A Bastrop man is facing attempted murder and aggravated arson after he allegedly set a house on fire with several people inside following a domestic dispute. 34-year-old Broderick Lee was arrested Wednesday. Police say he was involved in a domestic dispute Tuesday evening and an hour later firefighters found the exterior of the home on fire. The flames were quickly extinguished and the three adult occupants were able to escape safely.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, one in six women and 1 in 33 men are victims, of rape or an attempted rape in their lifetime. New Orleans Representative Delisha Boyd wants health insurers to provide mental health coverage for victims. She says no matter their age, rape victims deserve mental health services and when the perpetrator is someone, they trust it’s another layer of difficulty.

Cut 12 (09)  “…the family.”  

House bill 302 is pending in the House Insurance Committee

BESE has removed the requirement for high school seniors to complete FAFSA in order to graduate. The new policy goes into effect next school year. The board believes requiring a student to apply for federal aid for college is an unnecessary burden on parents. And BESE President Ronnie Morris says some families do not want to give out their tax and income information.

Cut 3 (12) “…for everybody.”  

AAA is rolling out new technology that will cause an alert to automatically update motorists when the tow truck arrives at the location to help the stranded driver. Spokesperson Don Redman says this gives motorists more time to slow down or move over. And provides a safeguard for those responding to provide assistance to stranded motorists.

Cut 9 (12) “…so dangerous.” 

A bill to require health insurers to provide mental health coverage for victims of rape has been filed for the upcoming session. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Two Louisiana women unable to get an abortion in Louisiana despite medical issues with their pregnancy will attend the State of the Union Address tonight. They were invited by a Congressman from New York. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy has Louisiana Right to Life director Ben Clapper as his guest.

AAA has new technology that can alert drivers who use Waze and Apple Maps they are approaching a stranded motorist on the side of the road. Spokesperson Don Redman says if one of their members has a disabled vehicle on the roadside and they request assistance their location will be made available to other motorists using Waze and Apple Maps…
cut 10 (11) “…safe speed”
Studies have found advanced warning systems reduce the likelihood of a collision by up to 90 percent.

For the upcoming regular session, Marrero Representative Kyle Green has filed legislation that would have all statewide offices be term limited to two terms, just like the governor…
cut 7 (11) “…elected officials”
Green’s legislation is a constitutional amendment and will need voter approval.

Starting with next school year, it will no longer be a requirement for a high school senior to complete a form to see if they are eligible for federal aid to attend college. BESE President Ronnie Morris says they are making the change over concerns about privacy and the requirement is an additional burden on parents. He says schools will continue to assist students who do want to submit a FAFSA form…
cut 5 (12) “…for graduation”

Should there be term limits on all statewide elected offices? Marrero Representative Kyle Green has filed legislation seeking to change the state’s constitution so that lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, ag and insurance commissioner are all limited to two terms.
Cut 6 (09) “…term limit.”
When it comes to statewide offices, only the governor is limited to two consecutive terms.

New Orleans Representative Delisha Boyd wants health insurers to provide mental health coverage for victims of rape. The legislation is personal for Boyd because her mother was raped at the age of 15. Boyd says her mother had psychological issues.
Cut 11 (10) “…was 30.”
The bill also requires coverage for at least one year of postpartum psychosis screenings for victims who had a child as a result of the rape.

AAA is rolling out new technology that sends alerts to drivers to slow down and move over when they are approaching a stranded motorist on the side of the road. Spokesperson Don Redman says motorists will receive alerts when a AAA member is in an unsafe location.
Cut 8 (11) “…roadway assistance.”
AAA researchers found 123 roadside assistant providers were killed by passing vehicles between 2015 and 2021.

Among the Crime legislation Governor Jeff Landry signed yesterday is House Bill 5 makes the illegal use of a weapon be designated as a crime of violence, which would lengthen prison sentences for anyone illegally shooting a gun, including shooting into the sky on July 4th and New Year’s Eve. Landry hopes this legislation can reduce gun violence.

Cut 12 (09) “…long time.” 

Entergy Louisiana is seeking approval from the Public Service Commission to build a 411-million dollar natural gas power station that would be built on top of a barge. Entergy’s Laura Beauchamp says the facility would provide essential backup power for industries located at Port Fouchon…
cut 14 (12) “…critical base”

Starting next year, high school seniors will not have to apply for FAFSA to graduate. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

And Southern Living magazine has named two cities in the Bayou State among their list of “The South’s Best Cities on the Rise” for 2024. They are Lake Charles and Covington. Lake Charles ranked 22 and Covington ranked 11^th.

