Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand says his office is charging 54-year-old Ronald Gasser with manslaughter. He’s the man accused of killing former NFL player and John Curtis star Joe McKnight in a road rage incident last week. Normand explained the charge against Gasser…:
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Normand also defended the investigation into case as he says they waited to book Gasser, so they can get more witeness statements.

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says it appears the state’s budget deficit has grown to 600-million dollars, which means some of their spending proposals for next fiscal year will not please everyone….
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The House Appropriations Committee is holding three days of budget meetings to get an update on the state’s finances.

It was a day of opening statements and emotional testimony in the Will Smith murder trial. Michelle Southern reports…:
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This afternoon, Will Smith’s widow, Racquel, took the witness stand and pointed in the direction of Hayes as the man who killed her husband.

There are reports that President-elect Donald Trump will be in Baton Rouge on Friday afternoon. Mr. Trump will apparently visit the Bayou State to show his support for Treasurer John Kennedy in the U.S. Senate race. Trump visted Baton Rouge earlier this year and over 10-thousand people came to the event at the Baton Rouge River Center.

The man who admitted to shooting former-NFL player Joe McKnight is now behind bars. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand defends their decision not to arrest 54-year-old Ronald Gasser immediately, even though groups were calling for his arrest last Thursday.

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Gasser has been charged with manslaughter.

With $300 million shortfalls looming in this fiscal year and the next, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says higher ed and hospitals are once again on the chopping block. He says these agencies need to be setting priorities and preparing for realistic cuts.

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Dardenne says agencies should prepare for more mid-year cuts.

A Monroe woman is behind bars after she and her two children allegedly tried to steal $575 worth of clothes from Walmart. Chris Bates with Monroe PD says 33-year-old Shirley Mayes’ 9-year-old child tried to flee on foot when police arrived.

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Mayes faces charges of shoplifting, criminal conspiracy, and contributing to child delinquency.

The first round of wild horses have been moved off Fort Polk land because of safety concerns. Troy Darr with Ft. Polk says the plan to keep moving the horses off the land and sending them to the Humane Society of North Texas.

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Roughly 650 horses are still at Fort Polk.

It was a day of opening statements and emotional testimony in the Will Smith murder trial. Michelle Southern reports…:
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The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested 54-year-old Ronald Gasser, the man accused of fatally shooting former NFL player and John Curtis star Joe McKnight on Thursday afternoon in a road rage incident. Sheriff Newell Normand held a press conference earlier this morning announcing Gasser is charged with manslaughter. Normand also expressed his disappointment in the behavior of the public who rushed the department to make an arrest without a thorough investigation.

A 33-year-old Monroe mother has been arrested for shoplifting with her two children. Detective Chris Bates with the Monroe Police Department says Shirley Mayes was encouraging her 9-year-old and 14-year-old to steal things while she checked out a few items.
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The value of the items the family tried to steal is reportedly 575 dollars.

After safety concerns about wild horses roaming the Fort Polk army base in Vernon Parish, the first round of horses have been moved to the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Fort Polk Spokesperson Troy Darr says contact the Humane Society of North Texas for more information on the welfare of the horses.
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Fort Polk will rehome the horses in groups of 10 to 30 over the next three years or until they’re all gone.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office charges 54-year-old Ronald Gasser with manslaughter in the shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight in a road rage incident last Thursday. Emelie Gunn has more…

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It was a day of opening statements and emotional testimony in the Will Smith murder trial. Michelle Southern reports…:

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Fort Polk has moved the first round of horses off their land because there are safety concerns about wild horses roaming the Vernon Parish army base. Fort Polk spokesperson Troy Darr says they sent 50 horses to the Humane Society of North Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He says they plan to rehome the remaining 650 horses in the same manner.

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Advocates have expressed concerns that the horses could be sent to kill buyers or unfit owners, and the groups have called on Fort Polk to let the horses stay on their land. But Darr says the horses aren’t safe on the Army training grounds.

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Darr says the activists’ fears were eased when they announced where the horses were going. He says anyone interested in the welfare of the horses should contact the Humane Society of North Texas.

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Fort Polk will rehome the horses in groups of 10 to 30 over the next three years or until they’re all gone.

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Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand held a press conference this morning to announce the arrest of 54-year-old Ronald Gasser, the man accused of killing former NFL player and John Curtis star Joe McKnight in a road rage incident last week. Normand explained the charge against Gasser….

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Authorities say Gasser admitted to shooting McKnight in a busy intersection last Thursday. He was questioned that day and released. Normand says his detectives took their time to with the investigation, conducting 160 interviews and working with 70 business owners to receive video footage.

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Normand says they took their time with the investigation because of different eyewitness accounts of the shooting. He defends the sheriff department’s decision for not arresting Gasser immediately, even though there were groups calling for Gasser’s arrest last Thursday….

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Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne paints a bleak fiscal picture to lawmakers during a budget hearing this morning at the State Capitol. Dardenne says not only does the state have to address a $313 million deficit for this fiscal year, there’s another $300 million shortfall looming. He says that means state agencies will have to cut back even more.

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Dardenne says once again higher education and healthcare are on the chopping block. He says these agencies need to be setting priorities and preparing for realistic reductions.

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Dardenne says the administration plans on presenting next year’s budget to legislators in February, and some of the proposals won’t be easy to swallow.

