Just two weeks are left in the regular session, and the budget is still the biggest issue for lawmakers. Jeremy Alford with LaPolitics.com says legislators are trying to fund priorities like TOPS and safety net hospitals with a $600 million budget shortfall…:
cut 4 (08) “gonna be”
He says matters are complicated further by the fact that there could be a second special session after the regular session which adjourns June 6th.

Between one representative’s not-so-funny joke about strippers and the legislature shooting down the Equal Pay ACt, it hasn’t been a good week for women in Louisiana. In response, New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno launched a new campaign for women’s issues called “It’s No Joke.” She’s started this campaign to combat gender inequality…:
Cut 13 (12) “significant changes”

A 36-year-old Baton Rouge man died after being run over by a suspected drunk driver as he was helping at the scene of another accident, according to BRPD. They say William Warren was hit by 41-year-old Gregory Hamilton of Baton Rouge. Police say Warren had stopped to assist people involved in an earlier crash on Jefferson Highway. Hamilton faces many charges including vehicular homicide and second-offense DWI.

A 5-year-old child from LaPlace died after she shot herself while playing with her father’s gun, according to the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office. They say Haley Moore fired the weapon in front of her siblings, while her father, Eric Moore, was taking a shower. No charges have been filed at this time.

The White House issued a new rule that goes into effect December 1 that requires employers to pay their workers overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and make less than $47-thousand a year. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says some workers may feel more pressure to get more work done in a 40 hour period. But he says for the most part, workers should enjoy this.

CUT 5 (09)  “about that”

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law, one measure increases the wait time for a woman to receive an abortion to 72 hours and the second requires doctors performing abortions to be board certified. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace says the legislation increasing wait time gives women more of a chance to reach out before being forced to have an abortion if they don’t want to have one.

Cut 11 (10) “unborn children”

Wallace says this truly is a victory for women in the state.

Sulphur Police have released the name of the armed man who was shot by an officer yesterday afternoon. 48-year-old Roy Bauer was shot once and is reportedly in stable condition at a local hospital. Sulphur police received a call around 4pm about a drunken man who was playing with firearms. When officers arrived, Bauer pointed the gun at them and police fired one shot.

The governor’s daughter Samantha is getting married today to Johnathan Ricau. Samantha and Jonathan met in 2012 and both graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University. She is the oldest daughter of the governor and First Lady Donna. Governor Edwards says it’s a miracle he gets to walk Samantha down the aisle.

cut 10 (09)  “might be”

The wedding ceremony will be in Amite at St. Helena Catholic Church, and the reception will follow hours later at the Governor’s Mansion.

Just two weeks are left in the regular session, and the budget is still the biggest issue for lawmakers. Jeremy Alford with LaPolitics.com says legislators are trying to fund priorities like TOPS and safety net hospitals with a $600 million budget shortfall.

cut 4  (08)  “gonna be”

Alford says legislators are working on funding all of the public-private hospitals that care for the poor, and parents of TOPS students are also paying close attention to the debate over the funding for the scholarship program.

Cut 5  (06)  “doing that”

According to state officials, Governor Edwards hopes to have some tax proposals for a planned June special session ready for lawmakers by the end of the week. Edwards wants to call another special session so lawmakers can raise more revenues to close the budget deficit and stave off deep cuts to vital state services, because lawmakers cannot raise taxes during this regular session that ends June 6.

Between one representative’s not-so-funny joke about strippers and the legislature shooting down a proposal to get equal pay for men and women, it hasn’t been a good week for women in Louisiana. One state lawmaker hopes to change that with a new campaign for women’s rights called “It’s No Joke.” New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno says she started this campaign to combat gender inequality.

Cut 13 (12)  “significant changes”

Moreno says she wants to work towards ending sexism and inequality. She says this online petition, using the hashtag #ItsNoJoke, is raising awareness about women’s issues. More information about the #ItsNoJoke campaign is available at morenocampaign.com.

The White House has announced that a new rule goes into effect December 1 that requires employers to pay workers who make less than $47-thousand a year over time if they work more than 40 hours a week. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Deputies are looking for a woman who is believed to be involved in a double homicide that took place early this morning.  27-year-old Erica Cockerham is wanted for questioning about two men who were found dead when deputies arrived at the scene.

With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, drivers can expect to see gas prices up 6 cents from the previous week. But Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski from GasBuddy.com says even though we’re seeing these increases, prices in Louisiana are still down almost 40 cents from this time last year…:

cut 15 (08) “this summer”

Laskoski says prices haven’t been this low since 2008.

