LRN 07:30 Newscast

A lawsuit filed by 17 lawmakers who claim the department of education and BESE did not follow the state’s laws when it adopted Common Core will be heard in a Baton Rouge courtroom today. This is one of two Common Core-related suits that are moving through the legal system. Legal analyst Tim Meche says people are trying to bring their politics into the courtroom.
Cut 4 (07) “on others”
Meche says thecase needs an authoritative judge who will demand a ettlement be reached without court intevention.

Senator Mary Landrieu is facing accusations that she used Senate money to pay for chartered flights to attend campaign events. Her two Republican opponents in the upcoming Senate race have criticized Landrieu on this issue in recent days. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan doesn’t see this as a big campaign issue…
cut 10 (09) “appears to be”
Landrieu’s campaign says they will reimburse the Senate for both flights that have been questioned.

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announce they’ve issued nearly 900 citations to Louisiana businesses for selling alcohol and tobacco to minors as a result of their Summer Crackdown operation. Eric Gill has more…
Cut 3 Audio (32) “reporting”

Two people have finally been indicted for murder in the case of a Bourbon Street stripper, who was murdered and her body parts washed ashore along Mississippi beaches. It was 2012 when Jaren Lockhart’s killed. Prosecutors say Margaret Sanchez and Terry Speaks committed the brutal homicide.

LRN Newscast 06:30 August 15

A hearing is set for today in Baton Rouge over a lawsuit filed by a group of lawmakers who oppose Common Core. These legislators claim the department of education and BESE violated state law when Common Core was adopted. Legal Analyst Tim Meche says with a case as controversial as Common Core, an authoritative magistrate is needed…
cut 5 (07) “….we have that”
There’s also a pro Common Core lawsuit against Governor Jindal for his actions against the education standards.

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control say they’ve issued nearly 900 citations this summer to Louisiana retailers who sold alcohol or tobacco to minors. …
cut 15 (08) “….this from happening’
That’s A-T-C Commissioner Troy Hebert, who says fines start at 500-dollars for those who sell alcohol or tobacco to underage individuals.

Starting today law enforcement around the state will provide extra patrols in an attempt to crack down on drinking and driving. “The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign ends September first. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director, Colonel John Leblanc, says studies indicate campaigns like this save lives…
cut 8 (12) “….saving lives”
Leblanc says alcohol is a factor in as many as 40-percent of all fatal crashes.

University of Louisiana System President Sandra Woodley says the timeline on when they hope to have a new president in place at Grambling State has been extended into the spring.

17:30 Newscast August 14. 2014

A recent study of the housing market in Louisiana finds nearly 45 percent of renters are rent stressed. Rent stress is defined as paying more than 35 percent of your monthly income in rent. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says the stress comes in when you have limited resources left over to provide other necessities…

cut 07 (11) “that angle, yes.”

The percentage of rent stressed Louisianians has grown by nearly 15 percentage points since 2000.

The Jindal administration told lawmakers who sit on budget committees that next year’s budget is one-point-two billion dollars short. Publisher of Lapolitics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says the news is not a surprise to legislators and some have already discussed rolling back some tax exemptions as a way to raise revenues

cut 12 (08) “tax increase”

Jindal will propose a budget for next fiscal year to lawmakers early next year.

LSU Alumni Association President, Charlie Roberts, has resigned as he faces a lawsuit from a former employee, Kay Heath, who claims there was financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, says Roberts now looks forward to telling his side of the story in court…

cut 11 (11) “was supporting her”

She says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt.

26-year-old Diondre Jones of Slidell has been charged with medicaid fraud after allegedly using her dead sister’s name to receive medical treatment at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Slidell Police detective Daniel Seuzeneu says in a bizarre twist, Diondre was wearing a memorial T-shirt in honor of her deceased sister when a police officer caught up to her in the hospital parking lot….

cut 4 (10) “as a memorial”

He says Diondre provided her sister’s name trying to avoid having to pay any medical bills.

16:30 08-14-14

A recent study of the housing market in the state finds nearly 45 percent of renters are rent stressed; defined as paying more than 35 percent of the monthly income going to rent. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says in 2000 the number was around 29 percent…
cut 6 :05 sec. Q: “percent increase”
He says the next step is to determine why this number has risen so much.

