TOPS students in the Class of 2021 would need at least a 2.75 GPA, under a proposal heading to the House floor. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Confederate era monuments in New Orleans will come down sooner rather than later, according to Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who made the comments after a court tossed out a suit aimed at keeping the statue of PGT Beauregard in place in front of City Park. Monument supporters say the fight to keep the memorials in place isn’t over yet.

A House committee shoots down a proposal to allow people to concealed carry firearms without a permit. Cissy Rowley opposes the bill, as a survivor of the Lafayette movie theater shooting. She says the permitting process is also needed to vet people who should not be concealed carrying a firearm.

Cut 9 (08) “respect that”

The measure failed on an 8 to 5 vote.

A 12-year-old in Eunice has died after accidentally shooting himself in the head. Police Chief Randy Fontenot says the gun was readily accessible in the boy’s home.

Cut 5 (09) “self-defense”

Fontenot says the boy thought the gun was unloaded. He says this was purely an accident, and no charges will be filed.

High school students would have to graduate with a 2.75 GPA in order to qualify for TOPS under a bill approved by the House Education committee. The current minimum GPA is 2.50. James Callier with the Taylor Foundation opposed the measure, because he said it would hurt needy students…
cut 14 (11) “…one year”
The bill, which would take effect with the graduating class of 2021, passed on a 9-3 vote and heads to the House floor.

The Pineville-based utility company Cleco presented Governor John Bel Edwards with a seven-million dollar check that the state economic development department can use to create jobs in their 23 parish service area. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill…
cut 11 (10) “….in Louisiana”
Legislation that would have allowed residents to conceal a gun in public without a permit failed to get approval from a House committee. Jimmy Williams of a group called Louisiana Carry argued in front of the panel that requiring a permit gives criminals the upper hand…
cut 7 (10) “…willing to”
But the measure was shot down on an eight to five vote.

A 12-year-old southwest Louisiana boy is dead after he accidentally fatally shot himself with a semi-automatic pistol. That’s according to Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot who says they believe the boy was trying to intimidate his little brother with the gun…
cut 4 (10) “…intentional thing”
Fontenot says no charges will be filed.

A proposal to allow Louisiana residents to concealed carry a gun without a permit was shot down by the House Criminal Justice Committee. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

A bill that would allow people convicted of drug-related felonies to get food stamps and welfare benefits when they leave prison advanced today. There is currently a one year ban. Lawmakers are trying to lessen Louisiana’s prison rate and help inmates once they are released.

Louisiana Economic Development receives a $7 million donation from Cleco for job-creating projects. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says Cleco executives presented Governor John Bel Edwards with the check for a fund that will be administered by LED…:
Cut 10 (11) “job creating projects”
The fund seeks to grow economic development in Cleco’s 23 parish service area.

Officials with Jazz Fest announced that this year’s two-weekend event at the New Orleans fairgrounds was attended by about 425,000 fans. Highlights of the seven days of the festival included a triumphant performance by Stevie Wonder the second Saturday.

The 2017 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will kick off on Saturday, December 16th at noon, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation confirmed today. The game hosts teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The House Criminal Justice Committee shot down a bill that would have allowed Louisiana residents to conceal carry a gun without a permit. Dr. Kenneth Flaming of Louisiana Carry says it can take up to a year before a CCP is approved, and can cost between $300 and $500…:
Cut 6 (08) “the most”
Cissy Rowley is a Lafayette theater shooting victim. She says without the permit requirement, gun owners could carry their weapons concealed with little or no training…:
Cut 8 (10) “a gun before”
The bill was shelved on a 9-5 vote. Now being discussed is the measure that would give parole to certain inmates who were sentenced as juveniles to life without parole.

Legislation backed by Governor John Bel Edwards’ that called for shifting the tax burden from individuals to businesses died in the House Ways and Means committee. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says it appears the Republican dominated legislature is not interested in overhauling the state’s tax structure…:
Cut 14 (11) “this minute”

A judge in New Orleans today denied a request that would prevent the city from removing a statue of Confederate Army General P.G.T. Beauregard. Supporters of preserving the monuments claimed that newly uncovered documents showed New Orleans doesn’t own the statue, City Park does. The judge said the monument debate has gone on long enough and the city can take its own statues down.

A bill that would allow Louisiana residents who could legally own firearms to carry them concealed without a permit has been shelved in committee following testimony from one of the Lafayette theater shooting victims. Also opposed to Representative Barry Ivey’s bill were DAs, sheriffs and chiefs of police. It was the third time the Baton Rouge lawmaker tried to bring similar legislation. Ivey argued the Constitution guarantees our right to carry guns, and it doesn’t dictate how.

A 12-year-old is dead after cops say he accidentally shot himself in the head. Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot says the boy was handling a semi-automatic handgun…:
Cut 3 (11) “the chamber”
He says the child later died from his injuries, and this is a tragic accidental incident in which no charges will be filed.

Governor John Bel Edwards today announced that Pineville based CLECO has provided the state $7 million dollars to be administered by local economic development agencies in the utility company’s service territory. The grants are one of several incentives the PSC approved as part of a buyout offer for CLECO. The purchase was completed in April of 2016. The governor says the primary use of the funds will go towards infrastructure improvements to attract new capital investment and job-creating projects.

