At a public meeting today, the LSU AgCenter will pitch its medical marijuana plan to potential investors. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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More bad budget news for Louisiana as another round of cuts could be coming. Jeff Palermo has the story

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Another statewide poll has Republican John Kennedy as the front-runner in Louisiana’s US Senate race. Jeff Palermo reports…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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A new poll from the University of New Orleans shows Republican John Kennedy with a strong lead in the US Senate race at 22-percent. UNO pollster Ed Chervenak says Republican Charles Boustany and Democrat Foster Campbell are tied for second at 15-percent. He says it will be a close race for the second runoff spot.

cut 4  (08) “anytime soon”

Republican John Fleming polled at 11-percent to come in fourth place. Chervenak says for Boustany to make the runoff, he has to improve his numbers somehow, which could mean more attack ads are coming.

Cut 5  (08)  “Boustany campaign”

Democrat Caroline Fayard isn’t far behind Campbell, as she polled at 10-percent. Chervenak says if Campbell wants to surpass Boustany and get in the runoff, he’ll have to take votes away from Fayard.

Cut 6 (10) “his side”

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The LSU AgCenter will pitch its plan to grow the state’s medical marijuana today at a public meeting that will be attended by potential private investors. LSU Vice President for Agriculture, Dr. Bill Richardson, says they have about 450 people signed up to come to the meeting.

CUT 7 (10)  “near future”

LSU and Southern University have agreed to grow medical marijuana in line with the plan that was established by state legislators earlier this year. Richardson says for the plan to work and they need private businesses to assist the AgCenter with the growing, shipping, storing, and securing of the medical cannabis.

Cut 8 (09) “going on”

The AgCenter is not using state dollars to finance the growing process. LSU estimates operating the growing facility will cost more than $1 million for the first year, and over $5 million for the next five years. Richardson says it will take just over $11 million total to grow the medical pot.

Cut 9 (10)  “to do this”

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A mother has been arrested in the death of her 6-year-old daughter who died in a fire in Jena early Wednesday morning. Chief Deputy Brant Thompson with the State Fire Marshal’s Office says investigators found illegally energized electrical wires and an electric space heater in use near the mattress where Ayla Breeland was sleeping.

Cut 10 (08) “Ayla’s life”

Thompson says Ayla’s mother, 29-year-old Wendy Blasingame, was not in the camper home when the fire broke out, and it’s unclear how long the child was left alone. He says investigators were only able to speak to her hours after the fire had been put out.

cut 11 (10) “intoxication”

Thompson says Blasingame has been charged with one count of negligent homicide. He says the investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are possible. He says they have confirmed that the mother was shooting up drugs in an abandoned house while her daughter was in the burning home.

cut 12 (08) “methamphetamine”

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Today, Camp Minden officials will begin burning off volatile explosives that are stored in three bunkers at the Louisiana National Guard Facility in Webster Parish. Col. Ed Bush says 200-thousand pounds of explosives are left of the 320-thousand pounds that have been stored at Camp Minden since the company that was storing them improperly went out of business. He says they plan on burning one of the three bunkers today.

Cut 13 (08) “the bunker”

Bush says they will conduct three burns, and today’s is the smallest, with 820 pounds of Clean Burning Ignitor being stored in this bunker. He says they expect the unstable CBI to ignite and burn up quickly. He says they are prepared for anything that might go wrong.

cut 14 (10) “after the fact”

Today’s explosion will be conducted between 11 am and 1 pm, as long as weather conditions are favorable. The second bunker will be burned on Sunday, and the third will be ignited November 5. Bush says everyone involved in this process is a subject matter expert in their field. He says they do not anticipate any problems with any of these explosions.

