The House Criminal Justice Committee votes to advance a bill that repeal thes state statute that allows for financial compensation of those who served time in prison for crimes that they did not commit. Attorney General Liz Murrill has said the burden of compensation should be born at the local level instead of the state. But not everyone agrees. Meredith Angelson testified against it, saying most wrongfully convicted people aren’t being fully compensated right now as it is.

Cut 11 (12) “…at ten years.”

About 200-thousand people are expected at the Vatican tomorrow for the funeral of Pope Francis. The pontiff died of a stroke Easter Monday at the age of 88 – just hours after he made Easter Sunday appearances. The funeral service will be held at Saint Peter’s Square. Bishop Michael Duca of the Diocese of Baton Rouge got to meet Pope Francis just a few years ago…

Cut 4 (08) “…our questions directly.”

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It was a night of offensive tackles for Louisiana at the NFL Draft. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The most anticipated series of the season has arrived for the LSU baseball team as the 7th ranked Tigers host the 6th ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a matchup of the last two College World Series championship teams. Coach Jay Johnson…

Cut 18 (15)  “…offense.”

Pope Francis will be laid to rest tomorrow. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

The House Criminal Justice Committee votes to advance a bill that would repeal the state statute that allows financial compensation for those who serve prison time for crimes they did not commit. Attorney General Liz Murrill testified in support of the bill, saying that compensating those who are wrongfully convicted should be done on a local not state level.

Cut 10 (07) “…attorney in Orleans.”

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LSU’s set to open  new instructional site in Baton Rouge this Fall for its top-ranked Bachelor of Science in Nursing  program to help address Louisiana’s critical nursing shortage. LSU School of Nursing Associate Dean Jennifer Manning says the expansion allows pre-nursing students in Baton Rouge to complete their degrees locally, a highly requested option.

Cut 7 (12) “…a space issue.”

Will Campbell has become the second LSU offensive lineman to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. And as nearly all prognosticators predicted, he was selected 4th overall by the New England Patriots. After he was selected, Campbell said he’s excited to be playing for a franchise that has won six Super Bowls and is ready to help them return to their winning ways.

Cut 13 (14)  “…I’m just excited.”

Pope Francis will be laid to rest tomorrow. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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LSU will open a new instructional site in Baton Rouge for its top-ranked Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to help address Louisiana’s critical nursing shortage. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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Louisiana sends off one offensive tackle and welcomes another at the NFL Draft. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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About 200-thousand people are expected at the Vatican tomorrow for the funeral of Pope Francis. The pontiff died of a stroke Easter Monday at the age of 88 – just hours after he made Easter Sunday appearances. The funeral service will be held at Saint Peter’s Square, and he will be buried in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. Bishop Michael Duca of the Diocese of Baton Rouge got to meet Pope Francis in 2019 and says the pontiff was genuine.

Cut 4 (08) “…our questions directly.”

Bishop Duca says Pope Francis continued the work of his two immediate predecessors, popes John Paul the Second and Benedict the 16th.

Cut 5 (10) “…of the church.”

Pope Francis’ funeral will begin nine days of mourning. And Duca says after that, work will begin on selecting a new pope.

Cut 6 (07) “…elect a pope.”

Pope Francis served since 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict the 16th.

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In fall 2025, LSU will open a new instructional site in Baton Rouge for its top-ranked Bachelor of Science in Nursing  program to help address Louisiana’s critical nursing shortage. LSU School of Nursing Associate Dean Jennifer Manning says the expansion allows pre-nursing students in Baton Rouge to complete their degrees locally, a highly requested option.

Cut 7 (12) “…a space issue.”

Manning says students will receive the same rigorous curriculum as at LSU Health New Orleans, combining in-person and synchronous distance learning, with clinical training through Woman’s Hospital and Our Lady of the Lake.

Cut 8 (10) “…Baton Rouge area hospitals.”

Enrollment will start at 30 students and grow to 90. The first class is set to graduate in May 2028. Manning says the addition of the Baton Rouge campus will keep more students in Louisiana instead of applying to other SEC schools in other states.

Cut 9 (11)  “…remain in the state.”

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The House Criminal Justice Committee votes to advance a bill that would repeal the state statute that allows for financially compensating people who served time in prison for crimes that they did not commit. Current state law allows up to 40-thousand dollars per year of incarceration for compensation. Attorney General Liz Murrill testified in support of the bill, saying that the burden to compensate wrongfully-convicted people should be at the local level and not the state level.