With the announcement today of a one-point-two billion dollar budget shortfall in the state’s budget next year, Governor Bobby Jindal will more than likely be looking at some creative ways to deal with the red ink..:
cut 14 :12 sec. Q: “next year”
That’s LaPolitics Publisher Jeremy Alford, who adds some lawmakers will suggest raising taxes; something the Governor does not want.
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The long-time leader of the LSU alumni association, Charlie Roberts, has resigned from his post as he faces a lawsuit from Kay Heath–a former employee, who claims there was financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt..:
cut 9 :11 sec. Q: “kind of silly”
And she says they look forward to hearing Roberts’ side of the story in court.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Republican Jim McCrery from Shrevepor,t has been appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to fill a vacant seat on the LSU Board of Supervisors. McCrery served over twenty years in the House, and he was also the man given credit for introducing Jindal to Louisiana politics.

15:30 08-14-14

Louisiana has a one-point-two billion dollar shortfall in the state’s budget next year. That revelation to lawmakers was made today by the Jindal adminstration. LaPolitics (lah politics)dot com pubisher Jeremy Alford says, on one side, there are some lawmakers who want to increase taxes to deal with it, and on the other, Governor Bobby Jindal who will fight that…:
cut 13 :08 sec. Q: “override it”
Alford says he expects the governor to come up with some creative ways to deal with the shortfall.

Some lawmakers are getting a lot of complaints about wait times at the Office of Motor Vehicles; this on the heels of Governor Bobby Jindal reducing staffs there. The Legislative Fiscal Office says the waits have gone up as much as an hour and a half. The Legislative Budget Committe announced today that they want to meet with leaders of the OMV to answer those questions being raised.

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The former president of the LSU Alumni Association faces a lawsuit from a former employee for stopping some hush money regarding a sexual relationship. Charlie Roberts attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, says the main reason for his resignation is Kay Heath’s statement, saying she would drop the suit against the Alumni Association when he would resign…:
cut 10 :05 sec. Q: “dragged into this”
A recent study shows 45 percent of Louisiana renters are rent stressed. Matthew Doyle reports…
CUT V1 (32) “reporting”

14:30 8-14-14

The Jindal administration has pegged the shortfall for next year’s budget at one-point-two billion dollars. Jeff Palermo with more…
CUT V2 (32) “reporting”

Almost 900 violations have been cited to various Louisiana establishements for selling alcohol to minors during the Alcohol and Tobacco Control’s 2014 Summer Crackdown. ATC also reports that almost 400 citations were issued for selling tobacco to minors.

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A Slidell woman has been charged with medicaid fraud after she allegedly used her dead sister’s name to receive medical treatment at Slidell Memorial. Slidell Police detective Daniel Seuzeneu (susan-no) says hospital officials became aware when 26-year-old Diondre Jones used a false name was entered into the computer…:
cut 3 :07 sec. Q: “had been deceased”
Seuzeneau says Jones was actually wearing a memorial T-shirt in honor of her deceased sister when police officer caught up to her.

It’s called “rent stress,” and it describes the condition of renters having to pay more than 35% of their monthly income in rent. Forty-five percent of all Louisiana renters are experiencing it right now…:
cut 8 :13 sec. Q: “of the analysis”
That’s LSU economist Jim Richardson.

13:30 Newscast August 14, 2014

The Jindal administration told lawmakers who sit on budget committees that the shortfall for next year’s budget is one-point-two billion dollars. Publisher of Lapolitics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says the news is not a surprise to legislators and some have already discussed rolling back some tax exemptions as a way to raise revenues

cut 12 (08) “tax increase”

Jindal will propose a budget for next fiscal year to lawmakers early in 2015.

A recent study of the housing market in Louisiana finds nearly 45 percent of renters are rent stressed. Rent stress is defined as paying more than 35 percent of your monthly income in rent. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says the stress comes in when you have limited resources left over to provide other necessities…

cut 07 (11) “that angle, yes.”

The percentage of rent stressed Louisianians has grown by nearly 15 percentage points since 2000.

The long-time leader of the LSU alumni association, Charlie Roberts, has resigned from his post as he faces a lawsuit from a former employee, Kay Heath, who claims there was financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, says Roberts now looks forward to telling his side of the story in court…

cut 11 (11) “was supporting her”

She says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt.

A Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola maintenance worker has been arrested on a felony count of malfeasance in office. The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office says 64-year-old Danny Daniel of St. Francisville is accused of inappropriate behavior with an inmate. Authorities are not releasing any details of the inappropriate behavior.

12:30 Newscast August 14, 2014

A recent study of the housing market in Louisiana finds nearly 45 percent of renters are “rent stressed”. “Rent stress” is defined as paying more than 35 percent of your monthly income in rent. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says in 2000 the number was around 29 percent…

cut 06 (05) “percent increase”

Richardson says the stress comes in when you have limited resources left over to provide other necessities.

