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge on this statewide day of reflection for law enforcement. It was a touching scene as police and sheriff’s departments from throughout Louisiana were on hand during the event. Jindal says it’s tempting to take law enforcement for granted…:
CUT 1 (09) “in our communities”
Jindal encourages Louisiana citizens to take a moment today to reflect on the men and women who protect our communities everyday.

State Treasurer John Kennedy says New Orleans should adopt a program which allows police to frisk someone for a weapon without probable cause as a way to curb crime. He says people aren’t going to visit, move to or invest in a city where they don’t feel safe…:
CUT 7 (10) “stop and frisk”

The Baton Rouge Police Department says a 25-year-old man was shot and killed while he was driving his vehicle on I-10 over the weekend. They say Herbert Williams of Baker died when shots were fired from another passing vehicle early Sunday. Investigators do not believe the shooting was random but they currently don’t have suspects or motives.

Many Police says a heated argument over video games sent one man to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. Spokesperson Dean Lambert says 32-year-old Patrick Carhee became angry with 21-year-old Edward Glynn while they were playing the XBOX and slapped him. He says Glynn then punched Carhee and the situation escalated with Carhee unsuccessfully trying to hit Glynn with a hammer…:
CUT 9 (05) “in the arm”
He says Carhee then got a gun and shot Glynn in the hand. Carhee is charged with multiple offenses, including attempted second degree murder.