A shootout in Baton Rouge left two people dead and several injured. Don Molino has the story…

CUT 1 (26) “I’m Don Molino”

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Only 22,200 people cast a ballot on the first day of early voting in the December 10th runoff elections. Michelle Southern reports.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Two people are dead and several injured following a shootout in Baton Rouge. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says last night police responded to a shooting on Essen Lane. He says 48-year-old Terrell Walker allegedly shot his girlfriend, 30-year-old April Peck, multiple times while sitting in a car and then pushed her out of the vehicle.

Cut 3 (09) “injured”

Edmonson says when several good Samaritans tried to help Peck, Walker turned the car around and drove into the crowd, hitting two people. He says when EMS arrived, he also fired shots at the first responders, wounding one person. He says the suspect then fled the scene, and a manhunt ensued leading police to Bluebonnet Blvd.

cut 4  (11) “the scene”

Edmonson says the wounded EMS worker and bystanders were taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. He says State Police is investigating the officer involved shooting of Walker.

Cut 5  (10)  “attorney’s office”

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Officials in New Orleans are exploring ways they can make the streets safer following another deadly shooting on Bourbon Street over the weekend claimed the life of one person and injured 9 others. NOPD Chief Michael Harrison praised his officers for their response time, but admits more has to be done.

Cut 6 (10) “city is safe”

Harrison blames the latest incident on an argument between two men and both remain at large. He says they had around 40 officers in that area at the time…:

CUT 7 (07)  “all directions”

This has been the 4th major shooting on Bourbon Street in 4 years. Harrison says he’s aware that metal detectors are being used in Memphis on Beale street and says at this time nothing is being ruled out for The Big Easy…:

Cut 8 (04) “that model”

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Early voting for the December 10th runoff elections began on Saturday, and the turnout was not spectacular. John Couvillion with JMC Analytics says in the primary, 87,000 people turned out on the first day of early voting…:

Cut 9 (09)  “22,000 Saturday”

Voters in Louisiana still need to cast ballots for the final two candidates in the US Senate race, and the 3rd and 4th Congressional District races. Couvillion believes the low numbers are due to voter fatigue, and the fact that most people are busy with the holidays. He says this does not look good for overall early voting turnout in the runoff elections…:

Cut 10 (10) “December 10”

Analysts have predicted that the Republican will win in the races against Democrats. Couvillion projects that the overall turnout will be between 17-35%. He says on the first day of early voting in the presidential race, 27% of blacks turned out to cast a ballot compared to 19% on Saturday…:

cut 11 (09) “was more like 20”

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A Baton Rouge woman is behind bars after she attacked her husband with a turkey. Sgt. Don Coppola with Baton Rouge Police says a juvenile male called police on Thanksgiving Day to report that his parents were fighting. He says the situation escalated when 32-year-old Helen Jackson pulled a knife on her husband.

cut 12 (09) “with it”

Coppola says Jackson was arrested on multiple charges.

Cut 13 (11) “the turkey”

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A tornado watch is in effect until five o’ clock for much of Louisiana. Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria and Lake Charles are all covered by the watch box. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the severe weather threat will continue into tonight and tomorrow…

cut 14 (12) “three days”

Keim says lightning, damaging winds and heavy rainfall are possible with this storm system that might not leave the state until Wednesday…

Cut 15 (10) “the rain”

Keim says a strong cold front is clashing with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to produce this severe weather…

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Early voting is underway and Election Day is quickly approaching. Emelie Gunn has more on what this means for the US Senate and two Congressional races

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In 2015, More than 15-hundred babies were born addicted to drugs in Louisiana, according to the Department of Children and Family Services. Halen Doughty has more…

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New LSU Football coach Ed Orgeron has a plan to have the Tigers competing for championships again. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Early voting is underway and Election Day is less than two weeks away, so candidates are campaigning in full swing. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says now is the time for a dash to the finish line. But he says the US and two Congressional elections have been relatively quiet.

cut 4  (09) “holiday season” 

The U.S. Senate candidates, Republican John Kennedy and Democrat Foster Campbell, will not debate before the December 10^th runoff. But Campbell will appear at today’s Baton Rouge Press Club. Cross says Kennedy could only lose in a face to face debate and the polls show he’s running comfortably ahead

Cut 5  (10)  “fault him”

Cross says the race for the 3^rd Congressional district seat is really heating up between the two Republicans, Scott Angelle and Clay Higgins. He says the stakes are higher than expected in this election…

Cut 6 (10) “statewide”

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The Louisiana Department of Insurance is urging families to compare rates for auto and homeowners insurance to get the best protection. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says a home and car are the biggest investments people make. He says on their website, L-D-I-dot-L-A-dot-gov (ldi.la.gov), they provide a rate guide to help people find the best policy.

CUT 7 (09)  “available”

Donelon says many victims of the recent floods only had liability coverage on their flooded vehicles, so they were not insured for that loss.

Cut 8 (10) “your own”

Donelon says the “shop your rates tool” on their website will provide people information on the different types of coverage and what is included and what isn’t. He says the tool will determine the cost of your policy by adding up different factors.

