The special session begins today, giving lawmakers two weeks to solve the 648 million dollar budget shortfall that’s hamstrung the legislative season. Don Molino has more.

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Congressman Clay Higgins’ school safety bill clears the House and heads to the Senate. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) I’m Matt Doyle”

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A survey by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers shows a clear majority would support a statewide strike for better pay. Michael Farrar has more.

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The special session kicks off today, giving legislators two weeks to come to an agreement on how to handle a 648 million dollar budget shortfall that threatens to potentially devastate healthcare and higher education. A special session in February failed, and legislative attempts to craft a budget with 648 million in cuts were vetoed, but Governor Edwards says this will be different.

Cut 4  (12) “do better” 

The budget gap, known as the “fiscal cliff” is the result of sales taxes that are set to expire July 1^st.

Democrats and many Republicans agree that at least some of the expiring revenue will need to be replaced, and reports say a consensus may be growing around renewing half of the one penny sales tax that falls off in July. Edwards says it’s a compromise he may have to settle for.

Cut 5  (08)  “nothing else”

And GOP Chairman Lance Harris indicated that if Republicans do agree to renew any of the expiring taxes, it would most likely be some of that expiring penny.

Cut 6 (06) “are filed”

Harris believes Republicans will not push a final budget that resembles a spending plan similar to the one that passed the House that eliminated public-private partnership hospitals and Medicaid programs that pay for nursing homes for the elderly. He says Department of Health funding is not at risk, and chided the governor for sending eviction notice letters to patients whose housing was put at risk.

Cut 7 (09)  “cover that”

Many Democrats, specifically the black caucus, began the legislative season firmly stating that they would not support attempts to keep a portion of the expiring penny sales tax, because it unfairly targets the working class. But Baton Rouge Representative Ted James indicated that the caucus may be open keeping some of that penny if it means fully funding healthcare and higher ed.

Cut 8 (08)  “are funded”

James says he’s open to compromise plans, but will not support any budget that resembles those passed by the Louisiana House and Senate that either slashed healthcare or gutted higher ed and TOPS.

Cut 9 (10)  “do that”

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US Representative Clay Higgins’ bill that would require the US to collect information on how many school resource officers are in place in schools passed the House and is on its way to the Senate. The North Louisianan Congressman says after the Parkland school shooting, he realized DC was lacking critical information on school safety.

Cut 10 (12)   “in america”

The bill is one of two pieces of legislation aimed at improving school safety, the other being an attempt to establish national standards and best practices for responding to school shootings. Higgins says before a comprehensive plan can be created to address school safety, more information is needed.

Cut 11 (08) “across the country”

Higgins says he’s optimistic that the bill will make it to the president’s desk.

Cut 12 (10) “support”

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Overnight facilities at two Louisiana State Parks are reopening after they were damaged by the 2016 floods. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announced that portions of the Lake Fausse Pointe State Park near St. Martinville opened Monday and newly renovated cabins at Chemin-A-Haut State Park near Bastrop will open Friday

Cut 13 (12)  “have flooded” 

Along with park restorations, Nungesser says his office is focusing on partnerships to improve the parks and bring back lost revenue from the floods.

The U-S is once again reeling from another mass causality fatal shooting at a school. There were several bills in the regular session seeking to place restrictions on gun ownership, but none of them passed. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter says for any gun control legislation to gain traction, one organization in particular will have to get behind it….

cut 15 (11) “…lives”

Thibodaux native and former Baton Rouge resident Cynthia Tisdale was one of 10 people killed in the Friday Houston area school shooting.

Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval’s distracted driving bill found a surprising amount of success, but ultimately failed to cross the finish line. The bill would bar drivers from touching their phone while on the road. Huval says legislators just haven’t warmed up to the idea in the upper chamber.

Cut 10 (07) “you’re driving”

A Louisiana legend has passed away. LSU says Billy Cannon died peacefully Sunday at his St. Francisville home. Cannon led LSU to a national title in 1958 and won the school’s only Heisman Trophy in 1959. When LSU won the national title in 1958, they were picked to finish 8th in the 12 team SEC. But Cannon was so confident they would win the league, he bought a bunch of tickets for his family and friends before the season started…

Cut 5  (09) “be there”

Cannon had a fall from grace in the 1980s,  when he was convicted on counterfeiting charges and served two and a half years in prison. He says he came through the rough period a better person…

Cut 4 (11) “front page”

After his release from prison, Cannon became the Director of Dentistry at the State Penitentiary at Angola. He held that job until his retirement in January.

Louisiana educators are considering a statewide walk-out according to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. Fifty three percent of educators said low teacher salaries was their top concern in a survey released by the group today. The survey of just over 3 thousand, 8 hundred federation members was not scientific, however, within the survey 61 percent support a statewide strike.
LSU mourns the death of its only Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Cannon, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 80. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval’s distracted driving bill found a surprising amount of success, but ultimately failed to cross the finish line. The bill would bar drivers from touching their phone while on the road. Huval says the surprising momentum the legislation gained indicates a growing interest in safer roads.

Cut 9 (09) “far also.”
Huval said he intends to reintroduce the bill next year.

The National Hurricane Center is watching a tropical disturbance that’s expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico this week. Forecasters only give the system a 20-percent chance of developing into a depression over the next five days. Danielle Manning in the National Weather Service office in Slidell says it’s still hard to figure out the track with this low pressure.
Cut 12 (11) “wet weekend”

LSU made it official today that former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow is transferring in. Burrow spent the past three seasons at Ohio State as a back-up. He graduated, which allows him to play this fall, with two years of eligibility left. Matt Moscona, with ESPN Radio in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, says history shows LSU has had some success with transfer quarterbacks, Zach Mettenberger and Danny Etling, are two examples…
Cut 18 (20) “against Miami”
With Burrow on board. That gives LSU four quarterbacks competing for the starting spot. No word on if the other three will leave.

