The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating two armed robberies connected to the creation of false accounts on the website “plenty of fish.com.” Capt. Dawn Foret says during both incidents, each victim believed he was meeting a woman from the dating site, but when he arrived to meet her, it wasn’t what he expected…:
CUT 9 (12) “gunpoint”
She says they tracked the account to 20-year-old Taylor Williams who, along with 2 other men and the woman they used as bait, were all sent to jail.

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made a second arrest in an elaborate financial fraud scheme that claimed hundreds of victims and millions of dollars. They say 64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of conspiring with the original suspect, 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge. Batiste allegedly used a “credit repair” company as a way to steal more than 300 identities and $5 million dollars nationwide.

Fundraising continues for the building of the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Emelie Gunn has more..:
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor Bobby Jindal has issued a proclamation to commemorate today as the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Rita which devastated southwest Louisiana.

Alexandria Representative Lance Harris has been re-elected to his state House seat after his lone opponent withdrew from next month’s election. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (27) “I’m Eric Gill”

Monroe Police say a man suffered only minor injuries Wednesday after being hit by a train. They say the man was wearing headphones while walking on the railroad track and he couldn’t hear the conductor blowing the horn behind him. The train was able to slow down before striking the man. The man was issued a summons for trespassing on railroad tracks.

Efforts continue to raise money to build the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Supporters of the project have collected 42-million dollars in pledges and they’re still seeking another 15-million in the hopes of opening the 68-thousand square foot facility in 2018. Gray Stream is leading the fundraising efforts…:
CUT 6 (06) “save lives”
Today is the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita which ripped apart many communities in southwest Louisiana.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees says he is confident he’ll be able to take the field on Sunday in the away game against Carolina. He says it’s not just because the team is 0-2 as he remains optimistic the Saints can turn things around…:
CUT 17 (13) “start cooking”
Kickoff Sunday is at noon on Fox.

The October 24th primary election is one month from today and UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s finally starting to feel like election season. Eric Gill reports…:
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Eric Gill”

Syracuse is getting ready for the thousands of LSU fans expected to head their way for the game against The Tigers and The Orange. The Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau reports that some bars will be opening as early as 8am to accommodate the fans and plan to have enough alcohol on hand ahead of the 12 NOON eastern kickoff.

Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany reflects on the destruction caused by the devastating Hurricane Rita which made landfall in Louisiana 10 years ago today. He says though recovery has been slow in Cameron Parish, he has confidence in the extreme resilience of the communities over the past decade. Boustany also says over those years, they developed a strong understanding of storm surge to better prepare for future natural disasters…:
Cut 6 (11) “hurricane damage”

Alexandria Representative Lance Harris has been re-elected to his state House seat after his lone opponent withdrew from next month’s election. He says he’s grateful for another term in office…:
CUT 3 (06) “more years”
Harris, who is the current chairman of the state House Republican delegation, is hopeful that legislators can make appropriate changes to the budget under the leadership of our next governor.

There is a record number of graduates from Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges. Jeff Palermo has more….

cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

According to recent figures by the American Association of University Women and the federal government, Louisiana continues to have the most unequal pay gap between men and women in the United States. The study shows that women in Louisiana make 65-cents to a man’s dollar. They say the wage gap remained present even when similar jobs with similar education and experience were compared.

It’s the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita and many, including Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany, remember the destruction it caused only a month after Katrina. Boustany says the recovery in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes proves that after a natural disaster, the people of south Louisiana come back better than before…

cut 5 (08) “of opportunity”

Boustany says they learned many lessons after Hurricane Katrina, so the response for Rita was much improved.

Despite his bruised rotator cuff, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is confident that he can play this Sunday against Carolina. Brees’ banged up shoulder has been one of the biggest news items in the state this week. The veteran Q-B says he is a little suprised with all of the attention it’s getting…

cut 18 (10) “of a deal”

Brees says he’ll put in extra time this week to rehab his bruised shoulder so he can play against the Panthers.

10 years ago today, Hurricane Rita hit southwest Louisiana causing immense damage. Emelie Gunn has more on how we’ve recovered…

cut 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The state Attorney General’s Office says a Carencro woman has been arrested in connection with an elaborate financial fraud scheme that resulted in the more than 300 victims of identity theft and over $5 million in fraud. 64-year-old Brenda Taylor is accused of creating false bank records in an attempt to obtain a $250,000 loan. Taylor is charged with racketeering and criminal conspiracy to commit racketeering.

In one month voters will head to the polls for Louisiana’s primary elections. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross still expects Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards to make the gubernatorial runoff. He says Republicans Jay Dardenne and Scott Angelle really have their work cut out for them with only one month to go…

cut 9 (08) “putative front-runners”

Cross says it appears the governor’s race is finally starting to heat up.

The latest Public Policy Polling Republican presidential survey in Iowa shows Governor Bobby Jindal receiving four-percent of the vote. There’s still over four months to go before the Iowa caucus and polling analyst Jim Williams says they’ve already seen poll numbers shift dramatically. He says the now departed Scott Walker’s decline is a prime example…

cut 15 (08) “the race”

He says Jindal’s four-percent standing puts him in the top ten in Iowa.

The latest Public Policy Polling survey shows Governor Bobby Jindal continuing to poll in the single digits in Iowa. But polling analyst Jim Williams says a positive sign for Jindal is that his favorability rating is 59-percent…

cut 14 (08) “in Iowa”

The poll of nearly 500 Republican primary voters last weekend showed four-percent said they would like to see Jindal receive the GOP nomination for President.

The 2014-15 school year saw a record number of students graduating from the state’s technical and community colleges. Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Dr. Monty Sullivan says 70 percent of graduates go directly into high demand jobs and they’re making wages that are enough to sustain a family…

cut 11 (07) “those jobs”

Sullivan says they’re projecting that they need to produce about 40-thousand graduates to meet the workforce demands for Louisiana in 2020.

Louisiana’s October 24th primary election is one month from today. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it appears the governor’s race is finally starting to heat up. He says we’re beginning to see some hostility among the candidates and that’s something everyone’s been waiting for…

cut 8 (07) “now gone”

Cross says with all four major gubernatorial candidates running television ads and taking shots at each other, it finally feels like election season.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita and many remember the destruction it caused only a month after Katrina. Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany recalls the immense flooding and tornadoes that slammed into southwest Louisiana. He says the only fortunate thing that came out of this tragic event was there were no lives lost.

cut 4 (09) “leadership”

Boustany says both Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes showed extreme resilience and entrepreneurship after the storm.

Governor Bobby Jindal continues to poll in the single digits in Iowa. Public Policy Polling surveyed nearly 500 Republican primary voters last weekend and four-percent said they would like to see Jindal receive the GOP nomination for President. Polling analyst Jim Williams says Jindal’s four-percent standing puts him in the top ten in Iowa..

cut 13 (07) “John Kasich”

Public Policy Polling continues to see Donald Trump leading the state with 24-percent.

We’re one month away from Louisiana’s October 24th primary election. For a while, the governor’s race seemed to be lackluster, at best. However, UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it appears the governor’s race is finally starting to heat up…

cut 7 (08) “election season”

Cross still expects Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards to emerge from the primary into November’s runoff.

A record number of students have graduated from the state’s technical and community colleges in the 2014-2015 year. Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Dr. Monty Sullivan says they’ve graduated over 21-thousand students, who have entered the workforce or moved on to universities to pursue bachelor’s degrees…

cut 10 (07) “across Louisiana”

Sullivan says 70 percent of graduates go directly into high demand jobs. He says by entering into critical economic fields, they’re making wages that are enough to sustain a family.