Cut 9 (08)  “different factors”

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The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services finds Louisiana’s rate of newborns born with drugs and alcohol in their system has tripled over the last 8 years. Regional Administrator for Child Welfare, Denise Evans, says more than 15-hundred babies were born exposed to drugs or alcohol in 2015. She says this causes problems for the infant.

Cut 10 (09)  “health problems”

There were just 569 cases of drug addicted newborns in 2008. Evans says they saw the biggest increase in the use of heroin, marijuana, and prescription drugs. She says it takes a lot to care for babies who are born exposed to these substances.

cut 11 (10) “of support”

Evans says the drug epidemic could be leading to the increase in the rate of addicted newborns. She says we need more treatment centers in Louisiana. She adds that helping these families puts a lot of strain on DCFS.

cut 12 (09) “sometimes more”

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The LSU coaching staff is hitting the recruiting trail this week now that they know Ed Orgeron is the permanent head coach. Orgeron says he understands and invites the expectations at LSU and that’s why he wants to build a championship program fast and has a vision to do so…

Cut 13 (08) “we go”

For Orgeron to be successful, he’ll have to recruit well and he’s already considered one of the best recruiters in college football. Coach “O” on where they plan to get future Tigers…

cut 14 (12) “we can”

Orgeron says he wants to assemble the best coaching staff in America. He says he has a couple of guys in mind who could be the Tigers offensive coordinator…

Cut 15 (08) “to LSU”

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The Saints offense was nearly unstoppable Sunday as New Orleans kept its playoff hopes alive with a 49-21 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The Black and Gold had 555 total yards, 346 through the air, 209 on the ground on 32 rush attempts. Coach Sean Payton says the key was converting on 3rd down six times in 13 opportunities…

Cut 16 (20)” that was clear”

Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Mark Ingram rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown, while rookie receiver Michael Thomas had 9 catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Payton says he’s impressed with how Thomas can catch passes away from his body…

Cut 17 (15)    “to tackle “

The Saints defense gave up two long scoring drives in the first half, but did not allow any points in the 2nd half. New Orleans had three sacks and forced two turnovers. Payton credits the team’s health for the improved play on defense…

Cut 18 (21) “ clean and correct”

Small businesses are hoping for a ton of customers tomorrow as it’s Small Business Saturday. Michelle Southern has more…

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Could Houston Head Coach  Tom Herman be the next head football coach of the LSU Tigers? Jeff Palermo has more…

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Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday and local, independent businesses are expecting a big day. Spokesperson for the National Federation of Independent Businesses in Louisiana, Todd Pack, says a recent survey shows more people than ever are away of Small Business Saturday and 62-percent of those plan to shop at small retailers…

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Pack says those who plan to shop locally on Saturday say they value the contributions these local businesses have on the community…

cut 4  (11) “Business Saturday”

The Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey also found 63-percent of shoppers are willing to spend a little more on an item if it comes from a locally owned business. Pack says this is really exciting news for small business owners.

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The holiday shopping season is underway. Executive Director of the Louisiana Retailers Association, Dawn Johnson, says it’s a different kind of holiday shopping season in the Bayou State, because of the flooding that took place earlier this year…

Cut 6 (10) “people there”

Johnson says they are cautiously optimistic that this will be a good holiday shopping season for Louisiana retailers. She says this is an especially important time for those retailers that were impacted by the historic floods in March and August…

CUT 7 (09)  “or better”

Johnson says it’s hard for them to make predictions on the type of holiday shopping season it will be in Louisiana, because flood victims don’t have the cash on hand to buy certain kinds of gifts…

Cut 8 (09) “of that”

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Houston’s Tom Herman has emerged as LSU’s top candidate to be the next head football coach of the Tigers. Glen Guilbeau of the USA Today Network and featured columinst for Tiger Rag Magazine says LSU representatives paid Herman a visit on Thanksgiving Day…

Cut 9 (12)  “kind of hurry”

Guilbeau says LSU has also approached Florida State Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, but he declined an offer that would pay him in the neighborhood of seven-million dollars a year. He says interim head coach Ed Orgeron remains a candidate as well…

Cut 10 (09) “the job”

Since the Tigers fired Les Miles in September, Fisher and Herman have been considered the top candidates to be the head coach at LSU. Guilbeau says if Texas comes in with a strong offer, the 41-year-old Herman, who has coached in the Longhorn state for many years,  may go there instead…

cut 11 (08) “as better”

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This Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing has jumped to a whopping 403 million dollars. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kim Chopin says this is the 9^th largest jackpot in Powerball history.

cut 12 (10) “impaired drivers”

Chopin says this is the second year in a row we’ve seen a huge Powerball jackpot during the holiday season. Last year the jackpot reached a record 1.6 billion dollars. She says the winner of this year’s jackpot will be able to purchase a lot of Christmas gifts.

Cut 13 (06) “is yours”

Chopin expects a lot of people will be buying tickets for Saturday’s drawing because they’re already out holiday shopping.

cut 14 (10) “retailers”

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