There was a fire at the historic Hotel Bentley in downtown Alexandria this morning. Smoke appears to be coming from the roof. The hotel manager says there are no injuries, and the building has been evacuated. Hotel Bentley was constructed in 1907 and has the distinction of hosting John Wayne, President Eisenhower, and General George Patton.

The Louisiana House has approved a budget that does not contain money for Governor Edwards’ proposed two-thousand-dollar teacher pay raise.

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The experimental drug – donanemab – developed by Eli Lilly appears to slow cognitive decline by 35% in people with Alzheimer’s disease. LSU Pennington BioMedical Research Center Professor Dr. Owen Carmichael says the study also showed a 40% decrease in the inability to perform activities of daily living.

Cut 5 (13)   “…their physician.”

The last drug to be approved for Alzheimer’s was in 2004.

King Charles III will be crowned tomorrow morning. The last coronation was almost 70 years ago. Historian and LSU Professor Meredith Veldman says the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II’s has the distinction of being the first televised coronation.

Cut 24 in black and white. :11

You’ll have to set the alarm to watch the coronation live tomorrow morning, it begins at 5 AM central standard time, and this one will be in color.

The Louisiana House has approved a proposed budget for next fiscal year that does not contain Governor John Bel Edwards’ proposed two-thousand-dollar annual teacher pay raise. Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says teachers can still receive a raise from their local school systems because there’s money in the budget to pay down teacher retirement debt. But it’s a plan Shreveport Representative Tammy Phelps doesn’t like…

Cut 11 (09)  “…this way.”
The state Senate will begin discussions on its budget plan next week.

An experimental drug developed by Eli Lilly appears to slow cognitive decline by 35% in people with Alzheimer’s disease. LSU Pennington BioMedical Research Center Professor Dr. Owen Carmichael…

Cut 6 (06)  “…promising therapies.”

The coronation of King Charles III will take place Saturday morning, almost 70 years after his mother Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. Historian and LSU Professor Meredith Veldman says during the last coronation when the Archbishop of Canterbury anointed the Queen, that part of the ceremony was not visible. A tent was placed around her to hide the sacrament.

Cut 9 (07)  “…on Saturday.”

The coronation begins at 5 AM central standard time.

It’s another big weekend for festivals. You have Jazz Fest in New Orleans, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, to name a few and Alexandria has its biggest down event, Alex River Fete. Special Events Coordinator Angella Guillote…

Cut 13 (07) “…art fete.” 
The weekend lineup can be found at alex-river-fete-dot-com.

The Louisiana House advanced a budget that eliminates the two-thousand dollar teacher pay raise proposed by Governor John Bel Edwards. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A burglary suspect was shot by a Jefferson Parish deputy after fleeing a search warrant in Marrero Thursday. 50-year-old Louis Alexander ran from his home as deputies were preparing to search the residence. Alexander was considered a suspect in several armed robberies and residential burglaries over the last five weeks. The sheriff’s office did not provide any additional details about the events that led up to the shooting, or why the deputy discharged his weapon. Alexander has been hospitalized after being struck several times by gunfire.

The coronation of King Charles III will take place Saturday morning, marking the country’s first coronation in 70 years after his mother Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. Historian and LSU Professor Meredith Veldman says it’s going to be a national celebration welcoming the new king

Cut 7 (06) “…would say.”

The Coronation begins at 5 AM Central Standard Time, which is 11 AM in Britain.

The 2023 Alex River Fete will kick off this weekend in downtown Alexandria. The festival draws thousands in attendance to Central Louisiana. Special Events Coordinator Angella Guillote says there will be diverse artists representing different genres of music around downtown.

Cut 15 (07)  “…street stage.”

The festival will run through Sunday, May 6^th, and is free. The weekend lineup can be found at alexriverfete.com.

The Louisiana House has approved a budget that does not contain funding for Governor John Bel Edwards’ proposed two-thousand dollar pay raise. Bossier City Representative Raymond Crews says there is money in the budget to pay down teacher retirement debt, which would allow for local school systems to give an appropriate raise…
cut 12 (13) “….13-50 staff”
Democrats oppose this budget proposal and later this month the Senate will unveil its own budget plan.

The experimental drug – donanemab – developed by Eli Lilly slowed cognitive decline by 35% in Alzheimer’s patients who participated in a Phase three trial. LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center Professor Dr. Owen Carmichael says the medication breaks up the sticky amyloid plaques that cause cognitive decline in the brain.
Cut 4 (12) “…the stuff.”
But there are concerning side effects, like brain swelling and hemorrhaging.

