Governor Bobby Jindal has dropped out of the 2016 presidential race. In a statement, Jindal says it was an honor to run for President, but this is not his time. Publisher of LAPolitics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says there were several signs that Jindal’s campaign was not doing well…

cut 4 (10) “suspend the campaign”

Jindal’s second term as governor ends in January.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has implemented new guidelines that call for 100% screening of imported seafood before it enters the country. The new policy comes after U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy questioned the FDA when studies showed large amounts of bacteria in imported seafood…

cut 7 (09) “to me”

Cassidy says our Louisiana producers are required to follow strict safety measures and we should demand that other countries do the same.

Republican Senator David Vitter is pushing his federal legislation that would stop the influx of refugees from Syria in the United States. During a speech on the Senate floor, Vitter says verification safeguards are not in place to confirm that each refugee doesn’t pose a security threat to the country…

cut 14 (08) “we do”

Vitter’s opponent in the governor’s race, Democrat John Bel Edwards, calls the Senator’s bill a last ditch effort to save his political career. Edwards’ campaign spokesperson, Mary-Patricia Wray….

cut 16 (06) “political stunt”

The gubernatorial runoff election is Saturday.

Governor Bobby Jindal has announced he’s dropping out of the 2016 Presidential race. In a statement, Jindal says now is not his time. The governor says he’ll go back to work at the think tank he started a few years ago, called America Next. Jindal’s second term as governor ends in January.

The debate on whether or not to accept Syrian refugees has become an issue in Louisiana’s gubernatorial race. In a new TV commercial, Republican David Vitter claims Democrat John Bel Edwards has pledged to work with President Obama to bring Syrian refugees to Louisiana. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross…:
cut 13 (10) “to be important”
Edwards has fired back at Vitter claiming the senator missed key votes regarding the Syrian refugee issue.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate flag from the city’s annual Christmas Parade. Many residents have differing opinions on this decision. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 2 (31) “…reporting”

Fatal crashes in Louisiana are on the rise. The state Highway Safety Commission says in 2014, 739 people died on Louisiana’s roadways, up 2% from the prior year. Louisiana Highway Safety spokesperson Jessica Bedwell says the number of 18-24 year olds dying in alcohol related crashes is also up. She says we have to get drunk drivers off the road…:
cut 12 (04) “alcohol impaired”

The issue over whether or not Syrian refugees should be allowed to resettle in Louisiana is hitting the governor’s race. Republican David Vitter accuses Democrat John Bel Edwards of working with the President to bring people escaping the civil war in Syria to the US. Recent polls show Edwards with a double digit lead over Vitter and UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says this issue may tinker with those numbers a bit…:
CUT 15 (10) “It’s unclear”
Edwards claims Vitter has missed votes in Congress that dealt with this issue.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue says they are suspending the 2015 Tax Amnesty Program until December 1st. They say there was a mistake with the information included in some of the amnesty invitation letters so they decided to stop the period until the letters can be corrected.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate battle flag from their annual Christmas Parade. There are some who say that the flag represents hatred and a time when really bad decisions were made. But Dakota Scoggins is selling Confederate battle flag t-shirts at his shop and says Posey’s decision is hypocritical…:
CUT 9 (08) “like that”
The Sons of Confederate Veterans have decided not to ride in the parade for the first time in over two decades.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana ranked number two nationally for worker safety in 2014. They survey showed Louisiana improved to 2 incidents per 100 full time workers. The national average is 3.2. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eyesink credits business and industry in the state as well as their employees…:
CUT 3 (09) “number of years”

The state braced for some severe weather today as rain is dumping inches on to Louisiana ahead of a cold front as tornado and flood watches were issued. The National Weather Service says the rain will stop on Wednesday then temps will drop dramatically. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not unusual to see severe weather like this so far into fall…:
CUT 1 (08) “this time”

Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner Troy Hebert announces he will be leaving his post at the end of 2015 after having served as the head of the ATC the past 5 years. In a statement, Hebert says he looks forward to spending time with his family and added, “Who knows. I may have one more political race in me.”