Cut 15 (10) “is safe”

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The Saints passing game faces a major test this Sunday against Seattle. The Seahawks have become one of the best teams in the league, because of how they defend the pass. New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees says Seattle’s defense doesn’t have a weak link…

Cut 16  (13)  “handle pressure”

Sunday’s game also marks the return of tight end Jimmy Graham to the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The Seahawks tight end’s first five seasons in the NFL were in New Orleans where he caught 51 touchdown passes. Since then he’s only caught three. Brees says it will be weird to see Graham in an opposing uniform…

Cut 17 (19)” love there”

During the 2015 offseason, the Saints traded Graham and a fourth round pick to Seattle for a late first-round choice and center Max Unger. Brees says Unger has played better then he could ever envision….

Cut 18 (18) “in a captain”

NOAA issues a report that finds Americans ate nearly a pound more seafood in 2015 than in the previous year. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (27) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A new U.S. Senate poll by Market Research Insight finds it’s a tight race at the top. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Americans ate nearly a pound more seafood in 2015 than in the previous year, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Karen Profita, believes this follows a national trend towards healthier eating.

Cut 3 (08) “for them”

Profita says now we need to educate people about the quality difference between domestic and imported seafood. She says Louisiana seafood is in high demand around the country, and people don’t mind paying more for it.

cut 4  (11) “overseas”

Profita says there are fewer shrimp this year, and no one really knows why. She says this could lead to some frustration if the supply can’t keep up with the demand, as seafood is becoming more of an everyday meal choice for people.

Cut 5  (10)  “everyday diet”

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A new survey released by Market Research Insight finds Republicans John Kennedy and Charles Boustany are on each other’s heels for the top spot in the U.S. Senate race. Kennedy is polling at 17-percent and Boustany is at 16-percent. Pollster Verne Kennedy says Boustany’s support is growing…

Cut 6 (10) “the attacks”

The poll was commissioned by a business group, and it has Democrat Foster Campbell polling at 14-percent. Kennedy says Boustany is leading among Republican voters, but the State Treasurer, who is a former Democrat, is still getting some of the white Democrat vote.

CUT 7 (06)  “Kennedy”

Kennedy says the better Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s does in the polls, the better Boustany will do. He says the reason Democrat Caroline Fayard, who is polling at 12-percent, is lagging behind Campbell is because she’s not getting support from white Democrats.

Cut 8 (10) “white democrats”

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JMC Analytics releases an analysis of the early voting turnout after two days and finds that over 162-thousand people have already voted in the 2016 election. Pollster John Couvillon says he only has one word for the early voter turnout thus far – wow.

Cut 9 (08)  “in 2012”

Couvillon believes the voter turnout will be more front-loaded this year. He says he’s not prepared to say there will be a higher overall turnout, he just thinks people are more eager to get it out of the way this year.

Cut 10 (11) “five days”

The report found that more women than men have already voted, and more Democrats early voted than Republicans. Couvillon says the people who turned out in the first two days of early voting seem to be chronic voters.

cut 11 (11) “local elections”

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The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office says an arrest has been made in a cold case dating back to 1991. Sheriff Brett Stassi says 61-year-old Tommy Francise of Plaquemine was booked in Lafayette as a fugitive from justice for the murder of a man in 1991 and another in 2002…:

cut 12 (10) “District Attorney’s Office”

Both cases will be featured on the second season of “Killing Fields” — a docudrama series on the Discovery Channel that was filmed over the summer. Stassi says the investigative television show was helpful in allowing them to put this case to bed…:

Cut 13 (10) “different places”

Season 2 of Killing Fields is expected to begin sometime in November. Stassi says when cases get the attention of investigative shows like this, it helps with getting witnesses to come forward. He says the families of the victims, Curtis “Cochise” Smith and George Barrett, have been waiting a long time for justice…:

cut 14 (08) “some peace”

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The Raising Cane’s River Center is now the new name of the Baton Rouge River Center in the Capital City’s downtown area. Founder and CEO of Raising Canes Todd Graves says this is a big day for his chicken finger company, which was founded near the LSU campus. Graves and his wife were on hand for the announcement…

Cut 15 (08) “River Center”

The Baton Rouge based food chain signed a 10-year naming rights deal worth nearly 4 million dollars. Graves hopes the Raising Cane’s River Center can become an even better entertainment venue

Cut 16  (09)  “better place”

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