US Senator John Kennedy asked candidates for FBI director to help with the crime problem in New Orleans. Halen Doughty has more on his plan and the response from NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison…
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The media has picked LSU to finish third in the SEC West, and fourth overall. Michelle Southern reports…:
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US Senator John Kennedy thinks he’s found the way to reduce crime in New Orleans, but the police chief has other ideas.Kennedy said in a news release this week that he secured a promise that the potential FBI director will help The Big Easy. Kennedy says New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu implemented a hiring freeze on NOPD in 2014, and he hasn’t kept his promise to hire 150 new officers since then. One of his recommendations is to up the number of officers in the force.
NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison says understaffing is certainly a problem, but not one unique to New Orleans. But he says they won’t lower their standards just to get more cops on the streets. He says the department is working to address the problem with a new pay raise plan.
Harrison says if Kennedy wants to help, he can certainly give the NOPD more grant money to hire more officers. Another idea of Kennedy’s is for the NOPD to adopt a “stop, question, and frisk” policy. Harrison calls that profiling, but Kennedy disagrees.
Kennedy says law enforcement can question anyone if they have “reasonable suspicion,” even if there’s no probable cause. Harrison says his officers do question people every day and night on the basis reasonable suspicion, and they’re seeing results.
The US Senator also suggested NOPD partner with surrounding agencies. Harrison says they do work with their federal counterparts and neighboring departments, but those agencies have their own work to do.
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Popular north Louisiana chef Cory Bahr of Monroe heads into the 7th week of Food Network Star. The show is Food Network’s highest honor and airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. Bahr says the hardest part of the competition is trying to get his point of view across to the judges.
Bahr is the owner of Heritage Catering and was also a champion of the Food Network show “Chopped.” Bahr owned multiple restaurants in Monroe and says the experience of cooking on the show is totally different from creating meals off air. But he credits the pressure of being a chef in a professional kitchen to helping him be successful on the show.
Bahr just squeaked by in week 6 after being safe from the bottom five, but he struggled cooking with canned croissants, some the fine dining chef isn’t used to. Bahr says the work that goes into filming each episode is unreal, not only from the chefs but also the production staff. He says his main goal while competing is to show the world what Louisiana has to offer.
Bahr encourages fans to vote for him online. Watch parties at the Flying Tiger Brewery in Monroe will be held for as long has Bahr remains on the show.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid prescription rates are dropping in Louisiana, but former FBI Director Louis Freeh warns federal loopholes could threaten that progress. A report from the Freeh Group suggests policy proposals would loosen restrictions on imported drugs. Freeh says the US has a closed prescription system, but these proposals would open it up to unregulated drugs.
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This year state lawmakers passed a package of bills aimed at reducing opioid prescriptions, including limiting first-time prescriptions. Freeh says that could encourage people to use other drugs, as legal prescriptions become harder to obtain. He says while prescription opioids are certainly addictive, counterfeit imported drugs can pose even higher risks.
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The CDC finds opioid prescriptions have declined roughly 24 percent in the greater Baton Rouge area since 2010. But Freeh says legal prescriptions aren’t the only concern, as addicts will turn to other sources. He’s concerned gaps in federal laws would allow drug dealers to meet that demand.
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The SEC Media projections are out and the 2017 LSU football team is picked to finish behind Alabama and Auburn in the SEC West. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says these projections aren’t surprising, especially when it comes to Alabama who continues to be the well-deserved favorite in the West. He says reporters are also big on Auburn right now…:
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LSU is picked number four to outright win the SEC Championship, behind Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. Worsham says there is a lot of hype about the Bulldogs right now too as they have 10 starters back on defense, and talented sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason. He says the good news for LSU fans is that SEC projections tend to be wrong…:
Worsham says this LSU football team is one of the most difficult to predict that he’s seen in a long time. He says there are a ton of questions headed into the season…:
Reporters also named seven Tigers to All-SEC teams, including first-teamers Derrius Guice and Arden Key.