The long-time leader of the LSU Alumni Association, Charlie Roberts, has resigned from his post as he faces a lawsuit from former employee, Kay Heath, who claims there was a financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts’ attorney Mary Olive Pierson says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt…

cut 9 (11) “kind of silly”

Pearson says a main reason for the resignation is so Heath will drop the alumni association from the lawsuit.

A Slidell woman has been charged with medicaid fraud after she allegedly used her dead sister’s name to receive medical treatment at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Slidell Police detective Daniel Seuzeneu says 26-year-old Diondre Jones provided her deceased sister’s name to hospital staff in an attempt to avoid having to pay any medical bills…

cut 5 (09) “got caught”

Seuzeneau says a bizarre twist to this crime is that Jones was wearing a memorial T-shirt in honor of her deceased sister.

A Monroe couple is accused of leaving their 2-week-old child on the hood of a vehicle, unattended, while they went fishing in Vidalia. Marcella Watson and David Ramey, both 33, were arrested on cruelty to a juvenile and improper supervision of a juvenile. The child was taken to a local hospital to check for sunburn and dehydration.

11:30 Newscast August 14, 2014

The long-time leader of the LSU Alumni Association, Charlie Roberts, has resigned from his post as he faces a lawsuit from former employee, Kay Heath, who claims there was a financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts’ attorney Mary Olive Pierson says a main reason for Roberts’ resignation is Heath’s public statement saying she would drop the alumni association as a party to the suit if he resigned…

cut 10 (05) “dragged into this”

Pierson says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals issues a warning about two diseases for beach goers, for both the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean. State health officer Jimmy Guidry says says you should take precautions against vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria found in warm seawater, and if you’re traveling to the Caribbean, take steps to avoid mosquito bites, so you don’t get the chikungunya virus….

cut 12 (06) “….with these issues”

There are eight travel related cases of chikungunya confirmed in Louisiana.

A Slidell woman has been charged with medicaid fraud after she allegedly used her dead sister’s name to receive medical treatment at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Slidell Police detective Daniel Seuzeneu says a bizarre twist to this crime is that 26-year-old Diondre Jones was wearing a memorial T-shirt in honor of her deceased sister when a police officer caught up to her in the hospital parking lot….

CUT 4 (10) “as a memorial”

Seuzeneau says Diondre provided her sister’s name to hospital staff in an attempt to avoid having to pay any medical bills.

The former Chief Financial Officer at the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office faces theft and malfeasance charges after allegedly giving himself two unauthorized pay increases. A state audit revealed that 61-year-old George Tosspon of Jonesville received over 22-thousand dollars in excess wages from August 2009 to November 2013. Tosspon surrendered to investigators. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

10:30 Newscast August 14, 2014

A federal judge has approved a 48-million dollar class action settlement for Bayou Corne residents affected by a sinkhole that was discovered two years ago. The lawsuit was brought against Texas Brine which was operating a salt mine that is believed to have caused the sinkhole. One of the plaintiff’s attorneys, Larry Centola, says they are happy with the judge’s approval…

cut 7 (09) “the next chapter”

The settlement will compensate 269 residents who lived in the area. Centola says residents should begin to see some settlement money in December.

State district Judge Todd Hernandez has ruled that the lawsuit filed by a group of teachers and parents against Governor Bobby Jindal over Common Core can proceed. However, Hernandez will not allow the plaintiffs to question the governor under oath. This lawsuit alleges Governor Jindal overstepped his Constitutional authority when he suspended state contracts tied to Common Core. The next hearing is scheduled for Monday.

The former chief financial officer at the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office faces theft and malfeasance charges after he allegedly gave himself over 22-thousand dollars in excess wages. State Police Trooper Albert Paxton says last May, Sheriff James Kelley requested the LSP to look into accusations that 61-year-old George Tosspon of Jonesville stole public funds…

cut 15 (09) “everything done”

Tosspon faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

A Slidell woman has been charged with medicaid fraud after she allegedly used her dead sister’s name to receive medical treatment at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Slidell Police detective Daniel Seuzeneau says hospital officials became aware of 26-year-old Diondre Jones’ scam after her false name was entered into the computer…

cut 3 (07) “had been deceased”

Suzeneau says that Jones was wearing a memorial T-shirt in honor of her deceased sister when officers caught up to her in the parking lot.