Gas prices in Louisiana and the nation keep going up. Gregg Laskowski with GasBuddy-dot-com says consumer demand is up 4% compared to this time last year. He says that and other factors are driving up gas prices…:
Cut 8 (09) “going up”
He says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $1.92.

State mandated food inspections could decrease if the budget proposal from the Edwards Administration is implemented for next fiscal year, according to the Department of Health and Hospitals. Louisiana is facing a $600 million dollar shortfall for the financial year which begins July first, but DHH spokesman Bob Johannessen says food inspections are vital for health and tourism, and should not be cut…:
CUT 5 (09) “get sick”
He says the cuts would would result in an 11-percent reduction in inspectors.

Iberville Parish investigators head to Texas to find out more about the woman found dead under interstate 10 by Whiskey Bay. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 3 (22) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The hunt is on for a vehicle involved in a fatal hit and run crash this morning in Hammond. State Police are not releasing details about the incident at this time, but are seeking the public’s help in locating a white GMC 2500 truck that was last seen traveling toward US 190 in Tangipahoa Parish.

For the first time, the state is offering an open house public meeting for people who have questions about the I-49 Lafayette connector project. The gathering is slated to take place tomorrow at the Progressive Community Outreach Center in Lafayette between 4-8.

If Governor John Bel Edwards budget proposal is approved by lawmakers, there could be an 11-percent cut in retail food inspectors. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Authorities are searching for answers in the case of the teenager from Kenner whose body was found dumped in St. Charles Parish. The Sheriff’s Office says foul play is suspected. The victim is identified as 16-year-old Jorian White, and she was last seen in her home on Friday.

The state House has decided not to get involved in the LHSAA’s controversial public/private playoff split for high school sports. The lower chamber voted a lopsided 51-34 against the measure. Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval says LHSAA principals are meeting on June 8 to discuss the split, and lawmakers should give them the chance to make things right…:
Cut 14 (05) “passing laws”
The bill’s author, River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot, felt the split was discriminatory.

Former NFL player Nathan Black made a post on Facebook indicating he was robbed and shot at a town home in Baton Rouge early Monday morning. Black, who is a native of Monroe, played for the Carolina Panthers in 2002. No word on suspect or motive.

A report released Monday shows Louisiana is the least prepared state in the nation to handle a major health emergency or disaster. The National Health Security Preparedness Index says The Bayou State hasn’t kept up with the rest of the nation when it comes to being prepared to respond to health emergencies.

Prices at the pump continue to rise. Gregg Laskowski with GasBuddy-dot-com says the national average for a gallon of gas is up three-cents since last week. He says Louisiana is seeing similar price increases, as the statewide average is nearing two-dollars for a gallon of regular gasoline…:
CUT 7 (10) “nationwide”
But he says Louisiana’s statewide average is 36 cents lower than it was at the same time last year.

Investigators from Iberville Parish are in Humble, Texas today to find out more information about the woman who was found dead under I-10 near Whiskey Bay. Sheriff Brett Stassi says the body of 28-year-old Elizabeth Ferrell of Humble was discovered by a fisherman over the weekend…:
Cut 10 (06) “from Texas”

There is the chance of an 11 percent reduction in retail food inspectors if lawmakers approve of the governor’s proposed budget for next fiscal year. Department of Health and Hospital spokesperson Bob Johannessen says this means they would not be able to check out as many grocery stores and restaurants as they are now….:

cut 4 (09) “the state”
He says this could impact people’s health and hurt tourism in Louisiana because we’re known for our great food.

A state Senate panel advanced a measure known as the Raise the Age bill on Monday. Louisiana is currently one of nine states that charges a 17-year-old as an adult, but this proposal, approved unanimously in the upper chamber committee room, raises the age to 18. The bill now goes to the full Senate for approval.

FBI documents obtained by the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication reveal that during the mid-60s former-Governor John McKeithen made payments to the KKK to suppress racial violence. Jeff Palermo has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Authories say foul play is suspected in the death of a 16-year-old girl from Kenner whose body was found in a ditch in St. Rose. The St. Charles Parish Sheriff office says Jorian White was reported missing from her home on Friday evening. They’re asking for anyone with information to come forward.