Governor John Bel Edwards’ daughter Samantha is getting married today to Jonathan Ricau. The wedding ceremony will be in Amite at St. Helena Catholic Church and the reception will follow a few hours later at the Governor’s Mansion. Edwards says the planning is going well and Samantha is excited.

CUT 9 (07) “the aisle”

Samantha and Jonathan met in 2012 and both graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University.

A new rule from the White House goes into effect on December 1 that would require employers to pay their workers overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and make less than about $47-thousand a year. This would affect about 35% of salaried workers. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says this will impact business owners more than anyone.

CUT 3 (10)  “fairly painful”

Critics says this is too drastic of a change for employers.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law, one measure increases the wait time for a woman to receive an abortion to 72 hours and the second requires doctors performing abortions to be board certified. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace says this truly is a victory for women in the state

Cut 13 (06)  “against women”

As we approach a big travel weekend, motorists can expect to see prices at the pump up more than 6 cents from the prior week. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski from GasBuddy.com says they’ve got the current statewide average for a gallon of regular at about $2.06…:

cut 14 (07)  “Memorial Day weekend”

Laskoski says prices haven’t been this low since 2008.

Authorities say a man is behind bars and a three-year-old is recovering following a shooting in a Shreveport home yesterday afternoon. Shreveport police say the child had already been taken to a local hospital by the time they arrived. The child reportedly suffered a single gunshot wound to the right arm, and although the injuries are serious, the child is expected to survive. The incident is still under investigation, but 17-year-old Dezhun Kendrick has been booked into the Shreveport City Jail on two counts of illegal use of a weapon.

A new rule from the White House that goes into effect on December 1 would require employers to pay workers who make less than $47-thousand a year overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says for the most part, workers should enjoy this.

CUT 5 (09)  “about that”

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law, one measure increases the wait time for a woman to receive an abortion to 72 hours and the second requires doctors performing abortions to be board certified. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace says the legislation increasing wait time gives women more of a chance to reach out before being forced to have an abortion if they don’t want to have one.

Cut 11 (10) “unborn children”

Motorists can expect to see prices at the pump up more than 6 cents from the prior week, as we get closer to Memorial Day. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskowski says even though we’re seeing these increases, prices in Louisiana are still down almost 40 cents from this time last year…:

cut 15 (08) “this summer”

Laskoski says prices haven’t been this low since 2008.

Authorities say someone crashed a stolen 18-wheeler in Caddo parish early this morning. Caddo Parish Sheriff Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the 18-wheeler was stolen from a truck stop in Texarkana, Arkansas, just before the crash, and the theft is still under investigation. She says the driver who stole the 18-wheeler has not been located.

CUT 7 (06) “as well”

Chadwick says she doesn’t understand why someone would steal an 18-wheeler because it would not be very low key.

The White House has announced that a new rule goes into effect December 1 that requires employers to pay workers who make less than $47-thousand a year over time if they work more than 40 hours a week. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is up to 6.3%, which is a 0.2% increase since March. This rate is the fourth worst in the nation. Oil and gas job losses slowed, but employment in that sector remains much lower than last year.

As we approach a big travel weekend, motorists can expect to see gas prices up more than 6 cents from the prior week. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski from GasBuddy.com says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular gas is about $2.06…:

cut 14 (07)  “Memorial Day weekend”

Laskoski says prices haven’t been this low since 2008.

The Governor’s daughter Samantha is getting married tomorrow to her fiancé, Jonathan Ricau. Samantha and Jonathan met in 2012 and both graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University. She is the oldest daughter of the governor and First Lady Donna. Edwards says it’s a miracle he gets to walk Samantha down the aisle.

cut 10 (09)  “might be”

The wedding ceremony will be in Amite at St. Helena Catholic Church and the reception will follow at the Governor’s Mansion.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Based on released court records from a deposition, Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson says his daughter and grandchildren “tried to kill him” during a confrontation at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The deposition took place at the end of March and Benson gave that answer when he was asked why he was looking to remove control of his sports franchises from Renee Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc.

The White House has issued a new rule that goes into effect on December 1 that would require employers to pay their workers overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and make less than about $47-thousand a year. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says this will impact business owners more than anyone.

CUT 3 (10)  “fairly painful”

Critics says this is too drastic of a change for employers.

Police say a stolen 18-wheeler was found overturned in a ditch in Caddo parish early this morning. Caddo Parish Sheriff Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says she doesn’t understand why someone would steal an 18-wheeler because it would not be very low key.

CUT 8 (12) “no idea”

Chadwick says the 18-wheeler was stolen from a truck stop in Texarkana, Arkansas.