Cut 10 (07) “…attorney in Orleans.”

The bill is controversial; the vote in the committee was 7-to-4. Meredith Angelson testified against it, saying most wrongfully convicted people aren’t being fully compensated right now as it is.

Cut 11 (12) “…at ten years.”

Kenner Republican Debbie Villio proposed the bill to strike the current law, arguing that exonerees can still seek relief through the federal courts. Jarvis Ballard, who served 23 years of a life prison sentence for a sex crime that he did not commit, says that avenue would not have been an option in his instance.

Cut 12 (11) “…make any sense.”

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Will Campbell has become the second LSU offensive lineman ever to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. And as nearly all prognosticators predicted, he was selected 4th overall by the New England Patriots. After he was selected, Campbell said he’s excited to be playing for a franchise that has won six Super Bowls and is ready to help them return to their winning ways.

Cut 13 (14)  “…I’m just excited.”

Campbell says he’s looking forward to play with second-year quarterback – and fellow first round pick – Drake Maye.

Cut 14 (13) “…special season coming.”

Campbell says ever since Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf came to one of his practices, he knew he wanted to play in Foxborough.

Cut 15 (14) “…to meet everybody.”

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The Saints chose to bolster their offensive line with the 9th overall pick in the NFL Draft by taking tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas. Banks was a unanimous All-American and won the Outland and Lombardi trophies last season while blocking for Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning for the Longhorns. Banks says he remembers playing in the Superdome in the 2024 Sugar Bowl, especially the electrifying atmosphere that the building yields.

Cut 16 (11) “…from either side.”

Banks says he’s looking forward to playing for another rookie – rookie head coach Kellen Moore.

Cut 17 (14)  “…team win games.”

Some draft experts had the Saints taking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. They may have another chance to get him today – he was not taken in the first round.

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The most anticipated series of the season has arrived for the LSU baseball team as the 7th ranked Tigers host the 6th ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a matchup of the last two College World Series championship teams. Coach Jay Johnson says the Vols have an extremely talented team again this year…

Cut 18 (15)  “…offense.”

LSU enter the series on a two game losing streak as they lost in the final game of the Alabama series and suffered an ugly 13-3 defeat to instate foe Northwestern State. Johnson hopes his team will learn from the last two games…

Cut 19 (19) “…as it is”

LSU will start Kade Anderson on the mound tonight and Anthony Eyanson will start on Saturday. Sunday’s starter is to be announced. Tigers left hander Connor Ware is a possibility, he started the final game of the Alabama series. Ware was asked about the LSU-Tennessee rivalry…

Cut 20 (14) “….they’re not.”

Less than a month after voters rejected Amendment 2, Louisiana lawmakers are advancing a bill to increase teacher salaries. It would require school districts to use savings from the elimination of three state trust funds to provide the increases. A companion bill from Carencro representative Julie Emerson was designed to simplify the proposal in response to criticism that Amendment 2 was too complex.

Cut 4 (09) “…teacher pay raise there.”

The full Senate has approved legislation cracking down on “left-lane camping,” the act of lingering in the passing lane. First time offenders of the proposed law would face a fine of up to 150-dollars. Monroe Senator Stewart Cathey jokingly suggested a harsher punishment.

Cut 11 (11) “…pass this.”

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee has advanced a bill that would ban fluoride in drinking water. The bill was written by Houma Republican Mike Fesi. Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham says excessive levels of fluoride have been shown to lower IQs in babies. He calls it an issue of freedom of choice.

Cut 13 (10)  “…as a physician.”

Opponents, however, say fluoride has proven to be beneficial when used at the right concentration. Annette Droddy, who represents the Louisiana Dental Association’s 19-hundred dentists, says when cities remove fluoride from their drinking water, tooth decay goes up.

Cut 15 (09) “…removal of fluoride.”

The vote was 6-to-3, along party lines.

Tonight is the NFL draft, The Saints are expected to take an offensive or defensive linemen with the ninth overall pick. General Manager Loomis would not show his cards when he met with reporters yesterday, only to say…

Cut 20 (20) “….8 to 10 years.”

But will the Saints keep the ninth pick. There’s a report from Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz that the Saints are looking to move back to later in the first round and take a quarterback.

Former LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell is expected to go early in the first round. Possibly with the fourth overall selection to the New England Patriots. He would be the first LSU offensive lineman selected in the first round since Alan Faneca in 1998.