Alex River Fete takes place this weekend in downtown Alexandria. Special events coordinator Angella Guillote says the festival features great music, art that you can purchase and excellent food, especially if you like bar b que…
cut 14 (13) “…the amphitheater
For more information go to alex-river-fete-dot-com.

The LSU baseball team opens a three game series at Auburn tonight. Coach Jay Johnson says Auburn, who reached the College World Series last year, will provide a tough challenge…
Cut 16 (19) “…good opponent.”
First pitch tonight is at 6 PM.

House Republicans approve a budget for next fiscal year that does not contain funding for a two-thousand dollar teacher pay raise. Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue, a Republican from Houma, says their funding plan calls for the paying down of debt of the state retirement system, which would free up dollars for local school systems to give out the raise
Cut 10 (10) “… institutions.”
Democrats are skeptical and so is Governor Edwards. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne delivered this message to the House…
cut 25 (16) “…do it”
The Senate will vote on its budget proposal in a few weeks.

An experimental medication called donanemab (Dough-nan-e-mab) has shown promising results in slowing cognitive decline in Alzheimer patients…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Teiko Foxx.”

The coronation of King Charles the Third takes place in England tomorrow. There are some who don’t like Charles because of the affair he had with his current wife while married to Princess Diana. LSU Professor Meredith Veldman says in the U-K there’s a PR campaign to change the narrative…
cut 8 (07) “…endured”

The Louisiana House has approved a proposed budget for next fiscal year that does not contain Governor John Bel Edwards’ proposed two-thousand dollar annual teacher pay raise. Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says teachers can still receive a raise from their local school systems, because there’s money in the budget to pay down teacher retirement debt. But its a plan Shreveport Representative Tammy Phelps doesn’t like…
cut 11 (09) “…this way”
The state Senate will begin discussions on its budget plan next week.

It’s another big weekend for festivals. You have Jazz Fest in New Orleans, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, the Morehouse May Madness Street Festival in Bastrop and Alexandria has its biggest down event, Alex River Fete. Special Events Coordinator Angella Guillote…
cut 13 (07) “…art fete”
The weekend lineup can be found at alex-river-fete-dot-com.

The coronation of King Charles III is tomorrow and Anglophiles will have to get up early to watch it live. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

An experimental medication called donanemab has shown promising results in slowing the decline of cognitive abilities for Alzheimer according to Eli Lily. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 1 (31)  “I’m Teiko Foxx.”

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The coronation of King Charles III is Saturday and Anglophiles will have to get up early to watch it live. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (31)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The Louisiana House has approved a budget that does not contain money for Governor John Bel Edwards proposed two-thousand dollar teacher pay raise. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The experimental drug – donanemab – developed by Eli Lilly appears to slow cognitive decline by 35% in people with Alzheimer’s disease and was more effective than a placebo. LSU Pennington BioMedical Research Center Professor Dr. Owen Carmichael says the medication breaks up the sticky amyloid plaques that increase cognitive decline in the brain.

Cut 4 (12)  “…the stuff.”

The last drug to be approved for Alzheimer’s was in 2004. The study evaluated the drug in 552 patients with high levels of tau and found that when both groups were combined, donanemab slowed progression by 29% based on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. Carmichael says the study also showed a 40% less decline to perform activities of daily living.

Cut 5 (13)   “…their physician.”

Experts say this is the strongest evidence yet – that removing sticky amyloid plaques from the brain benefits with the fatal disease.

Cut 6 (06)  “…promising therapies.”

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The coronation of King Charles III will take place Saturday morning, almost 70 years after his mother Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. Historian and LSU Professor Meredith Veldman says this will be the second coronation to ever be televised and it’s an opportunity for the United Kingdom to celebrate.

Cut 7 (06) “…would say.”

When Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953, Veldman says there was a boon in TV sales.

And while many Americans still think unfavorably of the affair, then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles had while he was married to Princess Diana, Veldman says in the UK there’s been a huge PR campaign to change the narrative of the Royal couple who married in 2005.

Cut 8 (07) “…endured.”

And with the fallout of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exiting the Royal Family, Veldman says she expects Harry will participate in the coronation and that his wife remaining in the US will decrease the intensity of possible distractions during the event.

During the last coronation when the Archbishop of Canterbury anointed the Queen, Veldman says that part of the ceremony was not visible. A tent was placed around her to hide the sacrament.

Cut 9 (07)  “…on Saturday.”

It remains to be seen if Camilla will be anointed Queen during the coronation. Her official title is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom.

The Coronation begins at 5 AM Central Standard Time, which is 11 AM in Britain.

