Student leaders from Louisiana universities went before the House budget committee to plead with lawmakers not to cut funding for TOPS. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards is staying out of the New Orleans Confederate monuments situation saying it’s a city matter, not one for the state level….:
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The comments were made on the governor’s monthly call in radio show.

A report on human trafficking showed a 25 percent increase in victims over the past year, with 447 reports in 2017, compared to 357 in 2016. That’s according the the Department of Children and Family Services. Child Welfare Consultant Walter Fahr says the primary reason for the jump could be that the state is doing a better job of identifying victims..:
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Caddo and Orleans Parishes were the two most frequently identified areas for trafficking and parish of origin.

The northern regions of the state are known for great bass fishing, which is why Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces the launch of the Louisiana Bass Trail. He says it includes 7 lakes at 8 state parks and he believes this will help attract recreational fishermen from all over…:
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Anglers can sign up at louisianabasstrail.com.

Student body leaders called on the state legislature to fully fund TOPS. Under the governor’s current budget proposal, the scholarship program is only 70% covered. Northwestern State University student president John Pearce testified before the House Appropriations Committee and says he’s heard a lot of concerns from students…:
Cut 10 (07) “extremely worried”
This year TOPS students had to pay over half of their spring tuition for the first time ever.

DCFS says sex trafficking cases reported in Louisiana rose by 25-percent last year. Child Welfare Consultant Walter Fahr says of that number, 45-were juvenile victims….:
Cut 13 (09) “urban areas”
The report identified 447 victims statewide. Fahr says the report is beneficial because it helps to determine sex trafficking hot spots.

Governor John Bel Edwards says the state should not get involved in the city of New Orleans’ decision to remove confederate monuments. He made the remarks on his monthly call-in radio show…:
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Two different bills have been filed seeking to protect confederate monuments around the state. New Orleans is attempting to hire a contractor to take down Civil War era structures.

DOTD reports that work continued through the night on I-10 in West Baton Rouge Parish where a fiery and deadly crash involving 18-wheelers shut down the roadway for about 6 hours Wednesday. State Police say the wreck involved 5 vehicles, including the big rigs, and 7 people. One person was killed and the others sustained minor to moderate injuries.

Drivers could see a hike in the gasoline tax, if a bill by Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter is approved by the legislature. He says his proposed 17 cent hike would generate 500 million dollars a year for new projects.

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The bill requires the state to use at least half of the money to begin construction on new megaprojects, like a new bridge in Baton Rouge.

A bill that would allow public school students to bring sunscreen to school and apply it on their own is heading to the House floor. Ville Platte Representative Harvey LeBas says skin cancer is a major problem and the goal of his bill is to protect kids from sunburns when they go outside for school activities.

Cut 12 (07) “the protection”

The measure passed on a 12 to 1 vote.

Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover has filed a bill to prevent universities, like LSU and UL-Lafayette, from branding their own beers. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana’s coast. The emergency declaration will be sent to President Trump to raise awareness about this crisis and expedite restoration projects. If nothing is done to protect the coast, Louisiana stands to lose an estimated 22-hundred square miles of coastal land in the next 50 years.

A Baton Rouge lawmaker has filed a proposal that would increase the state’s gasoline tax by 17 cents. Louisiana motorists pay 38-cents per gallon, 20-cents in state taxes. Representative Steve Carter says it’s been over 20 years since Louisiana increased the state tax on gasoline…:
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Kids will be allowed to bring sunscreen to public schools under a proposal approved by the House Education Committee. If the children can’t apply the sun screen, parents could consent to a school employee doing so. The measure passed on a 12-1 vote. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith says this proposed law could lead to accusations of sexual abuse…
cut 14 (06) “…wrong place”
The measure heads to the House floor for more discussion.

A proposal by Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover would put an end to official university beers. LSU and UL-Lafayette already have their own trademarked suds from local breweries. Glover says colleges branding their own alcohol only encourages underage drinking…:
Cut 9 (10) “in particular”
Schools say companies already use university colors and logos to promote their beers, and they deserve their fair share of that money. But Glover says if that’s the case, then universities should start paying college athletes their share of the revenue they generate….
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Glover’s bill will be heard in House Education.

Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter has filed a bill to increase the state’s gasoline tax by 17-cents a gallon. Many are opposed to higher taxes at the capitol. Carter says when his bill comes up for debate, he’ll provide detailed information on how a higher gasoline tax will benefit the state…
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The state currently has a 20-cent tax in place on a gallon of gasoline.

Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover has a bill that would end the partnerships that LSU and UL Lafayette have with local breweries. Those two schools have been able to trademark their own beers and receive a cut of the sales. Glover says these beer partnerships encourage drinking by the schools and it’s a bad look even though it means money…
cut 10 (09) “…type of commerce”
Debate on this bill will begin in House Education.

Louisiana would allow public school students to bring sunscreen to school without parental consent or a doctor’s note. The bill passed out of a House committee on a 12-1 vote. The lone dissenting vote was from Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith…
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The measure that’s now heading to the House floor also allows for school employees to apply, if there’s parental consent.

Six people have been arrested in Bossier City for human trafficking as a result of an undercover prostitution operation. Bossier Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Bill Davis nine people, including four females, traveled in from Little Rock in the back of a U-Haul. Davis says a local man allowed his apartment to be rented out for prostitution.
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Davis says two teenage girls asked to be rescued from the situation.

Today is the final day lawmakers can file bills to be considered for this legislative session. On the eve of this deadline, Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter has put a bill in the hopper that would increase the state’s gasoline tax by 17-cents. Carter says if approved, his tax hike would generate about 500-million dollars a year…
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The state gasoline tax is currently 20-cents.

The House Education Committee approves a bill that would allow public school students to bring sunscreen to school and apply it on their own. Ville Platte Representative Harvey LeBas says skin cancer is a major problem and the goal of his bill is to protect kids from sunburns when they go outside for school activities.
Cut 12 (07) “the protection”
The bill passed on a 12-1 vote and heads to the House floor.

Bossier Parish Sheriff deputies arrest five individuals from Little Rock and a Bossier City teen for their role in sex trafficking case, where the victims were brough into Louisiana in a U-haul truck. Lt. Bill Davis says 18-year-old Antwan Lay of Bossier City is the local man arrested for letting the prostitution take place at his apartment…
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Davis says two females were rescued from the situation.

The DeSoto Parish Coroner’s office says Cameron Anthony Hernandez from Diana, Texas, was killed when a tank exploded near Mansfield yesterday. A crew was working at the site to clean damage caused by a recent storm.

The Caddo Sheriff’s Office says a nearly 11 foot long alligator shut down traffic on La Highway 1 for nearly an hour early this morning. They said a passer by reported the gator sighting in the middle of the road about 330am and that its tail had been run over by an 18-wheeler. Trappers were called to remove the animal.