The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 27-year-old man from Laplace is under arrest and booked with distribution of child pornography after sharing an image with an undercover agent. Cops arrested Matthew Wade Guillory.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate battle flag from their annual Christmas Parade. Northwestern State University Professor Holly Stave doesn’t believe this will affect attendance to the parade. She says there are other ways to honor our Southern heritage…:
CUT 7 (10) “were made”
Others are not happy about this. The Sons of Confederate Veterans have had a float in the parade for more than 20 years, but decided not to partake this year because of the ban.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the number of fatal crashes in Louisiana is up as 664 incidents on state roadways killed 739 people last year. Spokesperson Jessica Bedwell says most of these fatal crashes happen at night and often involve younger drivers…:
Cut 11 (08) “distracted driving”

Tornado watches are posted throughout Louisiana today as a cold front moves in behind strong storms and high winds. The National Weather Service says up to five inches of rain could fall in some areas and many schools closed early today in anticipation of the severe weather. The Department of Transportation and Development  is urging extreme caution when traveling throughout the state. The rain should leave tomorrow and high temps will drop into the upper 60s, low 70s.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Bel Edwards and his Republican opponent David Vitter are going back and forth over the Syrian refugee situation. Vitter claims Edwards will work for them to come here while Edwards accused Vitter of missing votes on the matter. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says says Vitter is looking for an issue that will sway undecided voters in his favor Saturday…:
cut 14 (09) “something else”

The Mayor of Natchitoches says the Confederate battle flag can not fly during their annual Christmas Parade, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans float has decided not to ride for the first time in over 2 decades. Dakota Scoggins says he’ll be selling t-shirts displaying the Confederate battle flag and he’s not happy about this…:
CUT 8 (09) “hurts us”
But others feel Mayor Lee Posey has made the right decision because the flag has come to represent racism and hatred.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana ranked number two nationally for worker safety in 2014. The survey showed Louisiana improved to 2 incidents per 100 full time workers. The national average is 3.2. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eyesink says these results show that workplace safety has become a top priority…:
CUT 5 (08) “that seriously”

Nearly the entire state is under a tornado watch at least until 4pm this afternoon as a severe weather pattern moves through Louisiana today. There are many schools in central and north Louisiana that have decided to close early. Some officials at the local level are already passing out sandbags as up to 5 inches of rain is expected to fall in some areas. Flash flood watches are in effect through tomorrow and wind advisories are also posted.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate flag from the city’s annual Christmas Parade. Emelie Gunn gets local reaction…
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The debate on whether or not to accept Syrian refugees has become an issue in Louisiana’s gubernatorial race. In a new TV commercial, Republican David Vitter claims Democrat John Bel Edwards has pledged to work with President Obama to bring Syrian refugees to Louisiana. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross…:
cut 13 (10) “to be important”
Edwards has fired back at Vitter claiming the senator missed key votes regarding the Syrian refugee issue.

Fatal crashes in Louisiana are on the rise. The state Highway Safety Commission says in 2014, 739 people died on Louisiana’s roadways, up 2% from the prior year. Louisiana Highway Safety spokesperson Jessica Bedwell says, for the first time in five years, the number of 18-24 year olds dying in alcohol related crashes is up. She says we have to get drunk drivers off the road…:
cut 12 (04) “alcohol impaired”

Most of the central and western half of Louisiana remains under a tornado watch until 4pm today according to the National Weather Service. They say a massive weather system is moving through the state today and it could be worse than the other strong storms we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks. 2-3 inches of rain could fall and possibly 5 inches in some areas. Flash flood watches and wind advisories are also posted in Louisiana.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says, despite increased seat belt usage, the number of fatal crashes in Louisiana increased from 2013 to 2014. According to finalized data, there were 664 fatal crashes on Louisiana roadways killing 739 people last year. Spokesperson Jessica Bedwell says there was a 2-percent increase in fatal crashes in 2014…
CUT 10 (08) “over the years”
The number of crashes and fatalities are down about 26-percent since 2007.

