Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson of West Monroe appears in the latest campaign ad for Republican gubernatorial candidate David Vitter. The commercial continues Vitter’s theme of redemption from his prostitution scandal with Robertson stating, “I know he’s made some mistakes, but who hasn’t?” ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says fans of this reality show are probably going to vote for Vitter anyway…:
CUT 10 (09) “and independents”
With the prostitution scandal on the top of voters minds, Stockley believes the Vitter campaign has bigger fish to fry.

State Treasurer John Kennedy said on the Moon Griffon radio show that Republican Scott Angelle should break his silence and tell voters who he’s endorsing in the governor’s race. He feels Angelle needs to say he’s backing Vitter to prove he’s a real conservative.

Lawyers for Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson and his former heirs have agreed to mediation over Benson’s lawsuit to remove them as future owners of the teams. Benson’s lawsuit seeks to take back stock in the team from his heirs and force them out as non-voting owners of the teams. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s normal for a judge to order mediation in a case like this…:
CUT 4 (11) “as his heirs”
He says, at the end of the day, both parties are going to have to sit together and come to some understanding.

Tomorrow night…ninth ranked LSU hosts Arkansas. The voice of the Tigers, Jim Hawthorne, will miss his second consecutive game after undergoing heart surgery. But he will be on the field before the game as he’ll receive the Chris Schenkel Award, which goes to individuals who’ve had a long distinguished career broadcasting college football at a particular school.

Republican gubernatorial candidate David Vitter’s latest campaign commercial features “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson backing the US Senator in the governor’s race. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (26) “I’m Eric Gill”

As the city of New Orleans mourns the loss music legend Allen Toussaint, a group on Facebook as formed a campaign seeking to rename Lee Circle in honor of the jazz great. The suggestion comes as a push is being made to relocate confederate statues around the city from their prominent locations. An online petition already has over 2,000 signatures.

A three hour standoff between authorities and an armed man on a boat in Larose ended early this afternoon. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Brennan Matherne says police responded to a call by the owner of the vessel alerting them that an armed man, who didn’t have permission, was aboard a boat docked along the Intracoastal Canal…:
cut 12 (09) “shotgun”
He says negotiators were talking to Boudreaux until he fired a shot into the air and that’s when a team moved in and took him into custody. It is unknown why the man did this.

In the 2015 University of New Orleans Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff survey, Governor Bobby Jindal came out with a 70 percent disapproval rating. Ed Chervenak, director of the UNO Survey Research Center believes the Governor and now Republican Presidential candidate is having a major impact on the upcoming runoff…:
CUT 7 (08) “would be in trouble”

It looks like Republican gubernatorial candidate David Vitter is bringing some star power to his campaign. His latest commercial features “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson of West Monroe backing the US Senator in the governor’s election. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley feels Robertson’s endorsement of Vitter is pretty inconsequential…:
CUT 9 (10) “Senator Vitter”
The ad continues Vitter’s theme of redemption from his prostitution scandal with Robertson stating, “I know he’s made some mistakes, but who hasn’t?”

Meanwhile the campaign for Vitter’s opponent, Democrat John Bel Edwards, announces the Representative from Amite has the backing of The Louisiana State Troopers Association. The Executive Director, David Young, says it’s rare for State Troopers to endorse candidates, but it was appropriate in the runoff because Edwards views on public safety align with theirs.

Lawyers for Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson and his estranged heirs have agreed to mediation over Benson’s lawsuit to remove them as future owners of the teams. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “I’m Eric Gill”

The low-cost Spirit Airlines non-stop flight from New Orleans to Las Vegas is now available to customers as of today. Officials with the airline also announced they will begin offering nonstop flights to Los Angeles next spring.

In the 2015 University of New Orleans Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff survey, polls show Republican Billy Nungesser in a 10 point lead over Democrat Kip Holden in the Lt. Governor’s race. Ed Chervenak, director of the UNO Survey Research Center, says, unlike the governor’s race, the Lt. Governor’s election is running on race and partisanship..:
CUT 6 (09) “partisanship”
The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted between November 2nd-8th. Early voting for the runoff ends tomorrow and the Secretary of State’s Office is urging people to take advantage as November 21st is the weekend before Thanksgiving and it’s a busy time for many.

LaPolitics.com is reporting that the state Ethics Administration says, in 2015, a record number of new political action committees have formed. They say 281 PACs are registered this year up from 233 10 years ago and the number of new PACs, currently at 58, is up from 33 a decade ago.

Lawyers for Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson and his estranged heirs have agreed to mediation over Benson’s lawsuit to remove them as future owners of the teams. Legal analyst Tim Meche believes this is a sign that Judge Jane Triche Milazzo indicated to Benson’s lawyers that they would not win the case during trial…:
CUT 3 (10) “with them”
Benson’s lawsuit seeks to take back stock in the team from his heirs and force them out as non-voting owners of the teams.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office says deputies have responded to a call of a man who is armed and has barricaded himself on a boat that’s docked along the Intracoastal Canal. Apparently the man was trespassing on the vessel and deputies are trying to negotiate with him for a peaceful surrender. We’ll have more on this as it develops.

