All four Confederate monuments in New Orleans have come down, so what’s next for the hundred-year-old statues? Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

With plenty of rain in the forecast this weekend, officials and residents are keeping a close eye on the Mississippi River as levels continue to rise. Crews in St. Francisville put down large sandbags near a tributary of the river, Bayou Sara, that is expected to flood in the coming days. Army Corps of Engineers says as the water rises, their flood fight will be upgraded to phase two.

The Senate Finance committee has started hearings on the proposed spending plan for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says the budget the House approved does not properly fund the Department of Children and Family Services….
cut 10 (08) “…supervised”
Alario says the House did not allocate 206-million dollars that’s available to spend and they may use some of that money to fill the budget gaps.

Three St. Amant young adults were found dead in an Ascension Parish bayou by a member of their own family following a crash. State Trooper Bryan Lee says when troopers arrived they discovered a mangled vehicle and the bodies of its occupants scattered around…:
Cut 7 (09) “in half”
Family members say the three were on their way back from a night in New Orleans. The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says they located a body at the site of the accident that was unrelated to the crash.

Senate President John Alario says the upper chamber is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program. Alario says the budget plan approved by the House takes money away from the Department of Health to fully fund TOPS and they are taking a close look at that proposal.
cut 9 (07) “…TOPS funding”
Alario also says the Senate also disagrees with a House bill to raise the minimum GPA in order to receive the TOPS scholarship.

“The most brutal attack I have ever seen”…is how Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi described the alleged kidnapping and rape of a woman by a man from Golden Meadow. 33-yer-old Joshua Penny is accused of taking the victim to a secluded wooded area after an argument and causing injuries to her that required multiple surgeries and other procedures. Penny was booked on charges including first-degree rape, domestic abuse and false imprisonment.

The full House has approved a measure that would require higher training standards for police officers. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James’ bill would require cops to receive at least 400 hours of basic POST training before entering the field…:
Cut 12 (10) “the 400 hours”
James says he’s worked with law enforcement to come up with the best practices to prepare officers for work in the field.

The LSU baseball team has claimed the SEC West championship with an 11-5 win over Mississippi State. The Tigers can pick up an outright regular season conference title if they complete the sweep of the Bulldogs today and if Kentucky beats Florida.

The 3rd Annual Crawfish Gatorfest is underway this weekend at The Grove at ULM. The event that draws people from throughout North Louisiana includes carnival rides and games, festival food vendors, a petting zoo and live music. Visit originalcrawfishgatorfest.com for details.

The Monumental Task Committee is slamming the removal of the Robert E Lee statue in New Orleans. In a statement, the group asserts the city heads into its Tricentennial more divided and less historic than ever — and compares the taking down of four Confederate era monuments to ISIS tactics. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said The Civil War is over, the Confederacy lost and the city is better for it.

The Senate is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program, despite budget troubles, according to President John Alario. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A bill heading to the Senate will require that police officers receive at least 400 hours of basic training and….
cut 13 (09) “…peace officers”
That’s Baton Rouge Representative Ted James, who wrote the bill in response to the police shooting of Alton Sterling. James says law enforcement is in support of the legislation.

Governor John Bel Edwards is going to speak this morning at the graduation of the 2017 class of Louisiana Tech. The school will also be celebrating its 100,000th graduate during the spring commencement ceremony.

Safe boating week begins today, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is going to be out in full force on waterways. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says it’s important to remember three things when out on the water…:
Cut 3 (08) “working condition”

LSU is the champions of the SEC West after beating Mississippi State 11-5 last night. The Tigers had eight hits, but walked 11 times and two batters reached on hit by pitches. In the 6^th inning, LSU scored four times, three of those runs came across with bases on balls with the bases loaded. Catcher Michael Papierski had a big game as he went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and drove in two. The Illinois native hit his 7^th home run. Here’s the call on the LSU Sports Radio Network…

cut 30 (13) “…the season”

Nick Coomes drove in three runs. Kramer Robertson had three hits and scored three times. LSU is 20-9 and they can win the overall SEC title with a win over Mississippi State today and if Kentucky beats Florida.

LSU was not the only team to score a bunch of runs. Louisiana Tech had 19 runners cross the plate in a 19-2 win over Middle Tennessee. Colby Hamilton was five-for-five with three runs scored and four runs driven in.

Southeastern Louisiana put up double digits on the board as the Lions defeated Seton Hall 10-7. Lamar knocked off McNeese four to one, UNO swept a doubleheader from Northwestern State and Central Arkansas took two from Nicholls.