The number of accidents happening in work places is going down in Louisiana. That’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics who say we ranked number 2 nationally for worker safety in 2014. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eyesink says the business community’s commitment to safety is leading to lower worker’s comp costs…
CUT 4 (09) “to the employees”
The survey showed Louisiana improved to 2 incidents per 100 full time workers. The national average is 3.2.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton says Rob Ryan is out, and Dennis Allen will take over as defensive coordinator. Ryan’s tenure in New Orleans lasted less than three seasons.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado watch for 27 parishes in the entire western and central portions of Louisiana until 4pm this afternoon as a strong line of storms moves in today. A large portion of Louisiana is under a flash flood watch until late tonight. Forecasters say heavy rainfall amounts of 2-3 inches are possible with locally higher amounts of up to 5 inches. The entire state is under a wind advisory.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana ranked number two nationally for worker safety in 2014. Eric Gill reports…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate battle flag from their annual Christmas Parade. Every year The Sons of Confederate Veterans have participated in the parade for 20 years but aren’t going this year because of the exclusion of the flag. Holly Stave with Northwestern State University says she agrees with Mayor Posey…:
CUT 6 (09) “a symbol”
But a local shop owner, Dakota Scoggins, says this is a political move that is stomping on decades old heritage and should have never even been brought up.

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles is once again reminding people to make sure their record is clear if they’ve got an outstanding fine because they’ve let their auto insurance lapse at one point. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says there are about a million cases that haven’t been resolved..
CUT 1 (05) “in there”
Edmonson says they’ve collected about 8.1-million dollars and cleared about 55 thousand notices.

A stormy day is expected across Louisiana. Jeff Palermo tells us what to expect…
CUT 1 (25) “I’m Eric Gill”

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles continues to notify drivers whose auto insurance lapsed at one point by sending out the last of three letters to alert people to pay their fines or be turned over to a collection agency. They say about 55 thousand notices have been cleared. To find out if State Police is looking for you, visit express-lane-dot-org.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana ranked number two nationally for worker safety in 2014. They survey showed Louisiana improved to 2 incidents per 100 full time workers. The national average is 3.2. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eyesink credits business and industry in the state as well as their employees…:
CUT 3 (09) “number of years”
He says Louisiana has improved to its rate of worker injury to its best level in 13 years.

State Police Col Mike Edmonson says they are asking the Federal Government for more information about the Syrian refugees that are in Louisiana. He says in the wake of the tragic deadly terrorists attack in Paris, there are more questions than answers about the people here who have fled the Syrian civil war…:
CUT 12 (09) “state of Louisiana”

The OMV has sent out the last of three letters alerting drivers with lapsed auto insurance to pay up or be turned over to a collection agency. Emelie Gunn has more…

cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department says a Monday night shooting in a Keithville mobile home park has left one man dead. KSLA-TV reports a witness told them the victim and suspect, 18-year-old Garrett Morgan, were involved in a discussion before Morgan pulled a gun and shot the victim. Morgan fled the scene, but surrendered to authorities a short time later. Morgan is charged with second degree murder.

In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, Governor Bobby Jindal issued an executive order Monday telling state agencies not to accept the resettlement of any more Syrian refugees. Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Kevin Davis says they’ve haven’t been told anything about the Syrian refugees or the process that they go through…

cut 11 (06) “vetting process”

The US State Department said 14 Syrian refugees had been resettled in the state this year.

There’s a good chance portions of Louisiana could see severe storms as a massive weather system moves through the Bayou State. A flash flood watch is in effect for much of the state today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not unusual to see a storm system of this magnitude move through the state in November…

cut 6 (08) “this time”

A tornado watch is in effect until 4PM for the western part of Louisiana.