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A Monroe woman is facing multiple charges after she was caught shoplifting with her children. Detective Chris Bates with Monroe Police says 33-year-old Shirley Mayes and her 9-year-old and 14-year-old were caught stealing from the Monroe Walmart.

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Bates says security footage shows Mayes encouraging her children to steal items while she checked out the rest of the things in her buggy.

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The value of the items the family tried to steal is reportedly $575. Bates says the 9-year-old child tried to flee on foot when police arrived.

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Bates says Mayes faces charges of misdemeanor shoplifting, criminal conspiracy, and three counts of contributing to child delinquency.

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The 54-year-old man who killed former NFL player Joe McKnight in Jefferson Parish in what’s being described as a road rage incident, has been charged with manslaughter. Ronald Gasser stayed on scene when it happened last week and claimed self defense. He was later released which caused outrage by many, but Sheriff Newell Normand is not deterred…:
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He says they felt that manslaughter was the charge that most appropriately fit the evidence at this time. The case remains under investigation.

The Will Smith case began today and in the opening statements, the attorney for Cardell Hayes said his client was afraid of the former New Orleans player and acted in self defense. But prosecutors maintained that Hayes was acting out of anger and murdered an unarmed man. Quarterback Drew Brees is among those in court today in support of Smith’s family.

Several hundred horses and donkeys living in and around Fort Polk will be taken to Texas for adoption. That’s according to base spokesman Troy Darr. When the issue of the animals first came up, advocates said the horses should be left alone. But Darr says it wasn’t safe for them to be on Army training grounds…:
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The plan is to move them in small herds over the next two years.

A Monroe woman is facing multiple charges after she was caught shoplifting with her children. Detective Chris Bates with Monroe Police says 33-year-old Shirley Mayes and her 9-year-old and 14-year-old were caught stealing from the Monroe Walmart…:
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Bates says Mayes faces charges of misdemeanor shoplifting, criminal conspiracy, and three counts of contributing to child delinquency.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office charges 54-year-old Ronald Gasser with manslaughter in the shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Saints Quarterback Drew Brees and his wife are among some big names appearing today in the trial of the man who is accused of murdering former New Orleans player Will Smith. Deuce McAllister was a teammate of Smith’s and he’s on the stand today getting emotional in talking about the death of his friend. Cardell Hayes faces life in prison if convicted of second degree murder. Defense lawyers assert Hayes acted in self defense.

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne paints a bleak fiscal picture to lawmakers during a budget hearing this morning at the State Capitol. Dardenne says not only does the state have to address a $313 million deficit for this fiscal year, there’s another $300 million shortfall looming…:
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Dardenne says the administration plans on presenting next year’s budget to legislators in February.

WBRZ in Baton Rouge is reporting that president-elect Donald Trump will be in the Capitol City on Friday. The report says it’s likely to support US Senate candidate John Kennedy in Saturday’s runoff election against Democrat Foster Campbell.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand held a press conference this morning to announce the arrest of 54-year-old Ronald Gasser, the man accused of killing former NFL player and John Curtis star Joe McKnight in a road rage incident last week. Normand explained the charge against Gasser…:
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The sheriff declined to explain exactly why they charged Gasser because probe was continuing and that he did not want to try the case in the media.

The Baton Rouge man accused of murdering and dismembering his parents in Tennessee over the Thanksgiving holiday did not waive extradition today, meaning he will not yet return to Knoxville. 28-year-old Joel Michael Guy Jr.’s lawyers say their client is not the person that Tennessee law enforcement officials want. Another hearing has been scheduled for December 16.

Fort Polk has moved the first round of hundreds horses off their land to the Humane Society of North Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Base spokesperson Troy Darr says they’ve already sent 50 horses to be adopted, and they plan to re-home the remaining in the same manner…:
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The army decided to move the horses because they were too close to the military base and it wasn’t safe to keep them there.

For the first time in the show’s history, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest in 2017 will feature a countdown in the central time zone. Spokesman Gary Solomon says the French Quarter in New Orleans will be featured in a major way…:
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He says this will include coverage of the fleur-de-lis drop from Jax Brewery.

54-year-old Ronald Gasser has been arrested and booked on a charge of manslaughter. Jefferson Parish authorities say Gasser has admitted to fatally shooting former NFL player and John Curtis star Joe McKnight during an apparent road rage incident at an intersection in Terrytown.

Also this morning in New Orleans, opening statements are underway in the Will Smith murder trial. Saints players Roman Harper and Jahri Evans are at the courtroom to support the family of the former Saints star.

A new television ad in the US Senate race has Governor John Bel Edwards urging voters to vote for Democrat Foster Campbell. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says the ad is a nice gesture, but it’s unlikely Campbell can beat the favorite, Republican John Kennedy…
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The election is Saturday.

New Orleans will be featured during Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Eve show as host Ryan Seacrest will toss it to the Crescent City to see how the Big Easy is celebrating the New Year. Gary Solomon with Dick Clark Productions says viewers will feel like they’re a part of the New Orleans culture…
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Solomon says there will be musical acts performing in the French Quarter that will be shown on the show as well.

The state’s efforts to rebuild its whooping crane population got another lift as 21 more large birds were brought to south Louisiana, where they once dominated the landscape over 65 years ago. Wildlife and fisheries biologist Sara Zimorski says once these birds are released, the birds are encouraged to stay by being fed….
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