A federal law suit has been filed over seven Louisiana abortion laws enacted this year. Emelie Gunn has more on the case…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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 Governor Edwards announces Louisiana Economic Development will take a deep look into the state’s film tax incentive program. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Louisiana has received a 60-million dollar grant that officials say will help alleviate traffic congestion in Lafayette and Baton Rouge. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Abortion providers in Louisiana have filed suit over seven abortion laws enacted this year. The Center for Reproductive Rights brought forward the federal suit to keep the rules from taking effect on August 1. But Deanna Wallace with Louisiana Right to Life says these laws are needed, because abortion doctors refuse to consider common sense protections for the safety of women.

cut 4  (08)  “in Louisiana”

 The lawsuit seeks to get a judge to determine the state’s new 72 hour waiting period for a woman to get an abortion is illegal and they are also challenging the ban of the so-called dismemberment abortion, which is commonly used in the second trimester. But Wallace says these laws are common sense regulations…

Cut 5  (05)  “barbaric procedures”

 But Janet Crepps, Senior Counselor at the Center for Reproductive Rights, says these laws deny women their right to access abortion in Louisiana. She says the laws passed that prohibit medication abortion and increase the waiting time to 72 hours are extremely burdensome.

Cut 6 (10) “whatsoever”

Crepps believes the Supreme Court’s ruling last week to block a Texas law that requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at hospitals will help their case…

CUT 7 (07)  “accountability”

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Just in time for summer vacations, drivers are seeing prices go down at the pump. AAA spokesperson Mike Right says we could see gas prices below $2 a gallon before the end of the summer.

Cut 8  (12)  “a gallon”

Gas prices have been falling for the past few weeks, and Right says that’s unusual during the summer months. He says this time last year, the statewide average was $2.55 a gallon, and today the average is $2.08.

Cut 9 (03)  “long time”

Right says the decline is due to lower crude oil prices and an abundant supply with not enough demand. He says although we’re seeing demand go up in the US, that doesn’t seem to be the case in other countries.

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Governor John Bel Edwards announces the state’s Economic Development department will take a comprehensive look at the Louisiana’s film tax incentive program. With reports that movie industry jobs are fleeing to other states, LED Secretary Don Pierson says it’s time to see how they can help Hollywood South…

Cut 10 (09) “our state”

Changes were made to the state’s film tax incentive program in 2015. Legislators agreed to put a cap on the credits redeemed, as a way to cut down on costs to the state. Pierson admits there has been some uncertainty in the industry and that’s something they want to address.

cut 11 (09) “this market”

Pierson says they’ll make recommendations on how to reform the program and legislators will get a chance to vote on them next year. He says they want to find a happy medium between keeping the industry going and ensuring the credits don’t become too expensive for the state.

cut 12 (07) “the industry”

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Louisiana is set to receive 60-million dollars in federal grants that will benefit significant road projects in the state. The grant will be used to improve and expand I-10 between Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. And Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says this federal money will allow the state to use dollars to address the bottleneck on I-10 east as you come over the Mississippi River Bridge from West Baton Rouge parish.

Cut 13 (10)  “Interstate 110”

Graves says the work on Interstate 110 should begin by 2017 to fix the only part of the country where the interstate goes down to one lane. The grant comes as a result of the federal FASTLANE Program, and Graves helped bring that money to Louisiana. Department of Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says this grant will allow the state to prepare for other important transportation projects.

cut 14 (10)  “as we speak”

Wilson says also in the planning stage is the I-20 to 220 interchange into Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport. The secretary says this federal money will help the state pay for roadway projects that have been ignored for years.

Cut 15 (08) “excited about that”

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LSU student-athletes, coaches, and support staff will undergo sexual harassment sensitivity training and awareness classes. Deputy Athletic Director Eddie Nunez says they are increasing their efforts on this topic after troubling reports of sexual assaults involving athletes at other schools.

Cut 16  (06)  “have been” 

Only two other schools conduct this kind of training, according to LSU President F. King Alexander. Nunez says their classes will be very broad and address everything from human relations risks to prevention of harassment and abuse.

