A television ad targeting Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Bel Edwards has been released by the Republican Governors Association. In the commercial, the RGA tries to link Edwards to President Barack Obama. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this is a strategy that has worked for Republicans for the last several years…:
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In a statement, Edwards calls the ad a desperation tactic.

Authorities in St. Martin Parish have busted a cockfighting ring in Breaux Bridge. Major Ginny Higgins says three men were arrested for their roles and were booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center..:
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She says authorities found and confiscated 48 roosters and over 300 hens on the property.

Early voting for the October 24th election begins Saturday and runs through October 17th. Eric Gill reports…
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LSU is pushing for folks to pick up a ticket for tomorrow’s last minute game in Tiger Stadium against South Carolina at 2:30. The game was moved to Baton Rouge due to flooding in Columbia, but it’s USC’s home game so they’ll get ticket proceeds after the expenses for hosting the game are covered. LSUsports.net has the details.

David La Certe has resigned as secretary for the state Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s been reported there have been complaints about physical and sexual abuse inside the Veterans homes, and excessive drinking by some of the residents. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says they did some investigating of the department and found 531 areas of noncompliance…:
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The Louisiana Inspector General also says they are investigating the state Department of Veterans Affairs, but would not give details.

Two of the victims killed in the fatal natural gas pipeline explosion at the Williams Partners’ facility in Terrebonne Parish have been identified. They are 40-year-old Samuel Brinlee of Berwick and 36-year-old Casey Ordoyne of Larose. State Police say three workers died and two others were seriously injured while performing maintenance at the plant in Gibson on Thursday.

During Saturday’s game between LSU and the Gamecocks in Tiger Stadium, the Red Cross will be on hand collecting donations for flood relief efforts in South Carolina. The game was moved to Baton Rouge while Columbia continues to recover. Nancy Malone with the Red Cross says LSU has always stepped up in disasters…:
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She says if you’re not going to the game, you can make a donation online at redcross.org.

Lamar Advertising announced Thursday that eight digital billboards in Baton Rouge will display the messages “Geaux Gamecocks, We Stand Strong with you! Make yourself at home!” throughout the day Saturday. The game is technically a home game for South Carolina and the LSU band has learned the Gamecock fight song and Alma Mater. LSU says once expenses for holding the game are covered, the remainder of the ticket sales will go to the South Carolina University. The ESPN game kicks off at 2:30.

David LaCerte has resigned as the state secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs. LaCerte did not provide a reason and neither did the governor’s office. Legislative Auditor Daryl Pupera says his office has investigated the department’s handling of the state’s five nursing homes for vets and discovered some problems…

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Governor Jindal has named Thomas Enright interim secretary.

State Police will use the Louisiana Department of Transportation’s website, twitter accounts, and smart phone app to relay information about traffic crashes, congestion and roadway construction. Trooper Dustin Dwight says motorists can additionally receive quick access to traffic conditions by visiting 511-L-A-dot-ORG…

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He says drivers can see real time traffic updates on the “Way to Geaux” app.

A man wanted for a triple shooting in LaPlace that left two dead has been arrested in Jefferson Parish. Authorities say 28-year-old Derrence Greenup of Reserve was captured near the airport in Kenner. Greenup is accused of killing 23-year-old Travis Gregoire and 18-year-old Sierra Gregoire and injuring one other in the Monday morning shooting. Greenup will be transferred to St. John the Baptist Parish where he will be booked on first degree murder and attempted first degree murder charges.

In an effort to make South Carolina feel as much at home as possible when playing in Tiger Stadium tomorrow, LSU’s Golden Band from Tigerland will play U-S-C’s fight song and alma mater. LSU Band Director Roy King says many students in the Tiger Band had plans to visit family or be out of town but every member agreed to play in Tiger Stadium on Saturday…

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King hopes the Tiger Band can play the songs as well as South Carolina’s band performs them.

Early voting for the October 24th election begins tomorrow and runs through October 17th. Early voting will be available from 8:30AM to 6PM daily at registrar of voters offices across the state and other select locations, with the exception of Sunday when offices will be closed. Secretary of State spokesperson Meg Casper expects early voting for this election to be busy…

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She says you can go online to geauxvote-dot-com, with geaux spelled the cajun way, to find out where to early vote and what’s exactly on your ballot.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has confirmed one new case of West Nile Virus in the state this week and two additional deaths attributed to the disease. This brings the total number of cases of West Nile in Louisiana to 55 and the number of deaths this year to four. State health officials continue to urge residents to stay protected against mosquitoes, even in cooler weather.