LSU says legendary football player Billy Cannon died peacefully Sunday at his home in St. Francisville. Cannon led LSU to a national championship in 1958 and won the school’s only Heisman Trophy in 1959. Tiger Rag President Jim Engster asked Cannon about winning college football’s most prestigous award…
cut 3 (10) …we did”
Cannon had a fall from grace in the 1980s when he was convicted on counterfeiting charges and served two and a half years in prison. But when he got out of prison, he became the lead dentist at the State Penintentiary in Angola was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

New Orleans has a good shot at landing a Super Bowl in 2024. Saints Owner Gayle Benson will make a presentation to the NFL owners on Wednesday. Under the league’s new bidding process, New Orleans is the only city presenting a bid and the NFL can either accept it or reject it.

A bill that would prohibit Louisiana drivers from handling their phone while behind the wheel did not make it out of the regular legislative session. It received approval from the House, but the Senate did not agree with state Representative Mike Huval’s bill. The Republican from Breaux Bridge plans to try again next year….
cut 11 (10) “….in attentive”
Tomorrow, lawmakers return to the State Capitol for a special session on taxes.

The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on a tropical disturbance in the Carribbean Sea that will move into the Gulf of Mexico this week. Danielle Manning is with the National Weather Service in Slidell says there’s a low chance for development and it’s rare to see a named storm before June 1st, the start of hurricane season….
cut 14 (05) “…since 1851”
LSU says legendary football player Billy Cannon died peacefully Sunday at his home in St. Francisville. Cannon led LSU to a national championship in 1958 and won the school’s only Heisman Trophy in 1959. Tiger Rag President Jim Engster asked Cannon about winning college football’s most prestigous award…
cut 3 (10) …we did”
Cannon had a fall from grace in the 1980s when he was convicted on counterfeiting charges and served two and a half years in prison. But when he got out of prison, he became the lead dentist at the State Penintentiary in Angola was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

New Orleans has a good shot at landing a Super Bowl in 2024. Saints Owner Gayle Benson will make a presentation to the NFL owners on Wednesday. Under the league’s new bidding process, New Orleans is the only city presenting a bid and the NFL can either accept it or reject it.

There were several bills in the regular session seeking to place restrictions on gun ownership, but none of them passed. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter says for any gun control legislation to gain traction, one organiziation in particular will have to get behind it….
cut 15 (11) “…lives”
Thibodaux native and former Baton Rouge resident Cynthia Tisdale was one of 10 people killed in Friday’s school shooting in Texas.

Louisiana lawmakers did NOT enact legislation to prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones while driving in the just completed legislative session. The House supported the proposal, but Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval says the Senate is not ready to enact the safety measure…
cut 10 (07) “…you’re driving”
Huval says he’ll bring the bill back next year.

LSU is mourning the death of Billy Cannon, the school’s only Heisman Trophy winner died Sunday at age of 80. Cannon won the Heisman in 1959, the year before the Tigers went undefeated to win a national championship. In a 2015 interview with Tiger Rag President Jim Engster, Cannon was so confident they would win the SEC, he bought a bunch of tickets for his family and friends before the season started…
cut 5 (09) “…be there”

Saints Owner Gayle Benson will make an official bid on Wednesday at the NFL owners meeting for New Orleans to host a Super Bowl in 2024.
cut 7 (09) “…Bowl better”
That’s Jay Cicero, president of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, who says New Orleans is the only city that’s been asked to present a bid for that year as part of the league’s new bidding process.

A Louisiana legend has passed away. Billy Cannon died Sunday at his home in St. Francisville at the age of 80. He won the school’s only Heisman Trophy in 1958, but had a fall from grace when he was convicted on counterfeiting charges and served two and a half years in prison. In a 2015 interview with Tiger Rag President Jim Engster, Cannon said he came through the rough period as a better person…
cut 4 (11) “….front page”
After his release, Cannon was the head dentist at Angola.

New Orleans has a chance to land the Super Bowl in 2024. Saints Owner Gayle Benson will make an official presentation on Wednesday at the NFL meetings…..
cut 8 (05) “…it awarded”
That’s Jay Cicero, president of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, who says New Orleans is the only city who make a bid and the NFL will either accept it or reject it.

A bill barring drivers from touching their phone while on the road failed to pass the legislature, but gathered surprising levels of support. Becca Dill has more.
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The National Hurricane Center is watching a tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Sea which could move into the central or eastern Gulf this week. Danielle Manning with the National Weather Service office in Slidell says the sytem could bring us rain for the upcoming three-day weekend holiday…
cut 13 (05) “…to the Gulf”

Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval’s distracted driving bill found a surprising amount of success, but ultimately failed to cross the finish line. The bill would bar drivers from touching their phone while on the road. Huval says the surprising momentum the legislation gained indicates a growing interest in safer roads.

Cut 9 (09) “far also.”

The latest school shooting, this time at Santa Fe High School, has reignited the conversation around gun regulations. In response to the Parkland massacre, several bills were introduced in Louisiana that targeted firearms, but all were struck down. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter, who introduced several gun bills this year, says he hopes the legislature will come around on gun control.

Cut 13 (09)  “saving lives” 

He says despite a lack of support in the capital this year, he’ll be reintroducing the legislation next year.

LSU mourns the death of its only Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Cannon, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 80. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

And the Saints are the only bidder for the 2024 Super Bowl, and Gayle Benson will be in Atlanta Wednesday to make the pitch that could land the Big Easy it’s 11^th big game.

And now, here’s commodities.