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House Republicans approve a budget for next fiscal year that does not contain funding for a two-thousand dollar teacher pay raise. Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue, a Republican from Houma, says their funding plan calls for the paying down of debt of the state retirement system, which would free up dollars for local school systems to give out the raise

Cut 10 (10) “… institutions.” 

But Democrats are skeptical of the plan. Shreveport Representative Tammy Phelps says teachers would rather see the state’s budget fund a teacher pay raise, but Zeringue says lower retirement debt should result in higher pay for working teachers…

Cut 11 (09)  “…this way.”

Bossier City Representative Raymond Crews made the argument that paying down teacher retirement debt would help local school systems give teachers an appropriate raise…

Cut 12 (13)    “…13-50 for staff” 

Governor Edwards and Democratic lawmakers also believe The House’s proposed budget does not contain enough money for higher education and early childhood education. The Senate will now comb through the budget and they could offer a different solution to funding teacher pay raises.

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The City of Alexandria will explode with culture, music, and fun during its annual Alex River Fete today through May 6. Special Events CoordinatorAngella Guillote says this weekend is about culture and a great time along the river.

Cut 13 (07) “…art fete.” 

The festival draws hundreds in attendance to Central Louisiana. There will be a car show, food trucks, a zoo safari, and more. Guillote says Que’in on the red returns this year.

Cut 14 (13)  “…the amphitheater.”

There will be different genres of music and artists will perform at different locations around the downtown area.

Cut 15 (07)  “…street stage.”

The weekend lineup can be found at alexriverfete.com.

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The LSU baseball team will play the first game of a three game series against Auburn tonight. The top-ranked Tigers have won their last seven straight SEC games and will look to tie their longest SEC win streak since 2017 with a win tonight. Coach Jay Johnson says Auburn, who reached the College World Series last year, will provide a tough challenge for the Bayou Bengals…

Cut  16 (19)  “…good opponent.” 

Auburn is currently tied for third in the Sec West with a 9-12 record and 7^th in the conference with a .289 team batting average. They’re fifth in the conference with 36 SEC homeruns but also have the third most strikeouts on the season. Johnson says he doesn’t want his bullpen to focus on what their opponent does…

Cut 17 (17) “…great challenge.”

Paul Skenes has of course been the dominant Friday night starter for the Tigers and one of the best pitchers in the country, but LSU will need depth in the bullpen if they want to make a deep postseason run. Ty Floyd got the Saturday start last weekend but struggled with a 4-run third inning with 2 outs. Johnson says he hasn’t lost any faith…

Cut 18 (18) “..pitches in”

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The UL-Lafayette baseball team will begin a three game series against ULM tonight in Monroe. The 29-17 Ragin Cajuns have shown flashes of potential this year including a midweek win over top-ranked LSU but have struggled with inconsistency. Head Coach Matt Deggs says there isn’t a team that works harder than his squad…

Cut 19 (12) “…the end.“

The Cajuns are coming off a disappointing series loss to 6^th-ranked Coastal Carolina last weekend including a 13-5 blowout and 3-2 heartbreaker that went 11 innings. Deggs says it’s been a tough time for the team but the best is yet to come…

Cut 20 (15)  “… you stop.”  

House Republicans approve a budget for next fiscal year that does not contain funding for a two-thousand-dollar teacher pay raise. Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue, a Republican from Houma, says their funding plan calls for the paying down of debt of the state retirement system, which would free up dollars for local school systems to give out the raise.

Cut 10 (11) “… institutions.” 

But Democrats are skeptical of the plan. Shreveport Representative Tammy Phelps says teachers would rather see the state’s budget fund a teacher pay raise, but Zeringue says lower retirement debt should result in higher pay for working teachers…

Cut 11 (09)  “…this way.”

The Senate will now comb through the budget, and they could offer a different solution to funding teacher pay raises.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has levied a two-million dollar fine against the attorneys with a Texas law firm known as McClenny, Mosely, and Associates. Donelon says they orchestrated a scheme involving a roofing company going door-to-door in areas of suspected damage, filing claims, and collecting money from insurers on a homeowner’s policy with the policyholder’s authority…

Cut 5 (12) “…heard of.”

Louisiana’s Western District federal court has also suspended the law firm for fraudulent Hurricane Laura suits. If you believe you might have been misrepresented fraudulently by MMA, call the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

Trina Edwards, the widow of former Governor Edwin Edwards, will marry John Alario, former Speaker of the House in New Orleans on June 1^st.  The wedding ceremony will be a private affair at the State Supreme Court building with a celebratory lunch to follow.  The couple plans to take a cruise for their Honeymoon.