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office says, after a months long investigation, they have taken down a cockfighting ring near Breaux Bridge. Authorities report that 48 roosters and approximately 300 hens and chicks were confiscated during the bust. 50-year-old Patrick Stelly of Washington, 30-year-old Dallas Grossie of Butte La Rose, and 28-year-old Brandon Cormier of Breaux Bridge face animal cruelty and cockfighting charges.

In an effort to make South Carolina feel at home, LSU’s Tigerband will play the Gamecock’s fight song on Saturday. Emelie Gunn has more….

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State Police and the Louisiana Department of Transportation team up to relay info about traffic conditions on social media and smart phone apps. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David LaCerte has resigned effective immediately. A statement from the Governor’s Office offered no explanation for the resignation. LaCerte’s decision comes amid an Inspector General’s investigation into the department’s handling of nursing homes for veterans. The governor’s chief counsel, Thomas Enright, has been named interim secretary until Governor Jindal’s term ends in January.

State Police say three people are dead and two others seriously injured from an explosion and fire at the Williams Partners’ natural gas facility in the Terrebonne Parish town of Gibson. Trooper Evan Harrell says prayers go out to the victims…

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The two workers who were seriously hurt are now in the care of doctors who treat burn victims.

LSU’s Golden Band from Tigerland will play South Carolina’s fight song tomorrow in an effort to make the Gamecocks feel a little more at home in Tiger Stadium. LSU Band Director Roy King hopes they can play it as well as U-S-C’s band performs it…

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He says the Tiger Band is excited to get the chance to plan for an extra home game.

An explosion and fire at the Williams Partners’ natural gas facility in the Terrebonne Parish town of Gibson has left three people dead and two others seriously injured. State Police spokesperson Evan Harrell says the two workers who were seriously hurt are now in the care of doctors who treat burn victims…

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He says the workers were performing maintenance on the facility, which was not operational at the time.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation’s website, twitter accounts, and smart phone app will be used by State Police to relay information about traffic crashes, congestion and roadway construction. Trooper Dustin Dwight says drivers can see real time traffic updates on the “Way to Geaux” app, which is available on iTunes and Google Play…

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Dwight says DOTD has eight twitter accounts for different regions across the state.

Early voting for the October 24th election begins Saturday and runs through October 17th, excluding Sunday. Secretary of State spokesperson Meg Casper says there’s a lot on this ballot in addition to the governor’s, lt. governor’s, and attorney general’s races…

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She says you can go online to geauxvote-dot-com to find out where to early vote and what’s exactly on your ballot.

To make South Carolina feel as much at home as possible when playing in Tiger Stadium, LSU’s Golden Band from Tigerland will play U-S-C’s fight song tomorrow. LSU Band Director Roy King says they’re going to play South Carolina’s alma mater, “We Hail Thee Carolina,” during the pregame. He says the Tiger Band felt this was an appropriate gesture considering the circumstances…

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Kickoff is at 2:30.

Three people are dead and two others seriously injured from an explosion and fire at the Williams Partners’ natural gas facility in the Terrebonne Parish town of Gibson. State Police spokesperson Evan Harrell says the workers were performing maintenance on the facility, which was not operational at the time and did not have gas flowing through the system…

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Harrell says the two workers who were seriously hurt are now in the care of doctors who treat burn victims.

Early voting for the October 24th election begins Saturday and runs through October 17th, excluding Sunday. Secretary of State spokesperson Meg Casper says early voting is becoming quite popular among voters…

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Early voting will be available from 8:30AM to 6PM daily at registrar of voters offices across the state and other select locations.

State Police announces they will use the Louisiana Department of Transportation’s website, twitter accounts, and smart phone app to relay information about traffic crashes, congestion and roadway construction. Trooper Dustin Dwight says L-S-P currently uses the Nixle alert system to provide notifications but now they’ll work even more closely with D-O-T-D to give traffic updates…

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Dwight says State Police and DOTD are teaming up to give drivers a more unified message about what’s going on in your specific region.