Louisiana is the worst state to be a police officer according to a study by the personal finance website, WalletHub. Don Molino has more…:
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Don Molino”.

Another big part of Governor John Bel Edwards’ agenda for the legislative session has been shot down, as the House Ways and Means committee did not advance a proposal to shift the tax burden from individuals to businesses. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says many lawmakers aren’t interested in raising taxes on businesses…:
Cut 15 (12) “touch it”
Governor Edwards called the action by the Ways and Means committee a severe case of misplaced priorities and a disservice to the people of Louisiana.

Up for debate at the capitol today is a bill to raise the minimum grade point average in order to qualify for the TOPS scholarship. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil is proposing to increase the required GPA from 2.5 to 3.0 for gradudating high school seniors starting with the class of 2021.

A bill that would ban so-called sanctuary cities fails to get the 70 votes needed to pass the full House. The bill is aimed at New Orleans which has a policy that prohibits officers from questioning the status of individuals who commit or report a crime. State Representative Gary Carter voiced his concern this legislation could lead to racial profiling of Hispanics…:
Cut 12 (07) “no”
The measure failed on 64-32 vote.

The personal finance website Wallethub finds Louisiana is the worst state in the country for police officers Analyst Jill Gonzales says Louisiana has a very high crime rate, so police officers are busy and pay for law enforcement officers is next to last in the country…..
cut 9 (09) “…crime rate”
Louisiana also ranks last in the number of police deaths per one-thousand officers.

Taking aim at New Orleans, the bill to ban sanctuary cities fails to get the necessary votes to pass the full House. Denham Springs Representative Valarie Hodges says the measure would withhold funds from cities that don’t allow cops to question the status of individuals who commit crimes…:
Cut 11 (07) “come first”
Hodges says under the measure, questions of immigration status would only be allowed post-arrest. But New Orleans Representative Gary Carter opposes..:
Cut 13 (07) “status”
The House voted 64-32, which was just six votes shy of the required super majority.

Governor John Bel Edwards is making an announcement this morning at Cleco in Pineville. The economic development news is slated to come down after 10am.

The effort to try to have the courts intervene in the city of New Orleans’ plans to take down a monument of a Confederate Army general comes up today, as a hearing in the suit to prevent the removal of the Beauregard statue takes place. Supporters of preserving the monuments claimed that newly uncovered documents show the city is not the rightful owner of the statue, but that it actually belongs to the City Park Improvement Association.

The governor’s agenda item he said would have reduced taxes for 90 percent of Louisiana households failed in the House Ways and Means Committee. Lawmakers don’t seem to want to raise taxes on business in return as a way to help address the state’s budget gap, according to Council for A better Louisiana President Barry Erwin. The session ends June 8th…:
Cut 16 (12) “the end”
The governor began the session pushing several different tax proposals, because one-point-three billion dollars in temporary taxes are set to expire in July of 2018.

Governor John Bel Edwards income tax plan fails in the House Ways and Means committee. Jeff Palermo reports chances legislators will overhaul the state’s tax structure are dwindling…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries say the body of a 15-year-old boy has been recovered from Black Bayou in Caddo Parish. Crews have been searching for the teen since Saturday evening, when they received a call about a capsized vessel near Rodessa, where four boys had been on board. Three of the teens made it to shore, but one of them never resurfaced. LDWF is leading the investigation on this fatal boating incident.

Minors seeking an abortion would be required to have proof of identification from their parents before terminating a pregnancy under a bill before a Senate committee today. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell says a photo ID of parents is required before high school report cards are handed out. She says it makes sense parents know their child is having an abortion…:
Cut 4 (10) “not too much to ask”
The bill would also require that a minor seeking an abortion get court-ordered counseling if it’s suspected that they are a victim of sexual assault.

Louisiana is the worst state to be a police officer, according to the personal finance website Wallet Hub. Analyst Jill Gonzales says the state ranks 49th for the median income for law enforcement officers…:
Cut 8 (08) “bit better”
She says Louisiana scored poorly in other metrics for law enforcement such as police killings and high violent crime rates.

Another big part of Governor John Bel Edwards’ agenda for the legislative session has been shot down, as Tuesday the House Ways and Means committee did not advance a proposal to shift the tax burden from individuals to businesses. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says many lawmakers aren’t interested in raising taxes on businesses…:
Cut 15 (12) “touch it”
Governor Edwards called this a severe case of misplaced priorities and a disservice to the people of Louisiana.

A study from WalletHub finds Louisiana is the worst state to be a police officer. Website analyst Jill Gonzales says they measured the quality of life and job hazards, which really brought Louisiana down in the ratings…:
Cut 7 (11) “bottom ten”

A bill that would ban sanctuary cities failed to receive the necessary 70 votes to pass the House. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Minors seeking an abortion would be required to have proof of identification from their parents before terminating a pregnancy under a bill before a Senate committee today. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell says parents can’t be left in the dark on such an important matter..:
Cut 6 (03) “on their child”
The bill faces opposition from Planned Parenthood.