An independent poll released today shows that Republican Treasurer John Kennedy’s once sizable lead in the US Senate race has been trimmed to two-percent. Southern Media and Opinion Research pollster Bernie Pinsonat says GOP Congressman Charles Boustany has closed the gap…
cut 5 (06) “…barn burner”

A West Monroe police officer who fatally shot a man in 2014 has been found not guilty of negligent homicide. Officer Jody LeDoux shot Raymond Martinez, who according to the evidence was drunk and belligerent outside of a store. Defense Attorney Mickey Dubose says…
cut 14 (11) “…to fire”
Dubose says LeDoux used his gun when he thought Martinez was reaching for a gun that turned out to be a cell phone.

Triple-A says American drivers wasted over two-point-one billion dollars in the last year by fueling their vehicles with premium gasoline when their vehicles called for traditional regular fuel. Spokesperson Don Redman says don’t use premium gas, unless your car’s owner’s manual calls for it…
cut 11 (08) “…gallon difference’

A new app has been developed to help identify the more than 350 caskets that were uprooted in the recent flood in south Louisiana. Don Molino has more…
voicer 2 (26) “I’m Don Molino”

A new independent poll on Louisiana’s US Senate race shows its tightening. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Millions of drivers are wasting money on premium gasoline, according to a new study from AAA. Don Redman with AAA says over 16 million drivers are putting higher octane gas in their cars…:
CUT 9 (10) “regular gasoline”
He says 70-percent of vehicles on the road just need regular gas.

Lafayette Police are trying to get some answers in the case of a body that was discovered in a tool box. Corporal Bridgette Dugas says they received a call around 4pm Tuesday in reference to a possible deceased person enclosed in some type of bin…:
cut 12 (04) “inside a tool box”
Dugas says they are working to identify the victim and also the cause of death. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact authorities.

Governor John Bel Edwards will host his Ask the Governor program at two o’ cock this afternoon on many of these same stations. The governor is also scheduled to fly into Washington DC tonight to continue conversations with members of Congress about federal flood recovery dollars.

A former LSU player reportedly told a Baton Rouge radio station that Tigers Quarterback Brandon Harris got death threats following the season opening loss to Wisconsin, and it really bothered him. Jamie Howard, who was the starting quarterback for LSU in the early 90s, said he was giving Harris some advice because he was having a hard time with the death threats.

A new poll on the US Senate race shows it looks to be a close one. Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy is still in the lead in the Southern Media and Opinion Research survey at 17 percent. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says Democrat Caroline Fayard has improving poll numbers as she’s up to 11-percent…:
CUT 4 (06) “in New Orleans”
The other candidates who polled near double-digits are Democrat Foster Campbell, at nine-percent and Republican Congressman John Fleming at eight percent.

After deliberating for one hour, a six-person jury in Ouachita Parish determined West Monroe Police Officer Jody Ledoux was “Not Guilty” of negligent homicide in the shooting death of Raymond Martinez in December of 2014. Ledoux testified he thought the homeless man was reaching for a gun, when he was pulling a silver and gray cell phone from his pocket. The West Monroe Police Department is holding a news conference at this hour concerning the trial. More on this as it develops.

The devastating flooding in south Louisiana caused over 350 graves to be disrupted, according to the Department of Health. Program Manager Henry Yennie says disasters in the state commonly unbury tombs so they’ve developed an app that would scan a bar code on a coffin providing identifying information about who is inside. He says they’ve already started using it…:
CUT 7 (11) “identify people”
Yennie says so far they have only identified roughly 15-percent of the caskets that were disrupted in the recent flood.

For the third time, Governor John Bel Edwards is going to Washington to try to drum up support for Louisiana getting billions of dollars in federal aid to assist in the flood recover.

A new independent poll on the election for US Senate in Louisiana finds a tight race. Republican State Treasruer John Kennedy still leads the Southern Media and Opinion Research survey of 500 likely voters with 17-percent. But Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says GOP Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany is only two-percentage points back….
cut 3 (10) “…his ads”
Pinsonat says Democrat Caroline Fayard has improving poll numbers as well, as she’s up to 11-percent.

Governor John Bel Edwards will host his Ask the Governor program at two o’ cock this afternoon on many of these same stations. The governor is also scheduled to fly into Washington DC tonight to continue conversations with members of Congress about federal flood recovery dollars.

Two Louisiana metro areas are the fastest growing economies in the country, while two others are the fastest shrinking. Data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis says Lake Charles and Baton Rouge are growing very fast, while Houma-Thibodaux and Lafayette are struggling. The numbers show Houma-Thibodaux has the nation’s second-worst economy.

While the August flood destroyed homes and impacted thousands of people in south Louisiana, the living were not the only ones affected. Department of Health Program Manager in Emergency Preparedness, Henry Yennie, says over 350 graves were disrupted in at least 8 parishes, and they’ve come up with a solution to get the deceased back to their final resting place.
CUT 6 (09) “the carrier”
Yennie says it will be a while before the barcode system can be implemented on a larger scale.

A summer for the weather record books comes to an end today. Jeff Palermo has the story….
Cut 3 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

There are more and more flood damaged homes on the market that are listed as “Currently Damaged.” Baton Rouge area realtor Ginger Maulden says we could see this last for another year or two. Maulden says many other homeowners are in a waiting game…
cut 9 (11) “…market area”

A six-person jury in Ouachita Parish has found West Monroe police officer Jody Ledoux not guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of a homeless man in 2014. Ledoux testified he thought Raymond Martinez had a gun when he was pulling a silver and gray cell phone from his pocket.