The Ragin Cajuns scored four runs in the first inning and went on to beat ULM 5-3. Steven Sensley and Kennon Fontenot each homered.

LSU and UL Lafayette will meet in softball for first time since 2013 in the Baton Rouge Regional today at noon. Both teams won yesterday, the Cajuns blanked McNeese six to nothing as Alex Stewart threw a no hitter and the Tigers edged Fairfield 2-1. Louisiana Tech lost to Minnesota 11-3 yesterday and will play from the loser’s bracket today in Tuscaloosa.

Crews worked for more than 10 hours to remove the 16-foot tall, 7-thousand pound statue of Robert E. Lee from its 68-foot pedestal on St. Charles Avenue. It’s the fourth confederate-era monument to be taken down in recent weeks after the Metro City Council voted to remove them. It’s unclear where the memorials to confederate leaders will go from here.

The Senate is committed to fully funding the TOPS scholarship program, despite budget troubles, according to President John Alario. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The full House approves a bill to require more training for police. A proposal by Baton Rouge Representative Ted James would require officers to receive at least 400 hours of basic POST training before entering the field.

Cut 12 (10) “the 400 hours”

James says he’s worked on this bill with the help of law enforcement around the state.

Safe Boating Week begins Saturday and runs through May 26. Adam Einck with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries advises boaters to sign up for a free boating safety course on LDWF’s website.

Cut 5 (09) “as well””
Louisiana recorded 24 boating fatalities in 2016, and this year nine people have died in boating accidents.

Workers are removing a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee which stood above a New Orleans traffic circle since 1884. It’s the fourth Confederate monument taken down in recent weeks. Mayor Mitch Landrieu says these monuments were erected after the Civil War to show white supremacy still influenced the city…
cut 30 (14) “…stood for”

A measure that increases the training requirement for police officers to at least 400 hours heads to the Senate. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James’ bill would also require officers to complete 20 additional hours of annual training, including courses on bias policing recognition.
Cut 14 (10) “those situations”
James filed the bill in response to the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge.

Three people were killed when their vehicle split in half in Ascension Parish. Halen Doughty has the story…
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Safe Boating Week kicks off tomorrow in Louisiana. Adam Einck with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says their agents will conduct more safety checks on waterways and they want boaters to keep these three things in mind when on the water.
Cut 3 (08) “working condition”
Louisiana has seen 9 boating fatalities so far this year.

Crews have been working all day to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from its 68-foot pedestal in New Orleans. Mayor Mitch Landrieu says taking down the confederate monuments was the right thing to do.

Cut 20 (14) “…absurd”

The Senate Finance committee has started hearings on the proposed spending plan for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says the budget the House approved does not properly fund the Department of Children and Family Services.

Cut 10 (08) “supervised”

Alario says the House did not allocate all the available funds, and that money could be used to fill the budget gaps.

Three people from St. Amant were killed when their vehicle veered off the roadway, went airborne, and hit a tree, causing it to split in half. State Trooper Bryan Lee says the three young adults were found by a family member after they didn’t come home following a night out.

Cut 6 (09) “a canal”

The victims are identified as Thomas Jones, Austin Kiernan, and Sydney Persac.

A bill to increase the training requirement for police to 400 hours is heading to the Senate. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says his bill also requires 20 hours of annual training and more focus in some key areas.

Cut 13 (09) “peace officers”

The House approved the measure 82 to 5.

Senate President John Alario says the upper chamber is committed to fully funding the TOPS program in the budget, but they do not support a House bill that raises the GPA requirement to 2.75. Alario says too many students rely on TOPS.
Cut 11 (10) “for us”
The Senate Finance committee is currently examing the budget and is expected to make changes to it, shuffling money around that will differ from what the House passed.

State Police say three young adults from St. Amant were killed when their vehicle veered off the road, went airborne, striking a tree and splitting in half. All three victims were found outside the vehicle. State Police Trooper Bryan Lee says there’s still a lot of questions…
cut 8 (09) “….a factor”
A family member of one of the victims found the dead bodies last night.

The full House has approved a measure that would require higher training standards for police officers. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James bill would require officers to receive at least 400 hours of basic POST training before entering the field.
Cut 12 (10) “the 400 hours”
James says he’s worked with law enforcement to come up with the best practices to prepare officers for work in the field.

Boating season is ramping up, which is why Safe Boating Week starts tomorrow. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson Adam Einck encourages boaters to make sure they have the proper safety equipment, including life jackets and a fire extinguisher. He says it’s important to stay safe on the water or it could cost you your life.
Cut 4 (07) “boating fatalities” 2x