Several LSU Tigers are expected to be selected during the seven-round draft. Draft expert and WWL’s Mike Detillier expects former St. James star and Tigers edge rusher Sai’vion Jones will be a mid round selection.

Cut 16 (16) “…fourth round selection.”

Have you seen what the LSU-Shreveport Baseball team has done? They’ve won their first 44 games of the season, setting a new NAIA record. Pilots Coach Brad Neffendorf says his team is loaded with talent, especially the versatile Josh Gibson…

Cut 8 (12) “…high caliber athlete”

The Pilots close out the regular season this weekend against Jarvis Christian.

Less than a month after voters rejected a constitutional amendment that included permanent teacher pay raises, Louisiana lawmakers are advancing a bill to increase teacher salaries.  Lafayette Representative Josh Carlson’s bill would require school districts to use savings from eliminating three state trust funds to provide $2,000 raises for teachers and $1,000 for support staff.

Cut 3 (10) “…able to do it.”

The measure received approval from the House Education Committee, if it receives full legislative approval, voters will have to approve it, but this time the constitutional amendment will only focus on teacher pay.

Another step toward rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama has been taken. The name of the route was announced today. Amtrak Mardi Gras Service will run twice daily from each location and is set to begin service this summer. The line will include stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport, and Bay St. Louis. Announcement of the exact start date of service and fares is still a few weeks away.

A bill to ban fluoride in drinking water advances to the full Senate. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

With a 35-3 vote, the full Senate has approved legislation cracking down on “left-lane camping,” the act of lingering in the passing lane.  Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau hailed it as “the most important bill of the session,” asserting it would ease traffic flow and reduce road rage.

Cut 9 (13)  “…kind of stuff.”

The bill now heads to the House for further consideration.

A bill cracking down on “left lane camping” is headed to the House after passing the Senate 35-3. Current law says a vehicle cannot travel less than 10-miles per hour below the speed limit in the left lane of a four-lane highway. Senator Jay Luneau’s bill would allow police officers to ticket motorists who are traveling at or below the speed limit but not looking to pass vehicles in the right. First time offenders of the proposed law would face a fine of up to 150-dollars. During the debate, Sen. Royce Duplessis brought a little levity to the floor.

Cut 10 (12) “…fitting for this bill”

Less than a month after voters rejected a constitutional amendment that included permanent teacher pay raises, the House Education Committee advances a bill to increase teacher salaries using savings from eliminating three state trust funds and a companion bill would simplify the proposal. Unlike the original amendment, charter school teachers would also be eligible for raises. Laplace Representative Sylvia Taylor supports the bill and says these changes are crucial.

Cut 5 (08) “…wait on a whim.”

If both bills pass, voters must again approve the change.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee has advanced a bill that would ban fluoride in drinking water. The bill was written by Houma Republican Mike Fesi, who echoed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in saying that fluoride is poison.

Cut 12 (12) “…into our water.”

Opponents say fluoride has proven to be beneficial when used at the right concentration. Baton Rouge pediatric dentist Dr. Robert Delarosa says when fluoride is added to drinking water at the recommended limit of point-seven milligrams per liter, it is an important tool to fight tooth decay.

At 44 and 0, LSU Shreveport baseball has the longest winning streak in NAIA history, and it’s longer than the current NCAA Division One record of 34. Head Coach Brad Neffendorf says his team has really gelled this year.

But one challenge amid such dominance is not to let the team get over-confident.

Cut 7 (09) “…can be beat.”

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee has advanced Houma Republican Mike Fesi’s bill that would ban fluoride in drinking water. Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham says excessive levels of fluoride have been shown to lower IQs in babies. He says it’s an issue of freedom of choice.

Cut 13 (10)  “…as a physician.”

Annette Droddy, who represents the Louisiana Dental Association’s 19-hundred dentists, says when cities remove fluoride from their drinking water, tooth decay goes up.

Cut 15 (09) “…removal of fluoride.”

The vote was 6-to-3, along party lines.

Thanks to a 35-3 vote by the Senate, a bill cracking down on “left-lane camping” is zooming over to the House. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

Louisiana lawmakers are advancing a bill to increase teacher salaries.  Lafayette Representative Josh Carlson’s bill would require districts to use savings from eliminating three state trust funds to provide $2,000 raises for teachers and $1,000 for support staff. A companion bill from Carencro representative Julie Emerson was designed to simplify the proposal in response to the recent voter defeat of Amendment 2 which was said to be too complex.

Cut 4 (09) “…teacher pay raise there.”