Commercial harvests for brown shrimp in the western Gulf of Mexico are expected to be below average this year, according to NOAA’s forecast. Halen Doughty reports…
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The investment bank, Goldman Sachs, predicts the U.S. oil and gas industry will bounce back in the next few years but not everyone agrees. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Baton Rouge police say four suspects robbed a pawn shop Saturday night to get guns and ammo to kill police officers. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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NOAA predicts a below-average season for brown shrimp commercial harvests in the western Gulf of Mexico, which is not good news for shrimpers. The 55-year average harvest is around 56 million pounds, and this year’s harvest is forecast at less than 40 million pounds. Louisiana Shrimp Association President Acy Cooper says this more bad news for a struggling industry.
cut 4 (07) “at this point”
The smaller harvest is expected as a result of the record high rainfall that pushed shrimp out of their nursery habitats too soon. Cooper says the low supply of shrimp just adds to the problems the industry is already facing, which also include cheap shrimp imports flooding the market and other federal regulations.
Cut 5 (05) “winter coming”
Cooper says more imports are driving shrimp prices down, which means consumers shouldn’t expect to see higher costs, even if there’s fewer domestic shrimp available. He says with fewer shrimp to harvest, it will make it harder for shrimpers to turn a profit.
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Authorities say a pawn shop burglary in Baton Rouge is part of an alleged conspiracy to kill cops. Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie says four suspects allegedly robbed a pawn shop late Saturday night to steal guns and ammo. He says a police unit responded to the burglary and took one suspect into custody.
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17-year-old Antonio Thomas, 20-year-old Malik Bridgewater and a 13-year-old male have been arrested in connection with the burglary, and 23-year-old Trashone Coats was arrested after trying to purchase one of the stolen guns. Dabadie says police are still trying to find another suspect and the rest of the stolen guns.
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Dabadie says this threat against law enforcement is the reason police showed up to the Baton Rouge protests in SWAT gear on Sunday. He says they can’t take anything for granted following the attack in Dallas last week.
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The investment bank, Goldman Sachs expects the U.S. oil and gas industry will hire tens of thousands of workers over the next few years when oil prices bounce back, but will it be that easy? President of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Don Briggs doesn’t think so, because gas prices are still low and the majority of the 26-thousand workers in the industry that were laid off have already found new jobs…
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Briggs says a lot of people who lost their jobs are thinking there is no way I’m going to get back into the industry after going through such a hard time. He expects we’re going to have just as hard of a time bouncing back as we did from the 80s oil bust.
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Briggs says a lot of the recovery will be in the oil shale plays and we really don’t have those in Louisiana. He says the state is looking at record low oil rig counts right now…
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Secretary of State Tom Schedler is fuming over comments Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser made about early voting at the Ouachita Parish Republican Women meeting. Nungesser’s remarks, as reported by the News Star, implied that voters can be bused to early voting sites, sign a piece of paper, and have their votes count even if they are not registered. But Schedler says nothing could be further from the truth. He is upset because he believes people have been misinformed about the voting process.
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Schedler says early voters must go to an approved early voting site, show valid ID, be registered to vote, and cast their ballot. He says these erroneous comments could call into question the integrity of our election system. He says statewide elected officials should “stay inside of their sandbox.”
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Schedler says with a presidential election coming up in November, he has a lot on his plate already. He says people already have enough doubts about whether or not their votes count, which is why he is so upset about the comments.
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Nungesser issued a statement saying the comments were taken out of context and he was not trying to discredit Schedler’s handling of our elections in any way.
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At SEC Media Days, Mississippi State Football Coach Dan Mullen fielded numerous questions about Jeffrey Simmons. He’s a five-star defensive end who was seen in a video punching a woman. Simmons has received a one-game suspension and is receiving counseling. Mullen says it’s his hope he can mold Simmons into a respectful adult
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On the football field, Mississippi State will have a different look, because quarterback Dak Prescott has moved on to the NFL. So far, a starting QB for the upcoming season has yet to be named, but Mullen is glad wide receiver Fred Ross is back after catching a school-record 88 passes last season…
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Texas A-and-M head coach Kevin Sumlin has already announced that Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight will be his starting quarterback when the Aggies begin the season against UCLA. Sumlin was asked why he named Knight his starter…
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