Lafayette Police are trying to determine who stuffed a body inside a toolbox. Officers made the grisly discovery yesterday afternoon after receiving a tip about a possible body at the location. The identity of the victim and cause of the death are unknown.

Twenty-nine people have been arrested in Terrebonne Parish as part of an operation by State Police and local enforcement agencies to reduce gun violence. Trooper Jesse Lagrange says they also seized illegal narcotics and weapons and six-thousand dollars in drug money…
cut 14 (08) “…the streets”
Eighteen arrests were for felony charges.

The federal Bureau of Economic Analysis released numbers showing two of the nation’s fastest growing economies are in Louisiana but there’s also two metro areas considered the worst.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor John Bel Edwards will announce a new medical facility coming to north Baton Rouge at a press conference this afternoon, before he appears on his monthly call-in radio show Ask The Governor. Tonight the Governor will travel to Washington DC as the fight continues to get more federal aid for Louisiana flood victims.

Many flood victims in south Louisiana are selling their homes as is in a new listing category called “currently damaged.” Baton Rouge realtor Ginger Maulden says several homes in this category have already sold. She expects the number of homes in this category to continue to grow.

Cut (08) “already sold”

Maulden says all the homes sold were cash buys from investors.

A multi-agency investigation in Terrebonne parish has led to 29 arrests in just four days. State Trooper Jesse LaGrange says state police partnered with several narcotics agencies in Terrebonne parish to identify and target criminals in the wake of increased gun violence. He says they used street level enforcement, undercover operations and fugitive warrant services to find the violators.

Cut 13 (08) “an arrest”

Eighteen of the arrests were for felony charges.

Louisiana has two of the country’s fastest growing economies, while also having two of the fastest-shrinking, according to data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Baton Rouge grew by over 5-percent and Lake Charles grew by about 8-percent. LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says Lake Charles has almost 100 billion dollars in industrial projects…
cut 10 (10) “…one place”
The numbers also show Houma-Thibodaux has the nation’s second worst economy, shrinking nearly 8-percent and Lafayette shrunk four-percent.

More and more south Louisiana storm victims are selling their flood damaged homes as is. Baton Rouge area realtor Ginger Maulden says the category “Currently Damaged” is being used to help flood victims track and sell their homes. She says the listing is helpful to investors.
cut 7 (08) “…it later”

State Police partnered with local law enforcement agencies to arrest 29 individuals in Terrebonne Parish during a four-day span in an effort to reduce the gun violence. Drugs and guns were also taken off the streets during the operation. Trooper Jesse LaGrange says they are asking residents to contact authorities about any other criminal activity…
cut 15 (08) “…website”

Today is the final day of what has been a hot and wet summer. Alek Krautmann with the National Weather Service in Slidell says it goes down as one of the warmest summers on record for several Louisiana cities and in New Orleans it was the warmest summer on record since 1947. He says a very warm Gulf of Mexico is to blame.
cut 4 (10) “temperatures”
It will feel like summer today with temperatures in the mid-90s.

It’s a tale of two different economies in Louisiana. The federal Bureau of Economic Analysis says Houma-Thibodaux and Lafayette are two metro areas that have shrunk the most over the year, while Baton Rouge and Lake Charles are the fastest growing economies in the country. LSU economist Doctor Loren Scott says the growth is the result of the chemical industry and the liquefied natural gas export sector…
cut 11 (11) “…in Asia”

A record setting summer weather wise comes to a close today. Alex Krautmann with the National Weather Service says it goes down as one of the warmest and one of the wettest, with Baton Rouge shattering the previous record….
cut 5 (11) ‘…was received”
It will feel like summer today with high temps in the mid 90s.

Many flood victims in the Baton Rouge area are choosing to sell their flood damaged homes as is. Halen Dougthy has more…
voicer 1 (30) “…I’m Halen Doughty”

After deliberating for one hour, a six-person jury in Ouachita Parish determined West Monroe Police Officer Jody Ledoux was “Not Guilty” of negligent homicide in the shooting death of Raymond Martinez in December of 2014. Ledoux testified he thought the homeless man was reaching for a gun, when he was pulling a silver and gray cell phone from his pocket.

Two Louisiana metro areas are the fastest growing economies in the country, while two others are the fastest shrinking. Data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis says Lake Charles and Baton Rouge are growing very fast, while Houma-Thibodaux and Lafayette are struggling. LSU Economist Doctor Loren Scott says a decline in drilling in the Gulf is to blame…
cut 12 (10) “…gas industry”
The numbers show Houma-Thibodaux has the nation’s second-worst economy.

One of the warmest and wettest summers in history comes to an end today, with it being the final day of summer. Alex Krautmann with the National Weather Service says a warm Gulf led to high rainfall totals…
cut 6 (10) “….downpours”

There are more and more flood damaged homes on the market that are listed as “Currently Damaged.” Baton Rouge area realtor Ginger Maulden says we could see this last for another year or two. Maulden says many other homeowners are in a waiting game…
cut 9 (11) “…market area”
Governor John Bel Edwards heads to Washington D-C later today for more meetings with members of Congress as he continues to build support for a flood relief package. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says there’s a dispute over whether to include funding for the Flint, Michigan water crisis with a flood aid package.