One of former Governor John Bel Edwards’ signature pieces of legislation has been changed as a result of a new law signed by Governor Jeff Landry. Teiko Foxx has the story…
cut 2 (34) “…Teiko Foxx”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $5,000 reward for information regarding a whooping crane found dead and Mamouon on January 9^th. The reward is for information leading to the arrest or criminal conviction of those involved.

Entergy Louisiana is seeking approval from the PSC to construct a floating natural gas power station off the state’s southeast coast. Director of Resource Planning and Market Operations Laura Beauchamp (pronounced Beach-um) says with a price tag of 411 million, the average customer would see a $1.50 increase on their bill.

Cut 15 (11) “…customer bills.”

It will serve as a microgrid for Port Fourchon, Grand Isle, and Golden Meadow.

If you’ve tried to delay your craving for crawfish due to the cost, have I got news for you.

Cut 8 (12) “…some crawfish.” 

That’s Crawfish App co-founder Laney King and she says, and you can find a sack for about $160. After a rough start, King says we’ve hit that sweet spot for the best prices you’ll see this season, especially with Easter at the end of the month.

BESE says starting next school year, high school seniors will no longer be required to submit FASFA for college aid or apply for TOPS in order to graduate. The board believes the requirements place unnecessary burdens on parents. And BESE President Ronnie Morris says some families do not want to give out their personal tax and income information
Cut 3 (12) “…for everybody.”
Louisiana led the nation in FAFSA completion last year.

A bill signed into law from the crime special session will result in a 25 to 99 year prison sentence for anyone convicted of producing fentanyl to attract minors. Governor Jeff Landry…
cut 11 (08) “…our children”
Landry also signed a bill that increases the sentences for those convicted of carjacking.

Baton Rouge Republican Congressman Garret Graves says he’s definitely running for re-election this year and he’ll seek to continue to represent the sixth district despite major changes to the district’s political boundaries. Graves says he does not want to leave Congress when he’s set to be the next Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee…
Cut 29 (09) “…do that.”
Baton Rouge state senator Cleo Fields has expressed interested in challenging Graves now that it has been redrawn to give an African-American an excellent chance to win.

According to the Crawfish App, crawfish prices are down a dollar a pound from last week. But Laney King says prices are still up over last year…
cut 9 (13) “….every week”

At a press conference in New Orleans, Governor Jeff Landry signed the remaining bills approved during the crime special session. Many of the new laws will lead to longer prison sentences. Landry highlighted the bill that will raise the minimum sentence for a carjacking from two to five years
Cut 10 (12) “…long time.”

Baton Rouge Republican Garret Graves has been representing Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District since 2015 and will run for re-election this year, despite his district being redrawn so a Black Democrat can represent it. Graves believes the new Congressional map is unconstitutional and expects to continue to represent the district he’s currently serving…
Cut 6 (12) “…to earn.”

Entergy is seeking approval from the PSC to build a floating natural gas power station and microgrid for southeast Louisiana. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Two juveniles and three adults are facing charges for their roles in the fatal drive by shooting of a 65-year-old Lake Charles woman. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff-elect Stitch Guillory says 18-year-old Jordan Jones of Lake Charles was firing the weapon and he’s been charged with second-degree murder…
Cut 23 (04) “…at houses”
Guillory says they arrested 36-year-old Chelsea Hyatt of Sulphur because her daughter was in the vehicle and she never reported it to law enforcement.

Governor Jeff Landry has signed a disaster declaration for the crawfish industry. Landry says the mudbug shortage is not only affecting Louisiana’s economy but also our way of life. The severe drought in 2023 has led to a huge shortage t in crawfish this year.

But there is some good news. Brooke Thorington reports the average price of a pound of mudbugs is down a dollar this week…
cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says he is running for re-election and he’ll seek to represent the sixth district again. A new Congressional map approved this year dramatically changes Graves’ district, giving a Black Democrat a much better chance of representing it. But Graves says he’s in line to become the next chairman of House Transportation, which would be huge for Louisiana…
cut 5 (12) “….to flod”

Entergy Louisiana is seeking approval from the Public Service Commission to build a 411-million dollar natural gas power station that would be build on top of a barge. Entergy’s Laura Beauchamp says the facility would provide essential backup power for industries located at Port Fouchon…
cut 14 (12) “…critical base”