A Monroe woman is being evaluated at the Ouachita Parish Correctional Center after kidnapping a newborn from St. Francis Hospital. Monroe Police Detective Chris Bates says 24-year-old Anquinisha Cummings entered the hospital room with a mother and her baby and after visiting for a few hours, the mother went to the bathroom and came back to an empty room.
CUT 3 (08) “both gone”

Bates says Cummings is believed to have mental problems.

Louisiana might be the first state to have digital driver’s licenses. The House Transportation Committee passed legislation today that would allow drivers to pull up their licenses on a smart phone app. Deputy Commissioner with the Office of Motor Vehicles Stacy White says this would let people access their information if they don’t have their actual license with them.
cut 12 (10) “utilize it”

There is far less controversy this year when it comes to standardized testing compared to last year when public school students took Common Core exams. President of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents Hollis Milton says teachers are more prepared now since testing is later in the school year.
CUT 9 (10) “the kids”

Milton believes there will be a much smaller number of students who opt out of the test.

FBI records found Former-governor John McKeithen paid the KKK in the 1960s to stop violent racial outbreaks. Executive Secretary to McKeithen, Gus Weill, says he knew nothing about the payments at that time but was told by a man that McKeithen arranged to pay 10-thousand dollars to both black and white supremacist groups to stop violence in Bogalusa.
CUT 6 (08) “blood shed”

A bill was approved by a House committee to allow drivers to access their license through a smart phone app.
CUT 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Louisiana’s budget shortfall has fallen to 600 million dollars from 750 million dollars. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says these savings come from Governor John Bel Edwards Medicaid expansion and the estimated people expected to use the service next fiscal year. The governor is proposing cuts to many state agencies to help close the gap and is planning a special session in June to raise additional revenue.

FBI records indicate the late John McKeithen supplied the KKK with money when he was governor in an attempt to suppress racial violence in the mid-1960s. Gus Weill served as McKeithen’s Executive Secretary at this time…
cut 8 (11) “….came from”
Weill was unaware of the payments at the time, but first learned of them a few weeks back, when an individual told him about 5-thousand dollars that went to a KKK group and an african-american group in Bogalusa.

Detectives are investigating the deaths of two females who were found along the I-10 corrider this weekend. A woman from Texas was found under I-10 near the Whiskey Bay exit in Iberville Parish. The coroner says she was strangled to death. And in St. Charles Parish, a missing Kenner teenager’s body was dumped on a road in St. Rose.

The House Transportation Committee approves a bill that would allow you to store your driver’s license on an app that can be downloaded on your smart phone. Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle supports the legislation…
cut 13 (08) “…to the phone”
The state Office of Motor vehicles says this license on your phone could be shown to law enforcement in cases when a person doesn’t have their license.

A Monroe woman has been arrested after leaving St. Francis Hospital with a baby that was NOT hers. Monroe Police Chief Detective Chris Bates says 24-year-old Anquinisha Cummings took a three-day old child from a mother she met that day….
cut 5 (10) “….no bond”
Bates says they believe Cummings is suffering from a mental illness.

Former governor John McKeithen gave money to the KKK in an effort to calm racial tensions in the mid-1960s. That’s according to FBI records that the LSU Manship School of Mass Communications has uncovered. Gus Weill, was the executive secterary for the late governor and he’s not surprised to hear McKeithan used money as a way to quell racial strife…
cut 7 (12) “….and Mississippi”
Weill says the money came from a state commission that was established to control civil rights issues.

The state’s budget shortfall for next fiscal year is down from 750-million to 600-million dollars. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says expanding Medicaid reduces the deficit, but he says it won’t decrease the level of cuts, because the savings were already factored into the governor’s proposed budget.

About 300-thousand public school students are taking standardized tests this week, but there’s not the uproar we saw with last year’s Common Core exams. West Feliciana Superintendent Hollis Milton, also serves as the president of the Louisiana Association of Superintendents, and he says efforts to change the content on these tests has led to a calmer environement….
cut 11 (11) “…will be better”

A Monroe woman has been arrested for stealing a baby from St. Francis Hospital…
cut 4 (10) “…not true”
That’s Monroe Police Detective Chris Bates, who says 24-year-old Anquinisha Cummings was charged with aggravated kidnapping. Bates says Cummings took the baby from a mother that she happened to meet that day.