Today and tomorrow are the last days to get out and early vote for the runoff election. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The father of the 6-year-old little boy who died in a shower of gunfire allegedly by Marksville cops has reportedly been released from the hospital for injuries he sustained in the incident. The report indicates the lawyer of Chris Few said his client had been discharged. About 100 members of the central Louisiana town gathered Thursday night to remember young Jeremy Mardis during a candlelight vigil.

Crawfish are starting to pop up around coastal parishes in Louisiana. Marine extension agent with the LSU Ag Center Alan Matherne says the farmers have flooded their ponds which causes the older crawfish from last season to pop up. He says they are big and juicy, but there’s not a lot out there right now as January through March is typically when the harvest is at its peak…:
CUT 9 (10) “available”
He says catches are up compared to the start of last season thanks to the mild weather.

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson and representatives for his former heirs have agreed to mediation about the lawsuit to take back stock in the teams since he pulled their rights to inherit them. The suit is scheduled for trial next June.

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds Louisiana’s obesity rate at 35 percent, but Department of Health and Hospitals Assistant Secretary of Public Health JT Lane says they’d like to see it lower. He says by implementing “Well Spots,” in over one-thousand businesses statewide, they’re making a conscious effort to help people live healthier lives…

cut 12 (09) “over time”

The obesity rate for women in the state is 36-percent and for men it’s 33-percent.

Early voting ends tomorrow and Secretary of State Tom Schedler urges everyone to go out and cast your ballot. Schedler says the number of early voters in the runoff is outpacing what we saw in the primary…

cut 6 (10) “voting cycle”

He says 90% of people who have early voted for the runoff election, also voted in the October 24th primary.

It looks like Republican gubernatorial candidate David Vitter is bringing some star power to his campaign. His latest campaign commercial features “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson and continues Vitter’s theme of redemption from his prostitution scandal. It shows both men dressed in camouflage standing in front of a hunting vehicle. In the spot, Robertson says, “I know he’s made some mistakes, but who hasn’t?”

Ready for mudbugs? Crawfish are already starting to pop up in stores across some coastal parishes in Louisiana. Michelle Southern reports…:

cut 2 (27) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds the country’s obesity rate has climbed to almost 38-percent, up from 32-percent ten years ago. Jeff Palermo looks at what’s happening in Louisiana….

cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

New Orleans Police have arrested the pastor of a Marrero church on several counts of inappropriate sexual behavior with children. They say three people allege they were sexually abused by 56-year-old Reverend Dr. Sherman Smith, pastor of the Second Highway Baptist Church, more than 10 years ago. Smith faces multiple charges, including aggravated rape of a victim younger than 13 and sexual battery.

State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson says District Judge William Bennett remains adamant about the gag order in place in regards to information about last week’s fatal shooting by two Marksville deputy marshals. Edmonson says although he can’t provide more details on the case, he told the Jim Engster show that the investigation remains active…

cut 15 (10) “we go forward”

Six-year-old Jeremy Mardis was killed in the shooting and his father, 25-year-old Christopher Few was severely wounded.

Crawfish are beginning to pop up in stores across some coastal parishes in Louisiana. LSU Ag Center marine extension agent Alan Matherne says the crawfish that are coming up now are mostly from last season and the quality of the mudbugs is good…

cut 8 (06) “this point”

Matherne says there’s not a lot of crawfish available right now.

A gag order remains in place keeping authorities from releasing information to the public about last week’s fatal shooting by two Marksville deputy marshals. Six-year-old Jeremy Mardis was killed in the shooting and his 25-year-old father, Christopher Few, was severely wounded. An attorney for Few says police body camera footage shows Few with his hands up, but State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson says only a select group of people have seen the video….

cut 14 (10) “that’s it”

Ready for mudbugs? Crawfish are already popping up in stores across some coastal parishes in Louisiana. Marine extension agent with the LSU Ag Center Alan Matherne says the reason the crawfish season tends to start around this time of year is because the farmers flood their ponds…

cut 7 (10) “out of the ground”

Matherne says the quality of crawfish so far is good.

With early voting ending tomorrow, Secretary of State Tom Schedler encourages everyone to go out and exercise your right to vote. Total voter turnout in October was 39-percent and Schedler says we could possibly have an anomaly where the general election receives a better turnout than the primary…

cut 5 (05) “in October”

Schedler says voters are more engaged now that this a smaller ballot, especially with the governor’s race down to just two candidates.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report finds the nation’s obesity rate has climbed to almost 38-percent, that’s up 6-percent from ten years ago. Department of Health and Hospitals Assistant Secretary of Public Health JT Lane says in Louisiana the obesity rate for women is 36-percent and 33-percent for men. He says there is an even greater disparity between white and black adults…

cut 11 (07) “concerns me”

Lane says D-H-H is working hard to reduce these disparities in the state.