Cut 17 (10)  “do arise”

Nunez says everyone in the athletic department will attend these classes throughout the year. He says the initial training for the Tigers’ 400 athletes and 250 employees will be led by former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe’s firm. He says they hope to do this every year and continue to reinforce it.

Cut 18 (10) “end of the year”

Gunshots rang out in a Shreveport neighborhood on Independence Day, killing one man and leaving another in the hospital with injuries. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A Gonzales man is behind bars today after cops say he allegedly shot his ex girlfriend in the face on the side of the interstate. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (28)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

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One man is dead and another is in the hospital following a shooting in Shreveport on Independence Day. Cpl. Marcus Hines says 33-year-old Antonio Collins and 32-year-old Exzavious Thomas were next door neighbors who got into a dispute over fireworks that turned violent.

CUT 3 (11)  “gunshot wounds”

Hines says Collins suffered a fatal shot to the chest, and Thomas was also injured but is expected to recover. Hines says the two neighbors were arguing over shooting fireworks.

CUT 4 (12)  “both men”

Hines says Thomas has only been charged with a single count of convicted felon in possession of a firearm, after interviews with witnesses indicate the shooting may have been self-defense.

CUT 5 (08)  “wounding Collins”

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A man is dead after an officer involved shooting early this morning outside of a convenience store in Baton Rouge. Cpl. L’ Jean McKneely says officers responded to an anonymous tip that someone had a gun in the area and it needed to be checked out by authorities. He says that’s when a scuffle occurred and 37-year-old Alton Sterling was shot and killed by an officer.

CUT 6 (08) “witnesses”

Sterling was pronounced dead and McKneely says only one officer fired his weapon. He says they’ll learn more about the shooting after reviewing video tape from body cameras, in car cameras and surveillance video from the convenience store.

CUT 7 (07) “it all”

The convenience store clerk told a Baton Rouge TV station he saw Sterling carrying a gun but did not have it out at the time of the shooting. McKneely says one officer is on administrative leave and the investigation is ongoing.

CUT 8 (05) “officers there”

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State Police is increasing its efforts to enforce the “Move Over” law, in light of several officers who have been hit while on the side of the road. State Police Sgt. Jared Sandifer says the law applies to all emergency vehicles, including police, firefighters, EMS, and tow trucks. He says people need to watch out for these vehicles when they are on the side of the road.

CUT 9 (10) “their speed”

In the past week, officers in both Sterlington and St. John the Baptist Parish have been hit by vehicles while on the side of the road, and one of the Sterlington officers was killed. Sandifer says if you cannot get over the other lane, it’s important to at least slow down. He says you can not only get a ticket for not moving over, but you can seriously hurt or kill someone.

cut 10 (05)  “emergency vehicles”

According to the “Move Over America” campaign, over 70% of Americans have not heard of “move over” laws. Sandifer says it’s about safety for these people and also just treating others as you would want to be treated.

Cut 11 (11) “they can”

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Hundreds of Louisiana workers will be out of work as a result of GE Oil and Gas in Pineville closing its doors. Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields says the company is closing its Pineville facility to move its operation to their other location in Jacksonville, Florida. He says he is disappointed to see this company move to another state.

cut 12 (10) “different here”

The plant closing will result in 269 of the company’s 289 employees encountering permanent layoffs. Fields says they have known this was coming since December and they are looking into repurposing the GE plant.

Cut 13 (08)  “that facility”

Fields says the city will do as much as possible to help the employees who are laid off. He says they have also been trying to prepare for the impact this will have on the economy in central Louisiana.

cut 14 (08)  “immediate impact”

Blue Sky Innovations in Lafayette has announced they will lay off all hourly employees by the end of the month and all salaried positions by the end of the year. The company has already issued a notice ending an existing contract and resulting in 55 layoffs.

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A Gonzales man is behind bars today after the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says he allegedly shot his ex girlfriend in the face while she was trying to get away from him in her vehicle. Chief Deputy Bobby Webre says 26-year-old Jarvis McNair followed the victim at a high rate of speed before stopping in Sorrento…:

cut 15 (08) “at the hospital”

Webre says the victim, 36-year-old Shondrica Dejoie, died from a gunshot wound to the mouth. He says McNair is facing several charges…:

cut 16 (08) “jail now”

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